Many sites on the internet, from social networking sites to message boards, offer a section for a brief bio. I have filled in the “about me” section with one simple line: “I’m just a regular guy, living a regular life.” For the most part, that’s true. I’m not famous, I haven’t done anything extraordinary, and my life is not terribly exciting. That’s not to say that I’m just like everybody else, of course. Here’s a little bit about me!
When I tell people where I live, I tell them that I live in Delaware, Ohio. To be more accurate, my wife Becky and I live north of the City of Delaware, in Northern Delaware County. Our house sits on a five acre lot, giving us plenty of space. In case you’re wondering, five acres of grass takes about four hours to mow. I love living out in the country. The commute to work is about an hour each way, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it to be out here. Fresh air and open spaces.
Becky and I don’ t have any kids yet, but we hope that changes very soon. We anxiously await the day that we find out that we will be parents. In the mean time, the two dogs and cats will do.
Professionally, I’m an IT guy. I specialize in computer networks, systems, and support. I currently work as a network administrator and security analyst. I also do some consulting work on the side.
I have a few hobbies (who doesn’t, right?):
I am a technology enthusiast. I like to stay on top of things in the tech world. I follow tech news closely via a handful of podcasts, websites, and even a couple of IRC (yes, it still exists) chat rooms.
I am a licensed amateur radio operator. It’s a hobby that doesn’t get much love these days, but can still be a lot of fun. I am also a certified weather spotter for the national weather service. As their eyes in the field, I have been able to confirm or report weather conditions in my immediate area.
I love to go fishing. One of the best things about our house is that we are less than a mile away from the state park! Delaware Lake is a great little fishing lake. It’s not quite big enough to attract large numbers of jet skis and water skiers, which makes it a great place to catch fish. Being out doors, on the water is one of my favorite ways to pass the time in the summer and fall.
I enjoy target shooting. Unfortunately, shooting is a pretty expensive hobby, so it has had to take a back seat to less expensive pursuits. I don’t have any friends who are into hunting, so I have never really had the opportunity to get into that either. Maybe some day!
I like to ride my motorcycle whenever I get the chance. Becky and I frequently ride into town on warm summer nights to get ice cream. One of my favorite experiences was riding to Tennessee with my dad. We loaded up our camping gear on our bikes and went down to Norris Lake. Someday, I would love to take off on the bike for another week long camping trip like that.
My last hobby is more of a lifestyle than a hobby. I heat our home with a wood burning stove. I installed it last year to help reduce our heating costs and become more self sufficient. Of course, it isn’t as convenient as setting the thermostat, but it’s worth the work. Some people think I’m crazy, but I love being outside running the chain saw and log splitter.
I grew up and went to school in Grandview Heights, Ohio. Grandview is a small land locked suburb right in the middle of Columbus. It has a small town feel, with all of the conveniences of the city around it. It was a safe community where parents could let their kids play outside and never have to worry. I have fond memories of my childhood, growing up in a town that was a true slice of Americana. My brother and sister and I could ride our bikes everywhere we needed to go. I played tennis (admittedly, not very well) on the tennis team, marched in the marching band, acted in the school plays, and spent as much time as I could with my friends. As a kid, I couldn’t ask for much more.
Music was a huge part of my life. I started playing the cornet in the 5th grade, but switched to the baritone horn during the summer between 6th and 7th grade. In the 7th grade, I auditioned for, and was accepted into, the All-Star Brass Bands. From that point forward, my life revolved around music. I played in the bands as a student from the 7th grade through the 12th grade. After I graduated high school, I continued to participate with the All-Stars as a staff member, helping to teach, and giving back to the organization that had meant so much to me.
I attended college at The Ohio State University. The OSU campus is only about ten minutes from Grandview. Sometimes I wish I had lived on campus simply for the experience but a ten minute drive wasn’t a terrible inconvenience. When I started college, I thought I wanted to be an engineer, but calculus quickly changed my mind. I needed to pick another major. The obvious choice was music. As a music major, I performed with the Ohio State University Symphonic Band. I tried out for the Ohio State University Marching Band, but due to my club foot, wasn’t as agile on my feet as I needed to be. Lucky for me (and contrary to what many people in Columbus think), Football is not the only sport at Ohio State. I was able to play in the band for basketball, hockey, and even some volleyball games. I had the opportunity to travel to basketball and hockey tournaments with the band to cheer on the Buckeyes. I also joined Kappa Kappa Psi, an honorary music fraternity.
