I have five awesome kids: Morgan (16), Kelsey (15), Nico (13), Kolby (11), and Gianna (4 - born 1/14/05). They are truly the inspirations that keep me moving through each day.

We live in a beautiful area of the country at the base of the Sierra Foothills just northeast of Sacramento, CA in Grass Valley. We moved here in 2001 from Pleasanton, CA where we lived for three years. Before that, we lived in Scotts Valley (near Santa Cruz) for 8 years.

I grew up in San Jose, CA and graduated from Pioneer High School (although I started out at Gunderson High School and went one semester in my junior year to Oak Grove HS - ain't divorce great?).

I am one of those jacks of all trades. I can design, produce, manage, market, sell, and create. If you pinned me down, I'd have to say that I'm a producer. I can visualize a project or idea and I'm resourceful enough to get the materials and people needed to put it all together.

I've been self-employed for most of my teenage and adult life. I started my first company when I was 14 called R&S Cleaning Service. My friend Scott and I cleaned rain gutters and did odd jobs (mostly for elderly people) in our neighborhood and made decent cash doing it. We had business cards and everything. I have been pretty entrepreneurial ever since - even when working for other companies.

I'm also a freelance writer. I've written many chapters in several Internet books and penned an Internet marketing book. I am a freelance sports writer for the local newspaper (The Union) in my spare time as well.

I used to have a regular column in Mac Design Magazine (the only computer design magazine for Macintosh users) where I also used to write reviews and tips and tricks for them- mainly on Macromedia Dreamweaver.

I contribute to several other periodicals, well, periodically. I write some fiction as well and I have half a dozen unfinished screenplays and television series ideas lying around here someplace...

I started DJing again. I've been performing at weddings and parties since April 2006 and it seems to be doing very well. I love the audio/visual equipment and keeping up with music is a lifelong hobby, so it's a natural thing for me to do. And the extra income doesn't hurt.

The Markie Foundation - My good friends Joe and Janis Wuelfing lost their precious baby Mark after just a few months of life. They were lucky enough to utilize children's hospice and have Markie with them at home during his short life. They found out that there are many families who do not have access to this special and necessary service, so they founded this foundation to raise money for those families in need of children's hospice.

Nevada Count Girls Softball Association (NCGSA) - I was on the board of directors and a coach in this girls softball league where I live. I am still involved with the league as a parent, coach, and volunteer occasionally, even though my oldest daughters are now out of the league. But, Gianna will have me back in it full-swing in a year or so.

NO WHINING

My main every day machine is a new MacBook Pro laptop (233GHz, 2GB of RAM, 17 inch screen) that runs Windows XP natively on an Intel Core Duo chipset. Amazing machine. It freakin' screams.

My workstation for everything media-related (audio, video, web, etc.) is a G5 dual 1.8gHz machine with 2GB of RAM. Yes, it screams.

The other machine is an Apple Powerbook G4/550 that has seen better days, but still manages to get things done albeit very slowly at times. This is a testament to Apple computers - this notebook computer is almost ten years old and it still runs.

My first computer (thanks to a hand-me-down from my long-time friend and fellow computer geek Paul Sanchez) was a Texas Instruments TI-99A. My monitor was an old black and white TV and my "hard drive" was a standard cassette recorder. I was actually making little games and programs with Basic (anyone remember Mr. BoJangles?) way back in junior high. Amazing.

Funny enough, I found one in perfect condition on eBay and bought it. It's sitting on a shelf. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. Maybe I'll use it to make my kids feel guilty when they complain about their computer speed some day. (Update: I sent the TI-99A to my friend Paul - the one who gave it to me originally - for his 40th birthday.)

Music - I sing, write songs, and play guitar and piano. I have a piano, keyboard, impressive books and everything.

I'm in two bands currently. RetroActive is two, two, two bands in one! We are a classic rock cover band and when someone needs a blues band, we are Blues Highway. My other band, Tracewell (wasn't my idea to name the band that) is a hard rock cover and original band. Fun stuff.

Sports - I am an avid racquetball and softball player. I enjoy martial arts, but haven't done that for quite a few years - I plan to take it up again. I also golf (I have the shoes and everything). I'm pretty much into any sport that has "game". I'll play soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, foosball, ping pong or anything else someone wants to play.

"Great spirits have always received violent reactions from mediocre minds."
~ Albert Einstein

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."
~ Jim Rohn

"A free lunch is only found in mousetraps."
~ John Capuzz

"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
~ Anonymous

"Happiness is not an accident. Nor is it something you wish for.
Happiness is something you design."
~ Jim Rohn

"PIE: Perception Is Everything."
~ Rick Tracewell

I really miss the old-time comedians from the 1940s to the 1970s. Guys like Foster Brooks, Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Ernie Kovacs, Jonathan Winters, Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, George Burns & Gracie Allen, Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, and countless other comics that I can't think of right now.

They had a camaraderie that was special. Anytime you got a few of them in a room together, it was like they were in awe of each other's talent. They were a great big family and some of the genuinely funniest people on the planet - without outside writers or having to use profanity to shock people into laughing. Just in everyday conversation you would be pissing your pants laughing at what they were saying.

Great stuff.