My name is Angel Doran. This is my blog about whatever happens to interest me at the time. Currently, that is rocks and minerals. My other hobbies include tinkering around with website and logo design, camping, hiking, reading (science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries mostly), world mythologies, and researching for fun.
I am a retired US Air Force Master Sergeant Intelligence Analyst who is 100% permanently and totally disabled. I also have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and fibromyalgia. After retirement, I created a one-person company where I “worked” from home on massively multiplayer online (MMO) game visual databases.
Last year, I started part-time for K and C Stepping Stones as their IT specialist, webmaster, and social media manager while doing website design, graphics, and audio/video editing on a case-by-case basis. I recently gave up the MMO databases to other community members to return to college.
I am majoring in Geology with a minor in Inorganic Chemistry and a Certificate in Paleontology at Missouri State University. I plan to finish a Master of Natural and Applied Science in Geology and Chemistry in Spring 2027 and then attend the Gemological Institute of America Graduate Gemologist program.
Additionally, I serve as the secretary, webmaster, and newsletter editor for the Ozarks Gem & Mineral Society.
I have two dogs, Kai and Zeke. Kai is a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois who failed out of the police academy. He has mast cell tumors, which’ve been stable for nearly a year. Zeke is a 4-year-old Texas Heeler (1/2 Australian Shepherd, 1/2 Australian Cattle Dog) rescue. My parents live in my walk-out basement with three dogs and two cats.
I am originally from Michigan. I was born Down River in 1974 and graduated from Petoskey High School in 1992. In between, I lived all over the country (Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and central Michigan). While in the military, I traveled the northern hemisphere. I was stationed at:
- Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas (six weeks)
- Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo, Texas (four and a half months)
- Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska (three years)
- Osan Air Base, Songtan, Republic of Korea (one year)
- Royal Air Force Mildenhall, Mildenhall, Suffolk, United Kingdom (two years)
- Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Chania, Crete, Greece (one year)
- Ramstein Air Base, Ramstein, Germany (two years)
- Hurlburt Field, Fort Walton Beach, Florida (one and a half years)
- Camp Slayer, Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq (one year)
- Aviano Air Base, Aviano, Pordenone, Italy (three years)
- Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C. (one and a half years)
- U.S. Embassy in Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia (three years)
I also deployed/TDY for extended periods to:
- Incirlik Air Base, Adana, Turkey (recalled home after two weeks the first time due to Allied Force, two months the second time)
- MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida (nine months)
- Balad Air Base, Balad, Iraq (six months)
- U.S. Embassy Kosovo, Pristina, Kosovo (two months)
I’ve been married and divorced three times, each lasting the same number of years as the marriage number (i.e., marriage one lasted one year) with no children. Between my two brothers and one sister, I have nine nieces, nephews, and non-binary siblings. I’m dating a fantastic person who motivated me to return to college. He also pushes me to try new things and tutors me in Pre-Calculus. Luckily, it’s making much more sense than it did 30-some years ago.
Sisyphos Rocks refers to the Greek myth of Sisyphus and his endless punishment in Hades of pushing a boulder uphill only to have it roll down again just as he reaches the top. The endless grinding and sanding associated with preparing rocks for show or jewelry always brings this to mind, and Google has the .rocks domain available. The “u” spelling was taken, but I like the look of the “o” spelling better, anyway.