I grew up in Friendswood, Texas in the '70s and '80s and then attended the University of Texas in Austin where I majored first in Engineering and then in English (Well-rounded, or obtuse? You decide.) After college I sold cars for a while, then managed resaurants for a couple of years with the Pappas company. I received my teacher certification in 1996, taught 2 years in Bay City, Texas, then took another teaching job in Guayaquil, Ecuador where I met my wife, Gisella. While I was there, I also got my master's degree in General Secondary Education from the University of Alabama's overseas program. Gisella and I taught together for 4 years in Austin, Texas (Where we acquired our first child, Zelda -- our border collie). We're currently teaching in Taiwan and waiting on the arrival of our first "real" child who we hope to see in early March.