Jslacy

"Oh, the cleverness of me." – Peter Pan (the 2003 film by PJ Hogan)

Who Am I?

I think the best thing about me is that I could be categorized in a lot of ways. Web Designer, Social Media Enthusiast, PC Gamer... the list can go on for quite a bit. At its most basic, I am just a person that likes to know things. In my world, there's no such thing as useless trivia.

The Grand and Exciting Details

(at least that's what my Mom says)

I'm a Web Designer and Content Manager. I basically make sure that when you type in www.randomwebsite.com, what you see:

Looks Good
Organized in a logical and easily understood layout
All of those annoying little things like typos or missing words are caught

I think people don't quite understand the importance of having decent content on a web site, but trust me it's vital.

Why Web Design?

Web Design is a unique opportunity to bridge Art, Writing, and IT technicality to share knowledge across the world. I think that's majorly cool. I've been in the web field for more than 13 years, after learning the hard way that one can have an interest in a thing but not necessarily excel at it in real world applications. I just like making Web pages. I think it speaks to my inner creative and neurotic techno-geek buried deep inside of me. I think the internet and all that it entails is truly fascinating. I entered this field during the baby years of web design when, at that point, it was the most revolutionary thing to be able to create your own sites using the free online hosting tools/services. It felt like overnight everyone was rushing to get something up on the World Wide Web. It's still quite shocking and awe inspiring to see where we are now from where we began. I'm excited to see where the web takes us in the future. Personally, I think somewhere right now a lab full of techno-wizards are thisclose to creating the ultimate web experience, something similar to the Holodeck on Star Trek. Imagine how major that would be? Mind boggling is all I can say.

You Can Usually Find Me...

Watching Movies, Videos, or TV Shows Online

If I'm not working, most likely you'll find me engaged on the PC (PC only, I'm not a Mac) in one form or another. Lately, I've realized that I have a serious addiction to online video – be it YouTube, NetFlix, or Hulu. I think the convenience of on-hand digital entertainment is what appeals to my natural inclination to be a shut in. I know if I miss an episode of my favorite TV shows (True Blood, but of course) I can always pull it up on the web and catch up whenever I want to. No longer am I a slave to reruns! If I feel like catching a movie, NetFlix is the first place I go. With YouTube, I can't count the number of things I've learned how to do just by watching videos. There's a video for everything. It's the greatest. If I'm in a bind and need to learn to do something, I never think go check out an Encyclopedia... I'm searching for a how-to video on YouTube. Sure, there are some less than fantastic videos, but on the whole you can't beat the usefulness of it.

Curled Up with a Book

Another passion of mine is reading. I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for it but when it comes to my literature, I like the old school simple ink on paper. Sure, the eReaders are really quite convenient, as far as taking your reading list on the go, but I just love the smell that a paper book has. I get excited about going into a bookstore (RIP Borders). I swear I've had days where I've spent hours straight inside of the Borders (my favorite was formerly at 14th and F Sts in downtown Washington, DC). Also, I take my books really seriously. Honestly, the books live in a plusher setting than I do. I mean, glass doors and all. My dream is to build the ultimate home library, I'm thinking something reminiscent of the Library of Congress, but much more scaled down and a bit more modern with comfortable seating.

As far as favorites, I don't have a clear winner. I can say that, in the illustrated book category, I'd vote for "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak and "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. I've loved them since I was a kid and they never get old to me. Otherwise, I tend to stick to the same authors. I literally have a reading cheat sheet for when I'm out and happen to run into a bookstore. On my current rotation is the House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. I like a good storyline and plot. If a book can end on a note that makes me count the days until the next installment... literary success, in my opinion.

Hanging Out on the Bank Stairs, Dwarven District, in Stormwind

For those that don't know, I'm an avid World of Warcraft player. I'll admit that at first I had no interest, but my Mom (bless her heart) nagged me unto death about how great this game is and yada, yada, ya. Eventually, I gave in and settled for the 10-day free trial. I think about Day 2.5 I was hooked, on Day 4 I purchased a 6-month subscription, and on Day 10 I was talking other people I knew into playing. If you've never played the game, you've got to try it. I swear, it's one of the most addictive things ever (next to The Sims). You start off questioning why people find it so appealing and before you know it, you've gotten 10 levels under your belt and several hours of your day gone without you even noticing. It's like an episode of The Twilight Zone.

Goodbye & Good Luck

So, that's about all. Go forth and seek adventure, live long and prosper, or whatever cliché parting you care to envision at this point. I leave you with my favorite saying from the man whom I consider an absolute genius:

"Keep Moving Forward" – Walt Disney