About Me
I am a believer that things in life happen for a reason. I definately believe in fate. It is not always easy to see that when they occur, but looking back on events in my life, I believe they had a purpose. If the following few paragraphs are boring, I apologize, I haven't had to write a story in years.
As much as I hated going to Edison Tech, in Rochester, NY, I can pretty much owe my entire life from 9th grade on, to that place. Up until the day before school started I didn't know if I was going to go to a Catholic high school with my friends, or the inner city public school, with no one I knew. As fate would have it, I went to the inner city public school. After going to a suburban Catholic school from pre-school through 8th grade, going to Edison was quite a shock.
Freshman year consisted of 10 weeks in each shop class. The purpose was to experience each of the different vocations and help to find a career path you liked. I had decided to go to Edison (over the other city schools) because they offered a food service class, and I wanted to be a baker. When I got to the food service exploratory class, I expressed my goals to the teacher, who relayed them onto the food service teacher. I didn't really dig cosmotology or child care. At the end of freshman year we had to choose 3 shop classes that we would be interested in taking. Good students (like me of course) got their first choice, and so on down the line. Food service was my first choice. Computers was my second. I didn't really have a third, but Kurt, my friend in shop classes, chose printing as his first choice, so I put it down as my third.
Fast forward to first day of sophomore year. I receive my schedule and I am listed as going to the printing class. I went to the class and explained my situation. I was going to be a chef, not a printer. I went to speak to my counselor, who said I could switch over if I wanted because they had room in food service. I thought it might be a sign, so I went back to printing and the teacher, Mr. Neelin, convinced me to stay. I came to find out later, the food service teacher had a notebook with my name on it and an empty desk.
During my senior year I had the opportunity to co-op at a printing company. I interviewed at Monroe Litho and got the job. I worked in customer service, prepress, the shop room and the bindery. I learned a great deal, a lot of which I still use today. During my time there, I met a press man named Zach. One day he saw me wearing a Slipknot shirt and told me about his band, Loopus. I had been experimenting with websites around that time and offered to build his band a website. I went to my first local show, to see them play. I built their website and I began to sell their merchandise at shows. Through them I met lots of good friends in the music scene.
Many websites later, I went to Canada with my friends in 40oz Failure to hang out and catch a show of theirs. A few other people were joining us, including an attractive young lass, who I had not met before. I was intrigued from the first moment that I saw her. I knew that she would have to be mine. With the help of some of my friends, I annoyed the living crap out of her until she decided to date me. That was in '02. Unless I don't update this for awhile, we are still together. And although it has nothing to do with anything...as we waited to leave for Canada, there were some ducks walking across the street. A woman came barrelling down the road in her jalopy. She came around a curve and took out 2 of the ducks. One duck was dragged 20 feet. The other had its head nearly ripped off and it flopped around on the ground. The third duck pretty much say there in a daze. Torey started to cry. I started to take pictures, and I wish I still had them.
While I was finishing up high school, I had to decided on college. My teacher told me that RIT had the best printing school in the country. I did early decision and was accepted into RIT. I was once again heading to a place where I did not know anyone. I decided to join Gamma Epsilon Tau, the National Co-Ed Honor Printing Fraternity. I met a great number of friends through that organization. I also worked in the printing labs, eventually managing the Digital Publishing Center. I was Vice-President and President of the RIT student chapter of TAGA (Technical Association of Graphic Arts). We won first place in 2 international book design competitions (with a total of 6 in a row or so). During my senior year it was time to look for a job. I interviewed with maybe 10 companies, in the NYC area and Minnesota. A friend from GET, Josh, and my boss, John Eldridge, put in a good word with the CEO of Global Printing in Alexandria. I received 2 job offers. One was in Long Island and one was at Global. I accepted the offer at Global and moved down to Alexandria, VA. I have been down here for 3+ years now. I am a Senior Account Manager, a team leader and I own my own condo.
So...because someone screwed up my sophomore schedule, I became a printer. I met tons of friends in the music scene and at RIT. I found a successful career and a pretty decent girl.