User:Eishagishi
From GhibliWiki
Paul here, still in the midst of the economic/jobless/housing implosion rubble that is Las Vegas, NV USA. I am a middle-aged haafu Sansei/Euromutt that loves all of the Studio Ghibli films, with Porco Rosso being my sentimental favorite. At one time I was a professional pilot (mostly doing Grand Canyon air tours) with an ATP certificate and commercial single-engine seaplane rating (commercial glider rating too!) - Marco's character resonates quite strongly with me. 飛ばねえ豚、ただの豚だ。 (Tobanee buta, tada no buta da. A pig that doesn't fly is just a pig.?) I love that line!
Other previous lives - digital cinema projection install/service tech, part-time college Japanese language teacher and tutor, and later at the same school, part-time FAA advanced instrument ground instructor teaching aviation classes (and a faculty adviser for the school's anime club). Also, escaped from 'Vegas for a few years working in the aerospace field as a spacecraft controller and software engineer in El Segundo and Long Beach, CA. Worked my way through college and flight training as a 'Vegas stagehand (lighting and sound and projection), TV/movie production technician, and studio and IMAX projectionist. Also spent 31 years as a volunteer youth leader/instructor with the USAF Auxiliary.
Presently I'm between jobs, but have some good immediate prospects to continue in the D-cinema tech field, including some that would have me back living in SoCal again. My dream now is to travel and work and eventually earn a graduate degree in some kind of Japanese studies, especially if I can somehow do that in Japan!
Hobbies - collect Japanese movies (200+ on film and video so far), movie theater posters (40 Ghibli-related ones out of 115 total so far), soundtracks, sheet music, art books, and souvenir roadshow pamphlets for my "Kinema Kawasumi Archives" collection. Also swim or walk to lose weight, still study Japanese when I can, and study music (keyboard) to de-stress.
"Eishagishi" (映写技師) = projectionist. Yoroshiku ne!
オタクはつらいよ (Otaku wa tsurai yo It's tough being a fan!?)
