Scooter Chronicles

Handsome devil, aren’t I?

About me? So what would you like to know? Guess I should start from the start.

I was born at a hospital in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in a northeast suburb called Center Line (here is another LINK). I was a sports fanatic while growing up, and usually spent my summer days playing baseball with my brothers and the kids down the street. After some college I ended up getting a job with an automotive conveyor and advanced planning company. While employed by them I was relocated temporarily to three other areas (Louisville, Kentucky; Brampton, Ontario; Dayton, Ohio) for a total of two years. Before moving to Dayton, I became a part of an online fan club for a band called Yes. The site was started by David, who now happens to be my brother-in-law. It was on the original SITE through Yahoo (now known as SoundChaser.Org) that I met my wife Marcia. If you want to hear about that story, you can watch the documentary disc of the Symphonic Yes DVD, where Marcia and I are interviewed. Eventually after living with me in Dayton and Detroit, we moved to the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania where she was from. We were married on August 25, 2001.

My wife Marcia and I at one of my brother’s wedding in the fall of 2001.

Marcia and I were blessed with the birth of our son Nigel Rowan on November 25, 2005 at 1:58 in the afternoon. Because of early labor signs we spent the whole day before his birth in the hospital. That day happened to be Thanksgiving Day. We missed the family feast, but we had so much to be thankful for and were happy to miss it for such a wonderful event.

Nigel wearing Daddy’s baseball hat (23 months old).

The family with Santa (November 2007).

Sometimes Nigel gets really snuggly after waking from a nap.

The two most important people in my life.

I am a big hockey fan, and though I am still a little peeved at the NHL for canceling a whole season, I still try to find the time to watch games. I have developed a soft spot for the Philadelphia Flyers, but I am still a very loyal Detroit Red Wings fan. I also am an avid tennis fan, and used to play often. Since I tore my Achilles tendon while playing, and the birth of our son, my wife and I haven’t played. We hope to change that soon. In the meantime, I am hoping to see Roger Federer break Pete Sampras’ record of career singles Grand Slam victories.

Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg, tennis great Roger Federer, and Flyers’ Simon Gagne.

Baseball is another love I rediscovered thanks to the NHL lock-out. Like with hockey, I have developed a soft spot for the “local team”, the Philadelphia Phillies since moving here, though root for them more since they are an NL team. (The NL game is better.) But I am still a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan and was so ecstatic to see them in the World Series again in 2006. I also like just about any obscure sport you can think of like soccer, lacrosse, and team handball, to name a few. Though Australian rules football ranks the highest on that list. I root for the Adelaide Crows in the AFL, and I am even in an Aussie rules fantasy league.

Tigers’ Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and Justin Verlander, the Crows square off against the Hawthorn Hawks, and Phillies’ Ryan Howard.

My wife and I have a dog. He is a pure bred Golden Retriever. We named him Molson. Yes, after the beer. And that’s not because it’s my favorite beer. (That is a toss-up between Victory’s Golden Monkey, Victory’s Moonglow, Unibroue’s Trois Pistoles, and Weyerbacher’s Blithering Idiot.) We just thought it would be cute since the most popular beer they brew is called Golden.

Molson just chillin’ ……… or waiting for a T - R - E - A - T.

Music is a big part of my life, but I don’t play any instrument. (I pretend to play bass from time to time though.) I used to sing in the church choir, and believe it or not people actually think I sang very well. (They probably need their hearing checked.) I listen to just about anything, with rock and jazz being my favorites. You can look at my CATALOG of CD’s (thanks to Listal.Com).

“Moving Pictures” by Rush and “Black Market” by Weather Report

Reading books is another thing I love to do. I started reading science fiction during my “college days.” After a couple of years of being too busy to read, I took it back up and started branching off into fantasy and general fiction/literature. You can see the books in my LIBRARY (thanks again to Listal.Com) I also try to read Mitch Albom’s column whenever they are posted on the Detroit Free Press WEB SITE.

I have put together a FAVORITES page on my site. It is a list of books, albums, and movies that I have enjoyed over the years. Of course I now review any book I read or movie I watch with an individual post. You can go back and read my ramblings by using the links in the right hand menu.

Also, I am in the process of writing a novel. I don’t have any delusions that it will actually be published, but I have enjoyed the challenge of writing it. I have POSTED some of it here on this web site.

So that is about all I can tell you for now. The rest has been classified by the Belgian government, and I am not allowed to tell you without written consent from King Albert II.