My Name is Anthony Soto
A.L. Soto (Pen name)
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, to Puerto Rican parents. When I was seven years old, my parents moved back to the island, specifically to the small (back then) town of Isabela, Puerto Rico.
I also attended school there from age seven until I turned 13 when we moved back to the mainland. This time, we moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, and I’ve been here since then.
There are some really important people I need to recognize.
I am happily married to a beautiful woman named Mari, who is also my number one supporter. She loves photography and has a good eye for it. I often use some of her pics in my articles.
I have a fantastic son who I love so much and who also supports my blog.
And, of course, two beautiful step-children that I love as if they were my own.
That is my beautiful blended family; combined, they bring me plenty of joy.
Other important people in my life have supported my endeavors. My parents, friends, former colleagues, and coworkers know who you are. Thank you!
And, of course, you, the reader, who I thank in advance for your support in making this site a success story.
My passions
Writing
Writing. I love to write. I would write out plays and mini-stories and dramatize them with my action figures. It makes me think about the past. I remember recording a play on my radio with my action figures. It was laughably bad, but my creative juices were there. And a major reason why I started blogging is to unleash some of those juices.
I even remember writing some short stories as a kid, but unfortunately, I lost them.
Traveling
As a kid growing up, I was always fascinated by the idea of traveling and exploring the world. I would often draw maps of actual or fictitious places just for fun. I would create “itineraries” for the places I wanted to visit just to be ready when the opportunity arose. Mind you, I was 12 at this point. Something which still rings true about me: unfortunately, until recently, I’ve been unable to pursue that particular passion—a combination of life circumstances and silly decisions.
Specific things to know about me
- I am bilingual (fluent in English and Spanish), although I like to joke that I am trilingual. I consider Spanglish a language (a mixture of English and Spanish). Oftentimes, I feel like that is my primary language.😃 I learned some bare Chinese and French back in high school. To this day, I can pick up a few things, although I’m definitely not fluent.
- I attended Purdue University and studied business operations and management with a minor concentration in real estate.
- Successfully completed a course on Screenwriting.
- I also acquired a certificate in English language and a Novel Writing course. (I recently completed my first novel, Fresh Meat, which will be published in 2024; two others are in the process.) Stay tuned.
- 20+ years of business experience holding multiple positions like Restaurant General Manager, Trainer, Hospitality, Supervision, and District Manager. I am also a Food Safety Ambassador. Coaching, teaching, and influencing the growth of others is something that drove me to do it,
- I have a Bachelor’s of Hamburgerology(yes, you read that right) from the former Fred L. Turner University @ Oak Brook, IL. (Yes, I went to McDonald’s HU).
- I took a college-credited course on professional presence and brand management.
- Well-versed in both Microsoft and Apple Computer Office programs.
- I’m a resident of Springfield, which is located in Western Mass. Even though it’s not a tropical place like Puerto Rico or a major city like New York, I enjoy living here. It’s beautiful during all seasons and a great place to visit.
- I know it’s random, but my favorite color has been and always will be blue.
Things I love
So far, you have realized I love writing, but the truth is I also enjoy plenty of other things.
Things like:
Reading. I love reading books; sometimes, I wish I could sit at home and read all day. Some of my favorite books are Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Crichton’s Jurassic Park, and Wiesel’s Night. One ambitious project I have is that of my own fantasy novel series. Harry Potter was good, as was The Hunger Games.
Writing. I know I’ve said this before, but writing is one of my biggest passions. I’d write just about anything: lists, essays, and short stories just for the sake of writing. This may be strange, but I love crossing items off a list. The feeling of accomplishment is something I love.
Films. I love movies, but if you ask me if I have a favorite movie, I really don’t have one. But I do have a decent list of movies I love. Some favorites are Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, The Lord of the Rings, Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Last Samurai, Gladiator, and everything Star Wars, to name a few. Because of movies and their storytelling appeal, I firmly believe that anything is possible.
But there’s more.
Travel. I love to travel not just to new places (that’s my favorite), but I also love road trips, particularly random ones. And even though I have no specific favorite destination, New York City is amongst my favorite destinations of all time. I can never get tired of NYC.
Coffee. To say I love coffee is an understatement. I make it a mission to try out the local coffee at every place I visit. If not local, I would target any franchise coffee I may not have the opportunity to try. I will share that Caribou Coffee’s coffee remains my favorite so far. I love to try just about every cup of coffee out there, even some that should not be called coffee.
What don’t I like?
Like most of us, we all have our fears or mini phobias. Some of us are more susceptible than others, but we all share them in the end.
My personal goals with Live Don’t Exist have been to explore some of these things and challenge myself. Part of being alive is the rush and/or adrenaline that comes with these uncomfortable experiences. In 2021, I put myself in some of these circumstances, and true to the statement, I have never felt so alive.
Heights:
I wouldn’t say I like heights. I am very uncomfortable with anything that requires me to be high up somewhere. For example, I don’t like looking down from very high places. My Vertigo kicks in badly, and I fear that I will fall, which is very sucky.
The same goes for flying; I wouldn’t say I like flying, yet I’ve flown far more in the past few years than I wanted to.
My worst fears
I have a fear of drowning. Even though I know how to swim, I have never been a good one. Thank you for that, you evil sinuses. So naturally, deep pools and rivers or going too far into the sea at the beach frighten me. That didn’t stop me from snorkeling in Maui, mind you, out in the open ocean. Yes, I was scared s*******s, but it was worth it.
If you think I had enough, I also did it again in Jamaica, this time at night.
Running out of time. Let’s phase it; we all have an expiration date. My biggest fear isn’t the date, but having regrets on that day that I didn’t quite live, just existed. For many reasons, I wasted so many years that I could’ve devoted to my ambitions. I refuse to be that guy; I have so much potential to unleash and so many experiences to live through that I cannot give up—a significant reason why I am pursuing my ventures, both as an author and a blogger.
Random Dislike
Spiders. While I don’t necessarily fear them, they freak me out. Usually, the smaller ones don’t phase me at all, but the big ones put me on edge. I imagine a spider being a monstrous thing from the perspective of a small critter, and I can’t help but shudder. I tend to ignore them when I see them out and about, but still, seeing them gets to me. To think people can eat those nasty bastards, blah. Luckily, and hopefully, I don’t have to deal with spiders much on my adventures. And yes, I’ve seen the movie Arachnophobia, but it still creeps me out.
And that’s about it. I can’t think about anything else in terms of personal fears. Overall, I consider myself brave, tending to live without fear to the best of my ability.
Hopefully, now you have a better idea of who I am.
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Are you looking to contact me?
You can email me at anthonys138@gmail.com or, if you prefer, use any of the blog’s contact forms.
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