"The world is not in your books and maps. It's OUT THERE." ~Gandalf, to Bilbo Baggins I'm grateful for books and maps when I'm not traveling... But given the choice, I prefer travel! Of course, my travels won't involve a dragon (unless it's the dragon-kite we flew on the beach last year), so I don't … Continue reading Where the World Is
Anticipation—Part of the Journey
My dad used to say that the enjoyment of travel was divided into three parts: 1) planning & anticipating; 2) the trip itself; and 3) re-living the memories. I always suspected he got his greatest amount of enjoyment from that first category---the man was a planner! He put together a six-month road trip through Europe … Continue reading Anticipation—Part of the Journey
Spooks & Sparklers
I'm still a little haunted. On my psychiatrist's chart, that condition is spelled out "P-T-S-D," but I think "haunted" is a better descriptor of the experience. As much as I've tried to process it, my brain still doesn't entirely know what to do with some of the sights, sounds, and experience my memory contains. I'm speaking … Continue reading Spooks & Sparklers
Newton’s Law of… Summer
My 13-year-old daughter asked me last week if I've seen "Wonder Woman." When I shook my head, she grasped my arm and leaned toward me earnestly. "It's beautiful. You have to see it." Accordingly, we made plans to see it together yesterday. She's right---the movie is beautifully done, and though I'm more a "Pirates of … Continue reading Newton’s Law of… Summer
Learning Curves
Sitting in a "town hall meeting" of Home Depot employees last week, several of us broached the subject of training with our store manager, Jeremy. The Home Depot offers some incredibly structured online training modules (I'm especially grateful for the interactive "Cashier's College" that helped me weather my first days at the register!) but several … Continue reading Learning Curves
A Visit (And a Visitation)
One of the interesting things about working at Home Depot is that our customers have a definite expectation that anyone in an orange apron will be able to answer any of their questions. And the reason our customers have that expectation is because we are encouraged not to answer with “I don’t know.” When I … Continue reading A Visit (And a Visitation)
Radio-Speak (Do You Copy?)
My first sailing trips were under the tutelage of my uncle, who's a stickler for doing things properly. (Best training ever! Sailing with Uncle Dick made my later "official" training a breeze. Even when the "breeze" was 18 knots!) Uncle Dick's pet peeve regarding the radio is when someone signs off with "Over and Out." … Continue reading Radio-Speak (Do You Copy?)
Kana's Chronicles 