: About Me

I was born in Belfast,Northern Ireland 3 days before the late footballer George Best was born in the same town,so it is possible that our mothers were in the same maternity hospital.Unlike George I was only about average at football but I did have my moments at the recreational level.
I attended Belfast High School from 1957 to 1964.It was one of the so called'better'schools where rugby was compulsory and football was actually prohibited.I have had a burning contempt for rugby and anything like it ever since.I helped form a running club so that people could no longer be forced to play rugby.This did not go down well with the jackboot establishment,but I sickened them yet again by doing well academically and was admitted to The Queen's University of Belfast in 1964,graduating with an honours B.A. in Pure Mathematics in 1968.I then went to University College London and took an M.Sc. in Statistics in 1969.
After some employment in education and industry,my circumstances favoured a return to academic life in Canada and I eventually ended up at the University of Toronto in 1984.Unfortunately I soon began to feel unwell and after extensive tests a brain tumour was detected.
Surgery would be very risky but the tumour was life threatening so there was no choice.I did of course survive the operation but was disabled.
My wife Christine was devastated by this development and was a tower of strength in the years to come.Thanks to her I acquired a power wheelchair and got permanent membership in Wheeltrans.resulting in a massive improvement in my mobility.She even provided the desktop
and internet facilities which enable me to send in this article and financed the publication of my first book.
Sadly,Christine died unexpectedly in November,2007. Hopefully this will be an acceptable tribute to her.I still miss her more than words can say,but I am quite certain that we will be together again.Nothing else makes sense,we were just getting started.As Jesus so bravely said'Thy will,not mine,be done.'
As part of my return to activity I completed publishing a short book(the one Christine financed)on football with reference to some other activities.A small sample along with the option of ordering copies can be obtained by the following steps.
1.Go to the Xlibris internet website.
2.Select Xlibris.Com Bookstore and then select Browse.
3.Select By title F.Then scroll down and select page 58.
Scroll down until FOOTBALL by R.PICKEN is displayed.
Click on the word FOOTBALL to the right of the book.
This gives a small sample along with the option of ordering copies from Xlibris.The book was deliberately kept short to make it inexpensive as it is intended for primarily a youth market and also to clarify an emotive issue as simply and briefly as possible.
People will either love this book or hate it.Those who have been amused by my scathing comments on what has passed for mainstream sport in North America might even end up in hysterics.(I didn't have to mind my language so I was able to be blunt occasionally when required.)

My passion is ...

Football,Mathematics.,Music and Philosophy (alphabetical order).

I know too much about ...

Football and rock and roll.

My parents always told me ...

To keep good company.

My childhood ambition ...

To be a footballer.

My favorite memory ...

Good friends and great times.

Why I write ...

To try to figure things out.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Football finally taking North America by storm.

My first job ...

Teaching mathematics

My best moment ...

Scoring a goal in a small time friendly football game.

My inspiration ...

Blaise Pascal(same initials as Bobby Picken).