I received an Associates Degree from Dean College in 2003 and am roughly six courses away from completing a B.A. in Political Science at Suffolk University. I made many mistakes in the past and thus am working hard to get back to school to be able to finish up. I hope to be able to afford to complete school in the fall of 2012, God willing.

I was born in Arizona and moved around quite a bit before my family finally settled in Massachusetts in 1998. While I was born out West, I considered my self a true Easterner. I have a keen interest in politics. Like most Americans, I am independent and ambitious. Will I ever run for elected office? Only time will tell. I certainly have a lot of work to do to be able to consider the idea. At the very least, government intrigues me and I hope to be involved with it at some level later in my life.

As for now, I enjoy writing for Spare Change and fundraising for Democratic causes. And while I am an addict in remission I do not want my entire life to be focused on my life threatening disease. I want to move past this challenge like a person who is diabetic yet never mentions it. I am not quite there yet at this point in my life as I still need to talk about it which is why I appreciate all that Spare Change has offered me. I am also grateful for my all of my readers.

Those of you who have helped out during this period in my life mean the world to me. I had put myself in a difficult position, I write about it, and folks are still supportive. It is one thing when a close friend helps out with something, but when strangers come up to me and show me that they care, that is on a whole other level. I am forever grateful.

And by no means do I downplay what friends and family have done for me. Without a very select group of friends, my parents, brother, girlfriend, and God, I would not have made it this far. The Spare Change articles I have written never would have seen the light of day. My bed would not have been made and I would still be blaming others for it.

Life is a blessing. To my loved ones and close friends, I can never thank you enough. To my readers, please, keep reading, keep giving me the time of day, I can not put into words how much this means to me. And I promise all of you, loved ones, friends, and family, I can not afford to let you down, I will not let you down, because I refuse to let myself down again. The support is not in vain, this man, this life, Aaron James, one way or another, will be one worth celebrating!