Thanks for visiting! My name is John Franklin Harney (dont laugh its a family name :) and I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Georgia. How I got here is kind of a long and weird story, so I wont bore you. But it is somewhat amazing to think about the twists and turns, the ifs and buts, and the crazy circumstances life throws at you and wonder how people get to where they are now. I have lived in a number of places (Boston, North Carolina, New York, Phoenix, Athens) and have attended four schools (Boston College, North Carolina State, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, University of Georgia) in the last decade or so. All that moving has got to have given me some knowledge of what the world is really like, right? :)
I am a huge sports fan - it dominates my life (dont tell my boss). Played baseball ALL my life and continue to do so. Getting a little up there in age so its a little harder, but still enjoy it. I also love going to the gym and lifting. If you have never done this before, I recommend it. Its the best way to relieve stress, gain energy and create some serious muscle tone.
The teams I root for are the Jets, Mets, Nets (yes I am aware they rhyme), and my first school and what I consider my alma mater Boston College. I couldnt have picked a worse bunch of teams to root for, but I still do for some reason lol. Ask my friends, Im a little bit of crazy person when it comes to watching them and have known to lose my voice, break some lamps, and battle bouts of depression because of them all.
I love any kind of games involving competition - its just some kind of itch Ive had all my life. Cant get rid of it. Could be healthy or harmful depending on the situation. But board games - its on. Chess - its on. Basketball, golf, bowling, trivia - ON! But Im not limited to that by any means. Im really up for trying anything new.
Ultimately I want to be in academics (a professor) in Computer Science. Ever since my first computer (an atari believe it or not) when I programmed my first dice game in basic (thousands of lines of spaghetti code haha!) I have been fascinated by punching keys, clicking mice, and staring at screens for hours at a time. My occupation and career wasn't always centered around computers - after all, my undergrad is in mechanical engineering - but it has always been my true love. It doesnt matter how I got to this point I guess, it just hasnt been the typical road.