Graham Riedel
 

 

Horsesm.jpg    This page is here to tell you a little bit about myself, so let's start back in 1973. I was born at the Edna Gladney Home in Fort Worth, Texas. At the age of 10 days, I was adopted and moved to Houston, Texas. I grew up in Houston and moved to Austin for 4 years from `91 to `95. There I studied at the Universtiy of Texas. You could say I took the Baskin Robbins approach to my degree. My fields of study included Computer Science, Air Force ROTC, Real Estate, Music, Radio-Television-Film, and Commercial Music Management. In `95 I moved back to Houston to help my father start a new business, but found myself spending not an entirely small amount of time trying to figure out how to get back to Austin. ;-) Grsmall.jpgI obtained my Series 7 Stock Broker's License in `96 and worked for a SOES Firm for about a year.  I moved to the other side of the investment world in late `96 and became a day trader  In March of `98 I got back into the brokerage side of things at the firm I am now with. Right now I'm the Software Support for our firm's Trading Floor in Austin, TX.  I've had the good fortune of being able to do some travelling in my life (all the more reason why I'm ready to depart Houston) to places like Egypt, Germany, Mexico, Israel, and all throughout the United States. To the left is a picture of me at the age of 2 riding Brownie out at my grandparents' farm, where I spent many of my summers growing up. I told ya I was a Texan! ::smirk:: On the right is a semi-recent picture of me. Click either picture for a larger version.

My interests:

Grsmall2.jpg    One thing I feel blessed with is that I've never had a problem with being bored. ;-) My hobbies and interests are pretty extreme. I have my pilot's license, my scuba certification, I love skydiving, water skiing, snow skiing, beaches, lakes, jet skiing, camping, white water rafting, repelling. I guess you could say I'm a pretty outdoorsy person. (makes ya wonder where I find the time to write this page, huh? ::smirk::) My number one passion is music. I sing, play the piano, compose, play a very little bit of guitar .. these days I am proud to admit that I play more of my own works than the works of others. It keeps my soul sane. I also write and love to read. To the left is a picture of me this past January on top of Summit Peak at Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburgh, Texas. If you've never been to Enchanted Rock, you haven't lived yet. Click the picture for a larger version.

Dreams in Life:

caprism.jpg    One thing that has always been very important for me are dreams. I've always had very specific dreams in life. I'll start with a few that have already come true for me. I mentioned above that I was adopted. I grew up an only child, but always dreamed of having a sister close to my age. At the age of 18, I discovered who my birth mother was (Dream-in-life #1).. and instantly had 3 half sisters and a half brother, the oldest of which, Katie, is only a few years younger than I. (Dream-in-life #2) (Side note: if you are adopted and were born in Texas, e-mail me .. I know the ropes on making searches if you are interested) There is really no sense of accomplishment that comes close to the day when a dream you've attempted to realize for years finally comes true. To the right is a picture of Katie, my oldest half-sister. Click the picture for a larger version.katie2sm.jpg Here are a few more of my dreams in life.
   #3 My grandfather went to the Isle of Capri off of the coast of Italy many many years ago. While he was there, he took a photograph of this old stone staircase overlooking the cliffs and the ocean. When he got back to the states, he painted it. That painting hung over our fireplace when I was growing up .. it hangs over the fireplace in my condo now. Someday, I will go to Capri and search for that very same staircase so I can see it with my own eyes. The picture on the left is the actual painting that my grandfather did. Click it for a larger version.
   #4 There is a concert pavillion north of Houston called the Cynthia P. Mitchell Woodlands Pavillion. Someday I will play there .. and I'll play a song that no one has heard, not my fans, my friends, my band members, or my family .. it will be about dreams in life coming trugrsmall3.jpge.
   #5 This one was more of a vision than a dream in life. I don't remember when exactly it came about. I think it was a dream, but it had a very real quality to it. I saw myself about 40 years old sitting on a couple of large rocks overlooking a sun setting over the ocean .. and my son was sitting next to me .. just the two of us .. sharing a heart to heart and enjoying life.   
   #6 Someday I'm going to buy a retired fighter jet .. like an F-4 or F-5. If I am REALLY lucky, I'll pick up an F-16 for cheap (only a couple million dollars) and REALLY put my piloting abilities to the test. ;)
   And last, just a general one .. to meet my soulmate.

Well, that's it for now .. hope you enjoyed them. I know I will. ::smirk::
            ~ Graham

 

  
 

Page Content from his Personal website : http://members.aol.com/grahamri/aboutme.htm