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A stream of half-connected thoughts I have while I run:

Stretched.  Ready to go.  This isn’t bad.  Breathing  controlled.  I could have gone faster.  Music pumping.  Focus on lyrics.  Focus on nothing.  Zoning out.  Letting go of stress.  Feeling healthy.  Each foot step closer to being more healthy.  Bananas give me great energy.  I love bananas.  Heart rate up.  Cardio zone.  Burning calories.  Training.  Training for what?  For myself?  For others?  Want to look good.  Other people train.  Cops joining the force need to run an 8 minute mile.  Marines and Army recruits have to run.  I wonder if I could survive that type of training.  Breathing a little more rapid but still controlled.  Sandstorm by Darude hits it’s apex after the initial lull.

Endorphin.

Feeling good.  Running with an unknown cause.  Running and not stopping until the time runs out on the treadmill.  If I can’t finish a run how can I finish law school?  Renewed energy.  Looking around at others in the gym.  We take for granted the men and women who serve our country in the armed forces.  They sacrifice so much so we can have freedom.  That’s a noble pursuit.  I think everyone owes something to their country.  Thinking about girls.  Girls from the past.  Girls I know now.  Girls “that got away.”  Girls I will meet in the future.  I want to look good.  Running is great.  My Nike sports headphones aren’t slipping like other shitty ones I’ve had.  They were a good investment.  The beat from Van Halen’s Panama starts pumping.  I know the next 3:32 minutes will fly by.  The hook begins to play and an awesome chill rushes over my body .

Endorphin.

Final part of my run.  Glance at clock.  Close to 5 minutes left.  Last 5 are sometimes the hardest.  Why not stop now?  No!  Finish.  Don’t be a pussy.  Kick up the MPH a few points.  Focus on breathing.  Do this for yourself.  Do this for law school.  Do this for Mom and Dad.  Do this for friends.  Do this for your country (what?).  3:14 left.  Look down at my Pi tattoo.  Pi never stops — why should you?  Realize this doesn’t make sense.  Slight cramp.  Have had those before and gotten through it.  I’ve also felt worse than this in my life and gotten through it.  As Nike says JUST DO IT!  Final 2 minutes.  Kick up the MPH again.  Don’t puss out!  No music or thoughts will help you at this point.  Just push yourself.  30 seconds.  On auto-pilot.  Running fast.  Near sprinting.  Legs working independent of mind.  Just moving. 3… 2… 1…

Endorphin.

I’ve been debating what to write for my next blog post for some time.  There have been a few inarticulate ideas kicking around, but nothing inspiring enough to get me in front of the computer.  Then, this morning, it hit me.  I’m thankful for so many things in my life — not in a Thanksgiving-I-am-thankful-for sort of way — but sincerely thankful that certain things in my life are the way they are.  Here is a list (open to tweaking) in no particular order.

Thank God…

1. I’m not married.
2. I don’t have a kid.
3. I have a mom and dad who love me.
4. I have great friends.
5. I’m a male.
6. I’m intelligent.
7. I’m creative.
8. I’m my own boss.
9. I went to college and graduated in 4 years.
10. I’m going to law school.
11. I’ve been to Ireland.
12. I’ve loved at least one person in my life.
13. I have my awesome car.
14. I’m not a virgin.
15. I have no disability.
16. I am able to run.
17. I am healthy.
18. I make/have enough money to pay my bills even in this economy.
19. Obama is our president.
20. I have a sense of humor.
21. I got through a difficult time with alcohol.
22. I’m not a religious fanatic (not that religion is bad).
23. I can keep a conversation going.
24. My sarcasm sometimes goes unnoticed.
25. I’m artistic.
26. I can solve a Rubik’s cube.
27. I can still take the derivative of an equation.
28. I look really good with a tan.
29. I don’t take shit from people.
30. For computers and the entire IT industry.
31. For movies and the entire movie industry (minus the MPAA — suck my balls)

A customer of mine, Babin Building Solutions, is participating in the 2009 Cleveland Home & Flower Show and just for fun I went to the website to take a look.

