54, Married 20 years, divorced, 2007. No kids, Educated from Montgomery High School and Santa Rosa JC, SR, CA. Graduated from Cal State Univ. Sacramento 1979, with Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice.
Worked 20 years with Hewlett Packard, later Agilent Technologies. Engineering Technical Assistant. Company outsourced from Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa to Penang, Malaysia.
Learned Astronomy mostly on my own. First Book: The Stars by H.A. Rey. First Guidebook: Donald Menzel's Guide to the Stars and Planets, first read it in 1970. (13 years old).
Became Subscriber to other magazines like Astronomy, and frequent purchaser of varying atlases and tables.
Owned a 3" reflector, mostly a toy, for a couple years. Kept interest mainly through Binculars and 35mm Camera until older. I still have an 8" Celestron, but it needs the latest computer gizmo's and a new mount.
Most memorable adventures in astronomy: Starting a local club (Sonoma County Jr. Astronomical Society) during middle school ; club defunct but we had loads of fun and learning experiences. Saw Sir Bernard Lovell speak in Santa Rosa. In adulthood, July 11, 1991 was a highlight. My Ex-Wife and I toured Hawaii on the USS Constitution, had Andrew Fraknoi as pro. The captain got us to a nice spot off SW Kona Coast. Took pictures!
*However, at this time, I must say I was at the Apex of my success and home life, and financially secure around that time. I hope I can blame the economy and myself - Not mystical Bad Luck from Observing.
I have deplored astrology, since the glossary of Don Menzel's field guide so succinctly put it, "a pseudo-science, based on ignorance and superstition, wherein the stars and planets are supposed to influence events on the Earth." -Right on! -And, I get picky when they don't even account for precession, but then, nor does the cartography world, remember: Some kid in a few thousand years (if any) will wonder why the lines on the map are called "Tropics of What? Why?. Other than that, I'm a pretty open minded person. :-)
Otherwise, with my Celestron; shared the Shoemaker-Levi Comet fragment impacts upon Jupiter with friends.
Learned some tricks with a digital camera and projected imaging thru a VHS Camcorder, Met Mr. Dobson!
I still keep on top of new developments, there sure a lot these days. Keeps me firmly focused on the hobby.
New to this forum here in 2011; Currently living Single in Kihei, Maui; enjoying photography and submitting views to Google Earth thru Panoramio. Not doing the Streets views, just the "trails less traveled." Marveling at the Southern Cross, Alpha Centauri, and the brilliance of Orion and Sirius from these latitudes. Missed the recent eclipse of the moon due to cloud cover. Oh well, plenty of coverage, I'll catch the next one.
I know some tricks I'd like to share, such as FM radio for the visually unable to watch a meteor shower, and finding planets in the daytime by knowing some basic alignment strategies. And, I love using software sky simulators and avid fan of Jean Meeus. The rest is as it happens, in the future. "Keep Looking Up." (J.H.)