Vital Stats:
- Turned 30 in August 1994. You do the math from there on.
- Digital librarian for a large state university library.
- Former freelance web designer.
- Former retail manager.
- Out-of-the-closet divorcé, autosexual since 2024.
- 188 cm. Too many kg. Performs best in temperatures below 25C.
- Brownish hair with grayish chin scruff.
- No tattoos, no piercings.
- BA in Geography and Sociology (Urban Planning Concentration), 1991.
- Master of Library and Information Studies, 2009.
Personality and Ethics:
- Generally a loner, not terribly social, and not at all comfortable in large crowds.
- Strong sense of humor.
- Not religious, spiritual, nor otherwise superstitious.
- Self-obsessed, self-aware, self-reliant, and selfish.
- Mild control freak with occasional passive-aggressive tendencies.
- Largely drama-averse.
- Depression (treated) with mild heart and thyroid issues.
- Cancer survivor, although my battle was easier than most.
- Pretty left of center politically.
- Very little patience with whiners, “entitlement syndrome”, and those who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and choices.
- Devout believer in natural selection.
- Severe distaste for dogma.
- No drugs since about 1980, almost no booze since 2001, and smoke-free since 2003.
- Middle Eastern, Italian, Mexican , and diner, mostly.
Geography:
- Hometown: Greensboro NC (1964-1986, 1989-1992, 2013-present).
- Subsequent residences: Myrtle Beach SC (1986), Charlotte NC (1986-1989, 2005-2006), San Francisco CA (1992-2005), and Winston-Salem NC (2006-2013) with a vacation getaway in Pittsburgh PA (2009-2011).
- Current residence: Back in Greensboro.
- Fantasy residence: Used to be Toronto. Isn’t really anymore.
- Happy places: Pittsburgh, Southern Ontario, the Rustle Belt in general, and I still find LA to be one of the most fascinating places there is.
Vices:
- Overeating.
- Overspending (occasionally).
- Overanalysis.
- Books. So many books.
- Misanthropy. But is that really such a vice?
Technology:
- Mac.
- PHP, but just a touch.
- TIFF, 300-600 ppi, archival border optional.
- MODS, though I’ve been dragged kicking in screaming into MARC of late.
Natural Habitats:
- Used bookstores.
- Libraries.
- Antique stores housed in decaying old houses and department stores.
- Diners and other restaurants that haven’t been remodeled since the Johnson administration.
Obsessions:
- Old supermarkets and other commercial architecture.
- Urbanism, urbanization, urban history, and urban form.
- Canadiana.
- Low-budget road trips and long, aimless drives that avoid rural areas wherever possible.
- Databases.
- Books: Non-fiction almost exclusively. Urban planning and history, architecture, roadside and highways, corporate histories.
- TV: Simpsons, 60s and 70s cop shows, britcoms, old movies.
- Movies: Film noir, 1970s cop and disaster flicks, old classics, 1950s chick flicks, quirky Québécois indie films, Hitchcock.
- Music: Francophone alt-rock, pop standards, old country, old jazz, indie rock, bitchin’ pop songs.
- Contrarians and curmudgeons.
- Shawarma.
- My incredible Italian sausage and black bean soup. You should try it.
Irritants and Other Things I Avoid:
- “Gay culture” (whatever that is) and people who substitute a sexual orientation for an identity or an actual personality.
- Non-critical thinkers, conspiracy theorists, religious nutjobs, and others who unquestioningly parrot whatever conservative (or liberal) dogma was presented in their favorite cable news show this week.
- Sports and gyms.
- Nature, camping, and the great outdoors. Hate them all, unapologetically and at the very core of my being.
- Art galleries. Sorry…they usually just bore me.
- Cities that think “urban” means “lots of upscale chain stores”.
- Stuffy, pretentious, and overpriced restaurants (or anything else).
- Dancing, dance clubs, and most dance music.
- Large crowds.
- People who don’t follow the basic rules of courtesy and civility.
- Drugs. Yes, this includes marijuana. It smells vile.
- People with no sense of personal responsibility.