I was born in Ashland, Ohio (Ashland) on September 24, 1952. I was actually cute and innocent once upon a time. (Sweet and Innocent) From 1960 to 1967 I lived in Denver, Colorado. (Denver) I loved the mountains and the friendly folks of Colorado. I lived in Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland) from 1968 to 1972 and from 1973 to 1979. I moved back to Colorado in 1979 and lived there until 1991. I lived in the San Francisco Bay area of California (San Francisco Bay Area) from 1991 until 1996. I met Trish and we got together and lived in the Portland, Oregon (Portland) area until October 2005 when things came full circle and we moved back to Ashland, Ohio. We're actually living in the house my grandfather built in 1936 and that my grandmother lived in until she died at age 94.

I’ve done a wide variety of things for a living. Some date back to summer jobs in high school and others are more recent. I’ve done landscaping and I’ve driven a tractor and a back-hoe. I’ve done a bit of locksmithing and I’ve worked as a delivery person. I’ve been a cashier and I’ve worked at a delicatessen. I’ve worked at Dairy Queen and 7-11. I’ve been an appliance repairman (both large and small appliances as well as power tools). I’ve worked for a life and health insurance company and I’ve done claims, policy owner service and underwriting. I’ve worked in a printing factory producing engraved business cards and letterhead and I’ve worked in a nut factory where raw nuts were cooked and processed and packaged. I’ve done several types of maintenance work and I’ve even done telephone sales. I’ve worked for an employment agency and I’ve worked for a bulk mailing factory. I’ve often felt like a "jack-of-all-trades" and a master of none. For most of my more current work experience see my resume. I've spent most of my adult life as a mental health consumer/human rights activist.

I LOVE the blues. My current favorite performer is Jimmy Thackery. (JimmyThackery) I last saw him at a Blues Fest in Akron last summer (2006). I love music of all sorts except twangy country. I listen to everything from Celtic music to new age to classical. As a kid, I performed with the school bands and played trumpet. I played with the concert band, the dance band, the jazz band, and the marching band. Perhaps that’s where I learned to appreciate the diversity of music. In my late teens, I played bass and rhythm guitar. I’ve been very fortunate and had the opportunity to see many performers live and when I lived in Portland I was a member of the Cascade Blues Association in Portland, Oregon. (Cascade Blues Association) Some of the best performances and my favorite shows of all time were at my favorite club which is the Sweetwater (Sweetwater) just north of San Francisco. If you're interested in creating your own web pages and want to liven it up with some sound, here's a link to some interesting internet music. (MidiKaraoke)

I also love the internet. I am often actively online several hours a day. I’m a big fan of the Denver Bronco’s (DenverBroncos) professional football team. I first moved to Denver in 1960 when the city got the franchise and I’ve rooted and cheered for the team through thick and thin for a long time. I also must confess a weakness for professional wrestling. (WWE) I know that many think it’s silly but, I enjoy it as my cross between soap opera and Saturday morning cartoons. I’m a serious fan of classic pin-up art (Pin-up art here) (or here) and I love to shop for bargains at thrift stores although the two activities aren’t connected. I love reading science fiction and my favorite author was Robert Heinlein. (Heinlein) I also love the work I do so I also spend a lot of time reading information in the mental health field. I always read at bedtime to relax and it's usually science fiction. These days, I usually read in bed with my PDA. I can't remember the last time I read a real book. I also usually read the front page of the paper (The Ashland Times-Gazette) every day but I get most of my news via the internet or television.

I love to cook and have a fairly extensive collection of cookbooks. I love most foods and would be hard pressed to think of any food that I dislike if it's prepared properly. I'm not very into sweets or baking and as I get older I find that I enjoy eating out more and more.

I've studied a variety of things at times in my life when the interest was there. I've studied a variety of religious beliefs from around the world and I've had some personal experiences with spiritual beings (I've seen angels during a near death experience.) I've traveled from coast to coast in America and I love the country and the varieties of people. I'm mostly positive and tend to believe the best about most folks and have even perhaps been too trusting at times.

I'm very good when I work. Part of why I’m so good is that I'm able to focus so intently. However, that's also a problem. I sometimes get so focused that I forget to take care of simple basic needs like eating and drinking. Perhaps that's why I've had a variety of health problems at times. I've had kidney stones and I've survived five heart attacks. I'll save you the trouble of trying to figure it out. I'm 55 (born September 24, 1952) and had my first heart attack in 1988 at the age of 35. Trish takes good care of me and I haven't had a heart attack in over ten years now.

At times, I really need a keeper of sorts (that's my wonderful wife Trish's (Trish) job ). I've got three wonderful grown kids (Pat's Kids) (daughters ages 35 and 33 and a son age 29). I’m a grandpa too. Check out the great pic of my grandson. (Chance Andrew) Oh, and I shouldn't forget our other "family" members also. These are our furry "kids." There's Sassy (our black and white alpha boss lady) (Sassy) and the newest member of our little family is Brandy (the red haired cutie) (Brandy) We love our little pekinese girls. (Two cuddle puppies) I’m an open honest, caring, sensitive guy so if there's anything else you want to know, just ask. I laugh and I play and I enjoy life a lot.