Who I am

My name is Los. Not my full name, but it’s close. Which is more than what I can say about most of you out there.

For the record, this is being updated in 2025. The last time I fixed my about me page, was waaaaaaaaaaay back in 2018. Oh boy, how different… everything was. 

Let’s get this going. I always enjoyed reading about me’s and last time I did this I had an obscene amount of useless information. I wonder if I could do better this time.

Where to start? I’m a 41 year old happy husband and a father of 3. I… wait, am I 41? Or 42?? I don’t even know anymore. Anyway. My family is my life and it’s my reason for being. Yes, that’s what I tell myself repeatedly as my children compete to see who can raise my blood pressure the highest. But coincidentally, it’s also the truth.

I’m originally from The Bronx, New York. No matter how long it’s been since I lived there, I will always call it home. I’m sure I’ve been so removed from the city that I should have zero reason to say I’m from there. But it’s not something that could ever be taken away from me. 

Currently, we’re living in Orlando, Florida. And unfortunately, almost everything you hear about Florida living is the truth. Which in itself, I’m sure, is a whole blog post in its own. Blog posts which should look really funny sitting next to my “I’m so happy to be back in Florida!” posts, but I digress. I told myself I was going to be good and stay on topic for this About Me. Hahaha, the lies we tell ourselves, right?

I’m a gamer at heart. Grew up with a controller in my hand thanks to my parents. Going through school it was an off and on hobby but for the last few years.. decades.. ew no, that sounds horrible years or so it’s been on the top of my list when I have spare time to kick back. It’s my outlet. Beat the bad guys, explore new worlds, save the galaxy, all that jazz. I know, I’m in my 40’s and I like playing video games. Such a terrible thing to do. Guess I could be doing more grown-up man things like watching football and going to bars because “the wings are good.” Yeah, no thanks. I’m a nerd. Sorry. (Not sorry).

I will say though, as it’s been a huge topic for me every single time I open my mouth somewhere it seems. It’s that I have quite a few mental roadblocks when it actually comes to playing games anymore. As a stay-at-home dad, time is rather a luxury if I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Yeah, I still find free time and ways to get into something to play if I really had an itch. But that time playing usually doesn’t last long as I wake myself up and realize I could be doing more productive things with my time. I get into this a lot more on my podcast, particularly, The Guilt of Staying Home. I know this is a topic I’m nowhere near done with discussing, but it is a part of me, hence why it’s here in my about me. So, not digressing! ….Possibly?!

As far as everything else goes, what else can I say? I’m into a lot of stuff. Like, if you need some stuff to be into, then please, by all means, take some of mine. Maybe then I’ll have time to read a book or beat a game instead of wasting so much time just trying to figure out what to do when I have 20 minutes! Ok, I guess you want details?

I enjoy reading a good book. Reading has been a huge thing for me over the past few years. By the time you read this, I should probably have a nice collection of reviews in the Book section of the blog, so go check them out. This is a dangerous topic because I could get caught up and start to ramble a lot here so I’ll cut it off now, haha.

Movies and TV shows, of course. Though not as much as I would like. Wife and I used to enjoy getting into different types of shows and attempting to keep up with them. It’s been a while since we’ve done so because of life and being so tired, but maybe it’ll be something to remedy soon. Lord knows I have plenty of things I want to watch. But it’s mostly not my fault. Seriously, why do shows need 23 seasons with 30 episodes each?! Remember mini-series? Let’s bring those back.

Ok, what else? I have an Etsy shop! One day, when looking at a cart full of cool and fun stickers I wanted, I thought to myself that it seems easy enough. Then not too long after, I was part of a book community where everything we were into gave loads of inspiration for creating stickers. Finally, I started designing, then I sent it off to be printed somewhere and wound up hating that process. So I got a printer, learned how to get everything put together and here we are. I make stickers, bookmarks, and seamless files you can use for anything you want. Go check it out and support my little shop, if you’d like!

What else, what else… I love dessert to the point where no matter how much I eat I’ll always have room for it. It’s very strange, but if that turns out to be my superpower, I’m ok with that. Hmm…  I also love me some Limited or Collector’s Edition stuff. Games, movies, figurines, whatever. I am a complete and utter sucker for those things and a collector at heart. I dig musicals (faves are Phantom of the Opera and Jekyll & Hyde), I unironically like Nicolas Cage movies. I can go on and on, I think you get it.

