About Erik Brekke

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

• Who are you?

• How old are you?

• Where’d you go to school?

• Are you married? Kids?

• What do you do for a living?

• What are your hobbies?

• Why do people call you Koop?

• Do you have any pets?

• Where did you grow up?

• Ever won any awards?

• What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done?

• You got the money you owe me, motherf---er?

• Where have you been?

• What’s your favorite ... ?

• Does anyone really care?

• Are you happy with your current long distance provider?

• What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?

• Do you have any heroes?

• What’s the best way to cure hiccups?

• Ginger or Mary Ann?

Who are you?

My name is Erik Brekke, and I live in the Town of Jackson, WI, which is southeast of West Bend, WI.
Other than that, I’m nobody special. Not that I’m not “special” in my own way, however.
 

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so that should be enough information for you to do the math.

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Where’d you go to school?

Elementary: Chester (Waupun, WI) and Pier (Fond du Lac, WI)
Junior High: Thiesen
High School: L.P. Goodrich
College: UW-Milwaukee
 

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Are you married? Kids?

I married my lovely and talented wife Karla on May 5, 2001. If today happens to be May 5, please
email me a reminder. Thank you.

We have a daughter (Annika) and a son (Luke).

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What do you do for a living?

Currently, I am the General Manager of Ruvin Bros. Artisans & Trades, Inc. More information about what I’ve done and all that stuff is on the Career page.

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What are your hobbies?

In no particular order, I’m interested in:

• Music
• Electronics and other hacks
• Astronomy
• Go-kart riding
• Outdoors (camping, fishing, hiking, etc.)
• Boating (power and sail)
• Computers / Electronics / Robotics
• Weather
• Dogs
• Watching movies / films
   

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Why do people call you Koop?

It all started in the early ‘90s when I first started in construction. My first week on the job, I was doing some incredibly menial chore in the basement of this huge house in Mequon, WI. All around me tradesmen were busily working to complete one task or another. The din of saws, torches, and hammer blows was silenced when a guy named Gary Volkmann yelled, in the loudest voice ever, “Erik? Erik? Erik von Koopenheimer? Where are you?”

Stunned and a little bit amused, everyone stopped instantly and turned to look at “the new guy” - me. When I found Gary, I asked him “Where did you come up with that name?” He replied, “I couldn’t remember your last name, and you kind of remind me of someone from “Hogan’s Heroes”, so ...”

Since I had a roommate at the time also named Erik, the nickname stuck.
 

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Do you have any pets?

Yes, we have a Welsh Corgi named Nick who we adopted from the fine folks at the Wisconsin Humane Society.

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Where did you grow up?

In Waupun, Wisconsin and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. If you’re looking for the Erik Brekke from Stoughton, WI, unfortunately that’s not me. I understand he’s much nicer and better-looking.
 

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Ever won any awards?

To date, here’s everything I can think of and a few I made up:

• Wisconsin Music Teacher’s Association Student Award (1984-85)
• Second Place - Frigid Five Run/Walk, 1985
• First Laser Tonsillectomy patient in Wisconsin, 1985
• Miss Gardner Dam, 1986
• Current Events Champion, 1987
• First Place - FdL Yacht Club Summer Sailors, 1987
• Eagle Scout, B.S.A., 1988
• Finalist - Wisconsin State Guitar Wars, 1989

When I got my first real job in 1988, it wasn’t long before the crushing pressures of college tuition, replacing an endless stream of auto parts, and the general drudgery of the commercial world extinguished my ability to get any non-monetary awards.
 

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What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done?

Assemble and answer a list of frequently asked questions about myself.
 

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You got the money you owe me, motherf---er?

You must be Mr. Ricardo Sanchez of the National Mortgage Corporation. Yes, I did get a chance to read the threatening letter you sent, and I’m surprised my check still hasn’t reached you. Must be the upcoming holiday season slowing the mail down.

By the way, what happens if you foreclose on a house where the upper bathroom faucet was left on for weeks and the insurance somehow lapsed? Hypothetically speaking, of course.
 

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Where have you been?

I’m sorry, Mom, I meant to call, I’ve just been real busy.

Oh, you mean to which places have I been? I have some memory of being in these general areas:

• Wisconsin
• Illinois
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Iowa
• Indiana
• Ohio
• New York
• Nebraska
• Georgia
• Massachusetts
• Colorado
• Texas
• Maine
• Florida
• California
• Louisiana
• U.S. and British Virgin Islands
• Puerto Rico
• Parts of Canada
   

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What’s your favorite ... ?

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Does anyone really care?

About this Web site? No. About society and the world at large? Boy, I hope so.
 

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Are you happy with your current long distance provider?

Yes. Extremely happy. So happy that it borders on ... obsession. Which leads to ... aggression. Which can also be the cause of ... confession. All right! You got me. I hate AT&T with every fiber of my being. Are you happy now?
 

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What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?

Other than what you’re reading? Wow ... my vote is for falling down a flight of stairs, backward, in a lawn chair.
You can see photos of the aftermath.
 

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Do you have any heroes?

I have many, maybe too many to list. But the top three are:

• Richard Proenneke. Lived alone in the Alaskan wilderness from the late 60’s until the 1990’s, when he was over eighty years old. This guy knew how to live with his environment.
   
• Victor Sorge: A World War I and II spy, who at various points worked for the Russians, Germans, and Japanese. Born of Russian and German parents, he never stole secrets, took photographs, or rifled safes. He just looked at information laying around and put it all together to be more accurate than any of his contemporaries. He immersed himself in whatever assignment he was on and had everybody fooled until the end.
   
• Gen. Ulysses S. Grant: He knew what it would take and whom he needed when no one else did. Never one to underestimate his opponent, he still had a “simple faith in success” that allowed him to change the course of history.

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What’s the best way to cure hiccups?

Lemon and bitters, guaranteed. Take a lemon wedge, shake a few drops of bitters (like Angostura) on the lemon, and bite down on the lemon wedge. Hold it for a few seconds and get all the juice/bitters mixture you can.

In rare cases, up to three tries spaced a couple minutes apart may be necessary.
 

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Ginger or Mary Ann?

Mary Ann.
 

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