I was born in Brasil in 1952 and when my Father got his chance to fulfill HIS lifetime wish--to move to the USA in 1958--he jumped at it. We moved to Naugatuck, Connecticut where I graduated from Naugatuck High School in 1971. After graduation, I joined the USAF and for 26 years had more fun than a person should be allowed to have. I finished my degree and made it to the top Non-Commissioned Officer grade so I guess you can say that I should now be able to self-actualize.

I've been to all sorts of places on this Blue Ball we call Earth. My travels included jobs at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Whiteman AFB, Missouri; RAF Fairford, Fairford, England; Beale AFB, California; Hellenikon AB, Athens,Greece; American Embassy, Lisbon,Portugal; Bergstrom AFB, Texas; and finally, Langley AFB, Virginia. I've ridden in C-130's and KC-135's. I've watched U-2s take off at dawn and SR-71s take off at dusk. I've seen A-10s and AWACS geting re-fueled in mid-air. I've traveled to Korea, Okinawa, Spain, Italy, France, Luxemburg, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.

I also liken the life we live to a multi-act play where the script never stops being written. Each scene within each act is played out on a stage setting called "Today". We do not know how "Today" will end but we keep modifying the script that alters the scene called "Tomorrow." Given sufficient "Todays" and "Tomorrows" we move on to another Act. And what are these Acts?

Act I is called the "Infantile"Act wherein the scenes take place mostly in our parents' home. Then comes ACT II, the "Adolescent" Act where most of the scenes revolve around our teenage friends. A short act, that one, followed quick on the heels by Act III, the "Young Adult" Act. Here we see a greater diversity of options. The scenes are many, the paths are many, the decisions are many, and the scripts have many changes. And all lend themselves towards our manifest destiny -- ACT IV, the "Middle Aged Adult" Act, where most of us mature. Some marry, some have kids, some buy houses, etc. Several decades pass before we get to ACT V, the "Self-Actualizing" Act. For some, this is a short act, for others, a long one. I hope mine is a long one and the scenes I write many before I get to ACT VI, the "Bask In The Glow Of A Good Life" Act.

My bicycle trip across the US in 1997 was the first scene in my ACT V.  The Pacific Trip was scene two.  Antarctica, New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia are scene three.