A Bit About Tripp

Hi everyone. My name is James Warren - I go by 'Tripp'. That's because I'm a third - James Ray Warren III - and Tripp is a nickname for thirds, much like - albeit less common than - Trey. Buckle up; this is a long one! Just an intro to me, and they'll be shorter in the future. And about things far more interesting than me.




I'm a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) - Go Blazers! I have a (mostly) unused degree in Psychology. I planned on attending the doctoral program in  Medical & Clinical Psych at UAB, but instead decided to pursue an MBA at my alma mater. I did this on the advice of some alumni of my Fraternity - Tau Kappa Epsilon, by damn! - who quite correctly pointed out that I seemed to have more of an aggressive, analytical, and charismatic personality. And that these traits seemed better suited for business or law than for helping people through their personal problems. So, I'm currently working on an MBA at UAB while I work.

Apropos my Fraternity, I joined while I was an undergrad at UAB - the Pi-Delta Chapter of TKE. I saw the opportunity for leadership and fun - and took full advantage of those opportunities. I was recruitment chair, member educator, philanthropy chair, and president of my chapter. I learned a lot and gained a passion for what TKE is meant to do - develop young men into successful men with an advantage in life, through academics, philanthropy, and social activities. I am now a volunteer for my Fraternity.  Other volunteers call it the "magnificent obsession". I lead the state of Alabama and the panhandle of Florida as "Grand Province Advisor". I am also President of the UAB chapter's Board of Directors. And President of the Alumni Association - all among other roles.  It certainly takes a lot of time, but it's really worth it. There is little greater than seeing someone I have worked with doing well in life and loving it at the same time. Of course, I had some GREAT fun along the way. I remember most of it. Speaking of having fun, it was through the Fraternity that...

I met my wife, Jennifer. She was a member of the UAB chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. We didn't really get along very well. I was president of the chapter, and she was VP of Finance for her sorority. We just seemed to clash. Next thing we know, we became best friends - and remain such to this day. We hung out daily - literally, daily - throughout our senior year. I proposed in 2009 at the Birmingham Museum of Art; I had the ring set up as part of an exhibit. Maybe I'll include that story in a post later. We're both very much into the arts, so it was perfect. She plays violin and works for a non-profit that teaches children in the city to play stringed instruments. Sounds noble, huh? She's also the breadwinner. So it's the best of both worlds. We were married in June of last year in St. Lucia. It was amazing, and I REALLY look forward to going back.

 We have a furry, spoiled kid. This is him. I'm of Irish descent, she's of (mostly) Irish descent - as if you couldn't tell from our pale, pale skin. So we wanted a pup from the Irish/Shetland isles. We went with the Sheltie - my brother gave him to her for Christmas 2009. We also needed to name him something Irish. So he's Murphy. You might can tell that we're proud of our heritage. We're also huge Notre Dame fans - Go Irish! Excited that they shake down the thunder this Saturday. We also both love pro sports (isn't she awesome?!?). We love the Boston teams - and did before they were doing well. Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, and Patriots (love the Madden 12 commercial with the Boston accent and Dropkick Murphys playing). We like soccer as well - Arsenal, FC Barcelona, and Chelsea.

I'll probably write mostly about foodie-related things, but will also post about random other things on my mind, things you want to hear about, and occasionally pepper in some of my writings for you to review. I've been writing (everything from essays to poetry to fiction) since I was a wee toddler. I also won't make them so long after this! Hope you enjoy it, and if you do, share with others! See you next time - we only part to meet again!