About me

This site is designed and maintained by dag a.k.a. obz, obzidian... I get called a lot of other things too... especially by friends and family. hehe. I guess it has been ages since I've updated this, since a lot of the info is wrong. So I decided today to give it a reno. (Updated June 25/2010)

Work :
Most of us have to work to make ends meet. I'm no exception. I think I'd be an awesome millionaire BTW, but alas, I'm not. So off to work I go. I've been involved in geeky stuff all my 'career'. I've juggled around various jobs such as IT support, Web development, Video Game development (PSP/DS/Mobile), Multimedia Developer and similar jobs. ATM I'm in Web/Multimedia development.

Where :
Where am I? I'm originally from lovely St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada, currently residing in Bolton, ON.. In spite of how ridiculously WASPy and somewhat racist the area sadly is, it is still beautiful and close to lots of hiking and biking and open space...*shrug* I can't do anything about the people.

Why :
This site used to host a ton of lyrics from my favourite bands. I've taken them down because it become too time consuming to maintain... So this site is mostly for my blog and playing with PHP, CSS, HTML and MySQL.
Why unsung? Well... unsung wasn't my first choice... but if you have ever tried finding an interesting domain name you know it can be a chore. But unsung has grown on me. I also like the underdog conotation it has. Not to mention it is a great Helmet song. Anyway...enjoy the website.

Age :
I entered the world pre-mature on the 26th day of November in the 1971st year of the Lord. Which ever Lord you choose to worship.

Fun? :
What do I do for fun? I did mention I'm a geek right? I enjoy playing around with this website and PHP, mysql, gaming on my PC and XBox360 and ridding the world of squirrels. I'm a big music fan. My grandmother was a very talented pianist, I think my love of music came from from her. God bless her soul. Computers and music. Hey. I enjoy being a Geek. Oh yeah, and watching the Sabres win and lose. Let's go BUFF! A! LO! I also like watching any sport in which Canada competes internationally, even if we suck. My current musical love is Blip.fm. You can be your own DJ there. I play a far bit of stuff. Mostly variations of industrial and hard rock but really anything goes. Check it out!

Fav Musical Instruments :
Drums, Cello, Bass, Piano. Anything percussion.

Music :
'If music be the food of love, play on.' - William Shakespeare In many ways I find music is the food of life. Music is capable of creating various emotions. Joy. Happiness. Sadness. Anger. etc. I enjoy various genres of music. Including (but never limited to) : rock, punk, metal, metal, ska, jazz, classical, alternative, industrial. As I'm always trying to hear new music the easiest way to see what I'm listening to is to check out my Blip.fm account.

Gaming :
I'm a big gamer. Both PC and console (360). I enjoy shooters and RPGs mainly. Some of my favourite titles are : Ice Wind Dale, Baldur's Gate I & II, Ultima I,II,III. IV,V & Underworld, Bard's Tale, Diablo, Diablo II, Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires II, Doom, Quake, and many, many more. But not all at once. :P Currently playing a lot of World of Warcraft. FTH!!!! I got tired of paying to pay my 360 online so I've played it very little lately.

Ethnicity:
Canadian! (Ukrainian-Polish). I love the food, nothing beats cabbage rolls, pierogi and kolbasi.

Education :
B.A. from Brock University. MCSE certificate from Connect Institute. Yes I passed the course, no I didn't take the M$ tests. Programming languages I have learned are mostly self taught from online tutorials and from testing, recoding, testing, recoding, screaming, recoding and more testing. Graduated as a Sheridan Scholar in 2005 from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario from the Interactive Multimedia program. I self teach myself most of the apps and code I use to web develop.

Travel :
I'm proud to say I have visited both coasts of Canada. I drove out West several years ago and worked in Field B.C. for a summer. It was awesome! I HIGHLY recommend everyone visit the Rockies and the whole southern B.C/ Alberta area. I also have been to Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia. Canadians should be proud of the beautiful country we have. In 2007 I went to Ireland for two weeks. It was amazing. I'm eager to see more of Canada, parts of the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Movies :
Cry Freedom (Tragic life of Steven Biko trying to change his world) Easy Rider (America the Ugly) Life is Beautiful (in the original Italian, remarkable and moving) Anything from Tarantino Kill Bill Volume 1, Pulp Fiction, Alien, Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, Spirited Away, Snatch and others I can't recall, the LOTR series was very good. This list isn't updated that often. You are better off reading my blog for current movies.

