Greetings! Allow me to welcome you to my modest little home page. Not meant as an exhaustive biography, but to let you, the curious, learn a little about me and my hobbies. In person, I am 37 years old, and was once described as being a "thin, pleasant, well-developed man." I am also the proud owner of The World's Worst Grateful Dead Tattoo^tm.

To better record the oddity that is life, I've started a LiveJournal page. This is where I enter random ramblings about whatever happens to be crossing my mind at the moment. Assuming I'm online, of course!

Currently, I reside in San Jose, California, known better to some as Silicon Valley. If you're interested in finding out more about this land we love so much, or want to know where to go when you're here, examine Yahoo! SF Bay. For up to the minute news, check out The Gate.

So, there's a little biographical information.. Now, about these strange hobbies and history that I have . . .

The United States Army

Far too long ago, I served in the US Army. I enjoyed my time as an infantryman, although there were certain parts of army life that were mot at all what i expected. But then, what in life is ever what we expect? . To this day, I remain a student of military history, and am proud of my service to my country. One of my oddest and proudest moments had to be when I was decorated for getting a perfect score on the Field Hygeine and Sanitation NCO test. Yes, I got a medal for knowing my shit.

The San Francisco 49ers

I was raised a true believer in the Red and Gold and this was back in the Bad Old Seventies, when 2-14 seasons were not uncommon. So all you bandwagon folks who jumped onboard in the early eighties can stop whining. I can clearly remember where I was when Joe Montana and Dwight Clark connected for The Catch, do you? Visit the Official Niners home page. The Gate has up to the minute coverage during the season. No matter how the season goes, I bleed Red and Gold.

The San Francisco Giants

Except when I'm bleeding orange and black. I wasn't always a baseball fan, truth be told. My interest in the game has grown over the last ten years to the point I've reached now, a frothing-at-the-mouth Giant fan. I love the subtle strategy in the game, and the shifting situations that force players and managers to make adjutments at every turn. While this season was a bit of a let down, I'll just echo the worlds of Barry Bonds "See you at Spring Training."

The Official Giants page is your guide to all sorts of creamy baseball goodness, standings, trades, and oh, so many stats!

My Fight With Cancer... I'm Winning!

For the past eight years I have lived with Hodgkin's Disease, an easily-missed but treatable form of lymphatic cancer. Like all serious diseases, this has forced me to make drastic changes in my life, but it also has given me a new appreciation of what I have. Eat dessert first.

Hodgkin's Disease has, among other things, left me with epilepsy. This can be controlled, but it is rather interesting to have a brain that short circuts from time to time.

Science Fiction Fandom

I've always loved science-fiction, both books and media. As much fun as reading SF is going to conventions and hanging out with the Hordes of Fans. Here are a few links to fannish sites of interest.

BASFA - The Bay Area Science Fiction Association, a club that seems to exist to encourage the telling of bad puns.
BayCon - An annual convention held over Memorial Day weekend in San Jose.
WorldCon is the biggie. The World Science Fiction convention is held in a different city each year.
Studio Foglio - Phil and Kaja Foglio produce fantastic sf/fantasy comics.
The Eye of Argon - Beyond any possible explanation. You have to read this thing out loud, preferably when tired or drunk.

The Grateful Dead

The music of the Grateful Dead has moved me since I first saw them at Boreal Ridge in 1985. If you never saw the band, try to get a concert tape or CD.. you'll hear six musicians working together to create something. Sometimes it was magical, other times it failed miserably. But it was always worth the trip.

Maps and Cartography

I collect maps, and enjoy going over old maps, looking for the tiniest detail. I can easily spend the day at the USGS Map store, searching for a particular sheet. Part of this obsession comes from playing RPGs, part from driving around with my mother, who could get lost driving a straight line.

Role-Playing Games

Like many teenagers, I played Dungeons & Dragons. Unlike most, I never stopped. To this day, I love a good night of fantasy, wether it be slaying dragons or trying to corner the interstellar market on left-handed smoke-shifters. I've begun writing for RPGs now. (See Mom? It did pay off!)

Lunion Main is the gateway for my pages devoted to the SF-RPG Traveller. Lots of ship and weapon designs, some (alleged) humor, and I'm working on an entire subsector in detail.

At Close Quarters was my first big break in writing. A full-on combat system for Traveller that makes the players take cover and think about their actions. This has been well-received by the community.

GURPS Traveller: Ground Forces. This is my baby. Being able to detail the Imperial Army and Marines for Traveller? I was born to do this book!

Friends and Family

Craig, my elder brother, is to blame for my addiction to science-fiction.