First Things First

Someone once told me I should try writing an autobiography. I happen to be of the opinion that a very limited number of people would actually read something of that nature. However, I have decided to write down some of my thoughts, because they gotta go somewhere.
Let us begin at the beginning. I was born. That may come as a shock to some, who may have thought I was left here by aliens. I was born in a Naval hospital in North Carolina. That also may come as a surprise to some of you, given that I have no trace of Southern accent. My parents relocated to Northern New York before I learned to speak. I have no memory of North Carolina. I have spent my entire life in small towns in Northern New York, and I consider myself Northern.
Now, for those who have not made an extensive study of the geography of the United States (I’m going to assume everyone reading this article) the State of New York is big. Bigger than you were led to believe. New York City, and Albany, the state capitol, take up only a tiny sliver, but they have an over-inflated sense of their own importance. The rest of New York is populated by trees, big rocks, cattle, various woodland creatures, and country folk like myself.
I grew up in a small town named Gouverneur, hometown of the inventor of Lifesavers. He has a monument in the center of town; an excessively large tube of Lifesavers. Look it up on Roadside America. My neighbors included a volunteer fireman/chainsaw carver, a hairdresser (wife of the chainsaw carver) some hoarders, several large river rats, and a goat. Yes, you read that right. My next childhood home, we had more sedate neighbors. Other than the drunks that lived down the street (more on them later). We still lived in Gouverneur, though. I currently reside in Malone, NY, which is a town just south of the Canadian border.
I’m a man of many hats. I’m a comic artist and craftsman, I’ve done construction and landscaping, I’ve grown my own vegetables, and right now I’m trying my hand at welding. I’ll try almost anything, really. I don’t say that to brag. I’ve had plenty of setbacks and failures; like the time I tried to grow celery. I publish a webcomic called Legend of the Sword Bearer, which is the primary reason I’m here. I’ll be publishing my comics here, as well as random thoughts on various topics, such as art and culture, education, agriculture, amusing stories, and much more.