On my ideal pizza :
Bacon, more bacon, pepperoni, red & green pepper, spanish purple onion, broccoli, ham, honey garlic sausage and extra garlic. NO mushrooms, olives or pineapple!

Status :
Long term relationship with B.

Pets :
I'm a cat person. I have two. Remi & Zappy.. I had another cat with my ex. named Doolittle. She kept him then gave him away. Sigh... Anyway... B. is a dog person. B. is trying to turn me (kicking and screaming) into a dog person as well. This is going well since we got a rather remarkable dog, a lovely Hungarian Pointer (Vizsla) named Tanga. She is a great velcro dog. Aroo. I might not be a dog lover, but it is impossible not to love Tanga.

Why obz?
So, what is the deal with the nick? Well, it has evolved. Originally it was obsidian which is a dark glass-like rock formed when lava meets water, it is full of impurities and was used by ancient people as a cutting tool, for weapons, and for ceremonial purposes. It is an interesting mineral and I thought it fit. Being black helped too. I like black. Black goes. I found using obsidian as a nick sucked however. It is rather popular and always taken on boards or for registering anywhere online. I wanted to avoid be commonplace, so I played with the letters. There is a "Z" in my last name so obSidian became obZidian (which i still use sometimes), obZidian was ultimately shortened to obz. Do you care?

100 Things about me :
I was reading Hoshq's blog and he has a link to 100 things about me. I've seen, and liked these lists before, the site claims: 'if you haven't done it, you should, as it is a life-altering experience on the highest karmic level' (to compose such a list) so, without further ado:

