The passengers deboard the late night Air China flight from Beijing onto the empty tarmac and walk languidly toward the terminal. Amidst the ant-like trail of humans, two westerners stand out: myself and a pale-skinned man in his mid-forties who towers above the Asians. With an odd familiarity, we briefly glance at each other. I […]
Excerpt from North Korea: A Reflection on US Read More »
Holy. Cursed. Divine. Blighted. This juxtaposition of words characterizes two locations in Japan that share a remarkable relationship. Aokigahara Forest, in the shadow of Mt. Fuji, rises up the side of the mountain, eventually giving way to caves and bluffs that extend above the forest. The convergence of the two iconic areas not only reveals
Aokigahara Forest: Death in the Shadow of Mt. Fuji Read More »
If only more people knew about Blue Zones. When my mother was a young girl in Mexico, she had problems with her digestive system. Around the age of 12, she was hospitalized multiple times because of sharp pains in her abdominal area. As a result, she stopped eating, and her sickness increased. The doctors never
The Nicoya Peninsula: One of the World’s Blue Zones Read More »
Recently, I re-watched Everything Must Go, an adaptation of the very short Raymond Carver story “Why Don’t You Dance?” When I saw it for the first time back in 2011, I expected to enjoy it, but I was surprised at just how good it was. First things first: Everything Must Go stars Will Ferrell. I
Gary’s Off-the-Map Movie Pick: Everything Must Go Read More »
At seventy-two, my grandmother Linda recounted her memories of old with eager ease. The questions I asked triggered a flood of reminiscences of a young girl and her experiences with a now-very-distant world. The life Linda knew as a little girl is merely a distant memory of days gone by. After our interview together, she
Remember, There Were No Remotes! Read More »
So much depends on perception. Perceiving identity as static results in static behavior where little is gained or learned, with minimal emotional reward. “This is who I am,” someone might think, “so this is the way things will always be.” Granted, disorders like schizophrenia and depression control behavior in certain immutable ways, as can things
Future Perfect and the Art of Perception Read More »