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An interview with our star, Rob

Netshow: Rob, does the Web really need another on line journal? There are hundreds of journals out there, what makes yours so special that you think someone might read it?

Rob: There's nothing wrong with another on-line journal appearing on the web. In fact, this journal is just a way for me to record my thoughts for the future, and to help me sort through them now. I publish it for myself. I doubt very much it will be widely read. The idea of anyone being able to read my journal and comment on it is, however, fascinating. I wonder what will come of it.

Netshow: Readers will probably want to know a little more about what kind of things they can expect to see you doing from day to day. What do you do?

Rob: Weekdays, I work for an Oceanography lab located in Monterey, California. I administrate a small network of computers, I am the lab assistant for a numeric modeling course, and sometimes I ride on research ships to collect oceanographic data for the lab's experiments.

Netshow: A lab in Monterey? How did you end up there?

Rob: Thats a good question! *laughs* I spent most of my childhood expecting to be an astronaut. I studied hard in high school so I could be accepted at a good Aeronuatical Engineering program. When I got to Auburn University, I signed up for Navy ROTC so I could be a naval aviator. That satisfied a family tradition of the oldest male child being a Navy Officer and got me one step closer to NASA. Unfortunately, I failed my flight physical - "insufficient knee to buttock length" stamped in red all over the form. When I was commissioned an Ensign, I became a bridge officer on a ship. I earned a private pilot's license in college, but that was it. No chance at going to the moon without fighter jet experience. I got out of the Navy at the first opportunity, but was left adrift without the goal of walking on the moon ahead of me. I tried several jobs, eventually landing the computer job based on my education and Navy experience. As work goes it's relatively fun, but it's not what I wanted for myself.

Netshow: So what do you want for yourself now?

Rob: Honestly? I still want to fly spacecraft. Not the Star Trek fantasy kind, but the real kind. Its the ultimate extension of aviation, the highest challenge. More realistically? Hell if I know.

Netshow: Fair enough. What, then, do you do with your non-working hours?

Rob: My passion is Motor Sports. I started out as a fan and a spectator and have become much more involved in the sport since. The last few years I've been working weekends as an official for the US Auto Race Marshals, and the AMA Pro Racing Superbike series. I've also worked for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix and Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Netshow: Really?! Just what does a 'motor sports official' do during a race weekend?

Rob: Well, it changes from week to week depending on who I am working for. Sometimes I score laps and keep track of the race length, sometimes I work in the elevated box above start/finish where I start the races with a green flag and end them with the checkered flag. At some races I work in the pit lane making sure competitors are obeying safety and technical rules and administering penalites. I've even sold T shirts at the souvenier stand for Penske Racing at Long Beach. I'll pretty much do whatever job I can get to be paid to go to a race. The only thing I don't do is volunteer. I usually end up spending about 20 weekends a year at tracks all over the country - sometimes the globe!

Netshow: Any other interesting hobbies we can expect to read about?

Rob: The off seaon for racing happens to coincide with Winter in the mountains. I've always loved downhill skiing and two years ago I made it a volunteer job. I'm a ski tour guide several weekends a year now. I don't get paid for it, but my lodgeing, transportation (I drive the tour van), and tickets are taken care of! Its a ton of fun. Also, this year, I've rediscovered hiking. I enjoyed it as a child, and although I'm not an experienced back-country camper I'm working on it. I hope to make several weekend hikes before the year is out. Next year, my goals are a bit loftier. I want to try my hand at mountaineering. I'm a bit scared of heights (but not altitudes - I'm a pilot!) and climbing snowy peaks is a physical challenge too. There are some very difficult and adventureous opportunities in mountaineering. It seems like the logical extensison of hiking and it has a certain supreme challenge available that may one day satisfy the hole left in my personality when I was denied the moon.

Netshow: Well, good luck with that, Rob. Now, let's find out a little more about your likes and dislikes. Music?

Rob: Music is very important to me. I spend a lot more time at home listening to music than watching TV. I used to be a trumpet player in school, and I can still play keyboards a little. My CD collection is fairly big and greatly varried. I've got a good mix of new stuff (Deep Forest, Counting Crows, Alanis, Pearl Jam, Dave Mathews Band, etc.) older stuff (Pink Floyd, Beatles, Yes, Led Zepplin, etc.) and much older stuff (Verdi, Beethoven, Puccini, Mozart, etc.) I'm very much of the 80's and have a pile of 80's music, my favorites being U2, REM, and XTC. I guess I've got a thing for accronymed bands! *laughs*

Netshow: How about movies? Any favorites?

Rob: Oh, yes. I'm a wannabe film critic. One of my favorite all time movies is 2001: A Space Oddessey. Its all about film and images. The dialouge has little to do with it. Apocalypse Now! is also cool that way. More recently I've enjoyed Contact, Titanic, the Trueman Show, and Princess Mononoke. Pulp Fiction was pretty cool too. I was dissapointed with the new Star Wars stuff.