Alex Raneri

Who are you?
"My name is Alex! Well, like, technically my full name is Alex Nguyễn Raneri but I didn't know if, like, you wanted my full name or just my first name. Although, I guess you kinda got both, huh? Whoops. Oh, well, I guess this sort of stuff happens from time to time. Y'know, like, this isn't even the first time I've been interviewed like this. Granted the last time I was that was sort on me for trespassing. The rangers were understanding. One of them was super nice, her name was Jannie, or wait, maybe it was Janice. I can't remember. But I do remember that her and her partner, is that the term, do park rangers have partners or do they work alone? I'll look it up, but until I look it up, I'll just say partner, her and her partner let me go. But they asked a bunch of questions. They also wanted to know if I had any aliases. Oh! Do you guys need my aliases? I have a few but I do business under one so I don't know if you need that for, like, legal reasons, but like, in no particular order, along with Alex, people also call me, things, like, Al, Lexi, Ally, haven't been called something like Lexally before even though it sounds awesome. Oh, wait, you have more questions other than just my name, huh?"

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
"I mean, like, I can but I worry that I might just sort of start rambling or something because it can be, like, so easy to slip into that mode when talking about oneself right? Like, you start talking by saying something like "Oh, I went to this college." and by the end of it you are talking about, like, your hopes and dreams and such. I mean, I can't judge. If you give me enough time. I could probably ramble about just about anything. Just yap, yap, yap, yap ,yap. On and on. Oh, right, the question, uh, what's there to talk about? Oh! Well, like I said before, my name's Alex. My parents are Dr. Chi Nguyễn and Captain Douglas Raneri. I'm a navy brat. I was born in Corpus Christi, which, like, always seems to surprise people, that I was born in Texas. Which, I guess makes sense. I don't have, like, a drawl or anything but I think that's more because my parents moved around a lot. Oh, they're still together by the way. People get thrown off by the fact they have different last names but nope. Both of my folks are still together. They just had their twentieth anniversary a little bit ago. They don't see each other a super lot because of their jobs but they're happy. Let's see. I live here in California to go to school mostly because, like, out of everywhere? I spent the most time here growing up. Stayed with my cousins. Have friends here. And it's just, I don't know, I'm just used to it, I guess. It's nice. Other than that? I'm a math major, uh, oh, this is hard to think of stuff. Normally I don't have any problem talking about stuff but I've got nothing. Oh, I like aliens, monsters, ghost stories, all that stuff. It's cool. I work part-time because, well, like, I'm in school and all. Like going to school full-time and working part-time which, like, let me tell you is no joke. Sleep is my best friend. Well, okay, no. I have an actual best friend but you get me, right?"

What is your orientation?
"Pan! Maybe Bi? Omnisexual? Queer? I don't know. I'm just sort of rolling with it. Like, I knew I wasn't straight. That much was for sure. Knew that for a long time. Even before, wait, thinking about, how detailed can I get about some things on here. I don't wanna like accidentally make people uncomfortable or anything but at the same time there are some things like my job and such where, I mean, like, I could be sparse on some of the details but if I am that might end up leaving things kinda vague and open ended. And I don't want people speculating and such. I mean, I guess I can try to, like, sum things up in a way that says everything without giving all the details. Might be hard though because, like, I won't lie. I really like to talk sometimes. Not because I like the sound of my voice, although, I guess, it would mean that I don't hate the sound of my voice at least otherwise I wouldn't really talk though. I was answering a question about my sexuality, right? Sorry about that. Got kinda side-tracked. Uh, yeah, pan, I guess. At least until I find a label that works better. I've thought about queer sometimes since it's kinda more open and fluid but I don't know still sort of trying my hand at things."

How old are you?
"Eighteen but I'll be nineteen in, like, three months, four months? Two? I don't know when this is gonna go up, is it gonna go up, if it does go up I guess I gotta, like, tailor my answers a bit. Just because of, y'know, not wanting to be a complete open book. But, yeah, eighteen going on nineteen real soon. I think I'm the youngest in my friend group. Which is trippy sometimes but eh what can you do, y'know, time is weird."

How tall are you?
"I guess, kinda, like, average. I think five-six is average anyway but I could be, like, so totally wrong on that front so I have no idea. Well, I mean, like, I have an idea about how tall I am. I know that. I'm taller than my cousin, one of my cousins anyway, Scott. And I think he's only like five-five so if I'm taller than him I must be taller than that. But I'm also not, like, super tall either or super taller than him. So even if I didn't, like, recently get measured when I went for my yearly physical? I would still only say I'm an inch or two taller. So about five-six or five-seven. Minus change."

How many languages do you speak?
"Mostly just English. I'm trying to learn Italian and some Vietnamese so I can, like, be able to really talk with my grandparents or, like, super distant cousins. Is there a term. Like, they aren't my cousins but they're like my mom and dad's cousins. Is that like cousins once removed or does that just apply to like in-law type situations. Like, someone marries into the family sort of thing? What other languages am I trying to learn. I tried to learn Hebrew but that was, like, so ridiculously hard. I wanted to learn it, oddly enough, because of, like, more family stuff. But I just don't have the ear or tongue or something for it. So I end up tripping all over myself when trying to speak it."

