Hey!  I'm back!  After well over a year of having a minimal web presence, I am finally redesigning and reposting a new web page.  For those of you familiar with my earlier one, it was primarily a set of thematic pages, each of which contained perhaps a few lines, and a list of links to associated external websites.  Hopefully, I will be able to put a little more personal content into these new twelve pages.  So, to start off, I'll put forth a little information about myself, some of which will be duplicated in the thematic pages, some of which will not, in a few basic areas: 

Mental / Intellectual:  I have been called an intellectual by some of my friends, and a "Renaissance man" by others.  I prefer scholarly pursuits to physical ones, and have a never-ending thirst for knowledge.  I read quite a lot, preferring principally what might be considered classics, i.e. Tasso, Milton, von Eschenbach, etc., and love gathering "useless information."  I am presently attending graduate school, but refuse to limit my intellectual growth to those topics which are associated with my course of study (optical science), and insist on taking classes on such topics as Byzantine art, Jewish mysticism, logical philosophy, and Chinese history.  See my Optics and Books pages, as well as just about any other, for more in this area. 

Spiritual:  I view myself as a rather deeply religious person.  I strive to live by my moral principles, although I will be the first to admit my mistakes in failing to do so.  I wholeheartedly enjoy service to others, and though not always successful, strive not to fall to selfish concerns. I also have a strong dislike for contention and argument (as in the strifeful variety), preferring honest discussion and reason.  Some of the worst human conditions are willful ignorance and the unwillingness to change in the face of compelling faith or reason.  As far as particular religion goes, I have a strong interest in the reclamation of the first-century practices and beliefs of believers in haMashiakh. See my Religion, Esoterica and The Holy Grail pages for more in this area. 

Cultural:  I have also been called a cultural elitist, as I can't stand a good portion of popular music, culture or art, preferring mainly highbrow art and classical music.  I love opera, and I do get it, but am frustrated at the vast majority who does not <grrrr>.  Parsifal is the apex of human musical achievement.  Although I have a slight preference for Western culture, I have a tendency towards eclecticism, resulting in an appreciation for such diverse cultures as Georgian (the one bordering the Black and Caspian seas, not Florida), Moorish, African, and Ottoman.  I absolutely love discovering the history and culture of new countries and peoples, especially those not covered in standard public, or even private, education.  See my Art and Music, Medieval History, King Arthur and The Middle East pages for more in this area.