The odes, oddities, and O Deities of a world traveler

  • Ode to the East Coast of Taiwan

    Ode to the East Coast of Taiwan

    The East Coast of Taiwan is 24km from the promised land. It is a magical area of sapphire blue sea, emerald green vegetation, diamond clouds, and an obsidian road. There are little towns and streams that run fresh and short into the warm sea. There are jagged cliffs that fall directly into the pounding surf.…

  • Did you know: lemur society

    lemurs primarily have matriarchal social structures?

  • Ode to Canyon Streams

    Ode to Canyon Streams

    Canyon streams are paradise. They are the most improbable of things, running water in the desert. Particularly in the Grand Canyon, you can traverse miles and miles with not even the barest hint of water in anything. Then, you come around a corner. You descend one more switchback, and the echoing sound of water trickling…

  • Did you know: Library of Congress

    Sub-Saharan African history is organized by linguistic group in the Library of Congress?

  • Ode to Running, Particularly in the Rain

    Ode to Running, Particularly in the Rain

    Running gives the best high ever. Admittedly, I don’t do anything else that gives a high (maybe caffeine), but man, running makes you feel good. Running is a great way to stay in shape. It requires a particular kind of shape to be in. There are plenty of people that are in excellent shape but…

  • Did you know: Beijing Women

    every one of the women escorting countries into the stadium for the Beijing Olympics’ open ceremony were exactly the same dress size?

  • Ode to the Smell of Black Ink in a Journal

    Ode to the Smell of Black Ink in a Journal

    Black ink in a journal smells erudite. There is something about the combination of the black ink with the pages that gives a journal the smell of a library, and this evokes a sense of all of all the thought that went into the pages of the books and journals. It is just a good smell…

  • Did you know: sand

    one mol is a reasonable estimate for the number of grains of sand on Earth?