More than everything you ever wanted to know about me...
(Prepare to be warped!)
Last updated on Friday, April 12, 2002
WELCOME to my bio page. This page is where you will find way too much useless information about me. Why am I doing this? I've receive quite a bit of feedback on my page, and people seem to want to know more about me and even see pictures. Ergo, here's the bio. For pictures, check out my scrapbook. I've separated this page into more or less sections of information which you can examine. Click on each one to fly down to that section. Email me if you have questions!
| Full Name | Daniel R. Israel |
| D.O.B. | 12 September 1967 |
| Height | 6 feet 3 inches (193 cm) |
| Current Weight | ~225 (~102 kg) |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| EMail Address | dan@ebji.org |
| Nicknames | Dan, Akeem, Izz, Izzy, Iceman, Doc |
I walk with a slight limp on both sides (Geez, you'd think that'd even it out, wouldn't ya?) from surgeries in both legs. The right leg had some strange growth removed (not mold... That'd crawl up and die on me!), and the left leg had a ligament replaced in the knee with some meniscus repair. It doesn't slow me down much (mainly because I'm stubborn!). I speak English (so if you write, please use English! Don't laugh, I've had people respond in strange languages before!!) as well as some Spanish and some Japanese, although not very well. (If you ask my mom, she'll tell you I don't speak English very well either!!) I sometimes sport a beard, and I have to wear glasses for prolonged close work (like working on the computer). Although into my 30s, my mind is like a 20 year old. OK, an 18 year old. OK, 14. OK, fine, 5.
I have a family. It helps. Especially when you are growing up. Actually, I have two families. I have my regular family, that I was born with (the ones who have to put up with me!) and my judo family.
I was born 3rd of 4 kids. I've got an older brother named David and an older sister named Dianne, and a younger sister named Betsey. (I'd like to give out their email, but I know spammers will find it, and then they'll have to kill me!!)
I was married on May 18, 2001 to Maribel Zaballero (now Maribel Israel). Here is a pic of us at the wedding. There's lot's more here if that's your thing.
My older sister is currently working in an Optometrist's office and she is married to a guy named Scott, and kids call him "Uncle Booger". Uncle Booger works for a big oil company, and is also a photographer. Hopefully, I can get some pointers so my pictures will come out better! He took some engagement and wedding photos which may soon appear here.
My brother manages a restaurant (Olive Garden) and is married to Lisa. They were married on May 15, 1999. My brother asked me to say a few words at the wedding... After careful consideration, I was very good, which is a good thing because I asked him to return favor for me!
My younger sister is working at Manpower, and I think she's finding jobs for people, but I am not sure if they are temp or perm positions. She's also the prime supplier of grandchildren, as she has 2 daughters. Layla is 12 years old. Although she's a bit timid, she's turning out to be pretty durn smart. I once had an interesting conversation with her about how a horse has a prehensile mouth. (they DO! I talked with a horse expert and he confirmed it. Turns out camels have one even more so!) And then there's Grace. Grace is 8 years old. She's a real handful, and boy is she stubborn! She could give stubborn lessons to a rock! Mom says she's a female version of me when I was little. My sister wanted to know when I grew out of it... I told her I'd let her know when I did... She groaned. I also have another niece, Keirstein. Keirstein is a teenager, and... Well. She's a teenager.
Then of course, I have both my folks. My mom is smart as a whip. She was the first in the family to graduate from college. She beat me by 7 minutes (yes, I timed it, we were in the same graduating class.). I plan to scan our graduation pictures and put them in the scrapbook! My dad is an interesting character. I keep telling my nieces that this nice, kind, gentle, compassionate teddy bear is not the same man I grew up with! They remain unconvinced.
And then there's my other family. Also known as my judo family. These are folks who I meet and have contact with through judo. I've been a member of East Bay Judo Institute for many years. Through this I've spent countless hours with people which has led to relationships that just cannot be classified as 'friends'. I've come to see these people as brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and children and parents and grandparents, and so forth. This extended family is, by no means, limited to the members of East Bay Judo, but also extends to other clubs with whom we've had close contact. I've developed a theory as to why this happens/happened. Check out my Random Thoughts section, if you really want to know.
