Other Interests and Hobbies

Chess has not been my only activity outside of my profession. I played most sports when I was younger, but eventually focused on soccer playing on my high school and university teams.  Morton HS in Cicero had a large ethnic population and not surprisingly had very good teams, winning the state championship one year. In college I played on the University of Illinois team for four years. Chicago was a hotbed for soccer and had one of the best amateur soccer leagues in the country; the teams generally represented various ethnic groups. I played for the Lithuanian junior team and later the first team during my high school and undergraduate years.

Aurelia and I have always enjoyed tennis, skiing, and traveling.  We still participate in competitive tennis and try to never miss an opportunity to see the world. I have won tennis tournaments ranging from club championships (Champaign, IL Tennis Club; Arlington, VA Tennis Club), senior tournaments (U of Illinois Open 35's, Greenbelt Md 40's, Sunny Hills Racquet Club CA 40's, etc.), and numerous doubles tournaments. AureIia and I also accumulated several championship trophies in mixed doubles during our life in California.

Reading has always been an essential part of my life.  When there is time, I enjoy music, dance, many board games such as Chinese chess, and card games as bridge.  I often stretch the theme "novelty is the spice of life" to an extreme.  But, life is short, and as far as I can tell, "we only have one shot at it.  Life is not a dress rehearsal!"  So its better to do "it" now and not be afraid to take the first step on the road to somewhere.