They say that variety is the spice of life.
That’s certainly true for me. I pride myself on being a generalist; it lets me bring knowledge and experience from one field and apply it into another, granting me perspectives and insight others may not have considered! I often find myself happily bouncing around from one project to another, with several more always waiting in the to-do list. No project is abandoned, maybe just on indefinite hold. Do I have to re-learn things now and then? Of course! But each time I do, those lessons get learned a little faster, and ingrained a little deeper. I may not be a specialist in any one field, but every hour I spend in a different area is still broadening my overall skillset!
Below you’ll find some of the miscellaneous projects, passions, and pursuits I’m most proud of. Who knows, maybe one of them will inspire a new passion in you too!
Nonprofit Board Member
During the pandemic I decided I wanted to get into video game preservation. To me it was a natural expansion of my love for the medium, and I knew I had skills that could be put to good use in the field. Since then I’ve become part of several game preservation groups, but in 2023 the Hit Save! 501c3 nonprofit asked if I’d join their board. I was delighted to accept, and have since then put my skills to work writing, animating, digitizing, shooting and editing video, and even representing the group at PAX East in Boston!
Nintendo Collector
Do you remember the first time you played a video game? The first time you hit a button on a piece of plastic in your hand, and something happened on screen as a result? It’s magical. My first video game console was a hand-me-down NES that I got from a family friend in the late 90s. It was well out of date at that point, but I didn’t know that! With cheap games a plenty in the toy store bargain bins, I was off to the races. Once I got a subscription to Nintendo Power, all bets were off. Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii, I loved it all. I started maintaining a collection around the age of 2014, and haven’t looked back. Now don’t get me wrong, I love video games of all types and on any platform! But Nintendo…that’s where my heart is.
Streaming
So you know that aforementioned Nintendo collection? During COVID I decided I wanted to interact with my collection more. They are games after all, and games are meant to be played! So I made it a goal to clean and test my entire game collection one by one. Streaming became the way for me to stay motivated and on a consistent schedule, and while I haven’t gone viral or anything, I’ve built up a nice little following! Come stop by on Tuesday or Thursday nights for some chill vibes and friendly atmosphere!
Childcare
The best job I ever had was working as a camp counselor at a YMCA summer camp. Second best? Daycare teacher in the 3-year-old room. I love kids, and if I thought I could make a living doing those jobs, I’d still be doing them. These days I get to relive some of those highlights by entertaining the kids at family gatherings or by visiting my adorable nephew. One day I’ll have a kid of my own, but we’ve got to get some good news from the surrogacy clinic for that to happen.
Enabled Gaming
In 2019 I was on the cusp of starting my own small business of bringing video games to senior citizens in retirement homes. This idea was born out of my desire to give my now-late grandfather the opportunity to drive a car again after Alzheimers had deprived him of the ability to do so in real life. He only got to
View-Master VR Project
This project is equal parts based in creativity and technology, and thus didn’t quite belong in either category.
HOA Board Member
Ok, so there’s a reason this one is at the bottom. Let’s be honest, it’s not very interesting…more like HOA bored member, am I right? And nobody likes an HOA anyway…myself included. Wherever we move next, I’m making sure there’s not even a hint of an HOA before signing the paperwork. But I put this here for two good reasons: First, it’s evidence that I can be serious when need be! Do I want to sit through long meetings? No. But I can, and I will when I’m motivated to do so. Which brings me to reason number 2: I got involved in my neighborhood’s HOA because I wanted to make a positive difference! I wanted to make sure there was a young and progressive voice on the committee, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that! Thanks to my efforts, we allow trucks in the community now. Yeah…trucks were banned for some reason. Ridiculous. And when someone wants to put solar panels on their roof? I’ll be the first to stamp approval.