User Manual

People are complicated. I’m no different. Here’s a bit about me though.

This is meant to help you get to know me, quirks and all! I’m not always the easiest to understand (we are all complicated after all). Hopefully this helps a bit.

Photo of Me

The Basics

Pronouns

He/Him

Languages

Mostly just English these days. I’ve taken German, KiSwahili and Somali language classes but have lost a lot of what I had due to years of non-use.

Location & Timezone

East Coast, USA - Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Family

I’m married with two kids (a son in elementary school and a daughter in middle school).

How I Work

StrengthsFinder

Top 5: Ideation, Input, Strategic, Connectedness, Deliberative

How This Translates To Teams

I love coming up with ideas and solving problems. Research is a big part of it and I’m particularly wired to see patterns and the way things are connected. All of this works itself out with an innate attunement towards riskmanagement. Unlike many deliberative oriented people though, I tend to operate fast because of the strengths of ideation and strategic in particular.

How I Function

I tend to like the stress and challenge of chaos (opting to be one that creates order amidst it). I don’t need everything to be sorted and in fact like creating the systems and processes myself. These matter a lot to me but not as much as some people might think (or maybe not in the same way). I tend towards late nights rather than early mornings but will do what I need to in order to get the job done.

I’m pretty direct in my communication (and prefer it that way as well).

I’m not naturally empathetic and have struggled a lot to learn to understand emotions and how they work out in other people. If I misread yours, please tell me and I’ll adjust as I need to.

What I Use

I love working on a Mac. They just work and I have access to what I need (whether it’s a terminal to SSH into a server or software to design a website or … pretty much anything else). I prefer iOS on mobile (but use an Android phone for work).

I Work Best When

You give me a problem to solve and let me loose.

What Excites Me

Doing something that matters. Seeing people get excited enought to step into something new. Seeing all the pieces come together in the end.

What Zaps Me

Doing something just to do it (especially if it doesn’t matter). Being forced to be responsible for others emotions all the time (ie toxic people that manipulate with emotions). Being weaponized/pitted against other people.

Into My Head

Quotes

Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler

~ Albert Einstein (maybe?)

You taught me the courage of stars before you left / How light carries on endlessly even after death / With shortness of breath, you explained the infinite / How rare and beautiful it is to even exist

I couldn’t help but ask / For you to say it all again / I tried to write it down / But I could never find a pen / I’d give anything to hear / You say it one more time / That the universe was made / Just to be seen by my eyes

~ Saturn by Sleeping at Last

Quirks

Having TV on is kind of a form of stimming that weirdly helps me regulate (particularly in the evenings when I work on projects). The show will vary (Grimm, West Wing, The Office, Babylon 5 and Parks & Rec tend to be the top contenders) but it works. I’ve gone through about an episode of Grimm while writing this.

I’m not super competitive. In fact when I play games I tend to make up my own side challenges that I focus on more than winning itself. Like circumnavigating the US in Ticket To Ride or only shooting the moon in Hearts (I’ve done both of these…).

Media

(Idea shamelessly stolen from the amazing illustrator Andy Carolan)