The building is in an odd state of disrepair. Wings seem to have been grafted on at odd angles and in strange places; some of the floors are slanted while others are perfectly straight; some portions of the building look fine (mostly the interiors of individual units) while others (e.g., most of the hallways) look […]
I have co-authored a plug-in for Google Earth to help canners track their scavenging and maximize their returns. I demo the features to a bunch of prospective investors and retailers. I show them how they can use a layer based system to show how many bottles/cans/etc. they locate each day, what the most successful blocks […]
The tour guide breaks down the route for us in agonizing detail. The kayak paddle across the bay to the island sounds manageable; a bit challenging but nothing horrendous. Then there is the matter of getting up onto the island, scaling the 20 feet of rock cliffs to arrive at the base of the hotel/lodge […]
Unlocking locks. Padlocks. Deadbolts. Combination locks. Lock after lock after lock. Twist and spin — 23 right, 11 left, etc. Where is the key? Slip it in and twist, waiting for resistance. Every key turns. Every combination works. But beneath each lock is another.
It’s a knock-down, drag-out fight. MG and me. We are arguing. What is getting done? What isn’t getting done? How fast? What takes priority? Who takes priority? We have the same goals, we just disagree on how to get there. Fists are thrown, jaws are dislocated.
We are late in showing up for some kind of kids’ summer camp at the end of the world. The apocalypse has come and gone and at this junior Club Med, the only evidence of it is the thin supply of canned peaches. We arrive (fully adult) to take refuge among the juvenile survivors, perhaps […]
I are running late for the NCAA championship tournament; I was supposed to have met Dad there already. I’ve arranged a ride on this strange guy’s spare sailboat. Part of my problem is that I cannot get the lenses to fit correctly on the new camera. I have my silver-bodied Canon point-and-shoot digital in my […]
We’re stationed at the South Pole for some vague scientific experiment but our arrival feels more like we have showed up just-past-check-in at a ski-related timeshare. The one-level apartment is split up into three bedroom (one big, two small), a combination living/dining room with a cheap TV and DVD player, and a crowded kitchen; closets […]
Dad and I are on a vacation in the south Pacific. It’s the last night that we’re there (our plane leaves in the morning) and we are taking a walk through the beach-side town down to the beach. When we clear the palm trees and our feet hit sand, we notice two things. First, the […]
Climbing a snow-covered mountain. Skiing? Sledding? Fingers nearly immobilized in gloves so thick. The mountain face is nearly vertical. We make slow progress. Something comes down too quickly, knocking us in our respective heads. I barely duck out of the way in time. Two hunters (?) have rigged themselves up in individual gurneys and lower […]