About Me — Tim Kramer
World’s worst introvert, who loves to write, hates spiders and has never driven a car with his feet…
Let’s start from the end and then we’ll work our way back…
Ironic how we’ll begin my About Me article with the Quentin Tarantino style of movie making — he is after all, the GOAT director.
I’m at a spot in my life where I’m trying to ‘turn it all around.’ No, I’m not recovering from anything, unless you count too much time spent in the military or frequent bouts of poison ivy. What I mean to say is, I’m at an ok’ish time in my life right now. The point where you haven’t quite been hit by your mid-life crisis but are squinting at its high beams while it barrels towards you. I’d call that a win.
My therapist tells me that I’m really good at deflecting and diverting. I’ll take my compliments anywhere I can get them. Ok, enough deflecting, let’s get into it…
After some recent happenings that I can elaborate for you once you get to know me better (at least buy me dinner first, jeez), I’m trying to focus more on me and my goals. And I don’t mean that in a ‘go f$#k yourself, I’m only in it for me’ kind of focusing on me. I mean it in a ‘I’ve spent the past 35 years torturing myself into caring more what other people think of me, than I think of myself,’ kind of way. I’ve also been prone to the dangerously circuitous cycles of ‘second guessing myself,’ ‘overthinking,’ and ‘caring too much.’ However there is one thing I’ll never be able to care enough about, and that is my wife and two kids…
They are my world.
I’ve started reading more, spending time with my kids more, working out more, and just trying to slow down. No I’m not even close to retirement — though I should be considering how somehow I am sorer after taking a nap than I am before falling asleep.
I’m also writing more. Which has brought both you and I, together, at this very juncture in space and time. Chills?
I’m writing a book…
It’s an Adult SciFi set in the year 2076. AI taking over, flyable surf boards, and cyberkinetic orgasms — yeah it’s the whole shebang. I’m hoping to query it to agents this year and get it published. It’s a bit of a life goal of mine.
Also, I’m writing on Medium to get a lot of stuff that’s been rattling around in the ol’ noggin’ for a bit too long. I basically need to clear out some cob webs, to hopefully make room for shinier and newer cob webs. Which is ironic, because I am deathly afraid of spiders.
I am the world’s worst introvert…
Truly, if there is one thing in this world that I am terrible at it is trying to be an extrovert. Oh believe me, I can do it, but it’s going to look about as bad as me trying to drive my car with my feet. That is to say, I can do it but I really shouldn’t. What I meant to say is; I am an introvert who can act like an extrovert really well for very short periods of time. The tricky part is acting like one for TOO long, in which case my carriage turns back into a pumpkin and my horses turn back into mice. Is THAT why there’s mice in my attic?!?!?
Disclaimer: I have never tried to drive a car, or a horse drawn carriage, with my feet.
I mentioned I love Quentin Tarantino movies, it's more of a love language actually. Inglorious Bastards, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 are my top 3. If you like those movies, enjoy writing, aren’t a turd-bucket, like to see yourself apart from the world but are unfortunately stuck knee deep in it — then congratulations, we just became best friends. :)
Oh yeah, I love: hanging out with my family, traveling, napping, watching stand up comedy, writing, listening to audio books, all things Star Wars and Harry Potter.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and the author’s alone. They do not represent the official position of the United States Government or the United States Department of Defense in any capacity. T.B. Kramer is an American author and former US Army Officer. He got the idea for The Fourth Branch novel series by thinking of what it would be like if a supreme AI ran the government and what the implications would be for a society that never seems to run short on anger. When he’s not writing, he can be found in central Pennsylvania spending time with his wife and two children.
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