I am happy to report that I'm finally starting to get my life together. A lot has changed since I got my BA in communications from The University of Alabama in 2006. My degree of choice quickly became obsolete, which left me reassessing who I was. Now, after battling depression and other personal issues, I'm happy, facing a brighter tomorrow and starting work on my Master's Degree this fall.

For the longest time I was your typical writer/blogger/videographer/photographer kinda guy trying to make it in the new media reality, but the work petered out and I found myself in a classroom to make ends meet. I got my undergrad at UA, and I spent time working for newspapers all over the country (Maine, South Carolina and Texas) and back home (Gulf Shores, Alexander City and Montgomery).

I didn't realize it the last time I was still in Tuscaloosa, but it turns out what I loved the most about being in college was teaching, so that's what I'm hoping to do.

Therefore, I find myself starting on the long path to career #2-- becoming a tenured university professor in 20th century US history. Don't get me wrong, I still want to concentrate on the things I learned as an undergrad, but implement them in new ways.

What really helped push me in this direction was when I realized I sucked as a writer (the reporting part; I'm still a good editor). Which is a good thing, so don't think I'm being down on myself. I truly enjoy what I do and I don't regret for a second how convoluted and depressing the path that brought me here actually was. Just looking for a way to make it more permanent.

I'm not really good at anything, but I guess playing the saxophone. I have to work for the things I've got. I'm just one of those kinds of people.

Maybe sticking to goals I make for myself. For instance, I went without soda from November 2008 to January 2011.

I also love to run. I ran my first 5k in 40 minutes in April 2010. My friends and I plan on doing the Color Run in Birmingham this September. I always wanted to run a marathon, but sadly, my left knee starts to go out if I go further than five or six miles.

I'm a good photographer, but I avoid that hipster instagram crap like the plague. Sadly, my Nikon D50 was "lost" last year in a random TSA bag search on the way back from visiting a friend in Japan.

I'm blind as a bat. Therefore, my glasses. I'm also loud and obnoxious (in a good way), so chances are, that's what most people notice.

Could be that I've lost a third of my body weight since August 2012. But I guess you'd only notice that about me if you knew me before.

America, Queen, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Barenaked Ladies, Dave Brubeck, Frightened Rabbit, James Taylor, Kanye West, Imogen Heap, Mumford & Sons, The Gaslight Anthem, Starship Amazing, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Regina Spektor, Hootie & the Blowfish, Wakey!Wakey!

My all-time favorite movie is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. 500 Days of Summer, Amélie, Annie Hall, Brokeback Mountain, The Descendents, Back to the Future, Cool Runnings, Dan in Real Life, Dead Poets Society, Midnight in Paris, Definitely Maybe, Love & Other Drugs, Marty, Paris j'taime, Sunshine Cleaning, The American President, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Blind Side, The Departed, The Motorcycle Diaries, The Shawshank Redemption, Yankee Doodle Dandy

Animal Farm, A Rumor of War, Last Night in Twisted River, Love in the Time of Cholera, The Cider House Rules, The Fourth Hand, Faulkner's Three Famous Short Novels, The Giver, The Sun Also Rises, The Hobbit, The Hotel New Hampshire, The Last Juror, The Palm At the End of The Mind, The Shipping News, The World According to Garp, To Kill a Mockingbird, Until I Find You, Watchmen

I love good padh Thai. California rolls. Hispanic food (typically when it's from Guatemala). Old people cereal. Tomato soup, grilled cheese and orange juice.

I actually don't have cable. Not because I can't afford it, but because there's nothing ever worth watching on it. Most of the shows I watch I can stream, like Breaking Bad, but many are on Netflix or DVD. I prefer the quiet time to watch movies and read.

1. The news
2. Teaching
3. Good movies
4. Photography
5. Running
6. Reading

The next Olympics. Working and teaching in foreign countries. Joining the Peace Corps and digging wells in the African desert. Seriously.

I also obsessively keep doing the math in my head to see how long it will take to get my PhD.

Finishing my educational journey and finding my way out to the west coast. I can't decide if I want to live in Oregon or Southern California.

If I'm at home, then I usually watch a movie or read a book. I hate going out to crowded places. A small group of friends and a good meal is preferable.

I used to be terrified of tub drains. I still am, but I used to be, too.

I've been on this site in the past and left numerous times after not finding anyone. I realize now that I've been looking for the wrong reasons. Before, it was "I'm lonely," but now, while I may still be looking for someone, it's more of a happy optimism now. It's a "I'm comfortable with who I am" kind of thing. I'll be turning 30 in September. While I'm still a bit apprehensive about that number, things are looking up for me, and that makes me happy.

-If you want to be the Ellen to my Pete. If you understand that reference, you win an internet.

-If you know how to drive a stick shift.

-If you know the difference between baloney and bologna.

-If you don't expect the Spanish Inquisition.