In which the intrepid author dives into the blogger pool head-first....

Wow, my very first post! I am just giddy with excitement here, folks. No, really! Would I lie to you? I've been on the Web for what seems like a dinosaur's lifetime (I created my very first homepage back in 1995 -- holy crap, that was the previous century. No, wait -- it was the previous millennium! Arrrrggggh, I'm suddenly feeling old and decrepit. Must... find... energy... to... continue...)

Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, it feels like I've been on the Web forever, but this is my first attempt at creating a blog. Of course, in a sense I was "blogging" before there even was such a thing (as exhibit A, allow me to present my rambling excuse for an autobiography that I originally posted on my homepage in 1995 and have sporadically updated ever since).

I tend to bounce around from one hobby/interest to the next, and my web presence has reflected that. Before the Internet was anything more than a gleam in Al Gore's eye, I spent a lot of time taking Amazing Nature Photographs (including the shot of lightning and rainbow taken near Burley, Idaho, shown on the left there).

Then, of course, there was the [eventually] world famous Barry's Temple of Godzilla (which explains why I've used the nickname "Godzillatemple" throughout the Web). I don't update the site much anymore, but it's still alive and kicking and I'm happy to leave it up as a semi-permanent "museum" to all things Godzilla. At the height of my involvement with the site, however, I actually wrote and published on-line two complete fan fiction novels that are still available at the site if you're interested.

Next came my fascination with Antique Pocket Watches. For quite a number of years I bought and sold watches, primarily on eBay (although I really only sold watches in order to pay for new ones). In fact, I got so excited about collecting pocket watches that I ended up writing my very own New Collector's Guide to Pocket Watches (now in its third edition). I pretty much stopped buying new watches when I got married a few years ago, mostly because the wife and I are trying hard to save money for a larger house purchase sometime in the next few years, but fortunately I've been able to hold on to most of my collection.

And then, a couple of years ago, I discovered the joy of photomanipulation (a.k.a. "Photoshopping"), which basically means trying to create surreal, photorealistic images that simultaneously look 100% real and 100% impossible. Many of my best efforts have been posted at Worth1000.com (the self-described "top creative competition and photoshop contest site on the web"), where I've won a bunch of awards. As with all my previous hobbies, this allows me to express myself creatively and also share my creations with the rest of the world.

Finally (at least for now), I've discovered the joy of on-line self-publishing, selling t-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, etc., all festooned and adorned with my various nature photographs, surreal Photoshop creations, witty saying and pretty much everything else that has leaked out of this old brain of mine over the years:



So, anyway, that's basically who I am (in a very small nutshell at least). Feel free to click on any of the links on this page to find out more about me, check out my Barry's World on-line store, or just check back here periodically to see what's new in my life.

Thanks for reading!