About Me
(last updated 06/12/09)
Jakob Nielsen says all bloggists should’ve have an About Me page. So, here’s mine, finally. I would call it a FAQ, if anyone besides me ever asked me these questions. But since they don’t, let’s just say this is my I Interview Myself page. My intention is to keep adding stuff to this bio and to keep it updated if anything changes.
How is “Flasshe” pronounced?
The same as “Flash”. It is not “Flashy”.
How did you come up with that? What does it mean?
I wanted a small, made-up word that would be fairly unique when Googled. It may mean “swamp” in Olde English and/or “flask” in German, according to some web searches I did. Either would be okay, as would no meaning.
But why use “Flash” as the root?
I don’t know. I think it goes back to some high school comic book thing.
Why use an alias? What’s your real name?
Mainly because I’m a coward and I don’t want to get into trouble. It’s mostly for work-related reasons, even though I don’t write about work. Besides, I’m sure everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis already knows my real name, and the rest could find it out pretty easily with very little digging. I just wanted to keep a little bit more separation from the blogosphere than a typical personal blogger. It’s not because I don’t stand behind what I write or am ashamed of it. Hopefully. (See this entry for some more info on this and discussion in the comments.)
Speaking of work, what do you do for a living?
I’m an “Information Specialist” for a large computer services company. Basically I stare at a monitor all day and try to rearrange lines of code into something that makes sense. Sometimes I get to design things.
What do you like and not like about your job?
My favorite part of the job is troubleshooting and problem solving. The weirder the problem, the better. My least favorite part is when a crisis happens and everyone is stressed out in Major Panic mode. Especially if that crisis occurs in the off hours.
What did the old blog title “Distance, Redefined” mean?
It’s complicated. Or maybe not. It’s about how there’s a lot of distance, physical and/or psychological, between me and the people in my life. It has a lot to do with me being regarded as an emotionally distant person. I’m very introverted.
Why did you change the blog name?
I wanted to separate the blog out from the Reign of Frogs website, since it really had little to do with the band. It was a good time to make a change and flasshe.com was of course free, so…
Why did you start a blog? What’s the point of it?
The #1 reason would have to be that I wanted to be part of something that I consider to be pretty big. I don’t want to get left out. I really like what glenn mcdonald said about blogging in this entry of his: It is a solution that may be on the way to finding its problem.
#2 is that I’ve always had an interest in writing, including wanting to be a journalist or novel writer at one point in my life, and this is good practice. I still feel I have a novel or screenplay buried in me somewhere.
#3 is that I want to entertain people, even if it’s only myself and maybe my friends. The entries I’m most proud of are the ones where I try to be humorous or creative rather than informative.
#4 is that I want to prove to myself that I can do something like this on a regular basis even though it can be hard and I may not be up for it. Kind of the same reason I went to, and graduated from, college.
#5 is it’s a new way (a new paradigm, even) to keep in contact with my friends, especially when they have blogs too. I find myself writing less e-mail these days, and in a way, that’s good.
But, in the end, there’s really no point to this blog. You’ve been warned.
You’re a Virgo, aren’t you?
Yes I am.
So you’re very organized, too logical and critical, somewhat obsessive-compulsive, and anal-retentive, right?
You make that sound like it’s a bad thing. I keep an ordered house and office. I don’t care if it’s dirty though, as long as the dirt is in its rightful place.
Baby boomer?
Born 1960. You figure it out.
Gender, relationship status, location?
Male, have a wonderful girlfriend, somewhere in the suburbs of Denver Colorado.
Do you rent or own? Pets?
Own a house, live with my girlfriend. No pets currently (last one was a Betta fish that finally gaveth up the ghost after 4 years). I had a dog for 14 years, who passed away in 2001. He was blind since he was 5 and was also deaf for the last few years of his life. I am allergic to most animals, including dogs, so I don’t know when or if I’ll get another one. I like the freedom of not having to worry about a pet, but I probably don’t take advantage of that as much as I should.
Education?
Graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May 1983, with a B.A. in Distributed Studies (Computer Science, Math, EPO Biology).
Height, weight, shoe size?
5′8.5″ (5′9″ if I haven’t had a haircut in a while), 155 lbs, 9
Ideal weight?
