I was born October 24th, 1968 in Poughkeepsie, NY. My childhood was less than stellar but most of it I didn’t realize until much later. In 1977, my father packed us up and moved my mom, brother and myself to Raleigh, NC and that is where I consider home. Over the last 20 years or so, I have traveled and lived in other places just to see what was out there and I experienced Virginia. Michigan, Texas, Colorado, and Florida. In the end, I came back to Raleigh because I felt like nowhere else compared. That, and I’m a Gen X desperately clinging to the 80’s and this is where I spent those years as a teenager.
From 1994 to 1998, I served in the US Marine Corps working for the Presidential Helicopter Squadron (HMX-1) out of Quantico, VA. While not all of it was pleasant, boot camp in particular, it was an experience very few people get to experience. Less than 1% of the US Marine Corps earn the privilege to work at HMX-1 and I got there based entirely on my skills as a mechanic. I traveled around the country with President Clinton during my stay, to include his 1996 re-election campaign which kept me away from home, more than not, sometimes only home for a weekend only to be off to wherever in the country on Monday for weeks at a time. Usually several wherevers. At the end of my military contract, I came back to Raleigh and found work as an auto mechanic for several years until I was dragged, kicking and screaming, by my (now ex) wife to Michigan to be near her family. The eventual divorce brought me back to Raleigh.
As I mentioned above, I tried a few other places to live and have had many a job over the years, most of which involved some kind of customer service, the reason, I believe, that I’m not real keen on the general public resulting in my generally jaded and cynical outlook on society. Customer service was the start of that attitude. The last 8 years have really been the nail in the coffin. I’ll let you interpret that how you will, but as you’ll figure out through my posts, while I am registered as unaffiliated, I do lean heavily left.
That said, I am also an atheist. I arrived at that belief by way of being a Christian first, admittedly not a good one, but it was through my experiences with the church (es) that eventually turned me away from it. You’ll find throughout that I am not here to argue theism vs. atheism. Everyone is free to believe as they wish and I hope it brings all who visit here the peace that they seek. While I may write about the way I feel on certain matters, I will not try to convince you to believe the same way and I’d appreciate the same consideration in return.
This blog is, after all, an outlet for myself. A way for me to clear my head. As it always has been and for those of you that have returned from my earlier blog back in the early 2010’s, all of it is available for you to reminisce right here. Unfortunately, in the move to put that blog somewhere else (and free), most all of the images were lost so it is only the text.
The reason I need this outlet is that I suffer from Clinical Depression, Anxiety and Alcohol Dependance. The last one is currently under control and I use the appropriate tools in order to avoid a relapse, quite successfully thus far. The other two disorders, it really depends on the day. I take medications and see both a counselor and a psychiatrist regularly. Then there is this. It’s a place for me to bitch, wine, moan and be funny. It really does clear my head and ease a little stress as I am a chronic worrier. If no one reads this blog, it’s ok because it is serving its purpose, but I do appreciate readers and the comments they may have for me as I like that interaction. By all means, read, subscribe, leave comments and share this blog with others, especially with people who also suffer from mental health issues. It’s good for them (or you, if it’s you) to know they’re not alone and they’re not crazy and everyone has weird-ass thoughts.
Thank you to all who visit and I hope you decide to stick around. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. It’ll become a part of you.
You can contact me if you wish at sanitynsarcasm@gmail.com. You can also follow me on the Sanity and Sarcasm Facebook Page any my Twitter (X) account.