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My First Entry

Hello All,

This is, hopefully, the start to my blogging life!  You see, my partner, Andrew (andrew-thornton.blogspot.com) is doing a 30-day artistic challenge.  So, since blogging is something that I think may be useful to me, I figured I'd take the time to try a 30-day blogging exercise.  I'm expecting my friends to hold me accountable for the next 30 days, too!

I'm not sure what this first entry should be about really, so let me just tell you a bit about myself.

I was born in a small town in Pennsylvania.  I really grew up in a wonderful place for kids.  We didn't have many neighbors around, but my brother and I really had a lot of open spaces and even a lake (very large pond) in our backyard at our disposal.  I mostly remember good things about my childhood.  For the most part, I liked school.  I liked learning (and still do).  I grew up thinking that I was going to be a lot of things in life.  I first wanted to be a Chef (my, how that has changed now!).  Then, I was going to be a businessperson (I was young…I didn't know what kind of business, but I knew I wanted to be in charge!).  Then I thought that I might try being a lawyer—before I realized how much drama was involved.  In high school, I took every maths class that I could take.  I took drafting with dreams of being an engineer of some sort.  I also loved languages and took as many years of Spanish as I could in high school.  Then, during my senior year, my love of languages took over, and I focused more heavily on my English and Writing classes than I did on Calculus (something I regret at bit to this day, as I should have made more time for it; I feel it's the only math that I didn't quite grasp during my high school years).

Moving to college at PennState, I knew that I wanted to study language(s).  I started, actually, with French, as all the Spanish classes were taken at my level.  I had, simply, the most amazing French prof that you could ask for.  She ignited my pure love of the language, and set me on the path to attempt to master it.  Then, I added Spanish.  I took a lot of history classes, despite the fact that I didn't (and still really don't) like studying history.  But, I found the cultural part of the classes too interesting to drop every time.  Then, as the years went on, I added some German and Japanese classes to my schedule.  It became a lot, and, sadly, I had to drop German and Japanese after only two semesters of reach.  But, after having days filled with four different language classes at one time, it just wasn't working…I had to focus.  So, I finally graduated with BAs in Spanish Literature and French Language & Culture.

So, you'd think that I'd use my languages more, but, alas, I don't.  I thought I'd go on to be a medievalist or a linguist.  But, I needed a break after five years, and made the choice to take time off. And, with the help of one of my best friends, I moved to New York City.  Immediately upon moving, a small French clothing boutique took a chance on a country kid from Pennsylvania and hired me to sell up-scale French women's clothing.  I loved the job (I also dreamed of being a fashion designer once).  I worked there for a few years before moving on to a few other jobs.  But, by far, that was one of my favorite jobs in NYC up until my last, at Apple.

I grew up with a love of technology.  And, thanks to my family, I was able to have a good deal of tech from a young age.  I started out with a DOS computer, then moved on to Windows 3.1 before upgrading to Windows 95 (which I had preordered—I was very excited about it).  At the same time, I had been working during high school in a publications department using Apple equipment.  I fell for them.  Hard.  I loved the system and the simplicity.  I loved how I didn't have to reinstall the operating system every so many months (as I had come to do with my Windows 95 computer).  So, my next computer was a PowerMac 6300—I was in love.  And every since, I've been an Apple fan.  I realized there is a device for everyone of all sorts, but for me, it'll always be Apple.

So, I started working at Apple because I believed in their products.  I was so excited to be accepted into that family (it really was like a family), and I loved everything about working there.  I did a lot of things there after starting as a Specialist (seller).  It was a beautiful experience, and the best job working for someone else that I ever had because it really hit home for me.  Technology is one of my passions; I have a real weakness for a nicely designed piece of tech!

Then Andrew and I made the decision to move to PA near my family.  I was especially tired of the craziness of NYC, and needed to get away, but leaving Apple was an exceptionally tough decision—but one that had to be made for my sanity!  After moving here, we happened upon a shopkeeper in Ligonier while out one night and were offered the chance to rent out part of her space.  We jumped at it.  And now, we own a bead store, art gallery, and jewelry store all in one.  Allegory Gallery has become our life's work. We both are fully dedicated to continuing the work we've started there, and it has become a sort of home base.  No matter what is going on, the store grounds us in the community.  It is a meeting place for friends during our bookclub meetings.  It is a place where people can come to learn a new hobby or craft during one of our many classes.  Mainly, it's a place to be among like-minded, creative people.  A place to share ideas, and a place to learn new things.  I've met so many interesting people and so many awesome people who have been on this journey with us for nearly five years.  And, honestly, I can't wait to see where it all takes us.

