Rich Stoehr (GlassIsland)'s Info

I often hide behind a pithy Douglas Adams quote or maybe some song lyrics. I guess it makes sense that much of what I share is reviews of things I like (or don't).

People who are first getting to know me are often surprised to learn that I'm a father of three daughters, the eldest of whom of is a senior in high school.  I don't blame them for their disbelief - sometimes I have a hard time fathoming that the little girl I held as they fell asleep or pushed on a swing is now driving, filling out college applications, and comparing notes on potential boyfriends.  It takes some adjustment.  Those who know me well know that on some level, fatherhood has defined me and changed me and made me who I am.

I love to create. My ideas lean towards the written word for their expression (a real surprise there) but I also like to draw, favoring charcoal pencils over most other media. I work in the digital world too, with graphic design and video production.  I enjoy working in all these media, but writing is my one true love.

I never mastered the art of music, but I am an avid listener. I find it inspiring and I deeply admire those who hear hidden harmonies and weave notes together into tapestries of sound.  It's a talent I don't have, it's mysterious and kind of magical.

I live where I think I was meant to be - somewhere I fell in love with even as my father fell deeply in hate with it.  I need wind and water and rain and sun and blue and green and I can find it all here in Washington, in abundance.

I'm lucky enough to have a "day job" where I can use many of my talents, at least in some limited form.  The restrictions of the business world create a challenge to say something original in a saturated landscape.

I make memories and I make movies.  I make love and I make mistakes.

More to the point, I read and I listen and I watch, and I like to share what I find.  It's a rare moment that finds me without a book close to hand, and I read whatever strikes my fancy, with leanings toward the fantastic and the frightening.  I think fear is a primal emotion that defines most of human history and deserves exploration.

I believe that we are creating human experiences and we owe it to one another to share those experiences and to learn from them.

And so, here I am.