I don’t think I’ve ever posted a random list of facts about me on my blog, even though everyone else seems to have, and I almost always enjoy reading stuff like that if it’s a blog I follow. So whether you consider it the height of narcissistic solipsism, or a fun ice-breaking mini-autobiography, here you go:

Tradeshow freight sitting in my garage, with me sitting on the freight, wearing blue.

1. I turned 30 this year.  But I still feel like I’m in my 20s.  Which is either cause to celebrate or a precursor to a really bad midlife crisis soon when I realize I’m not.
2. I’ve been married 7 years this month, to a woman I started dating when I was 16.  It has been an uninterrupted relationship since then, which is already basically half my life.  (Hi Chenin!  Happy Anniversary babe!)
3. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UC Irvine, which I finished in 2002.  I spent one year at UC Berkeley before finishing the other 3 at UCI.
4. I didn’t set out to be a photographer – I originally wanted to be an architect, but there isn’t an architecture program at UCI, so I studied Art.  Chenin figured she better make the money, in that case, and got a law degree.
5. Long before that, when I was like 10, I wanted to be a fighter pilot, because I saw Top Gun, and flying F-14s looked bitchin.
6. I’ve only been to 3 countries outside the US – Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico (which hardly counts when you live in Southern California).
7. I’m about 3 hours of flight time short of getting my Private Pilot certificate.
8. I own 7 surfboards.
9. I built my own custom arcade cabinet, which can play several thousand games.  It’s a converted TMNT cabinet that runs MAME on Linux.
10. I think that dark chocolate anything is the king of all desserts, and nothing else is worth the time, money, or effort.
11. I prefer only one ice cube in my whiskey.
12. I hate celery, and strongly dislike melon.
13. Aaron Barrett’s lyrics have profoundly influenced the way I see the world.
14. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou might just be my favorite movie.
15. I play the drums.  I think I might even be pretty good.  But I wouldn’t be sure, because I haven’t owned a kit since high school, since apartment living and percussion don’t mix, and I never got back into it.
16. I know enough C to actually code a functional program, and make sense of real-world code…. but I’m not good enough at it, nor patient or sadistic enough, to actually want to write programs for real.  I could, but I won’t.
17. I got rid of an Infiniti to buy a Honda Element, which I still drive, and couldn’t be happier with.  Used to dream about a Ferarri, and now my dream machine is a Sky Car.
18. Beelzebubba, by the Dead Milkmen, might just be my favorite album ever.  I actually believe it’s both funny and profound.
19. I’m a gamer.  Have been since the age of 2 or 3.  I play Call Of Duty – World At War a lot.  If you have that game on the PS3, look me up – gamer tag captain_manly (long story, don’t ask).  I only play that because it’s less adictive than COD4, TF2, CS, and all the other games I’ve sunk countless hours of my life into.
20. I can barely see out of my right eye.  If I ever get blinded in the left one, I’m screwed.
21. Sea Urchin (Uni) is probably my favorite cut of sushi, though Mackerel (Saba – not Spanish Mackerel) is a close second.
22. I kinda, sorta know how to sew a little, but haven’t really made anything since high school… I used to make clothes for Chenin.  Weird, I know.
23. I rarely go to bed past midnight, and rarely sleep past 8.
24. I love spending time alone.
25. A few years ago, I decided to try learning something new every year.  A couple years ago it was how to surf.  Last year it was flying.  This year it’s Mandarin Chinese, though it’s looking like “how to be a dad” is going to push it back a while.  Piano is on the list next, I think… So much to do and learn.