30
Jan
2008
0:00 AM

This Is The Last Stop

Sparks

or (Christmas, part one)

How do you want to die?

One

The small room smelled of urine and industrial antiseptics. The walls were painted a light blue, not there was was much light to see the colors by. A wavering line danced up and down on the screen, tracing its irregular path. Steady beepin...

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26
Jan
2008
0:00 AM

blackwhitegray

Sparks

I wish the option of going to college didn't exist.

Seriously. I am so sick of the pressure to go to school. I'm not exactly sure where it's coming from but I think it's from somewhere between my parents and Tim Yates' firm belief that not going to college would be a huge mistake. I was reading...

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17
Jan
2008
0:00 AM

I must be crazy

Sparks

I'm actually thinking about considering becoming an LPN to give myself a permanent job. The lack of serious permanent IT positions here scares me, along with the dismal pay unless you have a hojillion worthless certifications and ten years experience. The program takes a year, and the average cost f...

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13
Jan
2008
0:00 AM

Those In Need

Sparks

or (Christmas, part two)

"Excuse me, sir, do you have the time?"

I glanced up from my lighting console. A young girl - maybe eight or nine years old - stood in front of me. I was in the church auditorium getting ready for a big worship service that Celebrate Recovery was putting on. I glanced at...

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31
Dec
2007
0:00 AM

A Typical Day Without My Parents

Sparks

I walked through the door, letting the screen slam behind me. Walking over to the fridge, I grabbed a package of string cheese from the top shelf and took off the wrapper. I flopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV. Jeopardy was all that was on. Suddenly, I walked into the room.

"How many t...

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About Me

avatar

Hope you're not expecting one of those cryptic, nonsensical descriptions. Not my style.

I'm Sparks, a happy little lighting designer and (at one time) sound engineer and pyrotechnician. I don't do those jobs much anymore. For my Real Life Job, I'm a concert lighting designer. Sometimes I go on tour with some folks and do their lights, other times I design and let someone else run the show.

I've had a variety of interesting jobs - from hospital IT guy to technical director of a corrupt megachurch in Des Moines, Iowa, where I grew up. I adore live sound and concert lighting, and I never pass up an opportunity to geek out about my line of work. Generally, if it has faders, buttons, LEDs, or is a large and potentially dangerous machine, I like it. I also love children, fireworks, blueberry muffins, reading, messing around with smart home tech and goofing off. I've played the piano since I was too short to reach the pedals, and I'm learning to play the violin. I used to volunteer at a large children's hospital, but then I moved, then I moved again, and now I'd like to do it again where I live. I'm a skeptic who has no practical use for the supernatural or pseudoscientific. I'm a card-carrying member of the International I Hate Sports Club. I keep my laptop screen really, really clean, and if you touch it, I'll kill maim strongly scold you. I believe strongly in human rights and have a strongly deontological bent when it comes to my ethical outlook, and those positions strongly influence my political outlook.

When I'm not on the road, I live in Minnesota. I'd prefer not to be "on the road" anymore.

I'm easy to get along with, so tell me about yourself! If you read anything I've written (and there isn't much) and have a comment, please leave one - I love getting feedback about the stuff I write.

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