Please tell us about yourself/spouse/family (if applicable), work, education, where you live & why, what your interests are, hobbies...that sort of thing. We'll compile these in booklet form and distribute them at the reunion.
I'm married to someone named Career. It's a very jealous thing and no sane person would want to join me in some of the places I've been. I'm the only child I'll ever have though I've adopted one child named Restlessness. After about a year and people begin to recognize and keep track of me, the nagging voice in me tells me its time to move on. My family has learned that pencil is the best medium for recording my address and the best presents are those that either fit in a suitcase or are consumed in one sitting.
My home is confined to four suitcases, one piece of carry on, and that vital ‘personal item'...usually a laptop. I'm 43 and still live with my parents [now sister]...when I'm in the US. For the past twenty-five years, I've been a traveling hobo.
I'm trying to get the award for traveling the furthest...Sierra Leone in Africa. For the most part, I build American embassies. I'm an engineer working for a construction company in Montgomery Alabama.
My goals in life are viewing the Super Bowl in as many countries as possible, owning a car and a desktop computer, and with a bit more training...a career with a major fast food chain.
After college at UNL, I moved to the Washington DC area following in the footsteps of my father in the construction industry. I worked in mostly field offices. Since I graduated from UNL, the longest time I've lived in any one city has been three years...and two years at any one address. In 1994, I gained the wanderlust to do international work moving to Turkey. I never was one for world geography but adventure has become my fix. Until that time, my understanding of turkey was that it was meat served at Thanksgiving and occasional dinners.
Actually, the Turkish job was kind of spontaneous...cleared out the house and was out of the country in three weeks selling almost all of my earthly possessions thinking it was the most moronic thing I'd ever done...and there's been a few. Six months and three countries later, I realized it was the smartest thing I'd done.
When I'm not working, I'm a gym rat and audiophile. I can get lost on my computer programming or playing with multimedia. If possible, I'd rather ride a bike than drive a car...I have four bikes at my parents' house [now storage]. Years ago, I learned to scuba dive but have had little opportunity to pursue diving since I took it up. I enjoy cooking and I do squeeze in some reading on my day off. I worship the beach. When home, I love to catch any kind of athletic event...baseball, football, hockey, or basketball. I still follow the Huskers and listen to them over the Internet...even if it's the wee hours of the morning.
It all boils down to taking the road less traveled. With brief glimpses of working in the US since I moved abroad, I've found that everything seems to work normally and that seems too easy for me. Murphy, the one with the law, must have been in international construction. The costs and the rewards for living overseas are quite high. It takes a great love and a sense of humor to become a veteran at living in some of the places I have.
I'm a closet writer. I send out semi-monthly tales I call the Bluelou Times regaling tales about where I happen to be at the moment. Yielding to progress, I've gone high tech with a web site, http://www.blueloutimes.com. It's a non-commercial web site. I've got lots of photos and tales. Curious...the best way to contact me is my email address, Skype, or MSN Messenger or check out the web site.
A sequel of sorts...my 30th reunion...
Please tell us about yourself/spouse/family (if applicable), work, education, where you live, what your interests are, hobbies...that sort of thing. We'll compile these in booklet form and distribute them at the reunion.
I'm still married to my career with no wife or kids. As it is, I can tell you some fascinating stories of my journey through life. I consider myself a citizen of the world and the borders of the US to be confining. Like Star Trek, I like to boldly go where I haven't been before. Much like the 25th class reunion, my home is still four very large suitcases and one piece of carryon. I've been traveling between my work locations and Omaha quite a bit since the 25th reunion, about 45-60 thousand air miles annually so when I actually arrive, I don't care much for traveling. Since the last reunion, I've worked in Sierra Leone, Texas (twice), Alabama, Tennessee, China, United Arab Emirates, [forgot Oman,] and Morocco. When I do come home, I stay with my mother in Millard [sister in Ralston] and usually run ragged hooking up with doctors, friends, and family during my short visits at home.
I'm still in international construction working on large building projects. My specific responsibilities involve cost, time, and information technology and sometimes actually get to resolve construction problems. As my experience has grown through the years, I've gone from actual hands-on experience to the role of teacher training those with little or no experience in the practices of the construction industry.
If I'm not working or at the gym, I'm usually immersed in writing or tinkering with one of my portable gadgets I take to pass the time. With a fast internet and increased technology, I'm able to watch many of my beloved Huskers football or other sports live or whenever I wake up if they've played during my sleeping hours. The troubles of the work day seem to fade after I hit the kitchen, another of my passions. Whenever I'm in the US, I try to take in as much live sporting or concert events as possible.
As I write this narrative, the current plan is for me to be in China for another couple of years. Given the lifestyle I have, I generally don't plan much beyond a month but I hope to be at the 30th reunion. I cannot be certain if I'll be there or where my work home will be at the time. If you check my blog @ http://www.blueloutimes.com, email me, or contact me through Facebook, I promise I'll get you up to speed as to where I'm located at the time. Let me know and I'll put you on my semi-regular update mailing list.
Life abroad can get boring during the non-working hours. One of my greatest thrills is to instant message (text, talk, or video conference) long lost acquaintances. If you see me on line, hook up in a chat. If I'm busy, we can set up a time when it's convenient for both to get caught up.
