Let's Do This
It's time...
Beginnings are hard.
So, why me, why now, why here?
Why Me? Well, why not?
I think an intro is due. Some of you already know me, so feel free to skip ahead. I’m a husband of 15+ years, and a dad to 4 kids (and 3 cats, and 1 dog). Born and raised in a small town in Massachusetts, USA. The 9/11 attacks happened while I was in high school, and I was inspired to get off my ass and do something with my life. I followed the footsteps of my stepbrother and signed up for the United States Marine Corps, leaving for basic training in December of 2003, 6 months after I graduated high school.
I enjoyed my job, I met good people, and I went cool places. I met my wife toward the end of my enlistment, and we got married in November of 2007. I wanted to do something different, so I traded one color of uniform for another, and joined the US Army. I left for job training in Augusta, GA in the spring of 2008. Having been a nerd with a good understanding of technology, I went with IT Specialist. I did well, I learned a lot, and met more good people.
Turns out, it wasn’t meant to be. That minor pain in my back wasn’t getting any better. I decided to get it checked out. Bulging discs in L4-L5 and L5-S1. DoD can’t do anything about it. It was decided that I’m too torn up to stick around, so a medical discharge was started. Just like that, my 6-year contract was shortened by about 5 years. A stint that would have put me at 10 years on active duty.
Speaking of things that were “meant to be,” my wife is pregnant now. So, in addition to scrambling to start a new life as a civilian, get my paperwork in order, and figure out what’s next, we got to prepare to be first-time parents. I was medically separated in March of 2009. They were due in September.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. We found a pretty great apartment in Massachusetts right after I got out. I had just started a new job, and we were in the process of moving from Massachusetts to Maine to be closer to that job. Then, it happened. My wife calls me, her water broke. We’re freaking out because this doesn’t make any sense. It’s only July. This shouldn’t be happening yet. But it was, and it did. An ambulance ride (for her), a frantic trip to the apartment to clean up and gather supplies (for me), and a couple of days in the hospital freaking the fuck out, and we were full-fledged parents.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S EVEN MORE. Premature birth. Time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). We weren’t prepared for this. We didn’t know what we were doing, or what to do next. Oh, and remember that “moving states” thing? That was still happening. Fortunately, we didn’t have a lot of stuff, so we were able to get moved in before the twins came home. Oh, and one of them came home before the other, so we were still driving back and forth to spend as much time with them both as possible.
Just like that, the chaos was real. Nothing would ever be the same. I started a job doing IT work, picked up skills, met people, and picked up more skills. We had more kids, we moved, and I got new jobs. Rapid growth, rapid change, and we rolled with it all.
Mandatory “hacker in a hoodie wearing a Guy Fawkes mask” picture
What Now?
Over the last 10+ years, I’ve met some amazing people, done things I’ve never imagined possible, and grown in so many ways. I’ve helped countless others in a variety of ways. I see this as being the next phase of that. What’s the point of learning if you don’t help others learn? We’ve all had struggles, and we owe it to the next generation to teach them what we’ve learned.
So, tips, tricks, cool stories, fun facts, shameless self-promotion. Learn with me, learn from me, and teach me. We’re all going places, let’s lift each other up.