In what would have been my junior year of college, I left UC-Irvine and started seminary at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA. I pretty much had to give away all my worldly possessions, including my beloved bike. In fact, there was a two weeks gap between selling my camper trailer that had been my abode at UC Irvine and entering seminary. Technically homeless for that two week period, I crashed in a friend’s garden shed. It was small and had no ventilation, but it had a mattress to sleep on and a cooler for food.
I had left behind everything – my bike, my not so promising engineering career, and my way of life. The seminary was a big risk, but it was also an adventure. The next four years of my life (1985-1989) were sent studying in seminary and living a religious life. I had chosen the Dominican Order, an order which dates back the Middle Ages and emphasizes preaching and teaching. It was in seminary that I was introduced to the Philosophy Thomas Aquinas and I loved it! It was problem solving on a whole new level – a metaphysical level. After four years in seminary, I made the difficult decision to leave in 1989, and in August 1990, I moved to Houston to pursue a PhD in philosophy – with the goal of becoming a university professor.
The next few years were spent studying and focusing on problems of the metaphysical, rather than physical type. Little did I know that soon I would focus on mechanical issues again. Life has a funny way of bringing you full circle, doesn’t it?
In a lot of ways, inventing is a risk and an adventure. I’m still waiting to find out how the VECTr adventure ends. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
VECTr - Variably Expanding Chain Transmission 