Yes, that's me. Yes, you can save it.
Hey Steemers, it's great to join a thriving community of people who want to be heard, and I'm friggin' excited as hell to join! I'm Anthony, a 27-year-old Journalism college grad from Tyler, Texas, USA. I am a horrifyingly comedic mash-up of frat boy, gaming dweeb, and redneck (read literally; I have a nasty sunburn right now), which is pretty much the norm for the small-town living of East Texans. I've worked the standard "starving college grad" jobs and gained some incredibly unique experiences (my dancing GIF being one of them) over the past few years that I plan to write about plus some games, fiction, maybe a role-play system, and other stuff I find interesting. I've successfully designed and managed a 200-player game of Humans vs Zombies twice. I'm one of those guys who is easy to talk to, and I'm always down for a good party. Check back with me as I'll be writing up a lot of interesting stories in the coming weeks. I personally hope to become one of the top writers on this site buuuuuut we will have to wait and see.

This is me. I like black and white filters, can't you tell?

I had to, I just had to.
I am engaged to my best friend, Amanda @ald1108 , who also just became a Steemer. We dated for six years before I managed to finally pop the question last December (in other words, I finally paid off the ring). She has made me unbelievably happy, and helped me in becoming a better man. The best part? I get to be as big of a nerd as always, AND she likes watching superhero shows! My inner geek is pleased...

She is the reason I joined Steemit.

See, four months ago, I left my job working in a warehouse to pursue a better career. I've been eyeing law school, getting my Master's degree, joining a police department, writing a blog.... the list goes on and on. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do, and that's probably where I screwed up. When I left that job, I promised this wonderful woman that I would make something of myself within four months. She told me this is the best time for me to go after what I want, and I told her I wouldn't disappoint her trust. I promised I would take any job after four months if I didn't have a good job by then; I didn't want her to worry about our wedding, or stress over money.

I failed. It's hard to admit, but I did. In four months of job hunting, I applied to somewhere around 50 jobs in assorted fields. Of those 50 apps, I've received multiple rejection letters, three interviews that didn't pan out (including one at theCHIVE, which really hurt), and a couple marketing scam calls. Who knew, right? These last four days, I went back to working as a manual laborer, making sweet, sweet Texan love to a shovel as digging ditches for sprinklers in the Texas heat. Don't get me wrong, money is money, but I never expected starting a new career to be as hard as this.

There's a big problem, now. Amanda and I have struggled to make ends meet since we started dating, and fought through some of the roughest problems you can think of, things that married couples leave each other for. We are stronger for it, and I've never cared for someone so much before. I want to give her the world, but I can't seem to get my feet under me. For once, I want to support her in the way she needs it most. But how? HOW??? I can't write for a living! Blogs are too slow in generating revenue! Plus, I don't want to write just for money. I want to really reach people. I've lost so much sleep worrying about how much of a failure I felt like, at how miserable I knew she was. She deserves better than that. I resigned myself to just suck it up and push dirt for $10/hour. I would do what I had to do, no matter how much I hated it, for her.

And then I found you, Steemers.

This is what I've been looking for. I can write. FINALLY! I can make an income. HOPEFULLY! But, most important of all...

I can give my future wife the wedding she deserves.

That's why I write. That's why I'm tossing myself out there and doing what I do best: writing. I want to give her the wedding she's always wanted, to prove to her that I will write until my fingers bleed if it means I see that genuine smile I love. I don't want her to cry at night; I will fight to make her the happiest woman alive. And this is where I make the change. This is where I become the man she deserves.

So, this is who I am. A nerdy redneck with big dreams, a loving fiance, and an ambition rivaling the main character of every anime you've seen (I'm looking at you, Naruto/Ichigo/Goku fans). I offer words of encouragement, uplifting stories, relationship advice, nerd jokes, and anything else I can give to this community. I can just feel how right this is. I can write, and I can be something more than a ditchdigger.

Well... here we go.

FULL STEEM AHEAD!