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I've found that the best travel includes huge swaths of unplanned time. My last two significant European visits featured a hotel reservation only on the first and last day of the journey. The first day is needed to guarantee a place to sleep after a hectic day of airplanes & airports. The last day is needed as a launching pad into the flight ordeal once again. When Megan & I last drove around Europe (at the height of tourist season I embarrassingly add), we had little trouble finding accommodations with the exceptions being worth the memories. There's nothing like a little sparkle of uncertainty to heighten any adventure. |
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Well, I finally jumped head first into my fifth decade of existence. The day after the inevitable keg party I stood in the sun with a mild hangover, contemplating a run to shake off the cobwebs. All in all I have no complaints about the first four decades - I've been very fortunate to have wonderful family, friends, and experiences. Traveling has also provided a terrific way to experience this crazy planet and to fully appreciate our tiny spot (in time and space) of existence here and now. I have found that traveling is enhanced by a thorough knowledge of the history and philosophy that shaped the places we visit. And it's also important to keep a youthful spirit - that is my goal for the next four decades. |
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| Jake's sons, CHD and TMD |
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I've created some British-style crossword puzzles
for Megan. I'm quite fond of those found in the Financial Times,
but I am often stumped by British spelling and obscure
references. Ah, the pitfalls of provinciality! However, in
my puzzles, all the solutions are spelled for an American audience and
the references are designed to be available to New Worlders. Below are |
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Lately I've participated in an online community at http://anexquisitecorpse.net/. Here artists and amateurs can contribute to four-panel collaborative digital pictures called "corpses." The referenced website includes a history of the process. Once a submission is made as the top panel of the corpse, a subsequent contributor adds to that based only on a thin bottom strip of the first panel's image. Subsequent contributors follow the same procedure. Below are corpse panels I have prepared - click any one for more detailed information on corpsing. |
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To add insult to injury (you clicked on this page!), I've included links to a few more showcases of odd byproducts of my existence on this improbable planet. Keep an eye out for more. |
| Tables I built for the Wedding | Couch Design in Progress | My Spaghetti Sauce Recipe |
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.pdf
file copies for your peril. Beware!
