THE MAN BEHIND THE BZ!

Sean and Harrison, doing their impression of a two-headed menace!  

More About Domino

Eye Color:  Hazel/Green

Hair Color:  Brown

Height:  5'11" (1.8 meters)

Favorite Food:  I like everything except for spinach (boiled) and brussel sprouts (no matter how prepared).

Favorite Beverages:  Got any soda in the fridge? I prefer Coca Cola, but Mountain Dew is good and I'm a sucker for really good rootbeer (like Henry Weinhard's).  
If you are serving cocktails, I'll take a martini (preferably Bombay Sapphire Gin with Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth, dirty w/two olives).  If you're out of vermouth, I wouldn't mind a gin and tonic (hopefully you've got a lime to slice up for that).
If you're offering me a beer, I have two moods - on warm days I prefer MacTarnahan's Ale while on cold days I prefer Guinness.  
Coffee is a great way to start the day, and I usually keep Seattle's Best brand coffee beans in my cupboard next to my bean grinder.

Hobbies/Pastimes:  When I'm not pondering the mysteries of life, sleeping, or maintaining the Star Wars Battle Zone, I enjoy playing billiards, reading books, and writing stuff.  I am currently working on a novel (general fiction, not sci-fi/fantasy).  I do not ride my bicycle as much as I would like to (due to lack of time), though proudly I admit that I do not watch nearly as much TV as I did five years ago (which is to say that I watch approximately 3-5 hours per week).

Any Nicknames?

Oh my yes!  I've had several, some of which I'm not that proud of.  Here's a list of nicknames I can remember (listed in the order I received them), with an explanation for each one:

• BUCKWHEAT - Ever see the old "Our Gang/Little Rascals" television show?  One of the more popular characters on that show was Buckwheat, who was famous for his radical hairstyle and the way he talked ("Otay!").  When I was around 3-4 years old, my hair was a tangled mess of fluff, prompting my siblings to "bless" me with my first nickname.
• BEAN - There really ought to be a law to prevent kindergarten teachers from writing the names of 5-year old children on felt nametags.  The "S" on my nametag smudged and looked like a "B."  My siblings, as sensitive as they all are, were quick to give me my second nickname.  At a family gathering I am still called "Bean" or "Buckwheat."
• JUDGE - This came about because of a man known as Judge Roy Bean.  I was 13 when one of my brothers decided I had probably grown weary of being called "Bean," and favored "Judge" for approximately 4 months before dropping it.  A few friends liked the way it sounded when my brother said it and they adopted it.  Now that I think of it, my friends' approval of the name could be the reason why my brother discontinued using it. 
• DOMINO - A whim gave me the opportunity to become known as Domino when I was 17.  When my brother (same brother who called me "Judge") worked at McDonald's he had a really cool nickname:  Riley Spitfire.  After he joined the Army and  left home, I started working at McDonald's (in fact, every male child in my immediate family worked at that store).  The owner's son grabbed my McD's nametag and insisted that since my brother had been known as "Riley Spitfire" I certainly wasn't going to go without a nickname.  He asked me if I had a preference.  I remembered a friend one of my brothers had years earlier; his surname was Domino.  I always thought it was cool when people called him by his last name.  I smiled and said, "If you're putting it on that nametag, I'd like to be known as Domino."  In its heyday, 1 out of 3 people used the nickname when talking to me or about me.  I still know of four or five people who call me that in face to face situations, and it is making a comeback (the phone list database at my job has me listed as Domino Bardwell).
• SHAKESPEARE - Given to me by the instructor of a class I took back in 1990.  When writing papers, I would get very wordy and flowery, and my instructor started calling me Shakespeare. 
• MAYOR - In 1991, I worked for a building supply company in Portland.  Everyone had a nickname, and most of them were catchy:  Rocko, Adonis, Bluto, Sticks...  At the beginning of my second week with the company, I walked in wearing an old hat from my McDonald's days; it had the image of a Big Mac hamburger around the sides.  The guys I worked with started calling me "Mayor" after one of the old McDonald's commercial characters, Mayor McCheese.  It wasn't as cool as being called "Rocko," but at least it didn't sound corny like my delivery partner's nickname:  Cletus. 
• SENATOR - The most recent nickname ascribed to me.  A few people at my last job decided that I should run for state senate because "Senator Sean Bardwell" has a catchy ring to it.  They liked the sound of it so much that they started calling me "Senator" and it caught on quickly.

