Alligator or Crocodile? 3

A Day at the Fort Worth Zoo

One of the advantages of living in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is having an abundance of things to do. For example, Dallas and Fort Worth each have their own zoological parks. I’ve never been...

Rock climbing 3

Rock Climbing

Last week, I went to a rock climbing gym with my friends who climb every week. Unlike them, I am overweight and out of shape. I strapped up and clipped into the belay. Then...

Phonetic Works of William Shakespeare 10

Spelling Reform

English Spelling is screwed up. Though if you’re literate enough to read this sentence, you probably already know that. Even if you won your elementary school spelling bee, you’ve almost certainly come across words...

Waikiki just before dawn 2 3

Aloha Hawaii: A Penthouse Sunrise in Waikiki

Sometimes things turn out for the best. Case in point: a couple of years ago, I had a hotel reservation in Waikiki that got screwed up. After some back-and-forth with the check-in desk, I...

Start Early with a Bill Gates Centerfold on a Wheaties Box 2

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” I don’t know if I’m all that healthy, wealthy and wise. In fact, I’m probably none...

Pearl Cup Latte Art 9

Coffee: My Benevolent Addiction

While too much of anything can be bad, I think that coffee is for the most part a benevolent addiction. For me, it helps spur creativity and keep me in tip-top mental shape. As...

Playing Office Monopoly 3

Improv at the Workplace

In improvisational comedy (“improv”), the cardinal rule is “yes and“. Each comedian on stage builds on the previous performer’s idea. Using this method, you can take any simple situation and turn it in to...

Copyright Symbol Frowny Face 5

Copyright: A Generational Divide

During the SOPA/PIPA controversy, the nonpartisan nature of the debate really surprised me. First off, the laws in question had strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House. SOPA was introduced on...

Overweight Vitruvian Man 7

A Body Neglected

I feel that still strange feeling of oxygen flowing through my body. My muscles ache in protest and my stomach growls in anger. For far too long, I have kept my body neglected. Atrophy...