About Me

About SchutzHappens

Welcome to SchutzHappens, a blog chronicling my grammatically challenged life and times as a father, movie/television addict, and United States Foreign Service Specialist.

Back in 2008 when I joined the US Foreign Service I conceived this blog as an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family (First Post).

Since the beginning, SchutzHappens has been chronicling my day by day life in the Foreign Service. From my first tour in Belgrade, Serbia; to my temporary duty assignment in London, England for the birth of my second child; to my year in Islamabad, Pakistan; then Paramaribo, Suriname, and now, Asmara, Eritrea. And, of course, along the way I've shared some funny stories (like the one about ‘The Chair’), videos of my adventures with the boys, the quirks of working in the Foreign Service, and my obsession with movies and television.

JohnPaul (Me)

The fact that I work for the Foreign Service is still a mystery to me. Being a diplomat is never something I aspirated to be, it just happened to be something I fell into.

In reality I am an old school BBSer who excelled at computers, but found them too boring to make a life of it, so to the complete dismay of my parents I opted for a life in the Theatre.  After getting my undergraduate degree in Theatre Performance and Direction from the College of Charleston, I worked professionally as an actor while also stumbling into a variety of careers:

1.       Staff accountant for Putumayo Fashions.

2.      Acting-assistant manager of a Hollywood Video.

3.      Producer at Cartoon Network, although I was laid-off before I even started due to the AOL/Time Warner merger in 2000.

4.      Staff accountant for CNN, the Atlanta Hawks, and RaceTrac Petroleum.

5.      Freelance website designer.

6.      High School Theatre Teacher.

Finally, in 2001 I landed a job with the Cobb County Division of Cultural Affairs, where I stayed, serving in a variety of roles, for seven years; which ultimately prompted me to return to school for my Masters in Public Administration. 

And then in 2008, I joined the United States Foreign Service without actually having any overseas experience.

Beyond my eclectic work history, I am an avid reader, home electronics nut, obsessed Atlanta Falcons fan and fantasy football addict, lover of music (although I am rusty, I play a variety of brass instruments and the piano), and a sponge when it comes to trivia… especially pointless pop culture trivia.

I am also a self proclaimed movie and television junkie which led me to start Team Awesome Oscar Blog, a separate blog dedicated to my obsessions with the entertainment world.

Grayson

Grayson is an active and dynamic 1st Grader who is obsessed with Lego’s, Star Wars, superheroes, playing with his friends, and going to the pool.  And he even likes going to school! 

He has inherited his parents thirst for knowledge and is always asking thoughtful questions and takes great pride in his successes at school, especially when it comes to reading and mathematics… subjects he seems to be truly interest in.

Amazingly, Grayson completely understands that our life abroad isn’t “normal” for most American families, and he constantly floors me when he periodically declares, out of the blue, “I am so thankful that daddy has the job that he does.  If he didn’t, we wouldn’t get to see all these amazing places and do all these great things.  I think we are very lucky.”     

Gilliam

Gilliam, my resident Brit, is almost three and just starting to enter his daddy’s boy phase… which I am very excited about!  Gilliam is extremely strong willed and when he’s not demanding the world to revolve around him he is incredible laidback, chill, and cuddly like a teddy bear. 

Gilliam great passions in life are being read to, Winnie the Pooh, keeping up with his big brother, learning to swim, learning new words, and helping his mother cook.  He is quite the chef!

SchutzHappens Motto

"I'm an artist. But it's not what I really want to do. What I really want to do is be a shoe salesman. I know what you're going to say -- 'Dreamer! Get your head out of the clouds.' All right! But it's what I want to do. Instead I have to go on painting all day long. The world should make a place for shoe salesmen." - Jules Feiffer

The SchutzHappens motto comes from the stage play ‘Feiffer’s People’, which I appeared in at the College of Charleston.  I played a variety of roles including a woman rescued by Superman (long story) and an artist lamenting about his life.  The speech I gave as the artist sent the audience into hysterics and followed me for the rest of my time in Charleston… it wasn’t unusual to have someone shout “Dreamer!  Get your head out of the clouds!” at me as I walked around campus.  And as I’ve grown as a person I’ve become even more connected to the quote.  I think it compliments who we are as a family and what SchutzHappens is as a blog.

And it probably goes without saying that this quote has greatly influenced the visual design of both this blog and the family videos I produce each month.

Thanks for being part of the fun!