INTERESTS

Turtleman has lots of interests.  Here are some of my favorites:
 

Have done most of my diving in Florida, either drift diving in the Atlantic off Boynton to Deerfield Beaches and in many of the north FL springs.  Springs have included Ginnie, Cypress, Morrision, Vortex, Cow, Troy, Blue Grotto, Devil's Den, and Madison Blue.  Other dive sites have included Panama City, Destin, and Key West.  More exciting locations have included Aruba, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and St. Thomas.  Have all my own gear, but could really use a good dive buddy.  Any volunteers?

2.  CASINOS:  I never gambled and had absolutely no desire to go to a casino until, in the spring of '85, a company I had recently joined sent me to work a convention booth in Las Vegas.  I really didn't want to go and was pretty intimidated at first. The rest, as they say, is history.  I've now made dozens of trips to Vegas, 36 (mostly day trips) to Atlantic City (before Mississippi got casinos - been there about 8 or 9 times), 4 trips to New Orleans, several islands, and cruise ships.  

It took an awful lot of study and practice until I could hold my own and finally beat the bastards.  Sure couldn't go so often if I usually lost!  Unfortunately, it still doesn't look like I'll ever be able to make a living at it, but you never know.  I play blackjack almost exclusively, but will occasionally shoot craps.  Casino gambling is probably the cheapest hobby I've ever had and one of the most exciting.  The most expensive and exciting hobby has been scuba diving.  Come to think of it, that's a lot like gambling at times, also!

3.  AMATEUR RADIO:  I assembled my first short-wave radio (Heathkit) while attending eighth grade in Baltimore.  Listening to the foreign broadcasts and plethora of other signals fascinated me to no end.  However, it was the ham radio chatter that particularly grabbed my attention.  Right after we moved to Tampa, FL a year latter, I received my Novice license and went all the way to Amateur Extra Class within several months.  This hobby was my total preoccupation through high school.  I've conversed with hams in all 50 states and about 100 different countries.  Though inactive for several years, I'm still licensed (WA4KUI) and will undoubtedly become more involved in the future when I can't do anything else but sit on my butt!  Yeah - sure!  Undoubtedly, my exposure to electronics through ham radio is what prompted me to become an engineer.  

4.  MUSIC:  I enjoy a wide variety of music, including: classical, opera, country, jazz, easy listening, reggae, and even steel drum when I'm in my "island mode."  My musical "career" started with clarinet lessons in fourth grade and continued through college with concert and marching bands.  (Can also play saxophone when very drunk.  It wouldn't hurt if anyone listening had something to drink too.)  I was brought up on classical music and still appreciate it.  Heck, I even love opera, although I've found it difficult to take except in person.  However, in the last several years, I finally succumbed to country and western, which is now one of my favorites.  (Sure never thought that would ever happen!)  Have no use for hard rock, heavy metal, gospel, or rap.

5.  ASTRONOMY:  Before amateur radio, my number one passion was astronomy.  Many a night was spent peering through my telescope.  When I wasn't observing, I was reading all I could get my hands on.  Remember, this was during Sputnik, Telstar, and before the first man went into space.  A lot has changed since then, but I still have an acute interest in astronomy and waste a lot of time pondering our place in the cosmos.

6.  COOKING:  It's probably an "age thing," but I enjoy food, and its preparation, infinitely more now than ever before.  (Actually, I probably appreciate everything I ever liked a lot more now than ever before.)  Anyway, with the exception of Chinese food, I've discovered that I can prepare almost everything I like better than anyone else can.  After all, who knows my tastes better than I do?  That's not to say that I'm a gourmet (not even remotely close), but I do enjoy preparing a wonderful meal for (and with) a significant other.  (Actually, I've been accused of evidently having a carbon deficiency due to my tendency for insuring that meat is never underdone.  "Pork chop briquettes" is a name given to one of my "creations."  Getting hungry yet?  Yummy!)  Consider shrimp Creole to be my "signature" dish.  Getting pretty good at preparing fajitas and ribs, too.  Needless to say, candlelight and champagne (or wine) are necessities.  

(Oh - I'm still trying to figure out Chinese.) 

7.  POOL:  Sure can't claim to be any good at it, but it's usually fun until it becomes frustrating.  Mostly play with my son, who beats me about half the time.

8.  BOWLING:  Pretty much the same as pool.  That is, I'm not worth a flip, but it's still fun.  Highest scores have been in the low 200's, while sometimes I'm lucky to break 100.

9.  TENNIS:  The only person I've been playing tennis with lately has been my son.  However, he's become remarkable good (or at least as bad as I am) and is getting harder and harder to beat.  We play often.

10.  WEB SURFING:  I've been on the Internet for over 4 years, and have found it to be a totally fantastic experience.  (But you probably all ready know that!)  Let's just say that my TV viewing has dropped nearly to zero since I went on-line.  In many ways, it reminds me of my amateur radio, on-the-air days, but with fewer nerds and an lot more women! 

11.  STOCK TRADING:  Ten years before discovering the "joys" of casino gambling, I became involved in the stock market - truly the largest "casino" on earth.  At least in the Las Vegas style casinos, you don't have to wait very long to find out if you've won or lost, and either way, you'll get a drink on the house.  I've been heavily into stock and option trading in the past with moderately good results, but have only recently gotten back into it.  Sure wish on-line trading could become my new "career," but it just isn't working out all that well.  Imagine that! 

12.  WEIRD SCIENCE:  I've always been fascinated by science in general, and particularly "weird science."  Weird science is the investigation of phenomena that is outside the realm of "conventional" science; such as antigravity, cold fusion, free energy devices, transmutation, etc.  That's what "The Order of the Tortoise" (see LINKS) is all about.  I'd love to discover, invent, or contribute something in this area.  In other words, I'd like to become a mad scientist (maybe an alchemist) when I grow up!  I'm not smart enough to know that these things are impossible.  :)

13.  INVENTING:  I have two patents (the last one issued in Nov. 2001 after a 4 1/2 year struggle), so at least I can technically claim to be an inventor with a semi straight face.  Nothing terribly significant, however.  I'll keep trying.  At least the patents are fun to hang on the wall.

14.  TRAVEL (?):  I've included the question mark because I'm not terribly sure if I consider travel to be one of my interests, though it's always been interesting.  (Is getting there really half the fun?  I don't think so!)  I've been all up and down the east coast, from Key West to Boston, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, New Orleans, Toronto, Chicago, Des Moines, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and the most beautiful American city I've seen - San Francisco.  Island destinations have included Aruba (2), Grand Cayman, Cozumel (3), San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten (both halves), Nassau, and Freeport.  Overseas trips have included London, Paris (3), Milan, Florence, and Venice.  At this point, I've gotten pretty burned-out on museums and cathedrals and would be happy just visiting the Caribbean and Vegas.