“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” — Anaïs Nin I watched The Prince and Me the other night. Not because I’m the biggest fan of chick flicks (although I’ll never say no to a good Hugh Grant rom-com) but, … Read More
“Donne seemed to be advocating a response that is deeper and more consistent: Any man’s death makes me smaller, less than I was before I learned of that death, because the world is a map of interconnections. As the world decreases in size, so must each of its parts.” — Roger Rosenblatt, Time essay, “Do … Read More
It’s been a while since I’ve made an audio slideshow, but today I came across more great examples on my favorite travel writing website, World Hum–inspiring slideshows like Abbie Kozolychk’s “The Family Jewels” and an older one I just discovered, Doug Mack’s Not-So-Flattering Views of Famous European Landmarks. I love the way the slideshows let … Read More
“This is our decision, to live fast and die young We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun. Yeah, it’s overwhelming, but what else can we do Get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute.” — MGMT, “Time to Pretend” 9.19am. In a beautiful display of clockwork precision, SouthWest Trains’ fast … Read More
“The simple act of taking lots of pictures helped me see the city, its details, shapes and patterns. The more I looked for beauty in San Paolo, the more I found it.” — Rob Verger I was on my favorite travel writing website the other day, World Hum, when I came across an audio slideshow … Read More
“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” — Franklin P. Jones Sometimes, I never learn. You would think having done this whole “moving to London” thing before, I’d have taken a more relaxed approach during the summer leading up to this year’s Big Move. Two years ago, I was so worried about … Read More
A brief look at the syllabi of my college transcript will reveal an education of highly questionable “real world” applicability, one defined by courses such as SLFK 212: Slavic Folklore Ritual and Family Life, JPTR 322: Intro to Modern Japanese Literature, and ANTH 237: The Culture and History of Still Photography. Although there’s no disputing … Read More
“Neal rattled on like this; he was overjoyed and exuberant. He and I suddenly saw the whole country like an oyster for us to open; and the pearl was there, the pearl was there.” — Jack Kerouac, On the Road My first two weeks on a black pearl farm in French Polynesia felt like starting … Read More
I was in no mood for adventure. An email that morning – informing me that my application for a university scholarship was unsuccessful – had set the tone for the day, namely, a poor one. Customers seemed grumpier than normal. The coffee pots seemed to always need refilling. The future, and all its ensuing financial … Read More
Pearl harvesting in French Polynesia was perhaps not the wisest way to spend my last month before returning to American soil for the first time in over a year. It was, however, a risk I was willing to take and you would think it set me up for a disastrous transition back to the land of … Read More