Short Answer: I have a lot of interests and I like to write.
Long answer below:
Over the last few years, I’ve had the privilege of a lot of down time created by good paying, fun projects. The culture I grew up in focused on getting married and having kids. College and homeownership where nice to haves and there was really no ambition outside of that.
As I started to change my daily contacts right before my trip to the Midwest in 2012, a lot of that changed. I met people in L.A. from Guatemala, Canada, Mexico, China, Nigeria, New Zealand, Australia, England. In the Midwest people had been to all kinds of different countries like Peru, India, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Nepal and had several trips scheduled. Many had come from other parts of the country and there were people from Germany, Afghanistan, Scotland, Ethiopia, Netherlands, Russia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Sudan. I got to meet some Native American Sioux, Lakota, and tribe members from Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Lots of people volunteered in their communities, used their own money to fund or kickstart small programs, and were good at raising funds to do bigger things. That experience didn’t stop when I came back to L.A. All the new people I met where pretty similar. Lot’s of people had big ambitions and the majority of them volunteered or were involved in neighborhood improvement through their church or local non profit.
Back in L.A. I met people from Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Israel, Russia, China, England, and Armenia who were in L.A. to make it big in Hollywood or Technology. I also met very successful people who were born and raised in L.A. and working to help teenagers and young adults push themselves to succeed beyond independent living. Many were in the non profit sector and had a desire to see L.A.’s youth burn with a desire to thrive.
During the first half of the last few years, I got to see people work and lend a helping hand when and where I could. This led to bigger projects more consistently as I expanded my network and learned how to talk to people I didn’t know yet. During the second half of this period, I began to engage in self discovery. Part of learning to thrive is learning what drives you enough to push past the pain (e.g. working out) or difficulties (e.g. communication skills) that are holding you back.
It was this self discovery period that led to all the topics I am currently writing about. Most of the topics I’m writing about are things that interest me. Some posts are archives that have been restored, and there are probably a few posts about things I don’t like. I try to keep that last group of posts to a minimum in order to follow the saying if you don’t have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Some of the self discovery activities were unpleasant, and I do try to write about those in hopes that they help someone else. I also tried a lot of activities I didn’t really like but I did try them and can honestly say I have other preferences. I may or may not write about these experiences but I’m happy to share if anybody asks about it.
During the self discovery period I went to therapy, very unmanly in the environment I grew up in and decided to clear up some incidents that had been hanging over my head for years. Therapy was interesting and I would definitely recommend that everyone go at least once, especially if you have insurance and they’ll cover the costs. My interest in mental health comes from this stage.
I also started working out again (gym, running, swimming, hiking), went sky diving a few times, went to Washington DC, Hawaii, Santa Barbara, San Diego, learned SCUBA and snorkeling. I went on two hunting trips which is a huge contrast to veganism but also a story for another day. My adventures within the U.S. have sparked my interest in visiting other places. Hoping to visit some new countries soon.
I gained in interest in the environment when I first gave up consumerism and became vegan. SCUBA, snorkeling, hiking, and surprisingly hunting opened my eyes to the world of conservation. I love the idea of protecting our natural resources for the next 7 generations which comes from a Muscogee Native American tribe in Alabama and Georgia.
Throughout the last few years, I’ve discovered a lot of things that interest me. One of my favorite quotes that I read recently is …
If it isn’t a hell yes, it’s a no.
Pretty much all of my posts are things that interest me, they are all hell yes! or were at one point in my life. In cases where something is no longer of interest to me, I’m sure the information could be useful to someone that is currently interested in that topic and I’m more than happy to answer questions about anything on this site.
As for computer programming, networking, security, yoga, writing, drawing, and poems; those are childhood interests I never grew out of. Computers have been a part of my life since I was 10 years old and I was 11 or 12 when writing poems. I started meditating around 12 and began drawing around 14 or 15. Most of my drawings were destroyed by an angry family member but I recently started up again.
This is largely a personal site showcasing my hobbies and interests.
Downtime makes me sad and I want something fun to do besides programming, building servers, securing networks, and volunteering when possible. Writing and poetry have been interests since I was in middle school and I’ve done it on and off through high school and through my mid and late twenties. It’s something I enjoy and one of the reasons my writing may seem all over the place, is because I enjoy writing and I’m not too particular about the topic I’m writing about, as long as it interests me.
The reason this site is coming back up after years of being down is that I eventually re-enrolled in graduate school so I could finish my final year. This month is my last month of school and finishing school is a big reason I’ve been building up my website’s and social media profile. I’m done with self discovery and I’m done with school for now.
I have a long life to work ahead of me to work, enjoy hobbies, have fun, and make friends. While this site may at one point become a bit more professional, for now it is a work in progress. A place for me to gather my thoughts, share cool things, and reflect on who I actually am.