Tell me about yourself! Where have you been? In your town? In your country? in the world? Where would you go given money and time?

I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. My father was part of the Canadian diplomatic corps and at age 1, we moved to Seoul in South Korea. At age 3, we moved to Glasgow, Scotland. Age 5, we moved back to Ottawa, Canada and then a farm community outside of there. At age 7, we lived in Barbados for a few months. I think my parents were checking out the tropics, because at age 8, we moved to Kingston, Jamaica. Next, at 10, we moved to Seattle, Washington, USA. At 14, we went back to Ottawa again.

At 16, I moved on my own to Waterloo, Canada to go to the University of Waterloo, while my parents went on to New Delhi, India, my dad's last station before he retired to snowbird from Ontario and Quebec down to Tampa, Florida.

When we were at these places, we travelled a lot. I don't remember much from before I was 5, but after that, I went to England, France, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Portland, L.A., Manaus and Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, Chile (my cousin lives there), Lima and Cusco in Peru.

Just to stop there, the most amazing place -to me- I've been was Machu Picchu, Peru. While most Incan cities were destroyed by Spanish conquistadores looking for gold, Machu Picchu was never found by the west until it was rediscoved in 1911. Walking through the houses that were inhabited by Incas, touching the walls of the native priests' temple, watching the shadow of the giant stone sundial, standing in the massive courtyard surrounded by perfectly preserved history. All of this filled me with a spiritual feeling that is impossible to describe.

We drove across america from Washington through Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and into Ontario. I took a flight out to Delhi to see my parents and we went from there to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Something I never really knew about the Taj before I saw it was that the entire thing is made of marble. The pictures really don't show how the marble walls are inlaid with colored marble flowers and filigree.

On my own, I've travelled to Saskachewan via Manitoba. I went to Portugal with my then girlfriend, traveling to Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, and the Algarve. When preparing to go to Portugal, all of travel books we got kept saying "when you're in Portugal, you have to have the Chinese food." Well, when it comes up in 3 different books, you have to try it. It was great! Some of the best Chinese food in the world. It was much better than the Portugese food, which sometimes was good, but other times we ended up getting things that we could only think were "rotting meat suspended in vinegar" or "the pieces left over of the animal we are serving to the Portugese speaking customers." After having that happen a few times, the roast duck with fried rice is just fabulous.

I rotated working and partying in Ottawa, Toronto, Waterloo, and parts of Quebec while finishing off my degrees. After that, I got married and my then-wife and I drove to my present home town of Jacksonville, FL, going through New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. While here, I've gone to St. Augustine, Tampa, Orlando, Miami,  Savannah, and Las Vegas (again). Work has sent me to Palo Alto, Cupertino, Memphis, and Boston. I've gone skiing with my gf in Banff, Canada, and Beech Mountain and surrounding area in North Carolina.

Last year, my gf and I drove across America again, through Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Nevada to wind up in a temporary city called Black Rock City. This place is the site of the annual Burning Man festival. From my profile, you may be able to tell that I felt at home in this temproary city. It's a place that proves that sometimes it isn't the location, it's the people that make a place special. From the poetry posted 5 words at a time as you drive in, to the giant smoldering pile of rubble the man becomes, the people I met there have been some of the most open, loving people in the world.

Coming back, we stopped in Vegas for a few days. Hurrican Katrina had wiped out the southern states, so we had to return via Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia. Once home, I started looking in the my area for other "burners." The people and events I found had me going back to South Carolina for Element, Koreshan state park near Ft Meyers, and the temporary community of Mysteria in North Carolina where the Transformus event is held.

Now I'm gearing up for another visit to Black Rock City and Vegas. I still want to go to Ireland, Austrailia, New Zealand, Amsterdam, Japan, Thailand, Goa in India, Venice and Rome, Reykjavik, Norway, Egypt, Antartica. I want to try skiing in Colorado, Switzerland, and Nepal. I'd like to go back to England, Scotland, and France. I think I'd like an Alaskan Cruise. I want to chase an eclipse or two. I'd take a flight to the International Space Station. Even thouhgt I've been here and there, my legs haven't stopped walking. I don't think they ever will.

So tell me where you've been and where you hope to be. What did you love and what did you hate? Where are the people who, no matter the distance, are closest to your heart? Where is your home?

Love and hugs
F'jord