Jack of all trades, master of none. I've dabbled in many hobbies; among them computer building and servicing, web design, biking, running, trombone, and of course, amateur photography. I went to the University of Michigan, where I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. I currently live in Hermosa Beach, California, and I work at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery as an Application Engineer. Below, I will expand on my hobbies, for those of you who are interested.

Photography -
I started this website as a place to put my pictures after Michigan Football games. I wasn't much into photography until I got my first camera; a Pentax Optio S4. At the time, I was more excited about the fact that the camera fit in an Altoids box than I was about the aspect of photography. (Amazingly, 7 years later, and that little camera still works!) Inspired by my friend Brian Green to do more with my camera, I eventually upgraded to a Nikon D50, and greatly enjoy taking pictures. I guess these days I'm shooting with a Nikon D90. Probably more camera than I need, but why not? Go big or go home! Maybe I'll take a class one day.

Running -
I love to do it. There's something about going out for a long run every now and again. I've been running since high school, where I ran long distances in track and cross country. More recently, I have run the 2008 LA Marathon and the 2008 Boston Marathon. My personal best is 4:24:28, but I think that once I'm able to get past "the wall," I will achieve times around 4 hours. I competed in the 2009 Redondo Beach Triathlon, and had a lot of fun doing it. These days, I'm running 5Ks and 10Ks, but maybe I'll try some more triathlons or marathons...

Biking -
A recent hobby of mine, I got into biking when my cheap mountain bike was stolen at school. I decided to re-invest in a hybrid bicycle (a Trek 7300FX), and I'm glad I did. Still love that bike, but it now resides in Arizona (so I have something to ride when I visit my parents). I also have gotten into mountain biking, inspired by my friend Brian Green. A good fraternity brother of mine (Greg Battista) who was also on the UM Bike team, sold me his Cannondale F400, and I have enjoyed mountain biking ever since. In 2008, I decided to get into road biking, and picked up a Giant OCR A1. If I'm not out running, I'm probably out biking.

Computers -
I built my first computer when I was 13 years old. I have built many since then (for my family and friends), and have serviced many as well. I was introduced to computers at age one, and have become very comfortable with them as a result. In high school, I built the Lego PC, a computer where the case is made entirely of Legos. Check out this magazine article about it. I learned most of my know-how by watching the TV shows Call for Help and The ScreenSavers,(both shows on the now non-existant ZDTV), and the rest of it through reading magazines and the internet. I have another website at www.mchelmski.com, a project I started in College to share the creative workings of mine and two of my best high school friends.

Music -
I have played trombone since elementary school. In College, I was a member of the Michigan Marching Band, where I had the opportunity to perform at home (and sometimes away) football games. I am a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America; a Sinfonian, and served my Chapter as treasurer while I was a collegiate. Thanks for visiting!