Welcome To My World
Hi. I use this domain as a sandbox for the multiple blogs and websites I've launched in the past which others can of course view and critique at will. I taught myself a lot of what I know while migrating from a mainframe environment to the internet culture, in hopes of not only getting out of a tiny cubicle, but also working at something I discovered along the way that I really enjoy doing. I found out after the fact that going back to school was merely an act of getting the paper - and adding up a big school loan payment - because I already knew a lot of the web technology that was being taught. To be honest, using WordPress for all my blogs was the biggest help, and because of this, I am greatful for all the tips I've picked up along the way.
A Little Background
I suppose I could fill you in on a few things you don't know about me while you're here. I was born on the East Coast's 4th largest island, a part of Charleston, SC, and was only a few hundred yards from the 1,500 year old Angel Oak Tree, but by kindergarten, I was living in the 4th largest city in the USA.
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and how I got involved with the 'underground art world' is a subject for another day, but by time I was 16, we had moved back home to South Carolina. Oh yeah, I lived in Los Angeles for a year too while in 6th grade.
I joined the Navy in '85 (during the calm Ronald Reagan years) and served on a brand new aircraft carrier, U.S.S Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) out of Norfolk, Va. I was a radar operator who also sat as FOTC for the cutting-edge JOTS satellite communications system. I worked hand-in-hand with the Admiral's staff when they were onboard for seatime exercises and even received the Navy Achievement Medal for my work. Just today (2/1/7), I came across this framed notation from a previously classified Naval document
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One of the most important parts of the exercise was training in a concept called Force Over-the-Horizon Track Coordinator. The Battle Group Commander must track enemy and friendly forces for hundreds of miles around the battle group. During FLEETEX 1-89, TR was Force Over-the-Horizon Coordinator. By the end of the exercise VADM Johnson said he had never seen it done better, "The performance by TR is going to be used as a bench mark for evaluating others using the procedure."
Anyway, that felt good because I know I was an integral part of that exercise; in fact, I'm the OS/2 that sat as the FOTC database administrator. Enough of that. Listed below are some of the Caribbean, Mediterranean and North Atlantic places I visited while in the Navy 4 years:
| Location | My Impression |
|---|---|
| Bahamas | - the island was Paradise, the casino wiped me out, but the white sand beaches were awesome |
| Belgium | - expensive but very European, the architecture was incredible |
| Egypt | - Cairo was extremely crowded, saw King Tut, the pyramids, and the filthy Nile |
| France | - Monte Carlo's casinos & yachts, the Eiffel Tower, French Riviera, Louvre, and of course, Paris cuisine |
| Israel | - a step back into Biblical history - Haifa, Jerusaleum, the Dead Sea, and the Massada retreat |
| Italy | - Pompeii, Rome, my Motherland - tourists everywhere, but so much to see (NY's pizza wins!) |
| Morocco | - snake charmers, brass and leather goods marked the gateway in and out of the Med |
| Netherlands | - a cheese factory, windmills, and trendy Amsterdam - which reminded me of NY's Greenwich Village |
| Spain | - bullfights, sangrias & siestas, fun Mallorca is Europe's playground |
| Turkey | - incredible Roman ruins, oil-slicked bazaar birds, with gold & leather for sale everywhere |
| W. Germany | - castles, Oktoberfest beer, sausage, and sauerkraut, what timing! |
Finally, some icons to the right point to my professional interests - you can learn a lot about me there too. Other than that, I don't really put much time into this site directly, but the sidebar lists other sites I've done in the past! G/L.
