My creative outlets ...

I am the creative type. I enjoy making things and more importantly, enjoy *learning* how to make things. It's often said that I can't stick with any particular hobby, well -- it's mostly true. I enjoy the pursuit of learning many different things, it's all about the journey. Here are a few of my creative outlets from over the years ...

Handthrown pottery -- I love using my hands to sculpt and create objects, especially usable objects like these bowls. The larger bowl is used in my kitchen to hold fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, the pottery studio I used recently closed down, so I haven't found a new one yet.



Homemade soap -- I remember my mother making soap when I was young and it just stuck with me. I decided to learn the craft several years ago. It's fun to create different recipes from various oils and scents.



Poetry -- ahhh, when I was young I was a poet. My undergraduate major was creative writing (poetry) with a minor in Theatre production. I haven't written poetry since and never pursued publication ... although I have quite a collection built up.



Sewing -- my mother taught me to sew when I was quite young. I participated in 4-H (an agricultural type fair where children competed in a variety of categories) and won a 1st place blue ribbon for a blue velour v-neck that I made. Here is a pillow I made from old shorts and jeans at Christmas time.



Crocheting -- great grandma was always crocheting, knitting, or tatting something. She taught me at an early age how to crochet. I've made many pillows and afghans since. This pic is a project I started before Christmas and haven't touched since.



Glass bead making -- in undergrad, my friend Amy and I started to make glass beads. It's pretty much what you'd expect -- a torch, some glass rods, and a lack of fear. This necklace is the only remaining glass piece that I have.



Oh yeah, and I cook ... (and enjoy photography)

What are you cooking?

Come on, if you're reading this then you have a few minutes to correspond with me. I like hearing what other people are up to ... what are you cooking today?

If you bite it, you must write it

I grew up on a small farm in rural Michigan and learned from a very early age to help out in the kitchen. We raised all of our own livestock for meat, had a 1/4 acre garden, and several fruit/nut trees. I have fond memories of making pies every summer when the fruits were in season, what else is an eleven year old boy to do?

My culinary skills learned at home were put to good use when I left for college. I've always been interested in writing and received my B.A. degree in Creative Writing from Grand Valley State University in Allendale Michigan. I focus on poetry ... ah, poetry -- it seems like a lifetime ago. Realizing that creative writing would not pay the rent, I eventually decided to pursue my passion for information.

In 2000, I received a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin. I moved immediately to the Silicon Valley in order to pursue the dot-com world. I worked for a start-up company that failed, then had a 4-year stint with eBay. Currently, I am a taxonomy and data management consultant for internet companies.

My interest in writing never quite died out. I've always been a lover of food and cooking, so decided it was time to put pen to paper and write again. My goal is write about all of the things I'm eating and cooking.