more than you really wanted to know...
"TechnoMonk" is the internet alias of Jim Arnold (currently a resident of Larkspur, California). Here is a little bit of my story.
I was born and raised in the state of Wisconsin, though by no means do I consider myself a Midwesterner. In my heart, mind, and soul, I’m a West-Coaster; I love the mountains, ocean, desert, and wide-open spaces. I am also quite attracted to the culture out here, which includes progressive politics as well as the philosophy of rugged individualism — predominant in frontier America — that tends to live on. (I've always sort of viewed my birth in the Midwest as some kind of karmic payback for sins committed in a past life. Honestly, I was just never a fit.)
Education has probably been the foremost theme of my life ... though whatever knowledge and wisdom I may possess come not only from the classroom but a considerable number of other life-altering, experiential, personal-growth opportunities. (You know, euphemisms for those extremely-painful human episodes we all have to endure.) Those who know me well would likely report that health, wellness and personal development are high on my list of values. I also love to travel, particularly here in the American West. New Mexico and Montana are favorite places, for example. When I’m not in Oregon or California, that is.
As far as my formal education goes, my undergraduate work was in chemistry and math (B.S., 1970) at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. I hold M.S. degrees in both organic chemistry (1974) and counseling (1987) from Oregon State University. And I received a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Indiana University in 1995.
Professionally, I have worked as a chemist; a photographer; a small business owner; a counselor & therapist; and, these days, as a college administrator. On occasion, I also do some consulting and expert witness testimony work, generally for lawsuits related to college-student alcohol use and/or fraternity hazing.
I was an Oregonian from 1970-2007, though I left the state in 1990 for a while. After a few vision-quest, graduate-school years in Bloomington, Indiana (1990-95), I moved back west to Eugene, Oregon, accepting employment with the Oregon University System (OUS). In July 2007, I became a Californian, having secured a position as an academic dean at a community college in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Away from work, I’m an avid hiker and walker (me and the music on my iPhone), an insatiable reader, and a fairly prolific amateur photographer. “They” say I am: intellectual, passionate, creative, balanced, intense, authentic, serious, intuitive, open-hearted, liberal, philosophical, academic, assertive, introverted, colorful, contemplative & compassionate ...
Welcome to my online journal. Enjoy your stay.
