the author

Hello, my name is Brendan.  I was born and raised in Ventura County, and have spent a majority of my first quarter century on spaceship earth exploring the beaches and mountains in the area.  These easily accessible wilderness areas are important, special places to me. 

The ocean is my sanity.  Without it, well... what can I say, I'd go nuts.  There is a down side to standing 6'7" tall though, and that is having to wait for good waves.  When the ocean isn't producing sufficient energy, the mountains in the area (Santa Monica and Santa Ynez ranges) give me refuge the rest of the time.  

During the summers, I do Ocean Rescue, working as a Seasonal Beach Lifeguard for the State of California's Department of Parks and Recreation (North Angeles District/Pt. Mugu SP).  This provides me ample water time on a daily basis, with plenty of time before and after work for swimming, body surfing, surfing, paddling, diving, or fishing.  

I've always spent the rest of the year in school.  However, after receiving a B.A. in Sociology from California Lutheran University in 2012, my schedule is a little more open these days, with a continuous pattern of saving and traveling quickly emerging.  

At the moment, I am still trying to figure my life out (a continuous, never ending process, I know).  While developing a career in the healthcare industry (currently Nationally and State certified as an EMT and CA Dept. of Public Health licensed as a Certified Phlebotomy Technician) I've been pursuing my real 'passions' : writing and traveling.  I would like to one day combine the two, and be a Travel Journalist of some sort, but for now, it's all for fun I suppose.

I've been to Panama twice, Spain twice, and visited Mexico about as much as any average Southern California resident.  I've also spent time in Thailand, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Nepal, and the Hawaiian Islands.