So, where does that leave me with this blog?  I'm not quite sure.  I don't really have a path charted out for it (which is strange for me, as I'm a planner).  Sometimes I may talk about something I learned that day.  Maybe I'll post a few pointers on using Apple-related things.  Maybe I've put up some simple Spanish or French lessons for those who want to know a bit more.  In any case, I hope that you find it interesting, and I hope that you'll join in on this journey with me.

Very best with gratitude,

William

Comments

  1. Welcome to the blogging world. Maybe you'll put that iPhone to use and share some photos with your stories? I enjoyed reading about your winding career path. Have fun finding your voice here on your blog!

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    1. Thanks, Heather! Yes, photos will come :-) And you're right; it's all about trying to find my voice. I'm excited to see where that leads!

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  2. It's always interesting to me to learn about how people got where they are, so thanks for sharing. Everything you mentioned - Apple tips (I'm an Apple person too) Spanish, it all sounds good. I agree with Heather too - pictures are always welcome. See you tomorrow. :)

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    1. Hey Ann! Thanks so much for your kind words and feedback—I'm looking forward to more feedback as I go on. I think blogging was kind of the start of social media in a way, and I hope that follows through here :-)

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  3. Great start William! Keep it up! Maybe you can be the last push for me to get started....

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    1. Yes! Do it with me! Goodness knows I could use the push too!! lol

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  4. I'm excited for your new blog! While I sometimes grumble about my desire to become a hermit and cut ties with the world, blogging has helped me so over the years. It has opened the door to wonderful friendships and experiences, it has helped me put order to my thoughts and words, and it has acted as a fount of memory, capturing (and sharing) golden moments and little daily happenstances that would otherwise disappear in the next breath. Enjoy the process!

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    1. I'm excited, too! I have no idea what to write about, but I'm hoping that it will come when it needs to lol. I've always wanted to be more of a journal-keeper (as evidenced by the many blank or partly-full journals at home lol), so I'm hoping this will work for me here.

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  5. It's nice to get a little more of your story, William. Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging! I look forward to hearing more from you.

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    1. Thanks so much, Sarajo! I think it's going to be a great trip…I just have to push myself to produce (one reason I took this personal challenge is to do just that…sometimes I'm a bit too lazy lol).

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  6. William, congratulations! Your new venture will be one that I will follow I'm not a blogger of any sort not much interesting to post but your suggestions regarding Spanish will be welcomed by this person. Enjoy your journey and I'll look forward to visiting with you everyday for 30 days. God bless you

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    1. Thanks so much, Debi! It's wonderful to have so much support in this endeavor. Please keep me posted on what you think as I go along…I welcome any feedback! :-)

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  7. William, congratulations! Your new venture will be one that I will follow I'm not a blogger of any sort not much interesting to post but your suggestions regarding Spanish will be welcomed by this person. Enjoy your journey and I'll look forward to visiting with you everyday for 30 days. God bless you

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  8. Lovely to read a bit about you! Welcome to the blogging world :-)

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    1. Thanks so much for the warm welcome! I'm pretty excited about all this!! (Even if I'm not quite sure what it'll all be about!)

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  9. Welcome to the world of blogging, William! I wish you luck and hope you enjoy it. I blog for my dogs. That's why my replies come up as Best Beagle Brothers, as I use Blogger also. Mine are mostly pictures and brief stories from their point of view. I enjoyed reading about you and your background. You have a rich education history. It must have been fun and an adventure at times. It's amazing how our experiences shape us and take us places we never dreamed. It was also fun to see I have some things in common with you. I changed my career goal many times, enjoy Spanish, making my own jewelry, and I absolutely LOVE technology and Apple. However, I despise math! Keep up your blogging. Looking forward to more!
    ~Linda Calderon

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    1. Hey Linda! I'll have to check out your blog! I think that's so interesting that you write from their point of view! Yes, my life, until this point, has been quite the fun adventure, and I certainly hope that all continues!! It really does sound like we have a lot in common! Plus, gotta love my fellow Apple peeps! Thank you again for reading, and I hope to hear more comments and feedback as I go along!

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    2. Thanks for replying! I know you and Andrew are SUPER busy right now. Actually, I've had a bit of writer's block on my blog lately. I always write a Mysterious Monday and the answer on Tuesday and I always write a Time Machine Thursday. I've been stuck on the more creative stories for the other days. Your strong start on your blog with your 30 day challenge for yourself has really inspired me to get back to it! I will be doing some creative writing this weekend. Thank you!

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