Allow Me To Introduce Myself . . . .

[Brad_Smith]

My name's Brad Smith. I'm 40--born 25 February 1965 in Ontario, Oregon. White Anglo-Saxon Deist Libertarian Transhumanist SF/Fantasy/Horror fan and writer. As to what I look like, imagine Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi of Babylon-5) with a few extra kilos or so.

I'm a fifth-generation Oregonian, although I've lived in Nebraska and now am in Tennessee; I'm planning on moving west, going back to Oregon someday. I moved to Tennessee because the love of my life lives here and we were married Halloween 2004. I'm a Deist and a Libertarian; Andrea is pagan and a retired police officer. She has Lupus and is now on disability.

I've been a clerk, a bouncer, short-order cook, theater-tech, a private secuirty guard, served in the Air National Guard, worked in a military surplus store, a liquor store, a video-store clerk, and now work in a warehouse, working the nightshift. I also spent six months or so working for a weekly newspaper, the North Platte Bulletin which can be read here at www.northplattebulletin.com . . . . All because I'm busy trying to establish myself as a professional, working writer.

I love TV/films, reading (I have over 900 books in my private library), photography, the Internet, the paranormal, the occult, role-playing games, religions, philosophy, history, trivia, conspiracy theories, science, dinosaurs, Asian cinema, anime/manga, Transhumanism, Libertarianism, Deism, Shakespeare, Oregon . . . . I also love the films of Kurosawa Akira and now own Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Throne of Blood, Kagemusha and Ran. All save Ran are Criterion Edition DVDs.

I'm working a novel, I call it "cyberspace opera," called Fortune's Knight Errant. I took my love of space opera, threw in elements of anime/manga, exotic sciences such as nanotechnology and genetic engineering, politics, military history . . . . And put them all together into a good adventure story. It's like Richard Sharpe or Horatio Hornblower meeting the Lensman, Cthulhu, battle meks, synthetic intelligences, and the like.

[Swift]

Welcome Brad Smith. Pull up a chair and chat for a while. :D
This is a good group and a fun forum, but don't forget to read the FAQs. The BA (Bad Astronomer) runs a pretty tight ship and likes to keep this family-friendly.

[Melusine]

Hi Brad, wow, that's quite a thorough introduction! Kurosawa is great, and Criterion has the best DVDs, though they aren't cheap. Hope your wife is doing OK with the lupus--that can be difficult at times. With all those interests you should find much in common with some people here.

Cheers :D

[umop ap!sdn]

Welcome, Brad. I just moved down from Oregon last year.

[Musashi]

Welcome Brad. I think Ran is one of my favorite movies of all times. Good choices all. :)

[Avatar28]

Welcome, to the board, Brad. So where in TN are you if you don't mind my asking.

[A Thousand Pardons]

It sounds like Brad_Smiths are like swordsmiths, but their work has more of a point.

Welcome to the board.

[hippietrekx]

Hiya. Welcome aboard. Just to warn you, a few of us, (or maybe just me) are a little loony around here, but we don't bite.

Often.

Oh, and I'm a fellow Anime fan. Or maybe just drawn comic-like art in general.

I live for science. And then when I grow tired of that, comic books. :)

--htx

[Cylinder]

Leave it to a writer to come up with a five paragraph introduction. Wow. :P Welcome aboard Brad, I get this sneaking suspicion that you will fit right in. Good to see you here.

[paulie jay]

Hi Brad :)

[Brad_Smith]

Thanks for the warm welcome, all of you.

My wife and I are living in Cleveland, TN. A tad humid for my tastes but a lot greener than Nebraska, more interesting terrain.

I call Ashland, Oregon, my hometown, however. Great place, lots of bookstores and Shakespeare, of course.

The Kurosawa DVDs were a gift from my wife and in-laws. She found a great deal--four of them were in a boxed set--on the discs. Yes, Criterion does a great job on putting together DVDs.

Another boxed set that's a fave is the Firefly collection, which has all of the episodes, in chronological order. And, yes, I'm anxiously awaiting Serenity.

I'm an open-minded skeptic when it comes to various things. I'm sure that there will be some raised eyebrows as I post here.

:-s

[Candy]

Hello Brad Smith! A fellow night shift person, well, I work 10pm-6am. That's what I love about the BABB, there's always someone to talk to 24/7. :D

[Captain Kidd]

Hey neighbor!
Welcome to the 'Nooga area.

[Donnie B.]

Hi, Brad,

There are some other browncoats on BABB. Check out this thread:
http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=9993

And welcome!

[The Supreme Canuck]

Hoy! I missed this thread entirely. Welcome, Brad!

[umop ap!sdn]

I call Ashland, Oregon, my hometown, however.
Ashland is not far from Grants Pass, where I lived for almost 3 years. :D

[Tranquility]

Welcome Brad.

I have only one piece of advice, don't get into a scientific argument with anyone who posts in Against The Mainstream, whether the person is anti-mainstream or pro-mainstream :D

[Candy]

Who keeps hearing Mick Jagger singing, "Please allow me to introduce myself..." :P

I love that song.

[Chief Engineer Scott]

I am a 1st generation "red lichtie" (Arbroath, Angus, Scotland) Father from Glasgow, Mother from Perth.
I am a computer analyst/programmer, currently living in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
Funnily enough I also consider myself to look like an overweight Jerry Doyle.
My book collection is now back up to 300+ (had to leave about 650 behind when we moved), covering everything from classic SF (Dune, Stranger in a Strange Land, etc) to counter factuals (Harry Turtledove's American Empire series, etc)
As for movies I own the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dog Soldiers, and a few others.
:lol:

[Lurker]

Hey Brad, welcome... and tell your wife that I say we need more pagans here!! 8)

[Russ]

Welcome Brad. Will you be bringing Mrs. Brad to the board as well? We have a few H/W and B/Gfriend couples about. We also have Candy who is an indespensable part of the crazyness on the BABB. She's getting her BA degree in a few days.

I’m a renasense man myself. I look forward to discussing anything with you. :)

[Candy]

Welcome Brad. Will you be bringing Mrs. Brad to the board as well? We have a few H/W and B/Gfriend couples about. We also have Candy who is an indespensable part of the crazyness on the BABB. She's getting her BA degree in a few days.

I’m a renasense man myself. I look forward to discussing anything with you. :)
I'm a single 38 year old woman working full-time for a bankrupt airline getting my BS JUNE 17TH. :wink:

[Russ]

Welcome Brad. Will you be bringing Mrs. Brad to the board as well? We have a few H/W and B/Gfriend couples about. We also have Candy who is an indespensable part of the crazyness on the BABB. She's getting her BA degree in a few days.

I’m a renasense man myself. I look forward to discussing anything with you. :)
I'm a single 38 year old woman working full-time for a bankrupt airline getting my BS JUNE 17TH. :wink:

Hi Candy! SMOOCH.

[Candy]

Hi Candy! SMOOCH.
We better not get to fresh. http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/liebe/d015.gif