Who am I? Well, as a great wise man once said, “I am what I am and that’s all that I am! I’m Popeye the Sailor-man”. Actually, no, I am not Popeye. I don’t have huge forearms and I don’t even like spinach. I was a sailor, though… in the Navy. My time in the Navy was both the best and worst time of my life. For one thing, I have been to many places around the world (many of those places I would love to return to and there are still many more I would love to visit).

Also, one thing that I want to put out front... I am a geek! I am not a total geek... I don't mean that in a negative way, just want to be clear that I may not know everything in the Geekdom Universe, but what I do know, I follow pretty close. Still, I prefer a woman that is a geek herself or, at the very least, willing to live with and love a geek.

I have a 1 year old dog who I will garauntee that you will instantly fall in love with. She is a Spaniel-Schnauzer-Poodle mix and has black fur with white markings. Her name is Angel. She is full of energy and a pension for trouble (nothing too bad) but is very sweet. She also has an underbite which adds to her personality and charm.

I was an IT in the navy and that has carried over to my “civilian” career. I worked in DC for the past 4 years or so, but recently made a change. After a brief gig trying to sell insurance (and not being very successful at it) I now work downtown in an internal helpdesk role for a large company. Anyway, I enjoy working with computers, but my real desire is to write. So far, I have only one thing “published” and that is a short story on a website called figment.com. The story is called The Witness and is a unique perspective on the horror of war and battle. Look it up sometime, if you get the chance. I am always open to criticism.

I have been constantly told that I am good at writing (as I indicated above), though I would admit that I can still gain some improvement.

I can be quite shy at first, unless you happen to meet me at a specific time where a topic is being discussed that I am passionate about. Still, in general, I do have a tendency to be a little reserved when I meet new people. Once I get to know people, I do tend to open up more. Oh, and meeting people online tends to help break the ice so that when I DO meet someone in person, I am a little more open and comfortable.

For movies and music, I have a pretty general taste. I enjoy all types of movies ranging from action to comedy to drama to (even the occasional) romance. There are a few movies that I don’t like at all, but that list is relatively small. Music, I have a solid mix of types that I enjoy. I went through my iTunes and made a list of artists of which I have more than 10 songs. That list includes:

AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, BB King, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, CCR, Dean Martin, Def Leffard, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Enigma, Extreme, Firehouse, Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Guns n' Roses, Iron Maiden, Jimmy Buffett, Johnny Cash, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Metallica (old school), Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Doors, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, Three Dog Night, Twisted Sister and Ugly Kid Joe.

Some honorable mentions include Black Sabbath, Chicago, Dream Theater, Journey, Linkin Park, Neil Diamond, Offspring, Perry Como, Righteous Brothers, Rush, Scorpions, Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & The Papas and ZZ Top.

Of course there are more, as well as individual songs that I could list, but that would likely take forever. In summary, I have a pretty mixed taste.

As far as TV is concerned, I enjoy scripted shows and have a number that I tend to watch. I am not big on reality or competition shows (though you might catch me watching AGT now and again). About the only “reality” shows that I ever watch are shows like “Pawn Stars”, “American Diggers” and “Mythbusters”. I also love Chuck (sad to see it go) and The Big Bang Theory.

There are a few books (or book series) that I like. I enjoy R.A. Salvatore's work (including the Legend of Drizzt series as well as the novels from his Corona world and some of this other series which I have read through), though I do have to catch up on his latest releases. I have read through G.R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and have enjoyed the first two seasons of the show on HBO. I am looking forward to the next season. I am also a fan of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Apparently, I am the only person in Maryland who is a fan (it seems like it, anyway). Is there somebody who can prove me wrong on that... I would love to find somebody to talk about the series with. ;)

When it comes to food, I have to admit that I can be quite picky. I have already noted that I don’t like spinach. Funny how the Popeye thing never worked on me, but my mother succeeded in tricking me into liking peas by telling me that they were “Incredible Hulk pellets” (I loved the show when I was a kid). Perhaps the majority of the dishes that I enjoy are pasta related. I also like the basic “Meat and Potatoes” meal (I love mashed potatoes with gravy).

In no particular order:
1. My Computer (it is my brain)
2. My Family (for good or bad, they are my family)
3. My Dog (she is a little monster at times, but helps me get through each day)
4. Sleep (Since I started commuting a few years ago, I learned that I cannot get enough of it)
5. Food (particularly pasta of some sort)
6. My iPod (yes, I still only have an iPod, but it serves its purpose well)

Where do I go from here? I have been spending much of my adult life trying to find where I best fit in. Still working on it and slowly making progress. I do feel that maybe if I had "another half" in my life, things would go smoother! In a risk of bringing up movie cliches, I feel incomplete at the moment.

Well, I work 10 hour days from Tuesday through Friday. I get home late in the evening so Friday nights, I am usually relaxing. On occasion I may go out or meet with somebody, but Saturdays are better. Sundays I usually reserve for meeting with family, but other than that, given that I am off on Mondays, I am usually free those nights as well.

OK... something that probably should be very embarrasing to me, though I have reached the point where I am no longer caring about it anymore, is the fact that I still hold my nose when I go underwater. I have never really been able to master going under without doing so or, at least, wearing a mask. But, as I said, I am to the point where I just accept it. I can still swim well enough despite. Maybe, one day, I will learn to go under without holding my nose... hmmm, anybody care to help me with that?

You want to know more about me. Maybe you saw something above that you would like me to expand on. Ask away, and I will try to answer you as soon as possible.