During the 1990's I lived in Austin, Texas. I became very involved in doing anti-death penalty activism. I am very interested in a variety of criminal justice issues, including the death penalty and prison reform. Fortunately, New Jersey isn't very into using homicide as social policy. Between work and school, these days I am not a particularly active activist.
I also get very passionate about photography. Although I am currently without a working darkroom (a situation I hope to change soon), I enjoy producing images with large format cameras and my enlarger. My interest in photography introduced me to other aspects of the visual arts. The Museum of Modern Art is one of my favorite spots on the entire planet.
As I indicated, I am also a nerd. I play with computers in a number of ways, networking them, writing small programs, and constantly learning about them. My technical hobbies are largerly responsible for my career. While I do not work strictly in the IT field, my professional work is closely related to it.
I keep up with current events. Not stuff about who Jennifer Aniston seeing or with whom Brittany is breaking up, but real news. My news sources are NPR, the internet, sometimes the Newshour with Jim Leherererer, and even the occassional newspaper.
Ever since high school I've held an amateur radio license. That hobby helped teach me electronics and introduced me to people who have been my friends for the past 30 years.
Movies
My favorite films in no particular order:
Citizen Kane -- how can anyone who loves black and white photography and the news business not adore it?
A Face in the Crowd -- I'm still not sure how I feel about Kazan, but this film is a masterpiece.
M -- I was blown away by a restored print that I watched in Houston about eight years ago. It is still fresh even after more than 70 years
The Gates of Heaven -- One of the funniest and most touching films I ever saw. Made me an Erol Morris fan.
Slacker -- The Austin that I knew and loved.
A Christmas Story -- I did mention that I was a Jean Shepherd fan. Too bad that he hated one of his best works.
It's a Wonderful Life -- Capra is one of my favorites. I always find myself shedding a tear or two when I watch this.
Charlie Chan goes to the Olympics -- Maybe not a great piece of cinema, but it does involve rooting for Jesse Owens after taking the Hindenberg to Munich. It's so campy that you should watch it with Smokie the Bear.
The Front -- It's not a Woody Allen movie, but rather than a movie starring Woody Allen. I loved every minute of it. I also really enjoyed Annie Hall.
Honorable mentions to Rear Window, Field of Dreams, anything by Capra, the remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Saving Private Ryan.
Television
I work in television. For the most part I do not like to watch it. It's sort of like that old adage about those who like sausage and have respect for the law should never watch either of them being made.
Books
The last book I read was What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomas Frank. My favorite work of fiction for of all time is The Catcher in the Rye My house is full of books. I read lots of books on computing, electronics, criminal justice, photography, current events, and the occassional sex manual.
Heroes
I have a very varied assortment of heros. Here they are in no particular order:
Martin Luther King (The greatest American of my lifetime)
Ansel Adams (My favorite photographer and teacher)
Michael Moore (ok, I know that he's very flawed. I still respect the hell out of what he is doing)
Dennis Richie (one of the inventors of the Unix operating system)
In 2006 I finally graduated college, having earned a Bachelor's degree in computer science at NJIT. It was something that I dreamed of doing for many years, but was not in a position to do until 2001. I returned to school about a week before 9/11. Now I'm pursuing a Masters in information systems, also at NJIT. It may seem odd that at my age I talk about my academic work first, but it has been a huge part of my recent life.
I've been into very nerdly activities my entire life. My professional life has been spent in broadcast engineering, a field that seems to involve just about every aspect of electronic and computer technology. Mostly, I am self-taught, a process that began when I used to watch the TV repairman fix our set back when I was a small boy. While in high school I got my amateur radio license. Building and tinkering with ham gear taught me a tremendous amount about electronics. I was always fascinated by television and radio, so working in the field was initially a total labor of love.
When not playing with computers, I enjoy live theater, photography, art museums, discussing the state of the world, my two cats, and good food.
Important Disclaimer:
No animals or trees died in the making of this profile.
Who I'd like to meet:
This is going to sound trite, but I am looking for a woman who is very unconventional. A woman who is interested in the greater world around her, is successful but not pretentious, intellectual but not a snob, independent but still needing someone to hold her and listen too her talk about her day, someone who is not afraid of how she may fit in or what others think about her. I like women who are a little bit crazy and even a little bit naughty. She should be very good at the art of conversation. Is there such a woman out there within reasonable driving distance?
The Obligatory Survey
ALL ABOUT ME
Name
Alan
Location
Bloomfield, NJ
Sex
Male
Birthplace
The one and only Bronx
Birthday
15 July
Sign
Cancer
Single or Taken
Single and available
Righty or Lefty?
Right
Screenname
Techietype
Height
6 foot even
Shoe size
10 EEEE -- I have freaky wide feet
Hair Color
Dark brown and becoming sparser by the year
Eye Color
Very nice blue
Braces?
Nope
Piercings?
Only have the holes with which I was born
Where do you shop?
Barnes and Noble, Costco
What do you usually wear?
Jeans, and a polo shirt
What kind of shoes do you wear?
New Balance walking shoes, model MX-620AB...Why do you ask?
Do you wear make-up everyday?
Nope
How many pairs of shoes do u own?
3
Favorite kind of music?
Alt Country, folk, and anything else that comes along
Least favorite?
Van McCoy's Do the Hustle, Iron Butterfly's Ina Gada Davida
Last CD you bought?
Mostly, I stopped buying CD's when I started using iTunes.
Whats in your CD player right now?
Nothing
Where is you favorite place to be?
There is a lake that I visit during the summer
Whats your favorite animal?
My Cats
Favorite food?
Probably Indian, though Tex Mex and Japanese are right up there
Favorite day of the year?
Today
Favorite candy?
Heath Bars or their Hershey counterpart, the Score Bar
Are you a virgin?
No
What time do you go to sleep?
Around 4 AM
Do you have any pets?
Yes
Do you have any bad habits?
Yes, lots of them
Can you sing?
Not if you ask anyone who has heard me sing
Is there anything you regret?
Sure
Do you think life has been good so far?
Absolutely
Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
No, real ones
Are you/Have you been in love?
Yes
Have you ever talked on the phone all night?
Yes
Did you ever have a dream come true?
Dreams aren't meant to come true....that&..39;s why they call them dreams
Do you believe in Santa/Easter bunny?
No, do you?
Do you believe in Love at first sight?
Absolutely
Who knows the most about you?
From what I've been hearing lately, the FBI and NSA
Are you loud?
Probably
Do you often embarass yourself?
Probably not often enough...Humility is good for the soul
Do you hang out with ppl who embarass themselves or you?
At times
Have you ever said 'I Love You' and meant it?
Yes
Future Daughters name?
Unlikely
Future Sons name?
Also Unlikely
Do you have siblings?
Yes, a sister
OPPOSITE SEX
Do you consider love a mistake?
Never
What do you find to be romantic?
Hearing her laugh
What do you look for in a girl/guy?
I know it when I see it
Best physical feature?
Each woman has her own best feature that is more than enough
Best hair color?
Blonde, but that's highly optional
Best eye color?
Who is to say what is best?
Best height?
Best for what?
Best personality feature?
Empathetic
Do you get jealous easily?
No
Whats a turn-on?
A very long, slow, very wet kiss
Whats a turn-off?
Being petty
What is the worst thing about the opp. sex?
All the good ones are taken, or at least they aren't very taken with me...
Just took down my work from the Mary Benson extension in Jersey City. The Virtues and Swirl were the big favorites which completely surprised the heck out of me. You just never know. Learned a lot about promotion. Once you get a gallery the work is really only beginning.
......
