After spending a mere day in Modena Italy making traditional balsamic vinegar, I not only fell in love with traditional balsamic and the entire process that goes into its perfection, but also in love with an Italian family and their story. Their devotion to the...
Just so we are clear: I love balsamic vinegar. In absolute terms. No pre-nup necessary. Americans in general have sort of a silent love affair with this Italian concoction. We indiscriminately douse it on top of our olive oil and dip our little bread it at...
So now that I am back on that sweet writing tit once more, I decided, what should I be writing about? Jobs? Check Failing at those jobs? Double-check. Other random musings? Ta-dow. Put the tip in baby. So now that I have decided on the ‘what’, let’s get down...
So my good friend, roommate and co-conspirator - Niall Doherty, was throwing out some interesting job suggestions that I could do whilst I am living here in Brazil. One of these suggestions was to do something very special for the World Cup. If you happen...
Sometime last year, I would be more precise but that would involve deep reflection and arithmetic, two things which I am adamantly opposed to, I took on the scariest job in the world, sort of, as an Extra in a National Geographic documentary about paranormal encounters...
It seems like it was only yesterday that I was getting third degree burns hacking my way through a field as a rice harvester in Thailand. There were ceremonies with strange dancing, the customary rice hats, more strange dancing and a token gringo - to...
Okay, smile. They stared back. Some stoned faced. Some with a half grimace. Some with sympathy. No really. Smile. You look like you just lost your favorite puppy. Some half grimaces became half-smiles. And some half-smiles turned to absolute scorn. Pity Progress. Surprisingly, I hadn’t taken on an event photography gig...
Welcome to the jungle…the urban jungle of Manila that is. Manila, for those of you not hip with capitals, geography, things not lathered in butter or featured on reality shows for my American friends – Manila is the capital of the Philippines. I have never...
Deep in Western Thailand, in the forests near the border with Myanmar (Burma), rests a forest monastery, but not just any monastery, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, better known as – Tiger Temple. It is a temple that has grown from a simple place of...
Six years ago, I was about to graduate with a degree in journalism with a minor in how-the-hell-do-I-get-abroad. I didn’t care where I was going or what job I’d be doing once I got there, but knew that I needed to be anywhere but Iowa. My...