Please allow me to introduce myself....

It's not often that I write about myself without inserting an obscene joke or being completely ridiculous, so please bear with me.
I'm Bill, and I live just outside of Chicago. I've lived in the area for almost the last 20 years. I've known Dan for the past few years, and he asked that I occasionally contribute something to this site. Being unemployed since the end of September, I realized I needed something else to do other than be depressed, search for jobs, and watch Cheaters marathons. I needed an outlet.
Lucky you.
Here's a brief summary of me. I'm in my early 30s, used to be a journalist for a community newspaper, then worked for a cell phone company, and am now unemployed because of corporate reorganization, or whatever you call it. I've written police reports, feature stories and stuff about road construction. I've been yelled at for late fees, directory assistance charges, and all other sorts of stupid crap that people can't understand on their phone bill. I've shut down and restarted cell sites remotely to make them work again. Now, I'm taking Cisco classes and trying to get work elsewhere.
My interests include gaming, science fiction and home brewing. I just started home brewing a few months ago and have made three passable batches of beer to date. A fourth should be ready in time for Christmas.
GenCon is the most wonderful time of the year. It's my annual geek pilgrimage.
I don't suffer fools. That made for some interesting conversations when I worked in customer service.
I hate, hate, hate ESPN. I detest much of the current news media. It seems that, in general, the media places more of an emphasis on presentation, glitz, and furthering their own agenda rather than stating actual facts and having faith that the public has enough common sense to arrive at their own conclusions.
Then, I see the type of jerks that we elect, and I know why the media conducts itself the way it does.
You don't need to be informed and talk to sources anymore. All you need to do is yell your point the loudest, and you'll get more money and more viewers/readers.
So, what can you expect from me? Sometimes, I'll post about news, sometimes, I'll post about the mundane, including family stuff and large baked hams. Sometimes, I'll just rant about something that ticks me off.
Lucky you.
Welcome to what passes for my mind. Enjoy the trip.