The short list of my interests would be travel, home brewing, running, shooting, fishing, hiking, computers, history(Western Civilization), aviation, the military, diet and exercise and my love for dogs.
About me(Alan James Kwak):
As far as background goes I was born in Oaklawn,IL and grew up in Lindenhurst,IL. Went to Antioch High and then 2 years at the College Of Lake County before finishing up at Northern Illinois University with a B.S. in Geography(Environmental Science). I took some post grad. courses(Geophysics and Environmental Law) but had enough of college at that point. Led the single life until I met Holly in 95'.
Holly has 3 kids(Larry, Mark and Devi). Devi and her husband have a little boy(Preston) and Mark is engaged.
Larry has been married to Linda for a few years now and all are doing fine.
As far as I am aware, I have no offspring.:)
That's Holly and I below. Well I never claimed to be photogenic.
Well I'm living in the sunshine state now(too damn hot down here). Came down again from Illinois back in February, 2001. I miss the northwoods of Wisconsin but the fishing is great here if you like Bass.
Holly and I at Mark and Loren's wedding(me in flip flops??!!):).
Well after a 15 year stint at Abbott Laboratories I am in the computer field now. I first worked for 3+ years at CGS, inc(Computer Generated Solutions) in Tampa, FL supporting I.B.M. clients among others. Then a 6 month gig as a consultant with KForce Professional Staffing supporting the USF Physicians Group and am now an independent contractor with BMC Solutions installing, configuring and troubleshooting PC's. I'm happy to do work I was cut out for. I felt like a square peg in a round hole at Abbott but in the computer field it's being like a square peg in a square hole!:)
I got my CompTIA A+ certification early 2001(been building and fixing PC's since 98') and finally got my CompTIA N+ certification 12/14/01. I added the MCP(Microsoft Certified Professional) certification 3/11/05 and also some HTML skills. No page wizards for me. Once I made a couple very basic ones like this one, I saw it's not all that hard. Grab a book from the darn library or a site like Webmonkey if you're interested and make a page and slap it on a site like Geocities or MS Office Live for free. It's fun!
That's Holly and "Shana" the "big, bad pug"(ha, ha)right below. I'm not a small dog person(I grew up with Dobermans and German Shepards) but that little dog stole my heart.
We've picked up another pooch. We call her "Brownie". Looks like 1/2 Lab and 1/2 Chow. Sweet dog.
When it's not too hot she runs with me. She has a touch of hip problems so we walk more often now. I swear this dog knows when we will be walking, running or nothing at all. She is as smart as a whip. I swear she has human genes.:) She is just so damn smart!! I do not think I could love a dog more than I do her. We call her "Best Girl". She tries so hard. Even our Vet(Dr. Steven Odland in Oldsmar, FL) was won over by her charms when he and his staff boarded both our dogs during our recent trips to Europe. We got lucky to cross paths with him. He's a superb Vet. No question about it. He loved Shana from the get go. That's just the way it is with her.
Below is my Sister in-law Tracy, my Nephew Ryan, my Mom Janet and Brother Dan(he does shave, sometimes). I know he's(Dan) not photogenic. Mom lives out in Las Vegas and Dans family is in Winthrop Harbor, IL. Home of the Stone Creek Grill, home of the best Pan pizza I have ever had. I really am serious about that too.
I have no pics yet of my Brother Darryl, his wife Luanne and their daugther Nicole. I can't leave out Max the wonder dog either. Dad also needs to get his mug on here. I'll work on it.
Ah, got a pic of Dad! That's my Dad above at the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs, FL.
Wow, my brother Darryl(far right above) finally stood still long enough for me to get a pic of him while at work! Well he took a little break with me, my Mom and nephew(above). He runs Midwest Marine in Antioch, IL. That's him below at the Hoop and Holler Tavern in Merriweather, Michigan enjoying a cold one(or two).
I'll be starting a page about my favorite backpacking and canoe trips soon. That would include Isle Royale National Park in Michigan and Glacier National Park in Montana. The Boundry Waters Area in Minnesota was also great. Included will be the National Forests in Northern Wisconsin.