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Personal information

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I've long been known to lick fossils and rocks. (It's a great way to clean them and expose anatomical details!) Despite this, I'm married to an amazing woman, Sandra Novack, who writes fiction. Her novel Precious and short story collection Everyone But You are published by Random House. (Precious was called a best new novel of 2009 and she's always glad to sign your copy!). Yes, I'm proud, and did I mention her website? We live in Oak Park in an eclectically charming house with our many pets.

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Some of my favorite experiences in life have involved food or music. I'm especially fond of the following:

• Locally sourced food, farmers markets, and sustainable farming: We shop and volunteer at the Oak Park Farmers Market regularly, and are proud to call as friends the many regional farmers who grow, process, and sell most of our food (produce, meat, eggs, fish, baked goods, honey, milk, and cheeses), allowing us to not only know their growing conditions, but also that we can help the farmers maintain economically viable living conditions for their families and laborers.

• "Ethnic" food: Whatever that means (Is a Big Mac "ethnic" in Ghana?), but especially Indian, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, dim sum & Thai

• Microbrew beer: High IBUs rock!

• Chocolate: Well blended, I like them all. But Vosges is unparalleled

• Cheese: Le pied de dieu

• Cured meats: The miraclulous microbial garde manger

• Ice cream: Actually all high-fat dairy products, except milk

• Live music: The only thing better is playing in the band yourself. (We're big fans of Grant Park Music Festival and Chicago Summer Dance!)

• Recorded music: Since John Coltrane and Bela Bartok aren't playing much these days, the next best thing... Click here for some recommendations

• Movies: I like anti-heroes and eccentrics (Taxi Driver, Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, Pulp Fiction, Rear Window, Fargo, Harold and Maude, This is Spinal Tap, Babe: Pig in the City, Magnolia, Adaptation, Social Network, Get Out!). Zombie movies are a kick, too.

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Some nearly outright lies

Can you figure out which one is really true?

• I ate a live sea cucumber at the beach to see what it tasted like (like sea urchin roe, but chewier)

• I helped taste-test the flavor formula for Red Bull (I requested less bull)

• I once passed out by an electrical shock, and then was resuscitated by the humid snout of a kindly heifer

• I played flugelhorn in college pep-band (and just can't hate Chuck Mangione)

• I've never lost a game of Backgammon (I'm a pip-counter)

• I was voted "best hair" in High School (It was a small school)

• I went by the childhood nickname El Socko (Don't ask)

• I won $1500 at a Greyhound Race Track in Jersey (the winning dog was Saint MoMo Bonaventura)

• My favorite Thanksgiving dinner involved no turkey, but guests (and food) representing more than 6 countries (and 5 continents)