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"Born in the USA, I was born in the USA . . . " - Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the USA" I was born January 23, 1974 in Lakeland, Florida, at Lakeland General Hospital (now known as Lakeland Regional Medical Center). "When I look back on all the crap I learned in high school, it's a wonder I can think at all . . . " - Simon & Garfunkel, "Kodachrome" I attended Dixieland Elementary School (as part of the Polk County School System) until 1984, when my family moved to Austin, Texas. We lived there for two years, and I attended Spicewood Elementary School and Canyon Vista Middle School (in the Round Rock School District). In 1986, we moved back to Lakeland, where I attended Southwest Junior High (now called Southwest Middle School). I graduated from Lakeland High School in 1992. " . . . Get me to the church on time . . . " - David Bowie, "Modern Love" When we moved back to Lakeland in 1986, we also began attending First United Methodist Church. I could usually be found there on Sundays and Wednesdays for services, choir, Ringers & Singers, or youth programs. "I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my papers, and I was free . . . " - Indigo Girls, "Closer to Fine" After high school, I began college at Florida Southern College. I graduated in December of 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. I also took many summer classes at USF, and I am eternally thankful for them. Those were wonderful times in my higher education because I was meeting new people, learning from different professors, and taking classes not normally available at my smaller school. "Get a job, sha-na-na-na, sha-na-na-na-na" - Silhouettes, "Get A Job" During college, I began working at Walgreen's. I ended up working there for two years. I still miss it from time to time, but I think it's really just the people I miss . . . and most of them aren't even there anymore. These days, the store where I worked isn't even there anymore. "Move out, don't mess around, move out . . ." - The Shamen, "Move Out" In spring of 1996, my friend Heather (a long-time friend of Lakeland origin) secured a job with Mindspring Enterprises in Atlanta. She (and her family) convinced me to look for a job in Atlanta and move in with her. I had several interviews, and I took a position at a small ISP, America.Net, in June of 1996. "It's all brand new, I'm crazy for you . . . " - Madonna, "Crazy For You" That summer, I met Dave Sloan through WebPersonals.com, and we began dating in September. "It's a nice day for a white wedding . . . " - Billy Idol, "White Wedding" On June 6, 1998, Dave and I got married at the Polk Theater in Lakeland. We spent our honeymoon at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. "Take this job and shove it! I ain't workin' here no more . . . " - Johnny Paycheck, "Take This Job And Shove It" Later that fall, America.Net began going through some big changes. The company morphed into ISP Alliance. I worked for America.Net/ISP Alliance for a total of 2 years, 2 months, and 2 days. "I'm takin' what they're givin' 'cause I'm workin' for a livin' . . . " - Huey Lewis & The News, "Working For A Living" On August 10, 1998, I began my work with BellSouth.net. I work as a UNIX system administrator, and my main focus is DNS. Although I've learned about new facets of DNS and other areas of systems administration that I hadn't used before, I've really learned that I have a lot more to learn.
That about brings us up to date. If you think I've left something out, email me and ask . . .
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