Well, now I feel sufficiently pressured to de-lurk, and introduce myself.

As you might tell from my email, my name is Mark Turek, from Chicago,
Illinois. I am 23 years old, and I work full-time as a network engineer for
Northern Telecom Networks (Nortel Networks). I have been fortunate enough
to travel to Japan on the company's dime, and let me say, for those of you
who haven't experienced the country yet, it is definitely a must-see at
least once in your life. A fascinating place, blending technology, history,
culture, and religion in mind-blowing ways.

My other jobs include working as a part-time police officer for a suburb of
Chicago, working as a freelance photographer for various magazines and
newspapers (you may have seen me at Anime Central), and a budding career in
videography and animation (gotta go to school for it first ^_^;).

Interests include martial arts (I take Toshindo, which is formed from
Bujinkan Ninjutsu. Currently yellow belt, about to test for yellow-black),
animation, cars (I'm trying to build a reproduction of a 1966 AC Shelby
Cobra 427.....lots of little parts! ^_^;), and just about anything Japanese
^_^.

I got interested in Japan when I was a kid, watching Star Blazers,
Robotech, Voltron, and Tranzor Z. They were so different, more complex, and
emotionally involving than standard cartoons that I had to find out more
about them. As my mom put it, "It's like a soap opera for kids!". My
interest as a kid grew into somewhat of a fetish during high school,
blossoming into full-grown otakuhood in college. During this time, I
started to attempt to learn Japanese. I can read and write hiragana and
katakana now, but I'm sorry to say that my kanji is sorely lacking (so many
good dojinshi to read too :(  )

I can say without any reservation that AMS is my favorite out of all the
anime I watch, and manga I read. When I pick up my subscription at my local
anime panderer, I save AMS for last to read, because it makes my day. You
remember when you were a kid, and you came in from the cold snowy outside?
Mom used to give you a cup of cocoa (with marshmallows, of course!), and
send you into the TV room to watch cartoons. You'd snuggle up under a thick
blanket with your cocoa, practically vibrating with happiness, because you
knew for a fact that there was no better place in the world. That's what I
get out of AMS. In the course of my job as a cop, I see some of the most
horrible and depraved things humans are capable of. Even though AMS is
fiction, it is the ideas put forth in it that give me comfort. The
knowledge that someone out there agrees with me on the way things should
be, and the way we should get there makes things easier to cope with.

Kind of sappy I realise, but I figured this was a safe audience ^_^

Well, that's a short overview of who I am. I always answer and welcome
email from anyone, so feel free to write. Just because I lurk doesn't mean
I'm not here ^_^

Mark

Mark Turek	      	 Network Engineer
Nortel Networks      Professional Services
......................................
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
shall catch flack from both sides.
	Unofficial U.N. motto
......................................
>From the hand, mouth, and mind (and
other assorted body parts) of ME, not
Nortel Networks.