I just go on doing, as they say, my thing. I believe this takes a certain courage.
- Samuel Barber
Wikipedia editor
What the dew is to the flower, Gentle words are to the soul, And a blessing to the giver, And so dear to the receiver We should never withhold. Gentle words, kindly spoken, Often soothe the troubled mind, While links of love are broken By words that are unkind. Then O, thou gentle spirit, My constant Guardian be, "Do to others," be my motto, "As I'd have them do to me."
- Polly Rupe
I feel like this is probably a metaphor for something
Greetings, all, and welcome to my page! My name is not important; on here I go by Ser Amantio di Nicolao. He's a minor character in Giacomo Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, a notary and lawyer—I chose the name almost exclusively because it's one of my favorite character names in opera. And because I love Schicchi. I'm not a notary, nor am I a lawyer; I'm not Italian, and I'm not a baritone.
Who I am
In real life I am a resident of the Washington, D.C. area—I'm not quite a native, but near enough as to make no difference. I went to high school in Virginia, went to a state school for college, and came back home, as did many of my compatriots, after graduation. For a living, I do things. And stuff. Which is as much as I shall say on the subject.
I joined Wikipedia way back in 2006, when it was still a large part of the wilds of the internet. This is actually my third (maybe fourth? I forget) account, my earlier ones having become inactive when I lost the password. (I think there may have been one before that, even...regardless, I've been editing since the time when IPs could create articles. I should know; I created a couple of articles before I registered.) I took a hiatus for a while, but once I came back to editing I came back with a vengeance, and haven't let off yet, for good or ill. I have been an administrator since June of 2015...please feel free to have a look at my RfA.
What I do
For many years as an editor I focused on content creation—I wrote a lot of articles in my early days on the site. I still try to do so, from time to time, though it happens far less frequently than I would like these days. I found myself, gradually, moving more and more into the territory of the WikiGnome, as I received access to more and more semi-automated tools to help my editing. To be frank, it was a label which I resisted for some time, but I have gradually come to embrace it. There are many, many gnomic tasks that need doing around Wikipedia, and I figure the more I can do myself, the less I have to leave for other people, which means more editors can devote their energies to other things. I have the aptitude for it, and I have the focus to carry it off.
I don't really have a preferred topic to edit; I have taken the motto of the Wimsey family as my own: "As my whimsey takes me."
King: But, as I said just now, it's a quaint world.
Phantis: Teems with quiet fun.