What caught my eye — almost immediately — was the fact that the image used for the “General Information” menu item was of Ireland’s Powerscourt Garden.  Most people wouldn’t notice this, but I did.  I was there just 2 years ago, and the unique layout of the garden/walkway set against the unforgettable mountainscape is not something you fail to recognize.

This lead me to question whether it was appropriate for the Home & Flower Show to utilize this image, and more to the point legally, if they’re even authorized to use it.  Did the person who built this website take that picture?  Did the person who built this website acquire the picture from a stock photography suite?  Did they steal it from Powerscourt’s website or another source?  Does Powerscourt need to authorize the use of pictures taken of its property if they’re to be used commercially?  And, of perhaps less import, does it hinder the advancement of the Home & Flower Show’s mission, which is presumably to advocate the gardens built and maintained here in Ohio.  Surely an image of some magnificent garden locally would be better than using an image of gardens thousands of miles away in a country that has no real connection to Ohio.

Of course the benefit of the doubt has to play a role here as it always does.  Chances are that the Home & Flower Show does have the right to use the image.  Chances are they were simply interested in making their menu look cool by using a picture of a really cool garden.  Chances are no one in Ohio (save for me) will even notice this and comment on it.

But, I couldn’t let it go without giving Powerscourt the props it rightly deserves.  It’s an amazing place with perfect architectural landscaping, pristinely manicured lawns, hundreds of species of flora and a number of fountains/ponds that stop you in your tracks.  I’d like to see a garden like that in Ohio… if it exists.

It’s been nearly a year and a half in the making, but my friends and I finally got our Pi tattoos.  Chris Armenio, John Belter, Sean Teller and I went to Smokin’ Tattooz last night (11/29) in Kent and all got inked — some of us for the first time.  Noticeably wussing out and NOT getting a tattoo (even though she promised she would) was half-Asian Sarah Scroggy who nonetheless provided event planning services, and moral/emotional support.  

The tattoo appears slightly to the left of the center of my wrist, and along my watch band (so it can be hidden when it needs to be).  The entire tattoo fits within a 1 inch square.  The image on the bottom shows off 3.14 – 3 fingers up, wring finger down (point), pinky finger up for 1and the entire count of up fingers being 4.

Other important attendees during this historic event include: Mike Pavis, Lou Colorito, Katherine Dunn, Matt Coleman, Jeff Zimmerman, Caitin Ganley and Jeff Burk.  All of whom looked on as the rest of us endured.  Honestly, the needle wasn’t painful at all, and I was expecting much worse.

Why get Pi as a tattoo?  I can’t answer for anyone else, but for me I’ve wanted it for a long time.  There is beauty in mathematics, and Pi is an important number (ratio) used in calculations that define our world.  It’s infinite, never repeats itself, powerful in its simplicity and unique.  Pi is God’s number.

Additionally, the Greek letter Pi resembles neolithic Irish dolmens – or altars.  Dolmens pepper Ireland, and my dad and I saw a lot on our first visit there.  So in that way, my Pi tattoo will help remind me of those fun times.

Some of the dolmens my dad and I saw on our first Ireland trip.  Notice how similar dolmens are to the Greek letter Pi?

This story occurred many many years ago when I was in 8th or 9th grade.  Everytime I think about it my heart starts racing, and I remind myself how lucky I am to be alive.

It was the middle of the summer and my friend Mike LaNasa and I were going to Geauga Lake with a group of other people.  Since it was hot out we all brought our swimsuits, and planned on hitting the water rides.

I can’t remember exactly why some of us split up, but we did.  A small group (including myself) decided to hit the water attractions to cool off.  I personally decided to go down a water slide I had never been on before.  But it wasn’t just a normal water slide, it was one of those racing slides where another idential one is right next to you.  You and your opponent sit on a board that is being held back by a peg underneath, and the lifeguard pulls a lever releasing the both of you at the same time.  Pretty simple right?

