To me, amateur radio is in fact a bit about the nostalgia. Do I fancy myself a tweaker? Yes, of course. However, I don't imagine I'll be building antennae and radios in my (nonexistent) "shack" anytime soon. It is true, though, that I have always found physics, wiring, electricity, radios, microphones, sound waves, and like all very fascinating.

Grandpa with my sister and me, July 1991

In truth though, I have joined the likes of the great Gordon West (WB6NOA) due largely to my family, specifically my late Grandpa Thom (WA6BLC). He was a ham for many, many years, and (among other activities of course) he used to communicate around Seal Beach, CA, with my Uncle Dan (WB6DYN). My dad is a ham (KB6FWM), and my mother even had her license for a while (though it's now lapsed). Though I can't say it was huge in my upbringing, it always existed, and I always thought it was so cool. Plus, Grandpa did it.

In the late '90s I got some of the Gordon West literature and studied some (and practiced my Morse Code, as that was still a requirement back then!), but for some reason never got around to actually taking the test. I suspect marching band and general high school busyness is largely to blame for that.

When my Grandpa passed in 2006, for some reason that I truly can't explain, I determined that I would pass my ham test. Even if I never did much with it, I wanted to honor my Grandpa by doing so.

It may have taken an additional five years for me to get around to actually doing it, but I have, and I know my Grandpa would be proud of me. My uncle was also a big help in getting back "into" ham radio, so I definitely want to thank him a bunch too. Plus, he's kept my dad and me supplied with radios and batteries

Does amateur radio service a daily purpose? For many, it sure does. The community they have built among hams is really cool. While I have not really dived in and joined that at this point, it's neat to know that the community does exist. And in times of emergency, I have the license as well as know-how to be able to assist.

Say hi if you see me on the road!

Since rediscovering my desire to get my license, I've been mildly surprised by just how many hams there actually are all around me. While I don't operate daily, I'm looking forward to meeting many more in person and on the air.

Initially licensed as KC9UQE (what a mouthful!), I knew (regardless of what random call I was assigned) that I wanted to apply for my vanity right away. My family runs the Bay Area Radio Fraternity - Beach Area Group ham radio club in Seal Beach, and the club has/had a handful of signs used at times by my Grandpa, by my uncle, and by others. K6MJT was one of these that was used by my Grandpa -- he and I both share the initials of MJT, so, to me, this was perfect for me. I get to carry on one of his signs, but it's also specifically meaningful to me (having my initials in it). Also, it has the region code of "6" in it, paying homage to the fact that I was born in California and that's still "home" for the Thom family, despite the fact that I was living in Indiana when I was licensed. I even went so far as to get the vanity plate for my car, I was so proud of the new call sign!

I will also add that the main reason I specifically had ham radio brought back to my attention was by none other than Leo Laporte... I've been a big fan and follower of his shows for years (dating back to the Ziff-Davis TechTV days), and when he started a new show on his network with Bob Heil called Ham Nation, I was hooked. I knew I needed to get serious about my studying again and finish what I started so many years ago. Though as any ham will you tell, you never truly finish.

The disc between L5-S1 is degenerated, and you can see the herniation out the back side clearly.

The injury happened when I was laying floor tile at the Christian Campus House in July 2008. I was working by myself, lifting improperly, and working quickly to get the whole job done in a matter of just a couple days. I learned a lot about laying ceramic tile (and for the most part the job turned out really well), but I also learned a lot about how to lift properly.

After this initial injury, I let a couple months go by without doing anything about it. I finally told my mom (who works at a Sports Medicine office in Indy that also has a Muncie office), and I got in to see the doc in the Muncie office. He prescribed a muscle relaxant, and I headed off to some physical therapy (also in Muncie) to try to straighten out my badly torqued torso.

Several weeks went by, and my pain had been improving. I also saw my chiropractor a few times, and he helped get things in better alignment. But then our wedding was upon us, and I stopped all treatments at this point... and for the ensuing year and a half.

