Hi. I'm Chris, the handsome lad you see on the couch above. I'm also known as "StratPlayer" on various forums and sites I've visited (or "StratPlayerCJF" if the StratPlayer name is already taken).
If you're on this page, I assume it's because you want to know more about me. OK -- here are some bio-factoids:
- I'm in my 50's. I was born on the same day that Explorer 8 was launched by NASA to study the ionosphere; that Willard Libby won a Nobel prize in Chemistry for developing Carbon 14 dating; and that the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey was established. I'm not exactly sure how these events are related to my birth, but I'm sure there's some sort of cosmic significance to it all...
- I am married to an absolutely amazing woman who is smart, funny, beautiful, warm, loving, and has the incredible ability to somehow be able to put up with me. :)
- I have two great step-children who are now in their twenties, a wonderful almost-daughter-in-law, and a fabulous young granddaughter who steals the heart of everyone she meets.
- I have an incredible half-sister who I lived most of my life not even knowing about -- I used to be just an 'only-child' and it was so wonderful to find her and discover I wasn't!
- I work as an Electrical Engineer for a US division of a group in the largest privately-held German corporation, providing technical support for motors, drives, automation, and generating quotations for assembly conveyor systems.
- I earned my BSEE from a private co-operative engineering school in Michigan.
- I was a National Merit scholarship winner and qualify for membership in Mensa, but forget where I've left my keys and what we were just talking about five minutes ago...
- I'm a Christian. I don't wear it on my sleeve, but it is absolutely a part of who I am. My hope is more that I can show what it means to be a Christian by my deeds and actions rather than screaming about it or shoving it in your face. But I'm always willing to discuss it if you're interested.
- I have worked since I was 15, and have, at different times in my life, been paid to be a grocery bag-boy, shelf-stocker, record-shop clerk, furniture salesman, retail store manager, telemarketer, vacuum cleaner direct-salesman, professional musician, math and science tutor, political pollster, shelving system assembler, mechanical draftsman and designer, electrical panel wirer, PLC programmer, house electrician, PC technician, client-server PC programmer, database system programmer, real-time data-acquisition system designer, automation system hardware designer, electrical layout CAD detailer, UNIX programmer, technical writer, automation project manager, test engineer, automation system designer, data security specialist, and now an applications engineer. And I've probably left off a few.
So there you go -- StratPlayer Chris in a nutshell...
And the reason I have this blog? Well, I like to do creative things -- I write and I play guitar mainly, although I also dabble in other areas like photography. And I want a blog to post about these creative outlets and to share some of the things I've created. I had an older blog that I had started several years ago to focus only on my writing and my quest to get published, but I'm afraid it was kind of erratic -- I wasn't doing enough writing to sustain a blog dedicated to only that. So I created this blog to continue that writer quest, but also to expand into my musical pursuits and other creative outlets. I've played guitar for over 40 years and while I have long shed the "maybe I'll form a band and 'make it' in the music business" mindset, I still love to play and want a place to share it with anyone who might be interested. And to talk about any other creative outlet that I might play around with.
So that's what this blog is about -- sharing my creative output, simply because I enjoy doing it. Not so much from an ego-driven, "hey, look at ME!!!" point of view. More so because it's a way to have a easily-accessed journal, and I think it's better than just sticking stuff into a box in the basement. Plus, having a "public" outlet for this also kind of gives me a much-needed kick in the pants to actually DO some of the creative things I enjoy.
I hope you enjoy them too.
