To Start
I grew up in the midwest... Iowa, Wisconsin, back to Iowa, Missouri, Colorado... and now Nebraska. I guess I was kind of a nomad.I didn't particularly love K-12, but probably could have stayed in a college or university setting for the rest of my life if it would have paid me a living wage to be a student. I've studied electronics, computer science (I tried COBOL and hated it), industrial design, theology, graphic design, aircraft maintenance, utilities (plumbing and fuels systems), and back to graphic design. I didn't like reading when I was a kid, but I read all the time now. I actually keep a Notion list to track what I've read. I put notes in the books I read, which is why I just buy most books and keep them. I go back and forth between Kindle and actual paperbacks (I prefer paperbacks). My first computer ran DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1. I've been an Apple user since OSX (Windows ME made me want to go crazy). I can still make my way around a PC (they do have faster machines available, but I prefer the Apple world... still, it's just way more intuitive to me. So I'm a digital native.
- I love the mountains, lakes, oceans... the outdoors lights me up. I've climbed 14ers, scuba dived in both fresh and salt water, skied, snowboarded, rollerbladed, roller skated, ice skated... basically, I'm more coordinated with my legs than I am with my hands. I'm not great at basketball ;-)...
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Things I Believe
- Coffee is a good start of any day, but I am careful to not use it as a wake up, but more like a joyful beginning. Support your favorite coffee shop: Mine happens to be Archetype Coffee on 13th St. in Omaha, NE. I LOVE hanging out there, reading, drawing, ideating, meeting with a friend or friends, bumping into old friends… it’s one of my happy places. It also happens to be home to the 4th best barista in the world, at least that is what my favorite coffee mug says.
- It's a good thing I'm a learning at heart... because learning never stops in life. It may take breaks from time to time, but never stops.
- Youtube is amazing. I use it about 85% learning and 15% entertainment.
- Life is friction based. It doesn't get easier with age, you just have to adjust to doing harder better.
- Taking care of your body physically gets more important the older you get.
- Community is vital, humans were not meant to go it alone.
- It's better to make allies than adversaries.
- National Parks are one of the best treasures the U.S. has.
- "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
- Anthony Bourdain was an incredible story teller. Parts Unknown!
- "Travel is the antidote to ignorance" - Trever Noah
- Everything drifts towards complexity. Some things cycle back to more simplistic forms from time to time, but don't stay there.
- By definition, curiosity is the state of being curious: inquisitive, wondering, ready to poke around and figure something out. I live in a state of wonder because the world is so vast and interesting.
How I Work
- I'm a collaborator.
- I like to mind map out ideas, sketch, write things down, and plan.
- If I don't know how to do something, I ask questions, research, explore, try... repeat.
- I like to teach about what I learn. It solidifies what I've learned... knowledge is meant to be shared.
- I work to bring order to chaos.
- The "Why" matters.
- I check scources... and verify data. I am not a fan of chart chrimes.
- I figure out how things work.
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- In spirit, I'm an explorer. So I am always up for something that may surprise me. I do get annoyed sometimes when I can't figure out the hidden issue with getting this list block to match the others.