click for larger photo
We just finished Master's degrees at the University of Toronto (hers in child studies and mine in Islamic/Baha'i studies) and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Why Chapel Hill? Partly because it's in a part of the country where we've never lived, but mostly because it's a perfect town—full of intelligence, culture, youth energy, alternative arts, fitness and health consciousness, and a fine climate with dense multi-hued green forests. And it's not too far from New Orleans and Florida, and from here it's an equal drive to either the beaches or the mountains! Kari is currently teaching in elementary school, and I'm currently working as a webmaster (see Winters Web Works) for a variety of companies and mentoring for the Wilmette Institute. You can also see Kari's homepage off-site. Summers I work at the Research Dept. of the US Baha'i National Center and winters I study my Arabic and Persian and play classical guitar and practice Shotokan karate when I have time.
Update! Cancel that paragraph. I'd re-write it and update it, but I'm too lazy. In brief, now we've moved to Vancouver BC as of July 2001. Click here for a view from our roof. Kari's doing an MA in literacy and education at the University of British Columbia, I'm working at home when I have time, and Liam is menacing the earth and terrorizing our cats.
Our first child, Liam Azrael Winters, was born on January 22, 2000, in Chapel Hill (good birthdate — 1222000!). You can see lots of pictures of him at winterswebworks.com/liam (and you can see other pictures of us at winterswebworks.com/photos).
My father, Steve Siegel, teaches Horticulture at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass, Oregon and runs a landscaping business with his wife Kim--their homepage is http://silvercreeklandscape.com. My mother, Rachel Winters, teaches Bonsai and Horticulture at Rogue Community College, operates a small nursery, and raises ducks. Her housemates are pet rats named Riff and Raff. Their homepage is Siskiyou Gardens and Landscape.
Perhaps what defines me best is music (click for list): I listen mostly to new classical (and some Renaissance), alternative "rock," and what unfortunately can only be defined as "experimental," be it electronic, late modernist classical, postmodernist, white-noise industrial, or rock. On the other end of the spectrum I sometimes enjoy more melodic things such as (some) New Age, world music, or cabaret chanteuses.
A second defining aspect is what I would regard as home. I was born in San Francisco and, though I only lived there for a few brief years, it is without a doubt the place I never cease missing. As Herb Caen said upon arriving at heaven, "It's a nice place, but it's not San Francisco!" Following that are Kari's and my second-bests of Montreal and Vancouver BC, where we've each lived for a time. We've also lived in St. Thomas Ontario, Chicago, Ottawa, Toronto, Portland OR, Ashland OR, Barrie Ontario, and currently North Carolina. Abroad, I long to explore Spain again someday and Kari wishes to see more of the Asias and India.
If you travel to Vancouver BC, where I manage the neighborhood portal englishbay.com, don't miss the lodging and accommodations list of hotels and inns, hostels, motels, Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) in Vancouver, the Vancouver Hotels and Lodging Accommodation guide, which is sorted by region (West End, downtown, Yale Town, Davie Village, near the ferry terminal), and by price (from cheap budget hotels to luxury apartments), plus reviews of hotels and other accomodations in Vancouver. For longer stays, tourists can rent weekly or monthly rental condominiums, suites, and vacation rentals. The list has prices from cheap to luxury. We expect lots of visitors in preparation for the Winter Olympic games 2010 in Whistler and Vancouver!
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