November 3, 1978.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology.

Vegetarian by a strict application of the two terms.

Since 1999.

I just decided I didn't need meat anymore. There was no big philosophical epiphany or moral quandary involved in the decision.

I don't give opinions on a lot of things on this website, but when I do you'll find them mostly as part of the Blog.

Lots of reasons, but due primarily to privacy concerns and an aversion toward the increasing proliferation of subscription models and invasive corporations. However, I'm not a Linux evangelist, and I don't preach to others about what they should be using.

Ubuntu with KDE on my main/production machine, and with MATE on my older and travel laptops.

I've used Linux Mint and various flavors of Ubuntu. I'm not a distro hopper and Ubuntu gets the job done for me.

Yes, and no, depending on what I'm doing. I have a number of older Windows programs that I've been using since 2005 or even earlier, and I continue to use them via Wine or via virtualization. I also have other closed source software that I use on a regular basis to fulfill certain tasks. Aside from that, I do make significant use of open source software. Unlike a lot of Linux users, I'm not an open source purist - I believe there needs to be a place for proprietary programs if Linux is ever to gain mainstream adoption.

I read three times at the old open mic at Bill's Records, twice in 2002 and once in 2003, reading other people's work each time. I have never performend anything I've written myself.

I have a cheap drum set that I used to play occasionally. I have never played in a band.

Flying would defeat the purpose of a "road trip."

I'm pretty fond of large urban areas, with Toronto, Chicago, and Vancouver having been been favorites. I've also had pretty good times in Louisville, Oklahoma City, Nashville, Austin, Portland (Maine), Ottawa, and Halifax. I like to visit Cape Breton Island for the scenery and for Celtic Colours.

I didn't much care for Billings, Detroit, St. Louis, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Montréal. Montréal and Detroit in particular - especially Montréal - have some really bad infrastructure, though both do have their highlights. I'm also not a fan of the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, all three for cultural reasons and the latter also for the unbearable heat and humidity.

I'd like to have visited all ten of the Canadian provinces, as well as the Yukon and Northwest Territories, by car. As for overseas, if I were to go anywhere I would probably pick Scandinavia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. And of course there's Hawaii, the one U.S. state I have yet to visit.

Except for my 2020 trip, I have always traveled alone, and I don't do selfies. Any photos showing me in them were taken by people I met or visited along the way, or as part of a tour where I paid extra for the privilege.

Take a look at "The Unacknowledged Trauma" and you'll see.

I have interests in photography, cooking, and local history, so my blog posts typically fall into at least one of those categories. I especially lean toward topics that allow me to combine one or more of these interests together, such as the ongoing series covering early Dallas photographers and the Ghosts of DFW Music History series. When it comes to historical topics, I usually aim for subjects that haven't gotten a lot of exposure or attention before, or I at least try to come at them from a more unique angle. A lot of my inspiration comes from items I stumble across inside antique stores, estate sales, or via online auctions.

I've never done any actual journalistic work other than what's presented on the blog (or, perhaps, my earlier interviews). I was a sociology major in college and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts before going on to make absolutely no use of the degree in the job market.

Yes, actually. I hope to eventually publish the completed Ghosts of DFW Music History blog series in a print volume, and I'm working on a longer term project which will hopefully yield a book about early Dallas photographers and photography studios. I've also toyed with the idea of a book presenting vignettes of Dallas history in short, byte-sized chapters. These are of course fairly long-term goals that won't be realized right away.

No, not really. I try to avoid repeatedly posting about one topic or series too many times in a row, though exceptions can be made depending on the state of completion of other things I have in the pipeline. Most blog posts, as well as other creative updates across the website, are in the process of development for quite some time before their actual publication. This is especially the case with the research-heavy and other "serious" posts where I may have a lot of sources to consult and where I try to adhere to journalistic standards.

My primary focus is on Dallas, with Fort Worth and the suburbs in both Dallas and Tarrant counties as secondary areas. But I do explore Tarrant County history from time to time.

These items come from various antique stores, online auctions, estate sales, etc. Some of the memorabilia comes from my personal collection, acquired during my time in the local music and arts scenes. And in some cases, items come from other people or organizations who've granted permission for their reuse on my site.