What? You want me to go on and on? O0o0o0o0ok…

Some more of my favorite movies/series/actors/random things include (in no order whatsoever):

I’m a lover of movies, and I’m always quoting or referencing something. As you could probably tell. I’ll never say no to getting caught up and watching anything Marvel or Star Wars (Even though it’s lost its way over the years, I still consider myself a huge fan, as do my kids. I still believe It’s an amazing thing to share with them), almost every night I put on a Lord of the Rings movie to fall asleep to because no story or trilogy will EVER be as epic as those movies, Pizza, Dark Academia, Ninth House/Hell Bent, Coffee, Project Hail Mary, Collecting Steelbook movies, Drawing on my tablet, Spring, Jurassic Park (yes, all of them), Poetry, LOVE The Nightmare Before Christmas (my fave Disney movie), Chocolate Chip Cookies, Robin Williams, Cheesecake, Sandwiches (yes, in general), Popcorn, Keanu Reeves, Writing, Going to Bookstores, Dreaming, Superheroes, Catchy Melodies and Goosebump-inducing Harmonies, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (pictured just above, go check it out!), Cinnamon (the spice, not the stripper), Baseball, Ghostbusters, Egg Creams, all things Marvel, Batman, The Legend of Zelda, Treasure Hunting Movies and stories, Comics, my Steam Deck, Clearance Shopping/Bargain Hunting, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pizza, Corny Dad Jokes, Back to the Future, Toe Socks, Podcasts, Space (in general), Dessert before or totally replacing Dinner, Stories with alternate timelines, Fall, Technology, Modern twists on fairy tales, Legends & Lattes, a really good Panini, Bunheads (STILL mad it was cancelled), Gilmore Girls, Pizza, Samuel L. Jackson, the smell and atmosphere of Bakeries, Matthew McConaughey movies, Winter, Wallpapers (for desktops and phones, not for actual walls), Mmm, Pizza, 24 Hour Local News Channels, Indiana Jones, Pixar Movies, A Knight’s Tale, Fight Club, and I’m a sucker for Doctor Who but have not watched it like I used to.

See? I’m just an overall nerd/dork/geek who loves pizza (don’t think I mentioned that), pretends he has control of The Force when no one is looking, and who happened to start a food blog back when the world made somewhat sense. What’s wrong with that?!

Now that my details are out of the way, and I hope I covered enough to give you a good idea of who I was, let’s talk about what I have going on here. I mean, if you’re still reading then there’s a good chance you actually care about this stuff. 

How I Got to this Point…

I’ve been blogging on this site since 2012. That is absolutely insane! This is my 3rd blog that I’ve started, and this is currently its 5th or 6th version. Following? Ok. That banner just above here? It’s from my first blog on Blogger, before I transitioned to wordpress.com. Notice the nod to Blink-182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket with the circled icons. Oh, and the cookie cut up like Pac-Man. Anyway, the third version of the site, when I went from wordpress.com to .org… you know what?

..None of that really matters, does it?

Ok, here we are! When I started The Man, The Chef, The Dad I had every intention of branching out with the content and covering different topics: Personal interests with The Man, cooking and general kitchen talk with The Chef, and family stuff with The Dad. I was going to keep it primarily cooking, but the whole food blogging world got the best of me. I was trying to keep up with other food blogs I was following, on top of various social networks, other hobbies, and the whole taking care of the kids thing. Then on top of it all I had to also put out blog posts myself. I discovered my lifestyle just wasn’t made to keep up with a blog and everything that comes with it more than once a week.

Ok, fine, once every 2 or 3 weeks… Sometimes on a month to month basis. Or… every two months..? My goodness, I’m such a terrible blogger, haha.

So, I finally decided to put this place’s name to use. I have plenty more recipes I eventually want to put on here, but I’m happy knowing I can post other stuff without guilt. It is, in fact, my blog. My thoughts. So I’m happy I reached that point where I can put something out and just say take it or leave it. When you have a blog, you’re doing it for you. As long as you remember that then the time put into it will always be worth it.

Concerning blogging…

When I first started blogging, it was back when I was foolish enough to try and blog about food while working in a kitchen that kicked my ass from clock in to clock out. Needless to say, I didn’t want to come home and talk about food after I cursed at it all day long. After that, I tried a poetry blog called The Pied Poet. I enjoyed having a place to put all my old writings, but my laziness prevailed and even copy and pasting was too much for me to handle. I sometimes get inspired and want to go back to it but I usually just take that urge and beat it with a stick till it quiets down. I do have a category here for poetry, so maybe one day something will happen with that.

