According to the students in my mathematics classes: someone whose teaching is "definitely non-standard." According to half of them "This guy ought to be fired immediately" and according to the other half, "The best math teacher I've ever had."

According to one of my former department chairmen, who wrote a letter of recommendation for me when I was enrolling for courses at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (in San Francisco): "somewhat eccentric."

According to the bartenders at Anna Bananna's: A quiet guy, very nice and generous who drinks margaritas on Thursdays and schnapps on Saturdays and leaves a nice tip.

But then I also need to tell you about selling encyclopedias door to door when I was 19. About attending the Clarion summer workshop for would be science fiction writers in 1981. About taking courses in stagecraft and lighting and working on almost every play put on by the university theatre (always behind the scenes) for two of my years in college. About having studied French, German, Russian, Chinese, Latin & Greek but not knowing any of them really well. (Strangely enough, I actually wound up with a bachelor's degree in classical Greek.)

And having been a telephone volunteer for three years at the Suicide & Crisis Center here for three years. (When I left, my supervisor said, "It's been a real privilege to know you.") And having taken courses in NLP beyond the Master Practitioner level, from such people as Leslie Cameron Bandler, David Gordon, Robert Dilts, Todd Epstein, Judith DeLozier, Charles Faulkner, Steve & Connirae Andreas, and Rex Sikes.

My goodness, all this belongs on the back cover of a book. But writing a book is one thing I've never done. Although I'm working at it. ( Finite Rank Torsion Free Modules Over Dedekind Domains.)