When I try and think about my friends, it usually brings me to the question of what a friend is. Who do I count as a friend? What about Jim, the guy who makes my espresso every morning? What about Paul, the guy that I work with?
My brother once told me that a friend is someone you can call at 2 in the morning to come get you out of jail. They may be pissed, and they may not be happy, but they'll come get you. Where does that leave everyone else (Espresso Jim and co-worker Paul) ? They're acquaintances. Although I tend to think that my brother's example is a little extreme, it bears truth. A friend is someone who you'd call on your day off to go do something with. You may know a lot of people, and you may be friendly with them, but are they friends? Not really.
In this light, I'd have to say that I have lots of acquaintances and a few real friends. I like to think that it puts me in the majority, but I'm not certain that it does. As time goes on, I want to have pictures of my friends in the scrapbook, and indeed, I already have some! Check it out!
Yes, believe it or not, I do have an education! It really helps in this day and age to have one. I have a BS in Computer Science (not a BS in BS, like someone might tell you!). I've also done a little graduate work. I like to learn new things, so I actually get back to school every once in a while when I find something interesting that I want to learn. I've taken courses in japanese, sociology, mythology, art, and other things. (I know, it gets sicker an sicker!). I'm thinking of taking a literature class next!
Just like most of us, I work. On July 20, 1998 (one year prior to writing this), I accepted a position as a lead Software Engineer (fancy word for a programmer with lots of experience) for Mosaix, Inc. in Alameda. On July 15, 1999, a merger with Lucent Technologies was finalized. On October 1, 2000, they finalized spinning off my division (Enterprise Networking) to a new company (Avaya). Check out the web page and see what we do! I actually like my job, because it presents a lot of challenges, and I have to keep learning things to keep up, however, we've recently purchased a company called Quintus in Dublin and the office is moving. I'm not sure how I feel about that. The job is neat, but the commute is going to stink!
The only drag at all about my job is the commute. During rush hour, it takes over half an hour to get to work from my home in Albany (Berkeley) and it'll be an hour when they move to Dublin! Hopefully I'll be able to telecommute at least some of the time so I can avoid the traffic altogether!
Judo. Gee. Where do I start? You may be asking what judo is. For the short answer, let's say that judo is a sport, a martial art, and a way of life. For the long answer, see my judo page for more information.
My father introduced me to judo as a child. Eventually, I quit and began studying again as an adult (age 21). I have, in the past, been very competitive, but recently decided not to compete anymore. I may change my mind in the future, but I just don't have the desire to train like an animal every day (which I think is the only way to train when you want to compete at that level) and training time is getting harder and harder to find.
Yes, judo does have belts, and yes, I am a black belt. It's not the big deal that everyone makes it out to be in the movies, there are thousands of black belts in the world, and I'm only one of them. Judo is not something that came really easy to me. I'm not by any means a gifted athlete (Geez, I still can't hit a baseball to save my life!) Any abilities I've acquired are the result of two things: 1. I really enjoy judo, and like to train, and 2. I've been lucky enough to have instructors who seemingly never tire of yelling at me that I'm doing something wrong and need to correct it.
I was going to put judo in my Hobbies section, but decided I can't. Judo friends aren't just friends, they're family (as far as I'm concerned). I spend far too much time practicing and coaching, and teaching, and watching, etc. to really put it as a hobby. It's not a hobby, it's a much larger part of my life, just like judo friends.
I've spent so much time training, and traveling and pushing other things to the back burner for judo. It's no surprise to any of the judo folks how many times I (and many others of my judo family) have missed holidays, birthdays, and/or special events. Quite a few times I've had to make birthday calls from hotels or airports, and my real family has now learned to come to expect it!
I've managed to pick up quite a few hobbies over the years. I'd like to enumerate and explain a little here... NO LAUGHING! Ok, my hobbies (in no particular order) are:
Cooking: I like to get into the kitchen and experiment. I'll come home from practice and just start futzing around in the kitchen and produce something to eat. I like to work with pasta, and I like to bake. Lately, my friend Rama, who is Indian, has given me some spices his mother sent from India, and I've been experimenting with these spices and seeing what goes together and what I like, etc.
