Introduction

What's up, Kommunity? I'm Tyler. Nice to meet you!

I've been enthralled with R&L's videos for some time now, and I kept hearing them refer to Mythical Beasts and the Kommunity. After several inner discussions with myself about what in the world a Mythical Beast is and why these guys spell "community" with a K, I decided to dive in.

How about some info about me? The various titles that describe me include Christian, Husband, Dog-owner, Claims Adjuster, Runner, Musician-at-large, Nerd, and Texan.

Christian - I don't see the need to dwell on this, because my faith is basically the umbrella under which everything else falls, or the lense thru which I see everything that happens to me.

Husband - My lovely wife Katie is the best friend I could ever have. We met and started dating in Junior High, went to college together, and finally got married about 4 years ago (well, 3 years, 9 months, and 4 days, but who's counting?). She got a degree in a field where a bachelor's degree isn't worth much, so she let herself get into the world of Massage Therapy. Before you ask, no. I don't get a massage everyday. Often enough to make it worth the investment of school, though. I could go on and on about Katie, but I won't bore you.

Dog-owner - We inherited our older, smaller dog, Pongo, right after we got married, thanks to my brother giving him up. He's a 6-year-old beagle mix, the one on the left. He's one of those smart but aloof dogs that makes you work to realize he's smart. The younger, bigger dog, Lucy, is a Greyhound mix. She's on the right. We just got her in February, and she's just about 15 months old. Definitely a puppy. She's got the typical Greyhound traits (sprints crazy fast, not the most energy in the world, and LOVES soft things), but she's definitely a puppy, too. Lots of playing going on in our house and back yard these days.

Claims Adjuster - It's just a job. I've been doing it for almost 2 years, and I've been slowly working on moving into the Actuarial field since last year. The only big difference would be less arguments on the phone, more tedious work, and a salary increase. We'll see if that ever happens.

Runner - I started distance running about this time last year when I trained for my first 5K (3.1 miles). I was pretty out-of-shape at the time, so I ran that race in 40:59 (read "slow"). Since then, I've worked up to a 24:23 time in that distance, and my first Half Marathon (13.1 miles) is coming up on the 13th. Katie (my wife, if you missed that paragraph) has shared my interest in running but has only recently picked up her training to the point where we can run together. I'm VERY excited to run this half marathon side-by-side with her! We're also signed up for a race in the summer (Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon), and we're running that race with Team in Training. Side note: we're trying to raise $9,000 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for this race, so check out our fundraising page - www.tinyurl.com/dawsons-TnT. ; No Marathons on the horizon just yet. We're going to get a little more experience at shorter distances before we make that leap! Also notable is that since I started running last February, I lost 45 pounds! I hit my weight goal in September and have been holding steady. Now, I'm considering pushing down another 10 pounds or so, or at least getting some upper-body muscle to replace the remaining flab.

Musician-at-large - I was raised as a musician. Played piano from about 7-12 years old, percussion from about 11-19 years, and guitar from about 13 on. Currently, the only instrument I own is a guitar, and that doesn't get a lot of exercise. I'm always interested to play, but rarely have the motivation these days. If you push me, I could maybe give Link a run for his money, but that's about it. No flaming guitar solos here (although I'm getting to be quite the Guitar Hero aficionado).

Nerd - I'm studying to be an Actuary. That should tell you something. I'm also known to analyze most problems with the use of an Excel spreadsheet. It's true, just ask Katie.

Texan - I'm living in Denton, TX, and have been here (at least in this county) since I moved for college in 2004. I'm from Lubbock, TX, which is one of the big West Texas towns, so I've picked up quite a bit of the southern and western mannerisms. For instance, Denton is pronounced "Den'n." All carbonated soft drinks are referred to as "coke" until you specify which brand you prefer. Yes, I'm known to use "y'all" in normal conversation. However, I do, nor have I ever, lived on a farm or a ranch. I've only ridden a horse about 3 times in my life, and that was usually at some sort of festival or carnival. We also have internal plumbing. No outhouses.

Well, that's me in a nutshell! Maybe I'll get brave enough to post a Vlog someday, but for now I'll stick to my keyboard.

Mythically Beastly (is that an appropriate way to end a blog around here?),
-Tyler