PHOTODUDE.COM

[1] I used to think tomatoes were made from ketchup, in molds.
[2] I believed pencil sharpeners removed the old point, and replaced it with a fresh one.
[3] At the age of 7, my parents took me to The Ed Sullivan Show, and I saw Topo Gigio.
[4] At about the same age, I went to the World's Fair in New York, and I saw Mary Poppins at Radio City Music Hall (after the Rockettes, my mom fell asleep)
[5] At the age of 8, I asked my parents if I could take oil painting lessons. Bless their hearts, they let me. I've always needed a creative outlet, and it was the first. Your reading the latest.
[6] At the age of 9, I could imitate LBJ.
[7] As a child, adults found me very entertaining.
[8] At the age of 15, I called out the high school principal in the local paper, and survived to tell the tale.
[9] I was a DJ back when music was played off of large black petroleum byproducts. From 1975 (my first part time gig in high school) until 1985 (when I finally wised up).
[10] I broke my neck. Really, Nov. 26, 1983, a spiral fracture of the 2nd cervical vertebra, the same point of fracture as Christopher Reeve. That I survived is amazing. That I survived without permanent damage (after 3 months in a neck brace) is a miracle, and every single day since has been a gift.
[11] I was shot. At close range. Nightly, on stage at the Wake Forest University Theatre. But freakily memorable, just the same.
[12] I've stood in a smoke shrouded field in the midst of 5,000 men with rifles and a dozen field artillery pieces, 30 yards apart, firing as fast as they could. Blanks, in a Civil War reenactment (very old page). Again, freakily memorable, just the same, especially in a wool uniform on Labor Day weekend.
[13] I've led a comparatively charmed life.
[14] I've played against the Harlem Globetrotters (for charity). They kicked our butt, laughin' the whole way.
[15] I've played basketball while on the back of a donkey (for charity). Or tried to.
[16] I've battled professional mud wrestlers, an all woman team called the Chicago Knockers. It wasn't for charity, and they kicked my butt far worse than the Globetrotters.
[17] For 5 years, I was Program Director of a rock radio station, overseeing a staff of a dozen disc jockeys. Think Animal House, for profit. It may have been perfect training for the dot com world. Fast, furious, and filled with creative energy (even if it was sometimes directed with mischief in mind ... like the time I was talking on the air and the General Manager stalked into the studio, while playing the theme from Jaws on a tuba).
[18] In 1984, all I knew about the technical aspects of photography was how to get the film out of the camera and take it to the drug store.
[19] In 1995, all I knew about HTML was that I was probably gonna have to hire someone to write some for me.
[20] People now pay me for doing both. Life is good.
[21] Despite virtually being raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (in the summer, at least), I can no longer tolerate seafood. Not even the smell. I also hate nuts (all types, except the human variety, or else my wife wouldn't be my wife). And I may be the only kid in America who never liked peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.
[22] This body powered by freshly ground coffee (before 2pm), and Mountain Dew (after 2pm). Where would I be without these fine caffeinated beverages? Asleep.
[23] I am a man of earth tones. Get that lime green away from me. Unless it's Mountain Dew.
[24] Places I've lived (in order): Raleigh, NC; Oakland, NJ; St. Johnsbury, VT; Clinton, NJ; Raleigh, NC (again); Cookeville, TN; LaGrange, GA; Winston-Salem, NC; Warner Robins, GA (Macon area); Tallahassee, FL; Warner Robins, GA (again); Atlanta, GA (now)
[25] I love the South.
[26] I love my truck.
[27] My neck is not red.
[28] Despite my dedication as a Web Advocate, I'm in love with a woman whose name I can't link, because she is web-less, totally bereft of online pixels. Well, she once had a domain, but it lapsed. However, I decided to marry her anyway.
[29] Evidence of my WebHeaded nature: Fuji's Feline Tour (the original cheesey web site, April, 1996), 1996 Olympics (July-August, 1996), PhotoDude.com (this site, launched in a more primitive form in January, 1997), and Red Rock Road Trip (November, 1997, within PhotoDude.com, but truly a site unto itself). Client sites include Garcia Studio, Anisa International, adesign, Pat Jenkins, Inc., ProfitsInProgress.com and more. More details on my professional site.