About Richard

About Richard

Ah, how do I describe me? How do I put the essentials of this person known as Richard into a short profile? How does one publish the essence of self into a few paragraphs? That is the puzzle and here is the answer.

I am a man with a quirky sense of humor as life is full of joy and wonder. This little ball of rock, mud and water that we all share known as Earth is an incredible place, with many secrets to discover. Our corner of the universe is filled with beings, some happy and some sad, who each have their own special story to tell. My philosophy is to take life with a light heart; I just approach each day as a new source of joy and happiness. Those things which are evil or bad get ignored, discarded or defeated; the good gets helped, enriched and fulfilled.

I’ve spent the day hiking the Wonderland of Rocks in Joshua Tree after the spring rains, crawling over boulders and peering at Indian pictographs. I’ve been on boats to the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara, and I’ve stared in fascination at wasps building their homes in Anza-Borrego. I love walking the beaches of California, seeing the mountains, hiking through the snow and smelling the desert after a rain.

I am a very creative person; I write at least one article very single day, create numerous computer graphics, take thousands of photographs and create web sites. I visit many local and quite a few out-of-state renaissance faires, plus I attend dozens of belly dance shows each year. I am well known in the belly dance and faire communities for my photography. My photos have been published in numerous flyers, on hundreds of web sites and in magazines.

To me life is filled with friendship; in fact, you can tell the character of a being from the quality of his friends. The people that I call “friend” are wonderful, caring beings, with whom I share my life, experiences and happiness. These are the people who listen without interrupting, understand other people’s feelings, build up others with positive energy and don’t tear people down with bad news and problems.

Work is very important; in many ways one’s job defines one’s self. I love my job and feel fulfilled at doing a decent days work for a decent wage every single time I leave the office. I work hard to ensure that every minute of the time I spend at work is for the benefit of my employer and those people whom I manage. My time is precious, so I ensure that my work does not come home with me; I maintain a strict demarcation between my work life and my home life. In this way, I ensure my life remains balanced and full of happiness.

To completely round things out, my spiritual side is of critical importance. I spend many hours studying how to help myself, my family, the groups to which I belong, mankind, life, the physical universe, spirits and, of course, God and the infinite universe. I’ve learned that I can contribute to the betterment of society, I can help others, and that I am a good and caring being.

I’m very happy with myself and my life, and I am satisfied with the paths that I have chosen. I am a writer, and am currently working on a fantasy novel. My hobbies include photography, stamp collecting, reading science fiction, watching movies, painting fantasy miniatures, studying history and helping people as often as possible.  I enjoy curling up with a good book, a cup of hot chocolate and listening to some good music.

I am a California baby, and over the years I’ve learned to love this state. We have incredible national parks, including the Channel Islands, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Sequoia, Yosemite and a dozen others. Add to that hundreds of state and local parks and recreation areas, and you have an outdoor experience that cannot be beat. Traveling is something I really enjoy, especially short day- or weekend-trips.

Add to that all of the plays, concerts, shows, museums, zoos and events all over the state, and you’ve got a virtual infinity of things to experience and do. Sifting through all of this and finding a few jewels, a few special places to spend with a loved one, can by fun all by itself.

I am a seasoned computer professional who has been working in this field back when the internet was called the ARPANET and there were less than 1,000 sites on the whole thing! In the areas of computers, I’ve probably done it all – everything from building a computer from scratch to creating the programs which deliver water to several cities in the United States.

I was the Director of Technical Services and Computer Operations for Trader Joe’s, where I managed a group of systems analysts. My job was to maintain over 300 Windows servers and 500 workstations, along with 6 mainframes. I also managed a fully loaded disaster site, ready to take over the company’s business in the event of a major earthquake, fire or other calamity.

I am a member of

I am A+, MCSE+I and CIW certified. I’ve been in the computer business for 25 years now, beginning with the old PDP-11 systems running RSTS/E and RSX, then moving to VAX/VMS (now called OpenVMS), Macintosh, Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP, 7, 8 and Vista. I also work with Linux, FreeBSD, AIX and Unix.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s I was considered a “guru” and wrote several device drivers for RSTS/E and OpenVMS (back when it was just VMS). I was involved in designing, implementing and supporting products such as the first disk defragmenter known to be written (Diskit for RSTS/E) and it’s successor on VMS, a telephone fraud detection system, numerous accounting packages, a water billing system, and several file repair utilities which fixed problems in internal file structures.

I also helped implement and design the SCADA (System Control And Data Acquisition) systems for North Las Vegas, New Haven, Connecticut and Ojai, California. These systems are responsible for getting the water from the rivers and dams to the customers who drink it.