I've lurked too long without a proper introduction to the community

I feel if I allow an entire week to pass lurking in the Steemit posts without a proper introduction, I’ll have not only been rude, but will also miss out on being a bona fide member of what appears to be an interesting and dynamic community of writers, thinkers, artists. In spite of the fact that I find myself a bit intimidated by the caliber of some of the writing I’ve encountered here in the past few days – here goes…

My actual name is Stace, due to the unfortunate lack of insight on the part of my parents to realize my name should have been @hedronstrain. Apparently the “@” symbol was less accepted at the beginning of a given name than it is now. It was a different time.

I’ve lived most of my life in Texas, growing up in the Dallas area, dropping out of UT Austin but becoming an adequate bartender/alcoholic, followed by raising two sons by two wives in San Antonio where I now live. I’d like to say none of these events overlapped, but I have admittedly squandered some opportunities and relationships along the way.

Luckily, my older son has moved on to Brooklyn, NY and become a chef at a too-rich-for-my-blood restaurant that he had dreamed of being since his childhood. I may have let him read Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential a bit too young, but I figured, “hey, he’s reading.” We still have a good relationship, but the only pact between us entails that he follow his bliss wherever that may take him. I miss him nonetheless.

I eventually completed a BA in English at UTSA whereupon numerous corporate entities showered me with lucrative career offers. This is a lie. Bartending (and too many student loans) continued to pay the bills until I got some contract gigs editing standardized tests and aerospace documentation. I even extended my poor educational judgment to doing some masters-level work in public administration of all things. I do not recommend it. Luckily, or not, my wife is conventionally successful and I cook reasonably well, which buys me the time to care for our son and teach myself (via Udemy and others) Linux, Python, and the basics of machine learning at my relatively advanced age. Never too late for a second career – or so I keep telling myself.

I’ve retired the unfortunate alcoholic phase of my life which bodes well for my younger son, provided – between his mother and I – he doesn’t lose his marbles listening to our analyses of how epic story structure bears on everything from Avatar: The Last Airbender to the Star Wars films. He’s toast when we get to The Matrix Trilogy.

I’ve been interested in and somewhat involved with cryptocurrencies for a number of years now but have done little substantive with them due to fear, loss (Gox), and an irrational attachment to conventional economic and career values that never served me well in the first place. I can run a damn fine bar, but that’s not something I want to be a part of my life anymore. In some sense, I’m not interested in cryptos in and of themselves, but as an indicator of what humanity is doing and becoming here in the 21st century that is culturally evolutionary and trans-formative to us as a species.

So I think cryptocurrency means something, but I also think the jury’s still out on whether it’s the panacea the evangelists position it as or a dystopian tool of some deep state cabal. I suspect it may be something in between. This, I believe, is what hath brung me unto this realm where questioners of the status quo appear to abound. Steemit may be the next Myspace, but from here it looks like an incubator for change. I hope that’s the case.

I hope to get to know many of you better in the near future. Thanks for making Steemit what it is today. I’ll do what I can to contribute.

~S