About Me

I'm a genuine male thirty-something, finally getting a grasp on what life is all about, and beginning to just let go and enjoy the ride with my lovely wife and Soul Mate, Kim, who is the best partner, lover, and friend I could ask for.

Well hello there. Thanks for stopping by.

My name is Rich. For the better part of my life, I've had my head up my ass. Not literally, of course, but more in the sense of fearing to be in tune with life's events that are difficult or troubling. But I think I'm on the verge of getting it. To just let go sometimes and feel it.

After being the proverbial big fish in a little pond during my high school years in Small-Town, New Hampshire, I ventured from the hills of New England to the midwest, where I played college football for 4 years and studied politics and government at a small liberal arts college in Ohio. I joined the football fraternity and was not only a member, but also the president. There may have been some other incidents in which I was involved during those years, mostly undocumented, but I'll save those for some future posts. There I fell in love and met the girl I knew I was going to marry as soon as she started giving me the time of day. For better or worse, my best friend and soul mate has stood by my side and provided balance, support, and unconditional love during our amazing partnership. Sometimes I think I am both lucky and undeserving of such a gift.

When it was time to move on from the college life it became clear to me that my degree in political science would either put me somewhere on Capitol Hill or pumping gas, or a combination of the two. My graduation gift was a plane ticket to Europe and a backpack full of clothes, so a close buddy of mine spent a couple of months seeing the sights of Western Europe and sharing life with some of the most interesting people from all over the world. A desire to save the world and cross-examine Colonel Jessup on the witness stand brought me to law school in Portland, Maine, where I could not have been a more average student.

A job opportunity in the hills of northern Vermont presented itself after graduation, so my wife and I loaded up a U-Haul and began the next chapter of our lives. After practicing civil litigation in a small firm for four years left me disgruntled if not disgusted with the entire legal profession, I took a job as an environmental prosecutor for the state that I very much enjoyed. Honing my passion for environmental protection issues was a major plus of this job, and it prompted me to search for a career where I could use my skills to do proactive work benefitting the environment.

After many discussions with my better half, we decided that the next destination of choice would be Charlotte, North Carolina. When people ask me why Charlotte, I find myself repeating the following answer: bigger and better city, warmer climate, lower cost of living, better life. Indeed, it is a better life. I am now working for a non-profit organization that partners with private landowners to preserve and protect open space and various watersheds throughout our service area. It is the greatest challenge I have faced in my professional career, but it is time for me to reach my full potential. Sadly, my wife has been back home as we patiently await to sell our home. I dream of the day when we are back together again and our rescued wonder-mutt, Cleveland, is frolicking in our fenced-in yard.

My blog has never had a consistent theme or mantra. Sometimes I will share with you my deepest fears and tell you what makes me cry. Other times I may simply share a picture or a quotation from my day that I hope makes you smile. Basically my blog is exactly what the title says it is, a "Slice of Life." I hope in the days ahead that I share as many slices as I can and do so openly and honestly. This is my life, and now, more than ever, I realize that I only get one shot.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the ride.