Listening to the TV: that's right, that's not a typo! I listen to the television. I turn on the TV, and turn up the sound, and then go about my business, whether I am working on the computer, cooking, cleaning the house, eating, or whatever. I don't so much as watch a tv show, as I listen to it. However, lately my wife has gotten me watching NYPD Blue. Very interesting show.
Flowers: OK, quit laughing! Where is it written that just because a guy is big (and straight) that he cannot like flowers? Unfortunately, I haven't had the time lately to keep up with my roses (in the front yard). I usually get a few stares when I am out there. This big huge guy clipping on a rose bush...
Reading: I like to kick back and read a book. I have lots and lots of books, and I don't even mind re-reading a good book. Of late, I've been interested in spy/mystery/detective novels (the ones you buy for $5 in paperback) and John Grisham novels. The latest book read was The Brethren by John Grisham. I'm also a big fan of the Robert B. Parker 'Spenser' novels. These paperbacks are entertaining and easy to carry around while traveling (and easy to replace if lost!). I'm also a big SciFi/Fantasy fan, and I like to read books by Peirs Anthony, Weis & Hickman, Terry Goodkind, and Robert Jordan. I also enjoy reading classical literatures as well as plays. I like to read J.D. Salinger, and Emerson (particularly the Essays on Self-Reliance). Currently, I am reading Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder. I also read all kinds of books on nutrition and exercise. I've recently begun collecting images made for the novels that I read. More to come, but click here to see my favorite! I've also started doing some book reviews, so check them out!
Bicycle Riding: I like to get out and ride my bicycle. Due to my knee injury, I haven't been out as much as I like in the past couple years, but as the weather gets warmer, I'm hoping to start riding my bike more and more!
Weight Training: One of the things that I really like to do is lift weights. I've recently begun changing the way that I train (taking a more aesthetic approach as opposed to sports strength). My strength is pretty good, but I'd like to be a bit more cut.
SCUBA diving: I decided to pick up another outdoor activity late in 1997. Some friends of mine suggested that I try SCUBA diving, so I got certified as a NAUI SCUBA diver in December of 1997. It's a wonderful activity, particularly in the summer. A friend once asked me if it's dangerous. Sure, it can be, but people are trained to deal with the problems that might occur. Fact is, most SCUBA divers are more equipped/prepared to handle the problems they have underwater than most drivers are obstacles on the road! Strange things can happen though. Last August, I went SCUBA diving with a friend in Monterey. As I was descending, and I felt a great pressure in the sinus just above my left eye. I figured that it might be that I was descending too fast. I stopped and tried to fix it. Wouldn't happen. So, I waved at my dive buddy (don't go without one!) to abort the dive. When I surfaced, the pressure released and I almost passed out! My buddy grabbed my first stage so I wouldn't float off. We kicked back into shore, and relaxed, in hopes my head would stop hurting and we could try again. No dice. We ended up sitting on the shore with my head throbbing, eating a can of Cheez-Whiz. We never got back in the water that day, and my head hurt for 3 days after! Adrian commonly refers to that as "Cheez-Whiz Sunday".
Movies: I've been getting really into movies lately. While I usually listen to TV shows, I actually like to watch movies. However, I don't particularly care for the big budget films. It's just kind of a weird feeling I get. While watching a film that cost $200 million to produce, they should be able to entertain me. However, most of these big budget films are spending all this money for explosions and special effects, which leaves little or no time for character development. I'm usually much more impressed by the low-budget equally or more entertaining films. My favorite film of all time is The Princess Bride (The book was a good read, it just wasn't as great as the movie.). As a matter of fact, my friend Adrian does a great Mel Smith (the Albino!) impression. My other favorites include the films of Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma) and Quentin Tarantino (Resevoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction). I also try to get films that have Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri (they were GREAT together in Bronx Tale!), Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Harvey Keitel (judo folks will notice that Rusty Kanokogi is in the Keitel film Blue in the Face!) and Samuel Jackson. I haven't actually scene a movie insa theater in a long time (there's not much worth seeing anyway...).
