I'm was born in August 1974, am 6'4" in height, have dark brown hair (well, not so much anymore) and eyes (still have those), and very much a Leo. Coincidentally, I was also born in the Chinese Year of the Tiger, which, as the last placemat I read told me, is very similar to Leo. My moon sign is Virgo (the main sign is called your Sun sign, and depending on the time you were born, you can get your moon sign. I was born around 4am, so my moon sign is Virgo). Virgo is kind of an emotional sign, which can be good and bad. I tend to get moody occasionally, but usually my temperament is pretty positive. Hey, did you guess I am interested in astrology?

Ethnically, I am a mix of Persian, Italian, and Irish. I was adopted when I was three months old. My birth mother, according to the information from the adoption center, was sixteen when she had me, and my birth father was an eighteen-year-old foreign exchange student from somewhere in the Middle East.

I currently reside in Austin, Texas, which I consider an oasis of sorts - I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else in Texas. I was originally born in Texas, but grew up in Oklahoma City, OK. I am single and living by myself in the suburbs of Austin, with my two cats Orion and Saturn.

As for my career, - most of the work I have done thus far has been web or Internet related. I've been in Austin since 1996. I've worked for multiple marketing companies, three startup companies, a huge company that bought the company that bought one of the startup companies (whom I all worked for), and have done quite a bit of freelance consulting as well throughout the years. Currently I'm one of the founders of a startup marketing software company that is doing really well. I've got a strong background in marketing, design, and project management, in addition to my programming and software architecture expertise.

Since 1995 I have run/administered/programmed/developed/written an online game known as Materia Magica under the corporation Ingenii Interactive Co.. It's a free, text-based multiplayer fantasy world (a MUD, also known as a Multi-User Dimension) that has hundreds of simultaneously-connected players at all times. I also designed the Moongate Client, which can be used to play Materia Magica.

I'm a big fan of Vincent Price's B-horror movies, Elvira (The Mistress of the Dark), The Addams Family (obviously), and was a fan ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV series, until it sort of careened off into oblivion). I have a number of significant ongoing personal projects, including developing and running an online game, writing (fantasy, you can read a few excerpts on this website of the book on which I am currently working), oil painting, rock carving, jewelry making, and motorbiking through flaming hoops with legs of mutton in my mouth. Most of my hobbies tend to be computer-related, and/or right brained.

I enjoy nature but I don't enjoy insects. Interesting rocks, trees, and the ocean are pretty but usually crawling with bugs, seagulls, or fire ants (perhaps not in that exact order) so I consider nature best viewed through the scenic dining room windows of a nearby four-star hotel. I am not a fan of professional sports, don't have a favorite football team, and even though I was (briefly) a referee during college for basketball, I don't really know much about who's playing that either. I know how to shake hands one way, possibly two, but I'm not hip enough to know whatever the latest handshake is so please don't be surprised if you come at me with some leet hand action and I just shake it the old-fashioned way.

I like to read, but I like to shop a little more, so unfortunately my collection of books does not reflect the number I have actually perused. The Harvard Chronicles sit on my bookshelf in their beautiful leather covers, all 50 of them, just waiting for me to crack one open and go at it. But once I'd bought them all I lost interest in reading them. I'm sure I'll get to them someday, assuming the "Harry Potter" series ends at some point.

Speaking of Harry Potter, I don't adhere to any mainstream religions - I prefer to do my own research and inner searching and come up with my own synthesis about how the universe works. I have an affinity for Eastern philosophy and Western occultism, which you can see reflected in my home library.

Anyway, that's enough background information for now. This page will be updated as things change in my life, but expect to read about most of them in my Diary weblog in advance.