Tyler's Pictures and FAQ

MORE ABOUT ME... PIX, FAQ, MUSIC AND WAY TOO MUCH OTHER INFORMATION

Q. What's your story?

I'm Tyler, the quirky guy who drives the bug named Quark. What do you mean by quirky you ask? Well... let's see... I just started a career as a railway civil engineer in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Yes, I said railway engineering. Believe it or not, people still design railways from the ground up. To protect the innocent I won't say which consulting firm I work for but I'll give you a hint, we do Heavy Duty Railway engineering. To say that I like trains is an understatement. I'm a train-geek but I have it under control.

I live in Texas but I'm not from this part of the world. I graduated from the University of Illinois and my hometown is Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. How can a product of the Great White North infused with Illini spirit working as a railway civil engineer in Texas not be quirky? I enjoy cool old funky stuff. I guess that kind of goes with the whole retro New Beetle idea. It's not tacky, it's kitsch and it works for me. I have no real idea why I decided to move to Texas. It just seemed like an adventure and I can play outdoor miniature golf at Putt-Putt 365 days a year. Fancy restaurants don't impress me but I live for ice cream and I swear that the bug automatically pulls into every Sonic (America's Drive-In!) she encounters. Getting the picture? I didn't express my individuality and rage against the establishment by trying to be like everybody else. Instead I embraced my funny geeky quirks and ran with them... it's been quite a trip!

Q. Pictures?

My latest pics circa June 2002... now with extra spiky hair!

My new apartment circa June 2002 with the crazy chair that took forever to deliver. I live in a very cool restored 1930s downtown office building.

The funky Grainger Engineering Library Statue and I on U of I graduation day, May 2001. I can now put a bunch more letters after my name: Tyler, B. Sc. (Civ. Eng.), M. Sc. (Civ. Eng.), EIT, NBO, SSC. That's Engineer In Training, New Beetle Owner and Star-Spangled Canadian if you didn't guess already.

Train geek! Railway Industry Supply Show in Chicago. Nothing like a picture of a big kid and his big toy. I've just liked them for as long as I remember.

Look at the Canadian in the snow, eh? What a hoser eh? As one of my friends would say, I toboggan "North End Style". At any rate, that's me in my parents' back yard in December 2000, either impersonating a South Park character or Nanook of the North, take your pick! Man, those light blue jeans are so not in fashion now but hey, this was like two years ago!

Did I mention that I went to the University of Illinois? Did I mention that I am a big college basketball fan? Put those together and you can be sure that I was one of the crazy kids in the Orange Krush student section. I even travelled to San Antonio tofollow the team on the Road to the Final Four in March 2001. They wouldn't let us get away with the banner, but I did get on CBS and have the tape to prove it.

A goofy pic of me taken while whitewater rafting in West Virginia. Yes, I am tall, or as some people say, "vertically enhanced".

Here's an old school pic. I literally mean old school because it is from the U of M. That's Bart and I out doing some research in October 1998 and learning to park the car on the sunny side of the tracks. Picture by Tommy (thanks!)

Hey look, it's my parents! For your convenience (if you couldn't tell them apart already), they are wearing their "Illinois Mom" and "Illinois Dad" sweatshirts. They are incredibly proud that I survived two years at Illinois, and have racked up over several thousand miles on the Camry (they drive an ordinary car, it's also beige) driving to campus to visit me. Now they get to drive to Texas. I don't know if they are really happy about that or not. My parents don't have real names, they are just "Tyler's Mom" and "Tyler's Dad". I am glad that I inherited my Mom's hair!

Q. Music?

I have no musical talent whatsoever but I can put a CD in a CD player (although some would say my CD selection isn't great)! Anyways, here are some bands/artists I enjoy, in no particular order. Some people don't like my somewhat ranging musical tastes but hey, if it's too loud turn it down!

Old Stuff: Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan (at least the real old stuff), The Turtles, The Zombies, The Animals, The Who, The Ventures, and 60s surf & hot rod bands in general

New Stuff: Weezer, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, Ultimate Fakebook, The Deathray Davies, The Get Up Kids, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Ozma, Guster, The Anniversary, 41 Gorgeous Blocks, The Apples In Stereo, Ash, The Ataris, Lucy Loves Schroeder, Nerf Herder, OK Go, The Polyphonic Spree, The Red Hot Valentines, The Shins, They Might Be Giants.