Like I briefly skimmed on above, blogging is like a social network. You’re posting whatever it is you’re posting, and people out there somewhere are taking it in. They interact, you interact back, it’s a network. And in that network, there are hundreds and hundreds of bloggers. Over the years I’ve come across and talked to some pretty cool people. Some of which I make it a point to check out every post they publish whenever I can. It’s a huge collection of talented, interesting people from all walks of life. Teaching you things you never knew, showing you things you’ve never seen, giving you ideas you know you never would’ve thought of. So when someone looks at me judgingly after I tell them I’m a blogger, I get a small sense of pride. This is a community I’m a part of, and I’m not afraid to flaunt it.

With the way the world is today, and how iffy social media has become for people, I feel like 2025 is a great year to reconnect with blogs in general. So maybe others can relate to that. Maybe blogs can be a great source of connecting again and people can gain their attention spans back. And maybe, JUST MAYBE, someone will look up a recipe, and not curse the life story on display before getting to the food. One could dream.

Concerning this blog…

Surprisingly enough, considering my history with blogs, The Man, The Chef, The Dad, has kind of stuck on me and I find it kind of entertaining to keep up with it. No, I have not updated it during the entirety of its existence. I’ve had many years where it’s just been…here… And while I never gave it time for whatever reason, I never forgot about it. I always had it in my mind that I still have a blog and I still one day will go back to it. That’s why in all my profiles I have everywhere, I put that I am The Once and Future Blogger. So yes, even though I don’t update it like I should (hopefully you’re reading this because I am being active on it again), this is easily the longest I’ve ever stuck to a project… wow.. I think, ever. That’s something right?

Concerning The Man…

I mentioned that I loved to write. Growing up, I always had a pen and pad on me and didn’t hesitate to write down what I was feeling or thinking. This way of life proved both good and bad. Bad because to really speak my mind and pour my heart out, I have to type or write it out. And good because we’re in an age where that’s easy to do. Haha! I win! When I’m not writing, I’m trying to design some stickers for the shop. I’m always in the kitchen here making something for someone. And unfortunately even if I’m not cooking I’m still in the kitchen because I have to clean it. Between taking care of the kids and the constant need to always be hustling something, you can see why gaming took a back seat. I love quick pick up and play games that I don’t get invested in. But long, story driven stuff is dangerous because I could be there for hoooours and that’ll turn into an obsession.

What else.. I’m not a drinker, I’ve never liked parties, I’ve never nor do I ever plan on smoking or doing drugs, I don’t go to bars… I’m pretty boring to anyone who enjoys those things, I guess. But I’ve always been a believer in you don’t need to be doing anything of those sorts in order to have fun. I do like doing things like walking around stores for no reason – Barnes & Noble is my favorite. Like a date night just walking around the bookstore? Sign me TF up. Hahahaha, I’m jk, what’s a date night?!

I like going to places I’ve never been and experiencing that sense of awe – not different countries or states, I mean like the first time I went into Whole Foods… mind = blown. I like taking pictures pretending I know what I’m doing, and I’m a sucker for a funny novelty t-shirt. I love 90’s hip-hop, and 98% of the music I listen to is the same stuff I’ve been listening to for years. I’ve become a great lover and admirer of books, more so than I ever was, and let me tell you, I was a lover before. I love fantasy and sci-fi and there is a great chance that if it’s non-fiction, then I’m not going to dig it. I have a gigantic list of movies and shows that I really want to watch and enjoy, preferably with the family. But Most of the time, no one ever wants to watch the things I want to watch so my list just grows and grows. I have ADHD and I have had it since I was a kid. Yay for undiagnosed conditions! I used to love LEGO but my goodness have I fallen off that boat. Just too much money and not enough space. Ugh, I need to stop because I could just keep going. 

Lastly for now, I have a lot of mental problems, if I’m being honest. The only thing that is greater than my anxiety are my insecurities. Nevertheless, I’m happy with myself and the man I’ve become. I had an inner struggle for a long time, and still do sometimes (more on that a few paragraphs down), but for the most part, I wouldn’t change anything about me.

Concerning The Chef…

The Chef… Haha. Ok, let me let the cat out of the bag now. I was never a chef. There, I said it! Matter of fact, I can’t stand them. In my 10 year career, all I ever was was a humble cook. I was a Kitchen Manager once, but on average, just a cook. I have a culinary school degree saying I’m a chef, but we all know what culinary school degrees are worth… Being a chef took an unimaginable amount of passion that I did not have the strength to muster. Oh, and ass kissing. I can’t forget the ass kissing. a loooooot of ass kissing. Ratio of ass kissing to passion was roughly 3:1, I’ve done the math. I was able to wing the passion for a long time, but I wasn’t about to kiss anyone’s ass to get ahead. Especially when it was doing something I hated. Oh yeah, did I mention that? I hated cooking professionally. From the first day I started working, fresh out of culinary school, to the last day where I was let go because the company had to make cuts, I hated the kitchen. Despised it. And my loathing didn’t stop at the kitchen. It stretched to the entire restaurant industry. For those 10 years, I was the culinary equivalent of Tyler Durden. Waiting, plotting, dreaming of one day carrying out Project Mayhem and basking in the glory that followed.

