Hi All! I recently joined Hive, a few posts behind, and was reminded by @livinguktaiwan that an introduction in good and due form was in order, so let's have a try at the exercise! 
Not an exercise I like, by the way. I'm more of the introvert and secretive type, but I can do efforts!

**A bit of background**

My name is Nicolas, I'm French, and I'm 40. Already. Don't even get me started on it. That dazzles me how time flies. Everybody either know what I'm saying, or will know in time!

I met my wife at my first job. I only knew her for a few months before she had to go back to China, but I decided to follow her. Just for a couple of years, just to see and come back. I stayed 8 years. I got lucky to quickly get a job there. At first, my job was to be the "white monkey" of the company. If you don't know what it is, it consists in showing up and being there, in order to impress clients with the vision of a foreigner working in the company. It brings high credibility, apparently. Well, China is a world apart. Hopefully they realized I'm smart enough to have more value than just being a foreigner.

We are now back in France, we live in a small village in the region Somme (British people would know it, it was a bloody battle of WW1). And i work in Supply Chain for a factory of heating components: thermostatic valves, heads and such. Never thought about it but someone has to manufacture that.

Let's stay half anonymous for now ;)
(That's the castle of Chambord behind)
![20170506_151122.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/engilhramn/246b74kK4UraA1A5WQsy3CJSieXnV9LGbcJ65sHThd6Hww5R9Rsj7GkEReJCDchR9g5CL.jpg)


**A bit about me**

If I had to define myself in one word (see the introvert tendency?), I would say I'm a father. We have 2 boys, 4 yo and 2 yo (yes, you can guess how exhausting they are). I had no idea how fatherhood would change me. When for the first time I got my son in my arms and we made eye contact, it was just overwhelming. Since then, I try to do my best to be a good dad, even though they suck everything they can: time, attention, patience... My wife isn't exactly the maternal type, so I kind of have to compensate a bit here...
Here are the monsters:
![20220410_142924.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/engilhramn/23uQxjG69SoSphEY8oaMpw1ahkH3SYfBRThwvDFa2HKzach6v7SC7qBGR3Z66gcnqY34w.jpg)
Yeah, they don't look like much like this, but I assure you: they are terrible! The sleeping beasts are always the most terrifying ones!

Working full time and doing parenting overtime at home, I don't have a lot of free time. Around 2 hours a day between 21:00 and 23:00. Apart the usual movie/tv serie and such, what distinguish me is my love of music. I like from alt rock to hip hop, and most of all: classical. Yeah, romanticism rocks. Put some Beethoven into your ears, you forget about your last gym playlist to get pumped. Although as I age, I tend to go back to basics, and Bach's music has undeniably something divine in it. I also play guitar, classical and flamenco style. And Jimi Hendrix is the GOAT.

Now that the kids are a bit grown, we will be able to resume traveling. We have done quite a bit in South East Asia while in China, now is still a bit complicated with Covid, but we have hope for this summer. We have our eyes on Austria ;)

I'm also quite knowledgeable in various subjects. I often have some kind of binge of knowledge: when a subject got my interest, I tend to read everything I can until I have a decent understanding of the matter. Be it chess, physical training, nutrition, gardening...
It usually goes like that: I meet a problem (it's annoying to get rid of grass clippings), look for a solution (permaculture has some nice ideas), get dragged into it and aim for the top of it (food forest are brilliant!). And that's how, looking for a way to get rid of grass clippings, I end up putting fruit trees all around and trying to replace the lawn by clover.

**And what I'm doing here**

I ended up registering on Hive in order to play RisingStar, actually. Thanks to @hoosie who made me discover the game (check his blog if you wish). Concerning Hive blog, well, I'm not interested in social media and "influencers" anyway. No facebook/instagram/twitter/other account to lose my time with.

However... As I see it, Hive is not a social media. It has some aspect of it, sure, but I discovered it was much more. It's the first time I felt really what would be an online community. The word is overused and has lost some of its meaning, so much that we forgot about it and you read it as if nothing, so I write it again. Community. 
In latin: a group of people "cum" who shares "munus". 
And not sharing the latest pointless selfie with a cup of latte from the last opened coffee shop, seeking for attention. But actually sharing valuable things such experiences, ideas, and the most precious of things: their time.

I will take the opportunity to thank some projects/people I noticed while lurking.
- @wearealive  : a simple but powerful reminder. Everyone go through difficult moments, and it's easy to forget that life goes on and that happiness is hidden in small tiny things.
 - @ph1102 and his WORKERBEE pool : with my limited means, I delegated some really ridiculous amount (like 0.30$) to his pool, I thought it was some kind of automatic pool or something. This sum is not even worth the time to add me in his excel or whatever tracking tool he uses. Yet, he welcomed me and sent me the weekly reward right away. Man, I am really ashamed of this ridiculous amount. I will (slowly) increase it!
- Pinmapple : such a nice and useful tool! Either you're looking for places to visit around, or keeping track of your travels.  
- people who does giveaways : yeah, it takes times to organize, to answer, and time is valuable to all. I am thankful to you guys. I will cite just one for his kindness: @dubble, thank you! (don't check his blog though, it will only reduces my chances to win :p )
- the tipping tokens, what better concrete demonstration of sharing?
- giftgiver.site : when you have no HP and can only post 3 comments a day, a small delegation is more than welcome

All this is people sharing, giving some of their time, for others. Community.

All in one, I am grateful to have discovered you guys.
I hope I can too, with my maniacal love of excel tables, share useful and valuable things :)