Finally, at the beginning of 2011, I decided it was time to truly find out what had happened and get it taken care of, no matter what that meant. I started with my family doc, who then sent me on to get an MRI (one slice of which you can see at the top of the post). That MRI determined that I in fact had a herniated (and degenerated) disc. We started with an epidural steroid injection and chased that with more PT. This combo was great: the pain was significantly reduced and I began to get a bit stronger in my trunk/core.

However, the shot began wearing off (and I admittedly began tapering off on doing my home exercises), and the pain began to return. And it was arguably the worst it had been yet. I started going to the chiropractor again, but when he saw the MRI, even he basically agreed that surgery looked quite likely.

After several more weeks of chiropractic treatments, I felt like I had done my due diligence (an MRI, an epidural, two lengthy rounds of PT, two rounds of chiropractic work) and could now truly pursue surgery. I set up a consult with the Indiana Spine Group (with whom I had consulted previously and through whom I had received the epidural), and we got surgery on the calendar.

The morning of the surgery came, and I had of course been fasting since midnight the night before (really it had been more like 9pm). We got up early and arrived at the hospital around 7:30am (for a 9:30 surgery time). I got registered and processed, and they took me back to get changed into my lovely hospital gown/slippers/cap and start my IV. That was the only point where I surprised myself and had trouble... as they began the IV, they struggled. A lot. Turns out the skin on the back of my hand is pretty thick, and they were using a new needle that apparently they all hate ("You have no idea when you're in the vein!" they commiserated to one another). I don't have a problem with needles per se, in fact, I like to look down and see what it's like normally, but after they had stabbed away a few times they asked me "You feeling okay?" I said, "Yeah, I'm good, well, I'm a little light-headed, no wait I'm a lot light-headed." They backed the needle out, laid me back, and got a cool rag on my forehead, and then I started feeling better. Never actually passed out. It was so weird. After giving it a break, they then found an old-style needle and hit up the vein in the inside of my elbow, and had no trouble at all.

From then on, everything was great. Hurry up and wait for the anesthesiologist... he seemed like a cool guy, and he helped explain the exact progression that would follow (wheel me to OR, he'd add something to the IV, I'd be out, then they'd move and flip me, perform surgery, bring me back to recovery, then I'd start waking up). Sounded good to me!

Recovery has been interesting. Mostly it's been just fine. Tuesday (the day after surgery) was pretty rough. A lot of pain, a lot more than I expected. After talking to the nurses, we found out we could add ibuprofen in the off-hours between oxycodone doses. That definitely helped to bring the swelling and stiffness/tightness down a lot and continues to do so.

The nerve that was being pinched off by the herniation was described post-op by Dr. Kraemer as "very angry." So we'll see just how quickly it gets restored to normal function. As it stands right now, I do still have some nerve-related pain down the leg, just as before the surgery. Long-term it likely will be much improved, possibly even 100%. But for now, I'll just be happy with some improvement. Getting the surgery-related pain tackled is the first hurdle, and we're well on our way.

I think it's overall been a good experience. I'll know better in a week or two. There definitely are temporary limitations on what I can do, lift, etc., but even those will go away eventually. If you have any comments or questions feel free to drop 'em here! I certainly didn't cover every aspect for brevity's sake, but I would love to talk about it!

This post is in progress! I want to actually come up with (nearly) 100 things, but I figured I've been sitting around 25 for so long that I need to just get it posted before much more time passes. I'm open to ideas of things to add though, so feel free to throw those in the comments!

So this post was inspired by Matt Todd’s 100(ish) Things post, which was itself inspired by Papa Joe’s 100 Things to Do Before I Die. I’ve always wanted to assemble a list like this, so that was the inspiration I needed! So here goes.

Oh, and a quick disclaimer. I don’t make any promises to actually do all of these, as I know many of them will be very difficult/expensive to make happen.

