About

Topics: Introduction, Favorite Quotations, General, Lifestyle, Favorites, Professional, Schools & Education, More

Introduction

You know that guy your mother warned you about? I’m probably not him. I’m more the mellow, turn life’s lemons into lemonade, and keep my nose clean kind of guy. Many people think that makes me boring. You can usually find those people passed out after clubbing all night. Whereas you’ll probably find me working or playing on a computer, spending time with my family, or staying in watching TV.

I’m passionate about people and causes that are dear to me. My personality type is an INFP, and if you know what that means, you probably will appreciate it. I’m a much deeper person than I let on. Even after you get to know me, you probably won’t know the real me that well. I’m not hiding things from you; I’m just kind of a private sort of guy. Despite that, I love intense conversations about life, the universe, and everything.

Favorite Quotations

“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country.”
—President Theodore Roosevelt

“The mere formulation of a problem is far more often essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science.”
—Albert Einstein

“We all experience the same world, yet everyone’s interpretation of it is unique.”
—Paraphrase of something I heard before

“In life, attendance is mandatory, but participation is up to you.”
—Unknown

“To succeed, the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.”
—Unknown

“No problems — only solutions waiting to be found.”
—Paraphrase of “Flynn” from Tron

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and its companion, “Do as you will, but harm no others.” Both of which could be summarized with the question: “Can’t we all just get along?”

These quotes and paraphrases of quotes and ideas are some of my core attitudes and values for life. I’m a slightly odd mix of “geek” and “people person”. I can easily spend days in front of a computer developing software for a client, but I also love being out and about, meeting new people, helping clients, and seeing as much of this beautiful area as I can.

General

I grew up on the Central Coast of California (you might have known me better as Kevin back then), moved to the Sacramento area in 1999, and I love it here. My parents moved to Sacramento shortly thereafter, which is nice to have them so close. I came to the area to help start an online auction company, but with the dot.com bust of 1999, the business lost its financing before the end of the year.

I returned to computer consulting and network administration. Today I work for a regional Information Technology (IT) company I co-founded based in Reno, Nevada and Sacramento, California. It’s a great mix of entrepreneurship, hands-on techie stuff, and interaction with a lot of great people.

I’m really good at networking computers (that figures since that’s the type of business I started) and people. Though I’m a bit of a computer geek, I enjoy meeting new people and getting to know them. I will often talk with strangers in the supermarket or on the train, and it’s fascinating to see the world through their eyes; I always learn something new.

With computers it’s a bit more of a love/hate relationship. There are days when I seriously reconsider my career choice because they can be so darn frustrating, but when I get a computer network humming along at peak efficiency, it’s a really great feeling.

Besides computers, I enjoy travel, though it’s mostly local since my clients like to keep me nearby in case they have computer troubles (that whole love/hate thing with computers again). I used to go camping and hiking pretty much every summer, but haven’t been in several years, and I miss it. Walks along the beach have turned into walks along the river. Spending time with my family and friends is probably what I spend most of my time doing when I’m not working. Well, that and eating and sleeping, which I also enjoy. 😉

