About

Hello, my name is Eldon C. Blancher, III, but you can just call me Trey.

This is my personal blog, Discursions, where I document the things I break and (usually) fix.

The Backstory

I have spent the last 20+ years deep in the trenches of enterprise technology. My career has taken me from supporting hospital IT systems to serving as a Principal Production Support Engineer for major cloud-based tech firms. I’ve built change management systems, hunted down root causes in complex Linux environments, and taught college students that the command line isn’t something to be afraid of.

Most recently, after a planned departmental restructure at my last role, I took a "mini-retirement." I spent ten months reconnecting with my family, decompressing from the on-call grind, and thinking about what I actually enjoy about this work.

The Pivot

I realized that while I love the complexity of the cloud, I missed the tangible impact of local IT. I wanted to trade abstract backend systems for real-world problems where I could see the results of my work.

Currently, I am applying for a job as an Information Technology Engineer for a local MSP here in East Tennessee. It’s a deliberate pivot. I’ve moved from hyper-specialized Linux production support to a generalist role where I can bring enterprise-grade rigor to local businesses.

The Tech Philosophy

If you browse this site, you'll see a lot of Linux, Bash, and open-source tinkering. That is my native language. However, in my current role, I am bridging the gap between that world and the Microsoft ecosystem.

My philosophy is simple: Concepts > Syntax.
Whether it’s NIS+ or Active Directory, firewalld or a Windows Defender policy, the logic of secure, stable computing remains the same. My goal is to apply the discipline of IT Governance and Operational Alignment—concepts I studied in my Master's and practiced at the enterprise level—to help smaller organizations mature their technology.

About This Blog

This site remains my digital notebook. It is primarily a place for me to document how I solved specific problems so that "Future Trey" doesn't have to reinvent the wheel.

I reserve the right to make any and every digression I see fit (hence the title).

If you like what you read: Leave a message.
If you think I’m wrong about systemd: Definitely leave a message.