But I have to admit. As much as I hated it all, I learned a lot. And while I never attained the title of Chef, I figured with my years under my belt, my degree, my knowledge and know-how of what’s right and what’s wrong, and well, just because, I’ll go ahead and promote myself. Not to mention people just tend to treat you a little nicer if you say chef rather than cook.

I know, why did I start a blog dedicated to something I hate? Notice, I said cooking professionally. I love food, I love crafting and creating, melding flavors together like a mad scientist. But when it comes to the professional kitchen, there are too many politics. Too many stresses. Too many Chiefs, and not enough Indians. When you cook in a professional kitchen, it’s rare to find somewhere that caters to the cook/chef. Where your creative side is encouraged. Most of everywhere you’ll go it’s just a glorified factory, pumping out dish after dish that you have to cook to make this person you’ve never met happy. It’s an environment you have to be a certain type of person to enjoy it. I’m just not that person.

Wha… how.. how did I get up on this soapbox?! It’s like it just appeared here out of nowhere!

Concerning The Dad…

Here we go, the reason why this blog exists! Heck, the reason for a lot of things in my life. When I started this, and heck, even today, I still have plenty of hang ups and questions as to whether or not I’m fit to be a dad. As a parent, you’ll always question yourself. You’ll always have doubts. And on top of the already crazy expectations of being a dad, being a stay-at-home dad is even more taxing on your mind. It’s such a double-edged sword, being able to be there for your kids and make everyone as happy as you can make them day in and day out. But then you question if your worth is really, well, worth anything. Even after 14+ years, it’s still something that can get in my head and fester into something worse if I let it. And as much as I love what I do now, It’s a cloud over you when someone asks you what you do and you say stay-at-home dad. Not a looming dark cloud, no. But a cloud nonetheless. It’s amazing how common it is for dads to be stay-at-home parents these days, and I’m happy I’m able to be there for my kids. But it’s even more amazing how it’s still looked upon with questionable eyes. I know I would not want it any other way. Our 3 kids, always taken care of, won’t be raised by a stranger. My wife can get out of work and walk into a semi-clean home (about a quarter of half of the time) and a hot meal (most of the time), and I get to make everyone as happy as I can. It’s really not anything I should question, but even after all this time, it’s still not completely easy to sit back and relax without a care. I’m a lot better now than what I was when I started this blog, but I still have my moments of doubt and self-consciousness, no question about that.

When those moments got to me – the empty shell feeling of not being able to support my family was the hardest pill to swallow – and guess what – it still is. I knew I needed something to do besides gaming since that costs money to keep up with. Not to mention it’s a very personal hobby that only I benefit from. And most of the time, as talked about on my podcast, I still feel an underlying guilt if I’m doing something for just myself. Like I can’t go out somewhere on my own and leave the fam at home while I have fun. The guilt would be too strong because my wife is the one who works and I’m the one who doesn’t. Why should I get time away to enjoy myself? Anyway, that’s when I decided to get back into blogging. I had the time, I had the patience. I was able to put something into it. Fast forward some years and of course the time I had at the beginning was gone, haha. But lately, I’ve been cutting things out I don’t need. Like social media. Limiting things that waste time and lead to nothing substantial. So I figured it’s a great time to revisit this home of mine on the internet. 

After a while, I got over myself and I was able to enjoy everything a lot more. I was able to look at everything half-full, and when my perspective changed, my wife was right there to help bring me back to reality. I know the only reason why all of this works is because she is in full support of it. And yes, I know how lucky I am for that. Not to mention the blessing of being able to stay home with your kids all day. Which I don’t care what anyone says, that’s a freaking JOB. Seriously, don’t get me started. I thought it was rough with them as kid-kids. When they get older? Wooooooooo. Freaking teenagers. I’m realizing why the ancients released their children into the wild and took the chance of them being raised by wolves. 

I know this turned into my life story, but hey, it’s my About Me page! Don’t say you didn’t ask for it by clicking! I think I laid a lot on the table here. And I’m glad I did. It was a good way to learn more about yourself and appreciate things. It’s been a long road with this site and while it’s not updated every week, it’s something I’m proud is out there and that it’s mine. You should have a really good idea of who I am by now, not to mention how I got to this moment in my life. 

Here’s to hoping you enjoy your time on my blog!