Lifestyle

Date of Birth	October 23. I am a Scorpio/Libra mix, having been born right on the cusp between the two signs. I tend to be a lot more balanced than most Scorpios (the Libra influence), but I definitely have a Scorpio’s passion for things (and people) that interest me. Not that I take any of it too seriously, but it’s fun to think about.
Gender	Male
Eye/Hair Color	Brown eyes and auburn hair
Height/Weight/Body Type	6’0″ / around 195 lbs / typical American body type (i.e., carrying extra pounds)
Eating Habits	Low Carbs
Smoking/Drinking	I have never smoked anything, legal or otherwise. With my asthma, it would probably kill me to even try. As it is, I cannot stand to be around cigarette smoke. I drink occasionally for social and health reasons. I really don’t like red wine, but they say it’s good for me. I usually opt for a blush or a decent microbrewed beer. I’ve been known to nurse one drink for an entire evening, if I drink at all. I make a good designated driver.
Pets	Cat. In the past I have also cared for three different dogs, over ten cats, three rabbits, a hamster, a fish (and its companion freshwater snail), and a horse.
Ethnicity	White / Caucasian
Religion	Christian – Presbyterian
Political Leaning	Liberal when it comes to civil and personal rights and the environment. Moderate when it comes to business and tax laws.
Activist Aspirations	Casual. I try to affect change working in and through the system. I always vote in elections.
Relationship Status	Single and casually looking. Are you offering?
Want Kids	I definitely want one or two kids. At times I wonder how I could possibly be a parent, considering I still feel not much older than a kid myself. Of course, there are plenty of people I went to high school with who have kids of their own in high school now, so I guess I am old enough. I think I would have a lot to offer as a father, but it’s a big responsibility. It would probably be best to wait for things to become a little more stable financially and for there to be more people working with me so I can cut back on my working hours and be an involved dad.
Personality Type	My MBTI type is INFP. I am sensitive, romantic, bright, cheerful, and witty.
In my free time I enjoy	Surfing the Web, watching a movie or TV show with my family, reading a book, getting caught up with things I’ve put off or doing nothing much at all (depends on how I feel at the time), traveling
Wild Fact About Me	My hair used to be really red when I was younger. Now it is a somewhat auburn brown. Also, I can’t keep a tan for any length of time (not that I really try).
Who I’d Like to Meet	I’d like to be at the first meeting with intelligent alien life forms (assuming they are friendly and not trying to melt our brains or destroy our planet faster than we are). That would be such an historic day in the history of our little planet, that I would love to be there in person to witness it. It would also have been amazing to meet Christ the day after he had risen, Christopher Columbus or Marco Polo as they ventured into new lands (the West Indies and China respectively), Thomas Edison the day he finally got the light bulb working, or Thomas Jefferson right after signing the Declaration of Independence. People whom are in the realm of the conceivable for meeting would include: Stephen Hawking, Tony Robbins, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Gates. Much closer to reality, it would be nice to reconnect with old friends with whom I’ve lost contact.
My Philosophy	Life is a journey. Sometimes the sights are beautiful, sometimes ugly. You never know when you will reach your destination, or even if the end of the journey is the end or just the start of another journey. Therefore, you have to enjoy the beauty when it comes, improve the ugly if you can, and don’t squander the limited time you are given.
What Gives Me Hope	Faith. Faith in God my Creator, my family, and the people who do good in the world.
If I were Mayor, I’d make the world a better place by	If we could throw out all the laws of the world and replace them with these three laws, the world would probably be a much better place: 1. Respect everyone, including yourself. 2. Help others, even if only by staying out of the way of others who are already helping. 3. Other than that, do whatever you want, so long as it causes no harm.
What/who changed my life and why	There’s no single thing/event/person that made a dramatic difference in my life. There are several moments in my life where I experienced a deep realization about myself and the world around me, but they didn’t alter my life in big ways. Just gentle course corrections. I suppose that my parents did a great job raising me with good values and a compassionate heart. I guess then that my parents had the greatest influence on my life.
Top 5 Things I Can’t Live Without	Family, Computer, Books, Music, Basic Necessities (breathable air, potable water, nutritious food, adequate shelter, and enough money to pay for those things)

Favorites

Music

When it comes to music, I can’t pigeon-hole my tastes very clearly. I know what I like when I hear it. 🙂

I enjoy: New Age (David Lanz, Nancy Rumble, Eric Tingstad, Yanni), Country (Brad Paisley, Clay Walker, Dixie Chicks, Smokin’ Armadillos), Christian (Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, Sandi Patti), Motion Picture Soundtracks (John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Alan Menken, Basil Poledouris, and Elmer Bernstein), Showtunes and Broadway Musicals, Holiday Music (especially Christmas Music), 80’s Rock (Huey Lewis and the News, Duran Duran, Madonna, Bryan Adams), World and Ethnic (Irish/Scottish, Latin, Caribbean, world fusion), Baroque (Vivaldi, J. S. Bach, Telemann, Handel), Classical (Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Paganini), Romantic (Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Grieg), Dixieland, some Swing, music for Kids (especially Disney), and certain Classic Rock and Pop artists (Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, Diana Ross and the Supremes).

Books and Movies

Books and movies tend to follow pretty much the same path. I love fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries, and engaging dramas.

Some of my all-time favorite books and movies are: Harry Potter (entire series), Lord of the Rings (entire series), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Narnia (entire series), Disney (mostly stuff made before the 1990s, as well as the Pixar movies), Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (entire series), National Treasure, Jumanji and Zathura, Back to the Future (especially the 3rd one).

There are several books I’ve read that I would love to see made into movies or TV series: Robert Jordan‘s Wheel of Time, the rest of Douglas Adams‘ books, the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries by Rita Mae Brown, the Benni Harper Mysteries by Earlene Fowler (partly because they take place near where I grew up).

There are several movies I love for which I’ve never read the books: Star Wars, Ella Enchanted, Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12, Sahara, James Bond (all), The Thomas Crown Affair, Indiana Jones (all), Scooby Doo 2, The Fifth Element, X-Men 2, Moulin Rouge (except the very end), The Matrix.

I also like quite a few movies (and books) which many guys consider to be “chick flicks”, but who cares? They’re still great movies: Raising Helen, Under the Tuscan Sun, Princess Diaries, Shall We Dance? (both the American version and the Japanese version), Love Actually, The American President, and Chasing Liberty.

