I’ve spent about one quarter of my life living and traveling overseas, half in Arizona, and the other quarter, well, in other places.
Born in Arizona but raised as a wee tot in the climate of an English countryside, my primordial instincts were thus shaped by the English telly, an English nanny, a Saint Bernard and cold, dreary, weather. This might explain many things about me.
On the other hand, my formative years were spent back in my native land dining on abundant banquets of sunshine in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona which balance out that dreary weather. Growing up here I’ve been shaped by our unique brand of individualism, ruggedness and conservatism. Special thanks to Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Geronimo, Father Kino, Barry Goldwater and a host of others.
And years in the Balkans, Macedonia to be precise, have been a lifetime in the span of much less. I’ve seen wars and rumors of war, worked with the good, the bad and the somewhat ugly, had the pleasure of making life-long friends and hopefully contributed positively to Macedonia and the region.
As to the other places, in addition to living for a time in California and Washington, DC, 47 countries figure in. I’ve pretty much circled the globe many times over, though Antarctica has not managed to fit into my schedule thus far. But all of those many other places – and more importantly the people – have shaped my thoughts, opinions, outlook and vision. At the same time I’ve tried to live by what the Old Testament prophet Micah wrote: “He has He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
To answer the question what I do (as opposed to who I am), well, that’s a bit simpler. I certainly haven’t had as many jobs as Mike Rowe, nor have most of them been dirty, but since graduating from the University of Arizona I’ve worked in accounting, professional party politics (though that is often dirty), public relations and public affairs, lobbying, economic development, the non-governmental sector, and a few other areas both for profit and for pleasure. At the same time, I’ve involved myself in many volunteer positions with NGOs, associations and other organizations needing help as I have a strong belief in giving back.
What will you find on this website? Loosely, it is a quarter travelogue, a quarter reportage, a quarter navel-gazing, a quarter diatribe and a quarter autobiography. That’s five quarters. But enough about me….