My name is Christopher James Scott Endrinal, and I…

… am a Filipino by blood, a Chicagoan by birth, a Houstonian by circumstance, a Floridian for the second time;

… cannot remember not being a Chicago Cubs fan;

… love driving a manual transmission;

… have known my wife for more than 3/4 of my life and have loved her for almost as long;

… am amazed by my children on a daily basis;

… still can’t believe I’m father to identical twins;

… became a lifelong Chicago Bulls fan on June 19, 1984;

… teach music theory at Florida Gulf Coast University;

… shudder at the mere thought of a spider;

… graduated from Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, and Florida State University;

… prefer Woodford Reserve;

… became a lifelong Chicago Bears fan on January 26, 1986;

… can cook bacon and eggs really well;

… fell in love with The Shawshank Redemption even more after reading Stephen King’s short story, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” on which the film is based,

… will happily discuss with anyone the reasons for U2’s inclusion among the pantheon of all-time great rock bands;

… am an only child;

… was a Pete Sampras fan but think Roger Federer is the greatest male tennis player of all time;

… became a lifelong Florida State fan on November 29, 2003;

… love to play Chopin, analyze Beethoven, and listen to Mozart;

… think Seinfeld is the greatest sitcom of all time;

… loved The Last Jedi;

… think U2’s 2017 album Songs of Experience ranks as the band’s third best;

… have a soft spot for all-black dogs;

… prefer to cook with cast iron.