I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of the year the World's Fair came to town. Being a clumsy and double crowned catastrophe of a child, I found solace in working Rubik's cubes and memorizing various nations' flags. I also played soccer; however, in the 2nd scrimmage of my 8th grade season, I was slide-tackled from behind, which action snapped both bones in my left leg directly above the ankle. I didn't play much soccer after that. I'm pretty sure that something happened in high school, but I refuse to remember it. [scene missing]. Next, it was on to washing dishes at a BBQ restaurant and then to stocking auto parts for a warehouse in the heart of K-town's 'Mechanicsville'. This is where I realized the need for college. I came from humble beginnings, and my parents sacrificed everything to ensure I had as much freedom and support as one could ever need. Also, I discovered the tantalizing Siren song of number theoretic conjectures (often so simple to state, yet so incredibly difficult to solve). Previously, I had planned on charging astronomical fees for mediocre, surrealistic artwork, but armed with a new love of puzzles I decided to pursue mathematics instead. I spent some time at a community college in the boondocks to get my feet wet and also found time to play in a rock band once described by a friend as "southern fried chaos". In the spring of 2006, I received my Bachelor of Science (summa cum laude) from the University of Tennessee. In the fall of that same year I came to the University of Arizona in Tucson to earn my PhD.