I was born in Washington, DC, where, after a successful career as a writer, in the throes of addiction and a midlife crisis, moved to Texas in 1993 to play music in Uvalde, San Antonio, and Austin. I moved to California in 1997 and ended up in a Ventura County jail for 240 days for addiction-related offenses. Upon release in 1998, I was hired by an organization doing outreach in jails to do vocational training in a women's rehab. "Tasting the blood" of helping others was the impetus for becoming a licensed psychotherapist and reviving his writing career with an emphasis on addiction, pharmacology and mental health. Me Strolling 9th Avenue BR Blurred.jpgpublished articles on psychopharmacology, music, jail life, addiction, and even veganism, and was part-time Staff Writer for the Ventura County Reporter from 2006 to 2015.