I’m a middle-aged, semi-retired computer geek and full time stay at home dad, living with a health care worker, and our kids were just beginning elementary school as this adventure began. In case you’re interested, here’s a little background on who’s writing this blog:
The adults in our household come from relatively humble parentage, hers a military officer and a homemaker, mine an office manager and a public school teacher. Neither one of us experienced any international travel growing up, but between the two of us we’ve had the experience of living in more than a dozen different urban and suburban locations around the USA. We’ve gotten a pretty good idea, over the years, of what we’re looking for in a place to call home.
We both tend to shy away from political labels and have never been “card carrying” members of a party, but you could probably accurately describe us each in one way or another as “fiscally conservative, socially liberal” with a lot of concern for what is today often referred to as social justice. It’s safe to say we both have felt unrepresented or underrepresented within the self-sustained, increasingly partisan duopoly that’s existed in the USA during our time there.
Our extended families include people of many faith backgrounds, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. While we were both raised in churchgoing Catholic households, our own adult lives are decidedly secular, yet we recognize the value in maintaining what Canadians sometimes refer to as “a cultural mosaic” within a larger society. We consider spirituality a personal matter, and try to respect all forms of worship.
Both having grown up surrounded by military bases and military personnel, we share a deep respect for those who risk sacrifice for the public good. At different points in our lives, we each seriously considered the armed forces ourselves (plans which, perhaps serendipitously, were set aside on various technicalities before the pivotal events which marked the turn of the century). That drive toward service has manifested itself in the years since in a number of ways. One of us chose to switch their career focus from the performing arts to health care. The other left a lucrative career in technology strategy among corporate jungle to ply geek skills in the public sector. Volunteerism is also an important aspect of our lives, and we’ve been actively involved in a variety of community organizations in all the places we’ve lived.
Life’s not all work and no play of course, and we both have hobbies that we like to share with our kids. I’ve been an obsessive cinephile most of my life, and even took a break to go to film school between career obligations. She’s a skilled musician and accomplished dancer, having performed and taught many forms over the years from ballet to swing. We also share a love of the outdoors, and prefer living in urban locales that have easy access to water, mountains, and open spaces.
That’s just kind of scratching the surface, but now you have a slightly better idea of who we are and where we’re coming from. If you’re still curious, would you like to know where we ended up?
This Ontarian Life 