Greg Lauer

As I begin to revamp and reorganize my site, I think the first new post should be a little information about me.

I am an introvert. And this means that I get re-energized by time alone with my own thoughts and interests and hobbies. It also means that one-to-one I am typically just fine and I am also mostly good in and around small groups of people (i.e., 3 to 8 or so). If I have to interface with larger groups of people I find myself easily exhausted and probably a little too irritable for most people’s comfort.

I am shy. And this means that if I am not already acquainted with you, I usually hesitate to make the first move to get to know you. It’s just how I am wired, there is nothing wrong with either of us. I am working to make it a habit to be the first to reach out and introduce myself. Why? Because I do not like being hostage to my own weaknesses. I may never turn it into a strength, but something as simple as shyness should not be debilitating.

I love to learn. And I made a rule for myself at age 12 that I would not go to bed at the end of the day until I had learned something new. That is one reason I prefer TV shows about history or technology to nearly anything except comedies. And I will go out of my way to watch a show about one of my personal heroes or a show that marries ancient history with engineering. If I cannot find something learn-able on TV, I will go to the trusty ol’ Internet and try to learn something about a field I know very little about, such as hydrology. And these all assume that I have not learned something from the book(s) I am reading.

I love to read. I’m partial to physical books, although I will use my Kindle or a Kindle app if needed. But I would still rather have a physical book in my hands. With any luck, the book I am reading is chock full of new ideas I can put into practice in my life to make a real difference.

I love to play guitar. And I often get frustrated that my current level of ability does not allow me to play what I hear in my head. But I love to play, especially bluesy things.

I love old time radio. And I have tens of thousands of episodes in an electronic format that I often listen to. I am also subscribed to several old time radio podcasts so I can get a weekly fix in addition to my normal listening.

I love listening to podcasts. I have several I routinely listen to and this is becoming one of my primary sources for learning and gaining new ideas to implement in my life.

I have likely left something off this list that you would find fascinating. I plan to come back to this post routinely and update it.