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Welcome to James R. Taylor's home page!

And thanks for visiting! Here is a quick outline of my life:

1967: I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, to John and Anita Taylor
1983: My mother and I moved to Los Osos, California, near San Luis Obispo.
1984: Studied philosophy and political philosophy at Harvard Summer School.
1985: Graduated from Morro Bay High School.
1986: Went to the Expo in Vancouver, Canada
1987: Went to summer school at the University of Guanajuato, Mexico.
1987 (September): Enrolled at U.C. Santa Barbara
1989-90: Taught English and math to Spanish speakers as a volunteer at Santa Barbara High School
1990: Received my B.A. in history; briefly taught special education.
1991: Moved back to Las Vegas, going to work in a hotel
1997: Visited New Orleans and Mississippi

On the Eiffel Tower in 1985.

As we all know, life can be a struggle at times. But in some ways, I've been very lucky. I was particularly fortunate to have John and Anita Taylor as my parents. I've gone to some excellent schools, including Harvard, with its unique tradition and atmosphere, and U.C. Santa Barbara, with its gorgeous campus and surrounding areas. I've been to some wonderful places, such as Paris, central Mexico, Yosemite National Park, and New Orleans. And I've enjoyed some great friendships along the way.

On a pyramid outside Mexico City

My first big trip was to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to attend Harvard when I was 17. I was between my junior and senior years of high school, and I lived in Thayer Hall (an ivy-covered dormitory in Harvard Yard) mostly with other high-school students attending summer school there. The classes were regular Harvard undergraduate classes. For my 2 classes, I had to buy more than a dozen books -- Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Sartre, and others. I had great teachers: Dr. Robert Paul Wolff for Philosophy, and the brilliant and genial Dr. Patrick Riley for Political Philosophy. I also lucked out with my roommates, David Hsu from Houston and Mike Cabana from Chicago.

Later, I went to Paris for 10 days with some other members of the Morro Bay High School French club. Paris was fantastic; seeing the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe is a memory to last a lifetime. The Louvre museum was an astounding eye-opener -- and that's not to mention the Jeu de Pomme, the Musee Rodin, or Versailles.

In the summer of 1987, I participated in a program offered by Irvine Valley College that allowed me to take two classes at the University of Guanajuato, in central Mexico. That trip was a revelation, especially the pyramids (at two sites I went to!) and the murals of Diego Rivera. People who have only been to Tijuana don't know what they're missing. You can find out more about my Mexico trip by following the link at the bottom of this page.

I was lucky enough to live in California for 8 years. My first 3 years were in Los Osos, a scenic little town outside San Luis Obispo. Orange County was a different experience -- not as beautiful, but more exciting. Santa Barbara was my ideal city -- I'm so grateful that 4 years of my life were spent there. I covered countless miles in walks and bike-rides (a couple times I rode my mountain bike from Goleta to Ventura and back, a round trip of over 90 miles). California also has another of my favorite places in all the world -- Yosemite National Park, where often you feel as if there's nothing but beauty as far as the eye can see.

After graduating college, economic necessity brought me back to Las Vegas. I'm not especially fond of Vegas, but I am comfortable here (except when the summer sun turns the valley into a microwave oven). On television, Las Vegas looks like the most exciting place in the world, but looks can be deceiving. I have made a couple getaways, most notably a trip to New Orleans and Mississippi with my sister Karen to visit relatives. If you're living in Vegas and you want a dramatic change, you can't do better than Columbia, Mississippi. While in New Orleans, I took the free ferry across the Mississippi and back, just to be on the great river.

On my way to the bunny slope in Squaw Valley

After college, I spent ten years working at hotel/casinos. It certainly wasn't what I went to school for, but it wasn't all wasted time, either. I learned a lot about dealing with people and handling pressure. I took some college courses recreationally, like law and Japanese, and now I'm back in school full-time. I enjoyed studying history in school, but I know now that I should have gone into a field like computer science or engineering, which I'm better suited to. So, I'm attempting a mid-life career change.

For years, my favorite hobby was tennis. In a way it's odd, because I'm not a highly competitive person, and tennis is such an intense one-on-one sport. (I'm not big on doubles). But I simply love hitting the ball. I experimented with many different grips and styles; I tried copying the strokes of Lendl, Connors, Wilander, Agassi, and others. It gave me a lot of exercise and a lot of fun. I played intramurals at UCSB, but my playing time has slipped in recent years.

My bicycling days, unfortunately, came to an end when my bike was stolen during my senior year at U.C.S.B. Since then I've gotten another one, but Las Vegas is not a friendly town to cyclists. There aren't even bike paths on the streets around the university, which makes no sense to me. The closest I ever came to dying was while riding a bike in the emergency lane on Rainbow Road, on the west side of town. A driver coming toward me decided to use the emergency lane to pass the car in front of him. Somebody up above must like me, because I only had a moment to react before the two cars flew by on either side of me. If I hadn't been facing traffic (which allowed me to adjust my course), I would have been nailed at about fifty miles an hour.

Another big hobby of mine is music. Not performing it, and certainly not singing it; just listening to it and learning about it. For a while I was really into jazz, and I still have enormous respect for the likes of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. I mostly listen to rock, but in general I respect jazz artists more than rock musicians. I like both classic rock (Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin) and alternative rock (U2, R.E.M., the Cure, the Smiths). I have no problem listening to country/western, but I have no critical ear for it.

I'm still interested in history and politics. I consider myself to be about 60% Democrat, 40% Republican. I feel that my Dad was a model Republican: a true compassionate conservative, long before the phrase came into vogue. He was fiscally conservative and believed in a strong national defense, but he was also deeply concerned about the plight of the poor.

My father, John Axel Taylor

My dog Hansi

The people I admire most

My cat Yum-Yum

Virtues I admire

My ferrets Scully and Sebastian

25 lives I would like to live

The great (ferret) escape

My autobiography in brief

My month in Mexico

My summer at Harvard

Yosemite