Hi, I'm Ben, a recent alum of Kalamazoo College and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mi. Lansing isn't the most exciting of towns, suffering from a combination of localized economic depression from the recently condemned GM plants and the astounding unemployment and tax deficit from which the entire state is currently suffering. Good thing I don't have very much free time. I like to travel when I'm not bound to my books - I've eaten my way through 5 continents and a handful of countries. Last winter I studied abroad in Melbourne, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand and spent a week in Fiji before and after the term. This second round of study arboad was better than I could have expected. While London will always be my first love I will forever feel at home in New Zealand. Sure, I studied here and there but I didn't let it get in the way of any cultural experiences. Check out my travel page for cool photos taken with my super cool new digital SLR and my thoughts page for insightful thoughts about my trip. I currently live in Portland, Oregon, which is where I hope to remain for the indefinite future. I'm not terribly sad to leave Michigan behind, although I am freaking out about having to move my entire life accross country. This page began in late 1998 after a successful attempt to secure a memorable domain name. Since then I've used it to post pictures, vent my thoughts, and of course publicize my highschool punk band. While the punk rock tendencies of my formative years have long since passed (along with my shoulder legnth hair) this domain still acts as a partial representation of my life.