Personal Biography
Early Formative Years
I was born in Germany. I was raised in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Petaluma California and Orinda California. My mother likes to quip that we where "Federal Gypsies" as my father's career was with the US Army Corp of Engineers. We were always ready to move for opportunities for his advancement. My mother was raised in a little down in the Taunus mountains of Germany and my father was born and raised in Mississippi Delta. I was raised with a strong respect for other cultures and very much am an amalgam of both German and American influences.
Family
I am fortunate to have a strong solid relationship with my wife and best friend. We have a toddler and one cat. We work hard to form a loving supportive household for our son and each other. We are both employed by Mississippi State University's Information Technology Services and are also working on master's degrees at the university. We place a high value on knowledge, education and professionalism.
Interests and Hobbies
Reading
I like to read works by Terry Pratchett, Clive Cussler, Nathan Lowel, and others. I enjoy the national geographic magazine as it gives one a break from the here and now of life and lets you see interesting bits from around the globe.
Cooking
I am the house cook. I find it is a great way to relax through creative production. I must confess I find it difficult to follow recipe. I tend to read 3-5 recipes for what I am going to make to get a feel for the agreed requirements of the dish. Then when make the dish I tend to blend the recipes to suit.
Legos
I love Legos and have a fair sized collection.
RPG
Pen and Paper Roll Play games are another hobby. I have never had much luck with computer games mostly because they could not do what I wanted the character I was playing to do. I tend to look at the whole of a problem/scene and hit it in a direction most people are not expecting. Computer games force you to have your character do expected things.