1. Go to a Colts game (okay I’m starting small so I don’t get too discouraged, haha)
2. Get out of the country (to visit, not to stay)
3. Drive a Ferrari
4. Drive on the Autobahn
5. Drive on a race course (ideally road course, but I’ll take any)
6. Attend a racing school (such as Skip Barber, Bondurant, etc.)
7. Get another degree
8. Attend a tactical training school (such as Firearms Academy of Seattle, ICE Training, etc.)
9. Buy a new BMW (I’d name a model, but by then, who knows what the models will be exactly)
10. Buy a new Audi (yes. I want both.)
11. Get my private pilot’s license
12. Learn to fly a helicopter
13. Visit all 50 states (for more than just a drive-through)
14. Quit my job and work for myself full-time
15. Get my ham (amateur radio) license (KC9UQE on August 13, 2011, K6MJT on September 7, 2011)
16. Attend all (5-7) games of a World Series, ideally in Anaheim and/or with the Angels in it
17. Build a house from scratch (sure, with a bit of contractor help)
18. Drift
19. Win a year of food from any restaurant
20. Attend the Rose Bowl Game
21. Program a whole-house automation/management solution
22. Storm chase (and actually see at least one tornado touchdown)
23. Grow a legit beard
24. Attend the Indianapolis 500 (May 24, 2009)
25. Travel out of state for work (like just once, not as a regular gig)
26. Participate in a ride-along
27. Be one of the first 100 people in line for a Chick-fil-a grand opening and get free Chick-fil-a for a year so I can Eat Mor Chikin (Stolen from Matt, but I LOVE Chick-fil-A)
28. Commute to work without a car
29. Take a cross-country road trip without a car
30. Play a reggae tune (with Sharlene Boodram?)
31. See the aurora borealis in person

Author’s Note:

This article was to be posted on another blog in March. Unfortunately, that never happened, so it is a bit out of date. (Most significantly, production models of the netbook have been announced; see my note on that below.) Nonetheless, I liked my review of the product, so I wanted to post it here anyway. Enjoy!

I won the lottery recently. Well not actually, but it sure felt like I did: I received one of Google’s Cr-48 Chrome OS laptops as a part of their pilot program. Though I applied back in December 2010, I had nearly forgotten about it altogether, having just assumed I wouldn’t be selected. But alas, there it sat at my doorstep. I couldn’t wait to play with it.

It came with this sticker in the box (I then added the gdgt and ThinkGeek stickers).

The Hardware – A Brandless Black Beauty

From a hardware standpoint, I’ll join the rest of the blogosphere in admitting that my first reaction – before even turning it on – was “wow this looks and feels a lot like the original black MacBook.” No wonder: it has a matte black finish, nicely separated “Chiclet” keys, a 12.1” display, a large touchpad (with built-in click ability, no separate button), and very few ports on the outside of the case: only VGA, USB, headphones, power, and SD card ports. One of each. Nothing more.

Just SD card, headphones, USB, and power ports here (with a power indicator light); VGA is on the other side.

The real magic to the hardware, though, is the 16 GB SSD. The nature of a solid-state drive is that there are no moving parts. The physical movement of the read head and spinning platters of a typical hard drive is the biggest limitation to seek time and overall performance – the drive has to literally find the data on the drive before serving it up to the system. With an SSD, this seek time isn’t decreased, it’s eliminated. Thus, a complete system boot-up takes roughly 10 seconds. Ten. Seconds. Close the lid and it goes to sleep almost instantaneously, and it wakes just as quickly. It’s worth noting, of course, that even with 2 GB of RAM, actions on the web are still limited by bandwidth (a page will only load as fast as it can be downloaded and rendered, neither of which are primarily reliant on the hard drive) and processing speed (a high-definition movie on YouTube playing in Flash still puts a huge strain on the admittedly under-powered 1.66 GHz Atom N455 processor on board).

Three more quick comments on the hardware. First, it ships with a Bluetooth radio, but it is not yet activated in the current version of OS. Second, there is also a CDMA-enabled 3G broadband radio on board, and the pilot program comes with 2 years of (100 MB per month) Verizon Wireless broadband service included. Last, the removable battery is actually fairly sizeable, both in physical size and in capacity (63 Wh); I do see actual 7- or 8-hour performance out of it, running on WiFi (I haven’t really tested the battery much with the 3G yet, largely because I would likely empty my 100 MB usage long before the battery would run out!).

