12thMass

My 400th win on RHP! Game 10966168 Another tactical English opening that was easy to convert to checkmate.

Finally active again on RHP, after a long summer "vacation" out in Idaho fighting wildfires. Sorry for all the timeouts!!! That's why my rating dropped thru the toilet.

Warning to all clan players: SKULLS WILL BE TAKEN IN CLAN GAMES!

Favorite book: Bible (God)

Favorite Bible verse: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Favorite chess book: Modern Chess Strategy (Edward Lasker)

"In the opening a master should play like a book, in the mid-game he should play like a magician, in the ending he should play like a machine." (Rudolph Spielmann)

Favorite pastime: Chess all the way. But I also enjoy reading books (military history especially), playing piano, running, hiking, & biking in what little spare time I have.

My work involves driving people to the hospital, washing fire trucks, and giving out ice packs to snowboarders and the like. Still, you can't beat life as a firefighter/EMT. Anyone who wants to go into public service should be an EMT first. The class isn't difficult & spending a couple years on the streets in an ambulance gives you quite a different perspective. You'll see a lot of suffering, a lot of waste, a lot of hate, but also a lot of love, a lot of heroism, and a lot of patience. At the end of the day when you look in the mirror, you'll know for at least one of those people you met today, you made a difference.

If you're a real junkie for danger & hard work, go one step further & become a firefighter as well. Nothing beats the rush of fighting a force of nature & winning, or the look on a person's face when you save their child, or the gratitude of an elderly man when you took him to the hospital after his third heart attack. We don't make much money. We don't crave headlines. We don't care about the danger. We just want to help you when you really need it.