An autobiography

This being my first day posting and all, I figured that I'd write myself an introduction. For people who don't know me you'll get some idea of who I am, and where I come from. For people who do, maybe you'll learn something new.

Unlike many people I've met, both of my parents are incredibly caring, well-adjusted, and intelligent. I couldn't have asked for better. They have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and weren't afraid to rein me in when I got myself in trouble (often). I have to thank mom for teaching me to be passionate in what I do, dad for teaching me to be logical, and both of them for teaching me patience (those lessons are sticking with me more), self restraint, and giving me a firm foundation of moral instruction.

I have lived in many different cities, states, and in one other country. My father and mother both served in the USAF, with my father serving until retirement after 20 years service. My early childhood included frequent relocations.

I was born at Elmendorf AFB outside of Anchorage, Alaska but left when I was 2 years old. My first memories are from Lompoc, California, outside of Vandenburg AFB. At age 5, I moved to Kerpen, Germany, eventually living in several locations near Norvenich AFB. When my father moved to Sembach AFB when I was 8, I moved to a small German village named Worsbach, and attended school at Kaiserslautern AFB elementary for 4th grade, before moving to base housing and attending Sembach AFB Middle School for 5th.

Before my 11th Birthday, we relocated to Clovis, New Mexico, where my father eventually retired. This became my home until my graduation from High school.

While Clovis isn't the greatest place to live (for residents and ex-residents, you'll spot my gross under-exaggeration), I do have many happy memories of the place. In the Clovis School System's ELP program, I met many of the other nerdy and socially awkward kids my age, and formed friendships that carried me through the rough years in junior high and high school. Unfortunately, I've lost touch with many of these friends over the past few years, and these days, I only have regular contact with one, and erratic but cherished contact with another.

I graduated from High school early at age 16, and went to my first year of college in Lamoni, Iowa at Graceland University. To be blunt, I was an idiot. I followed my high school sweetheart to school, and got burned.

The following year, I moved to Issaquah, Washington (outside Seattle), and eventually began taking classes at Bellevue Community College. Once again, immaturity triumphed, and I dropped out, eventually moving back to Clovis. After a few years of working various jobs, I saved up enough money to move to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where I stayed for 3 years and completed my bachelor's degree in biology. This prompted my current move to Dallas, where I am attending graduate school.

Obviously, lots of other things have happened during this time. I have worked many different jobs. I have been:

a student computer tech (twice)

a Starbucks barista

a UPS hub employee

a computer science tutor

a wrench monkey in windmill construction (GE 1.5 MW turbines)

a wrench monkey in windmill maintenance

a new and used car salesman

a student researcher

and a Clovis Firefighter/EMT

During that time, I also met my wife, to whom I've been married for over 4 1/2 happy years. She deserves a lot more than this small note, but nothing I could write here could explain the impact that she's had on my life.

EDIT:  Divorced September 2009.  A lot has happened since I originally wrote this post.  Currently in a relationship with Knitwit.

In other aspects of my life, I have a huge variety of interests. I've been a martial artist since I was 9 years old (Shotokan karate), and after moving to New Mexico I began studying Shorin Ryu karate. At the age of 14, after 4 years and countless bruises, I earned my kurobi (black belt). Self-defense and the righteous use of force are a topic that I plan to go into great detail on.

From the age of 18 onward, I've developed a love for shooting and firearms. I'll be writing a LOT about firearms, their use, and gun control. I am also very interested in bladesmithing, even though I barely rank as an amateur. Hopefully, I'll be buying a house with a shop soon, where I can further develop that hobby.

I'm an avid reader, though I haven't had much time for sci-fi or other pleasure reading lately. My favorite book of all time is Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein. His character Lazarus Long is definitely one of my all time heros.

My political views tend toward classical liberalism/libertarianism. I am a firm believer in individualism and individual rights. I am also a firm believer in individual duty and responsibility. As such, I am vehemently anti-socialist (in all its forms). I believe in minimal government interaction or interference on almost every level. However, I do strongly support a strong national defense. These are all topics that I plan to write about in great detail.

I am religiously agnostic. I say agnostic, because I can't disprove the existence of a god (in any form), but I suspect that modern religion exists because it grants a societal-level survival benefit to communities that are held together by the structure of common rules of behavior and moral training. I don't plan to write too much on the subject.

I do NOT believe in being politically correct.

I do not believe in moral relativism. This will form the bulk of a future post as well.

In the future, I plan to post many stories from my past and further explore my philosophies. Look for more content soon!

E