Welcome to my page. My goal here is to share a bit about me, what I do, what my passions are, and where I'm going with my goals and plans. I invite you to contact me via one the links on my many websites if you have questions on any of these things. I would love to help you get healthier and wealthier and live a life that you want to live!
My son Duncan has Autism. A lot of my personal life is now used to promote causes that research that condition, make the lives of those with autism and their families easier and better, and to bring joy to autistic people like Duncan. To that end, I'm a supporter of Autism Speaks, a charity that focuses on autism awareness and research.
A lot of people get upset with me over this - they say that Autism Speaks doesn't speak FOR autistic people because they don't have representation by them on their board or whatever, and that autism isn't a disease. I partially agree with them.
Autism is not a disease. But it is a condition that makes it harder for many people to live in this world we've created. And not everyone has the same symptoms for their autism. My son, for example, though he's very smart and can handle most things thrown at him, isn't currently capable of handing his own life at the level of a typical young man. I'm there to help him, of course, as are the rest of his family, friends, and teachers/therapists at his school. But if he's out among people who don't know him, he can't even talk to them properly to explain what problems he might be having.
So I will continue to support Autism Speaks and the work they do to STOP autism.
A few months before the COVID pandemic, my daughter and I started studying the martial art of Gongkwon Yusul at Central Ohio Martial Arts in Columbus. I entirely credit that class with helping me keep my sanity during the pandemic, and am proud that I achieved my black belt in November of 2023. I want to keep studying and practicing it as long as I can manage as it brought some rough-and-tumble fitness to my life that I needed, and it's a way for me to pass on my passions to a new generation.
Another fitness passion of mine is obstacle racing - I've run races like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, Mud Ninja, Savage Race, Warrior Dash, The Indian Mud Run, and the now-defunct Ruckus and Hell Run since 2011 and have grown to absolutely love them.
I chronicled a lot of my OCR fun on my website, Mudlife Crisis, where I talk about health and obstacle course racing for folks who are considered "middle aged." I'm in my mid-50s myself and I am not slowing down one iota. Between this and my martial arts study, I will continue to do what I love for a long time because I'm learning to take care of myself properly and to shuck aside what modern living and civilization try to do to us.
I'd been bike commuting on and off as my main form of transportation since November of 2006, and writing my blog Carless Columbus since February of 2006. I'm a former Cycling Instructor with the League of American Bicyclists as well (still qualified but no longer a member of the league).
My wife and I still only have one car, and I get around via bus and occasionally ZipCar, a car-sharing service we have here in Columbus and many other cities around the world. Check it out!
I blog there less often than I used to, but I still keep up with the state of things bikey in Columbus and enjoy posting new stuff I've discovered there, so check it out!
My son Duncan has Autism. A lot of my personal life is now used to promote causes that research that condition, make the lives of those with autism and their families easier and better, and to bring joy to autistic people like Duncan. To that end, I'm a supporter of Autism Speaks, a charity that focuses on autism awareness and research.
A lot of people get upset with me over this - they say that Autism Speaks doesn't speak FOR autistic people because they don't have representation by them on their board or whatever, and that autism isn't a disease. I partially agree with them.
Autism is not a disease. But it is a condition that makes it harder for many people to live in this world we've created. And not everyone has the same symptoms for their autism. My son, for example, though he's very smart and can handle most things thrown at him, isn't currently capable of handing his own life at the level of a typical young man. I'm there to help him, of course, as are the rest of his family, friends, and teachers/therapists at his school. But if he's out among people who don't know him, he can't even talk to them properly to explain what problems he might be having.
So I will continue to support Autism Speaks and the work they do to STOP autism.
I chronicled a lot of my OCR fun on my website, Mudlife Crisis, where I talk about health and obstacle course racing for folks who are considered "middle aged." I'm in my mid-50s myself and I am not slowing down one iota. Between this and my martial arts study, I will continue to do what I love for a long time because I'm learning to take care of myself properly and to shuck aside what modern living and civilization try to do to us.
My wife and I still only have one car, and I get around via bus and occasionally ZipCar, a car-sharing service we have here in Columbus and many other cities around the world. Check it out!
I blog there less often than I used to, but I still keep up with the state of things bikey in Columbus and enjoy posting new stuff I've discovered there, so check it out!