Call me Colombus with an iPhone

From a very early point in my life I knew I could learn of the world through books. It is through books that I found comfort, knowledge and joy. As I have grown older (remeber, oldER,  not old) that has not changed, but what has is a fundamental need to move forward with my life and give it greater depth. I am Richard Velasquez, a 38 year old Hispanic man born, raised and living in Miami. There is not truly anything of great consequence to my biography. Decided to discontinue college after several attempts due in part to considerable trauma in grade and middle school. Sounds odd coming from a book aficionado but that will remain the subject of a much longer and complex post in the future. At 20 unconsciously chose to work long-term in the hotel industry in service but relatively well paying jobs. Officially came out in 2007 although some intimate friends knew years before. I am currently partnered with an amazing person. Started traveling in earnest in 2005, with a trip to Canada's spactacular British Columbia. My partner has an intense love for seeing the world as well and we have explored a great deal of it together, although, as I say, we've barely just begun. And , well, that's about it. I cannot speak of having climbed the corporate ladder and reached the zenith. I have not saved a person's life, for example. I do not have a college degree to brag of. I have not - thankfully, actually - gotten married, had children and lived around a white picket fence. What I strive for is to see the world  in  full, to explore unchartered waters and yes, those metaphorical undiscovered countries that await. To give my life meaning by way of the written word, and, it is my hope, to take my readers on a voyage of spiritual discovery; to learn of the world not just by means of physically visting disparate locales, but by understanding the world we live in and its complexities. Its cultures, politics, social ills, cuisines, history. Books brought the world to me as a child. As a man I wish to bring the world to you via the modern book - the blog. The trip has barely begun.