I am Randolph Scott Mellow
Although everyone—save my wife and mother—calls me Randy.
I was born and raised in the Great Lakes region of the United States. In a city located in the northwestern tip of Pennsylvania named after the lake: Erie. It is fortunate in its proximity to a large, natural peninsula dubbed Presque Isle. A state park providing miles of beaches and nature trails as well as being world-renowned for its sunsets, often listed along with the cliché spots like Hawaii and Paris
One hobby I've enjoyed for the majority of my life is photography.
The image of the sunset-silhouetted couple marked my abandonment of film photography for a fully digital workflow. Similarly, the natural-light portrait of my daughter ended my penchant for equating serious photographic work with using my Nikon SLR.
Captured with my iPhone while awaiting our tacos and fajitas, it illustrates the old adage:
Moreover, it was a throw-away capture! I had admonished her for picking at her chapped lips and she wanted to see just how chapped her lips were. You know, since the "I'm not picking at them" and "they aren't chapped" arguments are easily countered when photographic evidence is readily attainable.
Once I realized the ability to produce an acceptable 16x20 print from a cell phone camera/chip, I packed away my Nikon and never looked back.
I do have some pretty good lenses though...
Another hobby I've maintained throughout my adulthood is practicing guitar. I don't mean to mislead; I have played guitar (i.e. performed in front of an audience) as well, but practicing (and now recording) has been the primary focus of my musical endeavors. Unfortunately, listening to my singing voice is an unpleasant experience so I focus on Jazz chord melodies as opposed to sing-along party songs.
I have always been an avid reader. I didn't actually realize this until a friend recently described me as such and it gave me pause.
Sure, I'm usually engaged in the process of reading multiple books but I've always thought of myself as a very slow reader and, therefore, not an avid reader. It's strange how self-perception can cloud objectivity, right?
Of course, reading is a bit of a gateway drug to writing. This site is a testament to that final aspect of my life's occupation.
At one point, my goal was to write intelligently, regardless of the subject. I embraced the essay structure (since poetry is for singers) and have resigned myself to endlessly endeavor after a story to tell.