Calling All Geeks!

There’s been a lot of talk on the news lately about some disk being stolen from some government offices that contained a whole bunch of people’s personal information. There’s been a lot of talk about stolen ID’s and such. I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. Honestly, even though I knew it was serious business, I mostly chalked all the hype up to our alarmist society once again overreacting to a minor situation.

Then I got a letter today informing me that I was one of the folks in said files. Now I’m being offered some ID protection service free for a year. It’s actually kind of surreal. In hindsight, I actually have to laugh at my initial reaction. I wasn’t upset about my info being stolen so much as I was upset that there was info to be stolen in the first place. I guess it’s just my natural paranoia, but I started to wonder what info The Man had on me. I then asked myself ‘who the Hell would want MY ID?’ I mean, for crying out loud, I don’t even want my ID. I suck. So, what? This guy is going to take the money in my bank account? BOTH dollars? It’s ridicules.

Of course, I like my mom’s theory. Being as such that my Hurley costume was so perfect, somewhere Jorge Garcia is retaliating by walking around in a comic shirt carrying a movie reel and calling himself Travis. (Mapother sold me out!)

I can’t believe I’m doing this, but considering the fact that I work at a movie theatre and that a bunch of Transformers fans read this, I figured I’d do it just this once. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is Transformers: The Movie in its entirety. Not some clip or anything like that. It really is Transformers from beginning to end. Just click HERE.

I was tagged by Jon to complete one of those web surveys. This one has me listing eight random facts about myself. I’m supposed to tag someone afterwards, but the only person I really know who blogs is the guy who tagged me. Oh, well, here’s my random facts:

1) I used to be heavily involved with theatre. I did it for seven years, three in middle school and four in high school. I’ve acted in 13 main stage plays and I did tech for 4 more. I helped to take two shows (acting both times) to the Ohio State Thespian Conference, won a few awards, and I even lettered in Theatre. One of my proudest achievements was when I had to learn a lead roll in three days after another actor was forced to drop out of the show. I haven’t acted since graduating, but it’s something I wouldn’t mind one day returning to.

2) I really like to draw. My parents say I started drawing right around the time I had the motor skills to grip a pencil. I was brought onto the school paper in high school specifically so that I could do their illustrations, for which I won a few awards. I also won a few awards at the Westerville Art Show. (I think I got a third place and an honorable mention, but that was honestly a long time ago.) I’ve actually been paid for my work ($100 one time for a single drawing!), thus officially making me a professional artist. Right now, I’m mostly into comic book art and cartooning, but I also like to delve into surrealism from time to time.

3) I’m into costuming. Jon got me into it officially, but in hindsight, I think I’ve been secretly into it for a long time. (Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays.) Some of my more memorable costumes include Silent Bob, William Wallace, Hannibal Lecter, Marv from Sin City, Hurley from LOST, and a Jedi Knight. I’m currently working on my Mandalorian armor and a Battlestar Galatica officer’s uniform, with Doc Ock and a Ghostbuster “on the back burner”.

4) I’m really into comics. I think it was destiny as I’m told that the original Superman movie was on TV when I was born. (Apparently, according to my mom, one of the nurses was paying more attention to it then, you know, the new life emerging.) The first time I really remember being bit by the comic bug was as a kid when I watched the first episode of the old Fox X-Men cartoon and immediately afterwards cutting out Wolverine claws from cardboard and taping them to my hands. (Another hint at future costuming?) Over time, I “grew out of” comics, but I was dragged back in my senior year of high school by one of my teachers, Mr. Ashbrook, and my then girlfriend, Katie, who were both big comic/superhero fans. I’ve been hopelessly addicted ever since.

5) I am a legally licensed reverend. Yes, I’m technically Rev. Travis Perkins. I haven’t really done much with it, except for the time I oversaw a wedding. (Unfortunately, it wasn’t technically a recognized marriage as it was a same sex couple and our country is run by a bunch of intolerant overly-religious psychopaths who have more in common with the terrorist that we fight then anyone is comfortable to admit.)

6) A little while back, I tried to join the Freemasons, but the guy who said he’d help me get in flaked on me. It’s still something I would like to do at some point.

7) I speak a little bit of German. I studied it for two years in high school and I still dabble in it from time to time. (I’ve ordered several items off of the German version of Amazon.com.)

8.) I daydream constantly. Between how boring my real life is and how creative I’ve always been, I suppose that’s no big surprise.