Well, let's see ... where do I start? Good 'n bad I guess too, huh? Hmm ...
I'll be 50 in November (looking forward to it, too). Short, squatty (LOL!), small hands (ok, keep your comments to yourself!), and I just adore 1-5/8" nuts! (Ok, ok ...) Started playing guitar at 12, drums at 13, bass ... but could never learn the piano, which is the one instrument I wanted to learn most of all. I never learned to read charts either. Oh well. I pick up everything by ear and - a curse I'm told - have perfect pitch. Can't sing worth a lick though. You could say I know my limitations. :) Grew up listening to classic rock and liked the more complex stuff. Rush was my favorite band (still is) and I can play much of their older stuff. Been in a few bands over the years, mosly playing bass. Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and now live about 30 miles north of there in Howard City.
I burned my left arm badly with hot coffee at the age of two by pulling the purcolator off the stove. My mom saw me do it but couldn't get there in time. She felt really bad, but it wasn't her fault. My dad couldn't take me in for the dressing changes, he just couldn't stand kids screaming in pain. I can certainly undertand that now. I have full use of my arm and everything, it has never really bothered me over the years. The scar is still there, of course. My dad died in '80 when I was 14. Sadly, I just don't remember a lot about him anymore. I've got pics and stuff, but it's just not the same thing, you know? Mom's still with me though. She's getting up there, of course, but she still remembers everything, just like her mother did. It was great talking with my grandma, who could remember things since she was four years old - the depression, WWII (and it's end), Kennedy's murder, Armstrong/Aldrin on the moon, the Beatles ... all the huge events she lived through and could vividly remember them all. I used to love hearing her tell stories, and I miss her every day now. I really wish I would have recorded some of those stories, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20. The biggest stories she told of were during the later 40's, when Preston Tucker was building the Tucker car in '48, also known as the "Tucker Torpedo" in some circles. Her husband (my grandfather, of course) was Preston's cousin, so it's a family story. I'm Preston's third cousin, I think. Kinda wierd when I think about it. By the way, there's a lot in the Tucker movie that's right, but there's a lot that isn't, and there's a lot left out. You'll just have to trust me on that. :)
I got into electronics at an early age, mostly messing around with linear circuits - op amps and stuff - and to this day never really grew into the digital age. Screw that. LOL! Built on-board pres for my guitars, pedals and mods - that kind of thing. Currently still working on the design for my 8-channel preamp, along with a few other projects. Lots of ideas, but oh so little time and money. As Sinatra said, "That's Life!"
On my second marriage now. First marriage I was 23, didn't work out. My only son was born in '85 but died in '91 from a genetic defect. They say that death is a part of life, and I think it's safe to say I know that better than a lot of other people do. Anyway, I married again seven years ago. No children this time, but we do have kids - a jack russell, two shelties, a blue-point himalayan, a grey tabby, a sun conure and a goffins cockatoo. Ok, it's a zoo, I admit it. At least they don't talk back! I'm working full-time as a Customs broker, clearing import freight for local companies, so I get to deal with Customs every day. (Yay!) Actually, they're good guys here, quite unlike some people in the big cities. I've been there 18 years now, and it's always a challenge. In my spare time (what's that?) I'm a PHP programmer, creating and modifying dynamic web sites. Message boards, shopping carts, blogs, all that stuff. I'm old-school though and don't use programs like Dreamweaver or Frontpage - everything's coded by hand. It's just another challenge. I like a good challenge!
Well, I can't think of anything else. Did I say I was a trekkie? LOL!
BTW - "swipesy" is a nickname my [EDIT] paternal [\EDIT] grandfather gave me when I was a kid. Everybody else calls me Gene.
Topic: TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELVES....post some bio stuff here (Read 14995 times)