Chad

I guess I'm supposed to say something wonderful or catchy about myself here. Can I get back to you on that?The basics: I came from the bustling metropolis of Robertsdale, Alabama, a tiny little town near the gulf coast. I spent the first seven of my post high school years working on computers for a living as a network administrator, until I got burned out on the idea of spending 12 hours a day in a cubicle. So, after several different versions of the same boring job and a long string of failed relationships, I decided to do something different with my life. I joined the Army, got the hell out of Alabama and spent five years as a journalist. Great job. I got to use my press credentials to do pretty much anything I could dream up. I got to do everything from driving a tank to taking the band Tonic out for dinner. It was a lot of fun, and a great ride, but I've done my time and I'm glad it's over now. I met my wife, Sara, while I was stationed at Fort Jackson, and decided to settle down here in Columbia, South Carolina. She really helped ground me and made me realize an entirely new set of priorities. I made a lot of friends in the military that are still the closest friends I have. I wouldn't trade those friendships for anything. I got out of the Army in August of 2005 (I can't believe I'm now considered a disabled veteran) and did a brief stint as the service manager for the local Porsche dealership. The pay sucked and the boss was an idiot, but I did get to play with $150K cars. Those who know me well, know of my long standing love for German cars, especially Porsches. I really hated the job. Recently, I went back to work for the Department of the Army as a civilian. I spent the last few months I was in the Army working for Range Control at Fort Jackson. I went right back to work at the same job, just making twice as much money and not having to put up with the Army's BS any more. I also get to go to work in jeans and a t-shirt now instead of a uniform. I spend most of my time at work in the woods, which is another great pastime of mine anyway. Overall, life couldn't be better. I still take a lot of photos in my spare time (I own around $10K in camera gear from being a journalist, I have to use it for something now)I still head for the mountains with a backpack to go camping whenever I can, and I still love driving any one of my cars alone on a twisty road at a breakneck pace. So, I guess I'm pretty much the same person I've always been, just older and wiser. I have few regrets in my life. The good times gave me some great memories to look back on, and the bad times helped mold me into who I am. To my friends - Thank you! To my enemies - Screw you! To Sara - I love you! To everyone else - Who the hell are you?!BEGINMYSPACETOOLBOXBACKUP VERSION 1.1;;111111; http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/the_journalist/May%20 5%20GTG/PICT0190.jpg; Center Center; fixed; no-repeat; ffffff; ; bold; ; ; ; ; ffcc00; ; bold; ; ; ; ; 996600; ; bold; ; ; ; ; cccccc; ; bold; ; ; ; ; ;