About Me

Hey there! Welcome to my blog. I've wanted to get a blog going for a while now, and after a couple of aborted attempts hopefully this time it will work.

What will this be about? A little bit of everything. A good portion of it will be aimed at my life as a web developer. Things I learn, things I figure out, and things I screw up (which is not a small list!). I'll also ramble on about gadgets a lot, I am a sucker for most things new and shiny with on/off switches. You'll also get a healthy dose about my personal life, especially about my kids. bottom line, stick with things long enough and you'll find something you like.

Who am I?

Professionally speaking, I am a web applications developer, working primarily with ColdFusion, jQuery, CSS, SQL Server, and MySQL. I've been doing this kind of work since 1996. I currently work for ActioNet, Inc. as a contractor to the U.S. Department of Education. I am lucky enough to work from home, trading a 90-minute commute each way to a cubicle with no windows for a 30 second commute up one flight of stairs to a corner desk with a view of a golf course.

In 2011, my wife and I set up a small business called Zaden Consulting so that we could take on smaller side projects during the evenings and weekends. For me I use it as a chance to try out concepts and ideas that the much more conservative nature of the Federal environment renders difficult at best to achieve. At this point I don't see Zaden becoming more than it is now, but who knows what the future may bring.

Personally speaking, I am 38 years old, having moved from the DC area to southeast Michigan in July 2009 with my wife and our first two children. When I used to have spare time, I played baseball, golf, and bowled. I also enjoy a poker tournament (live and online) when I can find one. In February 2011, our third child (second son) joined us. Having kids 3, 2, and new has meant that the concept of "free time" has gone completely out the window. Between my job(s) and the little ones, that makes for a full day for sure.