Me getting out of a red Ferrari F430 with a guy clapping beside me

Ferrari F430 Agility Course, Columbus, OH, May 2016

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Time with my family

Of course.

I also spend time just with Francis every day.

Francis at his first birthday party, my farmer's tan made an appearance, Jul 2017

Gina seated on the ground, yelling, while Francis stands over her and yells—both being goofy, not mad

Going a little stir-crazy under coronavirus stay-at-home orders. Mar 2020

Exercise

We walk a few miles every day with Francis in his stroller. It's good exercise, it's easy on the joints, it's a chance for Gina and me to catch up, and it clears the mind.

We walk twelve months out of the year. We only stay in during storms, or if the temperature is extreme.

Drumming

At the tender age of 42, I started playing the drums.

For years, I took lessons at the illustrious Columbus Pro Percussion with local legend Steve Dodge. He taught me how to read music and understand time signatures, introduced me to the rudiments, and got me started on the swing beat and limb independence.

I'll die on that hill—from boredom.

I love to play and I'm even in a band. In May, 2022, we toured Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Germany to promote our new EP, The Heavy Weight.

Guns

I have pleasant memories of spending time at a gun club in the hills of southern Ohio with my family.

We shot pistols, shotguns, and colonial muskets. I blew up cans, targets, and realtor signs. And I was a highly skilled button pusher. When my uncle, grandmother, or father said, "Pull," I could launch those clays like a professional.

I inherited my grandmother's shotgun—yes, my grandmother's shotgun. I also have a pistol. Gina and I enjoy shooting. It's fun, and we want protection for our family.

A half-assembled cherry red drum set, with pieces strewn all over the floor

My first drum set, a Gretsch Catalina Maple. Sep 2013

Me at a stand, shooting clays with a shotgun

My first vacation with Gina: the Adrenaline Tour. Oct 2010

I don't support an absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment, however. A reasonable application of conservatives' preferred legal philosophies doesn't appear to, either.

Antonin Scalia had to wiggle free of his beloved originalism to achieve what the NRA wanted in District of Columbia v Heller. A textualist reading of the Second Amendment could be even more problematic: the text mentions "a well regulated Militia." Would a strict textualist acting in good faith de-couple the right to bear arms from participation in the militia like Heller does? No. Probably not.

Unfortunately, when it comes to trying to have a discussion with the 2A crowd about the interpretations above, or reasonable gun control in any form, I'll die on that hill—from boredom. Like so many highly charged subjects nowadays, it's just not worth talking about.

Miscellania

I have a postcard collection. Like...thousands of postcards. I'd put them online if it were easy.
I love euchre and I'm pretty good at it.
Gina and I are firm believers in rescue pets. All of our dogs and cats have been rescues.