User Profile

For over a decade, I described myself as a college student. I was fast becoming the Van Wilder of campus, and I had dreams of a combined graduation and retirement party. Then, somehow I wrote a 250 page dissertation, defended it, and got a job as a researcher. So much for Plan A.

For as long as I can remember, music has been part of my life. Many people outside of campus think of me as a musician first, and a science student somewhere around 17th. I've played viola for 20+ years, along with some fiddle, and being called a musician is quite a compliment to me. I'm an aggressive player, and I love the challenge of playing the "tough stuff." But, my favorite use of viola is in a small group, where my playing can make or break the rest of the group. For the past two years, I've been playing Irish music and bluegrass in these small groups.

I've studied Aikido for over 5 years now. The first day I walked in the dojo door, I saw one of the instructors swinging a padded sword at kids, and each one would calmly step out of the line of attack. Later on, I saw adults doing gymnastic-looking rolls and flips. I never thought I'd be able to deal with a sword like those kids, or somersault over my shoulder like the adults. Turns out, I really can do that stuff. I enjoy being able to hurl myself across the floor like a stunt double without hurting myself, and I enjoy having the confidence to dodge a punch or weapon without freaking out. To me, though, the cool thing about Aikido is that it is a true art of defense. It's hard to even perform Aikido against someone who does nothing to you.

Just this year, I took up indoor rock climbing. Climbing is a physically-demanding puzzle, and I've never been able to resist a puzzle. I'm amazed how easily people can scale their way up these impossible-looking 5.10+ runs, when even a 5.8 rating is difficult for me sometimes. Still, I become a better puzzle-solver each time I go.

My last hobby is ice skating. I started really making it a hobby about three years ago. I've got hockey skates, but I get repeatedly accused of being a figure skater. I'm really a hybrid between the two. I really enjoy baffling people by doing spins in hockey skates. On a good spin, I can get into double-digits on my rotations. Not half bad!

Things seem to just happen to me, and they make great stories. I've made this blog to share stories in my life with friends, and to have a place to write down my stories so I can remember them someday later. Feel free to comment on my blogs if you like, and fill me in on your own experiences. I'm happy to talk to you.

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