The Linear Canvas

Some times I am not the life of the party. I don’t have much fun around some people because I don’t do the coffee, cigarette, alcohol, overeating, gambling, religion, and never question authority thing that is seen as the American ideal for men (and women) these days. I’m no prude and I wouldn’t deny those things to the countless addicts who depend on them to avoid withdrawals, hell, divorce, or jail time.

I’m not usually even included until someone finds out that I am an encyclopedia of knowledge on computer systems. I can handle any hardware or operating system malfunction. The hardware is what I really enjoy the most. I can also figure out how to make other unfamiliar operating systems and protocols work, or work better, if you give me a day or two.
There have been many who doubted my abilities only to have me fix the unfixable or solve the unsolvable. That has made me a hero and a chump, depending on whether someone felt like they were being helped or were being shown up. I even had a supervisor ask me to quit my job because he was tired of me showing him up. I thought I was helping him. I guess not.

I’m not just bragging (not just), I really enjoy doing these things. I don’t consider myself a geek either. I just like having the right answer for people when they ask me. I get off on it. I love troubleshooting. I get a real pleasure out of the range of emotions that I get through the process of searching for the way to solve a problem. I always say that I am the least happy when my computer system works. Once it does work, most times I just sit in front of it, staring at it, wondering what there is I can break on it. I always find a way.