EDUCATION/CAREER TRACK: Two B.A.s, magna cum laude, in journalism and political science from UT Arlington. I love what I do, but I still want to be a Porsche mechanic. Or be a motorcycle tour guide. Or play bass in a touring zydeco band. Or invent self-adhesive notes that stick to everything.

MOST UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE ON THE JOB: I can't pick just one. In the Top 10: riding in a hot air balloon, driving a NASCAR racecar 160 mph at Texas Motor Speedway, riding an American Ironhorse chopper to and from work and other places for a week, interviewing childhood-idol music stars such as Geoff Tate (Queensryche) and Les Claypool (Primus), and getting paid to do all of it.

SOMETHING PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME: I played against Shaquille O'Neal in an organized basketball game and scored on him. I was 13; he was 12. I was 6'1"; he was 6'4" or 6'5". He could already dunk; I couldn't. We lost. Bad.

IF I HAD TWO SPARE HOURS, I WOULD: Go on a motorcycle ride, talk to mom or my sister, listen to music or sleep.

I AM ALWAYS ENTERTAINED BY: March Madness, playing tennis, a suspenseful novel, Chris Rock, South Park, 24, any of the Naked Gun movies, and good musicians.