This is the story of a man who rides his bike across the country and you won't remember the riding. I think that's generally how bike touring is: you remember what happens between pedal strokes. The Memory of Running is the story of Smithson (Smithy) Ide of East Providence, RI. He has spent the last two decades drunk, fat, and alone. His mentally ill sister disappeared decades earlier and his parents…
Susan Casey's The Wave is a story that will make you think about how changes in the world's oceans have far reaching effects while leaving you amazed and terrified. Casey approaches the story of giant waves from the perspectives of cutting edge surfers, the shipping industry, and scientists, successfully telling the global story of how increasingly large and frequent giant waves affect human civilization, as well as what it is like…
I've become a bit of an expert at reading travels blogs over the last few years and I find that there are a few levels of detail and most blogs focus on one of these levels. Some are practically turn by turn directions of a location, some are more thematic, and others are in the weeds of their tools. As someone looking for inspiration I am drawn towards the thematic posts,…
Gert and me with a redwood trunk I bought Gertrude in November 2013. I had a tentative job offer in DC (they were waiting for their contracts to come through) and I was actively looking for a job in San Francisco. I came to California with about two months of savings and figured I'd spend some time job hunting and ride the CA coast and hope I didn't run out of…
Bay Staters love locals who accomplish great things; they also love their sports heroes. The best example of this is Doug Flutie. If you ever want to start a fight in Massachusetts, walk into a bar and tell someone that Doug Flutie was overrated or was too short to make it in the NFL. The subject of Marathon Man, Bill Rodgers, is another figure who is among those folk heroes in…
I love my FiveFingers. I think anyone who knows me already knows this, but since I'm travelling and trying to get better about blogging, the world is getting this post. Hiking to Lantau Peak in Hong Kong Reasons FiveFingers are Awesome Travel Shoes: 1. They keep your feet much cooler than sneakers but are much sturdier than flip flops. 2. You can wash them in the shower. 3. Given that outside…
Mean Girls was on TV tonight. I haven't seen it for a few months, which is probably the longest I've gone without seeing it since it was released. Mean Girls is so ridiculous in its caricatures of female subculture, but at the same time, it's the most relate-able movie I have ever seen. It is hysterical, nuanced, and brilliantly written. I've probably seen it a few hundred times and it is still enjoyable today. The…