The Software – Chrome OS

This is the most intriguing part of this experiment, and it’s clearly the part that Google is interested in getting feedback on. I am no stranger to the Google Chrome browser, and I have it installed on all of my computers. However, I had never made it my primary browser; I have been a disciple of Mozilla Firefox for as long as I can remember. I’ve been tempted at times in the past to leave Firefox for Chrome, but my extensions in Firefox were reason enough to stay where I was comfortable, despite some of Chrome’s great features and speed.

My Cr-48 booting up.

But turning my Cr-48 on for the first time, I was introduced to a login screen for a Google Account. You cannot create an account on this computer without having a Google Account. Once I entered my login information, it immediately updated the computer’s bookmarks with my bookmarks (because they had been synced from one of my other computers using Google’s Chrome Sync). I had not previously used any Chrome extensions, so there was nothing to import, but reportedly it would have imported and activated my Chrome extensions as well. So there I was, staring at a Google Chrome browser. Or should I say I was looking at Google Chrome OS? Hard to decide; they are one-and-the-same. For example, the wrench menu in Chrome: on a desktop computer, that menu has an “Options” choice; in Chrome OS, it is instead called “Settings” and is the closest thing this computer has to a “Control Panel” or “System Preferences.” There are not many settings available here, but all the system settings you’d expect (such as Date and Time, Networks, Users, etc.) are available here, in addition to Chrome browser settings (ahem, Options) such as Basics, Personal Stuff, and Under the Hood.

That’s it! No other software to run whatsoever. You cannot minimize the browser, because the browser is the OS is the browser. To quit the browser (Ctrl-Shift-Q) is to log out of your account. It’s odd, but powerfully simple.

The Experience – I’m a Google Guy, in a Google World

Using a Chrome OS netbook such as this is definitely an experience best approached from the perspective of a diehard Google adherent. I suppose that you could say that I am just that: I use Gmail for personal email, I have a Google Apps account, I use a Google Nexus One phone (running Google’s Android OS of course), I manage all my calendars and contacts through Google, Google Reader is my RSS reader, and I use Google Documents. Even so, I had yet to make the actual switch to using Chrome full-time on my personal computers. However, the receipt of this Chrome OS netbook was all the encouragement I needed. From wanting to take advantage of Chrome Sync to simply wanting continuity in my day-to-day browsing, I took the plunge and relegated Firefox to backup duty only.

How significant is this? For me, it was only mildly impactful. Using Chrome is not an incredibly different experience from using Firefox. More importantly, I had already set Google as my default search engine in Firefox (and Internet Explorer, for that matter), so I was already sending all my queries to the Goog. So in that sense, my experience (and my daily contribution to their ad revenue) did not change considerably. However, I am not one of those people who searches Google for Facebook, but instead I use Ctrl-Enter to go straight to the site. Again, with Chrome, this is even one step easier (it auto-fills the www. and .com without even having to press Ctrl-Enter).

The Settings screen is concise and easy to use.

Chrome OS ships by default with a Search key in place of a Caps Lock key (though this is reconfigurable to Caps Lock). I’ll admit it’s not difficult to press Ctrl-T (to open a new tab) and then enter a search query, but it’s even easier (and still somewhat novel) to just punch the Caps Lock (I mean Search) key and bring up a new tab to enter your search. I often find myself sitting in front of the TV with my Chrome OS netbook in my lap, and now I’m even more likely to hit the Search key and look up an actor, a show, or a product.

How Might This Impact the Industry?

Google already has a significant stronghold on the search industry. In January ComScore indicated that Google had almost exactly two-thirds of the search market, with Bing actually increasing its share to about 12% and Yahoo! dropping its share to 16%. Bing is the default search engine in Internet Explorer, and many people leave this setting when they get a new computer. But if a Google Chrome OS-based netbook was a popular commercial option, then this would encourage a further shift toward Google picking up the last few percentage points of market share, as these default-setting people would just leave Google as the default search engine on their Chrome netbook. Further, as indicated from my own experience, I’m even more likely now to search Google for random things as I think about them, since it’s an even more readily accessible experience.