1. My first name is David. I sign my name as Dave. I don't care for David. It reminds me of my youth and being disciplined... 'DAVID! GET TO YOU ROOM!'
2. A large dog bit me while I was delivering flyers when I was young. I have hated most dogs since. I've recently found a love for Vizslas. They aren't very dog-like IMHO... I'm breedist. Viszlas or nothing. NAV or nothing.
3. I vote Liberal. Which is still not always a good choice.
4. I love to be massaged, touched, itched etc. I will remain still indefinitely if someone is touching me.
5. I believe I have inherited my Grandmother's love for music.
6. All my grandparents have passed away. :(
7. Music, words and movies have made me cry.
8. I write poetry. Not so much anymore however.
9. I paint. I wish I painted more.
10. I hate fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, pineapple, turnip and wine.
11. I like spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza.
12. I would like to hike the entire Bruce Trail.
13. I have flown twice. (to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Ireland)
14. I want to see most of the world. I love to explore. (Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa..etc)
15. I have had a web site for many years. I spent far too much time on it. But I enjoy it. (mostly)
16. I love ice cream and whipped cream.
17. I love Vanilla.
18. I prefer Coke over Pepsi.
19. I have a phobia to drive over certain types of bridges.
20. I enjoy silence.
21. I'm an INTP = Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiver. One of the sixteen personality types defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
22. I want to own a drum set.
23. I enjoy cooking if I'm not rushed to do it.
24. I prefer small groups of people to crowds. I'm somewhat clausterphobic.
25. I earned my B.A. in 1995.
26. I love photography, both 35mm and digital.
27. I owned a 300 Baud Modem. My first computer was a Texas Instrument 99/4A. I loved the game Tunnels of Doom. It was loaded from a tape.
28. I like art. I hope to be able to buy weird and interesting art one day. I love Salvador Dali. I think he is brilliant.
29. I assembled the PC I'm typing this on from scratch.
30. I self taught myself HTML, PHP,MYSQL and CSS.
31. I'm a big gamer. (Computer Games/Console Gaming)
32. I own over 200 music CDs; they sit mostly idle as I play mostly MP3s now...
33. I own an XBox 360.
34. I rarely win RPGs without help from a walk-through.
35. My favourite character class in standard RPGS is a Cleric. Although I don't play a healer in WoW. (Rogue, Mage and Shadow Priest)
36. I don't mind being called a geek. I enjoy being a geek and doing geeky things.
37. I like all four seasons, especially Fall and Winter.
38. I enjoy Thunderstorms and lightning.
39. I hate being caught in the rain and getting my head cold and wet.
40. I love the sound of falling rain.
41. I can't decide which chocolate bar is my favourite. Oh Henry, Coffee Crisp, Mr.Big or Skor.
42. I prefer Brunettes.
43. I love chinese and thai food.
44. I'm very patriotic.
45. The Canadian national anthem has made me cry. You'd think I cry a lot reading this list. I actually don't.
46. I have one sister.
47. I own several computers.
48. I'm not very religious.
49. I went to a Catholic High School.
50. I believe in God, Allah, Buddha, or at least that something, somewhere is having a nice laugh. We'll talk later dude.
51. I have seen Iron Maiden live several times.
52. I used to have hair past my shoulders. (heh, see above)
53. I ♥ the Internet.
54. I feel disconnected when I've been offline for more than a day. Surely I'm missing something? I'm a bit of an information geek.
55. I like documentary, horror and science fiction films. I love to watch foreign films... subtitled NOT dubbed.
56. I think E.T. is the worst movie ever.
57. I've hung out at a Vampire Sex bar and danced among its friendly patrons. They were some of the nicest people I've met in spite of their apperance.
58. I think some goth girls are sexy. Suicide Girls? Hell ya.
59. I like gargoyles.
60. I like to garden.
61. I drink a lot of water.
62. I prefer Rum to beer.
63. I lived in the Rocky Mountains for a summer. It was amazing and I want to return to that area of Canada. (Golden, Field B.C./ Banff Alberta)
64. I like fantasy art.
65. I have a slight fascination with the macabre and the dark side of humanity.
66. I'd like to read more classical literature but I'm a horrible reader. So it likely won't happen.
67. I watch a lot of hockey (NHL, Olympic, World Cup, Juniors), football, soccer, tennis and will watch anything Canada is competing in Internationally.
68. I prefer boxers to briefs.
69. I don't watch much T.V., if I do it is for sports, Law & Order, HGTV, Much Music, the News, CSI, or because I'm really bored.
70. Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy by The Who was the first tape I ever bought.
71. I was too embarrassed to wear my glasses in high school.
72. Glasses are now part of my identity, I refuse to get contacts or laser surgery.
73. I can overanalyze things.
74. I can be oversensitive.
75. I hate having to 'tuck-in' my shirts. (Due to being forced to in High School)
76. I like to learn but usually not to be told what to do. Right B.? *ducks*
77. I don't like roller coasters.
78. I've dressed in drag. I was a very unattractive woman. :P
79. I've watched Monty Python's Holy Grail at least 15 times.
80. I hope linux will one day put Microsoft out of business. Currently running Ubuntu @ home! (lol)
81. I'm using Windows 7 on most my computers. (to game on) :P Heh. Other is running ubuntu.
82. I love the night and the Moon.
83. I usually stay up well after I should be sleeping. I'm a major Night Owl.
84. I enjoy Japanimation, Anime, Manga and cartoons. Well, not all of it...Some of it is very bizarre.
85. I find many women in Playboy unattractive.
86. I believe in love. (So does Bono...)
87. I don't trust police officers and border guards.
88. My favourite colour is Dark Violet but I do like Black a lot.
89. I have problems with arrogant, hateful, and/or ignorant people.
90. I have never smoked tabacco. *wink*
91. I like antiques and antique shopping., maybe from a historic POV.
92. American politics and foreign policy scares me. Monroe Doctrine anyone? Dubya. Gawd. Try walking softer when you carry your very proud big stick perhaps? I hope Obama does better.
93. I'm awful at remembering people's names. I've been burnt on it many time. I feel bad every time. Seriously. It is nothing personal.
94. The pixies are my favourite band. Beethoven is my favourite composer.
95. "I live cement/ I hate this street/ Give dirt to me/ I bite lament/ This human form/ Where I was born/ I now repent/ Caribou...." -Pixies
96. How many points was that? I was never very good in math.
97. I buy foreign cars. They are clearly a better buy for the money.
98. In spite of hating country music I have been to a country concert.
99. What else do you want to know? Ask me.

What else?
Hmm. I don't know. If you have any questions send me a comment.