How I Live and Think

I try to tread lightly on the Earth and sample as much of it as possible. I have gone to University in New York, Chicago, and New Mexico. I have worked in Washington, Utah, Wyoming, New York, and presently, South Dakota. I have visited Europe (six times), New Zealand, and all states except Hawaii. I've seen many kinds of people but found them to be a lot more the same than different. In each place, I have tried to, above all, do no harm.

Beyond that, I try to make life a little easier for those around me, and hopefully, add something special that wasn't there before. There is nothing I enjoy more than seeing someone's eyes light up when they learn how to do something that will help them right away, either in their work life or their personal life.

The constant beacon of joy in my life is my wife for the last seventeen years, Mary Finch. Mary is a Senior Editor at the Deseret Morning News, a major daily paper in "Salt Lake City, Utah. She is still some years from retirement so, till then, we keep the airlines in business.

My Passions

My first love is Irish Music and my weapons of choice are the mandolin and tenor banjo. For three of my years in Seattle, I served as the Session Leader for a group of twenty Irish musicians at the Fado Pub. I continue to attend Irish Music festivals and workshops around the country, most recently the National IrishFest in Milwaukee this past summer. I even tried to try to organize an Irish session in Spearfish, South Dakota. Needless, to say, it morphed into a bluegrass party pretty quickly. I am particularly fond of the music of the 17th century Irish harper, Turlough O'Carolan.

To hear me play a bit of O'Carolan on the mandolin, click here. (Be sure your pop-up blocker is turned off.) I also recently gave a workshop at the Matthews Opera House in Spearfish on the various styles of Irish traditional music.

Reading history and attending the theatre are other interests. I am particularly fond of Shakespeare festivals and have attended these:

Utah Shakespeare Festival
Bard-on-the-Beach
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Shakespeare in the Park (NYC)
Hudson Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company of London

When there is no Shakespeare to be had, I also think George Bernard Shaw is a hoot.

Mind and Body

My goal is to walk an average of two hours each day, and, with a little help from the weekends, I generally do. I have also spent quality time at the Kripalu Yoga Center and the Insight Meditation Society over the years. The result is that I am quite skilled in Stress Management. I am very rarely thrown off my center and am often the "cool head" that can take the broader perspective in a heated group debate.