Frenzied Vole's photostream

I consider myself a perpetual student: I can't imagine myself not learning something or another. At the same time, I consider myself a teacher as well. I believe that one does not truly understand something unless he can explain it to an average eighth grader.

I am not a religious person, but I have a strong sense of my personal morality. My philosophy draws from many influences, including Humanism, Laveyan Satanism, Christianity, Confucianism, and a little bit of Daoism. I put much stock into free will, personal responsibility, and reason.

My political views, too, are difficult to label. I hate the Democrats, but I really hate the Republicans. The heaviest influences on my political position are socialism and libertarianism. I loathe the two-party system. I can't stand the American culture of the magic pill, the scapegoat. Issues important to me are energy, education, civil rights, health care, the environment, and personal liberty.

I am a gamer. I enjoy video games, card games, board games, and tabletop RPGs.

I also am an avid hiker. When I look back on my childhood, most of my memories were of camping at various parks. My ideal vacation consists of strapping 35 pounds to my back and adventuring out into the wilderness with friends hundreds of miles from civilization. One of my goals is being able to thru-hike the 128-mile Lone Star Trail in two weeks.

My art form of choice is photography. I am by no means a professional, but I'd like to think that my work has steadily improved. I specialize in nature and macro photography, as I wouldn't be caught dead without my camera on the trail. I have a secondary interest in concert and portrait photography, too.

My tastes in books range from fantasy to graphic novels to science textbooks. I collect to myself knowledge and lore, trusting that it will eventually come in handy.

I consider myself a connoisseur of fine words. Some of my favourites include prolixity, velleity, and numismatist. You're free to sample them, if you wish.

I am a perfectionist. It's a problem.

A lot of my stuff is on my website.

Here is the obligatory equipment list:
- Canon EOS 10D, "Timothy"
- Canon EOS Elan IIe, "Chupa"
- my old Vivitar PS44, "Mjolnir"
- Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 IV USM Ultrasonic standard zoom lens
- Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III telephoto zoom lens
- Achiever 630AF dedicated flash
- Nikon D100 "Cassandra"
- Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 D ED wide angle zoom lens
- Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D standard zoom lens
- Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 full manual prime lens