! (Other Stuff)

This is a catch-all for stuff that didn't fit into any of the other letters, or is more about me as a person. This would be area where some of you may learn more about me than you probably wanted to know, so consider yourself warned.

Pottery

I've enjoyed throwing pottery for a few years. I find it to be a way to clear my mind and focus on something very different than work/school. You can explore my pottery world if you'd like.

My Literary Past

My first publication was "A Day in the Life of the Average High School Thespian." I was involved with Competitive Speech in high school, and a friend and I wanted to do a humorous duet. There aren't a lot of pieces for two males, so we developed our own. The rule is that you have to perform a published piece, so we sent it off to one of the groups that publishes these small pieces for speech competitions. It was soon published, and we took it to many tournaments. I've since learned from e-mails written by those performing the piece that the piece lives on, and is still performed at tournaments around the country. I've put the first page of this high-quality prose online, and you can still order the entire piece from the Wetmore Declamation Bureau.

The second publication that I was part of was "Cthulhu Live," which was a live-scale roleplaying game set in H.P. Lovecraft's 1920's world of monsters that are Bigger Than You. I helped develop the system to simulate combat in an interesting and fast-paced way without people actually running around and hitting each other. The main author went on to publish two more versions, dropping his coauthors like lead balloons.

Embarrassing Pictures

Just like any good personal Web site, this one has a photo album full of embarrassing pictures of friends, family, and travels that I have selected to amuse you. Enjoy. There are newer ones on Flickr as well.

My Statistics

I saw a friend do something like this, and liked the format. This should give you an idea about who I think I am.

Date of birth: March 27, 1971
Religion: Unitarian Univeralist
Astrological sign: Aries
Myers-Briggs: Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging (INTJ)

City of Residence: Syracuse, New York
City of Birth: Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Education: B.S. in Mathematics with Computer Science Emphasis, Master of Library and Information Studies, PhD in Information Science
Past Careers: Computer consultant, librarian, statistician
Current Career: Professor and Library Scientist

Stats:: 5'9", 240 lbs., auburn hair, blue eyes, divorced once, living with partner (and married in Canada)
Facial hair: Bushy red beard
Clothing I enjoy: Vests, suspenders, pocket watches, nice hats, long coats, ascots, cardigan sweaters, tweed jackets, glasses.
Car: 2001 Subaru Forester
Car I would like: Plymouth Prowler

Interests: Gaming (board, card, roleplaying), Musical instruments (tenor sax, hammered dulcimer), pinball, video games, and new technology toys
What I would like to do, if I had the time and money: Learn to play the piano, take more singing lessons, skydive, work at Disneyworld, live in Europe or Canada
Music (listening): Mannheim Steamroller is my favorite. I like Celtic, New Age, barbershop quartet, soundtracks, Enigma, big band, humorous, light classical, Disney theme park music, Drum Corps, 80's pop. (you know...typical stuff.)
Favorite movies: Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing, The Princess Bride, Monty Python's films, A Fish Called Wanda, Noises Off, Young Sherlock Holmes, Moulin Rouge, Hunt for Red October (and anything with the older Sean Connery)

My Faith

I spent some time exploring different religions in the world to find one that matched my feelings and needs. I found Unitarian Universalism intriguing for several reasons:

• It accepts people of all genders, races, and sexualities. Diversity is expected, supported, and celebrated.
• There is no creed. Worship services come from various religions, but all focus toward the appreciation of one power in the universe. Sometimes called love, sometimes left unnamed, this allows you to worship regardless of what power you believe in. Personally, I believe that there is some deity out there, so I am comfortable with this idea.
• It doesn't say that other religions are wrong, in fact, it examines many religions of the world and selects parts from those religions to study. The goal is to make this world a better place, and they use the "toolbox" of the religions of the world.
• It encourages skepticism and individual thoughts and ideas.

If you'd like to learn more, the best place to start is 100 Questions Non-Members Ask About Unitarian Universalism. There is a web site for the Unitarian Universalism Association, which will aid you in finding a local church.

The End?

Well, if you made it this far, you have probably devoured this entire site. Thank you for caring enough about me to do so. If you would send me a quick e-mail with any feedback about the site (or just to say "I saw the whole thing!), I'd love to hear it. If you were hoping to see something on a specific topic, drop me a note as well and maybe I'll put something up. Take care, and bye-bye!