Joey is the mascot of Egglepple, my portfolio which was also created/founded (/...whatever you want to call it) on my twelfth birthday. Knowing that, we've rounded a full circle in that sense. Also, in the last twelve (12) years, the portfolio has morphed/evolved from being a standalone body of work, into a (critical) subset of a larger structure (the jukebox, UUe) [Egglepple ⊆ UUe]. That fact in itself is not so different from Joey being (a) part of a much larger group of playmates (siblings?), all of whom are instrumental in my conduction.
.. as the story (ahem!, .. legend) goes, I created Joey after celebrating my father's birthday (happy belated, Pops!) in a span of reflection. Nowadays, it feels almost like I'm a father (really, but not really) to Joey (I guess that would make my own dad a grandfather ... whoah!), in the sense that my creation relies on me nurturing every idea of mine that our favorite koala🐨 pops into. This is quite the responsibility and an honor that I'm actually glad to have. Building something (especially something technical/arcane) and having a representative for that construct be a thing that is instantly recognizable says to me that I'm adding both tangible and intangible value to the world almost with my thoughts alone. In that regard, I am proud to look at this as a generational legacy, one I think that my father, myself, and the countless others Joey will inspire can take joy in.
Happy birthday, Joey!🎂
