The Longest Hike
“What’s your criteria for a good hike?” I asked. “It has to be at least 10 miles,” Ben replied without hesitation. This was over a year ago, maybe six months after I’d met Ben...
Category: friends
Talking to Strangers in Taipei, part 1
“Most things we want in life are actually pretty simple,” Chris said. “Simple–but not easy.” It was an unexpectedly philosophical conversation with somebody I’d only met hours earlier. We were hiking up Taipei’s ultra-touristy...
Making Friends as an Adult, part 2
The Friend Filter “I actually mapped this out in a prior season of life,” Swiff said, pulling up an Instagram post on his phone. “30% of people I meet are friend crushes, and the...
Tepic Fail
When world-class volleyball meets bottom-tier planning This post is a bit inside baseball (or inside volleyball?), but I wanted to share my experience visiting Tepic for my 2nd international volleyball tournament (as a spectator)....
Making Friends as an Adult, Part 1
Meeting Strangers on Vacation “What’s the first thing you notice when you meet new people?” I asked Ben. “How hot they are,” he replied, smirking. “Okay, fair,” I said, laughing. It was a joke,...
Unicorns aren’t real
“What country’s official animal is the unicorn?” It was trivia night at a Christian mixer event — my first in recent memory — and we had just settled into teams. After some brief introductions,...
Sailing the Caribbean: A Trip Beyond Expectations
I got back from my Caribbean sailing vacation over the weekend, and to say it was incredible would be an understatement. When I wrote that my instagram was going to be fire, I had...
Day 1: Getting on the boat
Friday was a marathon of a day that began with a 10:45 p.m. red-eye flight the night before. I managed only a few restless moments before landing in D.C. for a short layover and...
Would you do this?
Later tonight I’m heading to the Caribbean for a weeklong sailing trip around the British Virgin Islands. I’ve sailed before, but only in the Bay Area, and never on an overnight trip, so suffice...
What I am thankful for this year
I am a traditionalist, so I enjoy the time-honored tradition of sharing what we’re thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner. I introduced this practice years ago to my immigrant family with high hopes, but found...
Your risk tolerance is also not low. Just saying ;)