Hello and good day to all the wonderful, benevolent people out there — and to hell with all the rest!

I’m Eric. I hold the meetings at my house on the first and third Saturdays of every month. I was born in 1968, knocked about in Houston for a few years back in the mid-80s, discovered Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism in 1989, received my BSEE in 1995, spent a year in Germany around 2002-03, and updated this page November 7, 2003.

But what does this really tell you about me? Nothing essential, that is for sure. So I guess I should expand on this. To follow the example of the great master (i.e., Aristotle) I will make use of categories.

Career:
After receiving my degree in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University, I went to work for Yazaki. Since then, I have worked at DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Marquardt Switches, and am now employed with Kostal of America. I am a senior project engineer and my responsibilities involve the hardware and software development of electronic modules in the automobile industry.

Goals:
I have many goals in life. One is to become financially independent one day. To this end, I am learning about (and participating in) stock market investing. I am also attempting to learn the basics behind real estate investing. In the near future, I want to have at least two side-businesses: 1) owning rental properties, 2) teaching basic firearms classes for people interested in obtaining carry permits in the state of Michigan. For the latter, I have been certified by the NRA to teach classes on basic pistol and personal protection.

Interests:
This is the hard part. I have so many optional values that I don’t know where to begin, which to include, or how to keep it brief so as not to put the reader to sleep.
Let’s see…ooh! How about sub-categories!

Creative: My creative interests involve writing—which you can readily see examples of by viewing various letters and speeches that I have written here on our website—drawing, and learning to play the drums. These last two activities I am only just now making a significant attempt to pursue. Until recently they were skills that I had long forgotten. As for the writing, I am hoping to become more prolific and creative in the realm of fiction.

The Arts: With regards to the arts, I love realistic paintings with a positive sense of life. There are so many different artists that have been able to fulfill this requirement that it would be impossible to list them all here. Instead, I recommend that you go here: artrenewal.com. There is one artist that I would like to give special mention to though: please check out the works of Liron at lironsart.com. I also am very passionate about music, and my likes are all across the spectrum. I like classical music (such as Rachmaninoff, Tchaicovsky, and Vivaldi) as well as modern music (Rush, Nena, No Doubt, Chicago, etc.). Concerning movies, I like the ones that portray heroic figures and have a positive sense of life. Some of my favorites (and this is by no means all-inclusive) are Braveheart, Dangerous Beauty, Ninotchka, October Sky, and Queen Christina. As for books, I read both fiction and non-fiction, and have a particular affinity for the classics—but I like some modern fiction as well. I like Victor Hugo, Robert B. Parker, and even Harry Potter. It goes without saying that my all time favorite is Ayn Rand.

Social: My best friends in the whole world are Robert and Amy. They have been my friends for many years now and I can’t imagine my life without them. I also have the pleasure of calling my favorite Objectivist speaker/novelist/philosopher one of my dear friends as well—Dr. Andrew Bernstein. His semi-regular meetings of The Hero’s Society are a real inspiration. And I would be remiss if I did not mention the rest of my friends at the EGO group, especially Echo, Bob and Dave.

Sports: I like to participate as well as watch certain sports. I am a big fan of the Detroit Redwings. I try to stay in shape by going to the gym at least four days a week, and sometimes play soccer after work. Regarding the gym, this is perhaps the most significant improvement in my life over the past couple of years. I am in better shape now (and continually improving) than I have ever been before.

Misc.: Okay, this is where I can do nothing more than list various other things that I find interesting, but really aren’t worth expanding on: billiards, camping, canoeing, boating, the television shows Friends and Zeinfeld, playing Half-Life, birds (I used to own two Conures and plan to get Cockatoos one day), karaoke, celebrating holidays (esp. Christmas and Halloween), and improving my house. I am sure there are lots of other things that I am neglecting to mention, but this could go on forever.

Guns: I put this last one separate. It doesn’t really fit into any of the previous categories, and it is too important for me not to mention. Some might say it could go under sports, but I disagree. First, my reasons for being interested in this go beyond just a mere pastime. My reasons involve politics and self-protection as well. Second, I believe a proper definition of a sport—as opposed to a mere game or other activity—should involve an athlete (i.e., the participant must possess a degree of athletic conditioning in order to participate). Anyway, the right to bear arms is very dear to me, and one of the reasons I would never live in another country or a state that does not recognize my right to carry a concealed weapon.

Hopefully this helps you know a little bit more about me. Of course, the only real way to get to know someone is to actually meet him. So, to all of you individuals out there who are rational, benevolent, and interested in Objectivism, I extend an invitation for you to come out and join us at our regularly scheduled meetings. Please enjoy exploring the rest of our website.

Best Premises,
Eric

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