Hi everyone!
This blog has been a long time written in my brain, but not committed to 'paper'. It just seems that when I 'say' I'm going to write it down, I always seems to get pulled into something else or distracted, etc. So today, I'm FINALLY getting that chance to write it (Yeah!!!).
Now, I was thinking of starting with something pop culture, especially with the title. I actually, until I started typing, was going to use the famous line from Princess Bride.... "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die...". But, I thought that would be a little over the top.
So, what is my name? I'm Russ. Russell if you want to be formal, but then I think I've done something to upset you (you know, like when your mom yells at you and you get your full name...).
Who am I? Well, I think of myself as an average guy. Not all that much to tell, but I'll give you some clues, along the lines of the 10 Things About Me. So let's start there.
Ten Things I'm sure most people don't know about me -
1) I'm a musician. Not anyone you've heard of. Just play for myself. I play piano, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. I'm pretty much self taught. I did take a few guitar lessons back in middle school, but that was eons ago. I can play by ear pretty well, and have picked up a few songs that way. I have a Yahama digital piano, a Martin mahogany Dreadnaught acoustic, and a Fender Stratocaster. I don't get to play as often as I would like, but hey, I try when I can.
2) I am an anime addict. I have probably 100 titles, and then there are those I've been watching on Netflix. The first ones I ever watched was Vampire Hunter D and Ghost In The Shell. Most recently, I've watched Knights of Sidonia and Aldnoah.Zero. Pretty good overall. Check out the blog I did on Anime a while back. My favorite series is an older one called Rah-Xephon, as well as the Ghost In The Shell series (Standalone Complex and Arise).
3) Along with the anime addiction, I’ve become somewhat of a J-Pop fan. There are a bunch of cool songs, and some of the group names are interesting as well. I would have to say that School Food Punishment is one of the most interesting names (and thinking back to my school days, the school food WAS punishment). Others like Larval Stage Planning and Girls Dead Monster are cool, too. As for songs, my favorites are Red Fraction (by Mell – the “IO Drive” mix is the better version), How To Go (by School Food Punishment) and My Soul Your Beats (by Lia / Girls Dead Monster). I have playlist of about 50+ J-Pop that I listen too regularly. My wife and daughter don’t seem to get it. But, hey, I like the music and I’ll continue to listen. I can’t really explain it either, other than I like the beats and the overall composition.
4) I can be a cook / foodie when I want to be. I like to try new stuff and am not afraid to try delicacies. I'm not Andrew Zimmern and I'm not too much into bizarre foods. I have found a few things that I love that I just tried for the heck of it. One of the BEST I've tried is Skate wing. It's a type of ray. The hardest part is whether the fish monger (or grocery store) debones it or not. I've gotten if both ways and definitely prefer it deboned. The flesh is really tender and doesn't take a long time to cook. It's very mild flavor and easily paired with just about anything (grilled asparagus goes really well). Check the blog I did on it earlier this year on cooking. I love escargot when I can get it. Not too many places around here serve it, and then, only occasionally. Once of my favorite local places is Charcoal. It's a 'modern' place on the Delaware River that does some really interesting dishes.
5) Sci-Fi is a major part of my life. From Star Trek (TOS) to Doctor Who to Star Wars to Firefly. I would say that Doctor Who is a bigger part (Tom Baker was always my favorite doctor, with David Tenant and Matt Smith tied for second).
6) I am a technophile. I love technology and some of the things that it enables. Most recently, the new car that will stop you before you hit the car in front of you. Now, if they could only figure out how to make the car behind you stop before it hits you. Along those lines, you could also say that I’m a computer (Apple) geek. I was always a fan of Apple in their early days, and am on my like my 6th Mac. I have the iPhones and iPads, too! Of course, it helps that I'm a programmer by trade.
7) I used to be a travel-holic. Of course, work was the biggest cause of that, and only to a few locations. I do like to travel, I've been to China, Hong Kong (technically part of China, but still saw a lot of British influence when I was there), Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and England. The places I haven't been to yet that I really want to travel to are Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. Came close to going to South America at a few points and had a chance to go to Australia for work (I wasn't the 'best qualified', so I lost out to someone else).
8) I actually live in the PA suburbs west of Trenton NJ (across the Delaware River). I'd say I'm from Philly, but Philly is 35 miles southwest of me, where as Trenton is only 6 miles east of me. But, if I say I'm from Trenton, people think I'm from NJ, which I'm not. So, if you want to find me on a map, find Trenton, then go across the river to PA. That's where I am.
9) I'm not much of a sports fan overall. I'll watch certain sports and certain teams. I like skipping to the playoff more often. I used to be into baseball, but that was mainly driven by having a relative play for the SF Giants and Toronto Blue Jays back in the day. I was into hockey for a while, and I'll still cheer for the Flyers no matter what. The Eagles are another story. I'm glad Chip Kelly is gone and glad to see Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz are off to a good start. Just hope it lasts. I actually get into the X-Games a lot, and like some of the less mainstream sports in the Olympics. For instance, in the Winter Games, I love Curling. Don't ask me why, but I do. Maybe I just like seeing people doing things by pushing a polished piece of Scottish granite on a sheet of ice. In the summer games, I was really into Archery. And, I really like that they are adopting a few of the X-Games sports into the Olympics to keep with the times, like snowboard cross, etc. I think those are more exciting than the traditional downhill skiing, etc. Okay, I guess I'm into "certain" sports....
10) I have an awesome daughter who is my life. I'll do anything for her to make her happy (within reason) and try to be the best dad possible for her. I think I've done an okay job, but now she is at the age where I really find that out how well I did.
Well, I've spouted off for a while now. I'll continue this some more, maybe later today, maybe this weekend. Please feel free to comment or PM me if you have a question. I'm always willing to listen and chat if you need an ear!