Will Google eventually come to market with a commercially-available Chrome OS netbook? I believe they will, but it may be a while still. If they can price it competitively (I’m thinking between $200-300 for a netbook like the pilot machine I have), then it could be a huge success. There is a large portion of the population for whom this type of machine (a “netbook” in the truest sense of the word) is perfect: those who are new to computers and/or really only ever do email, Facebook, and internet or those need a light-duty second (or third or fourth!) machine. Those people are hesitant to spend the $400, $500, or $600 for a low-end Windows PC (and especially $1000 for the cheapest Mac) because those computers simply are more powerful than they need and offer features they’ll rarely use. Google’s purpose-built Chrome OS netbook, though, could be a game changer for them. Here’s to hoping it becomes a reality!

Postscript:

Google has now, of course, announced the first production Chromebooks: one by Samsung and one by Acer. Other than what’s posted on Google’s website, I don’t know anything specifically about those models. They do look intriguing, though I feel the price points are too high. I still believe that these will never be anyone’s primary (or only) computer. Therefore, I’m not sure the price point is low enough to justify a purchase for most people. Nonetheless, it’s a very interesting concept, and it will be fun to watch the sales figures!

Then, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard came on-site one Friday for a short press conference announcing their support of our efforts as we have committed to adding over a hundred new jobs in the next year. What a cool thing it was to have those gentlemen in our newly renovated office! We celebrated with some breakfast foods. The funny part of this event was that most of us aren’t in the office on Fridays, and yet no one complained about coming in to support the company and be a part of the event.

Lastly, we just finished celebrating our company’s rebranding last week! Thanks to KA+A, we have the sweet new logo you can see in the photos on this page. This was of course accompanied by other branding specs, as well as brand new website. Check it out! http://www.slingshotseo.com

So to celebrate it all, we had a party last Thursday, complete with live music, a photobooth, Wii, a caracturist, and awesome food catered by Scotty’s Brewhouse. It was great to meet clients, partners, and employee’s families.

What a cool team we have here at Slingshot SEO. Awesome, fun, hard-working employees. Terrific leadership. And great products and results for our clients.

Oh, and we’re hiring: http://slingshotseo.myexacthire.com/

Join me here!

But now it was time to overhaul the 2.5-year-old home theater PC (HTPC). The old one still works fine, but it’s big, loud (it has 4 or 5 fans, which is way more than it needs, as it pretty much only sucks dust in anyway), and I wanted to upgrade the HD and add a Blu-Ray drive (the old one only had DVD, though I could play Blu-Ray rips at full HD). The parts were delivered early this week, so I built it mostly Monday and Tuesday. Here’s the part list:

• Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 Micro ATX case
• Foxconn Cinema Premium AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor ADO4600CSBOX (reused from old HTPC)
• Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM (PC2 6400) Memory (reused from old HTPC)
• Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (reused from another PC)
• AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet - PCTV Tuner (reused from old HTPC)
• LG UH10LS20 Blu-ray Disc Combo Internal SATA 10x SuperMulti Blue LightScribe
• Microsoft A9O-00007 WinXP Media Center Infrared Remote Control (reused from old HTPC)
• ADESSO WKB-4000US 2-Tone 88 Normal Keys RF Wireless Mini Keyboard (reused from old HTPC)
• CyberPower CP800AVR 800VA 450W UPS (reused from old HTPC)

The largest impetus behind the rebuild is the fact that for my recent birthday I received a new 42” LCD TV. This was a huge step up from the 23” LCD computer monitor I had previously been using. While functionally the system was the same, this was a great opportunity to get a Blu-Ray drive in play and just revive the system a bit. Who doesn’t enjoy a good system refresh every year or two?

I put all the parts together last night, installed Windows, and began the process of reinstalling all my programs and settings. With one major exception, everything went together without any serious trouble, and it’s all good to go! So exciting to have a new system, and a good-looking one at that.

