User:CharlesSimmins

I was born and raised in a small town in upstate New York. Went to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and finally fell into accounting. Discovered computers in college where we learned on a Xerox mainframe (!). I’ve been a member of the Lions’ Clubs, a volunteer firefighter, and from 1996 to 2007 a NYS certified EMT-D.

From 1980 to 2006, I held a number of accounting positions at both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses. Since 2006, I have been a caregiver for my disabled wife and built a small career as a freelance journalist.

I married for the first time at age 40. My wife and I met on the Internet, through a mail list serve, before the World Wide Web. I plied the Net in those days with my friends Archie, Jughead and Veronica. A bunch of wild and crazy guys up at the University of Minnesota were playing around with something call Mosaic, a product that they said would let you view photographs on the Net. Believe it or not!

I began blogging on Live Journal in January 2002, and set up my own site a few months later.

Politically, I am a mix of libertarian and conservative. I am strong pro-military. I believe Israel is our only friend in the Middle East. I believe, as a general rule, that government ought to enforce existing laws rather than passing new ones.

I was extensively tested in 2014 and in December was diagnosed as an adult with Aspergers. I am not handicapped, just quirky, blunt, socially awkward and just a little bit of a know-it-all.