Happily married, father of three, uncle to a multitude. I am a chef, itinerant salesman, graphic artist, former headhunter, ex-scout leader, avid fisherman, lousy golfer, would be world-traveler and wannabe writer. I live in the North Shore of Suburban Chicago among the privileged class of folks I can only hope to fit in with. I spent my 16th summer working in a leather tannery in Cuenca, Ecuador. I've been to Italy, Canada, Central America, South America, slept in the Dry Tortugas and the Marquesa Keys, gone caving in both the Midwest and in Belize, I've portaged the Boundry Waters Wilderness Area and cruised the Erie Canal. I crossed Lake Michigan in a gale with 15 foot waves. I spent most the of the 1970's in a cloud of smoke and a pool of alcohol, surviving only through the strength of my loving family. I believe that zealots, no matter what they represent, are boors, and should be shunned. Political extremism, left and right, is what is going to ruin our society. If we cannot behave in a moderate manner, our culture will not stand. By the same token, Political Correctness has gone too far and represses creativity and expression.