Personal Information

Before coming back to school to earn my PhD, I served seven years in the United States Air Force as an Intelligence Officer. If you'd like to learn more about this and see what my 'other' life was like, then check out the following links:

Married life - I met my wife, the former Pheth Khetsisouvanh, at the University of Oklahoma. We were actually studying together in Paris when we fell in love and married a year later, when I returned from being an exchange lecturer in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Pheth is from Laos and has been in the United States for twenty years. (Her father was fighting the communists and the family had to flee when the country fell. They spent four years in a Thai refugee camp before moving to the United States.) I've been trying to learn to speak Lao and if you would like to learn more about this language or Laos, please click here.

Military life - A brief summary of my military duties, including my service in the Gulf War, and a collection of links that might be of interest to those who like military history.

Hobbies - As much as we hate to admit it, graduate students can't study all the time. Every now and then we need to take a break and relax. Here are some of the things I like to do in my spare time:

Fonts - I love fonts and studying medieval manuscripts has given me a great appreciation for their writing and also in typography. This page has links to several type foundaries where you can download free or shareware fonts to add to your collection.

Kendo - The Art of Japanese Fencing. One of the lesser known martial arts, kendo is a fun sport, especially if you have an interest in fencing. I've made it halfway to my black belt and am currently looking for a club in the Oklahoma City area to continue my studies.

Heraldry - When you read medieval literature, it's only a matter of time until you start reading about blazons, coats of arms and other heraldic terms. Here then are some links that cover some of the basics of this fasinating subject.

Angels: Not too long ago a lot of people were talking about their "spirit guides" who were guiding them through life and helping them make important decisions. But over the past few years they have been replaced with something a little more palatable: Angels. But what are Angels (and Demons and Devils, for that matter)? How can we learn more about them? This page has a bibliography of the books that I've read to help me find answers to these, and other questions.

The library links were created largely through the efforts of the following people, and edited for my needs: Francesco Bonomi, Steven Botterill, Annalisa Bracciotti, Robert M. Durling, Robert Hollander, Kevin P. Keane, Erich Marzo Wilhelm, Francesco Mosetti Casaretto, Lino Pertile, Richard Allen Shoaf, Bill Thayer and Dr. Pickens. Many thanks.