At the Phrygid Edge of Whiteness

As a doctoral student at UT, Austin, Stephen Montague came to teach for a few semesters, and left a great impression on all those with whom he came into contact. He asked us questions like "is the opening of Beethoven's 5th Symphony triplets or off-beat 8th notes?" Most of us weren't sure, but we looked it up! He is a stickler for details and a unique person. Every so often someone comes along that changes forever the way I think about things. They stick out because they play by a different rule book, and dance to their own drummer. While the village is not totally burned down, it is left changed. And that was my big take-away: to authentically follow my vision with dogged persistence, no matter where the mob wants me to go. He inspired me to be myself, which took a few decades to truly manifest, but i've gotten there. Thanks for the reminder that life is full of wondrous glitches, hickups and side roads, and somehow just keeps on tickin’.