Charles E. Perkins
I'm the father of two sons (Gregory and Philip),
as well as a daughter (Sarah) by a previous marriage.
I finally got around to posting some images of them.
Sooner or later, I'll get some pictures of my other brother
and sister and put those up, too.
I really am very fond
of Sherry Hagen and
love her very much.
I play classical guitar, formerly jazz, big band, rock, and folky stuff.
Our house is in general very musical, and threatens to become
more so now that Gregory has started to learn cello.
I secretly always wanted to be a mathematician
and would do so even now if possible.
I read as much about current events as time allows, tend to
vote for personal freedom, social and fiscal responsibility,
and against anyone who violates the public trust. Narrows
the field somewhat, you say? Other interests include parenting,
nudism, hiking, choral singing, bridge, travel, parenting, skiing,
Broadway theatre, modern dance, parenting, playing games,
and keeping up the house. Oh, did I mention parenting? Religion
was generally towards Unitarian/Universalist, where I have been
known to sing bass in the choir. You can usually find me
by looking for the tallest guy around (6'9") with a beard.
Over the past couple of years (2006-now) I have taken a
stronger interest in classical guitar. I finally have
progressed to the stage where I can perform effectively
on stage. I was able to host an open-mike meeting of
the South Bay Guitar Society SBGS,
and help other
aspiring performers to be less nervous for their time
on the stage. What a difference from the time not
long ago when I could hardly make my fingers work at
all on stage! I have been studying the Villa-Lobos
Preludes and more recently some of the beautiful tunes
by Miguel Llobet -- for instance, El Mestre. I have
recorded a few earlier efforts and placed them on
YouTube under charliep1951, but these have various
mistakes and I plan on making updates soon. Many
thanks to Grady Sloan, my guitar teacher, who has
been instrumental in helping me to overcome my
performance anxiety. I also treasure my
participation in the recent
Interlochen Summer Guitar Workshops.
I was delighted to be able to participate in master classes
with Ana Vidovic, Frank Koonce, and Brad DeRoche.
Having graduated from Rice University in 1976 and 1977,
I am interested in meeting up with other Rice alumni.
I am currently a member of
Lupin Naturist Lodge,
close to Los Gatos. See "Thoughts on nudism"
for one or two ideas about this, which I'll probably expand soon.
Here are some pictures of my family.
My sons Gregory and Philip (they're in college now):
Gregory is at MIT, is older, and has wilder hair. Philip is at Fairleigh Dickinson University, plays drums and sometimes bass, and is more extroverted. It is impossible not to love these boys.
My sons Gregory and Philip from a younger age
My daughter Sarah, past and present:
My brother John, with Elaine:
My mother:
Another project on my list is to create a rant page, where I express
my views on various things. Geez, what can a person do to have any
effect on the state of things? I wish there was some way that I
could counteract all the horrid trends that are currently diminishing
our civil liberties and privacy. I am quite optimistic that the
recent election of Barack Obama will help to turn the tide
towards the future we deserve as a society.
Case in point: a policeman can plant a marijuana seed in your
car (or, probably even, in your house), bust you for it, throw
you in jail, and confiscate your car, your belongings, or whatever
they need to fund their next anti-pornography crusade, and there
is hardly anything you can do about it. This isn't the USA
I learned about in civics class. It's scary.
The thing that is most amazing to
me is that quite often the majority of the electorate just does
not care, and is content to elect any jerk who claims to represent
their religious viewpoint.
And what about bombing anything and everything that moves depending
on the state of the president's popularity rating?
I guess these things will continue until the electorate figures
out that their religious leaders aren't steering them in
the right direction. The heck of it is that the information
is typically all available already, online and in various
publications.
Question: What state recently elected a "big name" governor who
helped plunder a bank as part of the Savings and Loan
holocaust in the early '80s?
Question: Do you really doubt that people who obtain millions
of dollars by illegitimate means would then fail to see the
financial advantages of getting elected to key
governmental positions?
Here's my home contact information:
Charles E. Perkins
Saratoga, CA 95070
<charliep@computer.org>
This page was updated on 13 Jan 2009, at 9:41 A.M.