Michael Crawford in front of Caltech's Robert Millikan Statue

Michael Crawford in front of the statue of Robert Millikan
at the California Institute of Technology.

Who I Am

It's taking me some time to get this page written.

First, I'd like to introduce you to a very special woman in my life. I was wed to Bonita on July 22, 2000 in Pippy Park, near the Fluvarium in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Please read our wedding album.

I've been an amateur telescope maker since I was twelve years old. I had stopped grinding glass for quite a long time but recently picked it up again. Please read Mike's Amateur Telescope Making Page.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from the University of California Santa Cruz. My first two years of college were spent studying Physics and Astronomy at Caltech.

I'm not yet in a position where I can make a living from my art and music. I've been working as a computer programmer for fifteen years. Presently I work as a software consultant and own a one-man corporation called GoingWare Inc..

I suffer from a rare and poorly understood mental illness called schizoaffective disorder. Despite the pain it has caused me I have learned to live with it pretty well now. It is important to me that more people understand what mental illness really is both to reduce the stigma against it and to encourage those who also suffer to get treatment. You can learn more about it in my article Living with Schizoaffective Disorder.

New: I recently participated in an online interview for a psychology class about creativity. Please read:

On Creativity

I was born in 1964 in Spokane, Washington, but lived most of my life in California. My father was in the U.S. Navy when I was young so we moved all over, even living for a year in Gaeta, Italy when I was six. Bonita and I moved to Newfoundland the year of our wedding, and a few months afterwards we bought our first home in Owl's Head, Maine where we live now.

You may be interested in reading my weblogs. I actually keep two. My main one is at Advogato but I also occasionally keep one at Kuro5hin.