Music: My life has always revolved around it. Growing up, my family had a great musical impact on me. At home, music was delivered with large contrast. From 80's progressive and other forms of rock to pop and dance. Even my grandparents' taste in music reflected on me. On one side, jazz and bluegrass, the other, classical and show tunes.
I learned to play the trumpet at a young age and have expanded my horizons to experimentation with piano, guitar, and percussion. My taste in music wavers from time to time, but has historically been centered around "modern" rock though I hate to genre-ize. In fact, I had a radio show (not internet) from 1998-2004 on KMSM that dealt mostly with modern rock and I even went as far as to create and maintain a Top50 singles chart. (The Rawk50)
I generally favor the less-produced, independently released forms of music where the artists are able to express themselves without having to fit into an established money-making format. (I'm trying not to sound like a snob).
Included below is a list of bands and artists that I listen to now or have in the past. There will be some embarrassing ones, but I'll confess. I've got nothing to hide and don't really care if some have become "uncool" or whatever.
KEY:
* = artists I've seen live. bold artists I currently really enjoy italic artists that are old favorites
Click on the "»" next to any artist or band to link to their MySpace page. (Note: If the artist does not have a MySpace page, the link may point to another site. Please report any broken links to me. Thank you.)
I'm a pretty big fan of movies in general and greatly prefer them to television. I tend to enjoy movies that deal with my interests or those that make me think. Genre-wise, I prefer science fiction, historical, and some (smart) comedies. Here is a list of those I enjoy the most:
Metropolitan State College Of Denver
Denver, COLORADO
Graduated: N/A
Major: Meteorology
Minor: Math
Clubs: SCAMS (Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society) - President
Butte High School
Butte, MONTANA
Graduated: 1999
Student status: Alumni
Degree: High School Diploma
Clubs: Pep Band, Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Honor Society.
Dann "Oh, I jump into your grave and die. And on my word you'll give your whole life for me ... and you'll be reborn, bigger and stronger ... and less alive."
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So, let's start with a bit of an introduction. My name is Dann and, well, I'm about as awesome as you could possibly imagine. Especially for those of you who don't have exceptionally powerful imaginations. I was born and raised in Butte, Montana. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, Butte is an amazing place and I'm proud to be from there. It is a city full of amazing culture, history, and character and is a great part of who I am.
In the summer or 2004, I moved to the Denver, Colorado area to pursue a dream and study meteorology at The Metropolitan State College Of Denver. I graduated in May and am now officially a meteorologist. I am currently employed part time in two positions. I have retained an internship (now part time) with IPS Meteostar, a meteorological software firm. I test the software for meteorological integrity as well as software bugs. I've also recently been hired as a junior meteorologist for Denver's Urban Drainage & Flood Control District (UDFCD) through the Flash Flood Prediction Program (F2P2). Technically, I work for Genesis Weather Solutions and Skyview Weather who are contracted to supply a meteorologists for the program. I'm really enjoying this new job, which is providing a lot of good experience forecasting and monitoring the weather. My seasonal responsibility for this job ends in the fall and I will be pursuing full-time employment in the field. We'll see where the wind takes me.
Meteorology is my passion. I love weather beyond comprehension and chase storms as much as possible. While I still consider myself an amateur storm chaser, I enjoy it more than anything else in the world. There's just something about being out there, in the presence of these beasts that completely humbles you and provides an intimate, spiritual connection with the world. For me, it's like feeling at home. I don't know how else to explain it. I don't want to limit my interest to chasing, though, as I enjoy all types of weather and the less spine-tingling corners of meteorology.
Music is a second passion of mine. I enjoy listening to, playing, and composing music. A more detailed description of my musical passion can be found to the left, under music. I have tons of other interests, which include, but are not limited to: sports (playing/watching football, baseball, basketball, hockey ... ESPECIALLY CHICAGO sports ... Bears, Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks), auto racing, driving, cartography, geography, geology, other geosciences, astronomy and cosmology, theoretical physics, politics, religion, theology and spirituality, world cultures and languages, history, and philosophy. I also enjoy photography, writing, and outdoor activities like running and hiking. I love to cook and eat as well and have an appreciation for fine spirits, wine, and beer.
I'm generally a pretty optimistic person, sometimes naïvely optimistic, but you live and learn. I don't ever want to stop learning and I've set many goals for my life, some lofty, but others entirely attainable. I'd love to have a family of my own some day soon as well as a job that I love. I have no delusion or desire to be extremely wealthy, but comfortable would be nice! I would love to be able to travel as much as possible and really, to most everywhere in the world.
The most important thing in my life is my family. I've been absolutely blessed to grow up in such a supportive environment free of really any sort of dysfunction. I suppose that is rather rare and I'm thankful every day for it. How I was blessed to be born into such an amazing group of people is beyond me. I'm also blessed with an amazing group of friends. I couldn't imagine having anything better.
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