Since my discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps in late 2000, I have been adjusting and rediscovering who Mike Barylski is, what I am capable of, and what I want to do. I started going back to school part-time in 2003 and graduated from WCTC in May 2008 with a two-year degree in their Computer Information Systems program area. Wanting to continue my path toward higher education, I looked into various colleges and ultimately chose the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I am enrolled in UW-M's School of Information Systems for the Bachelor of Science Information Resources program. Because I work full-time, UW-M appealed to me because I could do the entire undergrad requirements online. The Fall 2008 semester was my first experience with online classes and I have to say that I enjoyed them, but they bring a whole new set of challenges than a normal classroom class offers.
Since moving to Wisconsin, I have rediscovered my love for music and specifically live music. Friends soon introduced me to Summerfest and I've quickly became a Summerfest addict. My friends and I now make an annual event surrounding Summerfest, taking the entire 11 days off of work, mixing in barbeques and a golf tournament. I stay on top of concerts in the area with one of my favorite sites http://www.pollstar.com/.
Over the last few years I have also spent a lot of time refining my golf game. I thoroughly enjoy playing golf and challenging myself. It's a game of patience and skill. I am constantly 'researching' ways to improve my game. I enjoy playing new courses all over Wisconsin. In addition to golf, I enjoy playing softball and generally anything outside. I enjoy running and working out and just last year have discovered 5Ks.
Last year a friend of mine goaded me into joining Facebook. I've looked at MySpace before but thought it was too juvenile for my liking. I liked the fact that you had to allow people to see you and your profile. Soon after I created my profile, I started connecting with old high school friends I haven't seen in nearly 20 years. I've moved around so much since high school that I've lost touch with my high school friends and even those that I served with through my years in the USMC. Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with them and rekindle those long lost friendships. Here in Wisconsin, I've often sat quietly while my WI friends shared stories about their youth in WI and high school stories. Facebook has given me the opportunity to remember my youth and share my high school stories with friends who experienced them as well.
