Journal

At last count, I believe that I’ve visited 37 countries. By comparison, I’ve only traveled to 36 of the 50 U.S. states. One of the states that I had yet to visit was Arizona, which only lies a few hours east of my current residence in Los Angeles. That situation was remedied this past weekend […]

One of my favorite things about visiting Ohio is all of the boastful signs making outlandish claims promoting their signature product. During recent visits I have seen the world’s longest bar, passed on both the world’s best bagel and world’s best falafel, and drove by the world’s fastest roller-coaster. However, what most interested me was […]

One of the great benefits of living in California is the diversity of destinations within driving distance. Driving to work, I can often see snow-capped mountains ahead and the glistening Santa Monica Bay in the rearview mirror. There are mountains, beaches, deserts, cities, and forests all within a couple of hours drive. This past weekend […]

I’ve never had a real pet. A few goldfish lasted several weeks, but that was as close as I came. My mom and I are allergic to both cats and dogs, so that was one substantial obstacle. Plus, growing up, my family travelled a lot, so having a pet never made much sense. When I […]

As we enter the waning days of 2009 and look back at the past year, it is shameful that I have been so negligent in providing journal entries. The lack of updates is not due to a dearth of noteworthy events. In fact, 2009 was one of the most eventful, life-changing years in my not-so-young […]

The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity followed by everything grinding to a screeching halt. The common theme for the first three months of the year was travel. I spend an inordinate amount of time in airports, on planes, and living out of a suitcase. While I technically reside in LA, my […]

After spending just over a day in Taormina, a lovely village perched on a hill overlooking the sea, we drove an hour south to Siracusa. Despite enjoying Taormina, our first taste of Sicily, the change to Siracuse was welcomed for a couple of reasons. For one, the torrential rain in Taormina made walking the narrow […]

I have spent Christmas and New Years’ in some memorable places. When I sat down and tallied the various locations where I have celebrated the holidays, I came up with roughly 12 different places for Christmas and 15 different states or countries for New Years’ Eve. The list ranged from exotic (New Zealand, Colombia, Japan, […]

I left Audentes tucked snugly into a boatyard in New Zealand on November 15, 2006. Exactly two years to the day, I finally returned to Whangarei to check in on my neglected vessel. The journey was brought about by a fortuitous business trip to Australia that allowed me a day-long layover in New Zealand. After […]