I am more than the sum of my past and Judaism (Though Judaism is easily 60% of my life) and I wanted to express some of the things I enjoy in life, to give a glimpse into my life. A lot of what I like might be considered nerdy/geeky, but I wear those badges like a proud boy scout. I like doing things more than watching them, which is probably why the only sport I truly love is Lacrosse, and I don’t watch television (only movies and the occasional series). I fancy myself a gentleman and a bit of a renaissance man, loving all things old and especially love studying things men did in my grandfather’s day, such as table manners, tying ties (in many knots), men’s fashion, basic survival craft, shaving with straight razors etcetera… and no I am not a part of the toxic masculinity culture. 

Though I studied and practiced martial arts for decades and lived a very violent past, I find violence deplorable, it almost makes my stomach turn. I believe in the power of words and healthy debate to mend issues, if violence is the answer, the question was stupid. Though I hate violence, videogame and movies with violent content are okay, because it isn’t real and people aren’t suffering in them. 

So, why am I writing this on a site like this? To humanize myself to SOS readers; this isn’t all a work of fiction, it’s my life, I lived it and still am baruch Hashem. I want readers to be able to know me a bit, so when they read something here that’s a bit extreme about my past, they have the context of me, now, and not me, then telling the story. Plus, I’ve always felt a bit odd learning about someone’s life, without knowing them a bit beyond the stories. Without further adieu, here are some of the things that make life awesome for me…

Art – I am an artist, I have always been an artist honestly, and even being legally blind, I paint and sketch. I paint under the AKA of Frederick Ambrogio and have sold over 200 pieces of art around the globe over 3 years. I sketch in pen and pencil, love mixed media, and even make creations out of Sculpey clay.

Music – I play bass guitar, keyboards, drums, Cajon, write lyrics and sing, program midi, pre, and post-production, mastering etcetera. I released five albums of music and a single in the goth/new wave/industrial scenes as “D-Lux.” Nationally famous in the club scene for the aforementioned genres. I also LOVE listening to music in most genres; pop, rock, classic rock, alternative, goth, industrial, new wave, hip hop, punk rock, folk music from various countries, country, klezmer, classical, chamber, and opera, metal… you name it, I love someone in the genre!

Writing – I write a lot, from on my websites, for numerous other online sources, to print, and was first published in 2007 and lastly in 2021. I write fiction in the horror/macabre genres, and non-fiction about how to combat extremism, about individual’s rights, about topics I enjoy, just about anything. 

Poetry – Poetry is something I first fell in love with through the works of Edgar Allen Poe in my teens and has since expanded to many forms and types of poetry. My all-time favorite poem is by William Ernest Henley called, “Invictus,” and is my sort of mantra in life. 

Board games and tabletop gaming – I have seen the best of friendships formed over a good board game, and that’s what is great about all tabletop games, you meet people with similar interests. My wife and I love gaming together and with our kids, it’s phenomenal bonding time.

Video games – Single-player, multi-player, cooperative, split-screen, I love gaming. I play any genre honestly, but RPG’s are my favorite.

Studying history (Mainly Mesopotamia and Egypt) – I find the ancient world fascinating and always have. As a kid, I had a subscription for years to archaeology and anthropology magazine and had countless books. Egypt, Babylon, Ur, Sumeria, these are the histories I know best. The Penn Museum is my absolute favorite place to visit in all of Philadelphia, I would spend eternity there!

Learning languages – While I am currently studying Hebrew, I was already a polyglot, speaking; English, Latin, Italian, Spanish, and a conversational degree of Japanese. 

Magic the Gathering collectible card game – I’ve loved Magic for about a decade or more, then lost my cards… but my wife and I are going to get new cards and play and include the kids too. I love the gameplay mechanics, the art, the customization, and the freedom to play as you want to within the confines of the rule. 

Dungeons and Dragons – I played this a lot as a kid up until v3.0 and only stopped playing because it became too hard to get a group together and keep it steady. 

Collecting records – I grew up around records, so listening to them brings back a certain nostalgia and joy to me, especially when listening to my father’s Beatles and John Lennon records my mom gave me. 

Things I can do tricks with – Fidget spinners, thumb chucks, fingerboards, contact juggling, Nunchaku, bo/Jo staff, Escrima sticks, karambit flipping, butterfly knife/balisong flipping, I love them all. 

Riding bikes and races/marathons/charity events – I ride stationary bikes and do online challenges for fitness and for charity events. It’s great exercise, fun for me, and a challenge to get longer and longer distances while keeping my heart rate up. 

Anime – I’ve watched Anime since I was a little boy and my love for anime grew through my teens and into adulthood. Dragonball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, Ninja Scroll, A vision of Escaflowne, Mazinger Z, Cowboy Bebop, and countless others ring as favorites. From movies to series, I love anime!

Reading – I read a lot, from fiction to non-fiction I like to delve face-first into the subjects I read. I love horror and fantasy, but science fiction is great too. Some of my favorite authors are; Edgar Allen Poe, Howard Philips Lovecraft, Clive Barker 

All things Trek – I absolutely love all things Star Trek, from the original to current (even cartoon) iterations, Trek…is…life! My favorite series are deep space nine and the next generation, but I’ll take all the trek I can get. 

Outdoors –  Camping, fishing, survival craft, bushcraft, ATV’s, mushroom, and berry picking… I love nature and rekindling the bond we humans have with it.