Welcome
Welcome to my corner of the internet! This is where I share my journey exploring the intersection of sustainable living and modern technology.
Whether it's building smart garden systems, experimenting with home automation, or documenting hands-on DIY projects, I believe in learning by doing and sharing both the knowledge and the results with others.
Professional Background
By day, I'm a cloud security professional with over 15 years of experience spanning cloud computing, cybersecurity, networking, and data center operations. I hold a Master's degree in Cyber Security and have pursued certifications including CISSP, AWS Solutions Architect, AWS Security Specialty, and Google Professional Cloud Architect, though many are no longer active.
Most recently, I served as Principal Infrastructure Engineer at Day Zero Diagnostics, where I led HIPAA compliance efforts, built greenfield GCP infrastructure with Terraform, and strengthened the organization's security posture through risk assessments and tooling like CrowdStrike and Mend SCA.
My career started in telecommunications and has since taken me through financial services, healthcare, biotech, and enterprise IT. I've progressed from hands-on network engineering to leading security operations teams to architecting cloud-native solutions. Along the way, I've managed data center migrations, secured online trading platforms, investigated DDoS attacks, and built infrastructure for FDA-regulated environments.
I've worked across AWS, GCP, and Azure, with hands-on experience in Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, vulnerability management, and compliance frameworks like HIPAA and FDA regulations.
What I Write About
My content spans several interconnected topics I'm passionate about:
Cooking
Recipe management, meal planning, and food technology
Gardening
Garden automation, IoT sensors, and sustainable growing
Productivity
Tools for budgeting, interviewing, and daily workflows
Fitness
Smart fitness equipment and AI-powered training
Building
DIY projects like garden beds, greenhouses, and outdoor structures
Sustainability
Supporting local ecosystems, bird watching, beekeeping, and conservation
My Approach
I'm a firm believer that the best way to learn is by building things. Making plenty of mistakes and happy accidents along the way is part of the process. Persistence, resilience, and curiosity drive me forward.
Case in point: this past year I've been locked in an epic battle with a groundhog who repeatedly infiltrated my garden, devouring roughly 80% of my crops while noticeably putting on a few pounds in the process. The groundhog is winning, but I'm learning. Each failed defense has taught me something new about fencing, deterrents, and the remarkable determination of a hungry rodent. I am sure the war will continue next season.
Here's the culprit caught in the act. On this particular day, I successfully fended them off. I won this battle, but ultimately lost the 2025 war. We're both determined and a bit stubborn. I'm afraid they'll be back next year with reinforcements.
Every project on this site started as a curiosity or a problem that needed solving. Some worked brilliantly on the first try, while most required multiple iterations, problem-solving, and late-night debugging sessions.
I plan to document both the successes and the failures because that's where the real learning happens. If my mistakes can save you time or inspire your own projects, then sharing them is worthwhile.
Since I'm not a developer by trade, I rely heavily on AI-assisted coding tools like Claude and Gemini to bring my ideas to life faster. This lets me spend more time on what I enjoy most: designing, experimenting, and solving real problems.
Get in Touch
I'm always happy to connect with fellow enthusiasts, answer questions, or discuss potential collaborations. Feel free to reach out through any of these channels: