jason | about me

history

i grew up in a small town in indiana. life was pretty innocent and there was always plenty to think and learn about. things quickly ramped up for me as i entered highschool. now i'm a computer consultant in silicon valley.
i basically divide my life into periods of time divided by major events. i will try to give a brief summary of each section here.. it will probably demonstrate how one's life can change dramatically. :)

elementary school

this was my family's artistic epoch. my father was into pottery and had a small studio and kiln. my mother was into hand-woven clothing. we raised sheep. my brother and i sold extra ears of corn for $1/dozen. i took extra-curricular classes in my progressive elementary school's "talented and gifted" program. i used to get online with compuserve, back when it cost $12.50/hour for non-prime-time hours.

highschool (grades 7-12)

my town never had a middle school until i was almost done with highschool. in highschool, i did things like stage management and building sets and lighting for our school plays and events. i wrote a network chat program (similar to icq) in 11th grade. i was into reading netnews and linux (kernel: 0.99p12) and exploring the internet (before netscape existed).

college

college, as they say, opened my eyes. i learned so much about the world (much more than my friends at the time knew i did-- tho they might have learned just as much). i learned about comradery, about sex, and about self-identity.

california

then i graduated to california. i left school, friends, family, and everything to go to california to find myself. i found there was so much more to find out about myself i have barely scratched the surface. externally i'm usually the same quiet type but inside.. i am a whole new person. welcome to the new me. california: it's not just for hippies and surfers anymore.

actually, in california i learned so many things. i'll try to mention some of them here.

there is so much to learn. about everything. a good example is cars. when i moved to california i not only needed to buy a car, i knew nothing about them. i managed to buy a car that sufficed but now, knowing what i've learned about cars, my future decisions about cars are forever changed. i think its futile to be all-knowing before your first crack at any experience. some people just learn by 'doing'. three years ago i never imagined i'd know so much about cars (and i still have a long way to go).
relationships are complicated. everybody has their own life. lives go in and out of stages. it seems like compatible stages are almost required for a healthy relationship, but since stages are temporary, how long could it last? i still havent learned the magic behind relationships.
nothing is more valuable than having friends who care for you.
keep the past with you as a collage of good times with good friends. you made decisions and history followed.. don't waste time thinking about what-ifs or how things would be different. make them different now.

california is also where and when i learned what it feels like to know someone who died. these days i just write sometimes, work on projects, or bury myself in work.

retrospective

following are some of the champions of my new life.. these people were there for my most pivotal trials. (esoteric mainly-- most of them will recognize themselves)

• the guy who i went canoeing with during highschool
• the offramp hoodz
• the boston guy in cary quad
• luke skywalker
• the schmuck :)
• the guy from my architectural drawing class who introduced me to YES
• kid icarus
• the guy who introduced me to "chocolate cake"
• the roadtrip driver and entourage
• the irish priest
• the alchemist
• the elementary school friend who started "barf-bbs" with me
• "joyboy"
• and others..