INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY

Born May 8, 1964 in Oakland, California.

In 1970 my Kindergarten class participates in the recording of the hit song "Mill Valley". Unfortunately, our singing isn't good enough to make it on the record. So the song is released with a performance by the school's third grade class. But I am one of three kids who's face makes it on the single's cover. And I get to watch my teacher on the Smothers Brothers' Show. You can read the lyrics, listen to the song, and watch the promotional film (Note- That's pre-MTV language for "video") created by Francis Ford Coppola.

During 1971-1974 my mother is a Tupperware salesperson. Consequently, I spend much of these years in the back of her station wagon as she delivers Tupperware to customers.

I win the Santa Clara County Freckle Contest in 1973.

My favorite television show is Leave It To Beaver reruns in 1973.

I attend my first baseball game in 1974 when I see the Oakland A's win a game on my birthday. My favorite player, third baseman Sal Bando, hits a homerun.

My favorite television show is the Partridge Family in 1974.

I "discover girls" in 1975 when I develop a crush on a classmate. Tragically, she moves to a far off land called "Cotati" during the summer of 1975.

I graduate 6th grade from LaTercera Elementary School in 1976.

My favorite television show is Happy Days in 1976.

I am chosen to be the back-up third baseman for the Petaluma Valley Little League Baseball All-Star team in 1976.

I buy a copy of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1978.

I spend much of 1977 and 1978 watching television. My favorite television shows are Mork & Mindy, M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Eight is Enough, WKRP, and Taxi.

My mom is a member of the Committee For The Release of Patricia Hearst in 1977 and 1978. She writes letters to government officials, publishes letters in newspapers, and visits Patty at the federal prison in Pleasanton.

I attend my first school dance in 1978. I spend the night talking with my friends until a classmate asks me to dance.

I graduate from Kenilworth Junior High School in 1978.

Between 1977 and 1979 my best friend is Dave Fitzbag. Shy, quirky, and intelligent beyond his years, Dave becomes the first peer I admire. He introduces me to the power of music, not only through his impressive guitar playing, but through his Dylanesque love of playing with words’ lyrical nature. Years later Dave was the co-founder of the band Bag.

I buy my first Led Zepplin record (In Through The Out Door) in 1979 (I throw away my Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack shortly afterward).

Two years after watching the mini-series Roots, my mother's new interest in geneology leads to the discovery of a family secret. Having grown up hearing her mother describe herself as Spanish, my mother discovers that her maternal grandfather actually was filipino and her maternal grandmother was Puerto Rican. She meets her mother's siblings for the first time, learning that her mother started pretending to be Spanish in the 1930s in order to appear European and avoid the painful effects of racism. Unfortunately, my grandmother cannot face her secret and refuses to talk to my mother for the next 13 years.

I buy a copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1979. I become an avid second generation Beatles fan.

I adopt a cat that was being given away in front of the Washington Square Safeway grocery store in 1980. I name her "Hey Jude".

I get my first car in 1980. It's a 1971 Vega. I immediately buy a stereo worth more than the car.

I get in my first car accident three week later.

My mom makes national news when she begins a business called Rent-a-Wife in 1980. She is surprised to see that the concept of a wife is repeatedly associated with sex before anything else.

"Hey Jude" has litter of kittens in 1980. We keep one kitten and name her "Penny Lane"

I mourn John Lennon's death by attending an organized vigil in San Francisco's Marina District in December 1980.

I forget to sign the card when leaving a dozen roses on a classmate's porch sometime in 1980 (I can't remember exactly when. I seem to have blocked most of the experience from my memory).

In 1981 I bring a copy of Mao Zedong's Little Red Book to my high school history class on the day it discusses censorship. I explain to my class that my father told me it was illegal to own the book, that he'd confiscated it while on-duty as a police officer, but he'd brought the book home instead of submitting it as contraband. While I describe these events, an exchange student from Denmark suddenly grabs the book, throws it on the floor, jokingly calls it "communist propoganda," and steps on it, breaking the book's binding. Afterward I find out that the student actually is a Communist.