What are People Saying About Domino?
Truncating, revising, and paraphrasing by editorial license as needed

"Sean is nice, funny, loyal, and kind.  Generous with his time and money and everything 
else, he is the best person I know." - RINA

"In an X-Y axis world, Sean is a Z axis person." - Zabba101

"Heretic!" - R. Bardwell (older brother) <

"If the bowels of Hell had a Santa Claus, who came around yearly to bring cheer 
to the damned..." - B. Carter

"An intriguing, genuine one-of-a-kind being with a soul so precious and a heart quite 
admirable that I'm proud to call him friend." - Baby

"Dashing, debonair, devil-may-care, roguish, scoundrel, who has a gift with words, a tongue 
sharp as a razor, and a disturbing ability to make no sense whatsoever on occasion." - Beth

"Seany ---- just not scary =)" - Jojo

"Sean is a very talented and decent individual who can be conceited at times, but is usually 
a nice guy." - Alia

"He's inventive and funny, crazy and kooky.  He's wacky and way-out, man.  
He's Dr. Rock!" - Mugsy

"Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil 
Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil Evil!!!!" - Mandraghonne

"Sunlight off of a tooth as he smiles, a witty riposte flying from his tongue, 
Sean is a true friend." - K. Eckler

"If Sean were a CD, I'd play him as the soundtrack to a cross-country road trip." 
- C. Smitherman

"Enjoyable to listen to,
Moreso to talk to,
Doesn't always think things through,
Makes you laugh in spite of you." - Ibran

"Sean likes to have power, is a well-practiced egotist, and is sometimes really screwed up, but he likes himself and cares about his friends.  He is a very good listener, but should beware of the advice he gives at times.  In the end he may just be an average guy, but he is always a challenge to argue with since he sticks to his beliefs." - Bisie

"Sean is amazing!" - K. Dumas

"Sean has a great sense of humor in the sick and twisted way that I love so much.  He is caring.
He shows a great amount of self control.  I've always known that if I ever needed to talk he would
listen... even if I was just rambling.  He's honest... to a point (some points are just sharper than
others).  He is also a very BIG flirt, and he gives some of the best hugs..." - Gloria

"He is nearly as good a writer as Jérôme Birkenstock."
- J. Birkenstock and 60 million French citizens.

"Sean is the light of someone's random universe." - J. Olson

"Sean has a warm heart, and is always trying to make me laugh.  I appreciate his friendship."
- E. Nealy

"I can't stand that arrogant bastard!" - Many, many people 

My Favorite Movies:
Movies are in no particular order, however I have listed the Star Wars movies in the order I like them  

My 50 Favorite Music CD's:
Once again, no particular order

My Reading List:
I used to list the books I've read in any given year, but this was taking up too doggone much space because I read an awful lot of books.  However, I've compiled my thoughts on a few select authors so you can understand my literary taste.

• Michael A. Stackpole - wonderful sci-fi, sensational fantasy.  Exciting description and incidental details are a hallmark in his books. 

• Henry Rollins - Ever wanted to tell the world just exactly what you think of it, but you were too darned squeamish to actually do it?  Rollins isn't the least bit squeamish.

• Neil Gaiman - Every beasty that ever lived under your bed or in your closet, every fantastic battle you ever fought in your imagination, and every dream/nightmare that ever visited your subconscious can be found in Gaiman's writing. 

• Neal Stephenson - The 1990's godfather of cyberpunk novels.  From Snow Crash to Cryptonomicon, Stephenson is a marvelous storyteller.

• Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time series is the very best fantasy I've read; I will use it as a standard to judge all other fantasy (even Tolkien).

• Other authors who have made their contributions to my personality are:  Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, Milan Kundera, and Flannery O'Conner

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