140 lbs – haven’t been there in a long time, but I’ll keep trying anyway. Keep those burritos away from me!
What are your views on politics?
Though I always vote, I’ve mostly avoided getting involved or having concrete opinions one way or another on politics. I’m registered as an Independent, have historically voted Democrat and considered myself a moderate. As I grew older and had more to lose, I was finding myself becoming increasingly conservative. However, the Bush administration has changed all that and lately I’ve been the most liberal I’ve been since college. The things that disturb me most about the current leadership is the arrogance of the leaders, the exploitation of fears, and the attack on science. I really feel the country is moving backwards rather than forward these days, though hopefully the Democratic congress will start to turn things around. Mostly I don’t like talking about politics because other people say the same things I want to say, but say them so much better. And I’m fairly ignorant once you get right down to it.
How about religion?
How about it? I seriously doubt any current religion has got it right. I believe in morals and ethics more than I believe in an all-controlling deity, and I like to think I’m a very moral, ethical person who lives life by a strict code. But don’t we all? Lately I’ve been reading and advocating books like The End Of Faith, Letter To A Christian Nation and The God Delusion, so that should give you a good picture of my religious beliefs.
Sounds like you’re a believer in karma…
Yeah, I do believe that if you do good things, good things will happen to you. But part of that is when you’re out there doing good things, you’re exposed to more people and to more opportunities for good things to happen to you. People are much more likely to be good to you if you are good to them. I’m not sure I buy into the supernatural aspects of karma. Mainly, I just believe it’s good to be honest and to do the right thing, even if you don’t expect anything back from it.
On to lighter topics… what are you interests aside from blathering about yourself?
Listening to music (mostly of the indie rock variety, and uptempo is almost always better), movies, television, home theater, video games, computers, playing music, science fiction & fantasy, comic books, anime, humor, health & fitness, running, travel, football (pretty much just the Broncos), cooking… all the things I write about in my blog. The usual geek stuff.
Favorite musical artists (newish)?
New Pornographers, Ted Leo, Shalini, Franz Ferdinand, Killers, Maximo Park, Kaiser Chiefs, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Arcade Fire, Ad Frank/Permafrost
Favorite musical artists (all-time)?
Blue Öyster Cult, Loud Family/Game Theory, Be-Bop Deluxe/Bill Nelson, The Church, Al Stewart, Simple Minds, Buzzcocks, Magazine, Chameleons UK
If you had a choice between losing your sight or losing your hearing, which would you choose?
Toughie. It would certainly be harder to get along without sight, but I don’t know if I could survive without ever being able to listen to music again.
Favorite movies?
I detest answering this question, for some reason. Puts me on the spot. I’ll have to say “good ones”. My tastes are fairly eclectic, yet coincide with the critics pretty frequently.
Favorite cuisine?
I like spicy food, so Thai, Indian, Mexican… all good. Also love sushi and other Japanese foods. And like most Americans, I can never pass up a pizza or some decent pasta.
What’s the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you?
Probably when I went to the wrong house for a Christmas party several years ago (six pack of beer in hand). It took me a few minutes to realize I knew no one there. The real party I was invited to was a block away.
What are your pet peeves?
Oh, I think you can find those out by even a cursory inspection of the blog entries. But #1 would have to be rudeness – there’s no excuse for it.
How do you feel about drinking and smoking?
I’m all for drinking, though I stick mostly to beer and wine these days. I have little tolerance for smoking – the stench really gets to me.
Family?
What family I have left mostly lives within 100 miles. Father, two sisters, one brother-in-law, two nieces, and two nephews. I don’t talk about them much in the blog (partially in order to keep up some semblance of family harmony), but I don’t think any of them read it regularly anyway.
How come you’ve never been married?
Hey, that’s the same question my nephews keep asking me! It’s because of the marriage tax, obviously.
What foreign countries have you visited?
Not many – the usual destinations for Americans: our neighbors to the north (once) and south (a few times). I also went to Tokyo once on a business trip (alone), but was too busy, stressed, lonely, confused, and jetlagged to enjoy it. I would like to go back someday for fun, not business.
What other foreign countries would you like to visit?
Number one would be England – I guess I’m something of an anglophile. Australia/New Zealand would be fun as well. As for non-English speaking regions, Scandinavia sounds cool.