Aaron J. Edwards

My sorted (and unsorted) past

I was born on rainy night in December. The power was out, and the doctor fainted as he saw the hideous creature which he had just delivered.

Ok, but seriously. While the events of my birth were some what interesting, that is not the past of which I speak. I was born in December of 1974 in at Good Samaritan hospital in NW Portland. I graduated Woodrow Wilson High school in 1993 with a GPA of 2.15, and no ambition what so ever. I worked a few jobs here and there (most of which lasted no more than a month). I started to realize the importance of further schooling, but did not have the funds. Finally, in the fall of 1997, I enrolled at PCC and realized my addiction to higher learning. Through much blood, sweat, and tears, I obtained an AA in general studies. Then, like a bad re-run, I found myself facing the same empty future I found after high school. 

Ok, maybe not the same empty future, but a similar one; I did not know what to do with my life. I wanted to finish my education, but did not have the finances. A couple friends got me a job at a small television station (where I still work). So, I took a year off to pursue what I wanted to do with my life. I finally admitted my passion in life, writing. However, I also came to grips with the fact that perhaps other skills should be acquired. A friend of mine got a job doing graphic design at a newspaper. This got my wheels turning, perhaps I should pursue some design skills as a way to get myself into writing. After all, every website, newspaper, and magazine needs writers and graphic designers. I decided to see what classes PCC offered in the coming turn, and pretty much by default, I took a website design class. For my final project, I designed a website for amateur poets. Every graphic on that website was designed by yours truly. I am really proud of that site (although it needs a major update).  At the end of the class, I realized I would never get back into school if I did not go back at that time, so I enrolled at Portland State University, and went into debt for the first time in my life.