Interests

I have many different interests, but this section is dedicated to the ones I pursue often. I also have a page dedicated to sites that I like!

I didn't lift weights that much until I went to college, but I made up for lost time. I still enjoy weightlifting--it keeps me strong, and helps me in my pursuit of one of my greatest loves; basketball.

I first thought of getting a tattoo after seeing so many ballers with them. My first three tattoos were done by Chicago Ed, and the last bunch were done by a fantastic artist--Renee from Main Street Tattoo in Kewauskum, WI. In '99, I did some IT work in Des Moines, IA, and got my Chinese tats done.

This one is a tribal band around my right arm. The shark you see is a bull, and there are a tiger and a great white shark that complete the circle. Akinshegun is my second middle name, and it's written across the top. The meaning "valor conquers" is written on the bottom.

This one has changed over the years. At first, there was just the name OLANIYAN, and my number '9'. That part was done by Chicago Ed. Then, I had the big Angel put on by Renee. I took the image from one of my middle school student's t-shirts. Last February, I had her put eight warrior angels on there. She's done very well with me. Actually, my left arm looks pretty awesome, but I'm biased.

The first tribal tat on my right arm--a bull shark--one of the three most dangerous sharks. I have loved sharks for a while, and I wanted a different tribal band than the ones I have seen. The shark symbolizes survival, and to me personally, efficency, high performance, and relentless pursuit, in my case, of excellence.

The tiger shark is on the back side of my right arm--they also are very ferocious and dangerous.

These were done by "Nappy", a guy in Des Moines, IA. He was really cool, and I think he did a great job. The symbols mean, from top, left, to right: Good fortune, Luck, and Warrior. Olaniyan, of course, is a name that is supremely lucky.

A side view of my left arm. Nothing has been done to it since. My brother Chris has the same angel (the one in the middle with the cross) on his right forearm.

Another view of the left arm.