What Is Hip: The Name, the Man, the Blog

The Name
“What Is Hip” is a song that will turn your funk all the way on! (WARNING! Video link featuring smoking horns AND Carlos Santana.) But this page is not a tribute to god-like purveyors of East Bay Soul Tower of Power, all those visitors who plug “what is hip” into search engines notwithstanding.

So what is What Is Hip? What Is Hip is the What Is of Hip, formerly known as Hippolyte Lizard, or Hip Liz for short. Once upon a time I needed a nom de net for those pointless battles in Usenet. I thought about it for maybe seven seconds and combined the French / Argentine pirate (“California’s only”!) who raided Monterey one fine autumn day in 1818, with a scaly creature who lies around in the sun a lot. I thought it was a fitting and ridiculous handle that could be twisted several different ways. I liked being called Hip, as if I was (as if). I liked that “Liz” gave me some extra androgynous camouflage. I thought there would be other fun ways to twist it such as Hoplite Lazyrd, Hip LeZard, er, I dunno. I was a dork. Yeah. Good times.

The Man
Light brown/blond, medium length, short sideburns. Six foot one, one hundred eighty pounds. No distinguishing marks or features; tattoo on left shoulder blade. Eyes hazel/green. Wouldn’t have hurt to shave today. Several nose hairs need plucking out. No thanks, I got it.

Born in Berkeley, CA, on the thirteenth anniversary of Hiroshima and the sixty-eighth of the first execution by electric chair. Not quite a 49er: my ancestors didn’t start trickling into California until the 1850s. Parents split up when I was four. Played trumpet (jazz etc), lettered in soccer, Berkeley High School (grad 1976), wasted my early twenties not doing shit. Married at 29, graduated college (BS Electrical Engineering, CSUS) at 30, became a proud father at 30 and at 32. Various techie jobs (all hardware, virtually no software, for those who care), Master’s Degree (Computer Science, CSUS) at 43, owned a couple houses, been a landlord (it sucks). Wife was general contractor on current house nestled in verdant bucolic surroundings.

Presently employed by Infamous Megamultinational Corporation, Cube Farm Division, doing obscure technical things in the service of obscure corporate objectives. Occasional international travel, self-driven, team player, blah blah blah.

Random fact: I’ve dreamed of being a writer since sixteen. Aspire to write historical fiction, alternate history, mystery and any good stories that just draw you along. Have learned that when it comes to writing, wrestling self to ground and kicking self out of way is a lifetime’s work.

More random facts: I can not live without music and love all kinds. Different kinds of music serve different kinds of needs, so get out with your preferential snobbery. Though I tend to alternate socially between shy and reasonably not-shy I am relatively fearless as a musical performer. Voice is bass / baritone, nearly three-octave range on a good day (two and a half more typical), can sight-read pretty well. I don’t particularly like the sound of my own voice but what can you do.

The Blog
Same as every other. A place to write stuff. Post pictures. Interact with all you weird people. Write more stuff. This part is kind of self-explanatory and naturally evolves with the subject. If you still don't get it, you won't.