JULY 2017

#182 Whole Life Festival

01 July 2017 // Del Mar, California

I went to the Del Mar Fair for the first time in a decade… this thing has not changed one bit.

Plant With Purpose got a spot at the Whole Life Festival, a celebration of botany and sustainable agriculture with organizations and thought leaders helping to spread awareness and ideas about holistic environmental health.

Of course, all this was a little bit hard to find behind the rows and rows of trucks selling deep fried pizza, mega turkey legs, and vats of oil.

#183 Beach Cities at Night

02 July 2017 // San Diego, California

I went to college in a beach city, party town, student slum kind-of-world.

I’m realizing that right now, I pretty much live in a grown up version of Isla Vista. But hey, that’s where so many of my happiest memories came from, so no complaints from me.

#184 Kauai Shave Ice

03 July 2017 // San Diego, California

I’ve lost count of trips into the ocean this week.

I’m pretty sure we’re turning into beach bums. And I’m kinda okay with it.

#185 Fourth of July 17

04 July 2017 // San Diego, California

The Fourth of July means unfinished business- The Fourth of July for Americans is less a time of looking back than a time of looking forward, less a time for congratulating ourselves on the exceptionalism of the United States, much more a time for challenging ourselves on the state of the American proposition. (Words from America Mag)

My Fourth this year was a winner. Got to set up the grill for the first time to have family over and the results were great. And living right across from SeaWorld has some perks. I get one of the best firework shows in town without having to even leave the house.

#186 Prosciutto e Melone Doughnuts

05 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 27: Prosciutte e Melone Doughnuts. It’s a pretty farfetched concept, but hear me out.

Have you ever known a weird couple that seems to make no sense on paper, but once you see them vibe together it just works? It doesn’t happen often, but it happens. In the food world, this is prosciutto and melon.

Who would think that the salty, fatty slices of cured pork would mesh so well when wrapped around chilled, juicy cantaloupe pieces? Well, the Italians did, because they tried it out to a good deal of success.

I love sweet and salty combos, and the bacon maple doughnut has been well-established as a good one. I wondered if there might be potential for this odd couple to play well on top of some fried dough as well.

The results: Yes!

I spent a while juicing a cantaloupe to make some melon flavored glaze… that came out even better than I expected. I used my old beignet recipe to make the doughnuts, and while it was hard to work with the shape of doughnut bars, they still came out alright. Maybe not the most visually appeasing recipe, but also, one I was still pretty proud of at the end of the day.

#187 This City at Sunfall

06 July 2017 // San Diego, California

I’ve been able to work under so many different leaders over the years… at work, in churches, in academia. I’ve come across so many different styles and personalities.

There are so many different ways to be a great leader. That said, there’s one thing shared by all the people I looked up to the most while working or serving under them.

Humility.

Every leader that I’ve looked up to has had humility as one of their core traits. Not an auxiliary trait. Like- it would be impossible to describe them without noting how they were constantly deflecting or sharing praise, showing restraint around the limelight, or completely disinterested in showing off.

Humility unfailingly leaves a bigger impression on me than skill or accomplishments. Two of the best pastors I’ve ever known left a lasting, positive impression on me by apologizing for things misspoken. I remember those moments better than any sermon, and they did a better job than any sermon of making me want to be humble and own my errors.

I know I want to be like that. At the very least, I’m already a very big fan of humble.

#188 Fates and the Furies

07 July 2017 // San Diego, California

“Because it’s true: more than the highlights, the bright events, it was in the small and the daily where she’d found life.”

–Lauren Groff

Book No. 25 of 2017

Here’s one that sat on my reading list for a long time because of all the praise I heard about it. I finally got around to picking it up at Powell’s once I found a really good price on a copy in like-new shape. I brought it with me on a long plane ride and I’m so glad I did.

Groff’s story explores the ins and outs of a marriage that spans decades. It takes a simple story and peels away its layers, little by little, leading you to discover more and more hidden stories behind each character along the way. Her writing shows so much restraint and caution in crafting a clean but striking narrative.

She writes with such sharpness, painting scenes that are both rich and delicate at the same time. I haven’t come across too many authors who have this type of command over words and emotion.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#189 Dunking a Beignet

08 July 2017 // San Diego, California

If you know my dog, you’ll totally why I’ve been a skeptic of letting her off leash at Dog Beach. She has so much wanderlust, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle herself.

We only live a few minutes away from Dog Beach, though, which is such a delightful place. I tried taking her there on leash, but seeing her wanting to run free was a bit painful.

Cue the Rocky-style training montage– we’ve been working on a little off-leash training for the past few months.

Then, Saturday became such a proud moment for puppy parents. We cheated a little bit, by letting her let some of her energy out at the dog park, then we took her into the ocean. And she did so good! She tagged along with us the whole time, going after the ball and coming back despite the potential distractions of hundreds of other dogs.

You go, Beignet baby.

#190 OB Photowalk

09 July 2017 // San Diego, California

How I Spent My Pretty Rad Sunday Night:

Met new friends, took in some coffee, ended up on a photo walk around OB. Brought the dog and she turned into the evening's muse.

