-an old joke, as told in The Watchmen by Alan Moore
"When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him." -The Eleventh Satanic Rule, Anton Szandor Lavey
I was born in New Jersey in 1972. We lived there for a year or so and then moved to West Virginia, where my parents were born and raised. I lived there until I was 8 and then we moved to Puyallup, WA on a company transfer. I lived there until I moved out and went to college at the UW in Seattle in 1990. I lived in Seattle for about 10 years and then moved to Bremerton, WA for a variety of reasons, primarily economics. It's funny that we create these little chronologies that are supposed to be informative, but really do nothing but provide a convenient synopsis that you can insert into a conversation when someone makes a polite but generally perfunctory inquiry.
I've worked as a manure loader, a garden department clerk, a housepainter, a barrista, a research scientist, a telephone support technician, a photograph retoucher and a digital artist. Again, a list of titles that don't really contribute much to one's knowledge of who a person really is.
I've always had an interest in art, music and science - though I'm too much of a daydreamer to perform well in a working laboratory. I would hear a timer going off only to realize that I had lost my train of thought and forgotten what the timer was for. I work in an art-related field now, where a bit of daydreaming is encouraged. My artwork is used in advertising mostly. You've seen it.
I try to always stay involved with music in one way or another. I write and record when I can and have been involved as a musician on 3 albums, two of which were released, as well as being a mixing engineer on a few other bands' projects. I have played in clubs and colleges, barns, grange halls, community centers, art galleries and smoky dives. My bands have opened for bands you'd recognize like The Posies, Presidents of the United States, Silkworm and Rocket From The Crypt, but mostly we played with other bands like ourselves - making noise for our own enjoyment and for the entertainment of a few enduring fans and career alcoholics.
I believe that drugs should be legalized as a matter of personal freedom, and that mushrooms in particular are every human being's birthright. That being said, I don't drink or take drugs any more as a matter of choice. I've got some things I want to accomplish, and I have a feeling that they're going to be challenging enough with my complete mental faculties.
I was born an atheist. I feel this is an accurate statement because I cannot recall ever truly believing in a supernatural being or force. As far back as I can remember, I have never felt that I was being told the truth while someone was providing me with religious instruction. I'm not sure whether this is the result of the inherent implausibility of their mythologies or whether I was picking up on the internal doubts of my teachers through their body language or tone of voice. I could go on for days on this subject, as it's one of my favorites. I remain open to the possibility that we as humans do not yet know all that there is to know about the workings of the universe and consciousness, but I refuse to erase the question marks and pencil in "God" where no proof exists.
Politically speaking, I tend to line up on the liberal/progressive side of the fence. Though I do break ranks with the Democratic Party on several issues. In short, a government should provide for a minimum level of health, education and welfare for its citizens throughout their lives. Apart from that, the government should not interfere. Personal freedom is a right which should never be diminished except to ensure that one's actions are not interfering with the quality of life of another person.
I have travelled the western United States extensively. Some of my favorite places: Crater Lake, Mono Lake, Bryce Canyon, Zion Nat'l Park, the Oregon sand dunes, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, Magic Mountain (Woo Hoo!). I recently made my first to Europe, Italy specifically, where I spent two weeks touring the country by bus. I enjoyed in tremendously and hope to do more travelling as soon as I can afford it.
I like a good laugh. I like making people laugh too, though I'm not a comic by any stretch. I'm just kinda funny sometimes. If you're a kid and you move to a new town and you don't want to get into fights with the local thugs, it helps to be funny. If you're a chunky kid in jr. high school with braces, you'd be better be freaking hilarious.
To Be Continued...