my life thus far

None of this first bit (in italics) is true anymore. I moved to Chicago recently and am now doing freelance web design for English clients unaffected by the American recession. I'm 26, almost 27 (that scares the shit out of me...) I work for Disney (more specifically WDIG.) I'm a web developer for the Entertainment section (Mr. Showbiz, Movies.com, and Wall of Sound.) I live in Seattle and have now for almost two years. I have two sweet cats, a wonderful girlfriend, Keri, and a nice two-bedroom apartment in Capitol Hill. I was born in England in 1975, lived in Oxford until 1980, then we moved to Calgary, Canada. We lived there until 1989 when we moved back to our old house in Oxford. My parents moved to Chicago in 1993, I followed them about six months later (after I ran out of money...) I lived in Chicago for a couple of years and then moved downstate to Champaign. Went to the University of Illinois, graduated 1999, moved to Seattle. Somewhere in the mix I also spent six months in Malmö, Sweden, a couple of months in Paris, France, and a month in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. I used to write. I used to write really well, I have had more than one English teacher make me promise that I will write a book someday. I guess most people have some kind of talent; I think writing was probably mine. I haven't used it in a really long time though and it has faded. I know that I have at least one book inside my head... I would like to get it out sometime. It is more likely that I will end up a bitter old man, full of regret because he never realized his dream. Instead he frittered his life away waiting for the tomorrow that never came. Still, is it better to know your talent and waste it or to travel through life never discovering it and hating yourself for being so ordinary? What else? I like to ride bikes. Right now I ride my Dad's old bike, a 1970-something Colnago Super - full Campy. I get lost in a world of bliss when I am riding it; something you can only truly understand if you have experienced the pure, unadulterated joy of sailing down a hill, soaked in sweat, sun on your face, wind in your hair. marc quick facts • I like cats, not dogs • my favorite color is green • on a recent drunken weekend I grabbed Dave Matthews' ass outside a bar because a friend offered me $100 to do so • I used to be a catwalk model (when I was 18) • I'm missing the last joint of my left ring finger (because I was stupid when I was 7) • my middle name is John • vodka makes me fall over • my nickname with some friends is 'Drunky' • I won a gold medal in the 1988 Junior Winter Olympics for x-country skiing • I was a raver for a while, back when it was cool ('92-'94) • I play right lock in rugby • I have jumped out of a plane • I was an extra in Shadowlands with Anthony Hopkins • I have had four piercings and have two tattoos • more to come when I remember stuff favorite movies • Breaking Away (1979) • Fight Club (1999) • Barfly (1987) • The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) • Rushmore (1998)