robert birkenes' photostream  

I am a career foreign service officer with the US Agency for International Development. That means I am an aid worker and a diplomat. My work involves formulating strategies, budgeting, planning, designing new projects, monitoring performance, and reporting to Congress and the State Department on our economic assistance.

My family and I are together again in the DC area, after my serving for one year in Iraq.

In my free time, I like to spend time with my family, practice Shotokan karate (black belt, June 2007), meditate, take photos, play with flickr (the adult version of webkinz, according to Suzy), exercise, and ride my motorcycle. I love being underwater, so any time I can spend at the beach snorkeling (with my kids) or diving is wonderful. There is lots of snorkeling in Iraq, right? That's what the recruiter told me!

I have a PhD in economics, but I like to think of myself as more creative and open-minded than my background would imply. Sometimes the analytical economist part of my brain perks up, but usually I like to pride myself mainly on being fair, organized, honest, compassionate, and a good listener. Those are lofty goals, sometimes reached.

For some reason, I don't read fiction anymore. I think it's because the real world is already too amazingly good and bad that it is hard to believe it's real. I don't need to experience someone else's made-up world at this time.

As far as cameras go, I admit to being a recovering Kievaholic. I love those cameras, but their size plus having to develop 120 mm film... not convenient. In fact, I have a problem with buying and using too many cameras. I love old Russian and toy cameras, yes even LOMOs and Liubitels. If someone wants to give me an F-21 (authentic KGB spy camera) or new Horizon swing-lens panoramic camera, I would appreciate it. ;-)

My Pentax DSLR K200D should allow me to indulge my Kievaholic nature once I return from Iraq. It accepts K-mount legacy lenses, and with an adaptor I can use all my great Zeiss-Jena lenses on it. That should be fun.

I am rather fond of Owen Wilson's zaniness, and how he seems to work into each film the philosophy of Livin' the Dream! It's a funny expression, sounds ridiculous and ironic at first, but if you say it to yourself with sincerity you may begin to see some truth in it.

I had to buy my motorcycle mainly because I had already bought a used postal deliveryman's motorcycle jacket in Kazakhstan, and couldn't justify wearing it without having a motorcycle too. But the spark that ignited that tinder was seeing the eBay ad for my 1997 Yamaha Royal Star, which reminded me of my wife's lingerie (black and tan).