Woody

(Ironically, I absolutely hate doing PR for myself. So, I had a good friend of mine write a bio for me. Luckily, she's a writer! -Woody)
My Friend Woody
By Jacqueline Ryan
Aspiring Renaissance man. World Traveler. PR Extraordinaire. Karaoke Freak. Kickboxing taskmaster. Technosexual. Reformed Romantic. World Idealist. Retro Gentleman.
“Woodrow” I don’t think I know anyone with this particular name, which is fitting, because the name is unique just like the person. I’ve known Woodrow (or “Woody”) for a long time and to this day he still is a mixture of complexities and mysteries. If you ask him what he thinks about himself, he would simply shrug and say, “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you.” Woody isn’t lost in life….he just realizes that life’s truth and beauty lies in the journey and not the destination.
Interlude: Woodrow was named after President Woodrow Wilson. His parents wanted their first born to have all the qualities of the president: a leader, intellectual, and visionary. End interlude.
Some people say he is aloof, but this is far from the truth. In actuality he is one of life’s greatest participants. His broad interests, circle of friends and family and ongoing endeavors make it impossible to give everyone his attention. This must be difficult for Woody, because of his need to be personable with everyone he knows and meets. Yet, he will go out of his way to remember your name, buy you a drink and ask you a follow-up question to a conversation you could have had months ago. Woody doesn’t like to make acquaintances; he strives to make real friends.
Interlude: If you use the porn star name formula (Nick/Middle name + Street You Live On = Porn Name) then Woodrow’s porn name would be….Woody Sweetberry. End interlude.
Where could you find Woody? He could be chatting it up with a New York Times reporter. He could be in crunch .324 at his cousin’s cardio kickboxing class. He could be drinking a Red Bull Vodka at a small club partying it up to House music. He could be at a cafe in Rome’s Piazza Novona people watching. Woody could be anywhere, doing anything. He wants to embody the eccentric cult hero, Buckaroo Banzai’s mantra, “No matter where you go, there you are.”
Interlude: Woody and his first cousin, Ramir, were born on the same day October 9. (Technically, Ramir is older because he was born in the Philippines and Woody in the US). End interlude.
I know a lot of people who would like to be Woody. Ironically, Woody doesn’t feel comfortable being Woody. He is always striving to improve himself, always looking for ways to shore up his weaknesses and faults. He would be the first to admit that he is not perfect. Yet, he still holds a desire for perfection—this could prove to be his greatest motivation or his greatest downfall. Only time will tell.
Interlude: Woody has a tattoo on his right arm. It is a Japanese character for courage. Woody felt he needed to have the daily reminder that a person needs a lot of this, especially when living life. End Interlude.
Will I ever understand Woody? No, not really. Do I want to? No, not really. Other than that I have better things to do with my life, he is a person that you really don’t need to understand. Overall, he is a great friend, man and person. The world could use more people like him, don’t you think?