The boring stuff

Although I don’t remember it, I was born near Hammond, Indiana in 1967. Some time around age 2 (also before that memory thing kicked in) my family moved to St. Louis, Mo. where I spent the next 26 years. In that time I attended a couple of Catholic schools, a couple of public schools, and attended high school at Hazelwood Central High School in Florissant (the northern ‘burbs), graduating in 1985. Following high school I went through a period of self discovery. I did a lot of things that my parents wouldn’t have approved of (like staying out all night), and intermittently did very badly at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley (in nearby Fergusson, oddly enough).

After about five years of this I finally got a clue of who and what I was. I got a better job, changed my major (and lost most of my credits in the process), and started a much delayed climb out of worthlessness. Although still only able to afford college part-time, I graduated four years later with an Associate’s Degree in Information Technology (Programming). With a half a sheepskin and three years of solid programming experience under my belt, I shifted my career into that of serious software consulting.

In early 1997 I moved to Denver, CO. I enjoyed the tech boom, met the girl of my dreams, got married, had a kid, and got to spend a couple year watching my child’s first everything because I got laid off just after 9/11/2001. My life has taken on a richness and beauty that starkly contrasts that of my life in St. Louis.

I continue to write code and occasionally get paid for it. If, by any chance, you're curious about my resume, you can find a copy of it at this link. I also spend a considerable amount of my time researching solutions to social and political issues that concern me.

Well, yea, but who is Robert Rapplean?

Even after my Major Clue in ’90, I am still regularly discovering things about who I am. One of the most relevant discoveries is that no matter what I tell people about me, it automatically causes them to assume something that isn’t true. I have also discovered that, if you give something to someone with no effort on their part, then they will consider it valueless. I hope you enjoy the entertainment and information that I have placed about my web site. Feel free to write to me with your comments – I always enjoy hearing what people think.