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How Gay Paris is with Jim

(Originally written in April, 2012) Hanging out in Paris with Jim is like stomping through a Parisian Smurf village destroying centuries-old mushroom houses with a rolling keg of beer. The French are all running around in their scarves and tight pants, sipping wine and coffee out of pinky cups. They pack themselves like cigarettes next […]

Reality Check in Hyderabad, India

(Originally written April, 2006, and published in San Diego Reader Nov, 2012) As much as we see globalization happening on every continent, I have seen a place as-of-yet unaffected. Hyderabad, India, has yet to be conquered by McDonalds, Wal-Mart or Starbucks. You won’t find much tourism there either. The stereotypical pale color of your Western […]

Amsterdam, Netherlands on Queen’s Day

(Originally written in April, 2011, and published in San Diego Reader in June, 2011) This might be hard to believe for the fun-loving Irish lads, but I dare any Irish person out there to out-party the Dutch. Not gonna happen – and I’m not sure you’d want to. In town for work, I coincidentally arrived […]

Making a Mockery of Adulthood in Wiesbaden, Germany

(Originally written in April, 2011) I have a stamp on my hand that says “midlife”. WTF? Is that some sick joke the door guys are playing? The whole time we were at the “club”, I didn’t even notice the ink soaking into my skin, what it was implying or how true it was. Now that […]

Mom in London Calling

(Originally written in April, 2009) My adoring crew has pointed out in the most non-loving, finger-pointing, laughing out loud way, that my “Madonna voice” is alive and well in London. I have to admit, I noticed it before we got here. While I was working nights to accommodate the 8 hour time difference, and days […]

Optimistically Uncomfortable in Chiang Rai, Thailand

(Originally written in Nov, 2005, and published in San Diego Reader in May, 2015) After easing through Phuket and bustling through Bangkok, the Northern mountainous jungle villages of Chiang Rai left the friendly smiles of the big cities behind. My first impression of Chiang Rai? Holy crap! Never before have I felt so optimistically uncomfortable. […]

Down and Out in the Chinese Consulate

(Originally written in April, 2012) “I no help you. You stand in that line,” says the stern small Asian woman with a dismissive wave of her hand. I glance over at the line she is referring to. The intense tightening in my chest momentarily steals my ability to respond. The lone blond in the chroma-key […]

Featured

Why You Should Never Listen to Tony Robbins

(Originally written in July, 2012) It’s nearly midnight on a Thursday in the abandoned convention center area in Downtown San Jose. Streets are blocked off in all directions – barricades, orange cones and police officers keeping the peace. Traffic signals are ignored as six-thousand “motivated” people fill the streets in a Tony Robbins trance chanting […]