Originally created May 10, 2000.
Minor corrections made November 5, 2000.

So who am I anyway?  I've been asking myself that same psychological question for years.  But let's start with what I do know.

My name is François Caron and I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  I'm originally from Ottawa, Ontario and moved to Montreal at a young age in 1985.  I never looked back.  For all the years I've visited relatives in Montreal, I've come to the realization that I didn't always liked the idea of going back home to Ottawa.  I have always loved Montreal despite it's minor faults such as huge potholes, overpowered unions and a slightly corrupt municipal government.  But through all this, the city and it's people are a lot of fun.  Where else can you actually feel safe walking on the street at night without fearing for your life?  And where else are there traffic jams on the weekend at three in the morning when the bars close?  Most importantly, where else is real estate and rent still affordable?  The cost of lodging in other Canadian cities can be double, even triple Montreal's lodging costs.  Over here you can still buy a condo or a house well below the point where the word "million" starts to be mentioned along with the price.  My life in Ottawa is but a blur.  My life in Montreal has been and continues to be a real joy.

So what do I do for a living?  For the last ten years, I've been working at a small software company where my current position is Director of Software Development.  Our main product is an Automated Weigh Scale System, a PC-based package designed to weigh trucks automatically without any user intervention.  The package is used mainly at pulp and paper mills to weigh wood chip deliveries and to record the results of the lab analysis in order to deduct the moisture, bark, rot, slivers and knots contained in the delivery.  These substances have no value in paper production and are deducted from the delivery in order to establish the true value of the wood.  The system is originally designed for the OS/2 operating system and is currently being migrated to the Windows platform in order to exploit the same package on multiple platforms.  If this keeps up, we'll be porting the software over to the Linux platform as well.

So what are my hobbies?  Photography is one hobby which I can't fully "develop" at this time because of the lack of a proper darkroom.  But I do know how to take a roll of B&W film and turn it into a beautiful 8x10 print.  One you know how to do it, you don't forget.  Another "hobby" is home theater and home theater calibrations.  I'm an amateur ISF trained technician.  This all began a few years ago when I wanted to watch movies in their original aspect ratio.  I couldn't find enough material on VHS and was finally pushed into Laserdiscs with a bit of help from Roger Ebert when he was on CompuServe a few years back.  From then on, the "hobby" ballooned into DVDs, surround systems and finally ISF training in order to get the whole system set up just right.  Yet through all this, I still have the same 20" JVC TV I purchased over eight years ago and kept calibrated as closely to NTSC specifications as is humanly possible with such an unstable beast.  Eventually I'll buy a new TV once I have found something I actually like and can afford.

What else?  I have a collection of books and magazines, I listen to vinyl, and enjoy my recently acquired loft located in an old converted textile mill built 90 years ago and which is still supported by the original massive wooden beams.  What I don't have for now is a wife and kids.  Not even a girlfriend.  And before you ask, I'm not into "alternative lifestyles" so I'm not looking for a boyfriend.  And religion?  None specific.  I can't say I don't believe in God because that just wouldn't be true.  But I don't feel I have to follow the preachings of any specific group in order to seek some kind of salvation.  I truly feel I'm in charge of my own destiny.

And my future?  I don't know yet.  The job is going well and I'm not planning to change that for the next couple of years.  Then again, I've been saying that for the last ten years.  Eventually I will want to try something different which may or may not be computer related.  I don't know yet.  I'm currently very busy with the work I have at hand today and don't want to leave it just yet.  As for living arrangements, I just can't leave this city.  It has treated me very well with only the occasional rough times.  What can I say?  I'm comfortable with the life I have now.

That's pretty much it.  If there are any changes, I'll let you know.