I am a member of the gap generation born somewhere between 1978 and 1983. I am hopelessly nostalgic, generally skeptical about those in charge, and alternatingly terrified of and optimistic about a world full of technology. I identify with Mikey Walsh, the optimistic outsider of The Goonies, and think Back to the Future is the greatest movie of all time. Perhaps that shows how we are a product of the media that surround us. But we are also a product of the places that surround us.

I grew up in Western New York (which is NOT “Upstate New York!”). The grandson of Pennsylvania farmers, I spent my youth in the rural hills of the Twin Tiers. It’s a beautiful place that shaped my perspective on the world. While growing up, I spent most of my time reading and helping out in my dad’s auto-body shop. When it was warm, most of my time was spent outdoors. Since leaving Western New York in 1998, I have lived in Central Pennsylvania, where I attended Juniata College and met my wonderful wife. I played rugby there, worked in the video production department and for WKVR, Juniata’s radio station. I majored in Multimedia Communication and ended up on a career path that took me to Boulder, Colorado to earn my M.A. After earning my Master’s, I spent 3 years as an adjunct instructor teaching speech at a community college and 4-year college in Denver. My wife and I were married in 2006 in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

We moved next to Raleigh, NC, where I earned my PhD. at North Carolina State University and my wife worked as a nurse. We moved to Lexington, KY in 2012 and settled into the Bluegrass State. Our son was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 2014. He is brilliant, funny, and kind and pretty much my favorite person. My main hope is that he loves Back to The Future as much as I do.