The ultimate challenge for a geek

I have always been curious how things work

as I child I disassembled my toys

wanting to know what was inside them

I soon learned how to reassemble and repair them

my first bicycle was an old wreck

I acquired many abandoned bikes

swapped out components to customize mine

it had spring forks and chopper style handlebars

my dad bought me a car before I could legally drive

that mini sat outside our house while I rebuilt it

a full engine strip down and repainted body

I knew every nut bolt and washer on that car

it was a given that I went to engineering school

learning about the science of what makes things work

doing fun experiments with jet engines and heat pumps

I worked part time building oil tankers in the local shipyard

my bachelor degree was in mechanical engineering

I became a development engineer in the nuclear energy business

in my spare time I built a fully fledged racing car

I became a weekend racing driver and mechanic

home ownership brought new challenges

I soon learned how to fix plumbing and electrical stuff

I designed and built additions to that house

creating more space for our growing family

my first computer was a basic BBCB

I spent many hours taking it apart

as a self confessed geek I had to know how it worked

I moved on to build my own desk top computer

in later life I developed a fascination with human biology

I became a volunteer EMT with the local fire department

I learned how to stabilize sick and injured people

fixing the human body is the ultimate challenge for a geek