Well, I had never been on this type of slide before, and I didn’t know what to expect.  I didn’t know that the lifeguard was to pull the lever to release the peg; so I incorrectly started pushing my board over the peg to begin my journey down the slide.

That was a fucking mistake.

Before I knew it I felt the lifeguard grab me hard while she yelled, “NO!”  I had already begun my momentum down the slide, however, and her jerking motion so forceful and strong, that she literally held me back.  My board went down the slide without me, and to my amazement I had been pulled off from the slide etnirely.  I was literally dangling from 8 stories high, holding onto the side of the slide, and a piece of wood I had somehow managed to grasp!  Never in my life have I ever had an adrenaline rush like I did then.  Even thinking about it now brings back some of those feelings.  Can you imagine looking up from below and seeing a 13 year old kid just swinging above?

I didn’t have time to be mad, upset, or scared.  I didn’t scream, curse or say anything.  I was so focused on holding on as tight as I could that nothing else mattered right then.  Surivival instincts kicked in and through some amazing strength on my part, and the help of my would-be assasin, I was able to climb back to the platform.  The entire episode took less than 15 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity.

Only atop the platform again did I have time to reflect upon what happened, and realize how close I was to dying and/or becoming seriously injured.  I began shaking uncontrollably and didn’t know what to say.  Then the lifeguard began crying.  I looked at her, first out of anger, then out of curiosity, and finally out of sympathy.  She was really sorry and upset for what happened.  She apologized, asked me about a thousand times if I was okay, and then continued crying.  I said I was okay, that it wasn’t her fault (lie), and that she shouldn’t worry about it.  I then said I didn’t want to go down the slide anymore, and walked back down the stairs I came up on.

When I remember this story today I’m shocked nothing worse happened.  For starters, the board and slide I was holding on to was wet and slippery.  People who have been in perilous situations similar to mine talk about having a “death grip,” and I certainly believe that’s what I had that day.  Second, once I knew something was wrong, I had a split second to physically turn my body 180 degrees to be able to grasp anything.  This happened instinctively, and perhaps accidentally as well.  In both cases I could have just as easily fallen straight down.  

At no other point in my life have I ever been that close to death.  Maybe once in a car when I didn’t see a stop sign, but even that didn’t compare to this experience.

If that lifeguard is out there and reading this, be sure to drop a line.  It’d be interesting to hear your side of the story.

After I graduated from Aurora High School I was accepted to Hiram College, a private liberal-arts school in Northeast Ohio. I brought to college a more sophisticated work ethic than I had in high school, and an open mind. My first course, The Quest for Justice, was taught by one of my favorite professors, Ken Alpern. I’ll never forget my first class with him. Imagine 20 or so students loudly piling into a classroom. Ken just sat there, like a stone, stoic in his stature. Settling whispers and coughs crescendoed to a roaring silence. Still, he sat there gazing upon each of us. Clutching our copies of Plato’s Republic we sat there not knowing what to expect, and in a state of paralytic fear. Then he spoke, quietly and somber, yet somehow loud and thunderous, “Open your books. We will read the first sentence together. This will be the first sentence you will read as college students, and it will be from a text that has had profound impact on humankind. Remember this moment.” As he began to read aloud we read along in silence. It was Socrates talking, “I went down to the Piraeus yesterday with Glaucon, the son of Ariston.” In that day, my first day of classes, Ken set the tone for the way I approached higher education. He also, perhaps unwittingly, peaked an ongoing interest in philosophy. Over the course of 4 years at Hiram I had 3 courses with Ken all of which were top-notch. When one speaks of memorable teachers he surely has a place among my top 5.

Unlike many other students I knew coming into college exactly what I wanted to major in, computer science. Hiram’s CS department is extremely focused, challenging and educationally demanding. We are the only college in America to have an all female faculty, and also one of only a few that require 2 research projects before graduation instead of just 1 which others schools normally ask of their students. There will always be a place in my heart for the 2 senior faculty members, Obie Slotterbeck and Ellen Walker. Their lifetime experience alone is a wealth of knowledge, and their enthusiasm for the subject matter second to none.

