Life is a journey, not a destination; this page is in a state of continuous evolution.
Primary School -- My scholastic career started at the International School Nido de Aguilas, located in the town of Lo Barenechea in Chile (just outside the capital, Santiago). After getting lost and wandering into a 5th grade classroom on my first day, things went as well as could be expected for the next few years. I maintained decent grades, pretty much stayed out of trouble, and discovered that math wasn't my favorite subject...
Secondary School/Junior High -- Due to the timing of my family's return to the USA from Chile, I actually completed about a month's worth of 7th grade before coming back "home" just in time for summer vacation to begin... which meant I started 7th grade for the second time in September, 1970 at Sligo Creek Junior High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. I was lucky enough to transfer to Argyle Junior High School (in the Wheaton/Silver Spring area) for 8th and 9th grades, which was real nice because Argyle was a brand-new school (it even had air conditioning in the summer!), and it was only a 15-minute walk (or 5-minute bike ride) from my house.
Secondary School/High School -- Instead of going to the "right" school (that is, the one my neighborhood officially fed into), I joined a group of other Argyle alumni and transferred to Springbrook High School (also in Silver Spring, but waaay at the other end, near White Oak). SHS was a pretty good place, but the transfer meant we had to car pool to and from either the school itself or the nearest bus stop. Still, I made a lot of good friends, and by the time I graduated in 1976 (one of 693, the school's largest graduating class ever!) I was carrying a solid B+ average and was considering going into a pre-med or pre-dental program in college.
College/Undergraduate -- I began attending the University of Maryland at College Park, Maryland, in the fall of 1976. Declared major: none. Declared course of study: pre-med. After running into a pair of academic buzz saws labelled "advanced mathematics" and "advanced chemistry", I took a year off from school (during which I worked full-time in retail sales), revamped my plans, and went back to school to finish with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology.
College/Graduate -- After taking the odd computer course from the University of Maryland, City Colleges of Chicago, and UCLA programs based in the Brussels area for NATO personnel, I entered the Masters' program at Boston University-Brussels. This was an American-style graduate program (taught in English) given in conjunction with the Vrije Universitet Brussel (Free University of Brussels, Flemish Division). I was really impressed; in my first class, the person with whom I shared a desk was the Ugandan Minister to the EEC! After a fairly intense two-year program, I graduated with a Master of Science in Management (M.S.M) degree shortly before returning to the U.S. in 1984. Note: if you get the chance, apply to a program like this one! The schooling you get is as good as any school you'd care to name, but the overall educational experience is superior due to the mix of nationalities and viewpoints.
Postgraduate -- I still take the odd computer- or job-related course through local colleges, but I am in the process of choosing a PhD. program in the area of computer systems management (I may be a techie, but not 100% techie!). Currently, my most likely targets are Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) or a remote study program from Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida).
To borrow from an old friend: "That's all, folks!"
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Brian's Bio-Index
Basic Bio Info
Birthdate: March 5, 1959 (early in the afternoon, I think)
Birthplace: Long Island Jewish Hospital, Long Island, New York, USA
Nationality: U.S. American
Height: approx. 5 feet, 10-1/2 inches (roughly 1.63m)
Hair: dark brown/black (with increasing gray!)
Eyes: brown
Hobbies & Interests: computers & the Internet; writing (mainly science fiction/science fantasy); languages; guitar; dinosaurs
Religious Affiliation: Jewish (non-Kosher; Reform)
Political Affiliation: Registered Democrat, but I vote for individuals instead of party lines. I'm pro-family, pro-children, pro-life... and pro-choice. And I always vote.
My Scholastic Career
Preschool -- I vaguely remember some sort of kindergarten-like arrangement when I was fairly young, mainly because there was one other kid named Brian (the only other Brian I met until I was in my teens!)
My Travels
I'm what some people call a "Foreign Service brat", a label I'm not particularly fond of. Your best bet is to refer to me as either a Global Nomad, or perhaps a TCK (Third-Culture Kid). Here's a glimpse of why:
My first house back in Laurelton is still there, and the Silver-Leaf Maple sapling I watched my father plant in the front yard (to help fill a hole from when the septic tank "went away") is now a magnificent tree taller than the house. The neighborhood went downhill very badly for a while in the '70s and early '80s, but the people there seem to have pulled it back up to the condition I remember as a child. Just a couple of blocks away is the house my (maternal) grandparents lived in, and it also looks pretty good (although the last time I saw it, almost all the ivy had been pulled down, and the grape arbor in front of the garage was gone).
A Little Basic Philosophy