Who, Me?

"Who are you?" --Pete Townshend

"Who, exactly, is Michael Smith?" the hypothetical reader may ask.  A fair question.  Let me suggest some answers.

• I'm an Australian
  Born in Sydney during the 1960s I grew up in outback Broken Hill before returning to Sydney in the 1980s.  I've been here ever since.
• I'm a Dad
  I've got two wonderful daughters.  Becky is 23 and Jessie is 17.
• I'm a Programmer
  I studied Computer Science at the University of NSW in the late 1980s.  Since then I've had a number of different jobs, but most involved writing computer software.  As I write this (October 2009) I work for RailCorp which runs the NSW railways.
  I'm one of the fortunate few who gets paid to do something I love.  If I didn't get paid to write software, I'd probably do it for free on the weekends.  But don't tell my boss.
• I'm a Writer
  For some years I wrote a column for an Australian magazine that was the top seller in its category.  Now I don't write for money, but I love messing with words and write things when I get the chance.
• I'm a Musician
  I love listening to music, but I love playing it more.  I used to play in bands, performing Australian bush and country music and occasionally perform light classical music.  I'd sing and play instruments including guitar, mandolin, recorder and percussion.  I haven't done much playing for a while, but it might be time to get back into that.
  
• I'm Disabled
  A strange virus left me with damaged lungs a few years ago and I now need an oxygen tank to help me breathe.  Another problem causes a lot of leg pain and prevents me walking more than a few metres at a time.  It sucks, but life goes on.  There are plenty of people worse off than me.
• I'm a Christian
  I believe in God.  I believe that the bible is His word.  I attend Wild Street Church in Maroubra when health permits (which isn't as often as I'd like).
  In some people's eyes that makes me defective but I see that as their problem, not mine.
  My relationship with God is the single most important thing in my life.  I thank God every day for the good things in my life and I ask His help with the tough things.  So far, it has worked out pretty well.

Well, that's a small glimpse of who I am.