About me...
Life can be funny, one minute you are working through the daily grid of life, blissfully content, while the next minute things get flipped on their head as you realize just how mundane that daily grind is. For me, the key to escaping the monotony has been to constantly challenge myself by taking new paths, trying new activities, and seeing new things.
Getting to the point of seeking out that challenge wasn’t easy for me. Lack of time, lack of money, and an absence of confidence, all played a role in keeping me rooted in the mundane. Of those factors, only my confidence has changed, and realistically, that was the only thing that needed to significantly change. Time becomes available from the choices we make, and you can still take new paths, try new activities, and see new things without a lot of money.
That confidence I developed originated from training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which then carried over into Traveling, and then to other activities. Both Jiu-Jitsu and Traveling can be extremely intimidating for the uninitiated. Each requires a degree of discipline and a willingness to put yourself in uncomfortable or unfamiliar situations. The catch is that once you overcome those initial feelings, you realize that the more you are in those situations, the more comfortable and familiar they become, until finally they are second nature.
In November 2013, I started training under Brian Beaury, and thanks to some excellent instruction, I've made it to Brown Belt. In the real world I'm a science/technology geek and work as a Laboratory scientist. I do my best to be a supportive dad, and always rep my Irish Heritage (Sligeach Abu). Outside of that you might catch me engaged in my athletic passions, either on the jiu-jitsu mats, a Gaelic pitch, or at the shooting range.
In 2018, I decided to go back to university, working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Informatics, which I finally finished in 2022. It put a damper on traveling and training, but it was something that had to be done. After 17 years, I was tired of working two jobs and having nothing to show for it. Now the plan is to find a job that pays decent and is fun to go to each day.
Nowadays I love planning a trip somewhere outside the ordinary to get a new perspective on things. There is nothing like the feeling of exploring an unfamiliar setting, talking to people and seeing how they live their daily lives. And while there, I always make sure to take a bunch of pictures and videos. If I can follow that up with some Jiu-Jitsu training, and a good meal of local cuisine with pints afterward, it’s a win. Someday I hope to be able to look back on what I’ve written and remember some fun times.
I have been very fortunate to be able to travel and train like I have, and it’s not something I take for granted. I believe in wasting as little time as possible and seizing any opportunity that arises, even if it’s not the perfect one.
If you want to contact me with any questions, want to check out some pictures/videos, or if you want my résumé, there are links on the bottom of my site for Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.