I grew up in Sydney, Australia, where it is considered distasteful to "blow one's own trumpet". So, if this is clumsy, please excuse my lack of practice.

I had a big career change in my twenties, and went back to university for about fifty years. The good news is that now I get to do something fascinating that will, hopefully, do some good in the world as well.

What else should you know?
- I'm fresh off the boat: I moved to Boston late in 2011.
- My Agony Aunt skills are in high demand amongst my friends. I'm not sure if that is because the advice I peddle is good, or whether the time differences between here and home makes it convenient to call.
- I mumble when I'm relaxed
- i don't have a television, and will try rather hard to convince you to throw yours away.
- I foster dogs; Labradors mostly, and will try to convince you to adopt a puppy (but only if I like you). An update: I'm not as tough as I thought I was, and am now the loving owner of a foster-pup that I couldn't say goodbye to.

Chasing a dream - damned thing is hard to catch! Moved from Australia to France, then Minnesota and now Boston chasing after it. The journey's been fun.

Knowing what other people are thinking and feeling. Judging character.

I'm not sure, and why is that important?

Books: Kazuo Ishiguro, Haruki Murakami, David Foster Wallace, Junot Diaz, Johnathon Saffran Foer.
Nerdy books: VS Ramachandran, Oliver Sacks. Shakespeare: the tragedies and historicals.

Movies: anything with a Hepburn in it, anything by Sergio Leone.

Music: Soul - Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Nina Simone, Al Green.
Australian - Paul Kelly, The Cat Empire, Hilltop Hoods, The Herd.
French - Serge Gainsbourg, Moussu T, Java.
Hard to Classify - Youngblood Brass Band, Tom Waits, Sonny and the Sunsets, Bill Callahan, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
2-4 - Toots and the Maytals, Peter Tosh, All Barry.
Classical - I can listen to Rachmaninov, Chopin and JS Bach until the cows come home.

Food: Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, French.
A good olive. Halloumi cheese. Hopelessly expensive chocolate.

- surfing
- friends who care
- fascination at work
- fine red wine
- back scratches
- puppies!

post-surf snoozes in hammocks on South Pacific Islands.

Out!

I'm one of the nine people on OKC that does not have a photography business and is not writing a book (I think).

You think we'd like each other?