When I asked, "What inspired you to study mathematics?" Curious, I asked. To say the least, it was a nontraditional route for a young man from a fishing community.

Well," he drawled, "I decided to take a year off after high school to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. For a new beginning, I uprooted to Bismarck.

The warm apple pie slipped down my esophagus, and I welcomed the chilly caress of the ice cream that came next. Oren heightened my awareness to every experience, and I now pay closer attention to them. Heaven help me, I started having fantasies about apple pie and ice cream....