About Me

I am just a small town boy from Blaine, Minnesota. I have lived here all my life and no, I have not gotten used to the cold. Currently 19 I am working my way through technical college going for my web desgin diploma. I have also been doing a small amount of web design work, mostly free, to start stuffing into a portfolio to take when I look for a good job. There are a few reasons I decided to go into this field.

Computers

It all started when we got our first computer. It was an old green-screened Mac with only basic functions and no internet. I loved this machine from the day we got it. It was a crappy machine sitting on our kitchen table in the trailer park I grew up in, but I don't think my Dad knew at the time he was really buying a better future for his two sons. Eventually we moved into a house in a small neighborhood, also in Blaine. We have lived there ever since. Although once we had the new house we moved up to a new Windows 95 based PC. I got the old one in my room and mastered all the basic functions that the Mac had. Although I also learned the joy of gaming from the PC with Duke Nukem 3D and Wolfenstein 3D, not to mention the shareware version of Doom. Once we got yet another new PC (WINDOWS 98 THIS TIME) I again took on the old one and learned everything I could. I would spend hours in my room just sitting on the computer messing around with different things. This along with help from my local library landed a book of C programming in my lap, after I learned that books about other things fell into place, HTML, BASIC, etc. I learned what I could as fast as I could. Now, a couple computers and a laptop later, I am here making sites. I love doing it and I hope to get a good career doing it. This wasn't my only reason for going into this field, I also was inspired by my Bro.

My Bro

My brother was always the person I looked up to as to how I wanted to be. Don't get me wrong I always took after my Dad with my personallity, thats been proven many times. Yet everything that I do is to try and be like my brother. I still want to do web design, not what he does with programming flash sites and applications. Yet he has been leading a succesful life so its only natural that he is an inspiration. Ever since our first computer we both really got into the computer industry, I even picked up the habit of drawing from him too. He is married, has a house, and a great job where he gets to travel often, and he is just turning 27. He has been the reason I try hard in school even though I suck at book learning (luckily most of my classes so far have been very hands on, my learning style). My brother is always very supportive (like all my family) of what I want to do and offers his assistance and help if he thinks it would help, or if I ask. He is always willing to teach me what he knows about the programs he knows and is a just plain wacky guy. He is one of the major reasons I do what I do yet there are two more who have been just as, if not more, inspirational and supporting.

The Rents

My parents, ever since they got our first computer, have noticed that I love nothing more than to work on a computer and make creative things, they have supported everything I do and for that I love them more than anyone else. My parents constant support is one thing that has easily allowed me to keep doing what makes me happy. They have sacrificed much for me, they got cable internet just because I complained about slow speeds, they bought me computers for gifts because they knew thats where my career lied. Plus there is the fact that without them I wouldn't even be alive. They are probably the main reason that I am who I am and I do what I do, and for that I thank them and hope someday I can repay them, take them on a vacation or something, they deserve it.

The Girl

I had always known what I wanted to do and even with the support of my family it was a hard road to travel. I never did very good in school. I just couldn't learn how they wanted me to, it was too many book problems, they were just so boring. At times it got me down but I eventually found someone that gives me a never ending source of confidence. She has been there ever since we met. This one person is my girlfriend Jessie. She has stuck with me for nearly two years now and we will keep on going well in to the future. She has supported me in building sites and in return I have supported her in her efforts to start a cookie business. She means alot to me and for that I love her.

So as you can see I may make sites and draw in my freetime, but there is a much larger reason behind why I do it. I hope to be able to make a career out of doing what I love someday. I would love to have a job where money isn't the main goal, until then, its lame retail for me.