I have a B.A. (or is it BS?) in Asian Studies/Japanese Language from The University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em Horns!) with a minor in Korean, Chinese, and Indian (Dot... not feather! :D) cultures. I also have several lesser degrees in various crap that may come in handy some day on some planet :p

I am the owner and founder of a company called "Asian Social Services for the Traveling American." My company provides consulting and instructional services to Americans (and other English speakers) traveling to Asia who have an interest in the local cultures and languages and who want to make the most out of their stay. My husband and I also own a consulting firm called Martin Geologic Consulting that specializes in water resource projects, groundwater quality assessments, and hydrogeologic modeling associated with mining and deep injection wells.

At 13, I talked my mom into buying me a bass. I skipped school a lot (voted "most absent" my senior year), and didn't care about anything but music. By 14,I was playing in at least two bands that really sucked (we thought we were great).

I joined the Navy active duty after high school. If I didn’t, I probably would have been dead by now, since I grew up in Philadelphia. In the ‘80’s, I was stationed at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. I was given the fluff job as Master-At-Arms (Naval Security) for the Phys Ed dept. Basically, it was my job to walk around the Naval Academy, jiggle the door handles, and talk to the Midshipmen. In addition, I had to "guard" dressing room doors for visiting performers and rock bands. Not bad work for an 18-year old.

After the Naval Academy, I went to Air Traffic Control School at the Naval Air Station in Memphis, TN. Upon my discharge, I moved with my family to Haleiwa, Hawaii, where I worked as a tour guide (Waimea Falls Park) and a bartender (Pearl City Tavern). My family moved from Hawaii to Dallas, Texas. Shortly after, I reluctantly followed behind. It didn't take long for me to discover that Texas was gonna' be my new home, tho', 'cause I really like it here.

I moved to Austin, Texas in 1990 from Haleiwa, Hawaii.

I left radio KLBJ FM, Z102 FM (when it was rock, of course,” ), and a crappy company that provided traffic and weather reports for a hunk o’ stations in 2003. That place shall remain nameless, as will the two idiots who run it. I “done checked out” (as we say in Texas) of that "Ego Motel" (tee-hee). Since then, I graduated UT and joined the Navy Reserves after 9/11, where I worked as a Journalist.

I live with 3 fuzzy kitty-cats: