RE: Introduce yourself here: Who are you? What do you do? What is your background?
My name is Lord Stanley.
I was born in Alabama. I have lived at over 30 residences in Alabama, Illinois (x4) Pennsylvania, Singapore, Delaware, Maryland, Indonesia, California, and now Minnesota. Yes, I move a lot. Travel wise I've been everywhere except Antarctica. I now live in the City of Minneapolis with my wife, two tow-headed boys, a big old lazy American Bulldog, and now some fvcking mice that will. not. die in an old-ass house with lots of character but not nearly enough bathrooms. I do a lot of local volunteering and I have been appointed by the City to two different city councils / committees. I am very proud of this and I am happy to say I brought some sanity to a city that can feel just to the left of Mao sometimes. My hobbies are mid-80s German automobiles, wood working, and DIY. Recently I have taken up tobacco pipe smoking on rare occasions to go along with my enjoyment of American bourbons and blended scotches.
I grew up in Singapore and spent a lot of my college year summers in Jakarta. My father was an oil engineer who helped open up new markets in Asia, specifically SE Asia, starting in the early 80s. He was one of the first American businessmen to successfully close oil deals of any substance in China and in Burma (it's Burma to me until the Junta is overthrown) and all parts in-between. This international expat lifestyle lead me to what I do today, which is Human Resources / Talent Management / Talent Mobility leadership both on the vendor side and the Fortune 500 corporate side. Now I am with a small boutique firm specializing in Talent Mobility Strategic Thought. Small industry, not terribly hard to master, and it has lead me to all corners of the globe. It could be worse.
Lord Stanley is a bar I worked at in DeKalb, IL where I attended Northern Illinois University on an Athletics scholarship. I was pretty good at what I did, and almost qualified for NCAAs. But in my sport, a tenth of a second could be a proverbial mile, so while close time wise, I really wasn't thaaat close. Still, good times were had and the school and the sport remain pretty close to my heart. It has been fun watching NIU jump to national football prominence and NIU is a school on the rise. Finally.
I am thinking of upping the family and exploring heartily encouraging my wife to apply for overseas teaching jobs at private schools. I can work remotely or get a job in my industry just about anywhere on the planet, so hopefully in 2-3 years I'll update this post and tell you all about how cool it is to live in Ulaan Baatar or Perth or Bratislava or Reykjavik or somewhere in between.
I am a Conservative. I believe in fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and keeping the government out of people's lives. This is why I do not support limits on marriage, and I with heavy heart support limited choice for abortion. That was a tough one to reconcile but there it is.... I firmly believe in the 2nd Amendment and I am an active conceal and carry permit supporter. I carry when appropriate, leave it at home when appropriate, and never tell anyone except my wife if I am carrying. I have never drawn my weapon and actively find myself avoiding situations where I could get into trouble - which is a good skill to have regardless of my carry status.
When I retire I want a summer cabin up in the Apostles in Wisconsin, a small condo in downtown Chicago, and hopefully some land and a western style cabin in Wyoming in the Bighorn Mountains. And when I die, I want to die quietly, not screaming like the passengers in grandpa's car (almost true story.)
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