That “one major exception,” though, was brought on by an odd confluence of the tiny, small-allowance design of the case and an odd design choice by the motherboard manufacturer. As I discovered, the SATA ports on this mobo aren’t the typical top-down kind, that you plug the cable into vertically (perpendicular to the mobo). Instead, each pair was located in a small tower that turned them 90°, such that you plug into them horizontally (parallel to the mobo), from the back. The huge problem with this is that the case was designed such that there wasn’t even an eighth of an inch of clearance on the back side of the motherboard once installed, and so there was almost no space whatsoever to plug in a cable, certainly nowhere near as much as a cable needs.

I ran to Fry’s and bought 90° SATA cables, to minimize the space required. Then, I tore the case down as far as it would go without popping rivets out, and took to cutting a hole in the interior wall in question. I realize this wasn’t the optimal way to go about it, but it was the best I could do with what I had handy. I took my drill and made a whole bunch of pilot holes – essentially a connect-the-dots pattern around the perimeter of the hole I wanted to create. Then, I took my tin snips and cut between these, opening it most of the way up. Next, I took my needle nose pliers and bent and twisted the piece back and forth until it snapped off at the bottom. Last, I used my bastard cut file and evened the cuts up a bit and smoothed them out as much as possible. The first time through, the hole wasn’t big enough. So I did all that again, widening the hole. This seemed to work.

Then, I put the hard drive carrier back into the case (which unfortunately is located immediately on the other side of the wall I just hacked up). The side of the carrier nearly plugged my hole back up altogether, and now that problem had to be attacked. After checking to make sure there’d be enough clearance inside the carrier to cut a hole in the side and still have a hard drive in it without damaging it, I took to using the same process on a portion of the hard drive carrier (leaving out the first step of drilling because the carrier was designed with holes spaced across both sides). Finally, after cleaning all this up again, I put the carrier back in place, the motherboard, and connected the cables, and voila. It fit. Barely. It was still a tight fit, but at least I was no longer afraid I was going to break or damage something.

With that, I completed the rest of the installation. Unfortunately, that whole ordeal (including borrowing a drill from my dad due the recent death of my drill’s battery) wasted nearly three hours, so I didn’t get the power turned on until nearly midnight, and then I began the software portion of the setup process. So I went to bed around 3:00 that night, which was a wee bit later than I was planning.

Nonetheless, I now have a great-looking, great-performing new computer that will play DVDs, Blu-Rays, and any file-based media, as well as of course play and record broadcast TV (two channels at a time!) and any streamed internet programming.

Any questions or suggestions? Leave me a comment and I’ll respond!

There are so many little things that drive me absolutely batty when reading articles on the internet. From the smallest personal blog (errors are relatively acceptable here – I’m not that cold-hearted) to the largest “news” source (such as The Huffington Post), no site is immune to the sickness that is grammatical carelessness. Below is a short list of my biggest aggravators.

1. Its vs. It’s – There is a distinct difference. Its = possessive. The cat bared its teeth. It’s = a contraction meaning “it is.” Feel free to use “its,” as long as it’s used properly.
2. There vs. They’re vs. Their – There = a location. They’re = a contraction meaning “they are.” Their = possessive for something belonging to “them.” They’re standing in front of their house over there.
3. General Spelling Errors – Folks, every piece of software these days has spell check. Use it. Or dictionary.com. Or – gasp – an actual dictionary!

I know there are more, but they’re not coming to mind at the moment. I will update this post as I come up with more!

Feel free to add your own in the comments!

Since my last post in August of 2009, a lot has changed. At that time I believe I had just started substitute teaching but was still looking to find more permanent work. I finally found that at the end of September, and on October 5 I started work at ExactTarget. What a perfect job, or so it seemed. Fun (though busy and stressful) work, a great atmosphere, and awesome people to work with. I made several new friends, learned a lot about email marketing and even just corporate life in general, and enjoyed my time there. However, all good things come to an end and, unfortunately, I found out this past September that I would be leaving ExactTarget. October 6, 2010, was officially my last day, so at least I made it to my one-year anniversary – even if only by one day! But God is good, and after a 7-week “vacation,” I found new employment at Slingshot SEO, a young, fun, growing company operating in a space of the internet where there is so much room for growth. I’m only a few weeks in, but so far I’m loving it.

