This is a small summary of me, Matt. It isn’t all encompassing, but it should give a general idea of who I am on the surface.

Life and Education

I was born in Bristol, TN in November of 1979. I grew up just across the state line, just outside of Bristol, VA. I was an only child, but eventually gained a step-brother and step-sister. My parents divorced when I was 13, and from that point on I spent a lot of time with my grandparents on my dad’s side. My papaw Al was my mentor and spent a lot of time with me in my teen years, and was a tremendous influence on me. Both of my parents eventually re-married, and both live happily in Bristol, VA. After graduating from college, I moved to Abingdon, VA where I lived until May 2004, when I moved to my current town of Jefferson City, TN.

I attended public schools in Washington County, and graduate from John S. Battle High School in 1998. I continued my education at Virginia Highlands Community College, completing my AA&S in Business Administration in 2000. I then pursued my undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, taking my courses through the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. In 2002 I completed my BS in Business Administration.

Athletics

While in high school, I was a member of the school’s wrestling team. Over a 5 year period (including 8th grade) I competed in the 112, 119, and 125 pound weight classes. I claimed many consolation spots in tournaments, though I was never an individual champion. In my 2 full seasons as a varsity wrestler, I won 45 matches and lost 18, and qualified for the VHSL Group A State Tournament both seasons. Following high school I competed 2 times in the Virginia Commonwealth Games, placing 2nd by default in my second year attempting it. I have not competed since 2000.

Career

In 1996 I began working for Walmart in Bristol, VA as a cart pusher. I remained in that position until July 1999, when I became a sales clerk in the sporting goods department. In September 2001 I became the department manager of sporting goods, until March 2002 when I stepped down from the position to resume my job as a sales clerk. In March 2003 I was promoted to overnight support manager, and received promotion to assistant manager trainee in October 2003. In March 2004 I was promoted to hardlines assistant manager in Big Stone Gap, VA. I only worked there 2 months, until I was asked to transfer to Jefferson City, TN.

I moved to Jefferson City in May 2004 and became homelines assistant manager, and eventually food assistant manager (both for a brief period) until I transferred stores again in March 2005. I became overnight manager at the Southeast Knoxville Walmart and remained in that position until February 2006 when I became apparel assistant. Then in May 2006 I transferred yet again to  Sevierville, TN, where I have been hardlines, homelines, consumables, and overnight assistant manager. In October 2009 I was promoted to shift manager (store co-manager) in Maryville, TN.

The Wife™

I met my wife, Heather, in 2005 while we both worked overnight at the Walmart in Knoxville. When she transferred to Jefferson City, we met up and instantly clicked, and the rest is history. We were married on October 13, 2007, and currently reside in Jefferson City. We have a niece and two nephews that we like to treat as if they were our own, and are expecting our first child in October (2010). Heather and I have a lot of interests in common, and are different enough so that we don’t get disgusted with each other. We keep the mood light by making each other laugh when life wears us down. She is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Matt On-Line

In addition to xjsb125.com, I also own clumsymonkey.net, and have helped operate it since 2004. xjsb125.com has had several incarnations which began as a small webspace on the now defunct preferred.com, and later on as a geocities account. Additionally, I operate a Direct Connect hub, that I have been in charge of since 2003. “The Hub” as it is known, is primarily focused around live recordings and various media of the bands Our Lady Peace, Silverchair, and Pedestrian. Lastly, I can be found on MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook.

Music and Other Interests

My musical interests have grown over the years. I was a die-hard country music fan all through high school, until I was introduced to the music of Jimi Hendrix. I branched off from there and grew to appreciate music from many different genres and artists. Many of my favorite bands can be found on the links page. I love to go to concerts, and record almost every single one I go to. I taped my first show in 2004, and have recorded many artists since. On occasion I will videotape a show and create a DVD of it from scratch.

My work on DVD’s and video has grown from simple user friendly programs to more complex, intermediate software. My goal with every disc is to create menus that are as entertaining as the actual concert, space permitting. I try not to recycle ideas, and only do so if I can make a large improvement.

Aside from music, I love movies, and I love professional wrestling. I have a small and ever-growing DVD collection of my favorite movies, TV series, and wrestling archives.

I also love to travel. I have visited several states and 2 Canadian provinces. I developed my love for travel in middle and high school, after several trips to major cities and locations. My first major trip outside of school was to Panama City Beach, FL in 2002 for Spring Break. It was an eye opening experience to say the least. Since then, I have made trips to Clear Water Beach, FL; Charleston, SC; Atlanta, GA; Arlington, VA; Richmond, VA; Virginia Beach, VA; Williamsburg, VA; Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Hollywood, CA; Seattle, WA; Victoria, BC; Vancouver, BC; Belleville, ON; Mississauga, ON; Niagara Falls, ON; and my favorite city, Toronto, ON.

xjsb125?

I often get the question what xjsb125 signifies. I chose that screen name for my AIM account in 1999, and have used it for almost all of my online accounts since. It’s unique and I don’t usually have to worry about it being taken. I may also pop up from time to time as xjb119 or xjsb119, but not very often. The xjsb125 name really has to do with my high school and the weight class I competed in my senior year:

Ex John S. Battle 125 pounds = xjsb125

Of course, that was 30 pounds ago!