Friends

The only way to have a friend is to be one. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

My friends who have (or have plans for) a web page

Rich Ahrens

I met Rich in the mid 80's when I was teaching a class in the Pick assembler at a MICRU (Microdata User's Group) conference. He was the only person in the class who really 'got it'. I let him know that there were openings in technical support and asked him if he might be interested. He was and promptly followed Horace Greeley's advice. He has since moved back to the midwest of his own volition where he can experience the extremes of weather this country has to offer - and attend performances of A Prairie Home Companion^®.

Rich's interests are varied. They run the gamut from Alaska to folk music to solar/energy efficient housing to sailing and aviation. He is a complex individual who definitely marches to the beat of his own drummer. I'm delighted to count him among my friends, and am thankful to him for broadening my musical horizons.

Garrett D. Hildebrand

I first met Garrett when I came out to California to interview with Microdata in 1984. Being one of the senior people in Technical Support, his reputation had preceded him - but I didn't know quite what to expect when I met him. I was not prepared for what I found. He is far more than a technical genius. It was not until we went on a ski trip together a year after I was hired that I really began to know him and form an enduring bond. How can I describe to you a person of so many facets? To tell you that he is an ex-marine cum computer wizard who spends his free time enjoying a wonderful family is like putting a wash on a water color and not bothering with the rest. To add that he is a consummate chef, gardener and brewmeister brings the painting a bit more into focus, but still doesn't really give you the full flavor. You can't know the pleasures of a meal by reading the menu, so you'll just have to seek Garrett out yourself if you want to know any more.

I owe Garrett a great debt. He has taught me many things - from programming using the Pick assembler to creating the perfect gin martini. Liz and I miss his pool parties and BBQs, his wild stories and his infectious joie de vivre. He and his wonderful wife Colleen - as well as jd and Linda - always engage us in conversation until the wee hours of the morning whenever we get together, our attempts to get to bed at a reasonable time notwithstanding. I'm thankful the internet allows us to remain close friends.

Robert W. Murray, Jr. (aka The Karn Evil Kid)

If I had to describe 'the kid' in two words, it would be adrenalin rush! The world needn't fear an energy shortage as long as Robert is around. We first met in 1985 after he got hired at Microdata. I've never met anyone with such an incredible thirst for knowledge. It wasn't long before he made the leap from technical support to software engineering. He is now happily ensconced at UCI and enjoying his duties as a Network Programmer/Analyst.

Robert's passions include his wife (Deirdre), music, fishing, snow-boarding, 4-wheeling, computing, martial arts, eating and libations. He is easily the most accomplished musician with whom I've had the pleasure of jamming - excelling on both keyboards and guitar. He is also the master of the ugh.

Joshua Poulson (that rhymes with 'pole', son!)

Josh also hails from Philly and is one of the first friends I made at ADP. But now he's fled for Informix. I guess companies that are losing money can afford to pay higher wages than those who make a profit <grin>. But our friendship spans silly things like who signs our paychecks. That we are friends in the first place is quite amazing considering our views on politics, religion, philosophy and firearms are totally out of phase. But this chasm provides a constant source for conversation which has served to enrich our friendship (and interrupt our work). I must say that he is one of the only sane Libertarians I know. Aside from these differences, we do share an addiction to the internet and computing, an interest in martial arts, an ear for music and a fascination for the English language. In fact, his domain is 'pun.org' - a form of humor he has honed to an art form - and practices incessantly. He is also a budding juggler and can coax more strange cacophonies out of a can of CocaCola than anyone I know. Strangely, I miss those canned concerts now that he's moved on to greener pa$ture$.

My laggard friends who are still home(page)less

John Denney

John (jd to his friends) is the first friend I made when I moved to California from the East Coast. We worked together for Microdata doing technical support of the operating system. And we played together making music by the hour on our guitars. Jd is at once complex and simple. He has a natural, easy-going demeanor consistent with his Iowa roots. But the pond which forms his mind is by no means shallow. Jd is one of the best read people I've ever met. His interests range the plains from the Bible to Suess. He is also an accomplished and innovative baker. Liz and I have whiled away many an hour of enjoyable conversation with jd and Linda, his wife. Linda is one of the sweetest people you could ever hope to meet, but I'll let jd tell you about her - if and when he ever gets a web page on line!

Shawn Fitzgerald & Frank Yeh, Jr.

Chief! You're (both) on my People Page!

Trying to isolate Shawn and Frank is, in my mind, like trying to discuss Mark without mentioning Brian. They have been inseparable friends for longer than I've known either of them. We met one day when I was working in Technical Support at Microdata (do we see a pattern emerging here?) when they stopped by to learn how to fix a Group Format Error. I encouraged them to join support shortly thereafter.

They are avid skiers (Shawn since the age of 3), volleyball and basketball players. They are also walking sports encyclopedias.

Shawn and I (along with Robert) were all in Frank's wedding party when he and Janeane were married. Of course, Frank, Robert and I were there for Shawn's marriage to Sheri, too. And finally, after a six-year engagement, Shawn, Frank and I were there when Robert wed Deirdre on 8/5/2000.