My proudest moment as a professional student was my research project done in Ellen Walker’s Computer Vision course. I developed a fully supervised and trained vision detection system for classifying sign language letters within photographs. I approached the project with the same energy and determination I had in my chemistry project. I dominated the research and understood every technical detail required to make my system work. The satisfaction I had from the project was some of the purest ever felt. When I gave my presentation to my fellow students and professors a great exhilaration came over me. You know what’s a great feeling? Working your ass off for something that you know you’ll get an A in, and having 100% confidence going into a presentation that you won’t get anything but an A.

Like most people who look back on their college years I remember mine as being some of the best of my life. Unlike most people, however, I don’t want to look back on them as if I can’t have even better times ahead of me! I am not done with life! I still have things to offer this world and things to do. After graduating it was a very strange feeling to not be returning to school the next fall. I miss learning. I miss research. I miss that undescribable spark a person feels when they’re on a campus with other smart people who are equally active in educational endeavors. The atmosphere is viral and electric. Hiram College, if nothing else, injected into my soul a desire to learn even more than I know today. To defend freedom of thought. Lastly, by generating a pang (sometimes painful) that I should strive for even more learning.

In the words of Hiram’s motto — fiat lux — let there be light.

Tennis has been a huge part of my life since I was very young.

My mom swears that I started playing tennis at age 3, however I don’t know this for a fact. I’ll take her word for it though

Anyway, my mom was a YMCA tennis instructor in Solon when we lived there. I helped her with her classes and would hit with her before and after the lessons. She and I would also play every summer and very quickly I developed my natural talent into a pretty impressive force. I was still very young when I had a coach (Pat Smith) ask me to join her traveling team one summer. That was a lot of fun, and it felt good to be the youngest kid on the team.

As I grew older into my teens my parents paid for private/group lessons at Western Reserve Racket Club. They also sent me to a Nike Tennis camp which was intense to say the very least. I also had the good fortune of hitting with the Jenson brothers when they did a promotional visit to Northeast Ohio.

It was no surprise once I got to Aurora High School that I was accepted on the varsity team. I would remain on the varsity team for the rest of my high school career to retire as a 4 year varsity letter award winner. That was a proud moment for me, and something I thoroughly enjoyed accomplishing. I even had my senior graduation party there and everyone signed a gigantic Penn tennis ball! It was awesome!

When I got to Hiram College I was intent on continuing my competitive play for their team, but the time requirements they asked us to put in pulled me away from my studies. It was a hard decision to make but I chose education over tennis.  Thankfully for me the choice paid off and I finished Hiram with good grades. Sadly, though, tennis seemed to slip away and I hardly played while at Hiram.  After graduating I played even less.

It wasn’t until 2 years later that tennis came back into my life. Aurora High School, my alma mater, was in need of a JV tennis coach and the athletic director, Dick Bliss, called me up. He knew my dad for many years (they taught together) and remembered I was a good tennis player. Apparently he figured out I was still in the area and offered me the position. Of course I jumped on the opportunity and was excited to get back into tennis!

In 2007 I assisted head coach Ron Bratton, and in 2008 I assisted head coach Dania Banc. It was so much fun to work with high school students in a sport I loved and had such an appreciation for when I was in school. Most of all I enjoyed joking around with the kids and thinking back to my time as a player. In fact, in 2007 our team ended up winning the CVC, the first time in many many years! It was rewarding, exhilarating, and most of all got me back into the swing (no pun intended) of tennis.

Following the 2008 high school season I was invited to join a 3.5 USTA team by my friend Derek Kohanski. Derek and I played together back in high school so it was fitting that we were on the same team again. Getting involved with the USTA team was terrific. It kept me active, reignited my competitive spirit, and brought back memories from many years before. Only those people who play tennis can speak of the smell of a newly opened can of balls, the feeling of a hard court under your feat, and the sensation of pulling off a killer put away.

