Enjoying Life and the Pursuit of Happiness
Dallas, TX –
I’m not making any resolutions for the New Year.
Not that I ever make any resolutions.
It’s not that I don’t think there are any things I want to change or improve; I just don’t believe that making resolutions are the way to accomplish anything.
So, what do I do instead?
I make goals.
See, resolutions tend to have too much of a binary status.
We either keep them or we don’t.
[Read more…] about No Resolutions!
Boppard, Germany –
Sometimes, you don’t know why you do what you do. You just act on intuition.
Other times, you definitely know why you do something.
This was one of those times that fell somewhere in between.
Something had prompted us to pull off the highway, and go walking around town.
I just don’t remember what it was…
We had spent the night in Cologne. And luckily, our hotel had put out a very good breakfast spread for the guests.
But as we were leaving, we saw that they were putting out an even better spread for their employees, friends, and family. It was Christmas day, and they wanted to celebrate.
[Read more…] about Christmas in the Rhine Valley
Tirimbina, Costa Rica –
“This is a ripe Cocoa pod, ready for opening.
“The traditional method the Incas used was to use their heads.
“Do I have any volunteers?”
The group taking the tour consisted mostly of College students, and they immediately had their preferred candidate.
“Jose, Jose,” they cheered.
Reluctantly, Jose rose from where he was sitting and approached our guide.
The guide smiled and then added some additional information that Jose might find helpful.
“The Incas observed the monkeys, which would open the pods by banging them on logs.”
[Read more…] about Cocoa, From Pod to Chocolate
Den Hauge, Netherlands –
The lady at the ticket counter turned around to look at me and burst into song.
“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”
I smiled and joined in for a brief refrain myself.
“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”
No, I had not stepped into a musical.
Nor had I entered into an alternate reality like you see in certain TV shows, where the characters burst into song whenever the mood strikes them.
Nope, I had just had the good timing to walk into the ticket lobby at Madurodam as a heavy snow was picking up steam.
[Read more…] about Let It Snow!
Dallas, TX –
“Christmas is coming.”
It’s like a bad Ned Stark impersonation.
“Yes, I know” I replied. “Christmas is always coming. The moment Christmas is over, the clocks already ticking to the next.”
This is the reality of every parent with young children. The moment all the gifts have been unwrapped and that initial surge of adrenaline-fueled anticipation has passed, the countdown starts all over again.
See, Shawn knows this is his impending reality, as his oldest is just reaching the age of toddlerhood.
He’s also aware that it’s my reality too, even though I have no young kids underfoot.
[Read more…] about Christmas is Coming
Part 1 of this series can be found here.
Dallas, TX –
“I wouldn’t go to Jamaica again. It’s not safe.”
A while back, M, my boss was talking to one of my associates, D, about his upcoming trip to Jamaica.
“The place has changed from when I first went, when I was young.”
“I agree,” S, another associate had joined in. “It was great when I was living there, but it’s a dangerous place now.”
Then M turned to me.
“Would you go back?”
“Absolutely.”
“But, it’s changed so much.”
“Has it?”
[Read more…] about Safety and Perception – Part 2
Huế, Vietnam –
Let’s see, Lake house?
Check!
Personal Theater?
Check!
Housing for concubines?
Check!
Hmm, it seems there was something else needed…
What was it?
Oh yeah! Tomb?
Check! Check! Check!
What can I say; it’s good to be Emperor…
[Read more…] about A Country Estate of a Tomb
Dallas, TX –
It’s getting scary out there.
At least, that’s what the news keeps telling us.
Ebola, war, terrorists, you name it. It’s out there and out to get us.
Or is it?
I’ve got associates who do not want to travel to Dallas right now because a couple of nurses who were caring for a Liberian with Ebola have now come down with the virus.
Let’s ignore how difficult it is to catch.
Let’s ignore the fact that none of the original patient’s family who were sharing an apartment with him as he was getting sicker have come down with it.
No, all that matters is that Ebola is in Dallas, therefore, you don’t want to come here, because it’s lurking around every corner in the city, waiting to infect you.
Come on! Get a grip!
[Read more…] about Safety and Perception
Liberia, Costa Rica –
There on the log, at the edge of the river, sat the crocodile, mouth open, baring his teeth.
I watched him from mid-stream, staying still, trying not to make any sudden moves.
One thought ran briefly through my mind, would I be croc-food?
The Howler Monkey draped over the tree limb above didn’t seem to care, but seemed more than a willing spectator if things didn’t go my way.
Nonplussed, I slowly began to raise my camera to my eye, take focus, and snap the shutter.
In an instant, the croc was off the log, and up into the brush on the riverbank, not to be seen again.
He blinked first.
[Read more…] about Crocs, Monkeys, and Iguanas