Nieces & Nephews

Finally visited my sister in Tuscon Arizona. As you can see, we visited the Airplane "Boneyards" surrounding Tuscon. My sister mentioned this Aircraft Museum in the Desert, so she and I took my nephew around to see all the airplanes. He had a great time for awhile. But being 2 and half years old, he grew tired quickly. But I had a great time looking at the B-52's!

I had a great time visiting with Noelle, Seth, and bonding with my nephew and niece.

In Prescott. With Grandad and Evorine.

Here I am, on the plane again. This time to Phoenix, Arizona, where I will see nearly everyone!
I arrive first in Prescott, to visit my grandparents. My Grandad has moved his computer upstairs. It looks as though he's in better shape than I thought. So we all go out to dinner.

Bonus: there's nearly 2 feet of snow on the ground in Prescott. Spectacular.

Baaaack in the U.S.... A ?

Things move quickly for me again, as I neglect this blog a little longer!

I've just arrived a couple days ago, back in the United States after another marathon jump over Pacific ocean. What I've done so far:

1. Met my parents and took them out for dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. 24 oz. of medium Bison Ribeye Steak. Enough said.

2. Become engrossed in the new Krakauer opus I found at the airport. One of my all time favorite writers has tackled the story of Pat Tillman, the NFL safety with the Arizona Cardinals who quit his million dollar career to join the Army after 9/11. After his death (at the hands of his comrades) the Bush administration tried to cover up its details and use him to promote their foreign policy. But in his best biography to date, master biographer Krakauer paints a portrait of a fantastic, exceptional man who was far more complex and IMHO, more heroic, than most people realize.

Bonus Moral Lesson: DON'T work for the US Army.

3. Enjoyed Skiing at Copper mountain for a few days. Snow was somewhat lacking, but they got some on my last day. Still, snow or no snow, its hard to complain about a few days of skiing in Colorado. I bought a new pair of skis as well. I'm really liking them. Pics coming soon.

4. Meeting my Aunt Dee tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing her and spending time with family.

Links for a New Year

I am here presenting a new set of links that may be of interest to some people.

mnmlist.com This blog, by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, shows radical means to escape

"the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter, having too much to do, too much debt, too many distractions, too much noise. But too little meaning. Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what's truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value."

ZenHabits.net Same guy with slightly less radical advice for focusing yourself on what's important.

まなてぃ～／シドニーへ行く (The Manatee Goes to Sydney) This blog chronicles my friend and longtime Japanese teacher, Kyoko Nagashima as she spends a year teaching Japanese in Australia.

Ask A Korean Insightful blog about Korean culture, history, and society written by a Korean American. Very poignant and sharp perceptions about race, immigration, and culture.