For the past 10 years, my day job has been IT management & support in Windows environments. So I’ve used Windows at home, bought Windows computers, and both personally and professionally railed against the “Mac Tax” that comes with all Apple products.

And I felt justified in that decision. I used the same computers at home that I supported for work, because it was easier, and because Dell Latitudes are rock solid, and because these days Windows 10 pretty much just works, even if it isn’t all that sexy.

Except now my day job doesn’t involve supporting Windows users anymore, and I was tired of the same experience on every computer I used, and the timing was just right as Apple to stepped in to completely disrupt the game.

The M1 chip is revolutionary. While a traditional computer has always spread the components across the motherboard, the M1 combines the CPU, GPU, RAM, and a few other components into a single unified chip. That combination makes it fast, and lets it scale to match what you’re asking of it at any given time.

Nobody else is doing that.

In fact, Intel – who has held a virtual monopoly for years – hasn’t done anything especially innovative in a long time. It’s going to cost them. Intel has been too complacent for too long, and in my opinion, Apple just pulled the rug out from under them.

The M1 is faster, has better battery life, and for once Apple is offering it at a price that’s almost better than some of the high-end Windows options. But most of all, it’s something new and exciting. It was enough to make a dedicated tech geek like me stop and take notice.

I’m not going to turn in my Windows computers and become a fanboy. Not hardly. But right now, I like using the MacBook, and I appreciate the things it does well – and the things it does better.

A lot is changing lately, and I’m leaning into some of it.

It’s just a cell phone snap, but it was a good moment during the morning.

It’s been a difficult few years for many of us, and this last one was especially hard for most of us. It was for me.

But now it’s spring, and things seem poised to improve. Maybe, hopefully, things will change for the better.

It’s really all about change, and right now, there’s a lot of change in my life. I haven’t written a word in the past year. For many months I didn’t even feel the desire, and then, when the desire returned, I found that I still couldn’t manage to put words on a page. That’s not to say I didn’t do any work – I’ve done editing and revisions, and I’ve put a lot of thought into projects I want to work on, when the time is right.

As things begin to go back to “normal” – whatever that means – I’ve come to realize that there was a lot of “normal” that I didn’t especially care for, and that I don’t want to go back to; I never cared for crowds, and handshakes will remain in the past. Instead, I want to spend more time outside, and continue to build things with my own hands, and to engage with nature.

For the first time in ten years, my day job won’t be with a nonprofit. And it won’t involve IT support directly with users. I no longer have to keep up with announcements from Microsoft, the latest Windows bugs, or worry about Office365 vulnerabilities. I’ll have new tasks and new challenges, in a wholly new environment. A pivot into something else, something that is hopefully more interesting and fulfilling.

It’s all frightening and exciting, in the way that only change can be.

I want to write more, and have people read what I write, and find ways to engage over it. I love talking about writing, and stories, and have done so little of it since leaving college. So expect to see more posts here. I can’t promise that they’ll be consistent, or “on topic” – let’s face it, given the range of my interests, in any given month I might write about natural science, woodworking, kayaking, technology, computers, photography, storytelling, good books I’ve read, bad books I’ve read, or whatever happens to pop into my mind at any given moment.

If any of that interests you, check back from time to time. Leave comments. Help me figure out how to talk on Twitter. Let me know that someone (other than my mother) is reading this.

I’ve been writing since middle school but I’ve never called myself a “writer.”  When people ask the question, “What do you do?” I’ve never looked back and said, “I’m a writer.”  But that’s going to change.  Before this point, only a few people have ever read my work, which includes seven novels, a novella, and a multitude of short stories.  All of that and I’ve had maybe a dozen readers.  Even my wife hasn’t read at least half of my work.

But there’s no point in writing, in being a writer, if people can’t read your words.  So here’s that first step, this site, in conjunction with my first submission to publishers.  The novella, “Riding with Darkness,” is out right now, being evaluated, being judged, being tested to see if its worthy.  It will make it to print one way or another and more will follow.

In the meantime, some goals for this website: it’s a repository of work, both the published novels to come and most likely some of my short fiction, maybe some older pieces.  It’s a way to connect with my readers and let them know what I’m working on.  And as usual, it’ll be my platform; I have a hard time staying on topic, so you’ll probably see a mix of stuff appear here, some relating to writing and some relating to technology or environmental science or whatever else has my interest at any given moment.

Welcome to my world!