Caroline

My name is John Schumacher. My first name comes from the Apostle John. My email is DeafRaven@aol.com. I was born in Cherokee, Iowa and have lived near the Twin Cities in Minnesota for over 20 years now. I was born March 10th, 1961. My astrological sign is Pisces. My birthstone is aquamarine which is my favorite color. I am 5 foot 10 inches tall. Im am of Irish/German ancestory. The quality people appreciate about me is my compassion and my loyalty to them. What I like to do best when I am alone is go on the computer and chat with my friends, work on my website, or go out and ride the bus and walk in the park or go to the lake. I also like to go to malls and people watch.

I have been married to Sharon (Maddrill) for 12 years now. I also have two grown daughters that I raised, Janna, 20 yrs old (who serves in the US Army in the Iraqi war now), and Jamie, 19 yrs old ( who is also deaf and plans to go to college soon).

The most important thing my parents taught me was to be honest everything and be loving to each other. My step father was good to me and taught me that paying the bills is very important and having money left over for enjoyment was also important. He taught me that hard work and was a gentleman when it came to women. My parents taught me that socializing in the Deaf Community is very important. My biological father taught me that being involved in the Deaf Community organizations are also important to the survival of Deaf Culture.

I consider a "role model" to be someone who is honest with who they are, doesnt try to hurt people, thinks of how other people will feel but not comproming their true selves to make someone happy. Someone who tries to see something good in another person and tries to give them the skills they need to learn to have a better quality life.

I am currently a junior at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. I am majoring in ASL and Deaf Studies. I hope to graduate in 2006. I hope to do well then try to earn a MA degree in either Deaf Studies or ASL Linquistics. My goal is to become a college level teacher of ASL and Deaf Studies.

I am a person who loves to find humor and laughter in life. I try not to take life too seriously and try to live life one day at a time. At this point in my life I am in the midst of my "second wind" which basically means I am trying to live my life according to my hearts desire and dedicate myself to my dreams. I am trying to get my body back in good health, taking time for meditation and learning about positive and freeing spirituality.

I am a friendly and easy going person. I am laid back and very low maintenance and down-time is my favorite activity. I value the moments I have when there is nothing to do on my agenda and then just sit back and watch my favorite tv programs or make love in the afternoons. I love walking on the beach and admiring nature.

I collect baseball cards, pennant flags, bobblehead figures, glass mugs, team pictures, autographs and more. I have been a life long fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team since I was 10 years old. I also like to collect or read about the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1950 to 1965 and Washington Senators 1969-1971. I currently own all Topps cards from 1986 to 1994 and starting to collect again. My goal is to develop my own personal library of books on many subjects related to Deaf History, world religion/spirituality, human sexuality issues and interesting world facts. I have an interest in motorcycles. I love playing billards, bowling, darts, card games, dominoes with close friends.

Sometimes, if I have time I will spend it online or working on my websites. Although I like a quiet evening, I can also be alot of fun socially and easy to get along with, Some people make the mistake of thinking I am lazy but those who really know me appreciate my strong quiet personality because I like my world to make sense and be safe.

I try to be compassionate and considerate of other peoples beliefs and cultures. I truly believe that learning is the way to evolving into a better person. The more we learn the more we learn about ourselves and what we believe and how we live are affected greatly. I know people think its corny to hope for love and peace in this cynical and war-torn world but I learned a long time ago never to give up my hopes and dreams because the only alternative is to be bitter and dead inside.