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chip info
I figured it was about time that I finally put something down on this page. If you are the curious type and you want to know the details, then you have come to the right web page.
the brief version:
hmmm...Lets see, I'm a tall 26 year old student at the University of Florida. If you are interested in personality type, I'm meyers-briggs type ISTP. Is that the kind of info you were looking for? I'm currently a fifth year senior Geomatics student at the University of Florida. Still want more info? read on...
the long version:
The Past:
I was born in New Orleans, and I lived in Metairie, LA with my parents till I was about five years old. Then we moved out to the country, to the beautiful rural wilderness of Ponchatoula, LA. We stayed there for about seven years. Then my father was laid-off from Pan Am, so we moved to the exotic "Suncoast" of Florida. I lived here in Florida with my parents till I graduated from high school. Then I Immediately started school at Wagner College on Staten Island, NY (a borough of NYC) majoring in Technical Theatre. After my freshman year I worked summerstock in the intriguing community of Mill Hall, PA. The theatre was Millbrook Playhouse, and this was my first "professional" gig. In the fall of 1991 I reluctantly returned to Wagner for a short and turbulent semester. During this time I realized that school was not a priority for me, and I was anxious to get back to work again. I left Wagner for good and moved to Manhattan with a friend where I waited tables by day, and volunteered for off-off-off Broadway shows by night. Later that year I moved to Matunuck, RI to work as head electrician at Theatre by the Sea. The theatre was managed by a company that was expanding into the touring genre. By the end of the year I had been hired for my first tour. A few weeks later I got an offer for another tour that left immediately and closed before my prior obligation. So I eagerly jumped onto a plane bound for Los Angeles, where I joined the tour of "Jerry's Girls." It was a little sketchy, but definitely exciting, for I was only 19 years old and on tour with an all female cast of dancers. After that tour, I immediately went into tech on the national tour of "The Music Man." This was a "bus and truck" production that only lasted a few months. During the summer of 1993, I moved back to Florida with my parents to take some time off before my next tour. My feelings about school had changed by this point. I was very interested in returning to school, but for what I wasn't quite sure. I took a few general education requirements for the summer semester. I also began to explore another interest, flying. The college at which I was attending offered a one week crash course (pardon the pun) as an introduction to flight. The flying was amazing, and soon after I found my way down to the local flight school to acquire my own flight instructor. However I didn't have the time or the resources to get my license at the moment. So in the fall of 1993, once again I was back on tour. This time the musical was "The Wizard of OZ." During the year I spent on tour with this show I plotted to finish school and get my private pilot certificate. In the Fall of 1994 I moved back to Florida and returned to school full time. Still a bit unsure of where I was headed, I applied for a music scholarship and I won! So now I was a voice major, but not too sure how I felt about that. In November 1994 I earned my private pilot ticket. That was one of the happiest days of my life. My dad was my very first passenger as pilot in command. The photo at the top of this page is of me during that flight. During the spring semester my funds were starting to dip. I decided to go out on tour again so I could afford to finish school. I spent the summer of 1995 in South Korea on tour with the same show "The Wizard of OZ." Korea was quite fascinating, and I'm thankful I had the opportunity to work in such a foreign land. However, I certainly wouldn't consider Korea a fun place to visit. It did help me gain a greater appreciation for the simple things in life. The day I got back from Korea I was thrust into tech for my last tour "Crazy for You." Now that I had some money and a pilots license I took every opportunity to fly at various locations around the country. The highlight of this tour was a week and a half in Alaska. The weather was perfect and I was out flying every free moment I had. Flying through the Chugach Mountains in Alaska, I saw scenery more spectacular than I imagine I will see for quite some time. It was indescribable. I stayed with this show till the fall of 1996. Having received my fair share of touring life I felt it was time to fulfill my desire to finish college. Once again I returned to Florida for the glorious weather for flying and a great selection of schools also. This time however, I felt I had exceeded the maximum age for moving back in with the parents. So I found a lovely little, and I emphasize little, studio in the vivacious town of Gulfport, FL--where senior citizens on tricycles always have the right-of-way! I returned to Florida just in time for the fall express semester at St. Petersburg Junior College. The express semester didn't offer all the classes I needed, but I was able to find a few things I could use. I also used this time to explore some career options. It came down to Meteorology or Geomatics. You might wonder what one has to do with the other. Well I have a "thing" for maps. I also feel I need to be in touch with the physical world somehow (ie...not a desk job). I found out about the Geomatics program while I was in Junior College. Geomatics...it's a spatial information science. I deceided to transfer into the Geomatics program after receiving my Associates Degree from SPJC. I guess you could say I am a Geomagician in training. Who knows, I could wind up working for the CIA as a Geographic Information Specialist!
The Present:
Now I reside in the tropical savannah of Gainesville, FL. At the moment I'm in the middle of my last year here at the University of Florida where I'm taking a few neat courses. I'm glad to finally be a true senior after having been technically classified as senior for the past two years. I'm quite amused by the number of graduation announcement and class ring order forms I have received over the past few years. I guess in changing my major from theatre to Geomatics I lost a few credits that didn't count for much in the college of engineering. I am enjoying myself in Gainesville and I'm finding the Geomatics program to be quite challenging. Of all the places I have traveled, I'm happy to be here in Gainesville.
The Future:
Well my short term future is pretty well laid out for now. I have one summer co-op down and one more to go. I'm not sure where I will be working this summer but I'm hoping to find something out west. My target graduation date is still December 18th 1999. I think that would be an appropriate way to end the millennium, don't you?
Countdown to Chip's Graduation
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