So who is this guy and why am I staring at his mug anyway?
Background
I was born and raised in sunny southern California. I NOTE HERE THAT THIS WAS NOT MY
IDEA... I escaped in 1996, however, and they still haven't realized I'm missing yet. I
moved up north here to Seattle in the beautiful Pacific Northwest (spelled Watersnowfloodrainhaildeluge).
Since I enjoy actual weather and not 300 days a year of "Well it looks like sunny and
hot again today..." it seems that I am getting my wish.
Seattle
Some say it rains here, although I have not seen it yet. I have however been pelted
from above by several various flavors of overgrown H2O molecules, and have been warned by others not to look
directly up for fear of drowning. But on the bright side I found out that the coffee
and beer up here are really the best, and for those of you in the combination mood, YES they
do make beer with coffee in it (well, at least they used to). See Redhook for further
details on their DoubleBlack Stout made with Starbucks Coffee.
All in all, Seattle is a great town and I encourage everyone to come here, spend some money and
then go back home. ;-) I'm a fair-weather Seattle Mariners Baseball
fan too, but that's about as sporty as I get. Pike Place Market is always fun, and there's lots of cool
places to hang out downtown too.
Work
I am software developer up here. I develop web services, web sites, and database applications with
C#, SQL, ASP.NET, etc. for this little company which specializes in Agile (scrum, XP) software consulting.
More specifically I am a development lead, who helps teams get better at delivering software by improving their
development processes through new methodologies - while still delivering new products. Now, (if you're still awake)
this means that I have a fairly high-tech job in a somewhat specialized vertical business niche.
Indeed, my battles as techno-nerd are unending. Just ask me to explain my work if you have an hour or two, or need to fall asleep easily.
Hobbies
Computers. Duh. Of course, I have several (yada yada) GIGABYTE (bla bla) QUAD-PLENETIUM 7.3 Terrahertz ---
(fill in your own high-tech buzzwords here, as ALL do apply). I also claim periodically to know how
to use the dumb things too. Sometimes, when the moon is full on alternate Tuesdays at
high tide and when the wind blows from the north, my programs actually do work. Oh, yeah, I
occasionally talk on the HAM radio as well. My callsign is KD6GKD (thank the FCC for that
one...) and I transmit on the local UHF and VHF bands. I usually use a double-ganged hyper-widget with a
supercharged gismodo and a triple-hetrodyne goober on top of the doomoflache to boot. So there.
I am also a photographer, and have taken some fairly good pictures, most of which are out here on
my web sites someplace, but I can't find them at the moment.
As gismo fetishes go, mine is a pretty serious case. If there's a new shiny gadget out there
that relates in any way to my life, it's a must-have. I know there are probably self-help groups
out there for people like me. Here, let me just google it (google is officially a verb now), then
download the coordinates into the navicomputer...
"He who dies with the most toys LOSES, because then I get his toys..."
(PS: Don't laugh or I'll VAPORIZE you...)
Also, sometimes I take pictures of landscapes, clouds, flora, and small domestic
animals. I will also lensatically assault anything else of beauty that will hold
still long enough for me to focus (Any volunteers?). I also like collecting coins
and other shiny or brightly colored things. On occasion I have been known to take
a pistol down to the range and cap off a few (hundred) rounds as well.
Just to show that I'm the sensitive type, sometimes I write poetry if the mood strikes me. Several
examples are out here here and here and even here on the web site for your reading pleasure (or not).
Music
Yep, I've heard some. Like Jazz, Rock, Blues, Alternative, Classical, Techno, etc.
I don't like Opera - its just ruining great classical music with a lot of howling.
I like most 80's stuff (OK, so I'm genre-typed!) and speed-techno (called Goa),
and don't like Disco. [Remember folks, Disco died FOR A REASON...] Other than that
I have a wide range of musical tastes.
Cats, Dogs, Etc.
Love cats. All cats. Any cat. Never met a cat I didn't love. Have been adopted by
a nice 3-some of cats already. I like cat people, and have a good
time listening to stories of "what my crazy cat did this time." Never did like dogs
all that much, but maybe I just never met the right one. Also can't stand spiders of any size,
shape, or flavor. It's kind of a problem living here in the forest, being outnumbered
about 10,000 to one...
Food
Just keep it comin'. The hotter the better. Used to grow chilis for myself and even for distribution to
select friends when I lived down south. The more ethnic the food the better. I love sushi, even
octopus and sea urchin, but mostly tuna and yellowtail. Thai, Chinese, Indian, Korean are also big favorites.
I love Ethiopian, Italian, Greek, and French too. Got a taste for fine wines too, red, white, and otherwise.
"So what's your sign?" (Stop?)
Well, in Western Astrology, it turns out that I am a Capricorn. I was born on January
20th (early), the single day that the two western calendars disagree on as to what sign one is.
Actually this day puts me on the cusp of Aquarius as either the first day of Aquarius or the
last day of Capricorn. But if you know me, you would know I am defintely Capricorn.
As for the Chinese calendar, I was born in the Year of the Celestial Dragon.
Since 1965 was a "Wood" year, I am technically a Wood dragon, born in the hour of the Ox. Wood has
moderating influences on the characteristics of dragons. The signs Dragons are said to be most compatible with are
the Rat and the Monkey. Works for me, I like cheese and bananas... I can pretty much get along with anyone though.
Rabbits, Pigs and Tigers are OK too. For further info on Chinese astrology, see
a Chinese Horoscope Calendar.
Goals
Goals? So, I suppose YOU have goals? I'm just trying to get organized. It takes up all my free
time, being a parent, husband, server administrator, consultant, nerdling, and radio geek.
Actually I am now settling down here in the greater Seattle area to raise some nice cats and a small family.
My wife comes in handy from time to time too in helping me to get organized. She is a bit less scatter-brained sometimes.
Our house is here in the forest on the East side of lake Washington.
It's got lots of 140' tall trees, and from time to time I do home repairs, maintenance and yard work.
It's not officially in the Boonies, but we can hear 'em when they have parties...
Jason is our newest addition, he was born in March 2004. He is a handful, but we love him and hope he will
be able to get a good job to support us in our (rapidly approaching) old age.
Well, that's about all for now.
I guess I'm just a simple guy in a complex world.
-J
