Cynthia Sifonis

Sometimes the easiest way to get to know someone is to see the company they keep .

Since the social life of a professor is limited, the company I keep tends to be the company of my immediate family. This isn't such a bad thing when one has an intelligent, creative, and entertaining family as I do. Of course I might be more than a little biased in that regard.

jeff

My husband is an artist.

Formerly a senior art director in an advertising firm, he is currently working independently as a freelancer. However, he also designs motorcycles and motorcycle parts. When he isn't doing that, he designs websites (usually his own). Alternately, he paints, draws, or takes pictures.

damian

My son is a junior in college.

He is a gifted writer, is good with languages (he plans to be a foreign language high school teacher), and is a cartoonist. He is currently working on two manga web comics - That Which is Summoned produced in collaboration with his girlfriend, Ellen, and his independently produced comic, "Ken No Ten: Sword of Heaven" (Not for children).

two_dogs

And then there are our dogs. Lazlo, is senior dog. He's not much of a guard dog unless we are threatened by something smaller than a pre-teen. However, he is always there for a car ride, a walk, or to provide solid, uncomplaining, loving companionship. Roxi is our "baby" dog. She is independent (i.e., only listens when she feels like it), fun loving, and the world's best cuddler.

I suppose one can also get to know someone by their activities outside of work.

	I LOVE reading. I will read just about anything but SciFi and Fantasy are my favorite genres. My current favorite authors include Kelly Armstrong, Terry Pratchett, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Laura Joh Roland.
	I've practiced martial arts on and off since I was 18. I am currently studying Iaijutsu (a martial art that strives to suppress a sudden attack against the defender using a single, swift stroke of the sword). I belong to the Southeast Michigan branch of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu. June of this year, l passed an important test and achieved the rank of Shodon.
	I enjoy riding motorcycles. Since I moved to Michigan, I have had to be satisfied with hopping on the back of my husband's motorcycle. However, he is in the process of building me my own bike. I try to help :-)
	Gardening: I find it surprisingly restful and satisfying. I'm glad I have a large yard to learn and experiment with.
	I've been playing video games since video games were invented. I love playing them even though I have relatively little free time in which to do so. Two games which used to be favorites were Star Wars Galaxies and City of Villains. Right now I am searching for another MMORPG to fall in love with. Until then, I have immersed myself in Second Life, managing to work it into my teaching.
	Ever heard of geocaching? It's the ultimate tech geek's pastime so of course I thought it was cool. It's treasure hunting with a GPS. Now that I have a geocaching app on my iPhone, it is even easier to find caches when I am out and about.
	There is little I enjoy more than traveling. I have visited England and Switzerland (2001), and Italy (2005). In 2006, we went to Sturgis where we saw Devil's Tower and Deadwood, S.D.. The following year, as a high school graduation present, my son and I went to Tokyo. My most recent trip involved a three week business trip to Bulgaria and Amsterdam to 1) teach at the Cognitive Science summer school in Bulgaria, give a talk at the Creativity and Analogy symposium at the Analogy '09 conference, and attend the Cognitive Science conference that followed. I'll post pictures some day.