User blog:Lostzerocool/New here...

Hey Folks,

I am new to Fandom, but I am interested in learning more about how things work around here.

So first things first... who am I. I am not your Typical IT guy. For the most part I am pretty run of the mill. I work a full time IT job in the corporate world with all the usual trimmings. Long hours, old systems, limited budgets, cranky users, bosses that have no idea what we do, pressure form leadership to outsource us all for cheaper labor... so the same old stuff. But like most of he heroes I love, I have a secret identify... I help smaller companies with their IT issues at night. It’s nice to work with a customer who just wants their email to work, and they have the benefit if my large scale corporate experience to quickly deal with problems and to help them plan for growing IT needs. I even call my spare Jeep the Bat Mobile. My 9 year old loves it :-)

All that leaves little time for fun, but I work it in any ways. I am huge Star Wars Fan. No the kind that will argue the technical details of every scene, but the kind that loves the depth of a good story and can forgive Non-cannon conflicts and even encourage others to speculate on who Snoke really is. I even entertain theories that JarJar may have been a Sith... maybe...ok maybe not. I even dabble in Star Trek and other good Sci Fi epics. I love the escape and the science of it all for sure.

My love of stories and the characters has led to a healthy obsession with Fantasy as well. I am longtime fan of the classics… J.R.R Tolken, Robert Jorden, David Eddings, Margret Weiss and Tracy Hickman ( I am sure I spelled some of those wrong). And I knew George R.R. Martin long before HBO picked up Game of Thrones. A big map of the Seven Kingdoms adorns the wall in my Lego / Book room. Every Geek needs a Lego room... just saying.

Then the Geek stuff gives way to my other adventures.... Hiking, camping, canoeing.... Dirt bikes, Jeeps, off-roading, and Street bikes, Harley's, and muscle cars. It’s the feeling of seeing something in the woods that could come straight from a book (the forest near Ricard Rhals home land), and working the gear that could help me go faster than I ever have before (imagine Mobile Infantry Jump Suits from Star Ship Troopers… the book). Seeing a custom built bike that was worked on over years of piecing it together from older bikes (Mad Max style or a custom Chopper from Jessie James), or trailering my camping gear across the desert with my Jeep (this you have got to try some day) .... both of these can inspire a whole new story in my mind. I guess that is where the typical IT guy picture goes a bit astray. But that is what makes me so fun to have around!

So all that said… I welcome any advice on how to use and navigate this space. I.E. How do I follow a wiki? Or how do I contribute my unique view to a discussion? Let me know folks… I want to learn more.

Thanks,

<p style="margin:12pt0in;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lost sends…