The Cast of Characters

As long as I'm writing a blog about my family, it would probably be a good idea to introduce them. So, without further ado:

• Dad Run Amok - I'm a fairly typical 40s-ish man with an office job and a family. I love to cook and I enjoy tinkering with our computers. I'm a database developer by day and a fairly serious amateur musician on the weekends (mainly at church).
• My Wife - Amy is the fabulous woman whom I married in August of 1996. Her job is to try to keep me focused on one or two things at a time and to run our little homeschool. She's got quite an artistic streak and hopes to illustrate my children's books, if I ever get around to writing them.
  
• Emily - Our daughter, born in 1999. She's a budding musician who has a great many friends. She's either with a friend or with her nose stuck in a book.
  
• Ryan - Our son, born in 2001. Ryan is a very intelligent and soft-hearted boy. His passions are monumental and rotate between Star Wars, Pokemon, Sonic the Hedgehog and other videogames.
• Tom and Jerry (also known locally as "the gentlemen" or "the fellas") - These are the two gerbils who live in the aquarium in our dining room.
• The Big Silver Bus - The family's primary mode of transport: a Chrysler minivan.
• The Shiny Gold Car - My Saturn