I met Becky while I was in the School of Music at OSU. Her sister, a music major, had convinced her to audition for the Symphonic Band. Becky was not a music major, but was a very good clarinet player, and was awarded a spot in the band. We quickly became friends, and started spending a great deal of time together. Our relationship grew very organically. I’m not sure when exactly we went from being just friends to dating. To be honest, we’re not really sure when we became engaged! We had talked about the future quite a bit, and finally decided that we probably should let our parents know and make it official with a ring. We were married on Dec. 21st, 2002. That date, we know for sure!
The unfortunate downside to studying music was that in the end, it proved to be too much of a good thing. I realized that I didn’t want to teach for a living, and had begun to lose interest. I still enjoyed playing my horn, but wasn’t interested in music history, theory, conducting, or any of the other things that I was required to take. My life was taking me in a different direction. I was married, working full time, and simply not willing to do what it took to be a student anymore. I had been working my way through school, some quarters as a part time student, some quarters as a full time student. I was into year eight of my undergrad, something that was taking its toll on me. I had grown uncomfortable with the amount of debt that I had accrued, and decided that it was time to take some time away from being a student.
My interest in computers and technology had frequently taken a back seat to music. While I was in school studying music, I was working in the computer field. I went from working in a small computer shop in Grandview to working as the network administrator for a web design company. I came up with a name, and started a small consulting business called Crystal Networking doing computer work on the side. When the web design company evaporated in 2000 after the “dot com bubble” burst, I went to work in the IT department at the Upper Arlington Public Library.
As is the case with just about all young married couples, money was tight. My position at the library was only part time, and there simply weren’t any more hours available for me to work. I picked up a second part time job at the local neighborhood hardware store on the weekends. It wasn’t long after I started working there that the store manager left, and her assistant manager took over. I was offerd the newly vacated assistant manager position. I couldn’t say no. It was a full time position, and one full time job beat two part time jobs any day! I put my IT career on hold, and entered the world of hardware.
Hardware was in my blood. My father had worked in my grandpa’s hardware store when he was a kid. I remember when I was young watching my grandpa mix paint for one of his customers. I had a love of tools and equipment that no doubt had come from them. I wasn’t the assistant manager for long. The manager of the store had been in retail hardware for nearly 20 years, and was ready for a change. He left, and I was promoted to fill the opening. I spent nearly four and a half years managing that neighborhood hardware store. I spoke to the owner of the store about buying it from him. We came to an agreement, and I began to look into the financing.
Everything came to a screeching halt when the store’s landlord informed us that they didn’t want to renew the lease on the space. They wanted to tear down the building and redevelop the property. I looked into moving the store and proceeding with the purchase of the business, but in the end, came to the realization that the financial risk would be to great. According to the projections that hardware co-op and I came up with, the line between success and failure was going to be razor thin. Becky and I just couldn’t risk it. The future of that store didn’t look bright, and I was incredibly disappointed. I couldn’t stand the thought of being the one to box everything up and shut the place down. I had worked too hard, and the store meant too much to me. It was time to get out.
I decided that my best bet was to get back into IT. The timing couldn’t have been any better. I was offered a six month contract with Chase Bank. I was to help upgrade software on the servers and workstations at the bank branches. When the contract was up, I stepped seamlessly into a position with a local computer consulting company. I helped to provide outsourced IT services to small businesses around Columbus that couldn’t afford to hire a full time IT staff. Essentially, this business did exactly what I have wanted to do with Crystal Networking on a full time basis. I gained a great deal of experience and confidence in the six short months that I worked there. I left to take my current job as network administrator and security analyst with the company that Becky works for.
My dream home is a cabin in the woods, on a small crystal clear northern lake. While I know it probably won’t happen, I still dream about escaping from the “rat race”, and simplifying my life. Living in our cabin, and enjoying the simple things in life, without all of the man made stress around us. Every once in a while Becky teases me, suggesting we move to Alaska or Canada, or U.P. Michigan. If only we could!
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