#191 Roadmap to Reconciliation

10 July 2017 // San Diego, California

“Reconciliation is about how to relate even after forgiveness andjustice have occurred. It’s about how to delve even deeper into re-lationship with one another. An absence of hostility is possible without a spiritual dimension, but reconciliation is not. Reconcili-ation is possible only if we approach it primarily as a spiritual process that requires a posture of hope in the reconciling work of Christ and a commitment from the church to both be and proclaim this type of reconciled community.”

–Brenda Salter McNeil

Book No. 26 of 2017

Of all the books this year, this one may have been the one with some of the most practical use. McNeil offers a good overview of what reconciliation is and breaks down the process into stages: realization of a new reality, identification with the “other,” preparation for lasting change, and activation of change.

This book was also the shortest book I’ve read this year, but if there’s such a thing as a value-to-page ratio, then this was also perhaps the richest. It’s a book that I think would be worth reading in a group setting, especially among a group with a diverse set of viewpoints and experiences.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#192 Beignet Baby

11 July 2017 // San Diego, California

I was talking to a couple of friends recently, telling them about our Beignet adoption experience.

At the shelter, she flashed us a pair of puppy eyes and offered a couple of gentle licks. Compared to the other yappers in the kennel, she seemed to be the only one with the temperament we were looking for. Plus she responded to a couple basic commands, which was pretty promising.

When we first brought her home, she was a total wild child… and stayed that way for the next several months. Puppy energy for days on end. What a trickster.

A year and a half and one big move later, though, and she’s so much more like the dog she made us think she was when we took her home. She hasn’t had an accident in almost forever. She’s never been aggressive, just assertively playful. She eats trash every now and then, but she can also handle the ocean like a champ.

We’ve spent a year and a half living the #lifeofabeignet and I think we got a good one.

#193 Volunteering at the Farm

12 July 2017 // Encinitas, California

Soil is fascinating. Soil is a natural antidepressant. The microbes found in soil have been found to have similar effects on a brain as chemical antidepressants.

Long story short, I love volunteer days spent at Coastal Roots Farm with our Plant With Purpose staff.

#194 Truffle Boy

13 July 2017 // San Diego, California

“I’d always tried to show respect for other people’s religious beliefs because I would never say that I know the one answer, and for a moment that day I shared a belief in a higher force. It made sense. All the parts of the world suddenly fit together as a whole. It’s what I felt the first time I ate truffles at Arcodoro and what I felt the first time I met Jane. Those were moments that came out of the blue.”

–Ian Purkayastha

Book No. 27 of 2017

This is the first book I’ve read this year by an author younger than me, but it was written with a lot more expertise and experience than a lot of older authors bring.

I discovered Ian when I heard an interview with him on The Sporkful. (At least, I’m pretty sure it was the Sporkful.) He told stories of how he hustled it as a truffle dealer, trying to peddle his gourmet goods in the back kitchens of some of New York’s most reputable restaurants. It reminded me a lot of how Jay-Z often talks about his hustlin’ days, just swapping out the banned substances with truffles. There’s still a lot of shady, cartel-driven business in the gourmet food world. That I learned.

I also learned a lot about why truffles are so valuable and how difficult they are to harvest. And of all the European politics that go into branding a product like a foraged truffle. Another book this one reminded me of was Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog. It was a look into the hard work that it takes to make a big idea succeed.

Ultimately, though, I was won over by Ian’s simple passion for his product and how transcendent the whole foraging and distributing experience was for him. He’s got some good stories to tell.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#195 Public Market Dates

14 July 2017 // San Diego, California

A place with lots of good food where you can run into some great people is my kind of place. If some of that good food happens to include lobster rolls, even better. 

It’s been a good past week on a couple of fronts– lots of time spent at the Liberty Public Market, going on some long awaited double dates, squeezing in good conversations in between overhead airplane noises, and loving the coast. 

#196 A Year After Lola

15 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Today a year ago, my grandma spent her last day on earth after 98 full, abundant years. She would've turned 99 last Monday.

She was the only grandparent of mine who lived long enough for me to get to know. And even if it was only enough overlap for me to have caught her later years, they were enough to let me know I had a family history of hospitality and widespread loving to live up to.

I miss her, but I'm also thankful she lived so long and fully that I got to experience her care and love. She left so much of it to linger, it almost feels like she's still around in the Philippines, waiting for our next visit.

#197 Family Day in OB

16 July 2017 // San Diego, California

My in-laws are in town... just about all of them! On their first full day, Simon taught me how to play Magic the Gathering, we went to church, Beignet went into the ocean, and I finally got to try the steak tartare benedict and guava melon mimosa at Breakfast Republic.

And the fun weekend is turning into a pretty fun week.

#198 Houseful of Fam

17 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Growing up, I was always happiest when my house was fullest. There was a strong correlation between when things were tough and when the house was empty.

I still love a full, packed house, friends or family everywhere, and food. Probably even more so.

When we left Oregon for California, we knew we would have to downsize, and we definitely did. We literally have half the space we used to. But we probably get even more use out of it by not letting that stop us from hosting as many people as we can. This week we had both families over. We had to ask them to bring beach chairs so we’d have enough seats, but it worked.