Between 1981 and 1985 I attend a lot concerts. At first I see the Rolling Stones, J. Geils Band, George Thorogood, The Who, David Bowie, Journey (2 times), Loverboy, Carlos Santana, Devo (2 times), Cheap Trick (2 times), The Police, Greg Kihn Band (3 times), and Prince (2 times). As my music tastes shift over the years, I see REM (3 times), The Ramones, X (5 times), Elvis Costello (2 times), The Residents (during the 13th anniversay tour), The Clash, Los Lobos, U2 (2 times), and Neil Young.

I graduate from Casa Grande High School in June 1982.

I attend Santa Rosa Junior College from 1982 through 1986. I begin as a Computer Science major.

In 1983 I take a Greyhound bus to Fresno to see The Police in concert. I arrive in Fresno, walk to the site of the concert, find out the concert was cancelled, walk back to the Greyhound bus stop, and take a bus back to Petaluma. But I do see their Oakland, CA concert a few days later.

I take my first philosophy course in 1983.

In 1983 I identify as a Mathematics major.

My music tastes begin to shift to Elvis Costello, REM, The Ramones, The Residents, The Clash, and 'X' around 1983.

I spend 1983-1985 working, going to school, and going to concerts.

I spend roughly 3 hours reading Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy while waiting to attend a 'X' concert in 1983.

In August 1984 I enroll at Texas A & M University. After a couple days I am hosting an alternative music show on the student-run radio station. Within a week I grow tired of being asked if I am gay when someone finds out I am from the San Francisco Bay Area. After two weeks I return home and re-enroll at Santa Rosa Junior College.

In 1984 I travel to New York City. In addition to seeing the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center, and the Metropolitan Museum, I go to the Dakota Building and lay flowers at the doorway where John Lennon was shot.

I spend roughly three hours reading Jean Paul Sartre's autobiography, Words, while waiting to attend a R.E.M. concert in 1984.

While reading Sartre's autobiography as I ride a Golden Gate Transit bus from school, I suddenly begin vomiting. What initially appears to be an authentic existential response to life's meaninglessness, later turns out to be a case of zinc poisoning.

In 1984 I identify as a Psychology major.

I see 'X' play at Petaluma's Phoenix Theater in 1984. I arrive early, poke my head in the side door, and listen to the band rehearse. After noticing me sing along, the band's guitarist, Billy Zoom, walks over and talks with me for a few minutes. He autographs a concert poster and gives it to me. After the show, as I walk home, I see the band's bus pull into a motel. Both the band's drummer, DJ Bonebreak, and bassist, John Doe, graciously agree to sign my poster; but before I ask the band's lead singer, Exene Cervenka, she walks up to me and asks, "Where's a f@cking bar around here?" I point, she turns, and my poster has only three signatures to this day.

In 1985 my ability to distinguish between reality and television further deteriorates when my mother's experiences with Rent-a-Wife are used in a TV movie called This Wife For Hire starring Pam Dawber of Mork and Mindy.

In 1985 I identify as a Philosophy major.

I take a Critical Thinking class with George Freund in Fall 1985. Only I never attend class after October 31 unless it's to take an exam. Despite earning an 'A' on every assignment, George gives me a 'B'. He explains in an office meeting that I can appeal to the Dean, and the Dean likely will give me an 'A', but George does not feel comfortable giving me an 'A' since I missed so many classes. He then proceeds to tell me that I am not taking my studies or myself seriously enough. He thinks I am capable of teaching Philosophy, but only if I apply myself.

While working as a security guard, I receive a commendation in 1985. I earn this by being "smart" enough to hide when two men shoot at me.

I attend Sonoma State University from 1986 through 1988. During my first semester I declare a double major in Philosophy and Mathematics. By the second semester I am a Philosophy major.

I get a 1979 Honda GL1000 motorcycle in 1987. I promptly become a member of Sonoma State's little known "Motorcycles and Metaphysics" club.

I work at Hanna Boys Center from July 1987 through August 1989. Among the highlights is an incident when a resident bites my ear and swallows the diamond earring my girl friend bought me.

I celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the "Summer of Love" living in a co-op in Berkeley, CA. While there I meet Karl Coryat. Intelligent, wacky, and musically gifted, Karl quickly becomes the second peer I admire. I am honored when he asks me to write lyrics for some of his songs. Together we author such little known classics as That Wacky Agreement, Step Out, Hot Pink Bus, and I Really Nietzsche. A few years later Karl becomes the editor of Bass Player Magazine, the author of several music books, and the author of several political cartoons.

I witness the Great Dodger Riot in 1988 while grading critical thinking homework. I'm given a 10th row ticket to a Giants/Dodgers twilight double header. Needing to grade critical thinking homework, I bring the papers and grade between innings. Tension builds so much between the Dodgers and the Giant's fans that fans begin throwing objects at the Dodger's manager, Tommy Lasorda, and his players. At one point an angry fan is charging down an aisle, yelling at the Dodgers. He sees me grading, stops, says, "Oh, I'm sorry professor," and then continues running and screeming.

I attend Boston University from 1989 through 1994. Three days after arriving, I am surprised to learn that I am not allowed to bring women into my dorm after 11pm. When I express frustration and disapproval at the fact that I wasn't told this until after I had signed a contract to work and live in the dorms, I am told I need to be a "team player."

In August 1989, I see my first baseball game at Fenway Park.

I start studying American Pragmatism and Social/ Political Philosophy in 1990.

In 1991 I learn that I descend from William Brewster, the Reverend Elder of the Pilgrims at Plymouth.

The only television show I watch in 1992 is Northern Exposure (Well, I also watched Pearl Jam's appearance on MTV's Unplugged and a handful of Boston Red Sox games).

I receive a fellowship to study at Institut Fur Wissenshaften Vom Menchen in Vienna, Austria in 1993.

In 1994 I publish the article "Pursuing Democracy as a Moral Task: A Deweyan Response to Jeffersonian Revolution" in the journal International Studies in Philosophy.

I start teaching philosophy at Santa Rosa Junior College in 1994.

I celebrate my father's retirement from the Marin County Sheriff's Department in 1994.

I celebrate my mother's retirement from the U.S. Army Reserves in 1994.

In 1995 Sean Shields, a SRJC student who has taken three of my classes, suggests I create a class web site. He shows me some basic html (i.e., code used to create web pages) and helps me put my class syllabi online. Over the next three months I start spending so much time working on a class web site that my girlfriend begins referring to our computer as my mistress.

My music tastes diversify further throughout the 1990s -- often through student recommendations -- ranging from Nirvana, Pearl Jam (I especially love listening to 1993's Vs., 1994's Vitalogy, 2006's Pearl Jam, and their live official bootlegs) and Rage Against the Machine (Even if you don't agree with everything Zack says, he makes one think!), to Jerry Garcia (I own three copies of Shady Grove: one for my home, one for my car, and one for my office. I always want it near in case I feel like listening to it.), to the jazz great, Miles Davis (Kind of Blue is my favorite album of all time!). P>

I fly to Los Angeles and watch my friend, Karl Coryat, win $42,400 on Jeopardy. Though he was unexpectedly upset in Final Jeopardy of his third game, his brief run ended with Karl being on the top ten list for single day winnings; and a scoring method he developed for prospective Jeopardy contestants became so widely recognized that it is known by Jeopardy contestants as the Coryat Score. You can read about Karl's experience on Karl's Megalomaniacal Multimedia Jeopardy Experience. Karl also has created a web site for anyone considering an appearance on Jeopardy called So You Want to Be a Jeopardy Contestant...

I start teaching philosophy at Sonoma State University in 1997.

In 1999 I'm surprised to find out the large propeller in my mom's garage belonged to the U.S. Navy blimp L-8, known as The Ghost Ship. Interested in its historical significance, my grandfather, who had been in the U.S. Navy and later did some work for Goodyear, purchased it as surplus.

My experiences creating class web sites lead to the publication of a paper in the American Philosophical Association's Spring 1999 newsletter called Philosophy and the 24 Hour Classroom.

My first and only published poem is printed in the English journal Philosophical Writings. It's called The Fear to Breathe.

