Author Statement

This page is WORK IN PROGRESS.  Not Ready for Public Viewing, all subject to change.

The Backstory

If I had to describe myself in one word it would be eclectic. Although I am of retirement age, I still feel like I have the incorrigible curiosity of a 6 year-old child. As a lifelong learner, I believe that the day I stop learning is the day I die. I have always been a student in one form or another. I grew up in Miami, taking community college courses and adult ed courses while in high school. Both academic in Math and Computer Science, but also oddities such as speed reading (not good at it), and self-hypnosis (also not good at it, although a few techniques linger). My after school and summer jobs were spent working with medical researchers to use computers for storing data (believe it or not, that was a new idea at the time). I also read up on a variety of topics from UFOs to gambling to sports. And I collected comedy albums. Used book and record stores were great friends. I've also had a lifelong passion for theater, especially musical theater, although I can't carry a tune at all.

I came to Massachusetts to attend college at MIT, majoring in Applied Mathematics, with many courses in Computer Science and Psychology. Most of my Psychology courses were taken at Wellesley College. I also played varsity baseball, despite my assigned adviser advising me not to ("you came to MIT to study, not to play sports"). After graduation I worked as a computer programmer in diverse fields like computer-aided-design (CAD) for electric circuitry and advertising (living in New York City for several years, attending lots of theater). Also taking extension courses in ASL (American Sign Language), computer networking, and home renovation.

At age 37 I graduated Boston University with an MBA earned part-time and began my career as an entrepreneur, starting several companies and working as a consultant in different industries. I learned municipal finance as a member and later chair of the Westford Finance committee, took courses in woodworking, served as an adjunct professor teaching a graduate course in Internet Technology, designed kitchens, played baseball in over-30 and over-40 leagues, and participated in a year-long social justice program, later returning as an intern for a subsequent class. I have also served on various local non-profit boards.

My wife is also a life-long learner, with several diverse careers and education, and has been a wonderful friend and thought partner throughout. Without her support and stability, I would not have been able to have been able to pursue my curiosity.

The Frontstory

In 2016, I attended a lecture at the Parker Lecture Series in Lowell, Ma (my adopted hometown) given by David Ropeik that discussed Daniel Kahneman's book: "Thinking Fast and Slow". This really opened my eyes to how evolution influenced how human's think. This was furthered over the years from listening to various NPR radios shows such as "This American Life" and "The Hidden Brain."

And like many, I was startled and puzzled by what was happening politically in the United States, things I never thought would happen here. One that really shook me was a 2019 study that found that half of the country did not have faith in our academic institutions.

I discovered a Master's Program in Critical and Creative Thinking at UMass Boston that really intrigued me. I enrolled in the Master's program just before COVID, and thanks to Zoom, we were able to continue without interruption, until my graduation in 2022. The program reintroduced to academic research and writing, philosophy, and additional approaches to problem solving. Now, I'm hoping to continue this work by writing in a less academically formal style that is hopefully more approachable given reader's limited time and overload of information.

The Nextstory

Other current and past hobbies/areas of interest include food and cooking, mixology, and horse race handicapping. I also serve on the boards of several non-profits. Overall, I know a little about a lot, a lot about a little, and the goal of this site is to throw it all into a pot, bring to a gentle simmer, and offer a stew of ideas and perspectives that hopefully others will find nutritious. I also like to mix metaphors for a little spice... I never metaphor I didn't like. To paraphrase the musical Pippin, the one thing I'm sure of is "there's nothing to be sure of". And the corollary, that no one else can be sure of anything either. But surely, the search to be surer is lots of fun, and well worthwhile. I look forward to the journey, and hope that readers will accompany me for at least part of that journey.

References More Info

TBD/Note to self:
Tidbits?  Tidbits are random pieces of information or thoughts with no specific organization.  They are sprinkled throughout the site)
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Pippin is a 1972 musical written by Stephen Schwartz about a person trying to find his place in the world, and never being satisfied. I first saw it on my 20th birthday and it made a huge impression on me, helping me make sense of the world during a confusing time. I learned that it is OK to be satisfied with never being fully satisfied, otherwise one will be miserable. And simple pleasures are among the most satisfying. The quote paraphrased above was from the song "No Time at All" sung by Pippin's grandmother as guidance for him. (See the lyrics at: https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/pippin/notimeatall.htm.) In the original broadway cast, the grandmother was played by Irene Ryan (who played granny on the Beverly Hillbillies tv show of the 1960's) and there is even a cute inside joke there in the lyrics. Hear her song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRC46cgJnnI

The 2013 Broadway revival that originated at the ART in Cambridge, MA with a circus like setting featured Andrea Martin in that role and is well worth watching for its clever theatrical approach. See Andrea Martin doing the same song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzP-WHBxab8