Hey, I’m Chris

Welcome to my corner of the internet. I’m a Systems Administrator with nearly 15 years of hands-on experience in IT, currently at NCAR where I focus on macOS engineering and systems administration. But if you’re here for the tech blog, you probably care less about the official title and more about the actual stuff I work on.

What I Do (Day Job Edition)

At NCAR, I spend my time keeping macOS environments running smoothly, supporting the engineering group, and making sure researchers have the tools they need. I’ve also had the pleasure of supporting CISL’s SiParCS & NESSI programs, working with interns to ensure they have access to the computing resources they need. Over the years, I’ve picked up some pretty useful skills along the way — PC deployment, network design, server installations, macOS deployments, JAMF Pro management, and even some SharePoint administration (yes, I survived that).

During COVID-19, I got recognized for my remote support work, which was rewarding but also exhausting. It taught me that good tech support is really about understanding people’s frustrations, not just fixing problems.

What I Do (Blog Edition)

This blog is where I share what I’m learning, experimenting with, and occasionally complaining about. You’ll find posts about:

• IT & Sysadmin Knowledge-Sharing — Hard-won lessons, tools that actually work, and the kind of clear documentation that could’ve saved someone three hours of their life. I’ve watched too many organizations burn money on bad decisions and underutilized hardware. Some of that frustration ends up here.
• Homelab & Infrastructure — My adventures (and misadventures) with Proxmox, networking, and whatever hardware I’m tinkering with this month
• Hybrid Work & Workplace Culture — Remote work, collaboration tools, and the gap between how organizations think technology works and how it actually plays out for the people using it
• Productivity & Personal Systems — Tools like Obsidian, time tracking, and how I try (and often fail) to stay organized
• Caregiving — A less technical corner of the blog. I’m a caregiver, and that’s a big part of my life outside of IT. I write about it because it matters and because not enough people talk honestly about it.
• Political & Social Commentary — Occasionally I dive into local, national, and international issues that have broader impact outside the world of technology. See my Personal Opinion Disclaimer for context.
• Career Observations — Thoughts on working in IT, navigating organizations, and what the industry gets wrong about the people who keep it running

Why This Blog?

I’ve been in IT long enough to watch the same mistakes get made over and over — wasted hardware, misaligned tooling, decisions made by people who have never had to support the fallout. Writing is how I process that. It’s also how I give back: if something took me three hours to figure out, writing it down means the next person doesn’t have to spend the same three hours.

This isn’t a polished content machine. It’s a working professional sharing what he actually knows, thinks, and cares about. If something I write saves you time, challenges how you think about a problem, or just makes you feel less alone in a frustrating situation — that’s the point.

Let’s Connect

You can find me on GitHub and BlueSky if you want to discuss tech, share ideas, or just say hello.

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