A brief background
I was born and raised in Illinois, where I spent most of my young life. As a young man I lived in a couple of states before ending up in Houston, where I lived for 25 years. I recently moved back to Chicago as it has always been my true home. While I enjoyed traveling to and living in different parts of the country, Chicago has always been in my heart.
I am a proud Army Infantry veteran, joining straight out of high school. I was stationed in Ft. Benning, GA during training. Afterwards I was assigned to the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division in Ft. Campbell, KY. Where it was not uncommon to see soldiers parachute, rappel or fast rope out of them during combat. I have to say that being in the Army is the most memorable experience I have ever had. It tested my limits for sure. One thing is for certain, if I can survive living in the woods for weeks at a time without a proper shower, the everyday comforts that are taken for granted and MREs, I can do anything.
I also spent a good portion of my life as a musician. Ever since high school, i wanted to play bass guitar. There’s no other sound like it in the world. From funk to jazz, you definitely know something is missing in music if you don’t hear a bass playing. I LOVED it. Even though I don’t have the opportunity to play anymore, I make sure to pop in the headphones and jam out to some Stone Temple Pilots and relive those wannabe rock star days in my memories.
Which leads to basslix. What is basslix anyways? No, I don’t lick bass fish. A bass lick is the same concept as a guitar riff. See? A simple play on words and bam I got your attention. From the slap-pop of the strings in a funky tune to the subtle smooth flow of jazz, a bass lick is a beautiful thing.
I’m definitely a family man. I have a beautiful daughter who always keeps me on my toes and occasionally drives me nuts. My wonderful wife designed this site for me as a way to engage with and entertain prospective employers many years ago, with updates to the site here and there over the years.
What do I like to do? Let’s see. I am a tinkerer. I tinker with my computer and my home theater system. Since I spent a lot of time in the woods in the army, I also love camping. Except in the summer, ugh. I’m a gamer. So far my favorite game is Fallout 4. I am a Marvel Universe junkie. The Punisher and Iron Man are my idols. Not long ago I took up cycling as a way to get back in shape and meet people.
And finally, besides gaming and music, I love craft beer. I can’t do American brews. I make an exception for Michelob Ultra, although I usually drown that stuff out with a lot of lime juice and a splash of hot sauce. Call me a yuppie if you like, but my favorites are currently Dead Guy Ale, Fat Tire, Guinness, Smithwicks and Begyle Blonde.
I began my career in IT over ten years ago. I have worked for companies as large as JPMorgan Chase with 200K+ employees to an organization as small as Lone Star Legal Aid with about 300 employees. I have extensive skills in Level I and II Desktop Support, and recently two dedicated years of service towards Level III support and systems administration.
My skills include:
- Microsoft 365 admin
- Microsoft Exchange on prem and O365
- Nutanix
- Citrix DaaS
- Active Directory
- Microsoft Exchange on prem and O365
- The best and most important skill I have is being able to learn to do almost anything.
