Category: Fun
On the lighter side – funny or at least trying to be
A Year of Running
I’ve gotten into and back into running many times over the years. I ran cross country and track in high school, and sporadically ever since. Starting in May 2019, I began running again and it’s now been a whole year of consistent running for the first time in my life. It wasn’t always fun. I had to force myself out of the house on numerous occasions. Nowadays in the COVID-19 pandemic it is even harder…
Arlene Blum
Arlene Blum is a truly inspiring mountain climber, scientist and environmental health advocate. She has climbed the hardest peaks all over the globe, including in a tour she called the “Endless Winter” (1). Breaking expectations as a pioneer for women in science (she has a PhD in chemistry from UC Berkeley and also attended MIT) and climbing, she dealt with unfair sexist treatment by colleagues, the media and others in the climbing community. Persevering, Arlene…
Running
For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed running – the simple act of going somewhere, quickly, under my own power. In fifth grade, there was “The Mile”, a daunting physical fitness test at the end of the year. Though it was dreaded by many I looked forward to it (but was disappointed when the day came and I happened to be wearing jeans). In middle school (6th grade) I followed my older brother’s…
Cats
Project Survival Cat Haven, a home for wild cats, is just outside the highway CA-180 entrance to Kings Canyon National Park. It is decidedly not a zoo. Rather their mission is to support conservation of cats in the wild through education and fundraising. Guests (who pay the modest entrance fee) are escorted on a tour of the grounds and get to hear the story of each cat along with cool cat facts. I learned that…
Birds
For as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed being in the presence of birds – noticing their colors and plumage. Tracking their behaviors and numbers. And as my Mom would mention – chasing pigeons in the park. I suppose at this point I am an amateur beginner “birder”. A few years ago I started tracking bird observations in a physical journal and I just started my digital Birder Life List here on my site.…
Israel – random
#5 of 5 – for more context, see the main post Here are some random interesting things I learned about Israel: Going tribal According to the Hebrew bible there were twelve tribes of Israel, descended from the 12 sons of Jacob; of the 12, ten were lost tribes – unaccounted for after 722 BCE; the lost tribes are claimed or purported to be descendants of several groups worldwide; Mormon (Latter-day Saints) teachings hold that Native Americans and Polynesians came from…
Israel
My recent business trip to Israel was a success work-wise and also for me as a cultural and history learning opportunity. I didn’t know much about Israel before my trip. After doing some reading on the 14 hour flight, meeting with people and seeing some sites – I straightened a few things out and I now have a deeper appreciation for this unique state. This is my “primer” on some things I learned and saw: History:…
The Subaru
Today we passed the 50,000 mile mark on the Subaru (aka “The Dolphin”), which is a modest count to be sure for a Subaru or for a bay area commuter car. It started out as our first family car. We bought this 2008 Subaru Outback in September 2008, a few months before our first baby was due (I traded in my first car – a Ford ZX2 in the process). In recent years we added…