A Reluctant Intro

Greeting Steemit Community!

After creating a Steemit account in October I'm finally getting around to posting an introduction. I first heard about Steemit though my friend Zack (@web-gnar). He was so enthusiastic about the site and the rewards system I had to take a look myself.

Fast forward three months and I'm finding myself in a similar position.

My name is Alex and I am a 28-year-old musician/skateboarder living in Chicago, IL.

At first, I was reluctant to post an intro, I have never been too into social media or really sharing too many details about myself on the web. But with the start of this new year, I sorta said what the hell and have decided to give this a go.

Right now music is all I have been focusing on, I'm constantly trying to improve my guitar playing, songwriting and increase my knowledge of recording techniques. Some of my biggest inspirations are George Harrison, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones, Kevin Parker and The Band.

I have an obsession with guitar pedals and analog recording, although as of right now my bank account is inhibiting a full-on shopping spree. In the near future, I hope to be able to have a small studio in my apartment complete with a 1/2 reel to reel, tube preamps, and vintage compressors. I'm into pretty much any 60's/70's garage, surf or psychedelic music.

Currently, I'm working on finishing a song entitled Good Lookin, here's a taste of how it's shaping up -

https://soundcloud.com/vannazong/good-lookin

Not too long ago I also played the song for a Steemit open mic with @web-gnar and @echo-bat.

In addition to music, skateboarding has always been a big part of my life. I started in 1999 after playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for PlayStation. At the time I was recovering from appendicitis and playing a bunch of video games to occupy myself. Included in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater were these short video clips of skaters. I couldn't get over the fact that one could jump in the air and the board would follow. Fast forward 17 years and I'm still at it.

These days I've expanded my horizons, skateboarding still plays a big role in my life but I've grown into other hobbies.

Things that are currently getting my excited are...

Forex Trading - I've been trading forex for the last few years, but I'm new to new to crypto.

Culinary Explorations - I love to cook, right now I'm inspired by Thai, Korean and Indian cuisine.

Film- Constantly on the hunt for new pictures. Some of my favorite directors are Alejandro Jodorowsky, Stanley Kubrick, and Sergio Leone. Off the top of my head, my three favorite films would be Eyes Wide Shut, Dead Man and The Ninth Gate.

Looking forward to dedicating posts to each of these topics and getting to know other Steemit users.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite family photos

Cheers to 2018 !

• Alex