I played the cello in junior high school, and quit playing because of PEER pressure
In High School I went dancing every Saturday night. Loved to dance with the “wallflowers”. They were better dancers. My friends would only dance with the best looking women.
At 15, I was a golf caddie (A rated) at Lakewood Country Club in Colorado. A very fancy golf course with snobby, rich, Bentley driving members. Sometimes I carried 2 big bags at once for 18 holes (4.5-5 miles) up and down the foothills of Colorado.
I swore (cussed) once in my childhood and my mother washed my mouth out with soap. I can still taste it to this day. Perhaps this is why you don’t hear me cuss, except for when I hit a bad shot on the golf course.
I am a father of 5 children and a grandfather of 2 1/3. My oldest son Eric died over 6 years ago. My youngest son Ryan is 14 and is now attending High School.
I went to Brigham Young University on a vocal scholarship and sang everything from classical to pop music. I preferred soft rock and vocal jazz the most. Nothing like tight harmony with a number of very talented jazz singers.
I am very proud of my accomplishments, but at the same time very humble. So many people are substantially more talented than me. I admit, I am sometimes jealous of those talents.
My 40+ year career was spent in technology (mostly software) and as a Financial Advisor for 2 major Wall Street Firms, Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch.
A am retiring in 18 days, on Friday October 5th, 2018. Actually I am changing careers to be a full time 24x7 photographer, doing what I love day and night. I don’t have grandiose financial aspirations in photography, but would like to be rewarded both financially and emotionally for my work and my talents. Please help me in my photography business!
I saved the hardest one for last. I suffer from depression. It is even hard to verbalize this, I guess it is humiliating and embarrassing. I think it started the day my son Eric was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and then escalated when he died in his sleep over 6 years ago. I struggle every day to make a difference, to feel valued, to feel friendship. I have to WORK to stay up, and I work hard at it. I blame no one for this “disease”, except for maybe God. Photography and the arts keep me going.
There you have it, 10 things you probably did not know about me. If you read this, please let me know. I have a sense that my blogs are only read by a select few. Perhaps it is the whole social networking, I am only interested in pictures not WORDS thing.
With Love and emotion:
Tom