Over the last year, a lot has changed in my life, and I haven’t mentioned most of it here. So I thought now might be a good time to share a quick update. The short version: I sold the majority of my stuff (including my TV), moved out of my house, became a landlord, handed…
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After Genocide, Scenes from the Road in Rwanda
What do you think of when I say Rwanda? Inevitably, you probably think of the terrible genocide that occurred in 1994, but Rwanda has much more to offer now than that mental picture would suggest. Life is very different in Rwanda today… Rwanda is touted as an example of economic development in sub-saharan Africa recognized…
Good Intentions, Bad Habits & Mondays
I spent last weekend in Napa with friends. It was a great weekend. Relaxed and full of laughs and great wine. Sparkling, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. It was the kind of weekend that can be really hard to shake off when it comes time to get back to work or when Monday morning rolls around….
How the Nazis Plundered Champagne & Moët During WWII
If you tour Moët & Chandon’s caves today, as I did during a recent day trip from Paris, you’ll learn a little bit about the famed champagne house’s history. They will tell you an official version of the history that’s heavy on the details of wine production, but super light on the people and events. What…
Along California’s Lost Coast
The Lost Coast is about 230 miles north of San Francisco. It begins in northern Mendocino county and continues through southern Humboldt county, where Highway 1 juts inland to avoid the steep terrain and rocky coastline. If your perfect bliss is the total absence of civilization . . . the romantically named Lost Coast is…
Kitchenettes & Onion Fumes on Chicago’s South Side
During the 1930s and 1940s, times of struggle resulting from the Great Depression and WWII, the term kitchenette was used to describe the conversion of existing houses or apartments into much smaller units by predatory landlords in neighborhoods predominately occupied by African Americans on Chicago’s South Side. Entire families lived in one very small, single…
Miles of Walkways, Aerial Shots & Vintage Sedan Chairs in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, The City Without Ground, via Atlanta Cities: “There are now miles of walkways and usable space that create connections throughout some of the most crowded and central areas of the city. “It’s bits of private development, bits of public development, a little bit of city streets, a little bit of foot bridge, a…
Tourists’ Locks of Love in Paris
On a dreary May morning during a recent trip to Paris, I made my way across the Pont des Arts enroute to the Jardin des Tuileries and ultimately the Orangerie for my first viewing of Monet’s famous lilies in all their glory. Somehow I’d missed them on previous trips to Paris, and I wasn’t going to…
An Unconventional Life of Algebra & Adventure in Pakistan
Chitral is anything but accessible. It’s located at the foot of the highest peak in the Hindu Kush mountains, which spans about 800 kilometers across central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Chitral itself has escaped much of the violence due to its isolation, but the surrounding areas have seen some of the toughest fighting between the…
How to Evade Extradition In Cape Verde
A con man escapes the custody of the FBI and flees the US with a huge amount of wealth and his trusty, sarcastic sidekick. They seek a comfortable place to hide where they can enjoy the finer things in life (i.e. the spoils of their supposed last score) and where they are outside the reach of…
