About (updated)

skeptic | educator | student | parent | curious | creative | introvert

The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. – Ernest Hemingway

New Year’s Eve 2011:

So I’m a chicken, really. I don’t like typing about myself a lot and having a page titled About just screams “run and hide” to me. So it has taken me a year or so to get around to making a real page that is really about me.

Interesting facts and tidbits:

• I was born in South Texas and I liked growing up there.
• I have three children and I like them most of the time (just kidding!!)
• When I was seven, I wanted to be a doctor.
• I’ve been a single parent since 2005 and I’m really getting very good at it =)
• In 2000, I had a terrible back injury at work. I messed up 2 discs in my back, L4 and L5 or some such, and had to endure rehab, many tests and doctors, and pain meds for 2 years. The final choice I was faced with was this: 1) have a metal cage surgically implanted in my back or 2) deal with the pain indefinitely. I researched and chose #2.
• I have a degree in Chemistry.
• I have built computers and electronics from scratch.
• I used to play bass in a band. We actually had real gigs and got paid!
• I got stabbed three times by someone I was married too! But I survived to tell about it =)
• I really like traveling and road trips … when I can afford it.
• My little sister Sarah is the most creative person I know and she is one of my heroes.
• I’m very creative, but in an odd sort of way I think. Most “creative people” that I know about did not study math and chemistry in college.
• I have been a high school teacher since 2001 and I really love my job!
• I rebuilt automotive engines for 15 years. I did a lot of other repairs also, but my ASE certification was in engine diagnosis and engine repair.
• My first real job was remodeling apartments for a contractor when I was 15. I got to tear out old carpets and learned how to ‘tape and float’ sheet rock.
• My two daughters are adults now, but I still think of them as my little princesses!
• My son is taking Kung Fu classes and he’s very good at it.
• I live in California now, but I miss Texas much of the time. It just makes more sense to me over there!
• I love art, drawing, photography, teaching, learning, and creative things in general!
• My mother was a wonderfully creative, loving woman. She was a pre-school teacher and an artist. She was the best cook I know. She died of cancer when I was 20.
• My dad was an alcoholic (and he was really good at it!) and there is no sense explaining what that means. People that know what it is like don’t need an explanation and people that don’t will never understand =) He died when I was 40.
• Addiction runs in the family, so I carefully monitor and educate myself and my kids. I don’t drink or do drugs and if I go to Vegas I only play nickel slots!
• I’ve been married twice and divorced twice. I guess the third time is the charm, but I’m not trying to find out yet =)

————- Update ————-

November 2011: I’ve really been enjoying getting back into photography as a hobby. I seem to have taken over the original purpose of the blog to share some of those results, but that’s ok. It’s fun.

————- Update ————-

Original page with my original blog intentions:

February 2011

I’ve heard that if you want better answers, you need to ask better questions. I’m very skeptical about the information that gets to me passively. In this amazing age of information, sitting around absorbing the sludge that is targeted at me is more frightening than learning nothing at all. Maybe if I ask some good questions, I’ll get some fine answers.

Introverts are not natural publishers by a long shot, and I tend to keep my questions to myself and brood over them late at night. But maybe it would be fun to post a few online and see what other thoughtful souls have to say.

So … while I learn how to operate this wordpress blog, this will serve as my introduction to the world. I don’t know what to expect from this. I’m not sure if anyone besides me will even read this. Maybe I will learn something new today … that’s always my goal.