Here's a recent shot of me, while on vacation in OBX in Sept 2007

Some Background on me and my hobbies and interests...

For starters, I have far too many hobbies and interests to have any "free time". I'm an avid homebrewer, wine enthusiast, amateur chef, techno-geek, and the list goes on and on. The common theme among all of my hobbies is that I have an endless appetite for knowledge. When I find something that interests me, I get a book (or several) on the subject and read it -- and remember it. Recent interests/books have been on grappa, armagnac, wines of the Rhone, and Thomas Jefferson. I've really enjoyed one book, in particular, on Jefferson ("Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History" by Fawn Brodie). Jefferson was an incredible person, and I find myself agreeing with the vast majority of his ideals and principles. Need to go back and visit Monticello again soon, to pay tribute to a true visionary...

Other than that, here's my take on a few things that interest me:

• Wines: As I said, I am an avid wine enthusiast. I keep a small but practical wine cellar at home, and I use Sean Eidemiller's phpWIMS database software to organize on my home Debian Linux network. My wine passions/regions include Oregon Pinot Noirs, Burgundies, Rhones, Southern France, Italy, Sardinia...
• Food: Caren and I both love cooking. I particularly enjoy experimenting with new cuisines. I look for food with attitude. Cajun, country French, Italian, Hawaiian, etc.
• Mountain biking: I recently rediscovered cycling after a hiatus of a few years. In the process, I ended up buying my first full suspension bike -- a 2004 Jekyll 1000 that's awesome. (Gotta love eBay.) Now, I do a pretty good job at getting out on the hilly trails in my neighborhood for a 8-10 mile ride pretty much every day that I'm at home. It works better for me than any of those stationary exercisers and my joints don't even get sore from riding on consecutive days. I feel great.
• Homebrewing: I started making my own beer in 1989, and have been enjoying the art of zymurgy ever since. It's a great way to learn about the flavor and aromatic elements of beer and how they're made, as well as to appreciate making something from scratch. My beers are all made from grain (never malt extract), and I don't take any shortcuts in the process. I like them as much or more than any commercial beer that I've ever had.
• TiVo: Gotta love TiVo. If you don't know what it is, then you're missing out. TiVo will change your TV watching life. You watch what you want to watch, when you want to watch it, and you can buzz through commercials faster than lightning. I use a Series 1 TiVo that I modified by adding a 120 Gb drive to it. Just effing awesome!
• Linux: Don't fear the penguin; the penguin is your friend. My home Debian Linux-based network runs faster and more reliably than any network that I've ever used at any office that I've ever worked in. No kidding.
• Basset Hounds: They're messy, they slobber a lot, they're stubborn, and they're expensive to keep, but they are the most wonderful creatures that I've ever had the honor to know. Elvis was my first basset -- truly 4-legged perfection. We'll miss his wagging tail forever. Beau and Maggie are our beloved hounds now, and they're magnificent.
• Golf: Caren and I are both weekend golfers. High handicaps and such, but we sure do enjoy going out and walking 18 holes on a Saturday or Sunday morning in Virginia.
• Racquetball and tennis: I have a tough time finding someone to play with, but I love racquetball and tennis. Occasionally, when there's a sufficiently large group (4-6), I also enjoy walleyball -- which is volleyball played inside a racquetball court. Awesome.
• Travel: Caren and I thoroughly enjoy traveling to places that we haven't seen and exploring around. Usually well off the beaten trail, as it were.
• Hawai'i: Po'ipu Beach, Kaua'i, in particular, is my little corner of paradise. Kaua'i captivates me: the fresh fruit, the green landscape, the immense cliffs, the friendly people... When I feel the need to drop the blood pressure a couple notches, I go to Kaua'i and unwind. From the moment the plane touches down in Lihue airport, it is all about total relaxation. Stress be gone.
• Open Wine Markets: I am a strong supporter of Free the Grapes, a not-for-profit organization that supports the free distribution of wines to US consumers. In a nutshell, I don't mind paying the taxes for wines, but I want a selection of wines that goes far beyond what local merchants can provide -- even in the Washington, DC metropolitan vicinity. If you are as frustrated as I am by the stronghold that the US wine wholesalers, states, and distributors have on our freedom of choice, then check out Free the Grapes and make your opinions known to the policy-makers in Washington and in your state's capital. Go visit the site if you are interested -- among other things, there are links there to assist you in contacting YOUR legislators and asking them for their support in the fight to Free the Grapes. We WILL eventually win.