I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania, and attended Canon-McMillan High School, Class of '89. Anyone who survives adolescence deserves a pat on the back.
Apologies for the messy, out of date info, and general scatterbrainitude of these pages. This site will be completely overhauled, eventually. Stay tuned!
I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania, and attended Canon-McMillan High School, Class of '89. Anyone who survives adolescence deserves a pat on the back.
I graduated in 1993 from the Pennsylvania State University with my Bachelor of Arts in English (Writing Option). University Park is a beautiful place: lush, foresty, and green -- everything I like about Pennsylvania. I learned a lot at college -- and not all in my classes, either. Like how to learn, how to deal with the usual business of living (though I wouldn't really be good at it until much later), how to consciously broaden my horizons; I feel emphatically that being introduced to these things was the whole point of the exercise. I earned my Masters of Science in Information and Telecommunication Systems for Business at Johns Hopkins University in 2001, and was that ever a learning experience! I work as an editor for a telecommunications industry body, and do freelance writing for roleplaying games.
In August of 2003, I married a wonderful woman -- Beth Wojiski -- and saddled her with a slightly more annoying surname. (Alas, we divorced in July 2007 -- but are still friendly! So, got that going for us, eh?)
In December, I started my own game company, Atomic Sock Monkey Press.
My interests are varied and catholic; I am fascinated by the wide wonderful world. I especially enjoy:
Currently, I work in downtown Washington, DC and live in Alexandria, Virginia, with my cats, Grendel and Zora.
I write. As stated above, my published work is in the role-playing game industry. I've tried my hand at poetry and fiction -- unsuccessfully, though my rejection letters are becoming personalized. Take that for what it's worth.
It's still my dream to be a novelist, and I'm pursuing it. Right now, though, I'm working on bits and pieces of stuff: a few short stories, some game designs, random poetry, and my columns.
Here's one of my poems, my favorite little nonsense piece:
knob
bob kok
no on non nonk
bonk
(Pic of the ex and I at the Nittany Lion Shrine at Penn State. All Sears catalog, no?)
Well, for awhile, I went by the online handle (like a nickname or a "Screen Name" in AOL) of RageDC, or more simply, Rage. I used to get asked, "Why did you pick Rage? Isn't that a little odd for a handle?" Well, I chose this handle (or it chose me) for two reasons:
Nowadays, though, I'm a pretty-laid back guy.
Anyway, I decided to ditch as much of this whole "handle" schtick as I could. You see, I've been using the Internet to chat since my college days, before there was a World Wide Web. Not only was it almost a necessity to adopt a handle in those days, it was also kind of fun, almost a "secret identity" if you will. "Little does anyone realize that the witty and urbane Romantik Poet is secretly Hubert Smedlinger, young nerd in love." Been there, done that, set-up the T-shirt concession, and lost it all at the track.
Right now, I'm more interested in being me than allowing a formerly amusing facade to become a convenient bushel to hide my light under.
Do not go gentle into that good night, Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, Grave men, near death, who see with blinking sight And you, my father, there on the sad height, |
(c) 2002 Underkoffler
Mailto: [email protected]
Last Modified: April 10, 2009