Blogging can be a pretty personal affair.
In recent weeks I’ve opened up about my impending fatherhood and the too-real possibility that we’ll have to put our dog down because of her intractable aggression issues.
So in the interest of fuller disclosure, I thought I’d share some more about myself.
After all, some of you might adjust your Netflix queues based on my ramblings. The least I can do is tell you what led me to where I am today.
I spent the first 20-odd years of my life driven to be a working artist — even if I wasn’t quite sure what that entailed. I even whipped up film illustrations for the Mom ‘n’ Pop video story in my hometown where I worked.
Mid-college, I joined my university’s newspaper to review movies (even then I couldn’t get enough of ‘em) and it inadvertently sparked a career in journalism. I put the artist pad down, albeit reluctantly.
Starting out in the Steel City
My first writing gig came at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and if you google hard enough you can find an old Neil Diamond concert review I wrote way back when. The paper had a full time movie critic, but I begged for the chance to review any movie, at any time, should the full-timer need a break.
Sure enough, I got to review “Father of the Bride II,” “The Saint,” “Batman and Robin” and “Wild Bill.” I’ll never forget my first printed reviews.
A Capitol engagement
I moved to D.C. in the late 1990s and took some non-reporting positions before landing at The Washington Times. My time at the Times taught me to write fast, write smarter and be prepared to cover just about any topic imaginable. I also became part of the newspaper’s movie review squad. In short, the best seven years of my professional life.
I also met my wife-to-be in D.C. and for that alone I’m forever grateful.
We moved to Denver last year with the hopes of starting a family in a slightly slower-paced city. I’m lucky to still report consistently for The Washington Times as well as other outlets like The Denver Post and MovieMaker Magazine.
That’s my story - the short version. Mrs. WWTW is due to give birth to our first child any day now, but I promise to keep on blogging.
(Photo: Mr. WWTW and his dog, Haley)
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Great photo! Thanks for the background info. It answered several of the questions I was going to ask (got busy over the holidays and haven’t followed through yet).
Good luck to you and Mrs. WWTW in the coming days!
Thanks, Tink. I’m on pins and needles here … I’m gonna try to liveblog the birth if possible … but that may be wishful thinking (and I probably should be holding my wife’s hand, right?)
blogging is transitory, birth is a revelation, I’d choose the birthing thing.
p.s. saw Gran Torino on Sunday.. wow, just wow. He did it again
Yeah, I’ll be there for Mrs. WWTW … but there could be some down time
I think Gran Torino was arguably the most flat-out enjoyable film I’ve seen in months … a simple story, heartfelt characters, and an aging icon still finding new ways to entertain us.
All the men in my life (husband, friends’ husbands, co-workers) have been talking about this movie opening this weekend. Most of them are guys who haven’t been to the movies in years and can’t wait to go see this. I am glad it is living up to the buzz.