I am an infidel, a humanist, a skeptic, and a tree-hugger. I detest politics (i.e., the process, not the academic discipline), particularly as it has insinuated itself into intellectual discourse in the form of the tripe known as postmodernism. (Physicist Alan Sokal's masterful prank brought a smile to the face of many a long-suffering scientist.) Despite my intense distaste for "identity politics" and the concept of "polical correctness," I consider myself a progressive. My thoughts about this nation's current administration are unprintable.

Among my distinguishing characteristics is that I don't give a damn about sports (a highly unusual trait in a male of my species). I'm a backyard naturalist, and particularly fond of insects and spiders. Continuous awe before the natural world – the order that has emerged from the chaos – is my spirtuality, and science is my belief system. Nevertheless, I have a deep admiration Buddhism (for its honesty, compassion and unflinching drive toward simple awareness), Neopaganism (for its worship of the natural world, its cycles and rhythms), and the Unitarian Universalist movement (for its commitment to social and environmental justice).

That's not to say that I'm not a very religious guy. Hell, a few years ago I came to realize that something crucial was missing from my life. I was without slack. Then I found "Bob". For the paltry $30 cost of ordination, he showered me with slack. Now I am whole–and you can be too. Praise "Bob!"

Outside of professional things, I don't read as much as I'd like to. When I can, I read mostly non-fiction: science and nature, history, skepticism, essays, biographies, things of that sort. However, I also enjoy some science fiction (especially Greg Bear and Gregory Benford), gothic horror (e.g., H. P. Lovecraft), and humor (especially James Thurber and Dave Barry).

My musical tastes run mostly to guitar-oriented rock and blues. As a 1967 high school graduate, I love the music of that era. I also have an abiding love for electric blues. Of course, S.R.V. was The Man; but guitar slingers like Robben Ford, Tommy Castro, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and BB Chung King (a.k.a. Alan Mirikitani) have helped make life after Stevie Ray easier to bear. And for Cajun blues – and slide guitar in general – Sonny Landreth is peerless.

Still, when I'm in my car, 95% of the time I'm listening to NPR. I'm a sustaining member of WCPN, this area's NPR outlet. I hope that you support your NPR station, too, or pretty soon there won't be anything to listen to but Rush Limbaugh.

I used to play some guitar myself, and in the early 90's was part of the classic-rock band Images, which regularly played clubs in the Lorain - Cleveland area. I'm a family man, however, and getting too old to be dragging myself in at 4:30 a.m., so I quit. A couple of my bandmates joined up with some new people and played local joints as Stereotype for a few year, and our keyboard player went on to play dat funky music with the Tower City Soul Band (now de-funked, I'm sorry to report). My guitars spent most of the last decade in a closet. Then, about a year ago, my son (13) and daughter (15) both dug them out and started to learn to play. My daughter, a TOTAL grunge (particularu Nirvana and Alice in Chains) fan is also starting to pick up the bass.

With the rarest of exceptions, I absolutely detest hip-hop and rap. I can only hope that they will soon fade away like 70's disco. If you're on campus and use iTunes, my shared music name is Certified Hip-Hop and Pesticide Free.

Last, but certainly not least, I am a devoted husband and father. My family makes me feel fortunate beyond measure.