Just a dude, tryin’ to make it through life in one piece… 
THE SUPERCOMPUTER THAT IS MY MIND
I have Asperger’s (Highly Functional Autism) and ADHD.
I can get a little “intense” sometimes, but I mean well.
The ADHD brain allows me to “HyperFocus” and I can get sucked in during research or writing (ATM mostly that, but used to be an avid gamer, same “HyperFocus” there) and completely lose track of time, to the point where you almost have to tap me on the shoulder to get my attention. If all you get out of me when asking a question is an “mm” or a grunt in response, I probably didn’t even hear what you said, and was just reacting to the sound of someone speaking…
(I find this emoji so amusing and it sort of describes me a little, so I felt compelled to use it twice, haha)
GEEK FACTOR / OG STATUS
Been a “geek” since I was 8, going on 9, when I got my first PC summer of '86 (an 8Mhz 286).
Within two weeks, the thing was in molecules.
I got curious what made it tick and tried to “reverse engineer” the damn thing, and my “inner engineer” was born, haha. 
I first “got online” back in the modem/BBS days, late 80s to early 90s, and my first encounter with the “modern Internet” we all use today was with EFnet IRC on a Sun SparcStation4, summer of '93 @ the local College.
I was 15, going on 16 and was totally blown away by the experience!
My fist nick on EFnet was “Indigo”.
I would spend entire nights @ the “Sparc4”, chatting away on EFnet, IRCnet or DALnet, browsing through UseNet groups, the occasional hour or so wasted away in a MUD, surfing de IntarWebz (Netscape/Nutscrape? Altavista/Astalavista? Haha.) and generally having a blast.
SHUT UP, ASTRO!
I sometimes monologue when engaged or captivated by a specific topic I find challenging or interesting.
Just please be patient with me, I usually make a valid point in the end.
When conversing “voice-only” or AFK/phone, I don’t take offense at all at being told straight up to “shut up”, especially if I can’t see the other person and can’t interpret body language to realize that the other person/people want to say something.
LINGUISTICS
I speak four languages fluently, am a “polygot” (English, Polish, Swedish and German) and can understand and express basic communication in Spanish.
I know a few common phrases in a handful of other languages, for example Chinese, Japanese, Syrian Arabic and French.
I consider myself somewhat of a “Linguistic Chameleon” and love to mess around with different accents. Scottish, Irish and Australian are my favorite ones in English. 
TECH BACKGROUND
- I was a 3rd Tier SysOP/Server Guru (mostly Windows career-wise, am still learning more Linux) for almost two decades, am an MCSE+I and MSExchange MCP (from 1999, need to update those at some point).
- I have a working knowledge of Cisco IOS 9.x–12.x.
- I speak IPv4 fluently, and am updating my IPv6 skills when time permits.
- I have a pretty decent grasp of network security and firewalls from a SysOP perspective, and briefly considered getting some sort of certification a decade or so ago, but lost my income and couldn’t afford the testing/certs.
- Current Linux flavor(s): Debian / Ubuntu / Kali
- Other Linux distros I’ve messed around with: Slackware / Mandrake / Gentoo (I even attempted to compile my own Kernel on Gentoo almost a decade ago now, haha. Ask me how it went. )
FUTURE PLANS, ETC
Am now considering maybe going back to school, perhaps even getting a Ph.D and/or a Masters’ Degree.
Subjects of interest for possible future studies include:
- Psychology and Behavioral Science
- Philosophy
- Theology
- Linguistics
- Math
NEAT IDEA I HAVE BEEN PURCULATING IN THE BACK OF MY MIND FOR A FEW YEARS
- I began designing my own A.I. engine a few years ago when I was bored one day. I have it all mapped out on paper, all the components/inputs/outputs, etc I could come up with, and want to attempt to make it a reality some day. If you’re a coder/DevOPS/engineer and read this and it sparks your curiosity, let me know. I’ll be looking for others to collaborate with in the future!
OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST and RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME
- I’m sort of a Buddhist. Ask me, I’ll gladly explain more.
- I believe in Karma. What goes around, comes around.
- I was born in Poland, mostly grew up in Sweden. Lived in California (Silicon Valley and Bay Area) between 2001-2004. Lived in Edmonton, Canada (Mom’s birthplace) for ~6 months as a kid in 1985.
- I suck at telling lies, even a white lie is hard for me. So I don’t.
- I love music (both listening to and producing).
- I have a rather eclectic and refined taste, in most areas.
- I play the guitar, djembe and didgeridoo.
- I also sing and have a 4-Octave range.
- I’m a SciFi/Fantasy Ninja.
- The Mythical Creature I most identify with is the Dragon.
- I was born in the Year of the Yin Fire Serpent (Chinese Zodiac) and my Sun Sign is Scorpio (Phoenix).
- I identify with the Bushido Code of Honor and am somewhat of a modern-day Samurai. I can actually wield a Katana quite convincingly.
- I have some Martial Arts training. Ranked in Shotokan Karate (teen years) and trained in Aikido.
- I have a wicked and complex, multi-layered sense of humor.
- I’ve been told I’m charming to be around, interesting to listen to, and “my Momma, she raised a Gentleman”. The flipside is that I don’t suffer fools gladly. I don’t really become easily offended and try to always be patient and considerate of others, but if you slight me, the Wolverine Claws come out. “Tread Lightly”, is usually my first verbal warning.
- I enjoy writing. I sometimes write poetry and keep several journals and thought/idea/project logs that I add to on a semi-daily basis.
- I have several ideas for some short stories and maybe even a couple screenplays that I plan on making happen in the future.
- I dream about writing my fist book at some point. The book will most probably be autobiographical, but that’s not set in stone yet. It might also turn out to be a SciFi/Fantasy epos, who knows, I haven’t written it yet.
- I’m currently (still…), and have been for the past ~20 years, dealing with sometimes pretty severe CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) flare-ups and am “developing” a semi-Pavlovian technique to train myself and develop/cement the behavior of taking regular stretching/exercise breaks from hammering away at the keys for too long, for it not to flare up too much.
- RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) has been a part of almost half of my life, so I’ve developed all manner of techniques and solutions to Chronic Pain issues. Spark up a conversation if we have this in common, particularly if you are dealing with Chronic Pain, as I know how debilitating and exhausting it can be. I will do my utmost to assist you in any way I can, in how to properly deal with it and improve the quality of your everyday life!
- I really want to get a DVORAK keyboard and find a functional Voice-to-Text solution so I don’t have to type so much. Finally installed “Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking”, and started poking about. Seems interesting. Win10’s “Cortana” voice-activator is also useful I noticed. “Old habits die hard” though I suppose, and “It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks”, indeed. I find myseslf defaulting to keys/mouse still. Oh well.
- Something else that dawned on me after having spent some time on the Discord is the following: I have had massive issues with Anxiety and Panic Attacks in the past, due to childhood trauma, emotional struggles, stressful environments, you name it. So if you suffer from any of these conditions in particular, I can help! Also, it’s good practice for me from a Psychology / Behavioral Science perspective, and as that’s probably what I’m going to be pursuing a degree in, helping someone out with any mental health issues is a win-win situation. So don’t be afraid to reach out if you’re struggling with something! (I -never- reveal anything told to me in confidence, “I take it to the grave” and I don’t judge. Ever.)
I guess that’s sort of a “brief summary” of who I am.
Pardon the length.
If you want to know more, just ask.
I still edit this thing whenever I come up with something good to add. “Perfectionist? Me? Hmm, whatever gave you that idea?” Haha.
~
“May Peace be Within You and Around You”
“Be Still Like Mountain, Yet Flow Like Great River”
