I've chosen to create this site as a hobby and as a way to succinctly explain what I do now to those I've lost touch with over the years. I'm 27 years old and grew up in Wilmington, DE. I suppose I had a pretty average, suburban upbringing. No complaints. My next stop was Syracuse, NY where I stayed for 9 years worth of school and work. Recently, my job gave me the opportunity to move to Altanta, Georgia, which is where I will be for the foreseeable future.

I went to college at Syracuse University and hung out in the area a bit longer than anticipated. My undergraduate degree is in political science and I minored in philosophy (yeah, I know...but it gets better!). I figured I should go to grad school to get some actual usable skills. In June of 1998, I attained a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

After school and two degrees focused on government-related work, it's pretty interesting that my first real job is for a private sector consulting firm with an emphasis on market research! I work for Knowledge Systems & Research, a Syracuse-based consulting firm. I've been at KS&R for over 4 years and I've really enjoyed my time there. Work hours are a bit crazy sometimes and it can get pretty intense, but I suppose that's what it takes to excel in a client-centered business. The people at KS&R are great. They treat me very well and we provide a great product.

In my down time, I like to play and teach drums, play and watch sports and other tv, decorate my apartment, spend time with friends, travel, ice skate and rollerblade, take care of my fish, philosophize (sometimes just spout off!) about the good and evil of society and code HTML. Hmm...that last one doesn't fit too well, huh?


Me with Clemson Tiger at 1995 Gator Bowl
Running with the Great Beasts of the Earth

Favorites:

City to visit: Toronto, Ontario
Athlete: Harold Reynolds
Band (all time): Beatles
Band (modern): Radiohead
Symphony: Dvorák-#9 Symphony for the New World
Sauce: Carbonara
Buffet Restaurant: Ponderosa
Comedians: George Carlin and Dennis Miller
Pizza Chain: Papa John's
Movies: Godfather II, The Ten Commandments, Airplane
Sit-coms: Hogan's Heros, M.A.S.H., Married...with Children
Pen: Uni-Ball Deluxe Micro (so smooth!)
Wrestling Pay-Per-View: WWF Royal Rumble
Relaxing activity: 90210 or WW2 marathon on TV
XFL team: Memphis Maniax (they'll be back!!!)

I'm Also Known As:

  • MDH
  • mdharwit
  • Moses (little used, but my favorite)
  • Tank (a very fitting name given to me at work)

Can someone be friendly, yet edgy and contentious all the time? In a way, I think this defines me pretty well. The former is a goal and something I work at continuously. The latter just seems to happen. I work hard to be friendly because I think I'm as lucky as any person can be. Circumstances had me born in a nice suburban area with good schools to a great family with adequate financial means to expose me to "mind-deepening" cultures and send me to the college of my choice. I don't take this for granted. Most aren't so lucky.

I think my edginess and persistent contentiousness likely stems from a combination of personal insecurities (we've all got 'em), my pragmatic world views (causing me to argue the other side of any debate before I agree) and my utter reverence of logic. I've always been very autonomous and never afraid to lock myself in a room with my thoughts. I really like to be alone and think through issues, big and small. Through college, my favorite classes were those in which we discussed process analysis and the logic behind decision-making, for both practical and ethereal subject matter. I've come to make every decision via ridiculously deep analyses. I consider variables and perform cost/benefit analyses for such basic things as choosing lanes to go through toll booths and turning off my lights before I go to bed. What this has brought about is an utter deploring of process inefficiencies. Well, I've come to see that the world is full of these and that frustrates the hell out of me. While we all do things inefficiently at times, I pride myself on being able to continually improve on these things. It's become fun to figure out how to get things done better.

Pet Peeve I: When I'm in a restaurant and I order coffee, I like to add a bit of sugar. Well, when the waiter comes over and fills my cup when I'm halfway through, it screws up my whole ratio of sugar to coffee. I've got to be a damn chemist to make it taste right! To all waiters and waitresses out there-please ask if I want more coffee before pouring and don't act like you're doing me a huge favor because you're "warming my cup"-YOU JUST RUINED MY DAY!!

Pet Peeve II: Now, we all jaywalk sometimes...and that's ok with me. If no cars are coming, it makes complete sense to cross the street regardless of what a sign may be telling you to do. BUT, sometimes we cross and then find out that a car is actually coming. In such instances, people should show some goddamn urgency to get their ass across the street, or, at minimum, give a gesture to indicate knowledge of the fact that they f'd up and apologize for the delay and panic that they have instilled in the poor driver who, incidentally, could likely run them over without any legal worries.
Things that make me emotional:
  • Les Misérables
  • Overtime playoff hockey