About Me:I am 28 years old and happily married with two great kids ages 3 and 11. I work for ONESite / Catalog.com doing Hosting Club Support and other varied responsibilities.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not contact me through this site regarding your services with ONESite / Cataog.com - Please use the support links.
Music:I listened to whatever was popular during the elementary years, most memorably, Michael Jackson.
I then liked the romance pop crap because thats what the pretty girls liked during 6,7th grade. I then started my own tastes beginning with the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, and Finally my first truly favorite band was Led Zeppelin. There was just something kick ass about their sound. This stuck with me for many years.
I now listen to classical, classic rock, punk, indie, hard rock, reggae, jazz, electronica - a wide array. Its probably easier to state what I dont TEND to like (there are always some exceptions) - country twang, R & B, Rap (many exceptions), heavier-than-metal metal, opera, and stuff like that.
Movies:I just don't have time anymore these days...
I watch a lot of pixar and disney movies with the kids.
TV:Nope... no time for this either...
RADIO IN THE CAR
Books:I keep trying to read some fiction. I never finish because something always comes up.
I liked the Tom Robbins series, Hitchhikers guide, Tolkien, Arthur C Clarke...
I like philosophical comedy ... science fiction, fantasy type books.
Likes:I like my domain name...
infinitegut how do you digest something like that?
Think gut and as in gut feeling or instinct, intuitive quick and dirty solutions.
I like technology, but I also love nature. I love my wife and kids, cooking, playing guitar, listening to music, sex (who doesn't?), coffee, drinks, adrenaline sports, art, comedy, most of academia, and much more. I love life.
Dislikes:I dislike mushrooms. Their spores can survive the vacuum of space. Thats just not right.
Hobbies:I enjoy doing what I like.
See Likes.
Vices:I try to keep them balanced.... and private.
Virtues:Abraham Lincoln Once said
When I do good, I feel good. That is my religion.
My minister once quoted
I spell god with two "o"s and the devil without a "d".
It appears I made the Front Page of the Daily Oklahoman Business Section lol.
That was not the actual photo used in the paper, but the one I found online.
Wed April 12, 2006
Student job shops at BIO 2006
By Jim Stafford The Oklahoman
CHICAGO
- When Mike Steele wandered into the Oklahoma exhibition booth at the
BIO 2006 meeting here Tuesday, the identification badge he wore sparked
more than a few second glances.
It read "University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK."
Turns out that Steele is a 29-year-old senior biomedical engineering
major at UCO who wanted to explore the job opportunities offered by the
growing biotech industry.
So, he registered online for a BIO exhibition hall pass and flew to
Chicago to see it for himself. According to the BIO Web site, an
exhibition hall pass costs $375.
"I can't say I know exactly why I'm here," Steele said after
introducing himself to Roger Lias, vice president for sales and
business development for Cytovance Biologics in Oklahoma City. "I
wanted to see what companies are out here."
Steele said he was there accumulating material from companies in
which he had an interest so that after graduation he would have a list
from which to prospect. He has mapped out his career plans and wants to
work in industry, eventually earn a doctorate and someday teach.
Steele transferred to UCO from Oklahoma City Community College,
changed his major and still needs almost two years of courses to
graduate. There are challenges beyond academics.
"I've got kids and a dog and a mortgage and a car payment," he said.
And a full-time job with the Oklahoma City-based Web hosting company Catalog.com.
So, encouraged by his wife, Steele rearranged his class schedule and flew to Chicago.
Before moving on from the Oklahoma booth, Steele met Chuck Seeney,
chief executive officer of Edmond-based Nanobiomagnetics and Tom
Kupiec, chief executive officer at DNA Solutions and Analytic
Laboratories at the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park.
Seeney told Steele that he had hit the biotech jackpot with his investment in the BIO meeting.
"If you want to see anything from biotech in the world, this is it,"
Seeney said. "I congratulate you (for coming to the meeting). That
takes a lot of interest, a lot of guts."
Kupiec was so impressed that he offered Steele a job, contingent
upon the UCO senior making the much shorter trip down to the Research
Park after everyone has returned to Oklahoma.
"I'm impressed because he was so willing to take the initiative, that he would potentially be a good employee," Kupiec said.
Thank
you to my wonderful beautiful wife who spearheaded this trip. I had
such a great time. It was geared for executive networking, but was
inspirational none the less. It was good to see the business side of
everything. Nearly every booth wanted my business card and asked me
what I or my company did. At first I was embarrased, but then after a
few booths I began to enjoy telling them I did customer service for a
webhosting company. It was worth the look on their faces heheh. I am
a student I would finally say which invited questions about my major,
goals etc. Sometimes it evoked questions of why I was there. I wanted
to see what is out there. Surely that makes sense.
It was
overwhelming. There were more than 1500 companies represented. They
were organized by state and country and upon entering the exhibit hall
I was greeted by Thailand. Each region had its own carpeting, hanging
signs and/or works of art. It felt like I was transported to the
represented state or country every time I entered a different set of
booths. A lady representative of the leading Thailand bioresearch park
enthusiastically asked if I was with a company. I guess I must have
looked a little bit lost... because I was heheh. I quicky replied
"no", which elicited a guilty blank stare and finally she said "well
you can have a bag anyway". "Thank you" lol, I didn't even want the
bag. Its very pretty though. I bet Ardis will love it.
So I
decided I would just hit regions that both Ardis and I are willing to
relocate to (distant distant future). I spent an entire hour in
Maryland alone! At this rate I wouldn't get to see more than a small
fraction of what is out there! During this hour I encountered an
apparently key biotech focus, "small molecules". I had never
encountered this focus phrase in literature or otherwise, but here it
was thrown around like it was everyday language. By the third time a
booth explained that their company worked with small molecules I very
seriously replied "You must need to sell a lot of those to make any
profit"...pause... laughter. I tried this a couple of times more with
great success - heheh I kill me.
