At first, I wasn't going to put anything up here, but I caved in. So now... what to write?

I'm 22 and, as my pen name suggests, I am from California, though I will soon be in London to work on my Masters.

I first saw "Phantom of the Opera" in 2003 when it came back to San Francisco as part of a nation-wide tour. I actually cried at the end and felt so much sorrow for the Phantom! He deserved Christine! Then I saw the Joel Schumacher movie and wondered why they picked such a hot actor to play the Phantom... It amuses me that Gerard Butler's Phantom is loved by many because he's such a hottie yet he's supposed to be a deformed ugly guy! But I guess it makes his deformity all the more tragic. Someone once described him as Angel and Demon on the same face. That's such a great description of him because it's this duality that causes him so much anguish. But I digress. This profile is supposed to be about me, not the Phantom.

I've read Susan Kay's book and was deeply moved by her story. The best part was that I didn't have to shell out the big bucks to buy it since my library had it! You gotta love university libraries and the circuit system! You can get any book you want! I haven't gotten around to Leroux though.

The second time I saw "Phantom" on stage was at the West End in London. I don't know why my opinion changed, but it felt really different from the San Francisco production and the Schumacher movie. For the first time, I was scared for Christine, scared at what the Phantom would do to her. For the first time, I felt that Christine belonged with Raoul because she was more frightened by the Phantom than drawn to him. Funny how different actors and actresses can change the mood of a production.

Well, I thought I'd give you my thoughts on "Phantom" since I'm writing a fic about them. Maybe I'm drawn to stories of angst and longing, like Buffy and Angel, Lestat and the human world, or Christian and Satine, just to name a few. But I'm also a hopeless romantic, always looking for the happy ending, so I can never give up hope for them. Now that you know a little more about me, please read my fic and let me know how you like it! Thanks!