So here's the thing...I'm not really that fascinating. My name is John, (after my paternal grandfather). I grew up in Miami betwen 1970 and 1986, (my family originates from Chicago, we moved to Miami when I was three. Had my third birthday on the train), so I was in Miami before it became Miami.
In 1986, realizing that I was in college, (FIU), but didn't give a fuck about it, I made a change...I joined the Air Force. Why I did well there, I don't know, but I really did enjoy it, and I learned a huge amount from the people I met and worked along side of. But, most of it won't make sense if you never did a military tour.
I got married, got out of the Air Force, moved back to Florida started really being in IT, had a kid, moved to Boston, got divorced. Moved to Missouri, got married again, moved to Tallahassee.
The truth is, I'm reasonably good at what I do, and I do a lot of things. I'm also an opinionated, profane cocksucker with a mouth on me like the mutant offspring of a WWII Navy CPO, a Teamsters Driver, and a NYC Stevedore. There's a lot of people that like me, there's a lot of people that fucking hate me. The reasons for both are probably valid.
About the Site
A while ago, (March 2003 to be somewhat exact), I started this shit up. There wasn't a reason other than I got tired of just screaming in the car at the stupid I dealt with. The early design for this site sucked ass, but I learned from it. Currently, it's what I want it to be, with some minor changes from time to time. If people don't like it, well, there are other places on the internet they can be.
The layout is not based on a theme, but is what I like to see. I like wide columns, I like my gradient, and I like my choice in fonts. Basically, I look at the site, and it makes me happy. That's my design criteria.
Don't like what I say? Go.Away. I'm not doing this for cash, I'm doing this for me. The fact that anyone reads this is beyond me, but I'm sure as fuck not going to try to please anyone but me with it. The site is done in Movable Type, it's always been a Movable Type site. I like Movable Type, so why change? I use MarsEdit to post, because it's a kick-assed tool. I used to use Ecto, but the changes to the tag setup in Ecto 3 sucked dick, so I switched.
(Note: Unless Movable Type or MarsEdit suddenly suck, I'm not changing shit. So don't bother advocating. Both tools do what I need them to do.)
My hosting is provided by digital.forest, who are not the cheapest game in town, but their shit is tight, and they're professionals on every level.
Dedications
If I were to list everyone I owe thanks to, I'd be writing names for a year. You don't get to be 40+ and not have gobs of people who have helped you in hundreds of ways. The truth is, for as much of a curmudgeon as I am, I have been incredibly fortunate to have met a huge number of people who are genuinely good, honest people, and every one of you means the world to me. I have friendships that go back almost 30 years now, and some that are less than a year old, but all of you are my family. So forgive me if I list no names, but I'd never be able to get the order right enough, because they'd all have to be on top.
Well, there are two names that should be mentioned:
Melissa, I am, every day, astounded that you can look at me and find someone to love. If I ever figure out how, I'll show you what that means to me.
Alex, in spite of being raised in what can be a cruel, mean world, and raised by someone who can be not the most sensitive person on the planet, you have always been a kind, smart, good kid, and as you get older, I see the man you're going to become, and the pride I feel is unmeasurable. If I have done anything right in my life, it is managing to let you be the person you are, and will be. Or, as John Lennon said:
I can hardly wait To see you come of age
But i guess we'll both just have to be patient