Do you have any family?
"Yep! Got my mom, my dad, aunt Greta, uncle Sam." [Alex chuckles to herself.] "Oh, my god. I have an uncle Sam. I never really thought about how weird that is. Like, uncle Sam, like, the stand-in for America uncle Sam. That is so weird. How did I not pick that up before? But, yeah, going back to family. I also got a ton of cousins. There's Scott, Danny, Jakob, Doug, and Howard. There's also Meinhardt but, well, uh, he's sorta, well, like, there's really no good way to put it. She died a bit back. Really sad story honestly. Same case with my grandpa who was, like, super important to me. But I guess that sorta thing happens, y'know?"

What about friends?
"I have some of the best friends in the world. First up, there's Tara, she's been my BFF, for, like, forever. I met her when I first moved out here because my dad deployed and my mom was working in the field at her job. So I was staying with my cousins and going to school here. When I first met her she was like, such a quiet wallflower, keeping to herself and doing her best to avoid dealing with people. We got assigned together for a group project and, like, she offered to do it all herself but I was, like, heck no, so I worked with her and

What do you do for a living or what do you want to do?
"Ooh...This is a toughy. Because, like, I wanna talk about my job but, like, the people I work for said it's probably not a super good idea to admit exactly where I work and such because of like weirdo reasons. Not that I'm saying you're a weirdo for asking these questions or anything. But if I have to say something, I guess it would be, uh, I work for a small company and I help make video content for the internet. That's what I do. Although, what I really wanna do and I have wanted to do ever since I saw a movie about it when I was a kid? I wanna work for SETI. Do you know what SETI is? I mean, like, do you know the acronym. I don't wanna, like, assume anything. I just wanna make sure that there's no confusion or anything. I guess, I can, like, just say what it is. SETI is Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Like, have you ever seen those like, giant satellite dishes lined up in a line, that's them. They monitor things like radio signals both coming and going in an attempt to find something that doesn't come from Earth in origin. Because, like, for one, radio waves travel at the speed of light so in, like, comparison to some of the things you could be looking for it's a lot easier to find them than most things. Along with that, most radio signals aren't something that occurs naturally, so, like, if we detect them than that means we found something made by something that was made by someone and if we find that then we found that there's proof that at some point, in some place, there was someone with enough of, like, a technological level that they developed radio communications. And I've been, like, super in love with that concept for forever and the thought that I might one day, even if, like, it never happens, that I could maybe be involved in first contact or something is just an awesome thought."

Are you religious?
"Well, no? Yes? Kinda? I mean, maybe. I mean, I believe there's something out there. What exactly it is I don't know but, like, well, it's hard to believe in something, like, uh, give me a second. Ghosts! It's hard to believe in ghosts without thinking there's an afterlife. Hard to believe in things like possession or those sorts of cases without believing in demons and such and, I mean, there's gotta be a counter to it. And, like, don't get me wrong. I know it might sound, like, not only super dorky but also goes kinda against the usual argument but, like, if we aren't alone in the universe than, like, there had to be something. Hard for a fluke to happen a million billion times. There has to be something there for it to be playing to. Hard to get the same results in a math equation unless you have, like, the equation. That totally doesn't really answer the question though, does it. Uh, yeah. I would say so. Maybe not, like, super religious. Like, I go to church sometimes with my parents when I'm with them but, like, not so much since I moved out here. Along with that, like, I guess I believe in God. Though what form they take's kinda, like, up in the air. My uncle, aunt, and cousins are Jewish and I've attended like Passover with them which was super nice and fun to be involved in. So, yeah, I guess you can say that I am just, maybe, like, only a tiny bit."

Are you seeing anyone?
"Oh, boy, uh, no. Not gonna lie. Most guys, gals, others, kinda probably don't wanna date folks who do what I do for a living and like. Trust me on that. The few who are interested are, like, super weird and kinda creepy. Okay, that's kinda mean. Like, obviously not all of them are. I'm sure there's like a ton of folks who see me as, like, a person and they're cool. Nothing against them at all. But then you get these kinda creepy folks who talk about all these weird things and I'm just, like, nope, no, no way, not happening. Though, I don't think that it, like, matters or anything at the moment though. Because, like, I don't think I have anyone who is interested in me right now. If they are cool! That's awesome but they aren't saying anything so I don't know. I guess the weirdos are interested but...no."