I love tennis and I can guarantee it will continue to be a part of who I am.

As you probably already know my name is Art.  What’s funny is that when you’re named Art everyone expects you to be good at it.  Thankfully for my sake I was/am.

I have always been a good artist and show creativity in everything I do. Art, for me, was an outlet. It allowed me to express myself in a positive way. Starting in 7th grade I began an aggressive art career which culminated in 12th grade by taking AP Art. My desire and dedication in high school to art was marred by a teacher who I didn’t really get along with, but I still stuck it through and got a 4 on my AP portfolio. One class in particular I enjoyed was a computer art course. That was my first exposure to Adobe Photoshop and I immediately saw the potential for what it could offer. Anyway, I mention my art career because it’s still a large part of my life and it’s worth noting.

I still sketch to this day and work with Photoshop nearly every day.

In the Summer between 5th and 6th grade my family moved to Aurora, Ohio. There were a number of reasons why we moved, but I am grateful for the impact it would have on my life. Aurora was an excellent school system and I finished my last 6 years of public education there. A sweet touch to the end of my high school career was having my dad for 12th grade AP literature (I ended up getting a B in it!) For anyone who doesn’t know what it’s like to have your parent as a teacher let me tell you that the first few weeks are extremely weird, followed by a feeling of delight when you need help or need to turn a paper in late.

While my grades were generally good (fluctuating between As and Bs) I wasn’t immune to teenage laziness and disinterest in some subjects which resulted in lower grades. In retrospect, however, my high school years were great. I wasn’t anywhere near the most popular kid, but I wasn’t a huge dork either. I had a superb group of friends that bring back fond memories. I still maintain friendships with some of my friends to this day.

Also during my junior and senior year I had my first girlfriend, and was able to experience all the joys that come with it including falling in love. We dated on and off for 6 years, including college, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be. After college she became a teacher through the well respected Teach for America program and moved cross country. I, instead, opted to stay in Northeast Ohio to develop my web design business here in Cleveland. Though we’re estranged now, and had a less than perfect breakup, I still think of her at times and wish her well.

There’s plenty more I could discuss regarding Aurora, but this was the overall gist of it. My other stories are more specific to actual things that happened in Aurora.

In 5th grade a lot of my friends began to get computers. I didn’t really know what they were, why someone would want one, or what they could do. After all my 8-bit Nintendo was enough technology for me. It wasn’t until I became friends with Nat Walizer, a classmate from Solon, that I began to realize the potential uses of computers. He introduced me to programming. Besides offering fun games, and a way to write papers for school, all Windows PCs were shipped with an interpretive language programming application called QBASIC. What this allowed you to do was to write lines of instructions telling the computer how to behave. I was instantly hooked. I can’t explain whether it was my affinity for logic, my desire to create things (as if I were God), or to just mess around with a cool piece of equipment. Something struck me in my core and I knew it even at that young age. This was what I wanted to do. This was me. I threw myself into QBASIC; often choosing to code instead of doing my homework. I created math games, adventure games and Pong. As my accumen and talent grew I developed graphically superior games such as a fishing game, a fighting game, a space invaders game and — my crowning achievement — a fully functional Monopoly game that had an on board screen that looked exactly like the real board.

The time I spent exploring the computer was in itself a course. When I chose to play on the computer I was developing the analytical skills programmers need. In retrospect I’m so happy that I worked on my programs than do some meaningless homework assignment. I wish I could convey the great feeling I have for my memory of these times.

As I grew older I developed greater skills and attacked more sophisticated languages. My foray into Windows applications was facilitated by Visual Basic. Then later, while in high school, my parents paid for private lessons in C++ at Hiram College from a student there. By the time I entered Hiram College as a student myself (you’ll read about this later) I had such a commanding understanding of underlying computer architecture and technology that I hit the ground running. While all these logical stimulations were good at serving my left side of the brain; they neglected my right side of the brain, and I needed to satiate it with art.