About Toadkillerdog's DogHouse
My name is Mitchell Land, though I often go by the
nom de guerre of Toadkillerdog (hence the name of this site). I don't have any actual interest in the canine species but the theme grew out of the name (which itself came from a
book from a local (for me)
St. Louis author:
Glen Cook).
I am, first and foremost, a follower of Christ, Presbyterian by affiliation, although I hope and pray that I don't fit the normal perception. (You know, ice-cold, reserved...uh, wait, that's starting to sound really familiar...). My family and I currently attend Bonhomme Presbyterian Church. My faith guides and guards me throughout my life.
My second passion is my family. I am happily married to the Love Of My Life (and, yes, that's an official title and nickname often acronymed to LOML - although sometimes also known as MOTL (My One True Love)) [sickening, I know]. Together, we have produced three lovely daughters who are finally all in school (a great relief to my wife!).
My third passion is my current job, Architect, and that's what I do not only for a living but also for fun. Since this is, primarily, a tech blog, I'll devote some more time and description to this one. I've been in the Information Technology business since 1995 or thereabouts when I first downloaded Netscape's 3 page(!) guide on writing HTML. I've been completely out of control ever since. I've managed to claw (or is that paw?) my way to the pinnacle of the profession (technologically speaking anyway). I'm well versed in all the various intricacies of technology from twisting my rotor on byte manipulation to designing and implementing enterprise-scale software solutions.
My architectural philosophy is simple:
- Data is King.
- Less is more (not less data, less everything else; I would say simpler is better, but it's not that...well...simple).
- The right technology for the best solution.
I admit that it needs some polishing to be socially acceptable amongst the marketing and sales crowd, but, it's gotten me to where I am today and that has to count for something right?
My fourth passion in life (arguably, it's a close tie with the the third - really, the second, just don't tell my wife!) is wargaming. Tabletop simulation (to give it a fancy name) is one of my favorite leisure time activities. Games from such companies as GMT Games, Clash of Arms, Multiman Publishing, and others occupy quite a bit of my time (not to mention storage space).