I hold memberships with the Dallas County Pioneer Association and the Fort Worth Genealogical Society.

Most every recipe I post found its inspiration elsewhere, often in other recipes. I add my own twists and work out the kinks while making refinements over time.

You can join the mailing list.

Since 1995.

From experience, mostly.

A Canon EOS 60D digital SLR, and various other cameras depending on the circumstances and on whether I'm doing something "serious." See this blog post for the complete list.

I use multiple pieces of software: Adobe Photoshop CS6, Canon Digital Photo Professional, Gimp, RawTherapee, and (rarely) Adobe Lightroom. I'm an advocate of open source software, but unfortunately there isn't really a suitable replacement for Photoshop as yet, requiring me to keep a Windows installation around.

I have done some volunteer stints with Girls Rock Dallas and Kids Rock Dallas. Other than that, it's still up in the air, though I am not interested in doing weddings. I'm not a professional photographer by any means and I make no attempt to pass myself off as one.

Not since 2008, except for a few one-offs and some special projects.

Color: During my film days, my choice color films were Fuji Pro 800Z (2007-2008) and Kodak Royal Gold 100/400 (1995-1997). I also (from 2006-2007, afterward far less frequently) used Fuji True Definition 400, Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400/800, and Kodak Max 400/800. These latter films were of snapshot grade quality and produced inferior results, so I tried to restrict their use to situations where I wasn't able to get my hands on something better or when quality was not paramount. Fuji Pro 800Z was a premium film that performed extremely well in low light levels, making it an ideal choice for shooting live music performances.

Black and White: Kodak T-Max (1995-2003), Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (2007-2008), and the C-41 process films Kodak BW400CN (2007-2008) and Ilford XP-2 (1995-2008). I also tried Ilford Delta 400 for a short time.

No.

A Pacific Image Prime Film XAs super edition Film Scanner with VueScan, or a macro lens setup with film holder (mostly for mounted slides).

No, not as of this writing.

No, not as of this writing. By 2015 I had mostly lost my enthusiasm for it, for a number of reasons.

In nearly all cases, they come from physical media in my personal collection. A list of items in my music collection can be downloaded HERE. In a very small number of instances, I have had to use other means to obtain source material, generally borrowing copies from friends, or - in one or two really exceptional cases such as for this comparison - through more creative/unconventional means.

Audio recordings were initially made using a Sony TC-377 two track 1/4 inch tape machine (some earlier recordings were made on a TC-399 model). From August 2010 onward, recordings were made as digital files with a simultaneously running analog tape backup. The tape backup served as a fail-safe in case of a computer failure or audio clipping on the digital copy.

GoldWave Audio Editor, with some editing done in Adobe Audition in a few instances.

Generally speaking, the bands and performers featured here are personal favorites of mine, or have played at venues I used to frequent or have visited.

No, not at this time.

I have no plans to be personally involved with running another open mic.

There have been a few releases through me (PAO Productions) of material by Opalina Salas and Josh Weir, as well as the Live at Lost Art Open Mic CD from November 2010 which features recordings of a number of people who frequented that open mic. These are available for free on the Downloads page. Where I have access to a list of published works, it is included with an artist's biography or write up. See the Open Mic Project for these.

No, not at this time.

Long term, I'm hoping to eventually publish a book covering historical local music venues and record labels.

I once managed a PAO Productions Facebook page, but today it is completely dormant and remains up mostly for historical reasons. I don't have an active personal profile anymore and have no plans to ever return to the platform, being very hostile to social media and to Meta in particular.

PAO Productions YouTube page.

I have an Instagram profile and a profile on Bluesky, but these exist only to reserve the username. No to all the others, and I have no interest in joining any of them (please don't ask).

My Internet Archive page is at https://archive.org/details/@pao_productions.

It depends. If you're in one of the bands pictured and want to use a picture on a flyer, etc., I will probably be okay with this as long as you contact me FIRST to make sure and agree to credit me and/or this site. Otherwise, please contact me unless something is explicitly stated as being in the public domain.

If you are interested in running a banner on the site's home page, contact me to discuss.

Possibly, depending on the specifics. Reach out to me to discuss.

There is no regular schedule for updates. See the home page or Blog for the most recent updates, or (better yet!) join the mailing list.

Why not?