in a good man we can be proud of.

Think diamond-in-the-rough...

I am a Type-A personality. You know... demanding, impatient, perfectionist. Just a little too high-strung. But that’s why I get things done, and get them done right.

I am brutally honest and straightforward - to the point. I am not a nut-case. I am in no way fanatical about anything, or looney. Nor do I “have a screw loose”. In fact, I have been blessed with both a near-genius IQ and retention of a plethora of common sense. Time to put them both to use. I am simply annoyed and concerned, and I can do the job. I know what to do, and how, so why not?

I solve problems... big complex problems. I solve problems with hundreds of details and numerous interactions and side-effects. I make hundreds of decisions a day. Every day. It’s my job, and I’m exceedingly good at it. I know how to ask all the right questions. I know how to gather all the information I need before making decisions. I know how to make changes, both slowly and quickly, but all carefully planned and thought out. The problems facing America are far simpler and easier to solve than anything I’m used to, in fact the solutions are already known. The real problem is that no one actually wants to solve them, except me. I can. I will. That’s me.

I’m the guy you call to fix your plumbing when you can’t afford a plumber. I’m the guy you call to pick up your mail, water your plants, and keep an eye on your house while you’re away. I’m the guy you give your spare house key to.

I’m the guy you trust to pick up your kids from soccer practice because you’ve over-scheduled yourself and have to be somewhere else. I’m the good neighbor. The one you wish you had on both sides.

I’ve been around: Born in Ohio, moved to New Jersey for a couple years, then off to Kwajalein in the Marshal Islands, back to New Jersey, grew up mostly in Maryland, then to Virginia, back to Maryland, out to Missouri, off to California for a few years, then back again to Maryland. That’s just where I’ve lived. Travel is all over the place. Did I mention Massachusetts?

I’m always on time: Everywhere.

I make lists. Lots of lists. And I check them off, one by one. I make my own “todo” list for the weekend, and then work on it (baby permitting!). I make lists at the office and check them off too. When I run out of things to do I get bored. I hate that. I go looking for work when my lists start looking short.

I sweat the details.

I’m quiet and introspective. I’m mostly a listener, which means I actually take the time to hear people out, to understand what they feel.

I analyze everything. I like to know what’s going to happen and have alternate plans in advance.

I ask questions. I encourage input from everyone. I want all the facts. I want to hear all the ideas and alternatives. I will make the final decisions, but the real power is in the clever use of input from those around that help me to make the right choices.

I’m a “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick” sort of guy. If our conversation in my office doesn’t go well, you’d better be thinking “Run!” when you walk out that door. Give me a couple minutes to decide what I want to do, and then you’ll see just how mad you really made me...

Wife Version 2.0: Her name is Larysa Clark, and I love her dearly. Best thing that ever happened to me. Larysa is a Ukrainian native, still working on her citizenship here. Ukrainian women are famous for their old-fashioned values, such as taking care of their family first.

I’ve done my share of stupid things. I admit it. Not gonna tell you what they were though...  I’m sure the opposition will make up better stories about me than I’ve actually done in real life anyway!

I am the proverbial “Red Flag.” Yes. I’ve always been the guy in the back, raising his hand, saying “Uh, we might have a little problem with that.” I have always been a few steps ahead of everyone else. I look ahead. I can see what’s coming, before it gets here.

I like to be ahead of schedule. That’s why it’s only March 8, 2007, and I’m working on November 2008...

I’m an optimistic pessimist. (Eh?) That’s where you hope for the best, and plan for the worst. That’s when you might think something is hopeless, but you try anyway, because it’d just be really great if it actually worked...

Priorities and Values? Ask your mother. We’re probably very similar. Family, then Friends, then work, then everything else. The difference between myself and most other people though, is I actually live by my morals and values. I don’t’ break them. I stick by my friends and help them out. I don’t lie. I don’t cheat. I don’t steal. I don’t even brown-nose. My children, and my wife, are my world.

Just for fun... President: Chesapeake Real Ale Brewers Society (CRABS) -- many (10?) years ago! Homebrewing club with roughly 50 members. Orchestrated our first brew-off competition, where the winning recipe was actually brewed up and served by a local brewer!