J. Todd Ormsbee's Homepage: Table of Contents

Welcome to My Home Page

J. Todd Ormsbee

Hello! Glad you stopped by to check me out. My name is Todd, and I'm a resident of San Francisco, a PhD candidate from the University of Kansas, and an all-round great guy. This web page is meant to tell you a bit about me and introduce myself to various kinds of people, so there's a lot here. Feel free to skip and skim around. I hope you find something that grabs your attention, makes you smile, or causes you to pause and think.

Here I am looking all butch just before Christmas, 2001
I'm actually a fun-loving kinda guy, but I was getting annoyed at my digital camera and just gave up trying to take a good shot
more pics of me throughout the site

This is me, around Halloween 1999
(before taking my doctoral exams -- I just think I look really hot in this picture, so I leave it up even though it's out of date)
more pics of me throughout the site

LATEST NEWS: Lucky for me, my dissertation fellowship got renewed for Winter semester 2002. I'm getting ready to submit my proposal to my committee, and will be traveling to Kansas sometime in late January to defend it. I plan to get as much of my research as possible completed before my fellowship runs out in May. Regular season rugby starts on January 5th, and I'm looking forward to it; I've been working really hard on my tackling and ball-handling skills so I can play. I'm also currently looking into trying to find a part-time teaching gig. I have really missed being in front of a classroom, and hope to be able to find something soon.
September 11th hits too close to home: We received word the evening of the terrorist attacks on September 11th that my teammate and friend Mark Bingham was among those killed in the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. He was an amazing man, full of life, always happy, forthright, and kind. Please check out our team's memorial to him at San Francisco Fog RFC's home page.

Here I am at our first practice of the 2001-2002 season, on September 8, 2001
Contents
RUGBY!:
Last year, I heard from a good friend of mine about a gay rugby team starting up in San Francisco, and decided to go out for the team. After one practice I was hooked, and now consider myself a hard core rugby union fan! The San Francisco Fog RFC has given me great friends, loads of fun, and a good workout twice a week! Anyone wondering about the sport should check out RugbyRugby.com for more info about International play. Fox World cable chanel has been carrying all the Fall Tests (matches). Last January we went to England for some great rugby. Click here for some great pics from that trip. See you on the pitch!
Life in the City:
Eventually, when I have a job and an income, I'll write a page talking about why I moved to the city, and what I love about San Francisco. Watch for it in the coming weeks.
Life as a Graduate Student at KU
This page will tell you a bit about my experience being at the University of Kansas (home of Jayhawk basketball) for graduate school.
Current Academic Projects
This page is not for the faint of heart. Jargon and academia-speak abound. But it will give you a good idea about the kind of intellectual work I do, and if you survive the alienating language of academe, email me, and I'll send you a gold star for your forehead. I'm looking forward to returning to a normal vocabulary in the Real World. There's a pic here of me at the tail-end of my comprehensive exams...the psychological cost of the process is evident in my bad hair, pudgy cheeks, and maniacal grin.
My Life in a (Big) Nutshell
This page will give you the brief outline of my life, how I came to be where I am and who I am. It's a bit personal, but despite what some may think, there's MUCH that I have chosen to leave out.
Personal Interests, Hobbies, and Other Things
Here you'll find lots of interesting tidbits about what I like, what turns me on spiritually and intellectually, and what I do in my spare time. There's also a pic of me doing what I love best: hiking in the red rock desert of the Colorado Plateau region.
Links (Politics, Queer Issues, Recreation)
There's bound to be something here for everyone. If you are at all a right-winger (or maybe even a political centrist) there's also bound to be stuff here to offend you. Don't worry. While I'm passionate about my politics, I'm also very open minded, and appreciate difference of opinion. There's also stuff on Queer activism and links to my favorite outdoor spots. Look also for some kooky miscellaneous stuff at the end.
Email me
I'd love to hear from you. Comments, questions, criticisms, or life philosophies are all pleasant surprises amongst the junk mail of my yahoo! mailbox.

Last Revised: 20 September, 2001