About Me

My main area of expertise is martial arts. Back in 1981, when I was 11 years old, I started training in Goju Ryu Karate at a community center on the Central Coast of California (My mother signed me up for classes there after I had gotten attacked on the street). I took those classes for about a year. In 1984, after moving to Northern California, I started training in Kenpo under (now) Master (we call him Sensei) Chuck Epperson, 9th Degree Black Belt under Master Huk Planas. I did that for a year, but returned to the Dojo in 1994 and began training consistently. I tested for my 3rd and 1st degrees of Brown Belt in front of Master Richard Huk Planas, first generation Ed Parker Black Belt in Kenpo (Chuck Epperson tested me for 2nd Brown). I was tested for my 1st and 2nd Black by Huk Planas, Chuck Epperson trained me in the art the whole time. In 1998, the year I got my Black Belt, I began teaching at Sensei Chuck's Dojo. I taught there until 2002. I have done martial arts instruction here and there since then, teaching friends and family, my clients with disabilities, taught a class for staff at a Boys and Girls Club and I taught a self-defense class to staff at one of my former jobs. Basically I've been involved in various projects centered on martial arts.

I also have a 3rd Class Brown Belt in Doce Pares Eskrima, given to me by Grandmaster Cacoy Canete and Master Anthony Kleeman. I originally trained with Paul Sneed and began to take seminars by Cacoy and Anthony shortly thereafter; and eventually was trained by Chuck Epperson who earned his Black Belt in Doce Pares under Anthony Kleeman.

In addition, I have trained in DeCuerdas Eskrima under Professor James Muro.

Outside of all that, I have worked in the Human Services field since 1996, helping those with physical and developmental disabilities. In that field, I've done direct care, a lot of paperwork, teaching, working in Day Programs and other things. I have a lot of experience working in programs for people with developmental disabilities.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science back in 1995.

Much of my time is spent reading J. Krishnamurti.

I spent almost ten years taking care of my mother who has dementia. Recently I went back to working with people with developmental disabilities.

I've been writing web articles since April 2012.

I also used to run a few of my own websites, which are now all defunct because I stopped being able to pay a webhost some time ago.

Other than that, I don't party like I used to. I had fun while it lasted with some fun and some not-fun people. I, of course, had more fun with the fun people. It was worth it.

I feel that honesty is about 1000 times better than pretense. I trust an honest person who is imperfect more than a pretentious person putting on airs, any day of the week. Thankfully. A sinner is closer to truth than a saint. (That is a paraphrase of something Krishnamurti once said.)

So, hope you get what you came for or find something new and surprisingly interesting or helpful.

Thanks for stopping by.

Note: My mother recently passed away in 2019.

Update: Back in the mid-90s, I graduated from college and almost had a Paralegal Certificate but decided to graduate without it. In 2019, I did an internship to finish the requirements for the certificate, so now I'm a Paralegal but have not secured work in the field.