Senior year, finally staying put

Isabel “Izzy” Kliethermes

Military brat. CS major. Cat person. Book devourer.

I grew up packing my life into boxes every two years, which made me excellent at goodbyes and terrible at the question “so where are you from?” Now I've found my place at Benedictine College, heading into my senior year after three years of staying put, where I study computer science, tutor it, and keep its computers alive. Off the clock: cats, ski trails, walking trails, a deeply loved boyfriend named Patrick, and a reading schedule best described as feral.

See what I'm readingSay hi

Have boxes, will travel

The military child life

I am a proud military brat, which is the only context where “brat” is a badge of honor. I have lived everywhere, am from nowhere in particular, and can pack an entire bedroom into a sedan with the grim efficiency of someone who has done it many, many times.

“Where are you from?” remains my personal final boss. The honest answer is a slideshow. The polite answer is whichever base had the best library. Either way, books came with me every single time - they were the one set of friends that fit in the moving truck.

9+ZIP codes survived
0Times I picked a hometown
∞Books that came along

Address: Benedictine College, finally.

Left brain, right brain, same chaos

The binary artist

I'm a computer science major who also runs the art and design club, which means I can code you a website and explain, at length and entirely unprompted, why that font choice is a crime against humanity.

One half of me wants the logic to compile. The other half wants the kerning to be right. They argue constantly. The good news is that the argument is where the good work lives.

The CS half

Ships the thing. Comments the code. Mostly.

The design half

Has opinions about your spacing. Strong ones.

Home, at last

I love Benedictine College

After a lifetime of “where are you from?” I finally have an answer that sticks: Benedictine College. Three years down and heading into my senior year - the longest I've ever stayed anywhere, and the first place I've been sad to be running out of. Faith and reason on one campus, which for a Catholic who also loves a well-structured argument is basically my Roman Empire. I'm so fond of the place that I never really leave: I study here, tutor here, and keep its machines running here.

Computer Science major

Senior year, debugger always

CS department tutor

I make the scary errors make sense

IT department

Yes, I have tried turning it off and on again

Secretary, Art & Design Club

Keeper of the minutes and the moodboards

A few of my favorite things

Things I love loudly

A short, honest list. No particular order, except Patrick knows he ranks above the cats. The cats disagree.

Cats

Non-negotiable. The cuter the menace, the better. My whole personality, honestly.

Skiing

The one time falling down a mountain on purpose counts as a hobby and not a 911 call.

Walking trails

My version of a software reboot. Touch grass, return a better person, repeat.

Patrick

My boyfriend, my favorite person, and the only one allowed to interrupt a good chapter.

Work in progress

The crochet blanket, an ongoing saga

One hook, a great deal of yarn, and the boundless optimism of someone who started a full-size blanket. Progress is steady, the cat is supervising, and we will get there one row at a time.

Blanket progress15%

15% done, 85% denial about how much yarn is left.

1% more wellness daily

The holistic experiment

I'm slowly trying to live a more holistic life: real food, fresh air, fewer mystery ingredients. The vision is radiant and grounded. The reality is a counter full of half-finished experiments and a very patient boyfriend.

Make my own sourdough

Named the starter. Fed the starter. Forgot the starter. We are grieving.

Get outside every day

Walking trails count. Skiing double counts. The couch does not.

Stop eating plastic, somehow

Switched to glass containers. Microplastics remain undefeated. The war continues.

Drink more water than coffee

A goal. An aspiration. A thing I will absolutely start tomorrow.

The Book Vault

Books I'd sacrifice my sleep for

You may know me as HappyKittyBooks across the reading internet. The handle is cheerful. The reading schedule is feral. The to-be-read pile has its own ZIP code, which is more than I can say for myself.

  1. 01

    SkywardFavorite

    Brandon Sanderson

    My favorite, full stop. A girl, a sarcastic spaceship, and the kind of stubborn hope I aspire to. I will reread this until the cover falls off.

  2. 02

    Catwoman: Soulstealer

    Sarah J. Maas

    Cats, heists, and a heroine who does not ask permission. Required reading for a self-respecting cat person.

  3. 03

    Siren

    Kiera Cass

    Doomed, beautiful, and just tragic enough to keep me up past any reasonable bedtime.

  4. 04

    Anything about genies

    Three wishes, zero restraint

    Lamps, wishes, dangerously specific loopholes - if there's a genie in it, it's already on my shelf.

  5. 05

    Whatever the new library lets me hold

    Every library, ever

    First thing I find in each new town. Reliable. Quiet. Never asked where I was from.

On rotation right now

Currently (again)

I am a serial re-reader and a proud re-watcher. New stuff is great, but there is nothing like returning to something you already know you love.

Reading again
  • The Inheritance GamesJennifer Lynn Barnes
  • The Goose GirlShannon Hale
Watching again
  • VoyagerStar Trek, comfort rewatch
  • ArrowSalmon ladder, here we go again
On my big-screen list

Movies I'm saving for an actual theater, popcorn and all:

  • Spider-Man (the fourth one)
  • Masters of the Universe
  • Supergirl

Faith

Devoted to the Sacred Heart

I'm Catholic, and my faith has been the one constant through every change of address. I have a real soft spot for the Sacred Heart - the whole idea of a love that just keeps showing up, no matter how many times you move, is one I needed to hear growing up.

The honest version

Big on the Sacred Heart. Not so big on a strict nine-day novena schedule. I keep my prayer life closer to a quiet conversation than a spreadsheet, and I've made my peace with that.