Well, where to start. I grew up in a rich suburbian area in California called Saratoga, which is near San Jose. It was one of those upper-class neighborhoods, mostly full of self-indulgent yuppies. My folks divorced and remarried, so I spent my time between Saratoga and San Jose, in a less propserous area. I went to school with the rich kids until junior high, then went to a school in San Jose, which I frankly found infinitely more preferable. I was a rough kid, always getting into fights. I probably wouldn't have, if I hadn't been hit at home so often.
I had quite an interest in the martial arts, and practiced until just after high school, when I snapped the ACL in my right knee. One reconstruction and a re-learning to properly walk later, I'd acquired a weight problem, and was unable to pursue my earlier dreams. I went to a JC with a Psychology major, which turned into an English major. When money got too slim to work the kind of job I was working to afford school, I went hunting for better, and was abruptly employed in the computer industry for more than I expected to make with an English degree.
Been working since then, in Tech Support, Junior Sysadmin, and Product Support roles, going on my sixth year in the industry.
I know most webpages have phrases like, '...and that's where I met the love of my life...' or '..I grew up happy..' and other such happiness for the reader. But, as many of you are gonna guess, not all of us work out that way. The one woman(girl, at the time, we were in high school) I seriously thought I was in love with killed herself before I could tell her. I was physically struck constantly as a child. I blew a knee out and have permanent nerve damage in the leg, and my previous dream was to study martial arts. Strange dogs make me sneeze.
So, forgive me for laying it on there. I have my job and my hobbies, and those are the good things in life. I'm a member of the Lion's Club, because I give a damn about my fellow man. I donated sleeping bags and blankets to the homeless in Berkeley, even though I was broke. Yes, I'm often cranky. Yes, I'm often angry. But that's life.
Get me the hell out of here!