About Me

I'm a retired Federated Incident Manager/Site Reliability Engineer having spent almost 30 years with Mastercard.  I worked exclusively in commercial products with many roles over the years. If you happen to have ever heard of Mastercard Smart Data - I was involved with it from 1996 through 2024.

I currently enjoy motorcycling, specifically long distance endurance riding.  I didn't start riding until my mid-thirties when I finally had the revelation I was an adult with a wife and children and could make the decision to finally do something I had always wanted to do since sometime in late childhood.  I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider Course at a local community college and got my motorcycle endorsement for my license but didn't buy my first bike till a couple years later.  A friend from church knew I had taken the course and offered to sell me his wife's neglected motorcycle, a 1982 Honda GL500 Interstate (known by some at the time as a Silverwing).

I owned that bike for a couple years and then purchased a 1996 Kawasaki Vulcan.  After a short time I realized the Vulcan was not what I hoped it would be (not more comfortable for me, and even less so for my wife!), I purchased a 2000 Honda ST1100.  I flew to North Carolina to pick it up and rode it all the way home, very comfortably.  It turned out to also be a better bike for passenger accommodation.  I did my first Iron Butt Association certified ride, a saddlesore 1000, in June 2010 on that bike.  I learned not only could I do it, but I enjoyed it!

After 11 years with the ST1100, I decided it was time to trade for a 2007 Honda Goldwing ABS.  I really love this bike. I have upgraded the suspension with the most excellent Mega Monty package from Traxxion Dynamics.

Other things about me:

You may wonder about the mustache (or moustache, if you prefer).  I have had a mustache since I was 17 or 18.  I always admired the handlebar mustache as favored by some men I knew from association with singing barbershop music.  And yes, I also sang barbershop for many years.  I spent two summers singing professionally in a quartet at our local Six Flags Amusement park.  It was great to be paid to sing all day and get free park admission and parking!  I enjoyed being a member of the Ambassadors of Harmony men's barbershop chorus and earned 2 Gold and 2 Silver Medals from the International Chorus Competition.   Here's our 2009-winning version of 76 Trombones. 

I have a wonderful wife of 30+ years and 2 terrific grown children. My Christian faith is an important priority and I'm actively involved member with Immanuel Lutheran Church and School.

My wife is a mental health therapist with her own private practice, Waypoint Counseling Services.  She also is the counseling director for a non-profit ministry supporting professional church workers called Shepherd's Canyon Retreat.