John Askings:  

It was the best of times... it was the worst of times... *coughs* Errrmmm... In the vain attempt to be brief, here is my story since 1992. I started at UNO that fall with the intent on getting an engineering degree and to later design roller coasters. My, the lofty wonders of being a youth, eh? Things started to go downhill in October of that year when my father passed away rather suddenly. Within months, my mother had her first heart attack and began to develop other illnesses. So there I was going to school full time, working full time to help with the upkeep of the family and the medical benefits, and taking care of an ill mother. I managed this for 2 years until, unfortunately, I had to leave college. Not long after, my mother passed away and I moved in with my best friend and girlfriend at the time. About a year later, due to situational stresses, we broke apart and I left for Florida. (She and I remain good friends to this day, btw.) I lived in West Palm Beach, Florida, for about 8 years. It was there that I started working for PrimeCo, which is now known as Verizon Wireless. During this time, I received my MCSE, Cisco Systems, and Comptia certificates and moved into the Data Sales/Engineering side of the house with the company. Basically, I showed people how to use their cell phones with their computers, their company¿s backhaul services, etc. Blackberry is a good example. During this time, I got back into writing. I have been a...Expand for more