Hi all, just joined.

Here's a big list of labels that usually apply to me:

liberal
progressive
libertarian
(note, the above three don't imply any complex understanding of or beliefs about politics)
creative / artistic
technically adept
unconventional / iconoclast (for example, in spite of working in IT I'm unwilling to participate in the "browser wars" or the "os wars" or any of the religions of us vs. them because, quite frankly, every browser I've seen, including Firefox, is patently awful. Why does Firefox have to open a new freaking window any time I save a file?! And why is that not generally considered to be a ridiculous nuissance? The truth is the reason most technology is awful is because it's designed by programmers and exec's don't understand why that's a problem. I'm the rare exception to the rule that programmers aren't capable of understanding context in a way that would allow them to create something a user can enjoy using, partly because I've spent a lot of time learning how to do that and actually enjoy it quite a lot -- where most programmers will tell you they'd rather eat broken glass than think about what will be easy for someone else to use and even more so vs. "style" decisions, even though they often dramatically alter the ability of people to use a program)
bisexual (though not a sex addict - sapiosexual if anything)
polyamorous
ecclectic
curious (about a great many things)
heretical (and why not?)
humorous (with recent forrays into both comic strips and stand-up comedy)
smart (self identified at least -- in the past I've scored in the 150 area on IQ tests and 98 on the ASVAB for the Navy but no longer believe in their veracity - I would have been offered Fire Control or Nuclear as options when I enlisted in the Navy based on my score if I weren't a GED graduate -- GED is considered a security risk)
spiritual
non-religious (a dabbler in the symbols of many religions - ostensibly "pagan")
non-smoker
rare social drinker
scorpio
enneagram 5 Observer, Thinker, Investigator
ENFP / ENTP (taken the test several times both in person an online - I vassilate between the Idealist - Champion and the Rational - Inventor - Champion is uncommon, Inventor is even less common - both of which I think contributed to why I was unsuccessful for the better part of a decade as a computer programmer, because I was unable to find the niche in programming in which new ideas are accepted, explored and given merit)

and theSuperheroQuiz.com says I'm 75% Spider Man

I have 3 kids (2 daughters & a son) who live with their mother in Dallas

Things I've done:

Grew up in Dallas. My great great grandfather, George Bannerman Dealey was the editor of the Dallas Morning News which he purchased from General Belo when he turned 60 and started writing editorials defaming the KKK. Of course, you have to give him credit, but at the same time the Klan wasn't likely to be gutting a very public 60yr old white guy.

My family on my father's side are all wealthy, largely as a result of my great great grandfather's money and although our cousins have benefitted greatly from that, neither my sister or I have really benefitted from it.

As children our father neglected us (at times to the point of being life-threatening) and I've discovered in restrospect that my mother beat me as a child. I don't remember most of my childhood as a result.

Got involved in comic books and roleplaying games in 3rd grade, learned to draw which is what I'm trying to do professionally now.

I got married young at age 19 before I really understood myself in any meaningful way.

My first daughter was born when I was 20.

I enlisted in the Navy to take care of my wife and daughter in '97, had an affair before I shipped off to boot-camp, threatened suicide after getting through the hardest part of boot-camp for reasons related to the affair more than anything else and "washed out" and was sent home after a couple weeks in their hospital.

After the Navy I had a "bottoming out" experience, an epiphany which cured me literally overnight of anxiety attacks and a number of other physical symptoms I'd been having for years prior like serious stomach problems, heart palpatations, etc. This happened as a result of writing between calls while working Technical support for Hewlett-Packard. I discovered after the fact that there were major similarities between my writings and other significant writings throughout history including Plato's Allegory of the Cave and some Kabalistic ideas that have been presented by other spiritual leaders as well.

In '98 I got my first job as a computer programmer for MCI/WorldCom (the job was described as help desk + webmaster) where I learned ColdFusion.

In 1999 I moved to Jacksonville FL with my wife and 2 daughters for a job as an ASP Programmer (god, I hate that technology).

In 2000 we moved to Orlando after a falling out with the Jacksonville job. I discovered later on that I left just before the company started having major payroll problems unrelated to my absence. I worked at Parts.com for about 6 months before I quit and discovered later that I quit a few days before that company started having major payroll problems unrelated to my absence.

In late 2000 / early 2001 I had another affair which, without getting too involved in the specifics ultimately resulted in splitting up with my ex who after a few years admitted that she hadn't really loved me for several years but hadn't said anything because she wanted to stay together for the kids.

Between 2001 and 2006 I spent a lot of time trying (DESPERATELY) to get ahead in the IT industry as a programmer both with jobs and with after-work efforts. I pushed myself to the absolute limit, working day in day out on anything I thought might have the slightest potential to result in the money to pay off my child-support (which is now $40k in arrears). I had become a machine, doing nothing, saying nothing, thinking nothing unless it held the potential to get me out of my financial distress.

I remain in financial distress.

The state suspended my drivers' license for non-payment of child-support within a year and I drove without a license from 2001-2006 when I was pulled over 3 times in as many months for outdated plates and after spending the night in jail I made what may be one of the most important decisions in my life:

No compromise.

I refuse to live my life carrying everyone else's baggage. I will do the things I enjoy, PERIOD. To that end in recent months I've been "trying to quit" programming, and have found it to be as of yet about as difficult as quitting smoking.

To be perfectly honest, I'd love to continue programming, if I can find the niche in which new ideas are rewarded, but if I continue programming I'm going to do it on my terms.

I've started illustrating again (which I hadn't allowed myself to do since 2001), I finished a new book (on Lulu and Cafe Press), I'm pursuing syndication as a newspaper comic strip artist, an apprenticeship to become a tattoo artist, stand-up comedy and any means I can think of to earn a living as an illustrator, writer and comic.

Like Anne Frank (although I'm not comparing myself to her), in spite of everything I still believe that people are fundamentally good (as opposed to the Christian ethic of believing that people are fundamentally evil, or the atheist belief that people are fundamentally selfish, which, if thought through ultimately also means that people are fundamentally good).

So... I suspect that intro may generate a lot of questions. :)

ike