Damion asked nicely, so here goes. Please note that there are a lot of things about me that I prefer not to be common Internet knowledge, so self-censorship is heavily implied.

1. I’m a professional journalist. That is to say, I’m trained to do it (bachelor’s in journalism/mass communications, Kansas State University, class of 1998) and have been paid to do it (newspaper reporter for ~6 years, copy editor/page designer for 4 of that, with a year and change overlap at previous job, currently a “copy chief” in charge of five copy editor/designers at a newspaper.) I’ve been surprised by the number of people who have known me by journalism-like work on game-related Web sites and the like, including several people once associated with Shadowbane. It’s also worth noting that I was only paid once for three years’ plus of work updating sites for Dr. Twister (never paid me squat) and Crossroads/Warcry (one $700 payment right before it was revealed the network was suffering financially and would need to be sold to stay afloat. I didn’t offer to pay it back.)

2. I’m an avoidant personality type. Have been for all the life I can remember, and no I haven’t been officially diagnosed as such, though I received counseling for “mild” depression in my teenage years. It’s just that I have real trouble accepting compliments. That is to say, if you make any sort of communication to me that sounds vaguely praising of me or something I’ve done, my immediate gut reaction is to reject what you’re saying, and you by association. I’m not saying this as an excuse. Hell, half the Internet is claiming undiagnosed Asperger’s, so this is mild by comparison. It’s just what I have to deal with on a daily basis, and yes I’m very much aware that it’s likely held me back from greater things, now quit trying to say I’m anything special or I’ll write you off as a flake.

3. I nearly flunked out of college. I’d gone in with 18 credit-hours from getting 4’s on three different Advanced Placement courses (calculus, English and chemistry) and took summer school twice, so after four years, I needed only 7 credit-hours to graduate. One class was a requirement (Editing 2, I think) but the other four hours were electives. So, dumb me, I figured I could take the introductory physics course four four hours. This was also the semester I was news editor for the student newspaper. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I could blame the foreign lab techs who could barely speak English in a dialect I understood, but the truth is, I blew off way too many assignments and ended up with an F. Thankfully, I was resourceful. Even though I’d taken the second calculus course, I could still “test out” of introductory algebra and earn three hours. Then it was just a matter of hitting up a favorite psychology professor (I’d profiled him for the newspaper once) for the remaining credit-hour. Turned out he and another prof had just received a stack of surveys for some project they were doing, and needed help doing data entry. Two afternoons was enough for them. Got my paper and I was free.

4. I have a reasonably positive relationship with my family. That’s my “no, really,” because I’ve known so many who can’t say that. My biological mother died of breast cancer when I was 4, and my only blood sister and I were adopted by my father’s second wife (herself widowed due to cancer) and have two older stepbrothers through her. It wasn’t an easy childhood, granted, and in many ways I think the kids in the family had to grow up before we could all appreciate each other’s peculiarities. And really, there are few, at least of the embarrassing sort.

5. I don’t play very many games. That’s the hardest to admit. I really want to get an Xbox 360, but I think I’d rather upgrade my TV first. Everywhere I turn on the Internet, I find people who play them a lot more than I do, and I only wish I could relate to them. I open up game magazines and realize I haven’t even seen most of the top games being played. I should resolve to do something about that this year. We’ll see.

Honorable mention things about me: If I have to sneeze, I always sneeze at least twice in a row (no idea why) ; I’m 6-foot-5-inches tall and naturally blond, though I don’t claim to be good looking; I’m from Kansas and I’m not entirely ashamed of it. Hey, they got rid of the right-winger douchebag that was attorney general, cleaned the creationists out of the state board of education and re-elected Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat who isn’t a lightweight. Most of my family’s still there, but I’m content to just visit for now.

All right, so have some victims: Fear, Richard Dansky, Sachant, Rasputin (damn but he needs an excuse, plus I think he’s gone for a week and will be SO SURPRISED) and Mike Shaver.