SECTIONS:  [background] [spirit] [health] [books] [music] [guitar] [food] [movies] [work] [photos]

Background

I'm a 58 year old male, born August 2, 1951 in Washington, DC. I'm 5'-10", weigh about 315 pounds and have brown hair, a full beard (both going gray) and blue eyes. I currently live in an apartment in Alexandria, Virginia and I'm a poet, musician and seeker. By trade, I'm a database applications programmer.

Until the end of May 2004, I was living in a homeless shelter in Reston, Virginia. A local newspaper published an article about some of my friends and myself, and I not-so-humbly submit it to you for your perusal. There's even a photo of me! Please click here for the article.

My grandson BrandonI've been twice divorced (this last time for 24 years). I have three daughters, Melanie - 33, Christine - 29 and Jessica - 26. I have a grandson named Brandon. He's 11 years old and that's his picture on the right. All of my daughters live in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and my grandson lives with his father in Fairfax County, Virginia during the school year and with his mom during the summer.

My mother and stepfather live in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and my father and stepmother live in Montgomery County, Maryland. My younger brother Jim (56) lives with his wife and two of his four children in Maryland and my sister Artie (52) lives outside of Baltimore with three of her four daughters.

I'm an introvert and, if you're familiar with the Meyers-Briggs Temperament Indicator (MBTI) or the Keirsey Sorter, I'm an INFJ: Counselor, a type that comprises only about 2% of the population.

I'm a free Enneagram test with the Enneagram. If you want to know what the Enneagram is and take a free test (look for the RHETI Sampler) to find your type, just click on the image above.

Also, I test as a Highly Sensitive Person. There's additional information about me that was gleaned over the years from several tests.

Spirit

I was born into a family that belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). At about the age of 13, I began to have doubts about Mormonism, and by the time I was 17 I had become inactive. It's a wonderful church for those that are able to stay in it. They have great programs and they take good care of their members.

Perhaps to fill the vacuum that the absence of "The Church" left in me, I have searched all of my life for a spiritual tradition that resonated with my inner vision of what is right for me. I have been a Methodist, a Pagan and a Buddhist. I have studied many religions. Various Native American traditions attracted me, but I always felt that they were not appropriate for non-Indians. There has always been a strain of mysticism in whatever path I tread: the unmediated experience of God. My previous involvement was with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), but I'm turning again (as I do so often) to the teachings of the Buddha.

Health

I have a number of medical conditions. The first and foremost is morbid (sometimes I call it malignant) obesity, the root from which the other somatic conditions and diseases flow, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, meralgia paresthetica (MP), peripheral neuropathy of my right foot (caused by diabetes) and sleep apnea.

The MP has an intensity that is sometimes only a ghost of pain, and at others is like a muscle being painfully pulled. This is on the side and front of my legs when I stand, straighten, sit or even move the wrong way.

According to the orthopedist who ordered and reviewed my MRIs in December 2004, I had sciatica. I was hospitalized during spring 2005 with that diagnosis, and even had a nerve block. But an EMG (electromyography) dispelled the diagnosis of sciatica; what I had was Meralgia Paresthetica. The MP dominated my life. I was more-or-less housebound except for the most necessary trips. Kind folks shopped for me, did my laundry, gave me rides and all of the other things that were difficult-to-impossible for me then. You can read more about my experience with what I thought was sciatica here. A medication called Neurontin (gabapentin) has been very effective in reducing the pain to the point where I was getting back to doing more and more for myself.

Since February 2007, my right foot is mostly numb, especially on the bottom, due to peripheral diabetic neuropathy. The MP has also reared its ugly head, in both legs this time, though it's not as intense as during the last episode. Right now, I'm taking vicoprofen for MP, and for the pain in my feet, right calf muscle and the arthritic right knee and lower back. I'm now hooked up with MetroAccess, a service for disabled folks, so I can get around MUCH better.

I've made the first steps towards getting gastric bypass surgery. I am SO excited. I know it's not a quick cure, I'll still need to exercise a LOT of discipline, but I believe that the surgery will help me turn the obesity around, and that the comorbid illnesses will be reduced or resolved.

I've also been using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to reduce the number of times I stop breathing during the night (apnea), thus allowing me to be more rested. I haven't been able to wear the mask all night yet, but I'm getting there.

tai chiI'm taking meds for the hypertension and diabetes. The treatment for all of these is to exercise and eat properly. I must confess that I'm still having trouble with quantity. I've also had problems with exercising. Before the MP, I walked quite a bit (not much alternative since I'm reliant on bus and rail transportation), but any formal exercise plan seemed beyond me. I've tried to start any number of classes, like Tai Chi and yoga, but so far they've been beyond my financial means, out of "bus range" or the class has been cancelled. I figure that none of these are coincidences (what is?) so I wonder what God is having me wait for.

The sleep apnea explains why I haven't had a good night sleep in nearly 23 years. During the night my breathing stops, and I awaken just enough to disrupt any deep, restful sleep. This happens many times each night.

I also have a psychiatric condition called major depressive disorder.

Food

I've been a vegan and a vegetarian for both health and ethical reasons, but I'm now back to eating meat, rending NY Strip steaks with my incisors.

I've always been a pretty good cook. I began cooking when I was ten years old. I call myself The Guerrilla Cook because I can make something out of the contents of nearly any pantry, especially if I have the right herbs and spices. Most of what I've made has been edible, so far. ;-) My favorite kind of food is Mexican, but I also make Chinese and Italian styles

Music

Music is a special passion in my life. I started out listening to mostly rock and electric blues, but over the years I've found many artists and styles that mean a lot to me. Some current and perennial favorites are:

Guitar

les paul smartwood-ambay guasuI've been playing guitar since I was ten. I mostly play blues and hard rock, but I also play a lot with a folk and jazz flavor as well. I haven't played in a band since I was 19, or really been consistently challenged by playing with other folks (except for playing with jazz guitarist Steve Williams, when I played "up" as close as my meager skill would take me to his level), so I really haven't progressed nearly as far as you might think for 48 years of playing, but I do enjoy it. I have a Gibson Les Paul Smartwood Exotic (one of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen), an el cheapo Yamaha bass and a venerable old badly bowed Yamaha FG-180 that I bought in the East Village 39 years ago. The only amp I have now is a Fender Frontman 15B and I also have a Boss ME-30 multi-effects processor.

If you want to hear MP3s of songs I've recorded, you can download Walk on Gilded Splinters here. It's an old Dr. John voodoo song that I recorded using (mostly) acoustic guitars. There's also Rock Me, a very raw instrumental blues that I recorded before I had a drum machine. I won't apologize for them, but do keep in mind that I'm no recording engineer.

Movies

Some of my all-time favorites are:


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