I'm originally from Muncie, Indiana USA.  As anyone familiar will tell you, Muncie is a strange little place that ironically has been used by sociologists in the past to define the American "norm."  It's a part of the "Rust Belt," and it's been reeling from the loss of the automobile parts manufacturing industries since the 1970s.  I'll write a book about the town someday.  It's also home to Ball State University, where I earned two degrees in geography.

I met Amy, my lovely wife, while finishing my masters degree.  We've been married since 2004.  She is everything to me: my soulmate, my support, my partner and my best friend.  We came to Ohio in 2005 so that I could pursue a PhD in geography at Kent State University.

Since we've been in Ohio, we've become active in animal rescue volunteering.  Since 2005, we've volunteered for a number of different rescue organizations in various capacities.  Over that time, we've hosted over 70 rescued foster animals at our house, helping them find permanent homes. We generally host two foster dogs and two foster parrots at a given time.

Now, it’s 2011. My dissertation is defended, and I’m making ends meet by teaching classes as a part-time faculty member at both Kent State and The University of Akron.  I enjoy these assignments, but for fall of 2011, I’m taking a great gig at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley in Menasha, Wisconsin. I’m really looking forward to focusing my energies all in one place, and learning all about our new home, the Fox Cities!

Probably my favorite hobby is traveling, which I try to do any chance I get. That a geographer enjoys traveling should be a surprise to no one. I’m also frequently posing for Amy’s photography experiments. Thanks to this, I probably have more pictures in circulation than anyone who’s not a pope or a president! Some of my other hobbies include: reading, hiking, flying kites, collecting pennies, tasting varieties of obscure beers, and debating random cultural phenomena in pubs.  I’m an amateur musician of sorts, and I sometimes tool around with viola, bass, mandolin and ukulele.  Sports are also something I enjoy, being a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, Indianapolis Colts, Fulham FC, Ball State basketball and football, and Kent State hockey.  The best kind of vacations for me is one that involves catching a sporting event at a stadium I’ve never visited.