Don't mind Lachdanan- he simply keeps the place safe. Despite his fell appearance, he is a kind soul and noble of heart, harmless to all decent folk.

Wandering a mountain trail, daydreaming in a forest, or brooding in a quiet cafe (like this one from a simpler era, so recent yet so distant)- those are the places you'll find me.

BOOKS

I like reading anything original and thought-provoking.

Some all-time favorites:
Authors: J.R.R. Tolkein, Ray Bradbury, James Herriot, Jean-Paul Sartre

Books: The Dao De Jing, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Citizen Soldiers

What I seem to have learned from these authors:
Tolkein: "Not all who wander are lost"
Bradbury: The perils of thought and lack of it
Herriot: A deep love of animals (they are very thoughtful and expressive if you know how to listen)
The Dao: Doing-by-not-doing (wei wu wei)
J.L. Seagull: A deeper, gentler way of life
Citizen Soldiers: The modern world is forged on the efforts of those before us, and even the most noble world-encompassing sacrifices are quickly forgotten when history is neglected

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

I research composite materials and mechanics, and general continuum material behavior prediction from microstructural simulation.  My doctoral research was in the area of failure criterion for textile (woven fiber) composites.

How and when I got started:
I got into the ever-useful yet unappreciated world of composites 9 years ago as a graduate student at the University of Tennessee.

My inspiration: All my colleagues

How I do research:
Staring at a PC running simulations, and getting into the lab from time to time when I can

What I love about my studies:
Years of hard research can only crack the surface- there's a lifetime of interesting work (and then some).

HISTORY

The historical periods that most interest me:
Revolutionary America
The Civil War
World War 2
(I guess war brings out the best and the worst in people)

How my interest started:
In grade school, but it is nothing less than amazing just how little is taught at this level. If you think you know history, take another look- you might be very surprised!

If I could travel time, I'd go to:
Colonial America: the beginning of new ways of thinking and governing. The list of great thinkers and interesting people at this time is endless.

More thoughts on history:
No work of fiction can compare to what has actually happened in history. Show me an exciting, seemingly impossible story created by an author, and I will show you a moment in history that outpaces it.

MOVIES

Types of movies I like:  
Anything original and thought provoking

Some All-time Favorites:
Star Wars 
Un Coeur en Hiver 
The Crow 
Tron 
7 Years in Tibet 
The Matrix 
The Princess Bride 
The 13th Warrior 
Gettysburg 
Cinema Paradiso 
The Best Years of Our Lives 
Zero Effect 
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 
Fight Club 
Underworld



I would love to see this on the big screen again:  
Aliens- to get the big screen effect


More thoughts on movies:
Don't waste your money on that concession junkfood! Have a little discipline- there's food at home! ;)

MUSIC

Music I like:
Anything original and mood provoking

My favorite musicians:
Smashing Pumpkins 
Van Halen 
Nine Inch Nails 
Hans Zimmer 
Jan Hammer 
Lords of Acid 
U2 (the earlier stuff) 
80s Pop (in general)
Sibelius 
Ravel  
DJ Tiesto 
Darude
Blank and Jones
Massive Attack 
Juliet
De/Vision

The last concert/performance I attended was:  
symphony (Rachmaninoff) in Gainesville, FL

My favorite place to listen to music is:  
jazz clubs in the New Orleans French Quarter

More thoughts on music:
MTV has destroyed modern music (for the time being). As cool as it was to see artists' visual accompaniments for their music, it began to shift the emphasis from sound to sight. Modern music is about looks, entertainment, and image. For every idiotic reincarnation of the New Kids on the Block, there are 10 bands with talent and with something real to say that will never be heard.

NATURE AND THE OUTDOORS

Some of my favorite outdoor activities:
wandering, listening, snoozing
tennis and kayaking

A peak outdoor experience:
Took a post-lunch nap at 10,000 feet high on a New Mexico mountain. I slept on a craggy ledge next to a 400 foot drop - best nap ever!

Encounter in the wild:
Met a few bears, but they were always nice.

If I could be an animal, I would be:
An Owl- they're calm and wise, and they own the night

The highest elevation I've been to: 
13,000 feet (other than in an airplane)

The lowest elevation I've been to: 
Death Valley

The highest and lowest temperatures I've experienced: 
- 15 to 115 Fahrenheit

More thoughts on nature & the outdoors:
Don't let 4 walls confuse you into thinking you are not a part of nature.

PETS

About my pets:
Dogs are great! Man searches the universe for sentient life, feeling he is alone, but he forgets the intelligent little friend curled up at his feet.
I live in an apartment, so I do not currently have any pets.

If my pet could talk to me, I'd hear:
They do talk (more or less), they just don't speak our language.

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

About my religion and spirituality:
No religion holds the moral high ground, because they all agree. It amazes me that this gets overlooked.

More thoughts:
Do not neglect philosophy in the pursuit of religion. Or vice versa.  They both deserve study.

TRAVEL

About my travels:
I have seen the U.S. from New York to Florida to California and many places in-between, and I always enjoy traveling it.

My preferred mode of transport: 
Automobiles or Walking

I dream of going to:
Finland- I would really like to visit the homeland. Europe in general is a must-see that is high on my to-do list.