Born and raised in the Greater Houston Area (mostly SE side). I also joined the Navy after high school (in Alvin, TX), and I spent six years as a nuclear electrician on the old U.S.S. Tautog (SSN 639). I met me wife in Honolulu (where she was born and raised) and moved to Austin for school and jobs for both of us.
I took 9 years getting my BSEE from ACC and UT (G.I. Bill and Hazlewood Exemption while working 50-60 hour weeks in the semiconductor business, mainly at Motorola MOS-13). I worked for UT:ARL for awhile, switched to a start-up that went bankrupt, got laid off and now work for a 4-person, tiny SBIR company in NW Austin.
My wife finally got her license to practice psychology on abused kids after 12 years of school, two years of slave wages (internship for a full year in CA) and a very expensive licensing and testing process (we may pay off the student loans before we die).
Both of us are into SCUBA diving and got our PADI Master Diver certs last year (maybe Dive Master this year - yes, it's confusing). I'm also a black water diver with the Maritime Regiment of the Texas State Guard. The news just did a story on us this last weekend.
I welcome emails or PMs from anyone that wants to talk about diving or anything else.