I have been tagged by Andrew to write my first Me-Me (OK, I was tagged about a month ago, but I'm finally getting back to blogging just now!)  To borrow from Jason Sardi, I have added a soundtrack that will put you in the right frame of mind for reading this.

I am a beach bum at heart, trapped in frigid temperatures of Philadelphia (at least for now) for reasons I don't understand and certainly can't explain.  Or, in the words of my patron saint, Jimmy Buffett, "I've got a Caribbean soul I can barely control...."  One day, I will rule my empire wirelessly from a remote tropical location, but until I win the Powerball, Philly it is. 

(Secretly, I LOVE Philly, by the way - the history, bars, restaurants, and cool little places to go and things to do that so many Philadelphian's don't even know exist .  I just wish it was warmer)

I've lived in Philadelphia, York PA (not a big fan), the coastline of Connecticut (loved it), and Washington DC.

I've been a waiter, bartender, Legislative Aide to a US Congressman, Campaign Manager for political races at every level of government, a fundraiser for Immaculata College, Executive Director of a successful non-profit organization for senior citizens, a contractor, and a Home Inspector.  When I grow up, I still want to be a professional baseball player.

Oh, and I saved the Space Station.  Not in the James Bond/Austin Powers kind of way, but I saved it nonetheless. 

In 1993, as I mentioned earlier, I was an intern on Capitol Hill. The International Space Station was coming up for a critical budget vote in the House (an amendment specifically to kill funding), and votes were evenly split.  The sentiment at the time was towards budget cutting and deficit reduction and the space station seemed an unnecessary expenditure to many Congressmen who wanted to show their constituents that they were budget cutters.

My boss was undecided.  None of the parts were manufactured in our district, and there was no other burning need to vote for it, so a vote against may be viewed as getting tough on spending.  He walked into the back room of the legislative office 5 minutes before the vote to discuss it with the staff (yes, they really do that).  After weighing the pros and cons, he turned to me and asked: "You're a science guy (physics major) - what do you think?" 

Stunned, all I could come up with was something like, "Well, it isn't so much the advances that we plan to get from space exploration, as those that are developed along the way that become the most notable results.  Freeze drying, microprocessors, metal alloys...."  He cut me off.  "Good point.  We're for technology and progress."  He voted for the space station, and it survived by a single vote in the House that day.

So, that's me:  your typical baseball loving, beach bum, ex-politico home inspector.  This is more than I have probably talked about myself in 10 years combined, but it has brought back many great memories and was stories, so thanks, Andrew!