You know, I have never posted in here...
Most of you know some of this already... so, bear with me!
I'm 35, live in Joplin MO (that's southwest Missouri, not northeast Oklahoma like Bob is convinced of!). I am originally from Sedalia MO, which is in the more west central part of the state, where the State Fair is. Born and raised there. Graduated high school in '93, and did community college in Sedalia. Got my Associates Degree and went on to Central Missouri State University (Now, Univ. of Central Missouri.) After dribbling slowly through classes there (worked full-time throughout), I received my Bachelors of Science in Biology with a Chemistry minor. I wanted badly to work for MO Dept. of Conservation as a research scientist, or something in public outreach, since I enjoyed teaching people about nature & animals. My girlfriend at the time (now wife) was working a traveling job in Memphis. She's a Nuclear Medicine Technician. We started looking for jobs. The deal was, the first to find a good job, we move there. So, she got a job here, in Joplin in early 2003. I worked one summer with MDC, as a temp, and that was my whole biology career to this point. Very disappointed, but hard to find a biology position in this world. Lived here and worked in a restaurant for a couple years, a couple years as a teacher's aid, and then, my current job. Currently, I use a sliver of my college degree... I'm a chemical technician in the research & development group for a battery company that produces batteries, energetic devices, and storage solutions for the space industry, defense industry, and medical (private) sector. I've been here for just over 2 years. It's not as technical or brainy of a job, as I thought it was going to be.
Been married for 4 years, and am thrilled to be the father of most interesting 3 year old little dude, imagineable (to me, at least... I'm biased, though!) My wife's originally from the Quad Cities in Iowa, and would love to get back there, soon, in life. I'm ready to be out of Joplin, as well.
My hobbies/passions?
Well, I love to cook. I've cooked most of my life in restaurants. I would love to cook professionally, BUT nights and weekends... can't do them, anymore; especially not with a family. But I do "chef-4-hire" stuff. I'll cook foods for small dinner parties, or sell stuff at work, or go into someone's home and totally cook them a dinner party or date night. My specialty is Italian. I love doing German, some Asian, Greek, etc. Not big on baking, but my triple chocolate cheesecakes get great reviews, and earn me some extra cash. I also roll and sell sushi; nothing raw in this part of the country... just Calif. rolls, and veggie type rolls.
I also love nature, and science. I'm a geek when it comes to that kind of stuff. My big passions in college were ornithology (birds) and herpetology (reptiles, amphibians). I really find treefrogs fascinating.
I love reading. I read all kinds of stuff, as well. I just finished a book about the 2009 US attempt to win the Bocuse d'Or in Frace (a cooking competition). I'm staring "Geek Dad" ... very cool book with geeky projects for dads and kids. I love some science fiction/fantasy stuff. Some of my favorite authors: Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Raymond Feist, Douglas Adams, Anthony Bourdain. Music is a huge passion of mine. VERY eclectic with my tastes... all over the place! Whether it's classic jazz from the 20's and 30's... or Christian rock, punk, hardcore... or classical... or heavy metal... or 80's pop... or RatPack, Sinatra, Prima... I LOVE ALL MUSIC (except the majority of country)!!! I also play bass. I have a gorgeous 1989 Fender Jazz bass... cream color with a black pearl pickguard. BUT, havent' really played it regularly for several years.
Obviously, I enjoy cigars. I love partaking in them, I love researching and learning about them. Apparently, I love collecting them, since I have so many built up in my humidors! Most of them are gifts/bombs from the past year or so. I need to try to find time to smoke more often. Most of them are also singles; this makes it hard for me to part with them. It's not that I'm greedy, and don't want to share. I do... it's just most are gifts, and are the first time to try most of them.
I also love wine, beer and cocktails. My favorite beers are small brews. I've really become a snob about my beer, AND coffee. I can't seem to really enjoy the big, mainstream brands.
Well, I guess that's more than ANYONE here wants/needs to know about me. I hope I didn't bore you to tears. There's some insight into the elusive TreeFrog of Missouri...
