25 Random things about me - (Ok 26...)
1. I planned our wedding in April of 2005. I had a ton of fun doing it and if the opportunity ever came to plan another event like that or events like that for other people I would jump at it. I love going to parties and I was planning one of the most memorable parties of my life. I didn't want it to be a wedding like anyone else has ever seen. The top of the cake was balanced on the same champagne glasses we did our toast with. We hired a live jazz band. Did I mention that it all took place on a dining yacht? To cap it all off we left by horse and carriage.
2. From the time I was a sophomore in high school I set out to be a professional photographer.
3. Rugby was my sport of choice until college
4. Before college I weighed 260lbs with a 44in waist
5. Now I am an amateur triathlete with sponsors (Rudy Project, Honey Stinger and of course I have to sponsor myself with Pilster Photography)
6. My two dogs are Cheya and Soma. They are both mixes, rescued from the Humane Society as puppies and weigh over 55lbs.
7. My computer of choice has been an Apple since I was in sixth grade. I think this makes me a nerd
8. I love independent films
9. My home is the Bay Area of California, I grew up and lived there for over 20 years, but I only applied for internships in photojournalism outside of the state.
10. Our home was worth every penny, even though we can only get half of what we paid for it. Although I do feel a little trapped in Florida. We made a good move and bought a house right when we got to Florida before the market took off and moved again before it crashed.
11. My haircut didn't change (Bowl cut with a part) until my college classmates gave me some divine intervention and showed me a great stylist to go to (Thanks Sara and Lexey!) After my haircut changed I felt like people paid more attention to me. It was a weird feeling!
12. Kids are definitely happening within the next few years. I get jealous of some of my friends who have them.
13. My wife and I met while I was on an internship in a town in town of 20,000 people in the middle of Kansas. We met on the steps of the house next door to the one I was living in and five houses away from hers. After I cooked her dinner the next night we practically started living together. This was October of 2001.
14. I've been in the middle of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tropical storms, blizzards, and monsoons. I don't think there are many natural disasters that I haven't been a part of.
15. I love helping my wife shop for clothes. Men have had the same style of clothes for 50 years and I'm a little bored with it.
16. When I was a kid I collected comics and still have them at my moms. It will be worth millions one day, right?
17. I worked for an internet company being paid well for chat hosting during the internet boom. It paid for most of my early camera equipment and computer equipment during high school and college.
18. Games are dangerous for me (Computer or offline). I can sit in front of one from dusk till dawn and not even realize where the night went. I love spades, but avoid putting any games on my computer because of the temptation.
19. When I was growing up, I thought about going into managing information systems before I fell in love with photography. I still can troubleshoot most computer problems, but try not to show this ability because I don't want to become everyone's 24 hour tech support.
20. Do what you can to help people, favors will come back to you. I am getting better at waiting for people to ask for help instead telling everyone the way it is (Even if I am right)
21. Knowing the names of bands has never been easy for me. I used to listen to the radio all the time growing up, but I'm a visual person. I didn't start learning band names until I could start looking music up on the internet. When I received a Tower Records gift certificate I bought a CD because of it's cool album cover. That CD was Iron Maiden and I actually liked it.
22. I can be stubborn. When I think I'm right about something, I will research it or push myself in that direction until I have to admit defeat or be able to say "I told you so"
23. Without a job in sight, I packed my car with my future wife, moved to St. Louis and started freelancing. I did it because I knew I wanted to be a photojournalist. I tried looking for other work after I left my job at the newspaper, but I still want to be a photojournalist and am doing whatever I can to continue making photos for a living.
24. We eventually want to move back to the west coast.
25. I'm cautious because I can be gullible. I'm an optimist. Everyone I meet starts out as my friend and can move in either direction from there.
26. I have to do lists, but I can be the worst procrastinator unless I have a firm deadline for something. (I think this took me six months to fill out)