Frank plays guitar and keyboards (been MIDI mousin' since the mid 80's) and has often joined jd, Robert, Shirley (see below) and me for "Friday Night Jams". He and Robert are both dedicated YES fanatics and have spent numerous hours teaching each other Steve Howe licks.

Shawn is instrumentally challenged and can't carry a tune in a bucket - but knows the words to nearly every Rock & Roll song ever composed as well as the year and the names of all the members of the band.

We've gone on many ski trips together and had some wild times.

Steve Gill

I've known Steve since we worked together at Microdata. In fact, he was my boss for over a year during my period of maximum stress in Technical Support. A friendship that could endure that kind of brutality is bound to last. It has - so far, he's the only friend from Southern California to journey the Oregon Trail and visit Liz and me. And he came bearing gifts (see the Postcards from Portland)! Steve has an abiding interest in Rock & Roll, UFOs (is that what happened to Elvis?) and Heavy Ion Physics. He has been sighted hovering around MUFON (the Mutual UFO Network), being a member of MUFON International and serving on the Board of Directors for MUFON Orange County. He is also skilled at darts & pool (don't let him hustle you with those matchstick size darts!) and enjoys rollerblading.

Shirley Pestana

Shirley is the leader of the band - for Friday Night Jams. We met at Microdata (where else?) where she was the group admin in software engineering. When she learned that I played guitar she invited me to the jams that were taking place every Friday night at the home of her friend, Jim McLaughlin. Jim has converted his garage into a recording studio and it provided the perfect place to unwind from our jobs each week. Unfortunately, Jim's schedule has become pretty hectic, so the jams occur less frequently. So Shirley, jd, Robert and Frank moved the jams to my living room. Of course, now that I've moved to Oregon, they've been jamming at Jim's again - without me!

Shirley has a voice that could easily be mistaken for Linda Ronstadt - as does her parrot, Jade! She is also a budding composer. Why she wastes her energy on a day job is beyond me. Someday she'll be discovered and I'll be able to say, "I knew her when."

Of all the artists Shirley admires, her favorite is John Denver. In fact, not too long ago, she had a dream come true Sadly, her idol will no more awaken to sweeten our lives with his artistry.

Maryann Riley

Last, but by no means least, I need to acknowledge the profound way Maryann accidentally changed my life. I met Maryann at (you'd never guess) Microdata. Years later, when I was working at The Ultimate Corp. she encouraged me to start joining her on conditioning hikes which were organized by the local chapter of the Sierra Club. I finally agreed to do so and became a 'regular' for about a year. I discontinued the hikes when I started studying Krav Maga as they both took place on Tuesday and Thursday. After studying Krav for many months I took advantage of class being cancelled one Thursday to join Maryann for a hike. That cameo appearance changed my life forever - it's when Liz and I first met. We soon fell in love, got engaged, and exchanged wedding vows. So Maryann, thanks for helping to make me the happiest man on the planet!

DISCLAIMER:

Acquaintances

Patrick Jennings synaptic § grey matter media - another strand in the web.

Patrick's eJournals make for hours of delightful reading. While you're checking out his yarns, photos and films, be sure to also catch the lutefisk tale (which was written by Clay Shirky).

I got a nice note from Patrick thanking me for the kind words and letting me know he had moved his eJournal to its own domain. He added, "Now, with some email between us, are we slightly less strange to each other? <grin>" I replied that we could remedy that over a salmon dinner at Jake's if his travels ever took him to Portland ;-) It just so happens that Patrick is now off on a three month US jaunt which just may bring him my way. We've exchanged enough email that I can no longer regard him as a stranger, so his status has been elevated to acquaintance. Hopefully, he'll point Rolling Thunder my way so that we can become friends.

Randal L. Schwartz

I guess it's well past time that I "promoted" Randal to acquaintance from stranger since I have met him face-to-face. He's far more talkative in person than he is in his terse email replies and usenet posts :-)

Jon Sisk

I first encountered Jon around 1981 when he was lecturing at a MICRU conference. I was impressed by his technical knowledge and facility for teaching. It was only natural for him to strike out on his own and form JES & Associates, Inc. - one of the most widely respected educational organizations in the Pick industry (or as Jon puts it, "the premier source of Hands-On Education for the Pick, Advanced Pick (AP) / D3, Unidata, and uniVerse DBMS platforms"). I've met Jon on several occasions, but can't say I know him well enough to really call him a friend. But hell's bells, he's got a link to my page from his - the least I can do is return the favor!

ADDENDUM:

He was advanced in years when he touched my life in 1960 and has no doubt gone to his reward by now. I never did thank him, but I hope he realized how much he enriched my life and, I'm sure, many others.

His passing is a sadness only the blues can express.

guestbook

Webmaster

Home, Sweet Home What's New Top of page Back to List of Links

If you are harvesting email addresses, I know shnorrer.09/Jul/2008:05:07:04/people.html@herring.org and the gummint would be delighted to hear from you.