I’m currently re-reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia series when I have some free time.

Television

It’s funny, but I’ve found that traditional network TV is horribly boring anymore. Too many “reality” and pseudo-news shows and half-baked sitcoms. I think it’s the whole “lowest common denominator” thing kicking in.

I enjoy half-watching shows on the Food Network, HGTV, The History Channel, The Science Channel, Animal Planet, or the Travel Channel while working on the computer in the evenings. As a result, I’ve learned a lot of information that’s mostly useless except during Trivial Pursuit games!

When it comes to entertainment TV, my tastes are similar to books and movies: mysteries, sci-fi, and fantasy—though the shows have to have interesting characters to keep me watching. During the writer’s strike of 2007/08, I put together this comprehensive list of TV shows that I’ve enjoyed over the years. Bold ones are current /recent favorites. Italic ones are some of my all-time favorites.

The 4400 Acapulco H.E.A.T. Ace of Cakes The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Adventures of Superman Angel Animaniacs Anne of Green Gables Avonlea Babylon 5 Batman Battlestar Galactica (1978) Beverly Hills 90210 Bewitched The Bionic Woman (1976) Boston Legal The Brady Bunch Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Buddy Faro Buffy the Vampire Slayer Build It Bigger Burn Notice Charlie’s Angels Charmed Cheers Chuck Cities of the Underworld Columbo Commander in Chief The Cosby Show Cupid Danger Bay Dawson’s Creek Dead Like Me The Dead Zone Deep Space Nine Diagnosis Murder A Different World Digging for the Truth Dirty Jobs Doogie Howser M.D. Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman The Dukes of Hazzard Early Edition Earth 2 The Edison Twins Eleventh Hour Eli Stone Empty Nest Enterprise ER (through season 6) Eureka Everwood The Facts of Life Faerie Tale Theatre Fame Fame L.A. Family Affair (1966) Family Ties Fantasy Island Farscape Father Dowling Mysteries Firefly Flash Gordon Food Network Challenge Frasier The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The Ghost & Mrs. Muir Ghost Whisperer Gilligan’s Island Gilmore Girls The Golden Girls Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. Good Eats Green Acres Grey’s Anatomy Growing Pains

Happy Days The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries Heroes Highway to Heaven Hogan’s Heroes Home Improvement Hope Island House M.D. Human Weapon I Dream of Jeannie I Love Lucy In Plain Sight The Invisible Man (2000) Iron Chef America JAG The Jetsons Joan of Arcadia John Doe The John Larroquette Show Journeyman Just Shoot Me! Keeping Up Appearances Kids in the Hall Knight Rider Knight Rider (2008) Kyle XY Land of the Lost (1974) Laverne & Shirley Las Vegas LAX Leave It to Beaver Leverage Life Life on Mars Lipstick Jungle Little House on the Prairie Loony Toons Lost (seasons 1 and part of 2 only) Love American Style The Love Boat Love Boat: The Next Wave M*A*S*H MacGyver Mad About You The Man from Atlantis The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Man vs. Wild Married with Children Martial Law Matlock Mayberry R.F.D. McCloud Medium The Mentalist The Mickey Mouse Club (1950s, 1970s, and 1990s) Mission: Impossible (1966) Moonlight Monk Monty Python’s Flying Circus Moonlight Mr. Belvedere The Muppet Show Murder She Wrote My Three Sons MythBusters Nanny and the Professor Nash Bridges NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) Nero Wolfe New Amsterdam Newhart NewsRadio Night Court Northern Exposure Now and Again Numb3rs old Saturday morning cartoons Once a Thief Once and Again Partridge Family Pensacola: Wings of Gold Perry Mason Poltergeist: The Legacy

The Pretender Profiler Psych Push Nevada Pushing Daisies Q.E.D. Quantum Leap The Real Wedding Crashers Relic Hunter Remington Steele Rescue 77 Riptide (1984) The Road to Avonlea The Rockford Files Roseanne Roswell Safe Harbor Sanctuary Saturday Night Live Saved by the Bell Scarecrow and Mrs. King School House Rock! SeaQuest DSV Seinfeld 7 Days 7th Heaven Scooby Doo Where Are You! Shazam! She Spies Silver Spoons Simon & Simon The Simpsons Sister Kate The Six Million Dollar Man Sliders Smallville (season 1 only) Space: 1999 Star Trek Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Enterprise Star Trek: The Animated Series Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Voyager Stargate Atlantis Starman The Starter Wife Step by Step Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Survivorman Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles That ’70s Show 3rd Rock from the Sun Three Moons Over Milford Three’s Company Touched by an Angel Ugly Betty The Universe Voyagers! Walker Texas Ranger Walt Disney Presents The Waltons The West Wing Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? Whiz Kids Who’s the Boss? Whose Line Is It Anyway? Will & Grace Wings Witchblade WKRP in Cincinnati Women’s Murder Club Wonder Woman The Wonder Years The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Zorro (1957)

