By day, David Dashifen Kees is a mild-mannered programmer living in Alexandria, VA. By night… they’re pretty much the same thing only asleep. Programming since the sixth grade, Dash has been writing web applications since 1998 and using WordPress since about 2007.
Well, no, but that’s the quick version.
I guess you want some other details? Dash has a degree in Computer Science and Instructional Design and Development (i.e. designing curricula, especially involving technology). Professionally, they’ve been a nerd forever working in academia pretty much as long as it was legal for them to be working. That environment has helped hone their communications and customer service skills in ways that other programming environments may not have.
Honestly, sometimes they program; remember: I told you they were a giant nerd. But, they also enjoy reading historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, political thrillers, and mysteries as well as biographies and non-fictional history as well. They’ve been an avid reader of comic books (mostly Marvel) for quite some time and are thoroughly enjoying the modern age of superhero media.
When the weather’s nice, you can often find them out and about on their bicycle for some exercise. In fact, at times it has been their only form of transportation, since they and their partner share a single vehicle; she’s a hybrid (the car, not the partner), and she (the partner) usually uses her (the car), named Sparki, to go to work.
They also know how to play piano, clarinet, and saxophone, and have a guitar that they’re hoping to learn how to play soon.
Oh, yeah! Dash has pets.
At the moment, there’s the dog, three cats, and four snakes. They’re named Jill and Aiden (pictured above), Noel, Toshi, Kiera (pictured here), Uzuri, Kendi, and Mahiri. The snakes are a milk snake, two ball pythons, and a Kenyan sand boa.
Before the current menagerie, there were Gus and Betsy (also dogs, also Boston Terriers), Oliver (cat), Java and Cobol (mice), Caia and Enya (rats), and Daria and Zerrick (geckos).
Yup! They’re pretty proud of that one. It was about seven or eight hours non-stop just to get it all colored. Plus, that’s not the only one; they have nine more: a bee on a white rose, a tribal/celtic cat, a golden apple, a digital circuit, Betsy’s dog collar (a memorial), two that relate to their first quarter work on their MDiv, and an elaborate representation of the four elements as a tree on fire in a windy storm.
If you were paying attention, that’s only eight. The ninth is one they share with their partner. Their song is Moondance by Van Morrison, and the tattoo (pictured here) shows two figures dancing in the moonlight and autumn leaves.
Yup. they and their partner met in 2001 when she joined the Lehigh University Marching 97. Dash attended Lehigh, and she was at nearby college without a marching band (poor souls). Luckily, she was able to march with Lehigh, and especially luckily for her and Dash, they met, fell in love, got married in 2005, and are still together today.
Interesting fact: Dash took her name; they weren’t born a “Kees.”
She’s a veterinarian, which helps explain their menagerie, so her schedule’s pretty busy. But, when they have time together, they enjoy similar television and movies, books, the occasional session of World of Warcraft (Alliance side, Aerie Peak US), as well as concerts, plays, and especially musicals.
Wow; you made it all the way down here? You must really be curious — or a stalker.
Hrm … parting thoughts. They’ve been known to paint their nails; they and their partner go for manicures together. The employees at the salon seem quite taken by their particular form of date night.
Dash has been an avid table-top role playing gamer (remember: giant nerd), and they’ve been running Shadowrun pretty much non-stop since 2001. And, speaking of being a nerd, while they were selling their house, they moved back in with their folks for about three months. During that time, they were literally a 30-something computer programmer living in their mother’s basement while playing World of Warcraft.
They should win an award for that.
