Hi there!
Now's your chance to find out a bit about one of the BOB44.com writers... me!
A rundown of some rudimentaries includes:
Age
40+, and some mornings I feel much much older!
Hometown and residence
I grew up in suburban Detroit and have lived in metropolitan Phoenix for more than two decades, long before it turned into the next coming of Los Angeles.
Education
My alma mater is Arizona State University, with a degree in Education. I've attended a number of public and private post-secondary schools. Through it all, I've learned a valuable lesson: that education is the shared responsibility of an educational institution and the student. I'm so happy to have persevered and earned a degree. It has changed my personal and professional life immensely!
Occupation
My job title is... PC Technician. It's an interesting mix of sweat and skill, as I design, retrofit, install and configure computers, and their networks. Whether you love or hate PCs, they're not going away. That equals job security.
At times, I've delivered the write stuff as a news staff writer, copy editor, columnist and sports stringer -- fascinating and valuable experiences.
Interests
Like a kid who's face is pushed up against the window looking into a toystore at all the exciting things inside, well... I have a motherlode of interests and curiosities. If only there were enough resources to exert toward many of them. My coverage of sports, human interest, nutrition and entertainment are a thumbnail sketch of ever-expanding and diverse set of interests. Through the coverage of Farmtrac North America, I've found an allure to the grit and substance of investigative coverage. Future pursuits include a post-graduate degree, writing technical content and a first book.
Something you'd never guess
I was a musician. Formalized piano lessons in my youth and introductory music classes in college were enough to realize the intensity, perseverence and talent needed to earn a degree and a livelihood as a musician.
What's in my CD collection
Aside from country-western or classical, you might find anything from Jimmy Hendrix, to Lionel Richie, to 2Pac, to the BlackEyed Peas or ColdPlay. The home environment helps foster that, as my spouse Cathy's tastes are so diverse that mine appear as comparatively archane. Is Purple Haze in my brain? Pass the lighter fluid, please.
Favorite athlete
This one's easy! As a longtime hockey fan and former player, my personal biases guide me to argueably the greatest hockey player ever - Robert Gordon Orr. Number 4, the tousle-haired blueline wonder from Parry Sound (Ont.), revolutionized the game while on the ice... and as a premier player representative, he's a quiet, classy, of-the-earth man off of it.
Favorite color
Twenty years ago I'd have preferred pastels (tastefully blended in), which fit with the vibrance, exuberance of youth... but now, my tastes are less salient. I've really liked maroon and navy for awhile now - especially maroon. Its a subtle yet elegant, sophisticated color... somewhat regal.
Favorite movie
That one's a tie -- between the 1980 Olympic hockey team's historical (and magical) victory Miracle On Ice and a baseball film that embodies the good of the game, The Natural.
Miracle is very special due to it's historic value -- a moment I had the good forture of viewing live -- and a demonstration of the guts behind a game that many Americans don't truly understand. The Natural is a reminder of baseball's glory days and a reminder of how with unwavering fortitude, people can make their dreams come true.
Honorable mention goes to the finest animation ever -- Pixar Disney's "Cars". Beneath the adult veneer, perhaps I'm a still a kid from the Motor City at heart... Vroom, vroom.