Wednesday January 27th- The Beginning

So I have now entered the blogosphere...I am a ‘boomer’, a fifty-five-year-old father of two, and a grandfather, from Ellijay, Georgia. I am a software consultant and have been a road warrior for almost eleven years. I have been on an aircraft almost every week so I have strong opinions about airports and Homeland Security

I got where I am today through a fairly odd path, a combination of luck, kind people, and hard work. I have a liberal arts degree, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance degree at the age of 42. In addition to the software career that came fairly late in life, I have supported myself by working in the following professions:

Aircraft Maintenance Specialist in the U.S. Air Force during the last years of the Vietnam War
Funeral Director and Embalmer
Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Motor Cycle Mechanic
Carpenter
House Painter
Professional Musician and Actor
Theatrical Technical Director
High School Teacher
HP Laser Jet Printer Help Desk Call Center Technician
College Administrator and Project Coordinator

I tell you of this career path so when you read my blog; you will understand that I have come from a varied background and from a solidly lower-middle class American upbringing. It would be a mistake to over-simplify any conclusions one might have about how I have come to adopt the positions and opinions that I will share in this blog.

In a nutshell, I lean toward the Libertarian political party, and I think the Constitution was a document inspired by God at an amazing point in the history of the human race. I have travelled the world. I have learned to be tolerant of other cultures and points of view, but...I am starting this blog, in large part, because it was the most socially acceptable way I could think of to express myself, my culture and point-of-view.

I am headed to Haiti Monday, February 1, 2010 for one week. I am going to allow myself a dose of reality that might help me keep in perspective my discontent with life in the U.S. and life-in-general. I have always found that, for me, doing something for others is the best way to get out of your own funk. So I am going to the earthquake zone and see if I can help.

If you ever go to Calgary, Alberta and you don’t stay at the River Lee Bed and Breakfast, you will miss something special. I will blog about Calgary, Alberta, and Canada in the near future I am sure.

Thanks for taking the time out of your life to read my blog.