My Family

I had wanted to put this in my profile, but there is too little space. (I have a big family.) I am the 5th child born to American immigrants.

My Dad, Michael, has the kindest heart of any man you will ever meet. He is a soft spoken and shy British immigrant who became a doctor in the US for the right reasons---to help people. It may be cheesey, but he is my hero.

My mother, Lois, is a 6 foot tall statuesque Jamaican beauty with a regal presence. Growing up, all of our friends fell in love with her...and feared her.

My sister Jane is the oldest child, with 6 kids of her own (Angela, Timmy, Danny, Justin, Madeline, and Elizabeth) as well as a devoted husband (Tim). Jane graduated from Stanford with a civil engineering degree. We often refer to her as Saint Jane because she is as kind as they come. Jane's family lives in Tucson.

My oldest brother John lives in Dallas. He works very hard. He is very insightful and a fun guy to hang out with. He has an MBA from UT and a bachelors from UNM. John is dating a lovely South American girl named Vanessa.

Dr. Luke is the second oldest brother. He has always been the achiever of the family. He has a bachelors degree from Stanford, a masters in science from Texas Tech, and is now an emergency room doctor in Lubbock. In the past, he has been manipulative in an insultingly obvious fashion, but he has mostly grown out of that. In many ways, being a doctor has really brought out the better parts of him. I think Luke would like to meet a nice girl, but I think it might be hard for him to meet someone who sees Luke and not his paycheck.

Matt is the family Nomad. You can call him the black sheep if you want---I prefer to think of him as "ornery". When I think of how a man should act in society I think of my Dad; When I think of a man's man, I think of Matt. Matt has walked his own path and made himself into the man he is today with little help. He is a psychiatric Nurse, which allows him to work in different regions and travel. His home base is Hawaii. He has a girlfriend who seems nice.

Mike DePaul is my other older brother. He has been Matt's best friend since they were in 7th grade. He lives north of San Diego with his sweet as sugar girlfriend. Mike is a former college baseball star who is fiercely competitive. He works as an investment advisor and fears absolutely nothing. He is headstrong and brash, but there is nothing fake about Mike. He is the most loyal person I have ever known.

Gail is my little sister and the youngest Padwick. I didn't like Gail when she was younger because I shared the view of my brothers that Gail was a spoiled brat. Then one day in my teens I turned around to discover she was the neatest person I knew. I think for a time she may have felt haunted by being the "other" sister next to Jane, but she has grown beyond that. She is saintly in her own right. She constantly invites me over for dinner and is always there for me. I hope I am half the brother to her. I did introduce her to her husband, so maybe I am OK. Her husband's name is Mike. He is from Buffalo and bemoans living in Texas nearly every day, but that is his worst failing. :) Mike is a nice guy, but is a little private. He is very smart. He is one of those people who can pick things up very easily. I worry sometimes that that ability may prevent him from really applying himself. He has only scratched the surface of who he can be. Mike is an IT guy. Gail and Mike are pregnant with my nephew---codename: Hunter A.K.A. "Peanut".

I am friends with two other guys I consider my brothers. Jose Bueno (yes that is his real name) took his beautiful wife Nyssa and their 3 rambunctious kids (my nephews Chris and James and my beautiful niece Anwyn) down to Florida. Faux Hispanic Jose is brilliant. Not just smart. Brilliant. The kind of guy who will debate scientific theories. The kind of guy who reads science magazines from cover to cover and follows the space program like the average joe follows the NFL. That kind of brilliant. I hated Jose when I met him. I thought he was an arrogant jerk. (I have never seen anyone consistently make bad first impressions. Well, I guess he has to be bad at SOMETHING. :)) After I got to know him, my view on Jose totally changed. I realized that there are people out there who are like my Dad. I can't give higher praise. Jose is a computer programmer. Nyssa is just plain sweet. She is Bohemian. She reminds me a lot of Gail. (Again, high praise.)

My Little brother is Roman Gupta. We became friends back when I was managing Keith's Comics #3 in Richardson, TX. Roman and I share a love of comics and the worldview of a native born outsider in an out of control Amerika. He has a degree in International Business.