Victorious!
 
Almost a year spent on this thing, but it's done - my final tribute to the great institution of Neverwinter Nights.

For those wondering what this nerdiness is all about, I assembled all of my past work from the Game/Toolset, "Neverwinter Nights", into a Persistent World. It's a bit like a World of Warcraft where anyone can log and play 24/7, but free, and set in the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons and Dragons.

In other news, my wife almost throws me out the door after obssessing with minutiae detail like whether Rondor's +3 sword can actually bypass a damage reduction of...well, you get the point.

But now, I'm back in the mix after unloading this thing on the general populace.

Click on the picture above to see my uber-geekly promo video!

After ten years working at DRHS, seven as a teacher/wrestling coach and the last three as an assistant principal, I’m moving on.

With the second baby in the works, I needed a bit more time for family and all of my other eccentric craziness – working as an assistant principal at the middle school level seemed to be the perfect fit as I’ll no longer have to supervise football games, banquets, dances, parades, you name it. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for a Principal position.

While middle school kids will be a bit more rambunctious, I already have plans for getting a wrestling mat in the gym and choking a bit of sense into them.

Er, well, not choking per se, but you get the general idea.

I remember interviewing for the teaching and coaching position ten years ago – I was 24 years old and dumber than I am now, if you can believe that. Back then, it was just a series of portables – the actual school had yet to begin construction. I nervously fumbled my way through the process – despite *zero* teaching experience however, my wrestling credentials were enough to land me the job, and it was out of Grandma’s house and off to the races.

I owe this school a lot and mere words will never be able to describe how many doors it opened for me. Everyone I met along the way who helped me and more importantly, helped the kids to achieve their dreams, will always have my gratitude.

Pride of the Panther – I’ll always have it.

Love, sweet love.

What made it even better though was a breakthrough of sorts with my father.

My dad and I don’t always see eye to eye on things – but regardless of our differences concerning politics, religion and family matters, we’ve always shared a passion for standing up for those in need. He instilled into me the value of a strong work ethic and being accountable as a member of society – the same core principles that saw him through 30+ years in law enforcement.

Since getting married and having a family, things haven’t run so smooth between the two of us, mostly due to the strains of a new family and trying to integrate everyone seamlessly into our daughter’s life. Communication between the two of us has always been a bit of a constrained process – affirming at times, but obscure on other occasions.

But something happened today that gave me the comfort of knowing that regardless of whatever arguments we may have had, currently have, or will have – I’ll always understand my place in the scheme of things and what he was really trying to tell me for all of my years.

I get it pop, and I’ll always be grateful for your efforts.

To all of the Dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!

Greetings (to whatever bot happens to visit this site as it currently stands) - this is a work in progress, and moreso, an experiment in teaching myself the joys of html and PHPnuke.

More to come - soon!