If all else fails, there’s always the computer, premium movie channels, and our DVD collection. Plenty to rot the mind with if I’m bored. 🙂

Other Favorites

Interests	Animals – Wildlife, Botany, Cats, Computers, Concerts, Disabilities / Challenged, Dogs, Cooking, Economics, Electronics, Entertainment, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Fair Trade, Family, Feng Shui, Finance, Fitness / Exercise, Friends, Holistic Health, Horticulture, International Development, Internet – eCommerce, Internet – Other, Internet – Services, Libraries, Linux, Marketing, Meditation, Microsoft, Mind – Body – Spirit, Model Rocketry, Mountains, Music, Movies, Nature, Networking, Nutrition, Ocean, Pets, Philosophy, Photography, Physics, Psychology, Reading, Science Fiction / Fantasy, Security, Small Business, Software, Space Exploration, Spirituality / Philosophy, Theater / Performance, Travel, Weight Training, Yoga
Top Causes	Animal Welfare, Civil Rights, Death Penalty – Against, Environment, Equal Rights for All, Gay Rights – Pro, Healthcare for All, Human Rights, Men’s Rights, Open Source, Organic and Whole Foods, Pro-Choice, Rainforest Protection, Same Sex Marriage – Pro, Sustainable Agriculture, Workplace Equality
Foods	Japanese, Italian, Seafood, French, American, Mexican, Thai, German, Chocolate
Places	Sacramento, Disneyland, Disney World, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, San Francisco, Boston, Reno, Pacific Ocean, Sierra Nevada mountains

Professional Affiliations

Organization	Acorn IT Group I work for and am a shareholder of the Acorn IT Group. Everything posted on this blog is my personal opinion and does not necessarily represent the views of the company, other shareholders, employees, clients, or anyone else affiliated with me or with the company.
Profession	Information Technology Consultant
Job Title	Corporate Officer / Senior Network Engineer
Skills	Accounting, Communications, HTML, Linux, Management, Marketing, Microsoft, PHP, Sales, SQL, Typing, Windows, XML
Previous Companies	WM Consultants, Owner Capital Datacorp, Sr. Network Engineer ProAuction, Executive VP, Operations & Strategy Endeavour Academy, Network Administrator Shelter Cove Lodge, Night Manager Pacific Suites Hotel, Night Auditor Moonlight Graphics, Owner Cuesta College, Student Worker
Associations	IEEE, NASBA, SACSBUG

Schools and Education

College	Cuesta College	Spring 2008
Location	San Luis Obispo, California
Degree (planned)	Associate of Arts Degree in General Studies
–   –   –
College	Sacramento City College	2002 to 2004
Location	Sacramento, California
Degree	I was working toward an A. S. in Computers, but my education was put on hold again due to work.
Major	Computer Network Administration
–   –   –
College	Allan Hancock College	1995 to 1996
Location	Santa Maria, California
Major	Web Design, No Degree
Clubs	Campus Web Team
–   –   –
College	California Polytechnic State University	1993 to 1994
Location	San Luis Obispo, California
Major	GRC – Graphic Communications, No Degree
Clubs	Circle K International (college program of Kiwanis International)
–   –   –
College	Cuesta College	1988 to 1992
Location	San Luis Obispo, California
Major	General Studies, No Degree
Clubs	Alpha Gamma Sigma (honor society); ASCC Student Government; Circle K International (college program of Kiwanis International); International Club (founder); California Community College Trustees (elected Student Trustee for two terms); SLO Days Committee (new student orientation program)
Campus Work	Library; Media Services; Peer Counselor; Matriculation Research; Student Development; Student Services
Recognition	Alpha Gamma Sigma Life Member; Listed in Who’s Who Among Students In American Junior Colleges; Associated Collegiate Press “Picture of the Year, Feature, Two-year Schools”
–   –   –
School	Arroyo Grande High School	1984 to 1988
Location	Arroyo Grande, California
Graduated	1988
Degree	High School Diploma
Clubs	AFS International/ Intercultural Club; CSF (California Scholastic Federation honor society); Key Club International (high school program of Kiwanis International); Marching Band (clarinet); SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving)
Recognition	Salutatorian; CSF Life Member; Elk’s Student of the Month award; National Merit® Scholarship Finalist; Presidential Academic Fitness Award; AGHS Computer Science award; Bank of America Computer Science award

More Information

• Contact Information and Feedback Form
• Willscrlt.com Personal Home Page
• AGHSReuions.com Biography
• Acorn IT Group Management Profile
• LinkedIn Professional Resumé