So, who am I?
My name is Craig Metzger. I am a husband, a father of two remarkable sons, and the stepfather to three other outstanding children, a son, and two daughters. All of my children are extraordinary and unbelievably talented! I am married to the most amazing woman I have ever met; we dated in high school way back in the late ’80s and while we lost contact for a while when we reconnected, it was, and still is magical! After not seeing each other for about two decades, we just clicked and it has been the most incredible ride ever since. If you haven’t noticed, my family is my joy and my passion.
Aside from my family, my interests include martial arts, especially the history, traditions, philosophy, and culture; Chinese Calligraphy (shūfǎ [[書法]), ink wash painting (shuǐmòhuà [水墨畫]), and tea, among a few other pursuits. I am currently attempting to learn how to play the erhu, the Chinese two-stringed fiddle or violin.
I began studying martial arts in the early 1970s when I was introduced to a neighbor who was teaching Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate-Do. He taught me karate while my mother, a dance instructor, taught his daughter dance. After he moved out of state, I continued learning other styles of martial arts from instructors when the opportunities arose, including American Goju Ryu Karate, Tang Soo Do (Korean Karate), Taekwondo, and Taijiquan.
By the time I was 30, I had earned black belts in Matsubayashi-Ryu karate and Taekwondo and had earned instructor certificates in Wing Chun. I moved to Delaware in 2001 where I began my study of Xingyi Quan, deepened my understanding of Taijiquan and Qigong, and started my journey into Neidan. (Internal Cultivation)
Over the course of the past couple of decades, my studies have focused primarily on:
- Wing Chun
- Taiji Quan
- Xingyi Quan
- Karate (Mostly focused on Matsubayashi-Ryu)
Also, while in Delaware, I spent a brief time with the Kwan Um School of Zen and had the distinct pleasure of meeting Zen Master Soeng Hyang Soen Sa Nim among others. I learned a great deal, however, my interests soon turned to Daoism (Taoism) and I have spent the better part of the past 15 years diving into the wealth of knowledge found therein. (I should note that I have not even begun to scratch the surface.)
Professionally, I am a software engineer having worked in the industry for over 25 years. I am a Lead Application Engineer for a Fortune 500 company. I am a skilled PICK engineer and developer having worked with UniData, jBase, D3, and Power95 among other ‘flavors’ for over a quarter century now. I also have experience in VB.Net, C#, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python, and a few other languages. I am currently in the process of converting my skillset from PICK to SAP. Still, Software Engineering is what I do, not who I am.
I still practice my Wing Chun, Xingyi, Taijiquan, and Karate while studying other martial arts traditions, but my focus is on Wing Chun, Xingyi, Taiji, and Karate. I also practice neigong (“Internal cultivation” Breathing and meditation practices [內功]), qigong (life-energy cultivation [氣功]) exercises, and daoyin (“Guide and pull” sometimes called Daoist yoga. [導引]).
In addition to martial arts, calligraphy, and ink-wash painting, I enjoy reading and watching movies and television; anything with a good story. I enjoy both non-fiction and fiction, especially political fiction but I also enjoy fantasy, and to a lesser degree, sci-fi. A few of my favorite books are, in no particular order, “It Can’t Happen Here”, by Sinclair Lewis; “The Fountainhead”, by Ayn Rand; “The Wandering Taoist”, by Ming-Dao Deng; and “The Good Earth”, by Pearl S. Buck. There are also a few series I greatly enjoy: “The Dresden Files”, by Jim Butcher; “The Wheel of Time”, by Robert Jordan; and “A Thousand Li” by Tao Wong. One day, I hope to publish my own fantasy stories.
To check out a few more of my favorite books, check out the link to my favorite books.
What’s in a Name…
As you have read, my name is Craig. My Mother wanted to name me Thomas Vincent Metzger III. My Father, Thomas Vincent Metzger Jr., hated the name Tommy and didn’t want me to suffer his torments; he had other torments in mind. My father wanted to name me Wolfgang Von Metzger, but my mother wouldn’t have it. My parents decided to compromise and settled on Craig Thomas and I have had the name for over 50 years; talk about torment. Oh! Did you think Wolfgang was the torment I was talking about? If so, then you don’t know me very well…yet!
One day, I hope to write a book or two. If so, I will publish under the nom de plume, C. Thomas Metzger, or perhaps without the period after the ‘C’ making it, C Thomas Metzger. I’ll let you know once I write the book. I was asked once, why not use my name as it is. The answer is simple, I don’t want to. Seriously, that’s the core of my reasoning. Yes, I do think C. Thomas has a flow, a certain ring to it, and I think it is more professional, and more memorable too, but the underlying reason is simply that I prefer it.
As mentioned in the ‘About Me’ above, I enjoy dabbling in the fine arts of Chinese ink wash painting and calligraphy. Most artists that work in these genres sign their work with a seal, typically made of stone, and while these seals have a few different names in Chinese such as Xìngmíng yìn [姓名印], yìnjiàn [印鉴] or túzhāng [图章], in the west, most people call them stone seals or chops. The stone seal has the owner’s name or pseudonym carved into it, usually using the very specialized seal script or nine-fold script. The seal is customarily used with a cinnabar paste made from cinnabar, castor oil, and either silk strands or pulverized mugwort fibers. Together, the seal and the paste make a beautiful and distinct mark on the artwork, and I wanted one. There were just a couple of problems. I didn’t have a Chinese name and I didn’t know how to come up with a Chinese name. I didn’t want to just ‘pick’ a name either, and after hours of research, I wasn’t sure I could ‘pick’ a name that didn’t sound pretentious or just plain wrong. So, I hired a professional to pick the name for me.
Yes, you read that right, I hired a company. I looked online for a person or group that created Chinese names for people and companies doing business in China. After looking at a few, I chose Good Characters, Inc. It took a few months and several emails back and forth explaining a little about my past, my interests, and my expectations for the name. We finally decided on Mèng Xíxuán [孟習玄]. I then found a company that makes hand-carved stone seals, Asian Brushpainter, and I had my seal crafted. So now, I have a beautiful seal to add to all my artwork.
So there you have it. My name is Craig T. Metzger, Craig to my family and friends, C. Thomas Metzger, if I ever get published, and 孟習玄 (Mèng Xíxuán) on my artwork. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.