Also this past summer we got a dog! We adopted a 6-year-old Lhasa Apso from an animal shelter and named him Yogi. He’s been a true joy, and we’re so blessed to have our first dog-child.

Beyond all this, I have no further excuse about not blogging. I’ve certainly had lots of thoughts on various topics, but I’ve been too mired in other things to get my creative thoughts out on this digital paper. But I’m back! And I’m planning on blogging much more frequently now, sharing my thoughts on things as I encounter them. And to new readers – don’t worry, this isn’t a personal blog, per se… most of my thoughts will stem from personal experiences, but this is not just a daily journal of things I’ve done. But sometimes you just gotta post a picture of a cute dog.

Leave me comments, questions, or topic suggestions in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: This post is long. Also, it is a relatively “personal” post, instead of the usual commentary on life in general or specific things in society of interest. If you’re not interested in reading something personal, just move along…

Producer’s Note: Yes, the Author and Editor are one-and-the-same. Or is that two-and-the-same?

Why is it often so hard to figure out what you truly enjoy doing the most? I’ve never been a big fan of the career aptitude tests some high school students take to help guide the college major selection; I’ve always believed that an individual will know what is right for them to pursue, whether as a college major or a career.

I must admit I’m having a little trouble with this myself, though.

Most people know me as a music guy. I play trombone. (Or, if you know me from church, perhaps you know me as that drummer who plays some guitar on the side.) “So where are you teaching now?” I get asked by old friends and acquaintances, those who knew me during my tenure as a music education major at Ball State. Though I appreciate the conversations, I hate having to answer that question, largely because I don’t have one, “perfect” answer.

Brief aside: I don’t think it’s right that we, as a society, put so much importance on our jobs that when we meet someone it seems the only important things to find out are “what’s your name?” and “what do you do?” Nonetheless, this is the world we live in…

I am set to start working on Tuesday, September 8th, as a substitute teacher in Lawrence Township schools. I am thankful for a job (albeit a “full-time” job at “part-time” wages), but it’s not my life’s dream. I don’t take any particular joy or pleasure in teaching, especially middle-school kids (which is where I will be). It’s not my strongest suit. So I find myself daydreaming about, applying for, and occasionally even interviewing for other jobs (especially ones that are actually full-time and salaried!).

The problem is, as I sit there thinking, I cannot seem to settle on one or two main things I enjoy doing, things I am passionate about. Dictionary.com’s sixth definition for “passion” is as follows:

a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.

I have too many things that I have some level of fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for. I’m struggling to “limit” myself by choosing just one as a career and relegating the others to the “hobby” category (and, in reality, doing away with some entirely for lack of time and/or funding). Here I will hash out a few ideas.

Music

Music has always been an important part of my life. I love listening to music of all kinds. I enjoy making music, whether playing trombone, playing drums, playing guitar, playing bass, singing, or even arranging music. I do enjoy teaching music, particularly being in front of an ensemble and making music through the players in front of me (again, why I would enjoy high school/college over middle school).

I’m just not sure that it is something to do professionally, full-time. I have said since finishing high school that if I could get a full-time orchestra gig, playing with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, or the Cincinnati Symphony, or Cleveland, etc., I would love that. To get paid to play my trombone is awesome. (I am fortunate enough to be playing with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra “full time” this year, but the MSO’s full-time is still very part-time.) The reality is that it is very unlikely that I will ever win a full-time orchestra audition, so I cannot bank on this.

Computers

Literally as long as I can remember, I have been using computers. 8088, 286, 386, 486, Pentium, PII, PIII, Celeron, Centrino, AMD, Motorola (PowerPC) Mac, and Intel Mac, I’ve had them all and used them all. I installed an internal modem with my dad and my grandpa (his dad) when I was probably 8 years old. And yes, I helped, because I wanted to jump ahead to set the jumpers (yes, those) before my grandpa was ready to move to that step. (I recall this because of his reaction, which taught me a small but important lesson: “One problem at a time.” I don’t always remember this lesson very well…)

But what to do with my computer skills? Many friends and family know me as the go-to guy when it comes to fixing/building computers. And yet, lacking any formal certification or training, I’m not terribly marketable to potential employers who want someone with “proven” computer chops.

