I guess I should write something about myself. I am currently in my late 40's and happily married to my wonderful wife Jeannie. Jeannie and I met through the personal ad she placed in the Long Beach Press Telegram. Within a few months we started living together. Both of us had gone through nasty divorces. We both had plans for our own futures and by coincidence they were eerily similar.

After we both paid off our debt from our previous marriages I went back to school and received a degree and became a CNE (Certified Novell Engineer). Jeannie was working for a small Hi-Tech startup company called Qlogic. I managed to land my first Tech job working for Cisco Systems in Irvine, CA. I was hired and trained as a Software QA Engineer. This was in 1996 and since then we have been on one hell of a roller coaster ride!

During the technology bubble of 98-2001 I was working for Cisco and I was able to put a down payment on a small but cozy house in Aliso Viejo. I left Cisco in July 2001 and I have been working in the Hi-Tech industry ever since. I have a tremendous background in Computer Networking, Cisco routers and switches, Software QA Testing, DSL, Hardware Testing and now Storage Area Networking. I guess I have come full circle as I now work for a pretty large computer hardware company which makes Storage Area Networking components called Qlogic.

Two years ago I started an online store called Brilliant Hobbies. I sold mostly model trains and Digital Command Control components for model trains. I intended for this business to supplement my model train hobby with a few extra dollars a month. The last few months of Brilliant Hobbies saw my sales more than quadruple! And now I was in a predicament. I was so busy I no longer had time for my trains. I was not making enough money to hire anyone. And I no longer had any time for myself or my wife. I had to close the business down in October 2005. It is an odd feeling to have to close a successful business due to being too successful!

During my time trying to build the sales of Brilliant Hobbies I started Brilliant Hosts (Web Hosting) and Brilliant Assets (Rental Property LLC). Brilliant Hosts is currently more of a hobby than a real business but I intend to write and execute a business plan to market my services so I can make money from my home. Brilliant Assets was formed as a business shelter to limit any liability associated with the three rental properties Jeannie and I currently own.

Jeannie and I vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii as often as we can afford. Our friends purchased a home for themselves in an area of Utah that they want to retire to. Jeannie and I were inspired by this idea and we purchased a home on the Big Island. We hope one day we will be able to retire there.

See the Photo Gallery for pictures of all of our houses.