In the past, I’ve been drawn to elections and politics, democracy in action. But I’ve already had more than enough of this election cycle, and it’s just getting started. I think it’s safe to say that our political discourse is in a state of disaster, too many people shouting and not nearly enough listening or quality conversation. I have some hopeful thoughts inspired by a quote from Mr. Rogers about what each of us can do to make it better.
All Posts
A Taste of Cuba on My Layover in Miami
On the way back from a recent business trip, I connected through Miami International, a busy and chaotic airport, but one I loving associate with trips to both South Beach and South America. I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to leave the airport for mango juice and arroz con leche at nearby El Palacio de los…
New Patterns in an Old House
The end of 2015 brought big change to my life — a new apartment and a new roommate. Cesar and I moved into a lovely old Victorian in San Francisco’s Mission District a couple of weeks before Christmas. We hustled to get things unpacked and in place, and then we dropped everything to head home…
Eat More Ugly Fruit (+Veggies)
After watching a recent show on food waste by John Oliver, I couldn’t stop thinking about one of the most surprising problems he mentioned on the show — in his words, how “our own habits and misconceptions” contribute to food waste before it even reaches the grocery store or farmers market stand. About 26% of…
Playing Tourist at Home in San Francisco
When you’re new to a city, making a concerted effort to explore new neighborhoods and see the sights is a given, but over time the newness wears off. You’ve seen more by then, so you explore less, even when there are still things you want to see or do. It wasn’t that long ago for…
My 10 Favorite Photos From Singapore
We started our trip to Asia in Singapore. The tiny city state often makes the list of great food cities, which I wholeheartedly support, but is usually seen more as layover stop than the destination. I’ve heard it described as sterile, full of modern skyscrapers, and at worst, boring. These critiques seem to come mostly from Singapore’s…
Mooncake Mania
Sweet, dense, and highly caloric, mooncakes have been compared to American fruit cake, and the Mid Autumn Festival to which they’re tied has been compared to Thanksgiving. It’s celebrated across much of Asia, a remnant of China’s sweeping historical influence throughout the region. Before this trip, I had heard of mooncakes and even tasted a few traditional flavors during my excursions in San Francisco’s Chinatown, but I had no idea the scale of the mooncake mania we would encounter in Singapore. In this post, you’ll learn a few of the unique flavor combinations on offer in Singapore, some of their (supposed) history, and how they’re made.
How to Make a Smooth Transition Home After Traveling
Two weeks seems like the perfect amount of time to unapologetically check out and forget life at home. Having paid any bills in advance, you can push off everything else until you get back. We did exactly that in Singapore and Thailand. We spent the bulk of our time in Thailand and that meant getting used to practically 100%…
Singapore & Thailand Soon!
Last fall I won two free round trip tickets from San Francisco to Singapore on Singapore Airlines at an event put on by Travel Massive. I (really!) never win these kinds of contests, but somehow I got lucky, very lucky! After being totally overwhelmed with the sheer number a of promising destinations just a short flight from Singapore, we…
On Stage in Front of Thousands of People
Sometimes the biggest most challenging adventures in our lives are personal and internal — not nearly as easily shared as a trip around the world. I love big adventures that bring us outside of ourselves. They give us an opportunity to imagine ourselves differently — in a different context, with a different identity. And I think…
