First time we’ve gathered in Montana, new locale for our annual gathering, stream of conscious recollection, bits from the weekend, We call it “Mexico” from carefree trips south of the border in college, now an annual gathering closer to home, someone’s home, but north of the border now, still in good fun we call it …
The Unpainted Patch 
The unpainted Patch, actually there’s more than one of these patches underneath the front counter of my kitchen, primer in faded relief to the painted wall, From a couple decades ago, a new kitchen floor installed, touch-up needed, never completed, “Oh sure, I’ll take care of that”, I said at the time, All this time …
Don’t Be Afraid, Ask
It’s a funny thing, asking for help. At least for me, unless I get into the right mindset, I regress back to being a kid, not wanting to ask other people to help me. The underlying reason? A bit of independence: I can do the the thing, wanting to do the thing on my own; …
Longest Trip? 🤔✈️
What’s the longest trip you’ve ever taken? Hmm … I think from home-base SJC , Moscow, Then Donbass, Then Western Siberia, Then Hong Kong, Then Guilin China, And to come …! ✈️
Sacred Times
“Mexico “, the nickname we give a yearly gathering, a small group of friends getting together annually since college, more than 35 years now… We call it “Mexico”, because one year we did in fact, drive down to Ensenada, on the coast of Baja California. 
Try New Things
I like poke. As you may know, poke is raw fish marinated in some sort of sauce; tuna and salmon are two examples of fish served in this way. No one else in my family eats fish, so I don’t have it often; but when they have it on sale in the Costco deli, I …
Nine Eleven
Forever burned in the American Conscious, twenty five years ago, nine eleven. Three lessons maybe I took away from that infamous day. One, America is not a fortress; it is vulnerable. Right here at home on our own soil. Two, America’s actions around the world are not always welcome. In fact, there are adversaries who …
Science Is Cool
I say this all the time at my work: “Science is cool.” I posted to my socials on the regular. But why is it cool? Science is cool because it is the key to less people dying of horrible diseases. At this point in my life I know about a dozen people (at least!) who …
Do What You Can: Sixth Man
Do what you can. Contribute where you can; contribute however possible if given the opportunity. Good example? Lou Williams. The 6th Man. Three times over during his NBA career. It’s a basketball term. As Wiki summarizes, “ The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given …
Another Take: Honor Labor
Repeat blog title sorta, repeat theme, annual pause to recognize all those who labor. You might say everyone labors in some way; having spent most of my forty years working so far on the White Collar Side, I can say for sure many such workers bust their ass just as those who labor more with …
1/2_Full, All GOOD 