Drummer Donnie's Home page

Welcome to Donnie's Home Page !

This page was built using Notepad and the Vi editor (ever try to build a web site using Vi?).
We're building a web site! We ain't Weavin' no Dreams, baby!
Real men (and women) use text editors.

New Stuff!
The purpose of this "New Stuff" section is to highlight the most recent 5 changes made to my web site. My web site has become vast enough that I'm sure new sections are being overlooked by you, the public. So I've created this "New Stuff" section to highlight the newest editions, improvements and/or changes to my web site. Active links below will take you directly to updated pages.

December 25th, 2009: I fixed the calendar link on my music page. Just click on the "Music" link in the blue section below.

October 27, 2009: I added the Double-pane window project to my web site. Just click on the "Projects" link in the blue section below.

February 9, 2009: I added the Google search engine to my web site. It's in the white section below. How kewl is that?!?!

July 9, 2008: I added a page which highlights a propane/gasoline "bi-fuel" conversion on my old, 1976 F-150.

March 30th, 2008: I added a link to my video production company web site, which resides in the "Stuff I do for fun and money" section of this page.

Click here to use the search engine to find stuff on my web site!

Mission Statement or
"What's the purpose of your web site?"

I have been asked by a couple of my non-computer friends, "Why did you build your own web site? What's its purpose? What's in it for me?" I think what they really mean to ask is, "Why does anybody build a web site?" So I thought I'd take a few words to answer that question. If you are a computer-literate person, you probably understand that a web site is designed to show and tell a little bit about its owner/writer. If you are a non-computer-literate person, and my web site happens to be your first web site, then please understand the selfish nature of my web site is a typical one. One doesn't build a personal web site to show and tell about other people (unless they're paid to do so). So if you're shocked that this entire web site is about me, don't be. Anybody who's built their own personal web site (as opposed to a business-oriented web site) writes it to include 90% personal content and maybe 10% other stuff. That said...

I don't have any real hobbies. I have a bunch of jobs that keep me busy and happy enough that I don't feel the need for a "hobby," per-se. The closest thing I have to a "hobby" is HTML coding and hosting my own web sites on my own Linux O.S. web/file server. This web site affords practice in both arenas. Hosting the site from a home-based Linux web server has not only given me lots of networking practice, but it has also forced me to become more familiar with Linux - which is something I've been wanting to do for years. Writing this web site in Notepad and Vi gives me practice with Vi and with HTML code - both things I wish to learn more about. And though HTML greatly differs from C++ (my preferred development language), the basic premise of making a computer do what you want it to do with a bunch of cryptic characters is about the same between the two.

Conclusion: The site is 50% learning tool, 40% hobby and 10% information for the reader. Most personal web sites are designed to tell a little about their owners. My site is no exception. It is not designed as a calling card or to be part of my resume'. Obviously web design isn't my thing or I'd be using more sophisticated web development tools (other than Notepad or Vi).

My site isn't the prettiest in the world but everything works and loads fairly quickly (as far as I know). Give me a working web site over a pretty web site any day! Don't you hate it when a web site wastes your time???

I know my use of cheezie graphics and .gif files is passe', but that's okay. My web site was coded entirely by hand and it all works (as far as I know), which is more than I can say for some of them thar fancier sites! The more "junk" I put on my site, the more raw HTML code I'm forced to learn. I have also found that active graphics (and my web site in general) behaves differently across different platforms and browsers. Having this information will be valuable in future endeavors. Like I said, "50% learning tool." Please forgive the "amateurish" look and "wacky" colors. This may change if I decide to wuss out and trade Notepad and Vi in for more sophisticated "point-n-click" web developing tools. Until then, I'll keep coding in Notepad like a "caveman."

My Interests...

Music Motorcycles Projects

Photography Videography Leisure Activity Edumacation

Making a living...

Like most people, every once in a while someone will ask, "So what do you do?" Unlike most people, that's a tough question for me to answer. As a child I was diagnosed as being "hyperactive," which, of course eventually blossomed into Adult A.D.D. If I'm not truly interested in something, it's hard for me to stay focused on it. Consequently I've come to grips with the fact that I will never be happy doing any single one thing for a living. On the down side, I'll never have a full-time job. Instead I have many, many jobs. I work a little here and a little there. I day trade; I do side jobs - sometimes for cash, sometimes not. I'll always play music. I have a sound company, a small computer repair business and am a licensed electrician. I work in the film industry and have been a stage hand (high-rigger) for many years. My tax guy loves me. I have an Associates Degree in Software Engineering. Though I haven't coded for a living yet, I suspect I will sometime in the future.

I don't do "full time," so consequently I don't enjoy many of the benefits of full-time employment - though I do have a couple 401k's from some of my jobs. The upside is I have developed many useful skills, and I'm never bored (a real feat for an A.D.D. guy like me!).

Ultimately this section of my home page is going to have many links. I will have to build them one at a time, which will probably take a while. As of this writing there are three links below. I imagine it will be up to 10 before the year's out.

I would like to dedicate this section to all A.D.D. people around the world. You don't need drugs. You just need to not model your life in a conventional manner. Short attention is not a deficit. It just means we want information faster. Cut to the chase. I don't want to read 3 pages to get a paragraph of information. I don't want to sit at the same desk and do the same thing every day. We lack the patience to sift out the unwanted verbiage to get to the needed information. Unfortunately we are a minority, so the world is geared towards those willing to sit at that desk and read those 3 pages to get that paragraph of data. We just want to get to the point and move on. I see that as an asset.

half-geek.net - computer repair soundaddy.com - sound company

Set-Lighting Technician MicroFilm Productions - video production