I grew up on Chicago's North Shore, studied percussion with Slingerland's master teacher, Jake Jerger, pursued a degree in jazz performance at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and played drums professionally in the Midwest for a decade. I've since earned a B.A. in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin -- Madison, as well as a master's degree in computer-assisted language learning. For several decades now I've worked for software development companies as a technical writer and trainer. My obsession with music and drumming, however, is unabated. I am especially interested in R&B recordings of the 50s and the rapidly evolving world music scene. I maintain a personal collection of about 3000 albums and CDs, but my iPod is now the center of my music universe. I live in the mountains north of Phoenix, where I enjoy digital imaging, classic English novels, science fiction films, hiking, and vegetarian cooking, as well as one yellow dog and two black cats. Following a rock climbing accident, I've had to abandon my trapdrum set, but I can see clearly now conga drums and tablas in my future.