I'm also doing movie reviews, so check it out!
Fractals: While I was in college, a professor got me interested in fractals and chaos theory. He actually wrote a program in BASIC under DOS called VaryFrac. It was an interesting program that generated many different kinds of fractals. It was running under DOS on an old PC/XT (no math chip!) and under BASIC (notoriously slow). It took LOTS of time to plot a fractal (hours and hours!) I did a version of this program for Windows (in Pascal, no less!) which was a bit faster. Recently, I have become interested again, and I'm redoing the entire thing in C++ and Win32. It's LOTS faster! I'll be putting up the program here when I get it done. Email me if you are interested!
I'm not certain that I know what should be going here, but a friend said I should put this section in. What I'm going to try to do, in that case, is to kind of throw together some basic things that I believe and use to try and guide my life.
I believe that time is the most important thing in our life. The most valuable thing that you can give someone (or be given) is time. It's the one thing that can never be returned. Once it's gone, that's it. When your time is up, that's it, and you can't bargain for more time. All one has to do is to lose their home and all their tangible possessions to get the feeling of what's really important. If someone invests their time in you, they are investing the most valuable commodity they possess, and I try to appreciate it as such.
I believe if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. No sense doing something half ass. Why the hell is there never time to do something right, but always time to do it over? Nothing drives me crazier than talking to someone who is vexed over how horrible their job is, and how they hate going to work, etc. What a waste of time (see above) and effort! Geez, life isn't that complicated. You don't like it, quit and get another job. And yes, it is that simple. If you don't have the gumption to direct your own life, you have no business starring in it!
I believe in doing what you believe is right, regardless of the circumstances or public favor. Don't get me wrong, you should be open to other ideas, but sometimes you have a strong belief that's not popular. In this case, you should hold to your beliefs. "A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist." (Emerson, 1841)
Just thought that it might be nice to have a section to put things that don't really fit into anyplace else. I'm already amazed that I've produced so much already (there's really a lot of substance to people if you can scratch the surface).
There's really only two things I want to talk about here, one of them I alluded to above (If you actually read through the whole thing, I'm amazed!!) so I'll just shoot!
I have developed a theory about the way that my friendships/family has developed through judo. It's kind of an odd phenomena that happened. When I sit down to think about it, I wonder why it's developed to the degree that it has. The people I work with all the time through judo are not friends, they're family. Why do I feel this way? I'm not sure, but I believe it's a side effect of the training we endure together. Many of these people I've traveled all over the country with, and trained many, many years with. We've all sweat together, and bled together, and cried together. When they have great things happen, I feel a small part of it, and when they have horrible things happen, I also feel a small part of it. I believe this is something that happens when you are training and you are doing your utmost to push each other to their absolute physical limit, and then that one step beyond. I can feel how my body hurts in the morning, and I can imagine how many of the people who sacrifice their bodies for my training must feel! I can only assume that this same sort of thing would happen in other sports where they push each other so hard, or even in occupations where there is a high-stress, high-tension situation like soldiers at war, or police officers, or firefighters and such. If you have any ideas on these, feel free to drop me a line!
The last thought that I want to drop is on the subject of training. Like most judo folks, I have many friends that don't do judo, and they don't understand how I can continue to do what I do. What drives me to push myself to that limit? It's not my entire life. I have a career outside of the training, so it's not like it's the only thing that I've got. Every time I train for a tournament, time gets tighter and tighter, and it gets tougher to meet the time requirements that proper training needs. When training starts, and things get tight, it never amazes me how everything else comes together. Every aspect of my life is just one small piece of the entire machine. The time seems to free itself, work seems to flow smoothly, my diet just naturally gets better (I crave different foods), and I sleep more soundly. It's like every piece of the puzzle just falls into place. When I can get everything into that state, I know that my training is right. Whether I win or lose when the tournament comes, I know that the training is right.
That's it! If you read the whole thing, I'm amazed and you have WAY too much free time! HAHA! If you have questions or comments, please drop me a line! And, as a closer, I'd like to leave you with my favorite quote:
Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things you have for which you would not take money.
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