I am Bob. I have a dog. His name is Abu not the monkey. I am a chef. I have a scooter... wait a minute, I'm uncomfortable defining myself by name, relationship, location, or vocation, or possession. Umm, what am I ?

I like readin', writin'. Hate arithmetic, except for that space-time stuff that I keep trying to get my mind around, but my brain won't bend right.

I like tramping around with my dog. We take turns leading.

Learning about and making something will hold my interest for a while, until another something catches my eye to learn about and make. Knives, golf clubs, pots, gardens, poems and paintings, and fishing rods have all been manifested over the years. Often I'll just do the learning part and skip the doing part; much cheaper and easier this way. Wooden boats, various types of hand built cabins and shelters, and sculpture with found objects would fall into this catagory.

I like searching for hidden stuff: arrow heads, esoteric knowledge, fossils and sharks teeth, first editions at thrift stores, a good cheap feed or cup of strong coffee, meaning, etc...

My favorite thing is to wander around and listen to the stories of people's lives. Many of these seem to be hidden, too. Yeah, I guess that's the thing that interests me most, people's stories.

I got guts, ren, gratitude.

I am here, there, and everywhere

Reshaping it from country mouse to city mouse. I've just moved to Boston from N.C.'s Outer Banks, where I spent the last 26 years.

Considering while listening, steaming crabs, making something out of nothing, surf fishing, finding redemption in anything, dog brushing, standing in other people's shoes, perennial gardening, life on the cheap, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, hiding my light under a basket, casting light into dark corners. Acceptance. Forgiveness.

That I don't own an iron.

Changes often. Not necessarily favorites but stuff I've enjoyed lately:

What Paul Meant, American Small Sailing Craft, The Road, The Secret History, Everyman. Rereads: Siddhartha, Death of a Salesman, The Grapes of Wrath, The Courage to Be.

Boon Dock Saints, Igby Goes Down, Daddy and Them, Tideland, The Big Sleep, and Lebowsky too, while I'm at it.

Talking Heads, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Mr. Frank Zappa, Maceo Parker, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks(perrenial favorite), Van Morrison, Bud Powell.

Fresh NC shrimp, homegrown tomato sandwiches with lots of mayo-salt-pepper. Smoked oysters, orange sherbet, pickled anything.

Get real.

How overrated thinking is.

Working, or not.

Depression has kicked my ass a couple times.

If you believe this is often one strange damn world we live in, and would like to share in laughing about it over steaming mugs of strong coffee.

If your heart is kind.