So, who am I? Well, metaphysical and spiritual considerations aside, I'm just Will. I'm an ordinary guy from an ordinary city in an extraordinary country on a remarkable planet... in a backwater system on the outer arm of a fairly nondescript galaxy. And as you can probably tell, I'm a big sci-fi fan.
I live in a suburb of the city of Baltimore called Cockeysville, on the upper edge of the map below. Baltimore, for the benefit of those from other parts of the world, is a medium-size city on the east coast of the United Stated, about 50 miles (80km) northeast of Washington DC.
Here in the suburbs of Baltimore, life is a strange combination of the hectic, fast-paced struggle for survival that typifies a medium-sized American city, and the slower-paced, relaxed existence of the suburbs. We have hellacious traffic jams on the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695 on the map), yet we are only a short drive from some incredibly beautiful mountains, coastal plains, and farm country, and we can be to the Atlantic shore in about 3 hours. Marylanders take great pride in our state, and never hesitate to extol the virtues of Maryland business, industry, natural resources, culture, and sports teams. And don't get us started on Maryland seafood!
I am a CAD Technician. "Gee," you're probably thinking, "Could you be a LITTLE more vague?" Okay, well, CAD stands for Computer-Aided Drafting, an occupation involving the use of computer software to draw blueprints, diagrams, maps, and construction documents. I work for a large civil engineering company called URS Corp, in a small Planning group. My group does early-stage planning studies to determine the best locations and alignments of new roadways, and to determine ways to minimize environmental, social and traffic impacts from new roads. My maps typically show what a new road would do to the surrounding area if it was built in a particular place. I also use GIS (Geographical Information Systems, a fancy type of graphic/database mixture) to analyse the potential impacts of a new roadway. Once in a while I also do a bit of web design.
And now you know the origin of the name WillCAD. Will is my name, CAD is my job, and I got the nickname WillCAD hung on my by a former boss around 1988. Since it's unique, easy to type, and easy to remember, I have used WillCAD as my sign-on name in various online venues ever since.
On the weekends, I enjoy puttering around with my computer, watching movies, and hanging out in several online Walt Disney World planning communities. The on-line community of Walt Disney World enthusiasts share their experiences and knowledge on all things Disney. I spend quite a bit of time there, making friends and learning about Walt Disney World, which is my favorite vacation spot. I've been to WDW every year or two since 1990, and finding these online communities has not only improved my Disney experience immeasurably, but enabled me to meet some wonderful new friends, all of whom share my love of Walt Disney World.
The other "big thing" in my life is my family. I have one brother and no sisters, but my parents come from large families, which means I have 11 aunts and uncles, and something like 40 cousins, ranging in age from 5 to 36, some of whom even have children of their own. They are scattered all about the United States, but I am close with many of those who live nearby, including my parents and brother, who live in Riviera Beach (near the bottom of the map above). My brother has kids, too; Uncle Will/Cousin Will is very popular!
In the past few years, photography has become a new hobby with me. I love to take pictures. Digital, you ask? Only partially. I have a very nice 35mm SLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel G, and I recently bought a Fujifilm Finepix S602, a very capable digital camera. I'll keep using film for some things, and digital for others, at least for a while.
Please sign my guestbook!
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Last Revision: 2005-10-08