#!/usr/bin/geek ť About Me

About me:

Your Host:	follow usrbingeek at http://twitter.com Steve Mermelstein
Occupation:	Commercial Photographer in Burlington, Vermont and specializes in Commercial (Product, Architectural, Hospitality, and Tourism Photography and Portraits for Business and Enterprise), Wedding, and Portrait Photography and serves clients in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Upstate New York. Also a Root Administrator, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the WyldRyde IRC Network, which provides free technical support and offers a free chat room that can be added to any web site or blog. WyldRyde is home to LIVE.PIRILLO.COM, and many other popular chat rooms.
Birthplace:	South Florida
Age:	31
Sex:	Male
Current Location:	near Burlington, VT
Eye Color:	Brown
Hair Color:	Brown
Height:	5' 7"
Beliefs:	Agnostic
Heritage:	Jewish
Intrests:	Photography, cooking, IRC, creating web sites, scripting, programming, classic movies, bird watching, antiquing, auctions, gardening, aquarium fish, politics, target shooting, and woodworking.
Pets:	A Shetland Sheepdog named Honey
Goal I Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Catch up on everything I have been putting off.
First Thoughts After Waking Up:	Can't I sleep some more?
I Would Most Like To Visit:	Hong Kong, China and Italy
If Possible, Would Spend Everyday:	Photographing wildlife and landscapes
If I Won The Lottery:	Would buy a lot of photography gear I've lusted over and still do the same things.
Favorite Food:	Hong Kong style ginger and scallion beef
Favorite Local Restaurant:	Sadie Katz Deli
Favorite Restaurant anywhere:	Joe's Stone Crab, Miami, FL
Favorite Pizza:	Light sauce, lots of cheese and wild mushrooms
Favorite Burger:	Shelburne Farms cheddar cheese, sautéed mushrooms, thyme, dijon mustard, and mayo
Favorite Desert:	Monument Farms ice cream
Favorite Drink:	Iced Venti Peppermint Green Tea from Starbucks
Favorite Coffee:	Iced Venti Brewed Coffee with Mocha and lots of half and half from Starbucks
Favorite Gadget:	iPod Touch
Favorite Possession:	Nikon D300 with the 18-200mm VR Lens
Canon or Nikon:	It's not about the gear! But you probably already guessed that I prefer Nikon
PC or Mac:	Mac!
Sing:	Only in the car
Drink:	Hardly ever
Smoke:	Never
Swear:	I never stop
Languages:	PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python, Java, JavaScript, AJAX, XML, XHMTL, CSS...oh wait, you mean spoken languages? Besides English, just a touch of French, Hebrew, and Yiddish.
My Politics:
Republican (Even though my social beliefs make me sound more like a Democrat.) Pro-choice Equal rights for gays and lesbians; in support of gay marriage. No restrictions on stem cell research. School choice Better support for the Military GREATLY increase pay and pensions. Increase general military spending to improve and replace equipment and weapon systems Improve all benefits and provide easier and faster access to them Access mental health care without impacting military career Armor all vehicles and provide next generation body armor to all military personnel. Vastly increase funding for robotic and unmanned systems Open all aspects of service to women; provided physical requirements can be met Fully pay for (and immediately) remodel homes to meet accessibility requirements of military personnel injured while in service. Provide job training and guaranteed job placement after military service. In favor of broad tax reform Zero income tax for households earning under $45,000 All households earning over $45,000 pay the same flat rate No capital gains or death taxes Property tax reform Social Security Reform Raise retirement age Offer optional, tax free, private retirement accounts No changes to any person that will be eligible for Social Security within ten years of the reform Immigration reform No welfare for the first five years Secure borders but make legal immigration super easy and less restrictive. Open the door completely to professionals and college educated persons with no criminal history or terror ties. Revoke citizenship and deport if there are any criminal convictions within the first 5 years of citizenship Common sense gun control: Seven day waiting period for all gun purchases Completion of safety training and criminal background check required Convicted criminals, persons with restraining orders against them, and illegal drug users may not own or process firearms Offer Federal concealed carry permit which is valid for all 50 states to persons able to complete safety and target test and also meet all other aforesaid requirements No limit on number of bullets in magazines Lift all existing bans on specific firearm models and sights Copyright reform Strengthen fair use; individuals may make unrestricted copies of content they have purchased Lower copyright term to 25 years Education reform Remove teacher tenure Improve standards and curriculum End time filling classes Start schools later in the morning Switch to year-round education Strengthen anti-spam and anti-malware legislation