I was raised in a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania. There's nothing spectacular about my childhood. It was the typical childhood of most of the kids from that area ... life in the family of hard working, middle-class parents. There were no cell phones, home computers were rare, and video games were something to do only for short periods of time. Most of my early years were spent "hanging out" with my brothers and friends. We'd gather at the local playground and "mess around" and during the summers we did a lot of bike riding or playing pick-up games of baseball. During the winter, there was sled riding, snowball battles, and playing football in the snow. The best memories I have of my childhood are my grandparents living right next door, going to the drive-in theater, and our many family vacations. My friends and I would go to the local roller rink on Friday nights and, sometimes, all night bowling on Saturday nights. Kids now would think that kind of life was stupid or boring, but we didn't know any other way and I'll always remember the fun we had.
     While in high school, I participated in many clubs and activities. I was a library aid, a member of the Spanish club, and played flute in the high school concert and marching bands. I didn't have enough talent to get a spot in the yearly drama club productions, so I joined the stage crew to help behind the scenes. Although I feel I wasn't a very good athlete, I did play basketball and ran on the track team. After graduation, I joined the Navy and served for four years as a Hospital Corpsman. I didn't think the military was the right career choice for me, so I left and enrolled in college. In 1993, I graduated with a bachelor's degree in environmental science. Probably yet another wasted period of my life because I haven't yet used that degree for any more than answering Jeopardy questions or helping friends identify plants and insects.
     Today, I work for a small but growing printed plastics company. In my leisure time, I study the Bible, research my family history, draw, chat with friends on the internet, and, of course, write.