Canadian Stuff: Barenaked Ladies, Tragically Hip, Great Big Sea, Neil Young, The Guess Who, Stompin' Tom Connors!!!!

I have an iPod!!! I've named it iPunk. The ability to hold so much music in the palm of one's hand is awe inspiring.

Q. Computer?

I made the switch! I have a beautiful white and graphite iBook (that's a Mac laptop) with an 800 MHz G3, 640 MB of RAM and the prettiest 14-inch display known to man. It trips the light fantastic.

Q. Likes?

-Trains! (duh?)

-Looney Tunes, especially Sylvester, but any well-animated cartoon works

-New Beetles and VW bugs and buses in general

-Basketball

-Drawing (I wish I had time to do it more often) and photography, all types of art but particularly Pop Art (Lichtenstein, Warhol, etc.)

-Museums... Smithsonian addict!

-Taking something from a different era and finding a new interesting use for it

-Pasta, even if it's out of a can

-Traveling the open road

-Blue sky and the horizon

-The sight of a combine in a field of wheat

-Black Nikes with white shoelaces

-Watching physics in action.... oh that sounds so geeky but it's true

-People who forgive me for being so quiet and shy

Q. Dislikes?

-A lot of different foods, I'm not picky I just really like the few things I like

-Being told I would/will never make it as an engineer

-That girls always go for the architect

-Hearing the Beatles "Taxman" in an H&R Block commercial

-Three-button shirts

-Humidity

-People that don't give me a chance

-People who say they will call but never do

-Hearing the words "I only like you as a friend"

-That relationships are more complicated than triple integrals

Q. So since you're a railway civil engineer, that means you drive the train right?

No! I am a civil engineer with a specialty in railway transportation. That means that I design the track and roadbed that trains run on, determine route geometry such as curves and grades, and aid in the design of service scheduling and capacity planning. A railway mechanical engineer would design locomotives and freight cars, while an electrical railway engineer would design signal systems. These are all types of professional engineers. A locomotive engineer is the person who "drives" a train. I think that operating a train would be a blast for a few hours (see the picture above), but wouldn't want it to be my job.

Q. What is that ring on your finger?

It is called the "Iron Ring" or "Engineer's Ring" and it is worn by all engineers who obtain their undergraduate degrees from a Canadian university. The iron in the ring is said to be taken from the wreckage of the Quebec Bridge (see my Railway Engineering Wonders page), and it is worn on the pinky finger of the working hand to remind the engineer of his or her obligation to maintain the highest standards of workmanship. The ring is made of iron as it is cold and unyielding and reminds the engineer of the severe consequences of engineering mistakes. The ring is rough and unfinished to reflect the character of the engineer. With time and work, the ring will reflect the smooth and polished character of an experienced engineer. The "Iron Ring" is obtained during the "Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer". During this ritual, graduating engineers oblige themselves to conduct the profession in a safe and ethical manner. A picture of the "Iron Ring" is included below. For more information, click here.

Q. What is that white spot on the back of your head?

It is a birthmark. I have always had a patch of black hair on the back of my head. However, in first year engineering, the patch turned a nice silvery-white colour. Coincidence? I'm not sure!

Q. What is France's most popular tourist attraction?

Despite all of the jokes, that would be Euro-Disney, even if everybody thinks it is the Eiffel Tower.

Q. What is with the pink flamingos? (ie like the one in the apartment picture above)

I grew up in Transcona, Manitoba, the undisputed pink flamingo capital of the world. We say this because Transcona was the last place on earth where it was very common and acceptable to see a pink flamingo on a front lawn. The pink flamingo is Transcona's official mascot, although the sports teams at my high school were called the Titans, thank goodness or else my basketball uniform would have looked very, very bad!

Q. What are you doing down here (...in Dallas)?

Why not? Life's an adventure and this seemed like the most interesting opportunity.

Q. What's this about sleeping in a drawer?

My U of I dorm room was so small the bed was on sliding tracks and pulled out at night against the desk covering the entire floor. It was crazy.

Q. Do I win a prize if I'm still reading this?

Yes! I'll send you a box of Cracker Jack. Think of it as a prize within a prize!

You also get to click here to return to the main page!

If you have any questions or comments, e-mail me at trainspotted2@aol.com