What up Ya’ll.  I don’t actually talk like that, but I often say goofy things like that “ironically”. So here’s the deal, I was hired by Silicon Rust Belt to be an intern until they get sick of me, I get a Pulitzer Prize forcing me to go into seclusion unable to keep up with the demand for my autograph from my millions of adoring fans, or the most likely option somebody perfects telepathy and my lazy but can just send you all of my thoughts and ideas while eating Cheetos and watching baseball.  Until that magical day arrives I guess I’ll continue to write things down.

My job is to write about technology startups and innovative companies in the Midwest.  The reason I must do this is because there are some crazy people out there who think that the Midwest is a lost cause.  Yea, most of our factory jobs left us, our unemployment rates are among the nation’s highest, and smart people who like to do studies say that our cities are consistently the most miserable to live in.  Idiots!  I now have the privilege and responsibility to show you and the rest of the world why those smart people are so wrong.  I get to lay my claim and do my part to return the Midwest to the exciting, booming, enjoyable, and profitable place it once was.

That seems like one hell of a task, eh?  I must be one incredible writer, huh?  I must have spent years perfecting my skills in order to write something that impactful, no?  I must be a technology guru who is going to instill my brilliance to all the less qualified people who will be reading this, right? Truth is I’m not a writer.  I literally don’t know the first thing about technology.  If I wasn’t so in love with myself I’d probably even say I’m not very good at writing.  Before we get carried away here I guess I better explain myself.

I am an entrepreneurship major at the University of Toledo.  (Go Rockets!) I got an email to my student account one day and it had a link for a website called Interninohio.com.  I know my major recommends an internship, but I had no idea what I would even look for that could help me in my entrepreneurship career.  I looked at the website and half-assedly filled in the blanks that asked for all the information needed to steal my identity.  I stopped just short of uploading my resume, “Aint nobody got time for dat.”  I looked at the open internships and started to feel excited about this incredible tool I just discovered.  After browsing for ten minutes I still hadn’t seen a post that said “Entrepreneurship major needed to take over multi-billion dollar company.”  Not getting discouraged I decided just to see what kind of social media jobs were out there.  I have a love affair with social media which my girlfriend will attest borders an actual affair.  I checked a box or two that said I was interested in social media and returned to blankly staring at my computer screen as my brain tried to figure out this insane equation(x+3=3 solve for x) for my class that I have to take before I take the class that will allow me into “college algebra for beginners.”

The very next day I started to receive emails from potential employers.  One of the emails was from Brandy Wimberly asking me if I would be able to meet later that day for an interview for some website called Silicon Rust Belt.  Sure why not?  I take a look at the website and it informs me that it highlights technology companies.  Crap!  In the interview I was asked basic questions and I did my best to pull out the shiniest gems from my tail end.  I must have sounded like an idiot trying to regurgitate information I half remembered from my glance at the website.  But then Brandy started to explain what her vision for Silicon Rust Belt was.  I got excited.  She could tell I got excited.  I think my excitement excited her.

Brandy explained to me that she would actually pay me to learn about technology startups and interview successful entrepreneurs.  For a guy going to school so he never has to get a “job” this opportunity screamed DREAM JOB.

Brandy thought I would be a good fit for the position and I agreed. At our next meeting she was talking about the exciting things happening in the Midwest and the great things I would be assigned to write about.  She had to stop and explain simple technology lingo to me every time she saw my eyes gloss over in utter confusion.  (It happened a lot)  That’s when I had the idea for “Tech Adventures with RJ.”  I want readers who don’t know much about the happenings of the technology world to learn right along with me.  I will write about my journey in this new world and hopefully you will follow along.

In order for you to learn with me I figure you should get to know me.  I’m not talking that sugar coated version that makes me look awesome.

-I have severe ADHD

-My ADHD makes it take forever for me to write what’s in my head in a way I hope people will understand

-I’ve been to 11 different schools in my lifetime from elementary to college

-I have played baseball, hockey, track (distance running), track (pole vaulting), but my main sport was wrestling

-In track/CC I would hide in the woods until the good kids came back around because I hate running

-My pole vaulting coach kicked me off for a year because my sister told him that I had said he “sucked at pole vaulting”

-He never pole vaulted before but ended up being a good coach

-I was a little better than average in wrestling, but I could have been better

-Everything I will ever need to know about life I learned from wrestling

-My dad is a cop and my mom is a nursing assistant

-He was strict

-I have two sisters (ages 29 & 8) and a niece who is like a little sister (4)

-My high school GPA was a 2.1

-My current college GPA is a 3.58 (my girlfriends is a 3.60)

-I’m a 27 year old college junior

-I got a little lost after high school

-I found myself serving in the Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan

-I’ve never killed anybody, I’m not messed up, yes I had friends get messed up, and it’s rude to ask veterans these questions

-The military taught me that I thrive under pressure, can make quick decisions, and I don’t want somebody telling me what to do for the rest of my life

-I was good at being an Army Sergeant

-I don’t want to do it anymore

-I love baseball

-While in Afghanistan I planned a summer trip to drive to all 30 MLB ballparks and watch a game

-I did it

-I’m a dreamer, but more importantly I chase what makes me happy

-I kept a blog (www.baseballdreamin.blogspot.com)

-The Tigers are my favorite team, The Cleveland Indians have the most fan friendly organization in all of baseball and I love them, The best ballpark is AT&T Park in San Francisco

-I’m very slowly writing a book about my trip

-I spent $17,000 on my trip which makes me a poor college kid

-I will do the trip again in 2015; I just need to figure out how to fund it.  I would love to film it, have a YouTube channel with a million viewers or have it as a TV show on the MLB network

-I like to smile

-Me personal mantra is “keep on smilin”

-I once got pulled over three times, picked up a hitchhiker, and had a four hour text conversation with a realtor who had her number advertised on her car while I drove behind her.  This was all in the same day.

-I chose entrepreneurship because I want to be a process server when I grow up

-I have a million ideas for company’s every day and wish I had a staff to help me build them all

-I want an English bulldog but they’re too expensive.  Please buy me one!

-I will name him Bravo

-I have a girlfriend.  Her name is Kayla.  She’s insanely hot!  It’s ok that you’re jealous

-I love Baseball

-If you would like to do an interview at a baseball game I will never say no

-I’m not a writer but I write anyways

-I literally have no idea when or where to place a comma while writing and I’ll never figure it out

-I’m addicted to looking at the statistics on how many people look at my articles

-I once wrote a blog that had 1,000 views in a day and did a happy dance

That is just a super ADHD version of who I am.  I could go on forever, repeat myself a million times, and still forget a million facts.  If you would like me to elaborate on any of the tid-bits just leave a comment in the section below.  If you have any suggestions for a technology topic I should learn about and cover leave a comment in the section below.  If you want to tell me how awesome I am please leave a comment in the section below.  If you want to tell me that I’m a terrible writer and I just wasted your time, Good, and you can just keep that to yourself because that’s mean!

Make sure to follow Silicon Rust Belt on Twitter @siliconrustbelt and like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiliconRustBelt

You can follow my personal accounts as well if you understand that all thoughts are my own.  Twitter: @baseballdreamin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaseballDreamin

Staff Writer