tselliott.name

"Were you born in a barn?" — an all-to-frequent utterance from the mouth of my mother as I was growing up amidst three younger brothers, one elder father, and a horde of living, crawling creatures. Technically speaking, I wasn't born in a barn, but if you happen to drop by my apartment unexpectedly, this may be the first conclusion you draw.

Last time I looked at the calendar I was 24-years-old. While, I've only got 16 prime years before I reach the other side of the hill, I don't feel much different than when I finished elementary school nearly 10 years ago. So when will I feel like a grown-up? I'm coming to the conclusion that I will not just wake up one day and 'be a man.' Maybe ten years and 2.2 children down the road I'll be all growed-up. I'm not in any hurry.

I am now living in Kaliningrad, Russia working as an ESL teacher for one of the English Language Centers sponsored by my church. There are a million reasons why I decided to take a year respite from my educational forays at the University of Maryland, College Park. Perhaps the most visible of these is my bourgeoning online presence. Please explore to your heart's content.

TAWL is an attempt to overcome my vertical challenges. I don't think it is working. Honestly, it is a blog that I set up to share some of my Russian-style fun with the poor, unfortunate souls stuck back in the US. As of early January, 2005 I had just shy of 19 000 words in 21 posts under my belt. Elementary math reveals that the average post is a tad on the long side. A good entry point for the uninitiated TAWL reader is my most action-packed day thus far — September 21, 2004.

In an incredibly nice gesture, my boss gave me a digital camera before I left for the Motherland. Thanks to his gift, I've been able to keep a running pictorial commentary. At troypix.org resides the motherlode of my presentable photographic endeavors. My Russia album is arranged in reverse chronological order with the last few albums composed of some of my favorite shots. If your stomach is up to it, the Troy album is comprised soley of photos featuring yours truly.

Like many connected twenty-something persons in cyberspace I have a plethora of e-mail addresses and screen names at my command. Please feel free to contact me via whichever way is most convenient for you. Do not be surprised and/or offended if I do not respond immediately, or ever for that matter. Just because you knock on my door does not mean I must invite you inside.