Dodgeville is the online home of Val Dodge of Toronto. Canada is home to at least one other Val Dodge. Even though it’s a big country, people confuse us all the time. Just to be clear, I’m not that Val Dodge; I’m the other one.
Mission statement
This blog is primarily about life in and around the city of Toronto as experienced on foot and by bike. Many of my other interests, from technology and woodworking to language and photography, will also be featured here occasionally.
Personal statement
This is one of the few pictures from my youth where I’m actually wearing some clothes. It’s also better than thirty years old and believe me, the yellowed old print has held up much better than I have.
By night, I’m the moving force behind Finite Communication, and a freelance geek and writer. I was the founding president of iComm, a non-profit Internet Service Provider for charities, non-profits, and community groups, and I sat on its board for six years until April 2003. I also served as the volunteer system administrator until January 2004 before moving on to other projects. During the period I ran the system, it processed approximately 150 million emails and 750 million hits on the web server while delivering Internet services to almost 400 charities, non-profit organizations, and community groups on five continents. Unfortunately, iComm folded in July 2005. I’ve had a varied career as a researcher, system administrator, teacher, consultant, tech writer, programmer, and project manager. Of all of those roles, I feel most comfortable staring down a root prompt on a Debian GNU/Linux server.
Within my family, I think I take most after my great-grandfather. He was an avid woodworker and accomplished handyman who gave me my first set of tools—a Handy Andy set with real saw, hammer, pliers, and more—when I was just 7 years old. The first present I ever remember giving to anyone was a circular saw we bought for him one Christmas, which I inherited later and still count among my tools. I also inherited his handmade workbench and all of his other tools, and am only just learning how to use some of them more than 20 years later. I don’t know how much he enjoyed riding, but I like to think that the joy of cycling also came to me through him. I only wish that I’d inherited his bike too, but I don’t think it made the voyage to Canada with him two years after this 1917 photo was taken.
Much to Risa’s chagrin, I come from a family of packrats and display definite tendencies. The drawback to this is that I have a lot of old stuff stashed in the basement. The benefit is that I have a lot of cool old stuff stashed in the basement. Risa doesn’t see it that way, but I’m working on her. She’s also working on me, and I’m sure we’ll meet somewhere in the middle.
Ten things most of my friends don’t know about me
(Unless they read this list, of course)
- I’d like to learn to fly a plane so I can soar off to the cottage every weekend.
- You have a cottage? (No, not yet)
- I use Keri Lotion to keep my elbows silky smooth.
- I’m hooked on Freecell.
- Despite moving at least ten times, I’ve lived within a five km-wide circle for all but four years of my life.
- I prefer cash to credit.
- I got the funk.
- I’d like to own an A&W franchise.
- My cell phone number.
- What I do that keeps me so busy.
Ten things most of my friends do (or should) know about me
- It’s almost impossible to get me on the phone.
- I’m a cynic.
- I’m a cat person.
- I’m hooked on Skittles.
- I won’t drink Pepsi.
- I’m a pretty good cook.
- I can’t get enough power tools.
- I build garden furniture to relax.
- I’m a packrat.
- I own over a hundred pairs of socks. (Okay, maybe that one belongs in the previous list.)
Five complaints girlfriends made about me
- I spend too much time on the computer. (True)
- I don’t get out enough. (True)
- I love my cat more than I love her. (Probably true)
- I don’t shave often enough. (Thrice weekly is my limit)
- I’m unwilling to commit. (Just not to you, babe)
Four things that girlfriends praised about me
- I’m thoughtful and understanding. (She meant this as an insult, but it sounded like a compliment to me)
- I’m generous. (It’s true)
- I’m literate. (True, but she was really reaching for something nice to say)
- My elbows are silky smooth. (See above)
Thankfully, I’m now happily married and don’t have to care what anyone other than my wife says or thinks.
The Cabal
I’ve been running the Cabal (TINC) since 1997. Like most cabals, we don’t really do much beyond practicing our secret handshake. Watch this space for further announcements.
FAQ
No one ever asks me questions but as soon as someone starts, a list of frequently asked ones will appear here.
About this site
This site runs on Wordpress, using a modified Mistylook theme. I trust the Spam Karma 2 plugin to manage comment spam. The site logos are all photographs taken by me. The code snippet for randomizing the logos is from Jon Anhold.
This page has the following sub pages.
