Introducing Myself: Dennis' (sort of) Day 1 Post on Steemit

Hello, Steemit!

I’m very excited about this community — more so than any other social networking site I’ve joined in the past twenty years, going back to the old electronic mailing lists and simple bulletin board systems of the 1990s. Honestly, I’ve only scratched the surface of how the economic side of Steemit works, e.g., Steem Power, Steem Dollars, upvote, curations, blockchain, so forgive me if I sometimes ask stupid questions.

Day 1 (?)
Hi, I’m Dennis Lee and I hope to be a regular contributor and active participant. I signed up a few days ago, upvoted a dozen times, and replied once, so technically, today isn't Day 1. However, this is my first blog entry and I feel like this is my first day. Anyway, here’s photo proof of my real life existence (I'm in my art studio aka backyard shed):

Dragon in the Clouds
Before I was Dennis Lee, I went by another name — a Korean name — which translates to “Dragon in the Clouds” because, I’ve been told, my grandmother saw a dragon flying into some thick cumulus clouds on the day I was born. It really happened. Besides, you don't want to be that guy who challenges the veracity of his grandmother's stories. I’m in my early 50s but feel like I just turned 35. I credit a balanced diet, regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and great DNA.

What do I bring to Steemit?
I’m a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. My spectrum of interests is spread wide because I have an intense curiosity about all things. Some might call me a Renaissance Man, others a flake. They’re not wrong. Whether it’s art, music, politics, history, or science & technology, I’m at home.

In Steemit, I anticipate posting short one- to two-page blog-type entries on a variety of topics, some of which I hope to fully develop into fifteen- to twenty-page essays/articles for publication in those fancy pants journals. When not writing, I relax by painting watercolors. They’re absolutely dreadful. To be honest, I’m better with pen & ink. Finally, I’m an avid reader — a book a week. Real pulp-based dead tree books, not those e-readers. I could participate in those 52-Books-a-Week Challenges, but I already read roughly 52 books a year, every year, so it’s not a challenge. It’s routine for me. Lately, I’ve been on a Middle East kick — Islam, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS. I alternate between fiction and nonfiction. I have other hobbies and interests but if I list them all, you’ll be convinced I’m a total flake.

What are my hopes and dreams?
More insights about me? Let’s talk dreams — the things I hoped to achieve in my life. The earliest I can remember of having dreams was sometime in the fourth grade. Then, my top two dreams were, in order:

1. Olympic gold medalist in boxing. I mistakenly believed that, by Divine Intervention, I would grow to be big and strong and fast. All I had to do was sail leisurely by and let the inevitable growth spurt in puberty take care of business. Well, I wasn’t steering properly and my boat got wrecked against the jagged rocks. That’s what happens when you rely on Lady Luck and Acts of God. A wish and a prayer.
2. Batman. Billionaire playboy/philanthropist by day and vigilante crime fighter by night. What was a playboy? A philanthropist? I suppose in real life, I would use the billions to buy an NFL franchise because, you know, vigilantism is illegal.

I think my top two dreams have an element of violence in them because of the presence of bullies and thugs where I grew up. In elementary and middle school, thugs shook me down for a grand total of $4.50 over a period of five years. Someday, I will return to my old hangout with a vengeance and take back what was mine.

Now in my 50s, my dreams are more mundane but still in the “Who are you kidding?” category:

1. Publish at least one novel. It doesn’t have to be a big publishing house or achieve best seller status. But it has to win some awards, like Colossally Amazing Book of the Year or Badass First Novel of the Year.
2. Establish a legacy. I want something named after me. Not something small like a bench or a rock in a memorial garden, but something grand and monumental. I mean, it has to be big in the style of the Fascist architecture of Mussolini’s Italy — immense, symmetric, and lots and lots of Roman columns. Or I could be named after some theory or idea or syndrome or a constant, like Poisson Distribution, Avogadro’s number, or Tourette Syndrome. But I’m not greedy.

Sometimes, when people ask what I do all day, I really get a kick out of telling them that I’m a lazy bum. Other times, I tell them I do nothing but watch TV, surf the web, and take naps.

My Steemit Strategy
My Steemit strategy, if you can call it that, is very simple. Blog weekly, post replies frequently, and upvote only those blogs/posts that are truly deserving of recognition. I’ve read various write-ups on how to get noticed with the "right content" to when/how to upvote. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think I have that kind of "game" energy and time. I just want to write the stuff I want to write about, upvote posts I like, reply if someone's post really piques my interest, and gradually build relationships with other users.