Hi, My Name is Travis

TuxedoHi! My name is (what?)
My name is (who?)

My name is

Travis Hudson

I like to think I have a unique writing style, but then so do most people.  I tend to include far more quotes and references than is totally necessary.  I’m largely influenced by writers such as Chuck Klosterman.  This combination means I enjoy examining pop culture while attempting to amuse the audience.  I often incorporate humor but have no idea if it actually works.  I read Jenny Lawson and actually relate to her anxieties and musings, much to the bemusement of my wife and reading club (and I use too many parenthetical asides, like this one).  Hopefully I haven’t already turned you off from reading my articles.  Sorry, I can’t validate parking.  Maybe one of the other writers will strike your fancy?

Posing with ReyI am a geek.  I was a geek before The Matrix made it cool.  I love that my high school graduation lined up exactly with Buffy’s.  I read Star Wars novels and watched the original trilogy every weekend as a kid when I wasn’t watching Bill & Ted.  I cut my hair my senior year of high school in attempt to look like Seth Green in Austin Powers.  I wore a trenchcoat and Misfits T-shirt to school the day after Columbine, not as a stand on anything but because that was what I always wore and those trigger-happy bastards weren’t going to change me.  Most of us can watch The Matrix, listen to Marilyn Manson, and play Doom without taking it out on our fellow human beings.

Wow, that went to a dark place fast.  Sorry about that.  Let’s move on, shall we?

I am the resident book reviewer here at Rampant Discourse.  Apparently I read a lot of books compared to the average person which shocks me because I consider myself a slow reader.  But my coworkers often note how often I have a new book on my desk so they think I must be a quick reader.  My wife finds this amusing, since she can finish most books in a day or two while I take a few weeks for most books.  So I’ll be posting my thoughts on most of the books I read.  Consider them reviews if you want but I often don’t judge a book’s quality and tell you whether to read it or not.  I’m more interested in analyzing the book’s content and examining its themes, characters, etc.  Think of them sort of like short book reports, if you want.  If I have to pick a favorite genre it’s science fiction, and I love cyberpunk (mostly William Gibson).  I enjoy surreal stories like Alice in Wonderland (and anything based on Alice).  You can check out my Goodreads profile to see all the other books I’ve reviewed or I want to read, but the best stuff will always be here on Rampant Discourse.

Burger KingI am a father.  Don’t hold that against me, non-breeders.  To say being a parent changes your perspective on life is an understatement.  I will always be my own person but so much of my self gets poured into these little people.  I love getting to experience childhood all over again and this time being able to appreciate it.  So if I bump into you at a party, forgive me for being the guy that prattles on about his kids; at this point they’re probably more interesting than me anyway.  I may on occasion bring up some parental issues (I’m looking at you, anti-vaxxers) but for the most part I don’t push my agenda and beliefs on other parents.

I am a software engineer.  They say you should do what you love for a living and I’m doing that.  Any time I attempt to envision myself in any other career I come up blank.  There’s just something in my brain that is wired for designing programs, writing code, and hunting down bugs.  Software development allows me to dip into so many other technologies.  Learning a new framework or language is fun for me, and I tend to pick it up all rather quickly.  Unlike natural languages like German, French, or Japanese, which all remain beyond my ken no matter how often I attempt to learn them.  I’ve been programming in one form or another since about the second grade, but that story is worthy of its own article.

Spy MapI am mostly apolitical.  To be honest I didn’t even vote until I met my wife.  I figured if I didn’t care enough to educate myself about the candidates and issues then I was doing a disservice to just blindly vote based on vague impressions and hearsay.  When I did finally get up the gumption to vote and was researching all the Senate and Representative candidates, a coworker told me I was already putting forth more effort than a majority of voters.  It was a great compliment for me but disheartening for our political system, which has become so caustic and divisive it’s nigh impossible to hold a polite conversation about some issues.  Anyway, the most political I usually get is reading gonzo stuff like Hunter S. Thompson or Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan.  If you’re familiar with either, that probably gives you some idea of my leanings.

I am a fan of listening to music.  I actively seek out new artists but nearly as much as I have in the past.  I’ve heard that your musical tastes get locked in during your formative high school and college years, and I can mostly agree with that.  How else to explain why a mid-30s family still listens to death metal?  (Hint: I’ll get to that in its own article)  No genre goes untouched for me.  One moment I’m headbanging to Children of Bodom, the next I’m dancing in the living room to LMFAO, the next I’m holding hands with my wife to Darius Rucker.  Why limit yourself to a single genre of music?  Especially in the metal community far too many people lock themselves away and spew hate at any music that doesn’t fit their chosen style.  But your musical style should be like Bruce Lee’s fighting style: the style of no style.

And in the end, I am just a boy, writing on a web site, asking the reader to love him.

Be water, my friend.

 

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Travis Hudson
Chief Editorial Officer at Rampant Discourse
Software developer by day. Member of the literati by night. Full time father of one son and one daughter. Music enthusiast. Comic book defender. Cultural deconstructionist. Aspirant philosopher. Zen but not Zen.

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