audio · automobiles cooking · dogs photography scuba · travel photo album · qtvr gallery the cars

This is where I got my professional start, working as a salesperson and assistant manager audio stores before becoming National Sales Manager for a small high-end audio manufacturer in California. I still enjoy listening to what I consider good music (I've got eclectic tastes) on fine equipment. The point is always to better enjoy the music itself, but the technology and workmanship can be astounding. I'm a fan of electrostatic loudspeakers (Quad, Martin-Logan, Acoustat) and vacuum tube amplification (conrad-johnson, VAC, Audio Research, Music Reference). Though digital now sounds nearly lifelike, I still love LPs quite a bit. They sounded great years before CDs existed.

See my Auto Page for details.

Now an annual tradition for me, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Carmel and accompanying and Concours Italiano, Christie's Auction, Blackhawk Collection and Monterey Historic Car Races are a chance to enjoy truly world-class automobiles in a beautiful setting. I've posted pictures from 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002.

I've had the privilige of owning some great cars, such as my 2002 BMW M3 with SMG (currently for sale), my 1988 Porsche 928 S4, my 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S race car (also currently for sale), and my 1995 Chevrolet Corvette race car. I also had an even more impressive example of the 928, a 1990 GT. I had the rare opportunities to drive some more exotic sportscars, such as a Lamborghini Countach, a Ferrari 360 Challenge race car and Ferrari 360 Modena F1 street car, Porsche 996 Twin Turbo and 1998 993 C4S, Ferrari F355, 456GT and 512M, etc. Good times!
I started driving on the race track in 1999, which has become a serious hobby for me. I follow Formula One racing and have attended 2001 Grand Prix of Belgium at Spa and the 2002 Grand Prix of Canada in Montréal. Porsche and Ferrari make the most beautiful, purposeful cars. I also love what Aston Martin has produced over the years. I'd love to have an Aston-Martin Vantage Volante. That'll have to wait for a few years, though. See the 1998 Ruf Turbo Porsche 911 (993 series).

Like my Dad always says, "There's nothing like food when you're hungry." I enjoy cooking Italian, Continental and Chinese dishes, as well as what I call Nouvelle Jewish Homestyle, which can include shrimp, pork and anything else tasty. A few favorites are:

• Matsuhisa, Nobu Malibu, Asuka, and Sushi Nozawa (Sushi and Japanese cuisine in Los Angeles)
• Lilly's (French bistro dining in Venice, CA)
• Casanova (Italian cuisine in Carmel; they also offer cooking class/dinner parties)
• Ebisu (Sushi and Japanese cuisine in San Francisco)
• LuLu (Home-style Provencale cuisine in San Francisco)
• Stars (fantastic everything in Palo Alto)
• Ton Kiang (Dim sum and Chinese cuisine in San Francisco)

I've had dogs all my life. Though I like many breeds and mutts, I've always preferred the German Shepherd Dog (GSD). They're bright, loyal, beautiful and playful. My current pup, Kylie, is from a breeder in Ojai, California, called Theishof Kennels. She's from a great line of purebreds and shows a great deal of promise as a companion dog. I more recently got an adorable, overly-playful Parson Russell Terrier (formerly called a Jack Russell Terrier), named Ginger. The two of them are often more than I can handle, but I love 'em both.

I've renewed my interest in photography again after about eleven years away from it. I've been shooting entirely digital recently, using my Nikon D70 digital SLR. I also shoot 35mm prints and slides using a Nikon N90s as well as digital photos with a Fujifilm F40fd. I mostly enjoy candid shots, people, figure studies and dramatic still life scenes. You can see some of my work in my photo album. I have also learned to produce QuickTime VR panoramas and objects from series of 35mm or digital shots through the San Francisco State Multimedia Studies Program (MSP). See my QTVR Gallery for low-resolution samples. I just took part in the Wrinkle 2000 project. It aspired to cover the entire world (six continents) with QTVR panoramas. I shot mine while in the Philippines. More info on that trip is available on http://www.thereandback.com.

I've been NAUI Openwater I certified since 1987. I got my PADI Nitrox certification in 2001. Monterey and Carmel can be quite fun, though I prefer more tropical locations whenever possible. Scuba Club Cozumel, aka Galapago, is a terrific dive resort in Mexico. If you dive, look no further. I've enjoyed diving in Hawaii (Kauaii), Jamaica, Barbados, Mexico, California, the Florida Keys, Belize, Bonaire, the Philippines, and the Cote d'Azur (Cannes). I won't consider my life entirely complete without also diving the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, the Red Sea, and a few spots in the South Pacific such as Palau and Truk.

I took a fantastic trip to the Philippines for New Years 2000. I've posted pictures in my photo album. I greatly enjoyed a nine-week driving tour of the United States las summer, which I also documented on-line on http://www.thereandback.com. There are still quite a few places I have yet to visit, including Australia, Japan, Spain, all of South America, and most of Africa. I missed some great opportunities to visit Singapore and Bali, too. I did love visiting China, much of Europe, Israel, Egypt and the (former) Soviet Union. If I could, I'd travel nine months each year. Alas, I can't . . . yet.