bio

The day of Zachary’s arrival into the material world was marked mysteriously by the appearance of a series of wonderful rainbows over St. Mike’s hospital. A product of genetic donation between his parents- though he’s particularly averse to visualizing it- Zachary found himself from a young age blessed with cat-like analytic faculties. These faculties allowed him to delineate and subsequently rage against the power structures in society that he deemed to be oppressive. Needless to say, his skill was as much a curse as a blessing, as it often found him sitting in offices and soaking in the neon burn while he waited to be seen by this or that Principal.

It took many years for Zachary to later discover that the free thought and constant criticism that had clashed so violently with public school authority were to become boons in the University setting. All of a sudden, the ’stuffed duck’ system of cramming facts into the minds of doe-eyed students was frowned upon and criticism stood in its place as an academic premium. It logically follows that Zachary went on to excel in the University setting, eventually having a few scholarships tossed his way and participating in a massive project that had him organizing a conference and going on a research trip to India on the government’s dole. When the sun finally set on those booze-soaked days of discovery, Zachary was the proud owner of a paper representation of four years of his life in the form of an Honors BA in international relations.

A setting sun in Canada gives way to a rising one over in merry old England, as was the case for Zachary’s booze-soaked pursuit of a MA in Chinese studies. Curry, the Chinese language, football, Chinese foreign relations, pints, incredibly cheap travel deals, incident boards warning of neighborhood rapes and anti-social behavior, and Taiwanese politics formed the eclectic mix of themes during the England years. When it was all over, Zachary was the proud owner of a paper representation of tens of thousands of dollars, which he deemed not so bad because he had scored an award of merit.

Now came the hard part. Having sharpened his analytic skills to a width measuring one-atom-thick and crammed his brain full of the workings of international society, how could he best deploy this expertise? The obvious answer, of course, would be to work at the Second Cup. Zachary thus threw himself into the role of Barista, squeezing out caramel in the shape of clovers and agreeing with any customer’s opinion, no matter how mundane it might be, however he could not help but get the feeling that his talents were being under-utilized. When he was eventually approved for a Taiwanese government scholarship to study Mandarin in Taipei, it was time to turn in his Second Cup polo shirt and oppressively tight black slacks and start a new life in Asia.

Life in Asia didn’t turn out to be all that new; in fact, it shared much in common with the past. Booze was cheap, work had to be done, and words needed to be… studied. However, living in Taipei did afford the opportunity to travel through Asia, which had the effect of coloring in all of the charcoal outlines sketched during the course of Zachary’s studies, affording him a fuller knowledge of the region.

Upon his triumphant return to Canada, Zachary decided to become a freelance writer and marked the occasion by purchasing a new hat, described by him to be ‘ye old timey hat.’ He later discovered that these hats have been co-opted by the hipsters, so he threw it out.