I am Martin E. Dodge

Why read the blog when you can watch the uduforu vlog on YouTube!

        Greetings! I am Martin E. Dodge. I was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on February 20, 1972. I was raised in St Albans, Vermont, with two older sisters by a single working mom. I saw my dad every other weekend, and he also took my sisters and me to see the family in West Virginia every summer. Growing up in Vermont, I was the youngest of my cousins and siblings. I loved camping and fishing, and I used my allowance to buy nature guidebooks. I moved to Essex Junction, Vermont, and started high school but finished in Sterling, Virginia, in 1990. My high school sweetheart, whom I met in Vermont, moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. Upon graduating high school, I moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, and stayed with her family while I worked to get an apartment. I have worked in restaurants and country inns in the area since then. I enjoy the mountains and woods in the area, and I consider Charlottesville my home. I have grown and changed as much as the city and the region. But now, I must grow into a new vocation.

        I have a hip implant and will eventually need a second one. I published a book and made videos about my hip replacement experience to learn new skills. My business, called uduforu (you-do-for-you), LLC, opened in October 2019 and is the result of the process. Getting better at using the skills is a learning process that will never end, and while challenging, it is enriching. I still work in restaurants but on a scaled-down level. The hospitality industry is not friendly to the new demands of my post-surgery body. My goal is to be self-employed, but I need to work for others until I can make that leap. I hope my website, blog, and YouTube videos demonstrate I can use a computer and learn new things.

        Working in hospitality, I strived to provide the best guest experience possible. I studied food, beverage, and service to enhance my abilities. Twenty-plus years of hands-on experience have honed my responses to customer service demands. I enjoyed working with others who had the same interests and drive. The pinnacle of my career in hospitality was working with interns from around the world. As the youngest in my family, I found myself in a big brother role I had never experienced. I learned much during the time I spent with them. The most profound lesson was how much we had in common despite cultural differences. My drive to excel and help those around me succeed remains as I encounter new scenarios.

        I have written training materials and policies in several places I have worked. The most ambitious manual was for room readiness and amenity placement for a boutique hotel, including picture guides. At that time, I also wrote as a hobby but did not view what I was doing as more than self-entertainment. The first serious short story I wrote in 2018 was inspired by the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft and the location my wife and I vacationed. The story is now the base of a larger project though I have strayed away from the Lovecraftian style. In addition to publishing my hip replacement guidebook in 2019, I have finished other short stories and entered some contests.

        Growing up, I collected nature guides. My interest in reading expanded to include fantasy and science fiction. One of my sisters rented cheesy fantasy and post-apocalyptic movies for us to watch. By 2009 I had a room dedicated to my books organized like a library. I feel there is no point in listing anything because most of the stories are cult classics and pop culture favorites. From 2009 to 2016, I enjoyed the golden era of made-by-SyFy-channel monster mash-up movies – I have seen every title with a shark. I read and watched good and bad stories for entertainment and escapism.

        Writing is the driving force of uduforu, LLC, but it is only one of the skills I use for the business. I am accustomed to a social workplace with a team effort, so working alone can be overwhelming. I have been working long enough at my company that some tasks are more manageable, but new projects have different demands. I am organized, so the admin aspects do not take long to sort out. The tech side took some time, but I have everything running the way I want it, and I can work on the go. The creative department has learning curves with writing, cameras, vector art, and apps. Social media and marketing are the weakest links, but I currently do not have much to sell, so gaining attention is a low priority.

        My website, uduforu.com, is the hub to display what uduforu, LLC has to offer. Developing new products requires time, so additions are intermittent. The website is hosted by Shopify and is designed for retail – which I want to add later. I adapted the website for what I need it to be right now. The site has some awkwardness: the $0.00 listings are encoded placeholders that cannot be removed without disabling retail functionality, and Shopify requires a cookie policy to be displayed. I explain mandatory cookie policies in the October 2021 blog Consumer Data Privacy Laws and "Do Not Share My Personal Information."

        At uduforu.com, I offer different types of products. And while some have prices, none are for sale on the website. Books are printed on-demand and can be purchased on amazon.com. The free stuff is my way of sharing tools or samples of what I do: A Goal Journal Page will help you organize and achieve. Down Town Haiku demonstrates how poetry can help overcome personal hardships. Martin's Potion will quench your thirst and reduce inflammation. And I share my writing with featured stories. I hope to add retail items at some point. But I need to finish more stories and drawings first. I prefer blending sci-fi, horror, and fantasy in a contemporary setting, but I write non-fiction, too.

        I started making videos because of my hip replacement guidebook. When I discovered the need for a YouTube channel, I decided to include other topics. I enjoy doing it, but I am at the mercy of a trash truck that shakes dumpsters outside and an upstairs neighbor that seems to know when I push record. Leaf blowers, car alarms, and air conditioning add to the soundscape, and failing to drink water before speaking can cause me to panic. As if speaking without making mistakes or not saying umm is not tricky. I am getting better at navigating such things and thinking about how the current segment can be made to simplify editing. I leave pauses to customize effects for the final video. However, I am finding my footing with video subjects.

        I need to pay bills while displaying my learning process, and uduforu grows. I cannot force products to sell, and I will not rush out incomplete work. Being the creative source for uduforu is complex and requires research, development, and production time. My business and website evolve to stay current with data privacy and more. I know that I will succeed, but I need to work for others until then. I may continue working for others just for the social aspect. Eventually, I may need to hire my team. Whatever the outcome, I will learn what to do and get the job done. That is why I am a valuable addition to any workplace.

Thank you for reading, watching, or listening to me today.

Use the links in the video description for more information or contact me by email.