Personal
What makes me tick
Roots & Relationships
I grew up in the Washington DC suburbs, but have been in Chicago for most of my adult life. My parents lived in my
childhood home for almost 40 years before deciding to downsize. I consider myself lucky to have always had a 'home base' even
though for much of that time, all of my stuff was gone and it was more figurative than literal.
Jacki and I met during the pandemic on a long walk through Chicago followed by an ill-fated beer on the patio of
a bar that likely hadn't cleaned their tap lines all pandemic. Luckily the rest of our relationship was better than
those beers.
Music
My love of music has unlocked so many life-defining experiences that have impacted all corners of my life. It all
goes back to a random elective in middle school, a random album found around the house, and my first concert, all in
quick succession.
Sports
They say that having a local team win a championship between your 7th and 13th birthday's is an almost-guaranteed way
to lock in a lifelong sports fan. That's definitely the case for me. As I've grown older, I've found inspiration
in seeing people performing at such a high level. And I've found physical activity to be a great way to maintain my sanity.
Poetry
(well... one poem at least)
'If' by Rudyard Kipling is one of my favorite poems, that's often cited by guys to understand manhood. We live
in a world where the idea of manhood is often co-opted and redefined destructively, but this definition holds
up.
"If you're not doing what you love, you're just wasting your time"
- Billy Joel
