Im 45 years old. I grew up in New York. My father was a boxing and judo coach in college and the Navy, and was my first martial arts instructor-he also had background in some form of karate from Hawaii, though its never been 100% certain which form it was. My formal training began in tae kwon do at age 11, and while I earned dan ranking, I no longer practice tae kwon do. I also earned dan grades in judo, kyokushin karate and Miyama ryu jujutsu.Along the way, Ive tried a few other martial arts-sometimes for years at a time, wrestled in school, got my head handed to me boxing Golden Gloves, and very many of my instructors were law enforcement, corrections officers and/or military personnel with real world experience. When I was in my teens and early twenties I took Charles Nelsons 15 lesson course as a yearly reality check, and I also spent a little more than a year in Japan, training and trying to earn a living as a musician, of all things.That was 25 years ago, though, and, after 34 years in martial arts I still consider myself very much a student of self-defense, just as I do about cooking, music, and, well, everything
though I have been fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have had to defend myself and get away intact, and I do teach a small number of jujutsu students
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Early on I earned a degree in religious studies; my father, grand father and great-grand father were all ministers, though they also practiced other trades. I managed to dodge that bullet, and wound up working in commercial nuclear power, earning degrees in mechanical and nuclear engineering, and advanced degrees in nuclear engineering and, more recently, my doctorate in applied physics. Im a certified firefighter, HAZMAT technician, avid hunter, ultra-marathon runner and triathlete (though hardly competitive; Im just happy to finish.), fourth-generation gun nut, as well as a federally certified ordinance and munitions disposal technician.
I now live in New Mexico, where I practice enough gardening and raise enough animals to be called a subsistence farmer by some, and experiment (read: hobby) with alternative energy sources, knife making and automotive engineering in my spare time.
I currently work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where I do boring science stuff, and a few things that I can talk around, and a few more things that I wont (CANT) talk about at all, though Ive told enough that you can probably imagine what those are.
While I can probably contribute about a few things, Ive enjoyed reading this forum for quite some time now (shuffles back to corner )
Early on I earned a degree in religious studies; my father, grand father and great-grand father were all ministers, though they also practiced other trades. I managed to dodge that bullet, and wound up working in commercial nuclear power, earning degrees in mechanical and nuclear engineering, and advanced degrees in nuclear engineering and, more recently, my doctorate in applied physics. Im a certified firefighter, HAZMAT technician, avid hunter, ultra-marathon runner and triathlete (though hardly competitive; Im just happy to finish.), fourth-generation gun nut, as well as a federally certified ordinance and munitions disposal technician.
I now live in New Mexico, where I practice enough gardening and raise enough animals to be called a subsistence farmer by some, and experiment (read: hobby) with alternative energy sources, knife making and automotive engineering in my spare time.
I currently work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where I do boring science stuff, and a few things that I can talk around, and a few more things that I wont (CANT) talk about at all, though Ive told enough that you can probably imagine what those are.
While I can probably contribute about a few things, Ive enjoyed reading this forum for quite some time now (shuffles back to corner )
I hope you enjoy becoming and active member of MTalk and I look forward to your posts. If there are any questions, please feel free to ask any moderator or MTalk mentor. Enjoy! 
