Home, Home on the Web

Who Am I? (professionally speaking)

My name is Jim, and I live in upstate New York. When I'm not busy being a dad, I work as an engineer at the Eastman Kodak Company. My training is in mechanical engineering, and I spent the first half of my so-called career in product development and manufacturing. I've spent the last ten years working to improve the engineering process, focused mostly on the development and implementation of Product Data Management technology -- the application of information systems technology to engineering process improvement.

I Love to Cook

But the real fun for me is my family life. I spend a happy part of each day in the kitchen, because I love to cook (and experience the traditionally-maternal joy of nourishing my family healthfully). Our tastes are pretty diverse, but we tend to eat relatively little red meat, emphasizing vegetables, pasta, and chicken. You'll find some of our favorite recipes here.

I Love Music

While I'm cooking, I'm listening to music. (Installing a good set of speakers in the kitchen was one of my better moves.) Since my teens, I've listened widely, building a broad collection of jazz, folk, and classical music recordings, plus a smattering of bluegrass/newgrass. I get most passionate about contemporary singer-songwriters. I've really enjoyed exploring the music resources on the Web, and I'm thrilled to have a folk-friendly venue just a few blocks from my home that brings great regional and national talent to town almost every week. You'll find links to my favorite singer-songwriter resources here.

I Love Children's Literature and Storytelling

When my son was very small, we established a tradition of nightly read-aloud. If bedtime came around and he hadn't gotten at least a half-hour of reading, he let me know that he felt cheated! In truth, we both felt that way. Our tradition continued until my son was in Middle School, when his homework load squeezed read-aloud out of the schedule. A sad day for both of us. During his primary and elementary years, I visited his classroom once every few weeks to read aloud. All the while, we frequently attended storytelling events as a family, so I naturally grew into some "real" storytelling myself. You'll find a list of my family's favorite books and tapes here.

Then There's Volunteer Work

Since my son (now a high school freshman) started kindergarten, I've spent much of my free time working on school-related activities. During his primary years, I worked with our district's Parent Education Group. For the last eight years, I've been putting most of my volunteer energy into the Festival of Ideas, a once-a-year educational/fun day that brings over 500 kids together with 50 adult and teenage "experts" to explore an incredible variety of topics that fall outside the traditional curriculum. In a series of hour-long workshops, kids get to experience everything from rock climbing and SCUBA diving to cartooning and computer imaging. A great day, enjoyed by both the kids and adults involved. Follow this link to the Festival's web site -- built by my son, of course!