My mom was an elementary school English teacher which means I grew up reading. And I read everything – anything. Sports, adventures, westerns, historical fiction – anything. But my favorites were science fiction and fantasy, and that remains the case.
When I got to high school, my days were filled with keeping up with homework and playing music. I was in the school band and was training to be a concert pianist, which required two to three hours of practice every day. Thus, my book-reading suffered severe curtailment.
After an unfortunate hand injury, my musical career took a notable adjustment. The slight loss of dexterity made it difficult to play classical pieces. So I took up rock and jazz, which meant evening band practices. Again, very little reading time, but I still squeezed it in when I could.
I had decided on a career in Information Technology, specifically working with desktop personal computers. In 1979, universities didn’t offer degree paths in that field. After two years at the community college, I used the remaining funds my folks had set aside for my education and bought my first PC. My mom, being an educator, was horrified. My dad, a former electrical engineer at Texas Instruments, was thrilled.
As anyone in IT knows, the field is fulltime learning. Old technology fades out while new innovations take over. That was my career: continuous education. After thirty-five years in the industry, that part of my life ended. In 2016, my employer decided my technical skills and experience were no longer needed, and I was laid off.
After taking some time to assess my situation, I decided to move in new directions. One was to return to playing music. Another was to become an author. I had started writing a novel in 2007, but it had been only a hobby. One of my goals I set for 2017 was to finish it, which I did.
Full circle, I guess. From avid book-reader, to musician, to technology specialist. Now I’ve returned to my roots. And I’m still reading. And now writing.
R.E. Moore 