I can't remember a time when I haven't been completely fascinated by sign language. Undeniably, its most important function is the fact that it is a vital means of communication. Still, I can't help being mesmerized by its grace and elegance. After graduating from high school (quite some time ago), I began taking sign language courses at a local community college. During one such course, my instructor issued a rather unusual assignment. We were asked to create a product from which the hearing impaired community might benefit. Some of my classmates created new signs which, not surprisingly, never really caught on. The more literary set created poems and stories. The artistic among the class created posters. I went the functional route. I sketched an outline in the form of the sign for "I Love You", ordered a handful of ceramic decals, and fired the decals onto the coffee mugs.

Please note that I did not count myself among the "artistic" classmates. In fact, my sketch was not only quite primative, it wasn't even proportional. Even with its obvious abnormalities, my classmates loved the mugs. Not only did they love them, they actually paid real money for them. In addition to passing the course, I managed to earn enough money to purchase more decals and more mugs. Back then, e-Commerce had not yet been born, so the majority of my sales were completed from the trunk of my car. The mugs were great fun, but at the same time, I also had to work a "real" job.After a few additional sign language courses, and long before I understood the importance of becoming certified, I landed a job as an interpreter working for a local elementary school. At that time, my actual title was "Interpreter Aide" as opposed to Interpreter. Aside from getting paid less than a certified interpreter, aides had the added responsibility of assiting the teacher with various tasks in the classroom whenever necessary. Over the course of a couple of years, I worked in an elementary school, a middle school, and then, a high school. Working full time left fewer and fewer hours available to produce and sell mugs. I finally wound up working more than one job to make ends meet, and eventually, interpreting took a back seat as my other jobs became more and more lucrative. Through the years, as e-Commerce gained popularity, and my drawing skills improved (okay, so my drawing skills didn't really improve), I pondered using the World Wide Web to reach an even bigger audience for my mugs. Of course, while pondering, I was also still working full time (at a company that was far from having anything to do with sign language as a job can get), and parenting my now almost 13-year-old son.

Recently, while still pondering, I got laid off. No time like the present!