Can I just say...




What a time to be alive!

I posted my first blog in 2012, nearly a whole decade ago, while I posted my last in 2016. Somehow, those 4 short years feel like a lifetime ago--and yet, reading through them, I find that although I've grown and matured into the adult writing this out...

...really, the bright and odd character that was my adolescence lives on here as he has deep in my heart.

When I think of this community, I think of great friends, even great rivals, and wonder how I managed to keep some around long enough for me to witness their budding adulthood.

I've long since wondered as to where my community has fledged. One by one, we left to greater things without so much as an earnest goodbye. And so, I've come back to breathe a little life into this quarter of the world. And to do that, I'm going to give myself a little intro.

So, can I just say...

Hello, internet!

My name is Chris! I'm currently 24 years old, living with my family in California, USA. My family comes from Mexico, although I was born and raised in my state. I identify as a gay man.

I love video games, and I try to play with my friends every other night. I play Left 4 Dead, Minecraft, Smash Bros, and Mario Kart, and (recently) Borderlands. I've played through EarthBound, Mother 3, Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess, and both Bayonetta 1 and 2!

Right after high school, I started attending my local community college in the summer of 2016. I earned two Associate's, one in math and one in physics, that led me to eventually transfer into the University of California, San Diego in 2018.

There, I started a two-year stretch in their Computer Science department, learning about everything from state machines to data structures and even embedded design. I finally graduated in 2020, completing my last quarter at home since the pandemic had blown into full swing by then. I might have a B.S. now, but one day I hope you can call me Doctor~

Besides academics, I joined a student organization focused on satellite design. I became their lead software developer and helped prototype a simple design that we launched on a huge weather balloon. I was so proud, and I felt like I had actually managed to do something worth talking about in my field of study.

I'm amazed at how early I started out with software engineering, even since before I left this community. Somehow, I managed to complete my first big project--a driver for using GameCube controllers on your PC over a local network connection. I homebrewed this program because I was desperate to use my gamecube controller for my emulator, and evidently when push comes to shove we find a way to fulfill our needs XD

And now! I work for a big tech firm doing software in everything from fullstack web applications to packages for capital-lettered 5G network providers. I started in August 2020, just a couple months after graduating.

In my spare time, I try to learn a little bit about everything. I've worked on Discord bots and Minecraft mods; on arduinos with wireless sensors; on custom processors and assemblers using Verilog; on Android apps and Windows apps using XAML; on websites with React, Angular, and Jackson--the list goes on and on, and I won't be stopping soon. For anyone interested, feel free to explore what I have on my github.

As so many of you may know, I used to RP here quite a bit. I think I put more effort into world building than I ever have in any literature class! I'd like to formally apologize to you if I ever cause you any grief in the chatroom. I'm not sure what I was doing, but I know now that despite being immature then, I owe you every bit of respect. I hope you can forgive me, and maybe we can reminisce about all the trees we sat on?


Anyways...


I'm glad to have found this homey place at the time I did, and I'm glad to know it's still beloved and cared for.

If you happen to remember me, give me a little heads up. I want to know how you are.

[end transmission]