My Beautiful 19 and 1/2 year feline friend, Hey Jude, passes away on July 12, 1999.

My childhood friend, David Fitzbag, dies while battling pneumonia in 1999. Throughout the 1990s Dave's band, Bag, released Midnight Juice (1991), Crazy Stone Head (1994), Bag of Fear (1995), and Journey to the Center of the Monkey Skull (1997). To my ears they captured the sounds of life's unraveling.

In 2000 I learn that I descend from Hugo L'Abbe of the Franks (802C.E.-844C.E.), a.k.a. "The Bastard of the Holy Roman Empire," a son of Charlemagne, Emperor Of Holy Roman Empire (747C.E.-814C.E.).

I adopt my feline friend, Camacho, on January 5, 2000. I adopt my feline friend, Allure on February 9, 2001. They adapt quickly.

I am hired as a full-time instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College on my 37th birthday, May 8, 2001. It took 19 years, but I finally have a full-time job!

I Meet Eren while hiking along Mt. Tam's Matt Davis Trail on May 27, 2001.

While driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday, September 9, 2001, the car in front of me stops. The driver hurriedly gets out of his car, walks to the ledge of the bridge, and looks down toward the water. I find myself wondering if he saw someone jump off the bridge, but quickly realize he is about to jump. As I get out of my car and walk toward him, the man climbs over the ledge. I run toward him, but am too late. To this day each time I drive across the Golden Gate Bridge my thoughts return to that night and suicide's tragic nature.

While living in San Francisco, I witness the San Francisco Giants reach the 2002 World Series. With a comfortable lead in the eighth inning of game 6, I decide to go to Pac Bell Park and celebrate their championship. But they lose! And I am reminded that one should not jump to hasty conclusions.

Hearing a rumor that Eren thought I would propose on her birthday, I surprise her by proposing on my 39th birthday, May 8, 2003.

I marry Eren at Oaxaca, Mexico's Iglesia de Santo Domingo on November 8, 2003.

Eren and I buy a house in Sebastopol on February 27, 2004.

I legally change my surname from Donovan to Aparicio in January 2005; and I change my middle name from Francis to Donovan. I no longer am Michael Francis Donovan. I now am Michael Donovan Aparicio. But I'm still Michael.

Mi hijo, Mateo Donovan Aparicio, is born in February.

I am targeted by Operation Red Scare in February. The people behind this insinuate that I am a communist subversive. The fact that they publicly admit having no evidence and never having attended any of my classes goes unnoticed by the Press Democrat's investigative journalist.

I begin covering communism in my courses during the Fall 2005 semester.

In October 2005 I participate in a SRJC panel discussion titled "McCarthyism, Higher Education, and the New Assault on Academic Freedom". My paper argues that Operation Red Scare employed three McCarthy era tactics which pose a threat to academic freedom.

I watch every episode of the HBO series Six Feet Under in 2005 and 2006.

My childhood school, Kenilworth Junior High School, is demolished and replaced by a Target store in 2006. I feel compelled to watch the movie Gross Point Blank shortly afterward.

I chair a SRJC task force which authors a Faculty Academic Freedom policy proposal and a Student Academic Freedom policy proposal.

Shortly after my grandfather dies, I am surprised to learn that he participated in Operation Crossroads, a controversial 1946 atomic test. Officially designed to study the effects of nuclear weapons on ships, equipment, and material, some critics have alleged the personnel were exposed to unsafe levels of radiation. Here are links to oral histories from the partipating personnel and a 1996 study on the Mortality of Veteran Participants in the CROSSROADS Nuclear Test.

In October 2007, approximately 30 years after writing my first screenplay, and 6 years after I "retire" from screenwriting, I am inspired to begin a script. After seven months -- and many long nights -- I "complete" A Life's Unraveling, the first screenplay I consider good enough to share publicly. It is a road film following a man’s return to his childhood hometown to find his three year old son's alleged kidnapper. Only as he gets closer to his destination, his journey ends up having less to do with this crime than facing his own past, as both he and the suspected kidnapper succumb to the rage that defined their childhood. Warning: It contains adult themes, strong language, and violence.

I live happily everafter.