There comes a time in everyone's life when you can't ignore the changes going on inside. Whether it's
the way you think or the way you feel about things. Back in the early 90's I was closing out my
rock and roll bad boy lifestyle with a move to Virginia. I came here apprehensively with no clear direction in life
or in a career and was greeted with a culture shock I was clearly not prepared for. Between the lack of a music scene
and everything closing so early, I went from a 24-hour party city to a relaxed layed-back place. I eventually
accepted it, but I never truly happy here.

I eventually became interested in computers and started running my own BBS
with the computer I purchased. That eventually grew into a 100 phone line internet service provider business over time.
I knew one thing though, I excelled at computers and eventually got into designing web sites and other graphic things
with computers. At the beginning of the new millennium, I found myself employed with The Virginian-Pilot within a
subsidiary which was PilotOnline & HamptonRoads.com.
During my employment there I learned a lot and and grew into the current frame of mine I am in now. With the
combination of growing older, becoming open-minded about music and ideas, switching to Macintosh and becoming so deeply
involved in web standards and web site accessibility I found my new passion in life... visual design and Macintosh
computers but most of all a career I enjoy doing. I have grown to excel in semantic coding practices and the time has
come for me to move on in my life and career.

Today I formally submitted my resignation at The Virginian-Pilot and will be moving to Texas at the end of May. Our
house recently sold for a lot more than we paid for it. This allows us to pay off all our debts and arrive in Texas
with a totally clean slate and new life with the hopes of also finding a job that pays more than I was making at The
Virginian-Pilot. We will be living outside the city limits of the Houston area where I have seen they pay a lot more.
Houses are a lot cheaper in Texas and they come with land around them... an acre or two would be nice for us. Once the
Dodge Durango is paid off with the money from the house it will become Kathleen's vehicle and I will get myself either
a Ford F250/350 Heavy-Duty 4x4 pickup or something similar with a suspension lift and large off-road tires. We're going
real southern now. Look out democrats and liberals I'll be running you all over in your hybrid cars.

So the time has come to say goodbye to the friends I have made here and Virginia but I had a good time here still.
The people I worked with at The Virginian-Pilot are all great people and I don't regret a minute of my history there.
I consider the people I worked with as friends and I will miss them all greatly. I hope to keep in touch with them
all. I don't know if I will ever come back this way to visit but each of them has touched me in one way or another
and I will bring memories of the fun we had while we worked and the friendships that were formed over the years with me
to Texas.