Welcome to the new AndyBarber.com
March 7, 2026
Once again, I have cranked up my blog site. Feeling better about posting some things now. This is the first post on the self-hosted version…
Lessons abound
May 19, 2025
A little while back, I discovered an accounting issue that basically meant the PO intended to fund the most important vendor under my manag…
Civil Air Patrol
March 23, 2025
On September 23, 2024, I became an official member of the Civil Air Patrol. Today marks the six-month anniversary of joining. Life and othe…
Reminder
February 11, 2025
Someone just said, "Maybe you don't notice your progress because you're always raising your bar." And that right there healed me a li…
Very Proud
July 29, 2024
This is my youngest son, John, who works at the Hamilton YMCA, in Chattanooga, as a personal trainer. Melissa and I have recently joined…
The Event - A Reflection
July 28, 2024
Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of something in my life that I refer to as, "The Event." If you peruse my blog, you will see references…
Happy 81st Dad!
July 20, 2024
Back in 1943, July 20, to be exact, Ronald Spaulding Barber made his appearance on this Earth. Since that very day, a great deal has happen…
RIP Howard
January 30, 2024
Obituary For Howard Douglas Varnell MR. HOWARD DOUGLAS VARNELL - Age 73, of Chattanooga, TN passed away peacefully Tuesday, January 30, 20…
RIP Papa Grubb
January 1, 2024
Today, I mourn for my brother, Phillip Dewayne Grubb, aka "P.D.", aka "Papa Grubb." Papa Grubb was a Harrison Lodge Brother of mine and als…
Merry Christmas 2023!
December 24, 2023
Wow! What a year. It occurred to me that I had really updated anyone on what has been happening this year. So, here we are, on Christmas Ev…
My Websites
December 20, 2023
This is a listing of my website "portfolio", per se. Building and web design, in general, is just something I do for fun. I do not do it fo…
New Website
December 18, 2023
For years, I have always used some sort of content management system for my personal website. Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, etc. This year, I …
Happy 17th Anniversary!
December 9, 2023
So, normally I write a little something about my anniversary BEFORE it actually happens. Sorry about my tardiness. A smidgen over 17 yea…
Happy 15th Birthday, Megan!
September 25, 2023
Fifteen years ago, tomorrow, our family welcomed to the World, Megan Elisabeth Goforth. I remember thinking to myself... "Oh man, another o…
Happy 53rd, Sis!
August 6, 2023
So, WAAAAYYY back in 1970... August 7th, to be exact, the individual, responsible for some my most deeply engrained childhood fears, began …
Finally!
May 27, 2023
Well... it took me 26 years, 7 months, and 5 days, from the beginning of my career, to do it, but I finally did it. Yesterday, I was offere…
Cautiously Optimistic
March 8, 2023
Yesterday, I signed paperwork, making me the Interim Business Resiliency Manager at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. My first thought is,…
RIP Lola Bean
January 26, 2023
Continuing a terrible week for dogs in the Barber family, Taylor's chocolate lab, Lola Bean, passed away tonight, January 25, 2023. The swe…
RIP Cooper
January 24, 2023
Heaven gained a new angel tonight. Cooper was born on December 5, 2017, and passed away on January 24, 2023, after a series of uncontrollab…
All Good Things Come to an End
January 3, 2023
Today, my boss of a little over seven years, told our team that he had turned in his resignation. In all my years of being an IT profess…
Bucket List (ongoing updates)
January 1, 2023
Learn to play guitar (in progress) Learn to speak Spanish, fluently
Congratulations, Bear!
January 1, 2023
I attended the wedding of my lodge brother, William Bradley Braswell, Jr. last night. It was a very nice, short ceremony and the reception …
New Train of Thought
January 1, 2023
Back in August 2022, I bought a drone. Without going too far into it, it seemed like a good idea at the time. It occurred to me a few we…
RIP Nikki
December 26, 2022
One of my oldest friends, Nikki, passed away on November 29, 2022. Nikki and I have had ups and downs as friends, more than friends and con…
New Toy – Part 2
December 9, 2022
It's been a while since I posted anything, so I thought I'd post the continuing story of my motorcycle. There may be a few posts today, sin…
New Toy – Part 1
October 5, 2021
Back when I was in college, I had a good, old fashioned crotch rocket... a 1993 Suzuki Katana 600. Last month, I got a new toy... a 2006 Ka…
Strange and a bit sad.
July 27, 2021
Today is strange and a bit sad for me. Today is the anniversary of an event that I cannot commemorate in a public way. It is related to som…
RIP Mark
January 20, 2021
I just got word, from my sister, that a childhood friend of mine passed away. I'm sure we all have those friends that we still consider clo…
Duly Installed
December 6, 2020
Today, December 6, 2020, I was installed as Worshipful Master of Harrison Lodge No. 114 F&AM of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. I am proud, h…
A Mason
December 2, 2020
A Mason is a man who professes a faith in God. As a man of faith, he uses the tools of moral and ethical truths to serve mankind. A Maso…
Why is he called Worshipful Master
November 30, 2020
Masonry began in England in the days when the beautiful old Cathedrals were being built. The craftsmen who designed those magnificent build…
A Bag of Tools
November 20, 2020
Isn't it strange that princes and kings, and clowns that caper in sawdust rings, and common people, like you and me, are builders for et…
Elections bring out the worst in people
November 8, 2020
Elections do, in fact, bring out the worst in people in ways I could not have imagined. So, here it is... my token post about the election.…
We Are Okay!
October 16, 2020
Happy October 16th, y'all! We are okay! I just wanted to let you know, the Barber household is okay. "You may have to fight a battle mor…
Why Not Me
October 12, 2020
In my older years, I consistently wonder why I was never bullied when I was younger... why not me? I see a lot, these days, about kids my a…
Release the Hounds!
October 9, 2020
Okay y'all. I've been working, for a week or so, to optimize this website and have also enabled comments on new posts. I would love it if e…
Don’t Be Flaky
April 30, 2020
Recently, my alma mater, The Baylor School, announced the retirement of the Headmaster, Scott Wilson. Scott was the Admissions Director whe…
Hello 2020!
February 5, 2020
Okay, so 2018 and 2019 sucked pretty bad. In 2020, I have resolved to stop being a victim of circumstances... personal and professional. …
Inward vs. Outward
October 2, 2019
So, for a little over a year now, I've been dealing with a thing that has me feeling pretty dark about certain areas of my life. Initially,…
Heavy Heart
August 14, 2019
At the behest of the wife of a close friend of mine, I joined a Facebook group related to the town in which I grew up. It was for entertain…
RIP Carolyn
July 8, 2019
At approximately 7:15pm, on Friday evening, June 28, 2019, my ex-mother-in-law, Carolyn Foley Varnell, passed away from cardiac complicatio…
Lots of Emotions
June 9, 2019
I have a lot of emotions going right now. It's probably because I just got done watching a sad movie... A Star is Born. I'm out of town, mi…
A New Start
January 15, 2019
I have read that when one gets goose bumps while listening to music, it is actually the body's "fight or flight" response due to the intens…
Busy, Great, and Crappy Year
December 24, 2018
This year started off pretty good. In January, Christopher had his 23rd birthday and I received the Royal Arch degree in the York Rite. Tha…
Sons of the American Revolution
November 4, 2018
As of November 1, 2018, I am a formal member of the John Sevier Chapter of The Sons of the American Revolution. Now, it is time to start wo…
Team Rubicon
August 21, 2018
I have discovered a pretty remarkable organization called Team Rubicon. The organization focuses on disaster response and is absolutely fre…