Driven by curiosity’s sake.
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Celebrating 50 Years of the Wilderness Act
Americans, we own 618 million acres of wildlands, stretching form the frigid inhospitable, for some, Alaskan tundra to the southern sandy balmy beaches, the western sage brush planes and what remains of the great north eastern forests. This land encompasses the painted canyons, the miles of turquoise and deep (navy) rivers, the towering sky clawing… Read more
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On the Man Card, and Dislocated Mandom
I hear it often enough amongst a group of guys, “Dude, we gotta revoke your man card!” after some sort of major, or minor, unmanly behavior. The first time I heard it, I sort of stumbled at the thought of the statement. Obviously the guy was a wuss, he wasn’t “manning up,” but that was… Read more
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Politics of Halal Food: Language, Messaging and Reading Between the Lines
I worked on a piece for Halal meat company, Midamar, a couple years ago for Illume Magazine. Midamar had its day in court, they plead not guilty to 92 charges the Federal prosecutors brought against them. When I wrote the piece, there had been a raid, but no charges were presented, nor was it clear… Read more
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Concerning Bookmarks
This is a love or hate circumstance. Either people love their digital reader (like how I am in love with my Amazon Kindle(s) and evangelized others to get on the Kindle bandwagon, thirteen people and counting!) or people just hate the idea of digital books and reference the ephemeral feelings of the joy one gets… Read more
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On Being A Conquistador of the Useless
Lionel Terray wrote a memoir titled Conquistadors of the Useless which became an acclaimed bestseller. Shortly after its publication, he died climbing in the Vercors near Grenoble, France in 1965. This dude was a mountain climber legend, he made so many recorded first accents on mountains across the world, and he’s remembered as a hero in… Read more
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On the UCSD Cross Cultural Center- 20 Years of Amazing
The “Cross” is a borderland experience because it lies at the intersection of cultures and communities that make up the diversity of America. What is the Cross? Well the Cross is short for the Cross Cultural Center, it is a place I considered sanctuary, as well as a place that transformed each week on Friday… Read more
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My 2014 Book Picks
Goal was simple, 52 weeks in 1 year, 1 book for each week. At first I started by reading whatever book I felt like reading. Those largely involved fiction, and after a while I realized that escaping reality is GREAT but not really the purpose behind my goal. I was grasping for purpose, I can’t… Read more
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Open the door, and explore
Is it sad that the Disney channel has advertisements encouraging kids to turn the TV off this summer and get outside to explore, play, or just do outdoor activities? As an adult I’m guilty of being glued inside, either on my Macbook or in front of the TV. Lately I’ve been making it a point… Read more
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Goodbye Nike+, Hello Jawbone UP + Strava- and the Future of Health Insurance in America
I had a Nike+ Watch with Tom Tom GPS but it failed me. So I got a Jawbone UP bracelet to connect with my Strava account and give me the flexibility to include cycling as activity that gathers my biometric data. Then I found out that my parents health insurance company was giving health credits… Read more
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On “Wild,” the Pacific Crest Trail (In My Own Backyard!)
Cheryl Strayed’s book “Wild” is getting released this week as a movie starring Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl [1]. I read “Wild” when it came out, it was part of my 2012 one book a month goal. I found Strayed’s book enrapturing (Strayed is not her real name, but rather the one she chose to author… Read more