So I finally make it to the
Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce and to my welcomed surprise, there were 70
people there representing Oklahoma. They were not there all at once
and most were abroad networking, but it wasn't at all what I had
expected. The companies were not registered individually so it
appeared there would only be one booth. Wrong. I ended up talking
with a Daily Oklahoman Journalist who repeatedly informed me that I
would be his story! Everyone
was shocked - impressed or dumbfounded that a student would take it
upon himself to attend the exhibits of a biotech conference (geared for
execs heheh). I
am nearly positive I will hate whatever is published if I am quoted at
all. I can't stand knowing that my every word could be in public print
as the words come from my mouth. I think the first thing I told him was
about my nervousness toward being in print. I guess we'll see if it
will actually be in his biotech coverage anywhere at all. The
journalist (where do all the names go... wheeeee) did introduce me to a
few different people and had my picture taken with Dr Cupiek? (think it
is pronounced coopick) so hopefully it will just be a "student attends
biotech convention" with the included photo and no actual quoted
responses. And yes, bonus! Yes Dr Cupiek was very interested in having
me do some work for him. Score! He also seemed to recognize me from
somewhere and I him...
Another booth worthy of mention. On my
way to different companies I was compelled to stop at a booth in
Japan. They had a live video display of the blood cells circulating
through the capillaries in the tips of someones finger. I just had to
sit down and try it! The guy didn't speak english well and so was not
able to explain it to me, but he added some clear gel to my finger
which presumably allowed this highly specialized microscope to see
through the surface of my skin and into my capillaries! I could see
individual blood cells pumping through! So there were these printed
images of normal capillaries versus "burden on the heart" and many more
and I laughingly commented that I am probably going to be diagnosed
with some problem. I was!!! The guy told me I have "thick blood"!
Thick Blood?!? wtf is that?!? ..long pause.. "Well.. is that bad or
good?!?" "Its Bad" long freaking pause. I mean what the hell lol.
"Well, what do I do?!?" (still shocked). "Change lifestyle.
Excercise. Eat lots of nutrition. Everyday. Drink more water.
Sweat. Everyday. Sweat. Excersize. This predisease - not disease.
Change lifestyle. Not disease". LOL ahh the Japanese... so an
executive chap from some European country was coming in just as I was
being diagnosed and I quickly explained to him what the machine was
doing and what my prognosis was. "You're next," I say to him, "Sit down.
Let's see what you've got". He was happy to sit down and only ever so
slightly appearing to have some anxiety about the diagnosis, but
certainly he had a good humor about it. He had a bad diagnosis too!
lol. I cant remember what it was, but the Japanese rep immediately
went into "Not disease. Predisease. Change lifestyle..." Gotta love
the tact.
So yeah... I am going to really start excerising when
I get back. I had already planned on it, but that really put the nail
in the coffin. Heheh again I kill me.
So, many, many booth
goodies later, many, many, converstions with different biotech firms,
startup law firms, and intellectual property rights law firms, a
smoothie from a "green kitchen" with hemp countertops, and too many
commas in one sentence later, the day closes with complimentary food
stuffs, drinks, and live music. Most notably music from Ireland
(gaelic?) with free Guiness, dueting flamenco guitars, and a really top
notch band from Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico had a wide variety of Rum.
That was it. I would henceforth be planted in Puerto Rico with repeat
visits to the Rum Bar. It was fantastic. Couples started latin
dancing and I recognized some of the moves Ardis and I have been
working on. Awww I wished she were there. But it was so much fun just
watching and talking to people nearby.
I had entered many
different drawing contests for various prizes (one was a 2 yr lease to
a truck) after scanning my badge and/or completing surveys, but I
hadn't realized you had to be there at closing to claim your prize or
it would go to the next person drawn. I had not entered the Puerto
Rico drawing nor did I know what it was for. They started the drawing.
9 business cards later they were still trying to draw a winner who was
present. I didnt have a business card so I ran up to the stage and
dropped Ardis's card in the bowl. The guy didnt even notice and drew
her card LOL! I ran up to claim my prize and the other band members
laughingly excalimed "he just dropped that card in there. Didn't you
see him?!?" laughter from band and crowd while I implored jokingly "oh
c'mon!" LOL, again, I kill me.
OK. It's been a while since my foray into the world according to blog. The holidays were great all-in-all. Lots of family gatherings, lots of parties, no school, good food, and happy kids.
Now the new year begins.
My boss wants me here 40 hrs per week to be considered fulltime. What gives? geez. J/K Actually I need the money. Financial aid has been denied until I graduate. I'll be working 42-43 hrs/wk.
I'm on a 3 day/week 11 machine YMCA workout program which should be good.
I'm taking three courses: Organic Chemistry, Engineering Dynamics, and Engineering Experimentation.
To complicate things
I am a UU 4-6th grade co-guide sunday mornings
Both my wife and I meet semimonthly for a young adults covenant church group
My wife is taking classes biology and health
My wife is taking ballet
My wife is a member of church committe for religious education and has monthly meetings
My wife is being instilled as vice president of the Oklahoma NOW chapter
My wife works from home 18hrs/wk to be upped to 22hrs/wk
My 3yr old is going from 2 half days and 1 full day to 4 full days per week, takes ballet, and swim lessons.
My 11yr old son is homeschooled (by my wife) and outside of the home has a YMCA workout program, swim lessons, drama, and choir practice.
With our competing schedules where am I supposed to find time to study?!?!?
IN SUMMARY
The break was a brief repite. It is going to be a horrendous 4 months.