Seven Things You Didn’t Know About Me

I was tagged by Daniel Cousineau over at his Tower of Power for the 7 things you didn’t know about me blog chain letter. So, here’s my list:

• I’m 1/32 Choctaw – My dad’s side of the family comes from Arkansas where the Choctaw Nation is largely based. About 10 years ago we started investigating our links to the Choctaw and found a direct ancestry.
• My great great great grandfather died at the Alamo - Dolphin Ward Floyd was a member of the Gonzales 32 that went to the Alamo to fight for freedom knowing they were going to die. As such, I am a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas.
• I played trumpet in high school - I started as a saxophone player in 5th grade but my 6th grade band teacher switched me to trumpet. I love the trumpet and I’m very sad I sold mine. I was second or third chair throughout my middle and high school band career.
• I was only allowed to write code on paper in my high school - Due to some misguided creative energy and knowledge on my part (i.e. I messed with school systems usually reserved for administrators, teachers, and network admins), I went to alternative school for 6 weeks and was only allowed to write code on paper. My teacher would then read it, type it in, and see if it compiled and ran. I was not allowed to touch computers at my HS after that.
• I was Linux Team Leader in the first Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition - After the high school incident and a brief incident with a three letter federal agency, I turned my skills to good and helped lead the UTSA team to a third place finish in the first CCDC competition. This year the competition will be held at Texas A&M, where I work. I really wish I were a student so I could compete again!
• I’m a blue belt in Shaolin-Do Kung Fu - While I lived in San Antonio I got pretty into Eastern culture, religion (Taoism), and exercise. I found out there was a Shaolin-Do school in San Antonio and was thrilled to join. I’ve done several martial arts before (Karate, Tang Soo Do, Hapkido) but nothing was as fulfilling and strenuous as Shaolin-Do. I would give almost anything to have Shaolin-Do back in my life here in Bryan College Station.
• I practice Tai Chi and meditate - I also took Tai Chi while at the Shaolin-Do school. I now use Tai Chi, meditation, and breathing techniques to help me deal with stress, life, and exercise. It is a wonderful art and helps focus the mind and body in ways I did not think possible before.

Now for my list of seven poor souls who have to come up with seven things:

• Michael Cummings – Michael shares a birthday with me. But that isn’t what makes him a great friend. He’s ambitious, entrepreneurial, and friendly. He was one of my first friends when I moved to BCS several years ago and I’m sure we’ll be friends for a long time.
• Gabriel Cornyn – Gabe is a great friend (he was the best man at my wedding). We have had a great many discussions ranging from technical to political to philosophical. Here’s to always thinking in the abstract!
• Thomas Weeks – After the high school incident, Tom helped steer me in the right direction (probably keeping me out of trouble with the law). He is a great teacher, friend, engineer, and writer. I will always be thankful for the opportunity to be involved in some of his user groups and to learn from him.
• H.D. Moore – H.D. Moore is a brilliant security researcher who is well known for Metasploit and several other projects. I’ve met H.D. and his humbleness and intelligence are rare in this world.
• Dylan Kulesza – Dylan has been a great friend for a long time and we constantly push each other to the limits of technical knowledge. He’s one of the reasons I strive to learn as much as I can – so I can one up him once in a while!
• Greg White – Dr. White helped start the first CCDC competition, and while he could not mentor the UTSA team, he gave us the opportunity to shine at something we loved to do.
• Chez Pazienza – Chez has an excellent blog and a real talent for writing. He also wrote a book, Dead Star Twilight, that is now one of my favorites. I’ve had experiences similar to his and I related to the book, and I’m glad to see we both have happy endings.

And, of course, the rules to pass on:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post – some random, some wierd.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.