I have had some good friends of mine suggest I start my own computer-repair business, starting by just putting fliers on mailboxes and going door-to-door in area neighborhoods. This may in fact be a terrific idea, but I’m terrified of 1) not making it financially, especially as I’m building [and I don’t have enough in savings to truly invest in a start-up project], and 2) the notion that, even in that arena, no one will trust my abilities and knowledge because of my lack of certification: why would they pay me to fix their computers when they could pay someone from the Geek Squad to do it? (And trust me, I have about a million answers to that, but that’s not the point here… and no offense to any Geek Squad employees reading this; I’m sure you’re all lovely people.)

Politics

“What? Michael can’t even read!” Yes, politics. There are times that I get very deep into reading, listening, and learning about current events and issues and historical events and issues, and at these times I feel that I would love to be involved on some level in politics and current events. That might be as intense as actually running for some local office. That might be as far from that as just writing and commenting about issues. As anyone who truly knows me can attest, I am very opinionated. I wish I had the time (the “reason”) to spend truly becoming knowledgeable about issues. If I did, I would love to use that knowledge to help make a difference.

Law Enforcement

Yeah yeah, it’s dangerous. But what kind of a man am I if I am more concerned with my own physical safety than the safety of others? I enjoy a certain level of risk in most things I do, so that wouldn’t bother me. I am respectfully aware of danger, though, not recklessly unsafe. I am also very alert, perceptive, vigilant, aware of my surroundings at all times, and I would love to use these traits to help protect and serve others.

Some may know that I already have gone as far through the application process at Fishers PD as they would let me (about halfway, I finished 37 of 68 when they took the top 34 to the next level). I am just about to start the same process with Indianapolis Metro PD. Fully aware that IMPD is statistically a more dangerous jurisdiction than FPD, I still want a foot in the door to the world of law enforcement. (And let’s be honest, despite the increased crime rate in Indy versus Fishers, only six IPD/IMPD officers have died in the line of duty since I was born over 23 years ago; with all due respect to the deceased, that’s not that terrible.)

Summary

These are just the main four areas that come to mind as I am writing this. If I had to pick just one of even those four to focus on, it would be very difficult – a near-tie between law enforcement and computers. Computers I have more experience and direct knowledge about, but I feel that I have a great aptitude toward both; I probably would receive more direct pleasure from law enforcement. See my quandary?

I enjoy serving people. I think that is apparent in what I’ve already written as well as in what I didn’t write about: my recent history, college experience, and full-time employment with a church last year. I’m just trying to find the best way to use the gifts God has given me to serve Him by serving His people. This should be a happy experience, and it mostly is, I’m just struggling to find the best fit for me. The job market isn’t helping much, to be sure, but ultimately it is up to me to make an opportunity for employment.

Alas, here we are.  After a near-two-year-long engagement, Natalie and I are getting married in weeks’ time, in Indy.  I cannot wait – both for the ceremony itself and the beginning of the marriage.  (Additionally, I’m just ready to “move on” to a new chapter of my life.)

Natalie and I have both grown so much the past few years, and I am certain now that we are ready to get married.  Two years ago when I proposed, I knew we weren’t yet ready to get married right then, but I was confident that we would be, and confident that it was Natalie I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, share everything with, and, yes, raise children with.  But I’m happy to say the Lord has worked in us in so many ways, through several important people, particularly over the last two years.

I’m also very much looking forward to becoming an official resident of Fishers.  Don’t get me wrong – Muncie’s been great to me the last five years.  In fact, I actually have grown quite accustomed to the “small town” feel (yes, people from truly small towns: it’s a “small town” compared to what I grew up in).  I feel that I have made as much of my home as possible, particularly in the past three years since I moved into my house off campus.

But I really like the Town of Fishers. It’s located just across the county line from where I grew up (we lived literally six blocks due south of Fishers), so it’s pretty familiar. Our apartment seems nice and quite large, and I cannot wait to set up our home.

I move in six days; I have already packed most of my stuff. These next six days cannot pass quickly enough!