Do you have any favorite foods?
"Aw, man! Don't make me pick. There is, like, so much good stuff out there that it would be impossible for me to limit it to just one thing. Can I pick, like, a type of food rather than one particular thing? Because if I can do that than I could tell you that I just absolutely love anything sweet. I have, like, the biggest sweet tooth I swear. Cakes, pies, pastries in general. Like, there was this one place I went to down in Texas that had these awesome crullers, I have to ask my dad where that was, I'm sure that he would, like, have a much better idea than me about where that place is and if it's still open. If it is I gotta go back there next time I'm back down there. Let's see, aside from sweets? I guess, I'm kinda a fan of some pastas, like, a nice alfredo is hard to mess up and even just, like, the basic version can be better than, like, an average burger or something. Even more so if you add a bit of sea salt to the water when you boil it. I'm getting sidetracked, uh, but nah, I don't think I could give you like any one thing that I really like. Food is just good. Really good."  

What do you do for fun?
"I do all sorts of stuff! Like, you wouldn't believe. I play locally on a basketball team. I'm kinda shorter than most of the people on it but believe you me I can hold me own because, like, I can move in circles around a lot of people. Well, I guess that's kinda, like, the point. Getting around people in order to get a basket and such. But you get what I mean. Though, can't dunk to save my life. I don't think I can jump all that high. I guess, it's normal. Is there a normal jump height? If there is I think it's around there. Other than that. I draw. Been drawing for, like, ever. I might not be super great compared to some folks because there are some awesome artists out there. I follow a ton on social media. Including this one artist who draws this webcomic I love a ton. It's, like, this romantic drama thing with aliens and such and it's great. Been reading it forever. Think it's been around for forever too. Other than that? I camp. I go out every couple of weeks. Just sort of get away from everything for a bit. While there, and sometimes here, I do some star gazing. I have a channel where I post vlogs and such. Sometimes it's just, like, stuff in my day to day, sometimes it's like super complicated math stuff I can send people. Y'know, like, explaining things a bit to help out. Those are like my most super popular stuff I gotta say and the comment section is so nice full of people saying thank you and stuff and I'm just, like, it makes me so happy that I can help out.  There's a ton of movies I watch, games I play, I go to conventions. One for work, went to MUFON twice, there's a couple of local entertainment ones I've managed to go to with Scott since he gets tickets and passes to go and, like, sometimes he does all his work early and it's just, like, boop. Pass works. Go on through. I go to those ones on my own if they are super small or he's busy though so don't worry too much. Other than that? I guess, I, like, do mostly kinda normal stuff and all that. Well, normal enough. Sometimes I just like to stay home and get, like, a buttload of sleep in. Though, I guess that's kinda obvious, huh? I mean, look at me, I look like I just rolled out of bed. I'm rambling though. Am I rambling?  I feel like I'm rambling. Y'know what. Gonna say I am and move to the next question."

Do you anything you want to say to anyone who might read this?
"Hmm, I can't think of anything. I mean, I'm, like, trying super hard but my mind is blank. Just a complete and utter void right now. I've got nothing to say off the top of my head. Nothing at all. And it is, like, such a weird freaking feeling. Because I feel I should say something but nothing is coming to me. So it's just, like, silence on my end and that feels, like, super bad since, I mean, I spent all that time talking about myself but now I don't have anything to be able to give othe- I got it! Okay, some basic stuff. One, if you think you got something going on? See a doctor. I mean, for the longest time, like, I didn't know there was something off about me. I just sorta am always like this. Have been for, like, ever. But it turns out that I have, like, ADHD and that can be, like, something super important to find out. Like, what if you got depression or something, y'know? Not to, like, bring this down or anything. Because you find out all sorts of things. Like, I drink a lot of soda, energy drinks, things with sugar. Turns out? Like, people use that stuff to self-medicate and I was doing it without even knowing. Like, I guess, the caffeine and sugar and all that it, like, has the same effect as like Adderall or something. It's super weird. I gotta look that up more. Other things? Uh...Oh. Don't let people pressure you into doing things you aren't, like, super sure about. Like, if it is something super helpful than disregard this. Like, if you hurt yourself on accident and your friend's trying to get you to go to the hospital or something? Go! That is super important. Go! No, like, I'm saying, like, if someone's kinda putting pressure on you to do something, like, maybe they are trying to get into a relationship with you or something? It's totally okay to say no, establish your boundaries, and all sorta stuff like that. And you shouldn't feel guilty about saying no. It's your choice to make. They can't make it for you. Oh! Speaking from experience. Don't put off your work until the last moment. I had this one assignment I had to do for a professor of mine. Super weird guy named Mr. Haung. Anyway I put if off for, like, the whole three weeks we had to work on it and a bunch of other assignments too. Last seventy-two hours was just a binge and cram session and it drained me so much. Like, dang, I think I slept for eighteen hours when I was done. What are some other things. Uh, all bodies are good bodies. Eat, drink, shower regularly. Ask for help if you need it. Trans rights. It isn't a bad thing to buy yourself something nice from time to time. Talk to your friends, see how they're doing, and I love you all. I think that's it, so, again. I love you all. Take care of each other. Bye-Bye! Wait, who's gonna be reading this?"