Yours Truly

Born in New Jersey, I have lived here for all of my years. I'll admit that I actually like New Jersey, although my heart belongs to New Hampshire, where I've vacationed nearly every year of my life.

I'm the fourth of three—I was the last of four sons born to my parents, the third having died at birth. Both of my brothers live in Arizona, which is also where my parents retired, leaving me the only one to remain in our home state.

My professional life began in high school as a sign painter. After earning a bachelor's degree at The College of New Jersey (née Trenton State College) in advertising, graphic design and communications, I pursued careers in printing, photography, multi-media/video production and post-production, computer animation, desktop publishing, technical writing and illustration, marketing and website development.

After a decade working as the marketing manager for a high-tech instrument company, I burned out and went through a midlife crisis career switch. Today I work for a major pharmaceutical company as a software developer; I also still build websites professionally on the side.

Aside from a passion for trains both real and miniature, I love movies, music, photography, home renovation, cooking, woodland walks, waterfalls, sunsets and stargazing, writing, science and technology, dinosaurs and cats. And if you're a Boomer (or, more accurately, a GenJoneser) like me, you might remember The Avengers.

—David K. Smith

Let me be buried in the rain
In a deep, dripping wood,
Under the warm wet breast of Earth
Where once a gnarled tree stood.
And paint a picture on my tomb
With dirt and a piece of bough
Of a girl and a boy beneath a round, ripe moon
Eating of love with an eager spoon
And vowing an eager vow.
And do not keep my plot mowed smooth
And clean as a spinster's bed,
But let the weed, the flower, the tree,
Riotous, rampant, wild, and free,
Grow high above my head.

—Helene Johnson, Invocation

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