who's writing this stuff?

John MacDonald (me) was born in Mesa, Arizona while JFK was still President, and resisted all green vegetables until well into adulthood.  The fourth of six children, he still wonders how his gentle, loving parents didn’t beat them all to death most days.  At least the five boys. 

He was a Catholic kid in a Mormon town, played every sport with virtually no skill or achievement and in 1980 was voted “Most Likely To Succeed” in the Westwood High School Yearbook, which he oversaw as Editor and thus might have heavily influenced that particular “vote.”

He’s a graduate of Arizona State University, and still hasn’t gotten over the 1997 Rose Bowl.  Or the 1993 NBA Finals that the Phoenix Suns lost when the fancy-pants Chicago Bulls cheated their way to the championship.

Somehow, he’s managed to raise four children without yet managing to severely damage any, though two of them are toddlers, so it’s still early.  He loves them to his bones, and hopes they’ll bring him chocolate and beer when he’s old(er).

He’s married to a kind, intelligent, beautiful, successful loving woman.  This is a mystery.

He’s traveled to nearly every corner of Arizona, including many fishing holes, Mexican restaurants and small-town gas stations, where some of the best people in the world hang out.  To earn a living, he has at various times:  cleaned bathrooms at a water park, picked watermelons, washed dishes, cooked Mexican food in Chicago, sold advertising, waited tables and, with pure luck and the help of many benefactors, carved out a career in lobbying and government relations that has allowed him to spend considerable time around a series of VIPs and morons, who sometimes are the same people.

For a time a few years back, the Arizona Republic gave him some space as a columnist.  The newspaper hasn’t called back since, but it was nice of them at the time.

His favorite movie is probably “Rocky,” though this changes about twice a week.  He likes every kind of music, at least a little, and likes to read books when his toddlers aren’t ripping his face off.

He also enjoys referring to himself in the third person.

High school girlfriends

Hours spent fishing on AZ lakes

fish caught

Total guitar chords John plays

AZ wineries visited

Days/year wishing for rain

Marathons Run

Toddlers in the house (seems like 7)