Background, Pt. 1

Update, 3:21 PM, 4/17--Comments now open to all!

So who the hell is Shupac?

Well, I'm a 39 year old guy living on the outskirts of Ann Arbor, Mich. I've been married for 12 years to Kristine. We've got no kids and one cat.

I teach English at the University of Toledo, mostly freshman writing. I was living here when I got the Toledo job, and it didn't seem worth the hassle of moving. The commute is itself a hassle, about 45 minutes each way, but I'll be doing it for the forseeable future. This on top of long commutes most of my years in graduate school, too. When I got my PhD at the Cow College, my studies concentrated on literature and the natural environment. The purpose statement I wrote when I applied there said something about an ambition to help nurture appreciation of the natural environment through the teaching of literature; I'm not sure I've accomplished that, but my years in this racket have certainly been good for the oil companies.

None of which explains the name "Shupac."

"Shupac" is the name of a lake in northern Michigan where I sometimes camp when I go fishing on the Au Sable river system. I started using it as an internet handle a few years ago. Here's a view from above...



So fishing is a big deal to you, eh?

Yeah. I literally can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't fishing. One of the earliest memories I have is of being taken to fish in ponds at a city park in Ft. Wayne, IN (my birthplace) when I was about 3. I can remember catching some panfish there and being uncertain what to do with them. I also remember getting nipped in the butt by a large white goose. That might actually be the reason I remember the day. I can't say that I developed a passion for fishing right there and then, but it was put into the mix from the beginning of my conscious life. It wasn't a big part of my life in the years immediately following, but when I was 6, my family moved to Kalamazoo, MI, and bought a house a ways out of town, adjacent to some ponds and a small but fine trout stream. I spent a lot of time on those waters between then and the time I went to college, and fished local lakes with my dad pretty frequently too.

Fishing was and is an escape from the daily pressures of life, as well as an utterly engrossing pursuit in its own right. There is always more to explore and learn, even in places you've been to a hundred times. As an "escape," fishing seems less a nook to duck in to and catch your breath than a parallel reality, a world with its own rythmns, laws, and culture (as well as considerable chaos). It feels like a life complete unto itself; or maybe a just a zone where the completeness of my life becomes apparent.

Not that I think that sort of stuff when I'm doing it, at least not much. Not if I'm serious about catching something, which I usually am.

Why 'Find the River'? Is that from the song by R.E.M.?

Yes. I do like the song, but the title also sounds like a good standing order for living.