Get rid of things to make room for people.

In my dream world, my house is a coffee shop in the morning, an Irish pub in the evening, and a hostel overnight.

#199 Lavender Lemonade

18 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission No. 26: I’ve had the longest lasting fixation on lavender lemonade. Somehow those two flavors go together really well, despite lemons being bold and aggressive and lavender being a more delicate taste. It’s like a couple of complementary personalities that just meshes the right way.

The Results: The hardest part of this concoction was trying several different spots to try and buy lavender before giving in and ordering some online. But the results were great. I cooked them into a lavender syrup that steeped with the fresh squeezed lemon juice so much better.

#200 Late Night Ticket to Ride

19 July 2017 // San Diego, California

When the concept of your board game is “make trains really long and connect different places,” of course my nephew Luke is gonna want to play.

Little did he realize he signed up for a game that would take us deep into the night.

#201 We Used to Watch the Waves Crash

20 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Going as far back as college, one of my favorite spiritual practices were all those silent prayers of watching one wave crash after the other, vastness and consistency, separation and global connection. Just staring for a few seconds felt like a fistful of Our Fathers.

For the past few years, I’ve found myself living in landlocked places, forced to leave behind this practice. That’s not such a bad thing- having to leave your spiritual comfort zone reminds you that the meaning matters more than the method. But man, I missed it.

Yesterday, I started to wonder if that might’ve been at least a part of the reason I’ve been called back to a coastline. I spent the sunset with a book and a Beignet, watching waves crash. They hadn’t missed a beat.

#202 Nephews in Del Mar

21 July 2017 // San Diego, California

My nephs are in town and everything is great.

Also, I recommend pretty much everything I’ve been reading the past couple weeks: Fates and Furies, Amoris Laetitia, and Romans.

#203 OB Beans Grand Opening

22 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Sadly, it looks like I didn’t win the raffle for free coffee for a month/year. But the raffle tickets came in the form of matcha lattes so it’s all good.

Any of my econ-versed friends want to gve me a good Game Theory explanation for the raffle jars?

#204 Hanging With Marly & JP

23 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Thanks, ComicCon and Puesto , for giving us a chance to get back together and catch up with Marly and JP. It had been a minute!

And it was great getting to finally meet ya, JP. Come back to SD soon.

#205 Perfect Little World

24 July 2017 // San Diego, California

“It amazed Izzy the way the children rushed through so many complicated emotions without space between each one. Everything rose so quickly to the surface and then subsided, like firecrackers, and what had originally been so jarring to her, their unguarded emotion, now filled her with great comfort, that anything, no matter what it was, would eventually give way to something else.” 

–Kevin Wilson

Book No. 28 of 2017

At first, the premise of this book sounded really interesting to me. I was ready to read about a (probably dystopian) world where instead of parent-child bonds, all children are raised in bulk, with general society serving a collective parental role.

This book was written to be pretty fast paced, and its world is rich and lively. But the concept is kind of underwhelming. It turns out that the collective approach to raising parents is simply a psychological experiment underwritten by the owners of a Mega-Corporation. And what results isn’t too different from the collectivist style of parenting in many non-Western cultures, combined with the publicity and drama of reality TV.

⭐️⭐️

#206 David & Dayna

25 July 2017 // San Diego, California

The last time I saw David, our wives weren’t even in the picture. It’s been almost ten years.

We teamed up to take on some BBQ ribs and had several years to get caught up on. It was a blast and it was great meeting Dayna. We gotta hang out again– more than once a decade.

#207 Staff Beach Day

26 July 2017 // San Diego, California

I came back from Bocce ball to find my whole office intensely focused on the sand. At first I figured we were making a really intense sand castle. After all, we have a lot of technical people. Maybe we just wanted a lot of structural integrity.

I asked what was up and no one replied. They were so into it. I also thought it might’ve been some zen garden project, and everyone was really focused.

Turns out, everyone was looking for a set of wedding rings that had gotten lost. About an hour later: success. One was found, the other was in the car the whole time. Congrats to Ellen and Matt, and thanks for the team bonding!

#208 Seared Scallops on Udon Noodle

27 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission No. 27: Make a dish that perfectly highlights scallops as the star. Scallops are amazing, after all.

The Results: This was a pretty easy dish to make, since I was so comfortable with all the ingredients that went in. Udon noodles were my base, and I made a pretty good sauce from soy and garlic. The stars of the show, the scallops, were complemented by bits of bacon oil and brown butter, with a bit of mushroom.

#209 Kenzie Karaoke

28 July 2017 // San Diego, California

I don't like goodbyes. I like karaoke much better. If I have to say goodbye, I'll make sure that's balanced out with a good dose of karaoke.

F'real though, Kenzie, we just started being co-workers! I love my job and so much of that is because of the team I get to work with. Most of that team and culture was recruited and developed by such an HR powerhouse.

Good luck to Team Leas. The Bay won't know what hit it. Thanks for bringing me on board in time for a few great months of working together.

#210 Walk in the Park

29 July 2017 // San Diego, California

This weekend, I met and had spontaneous conversations with: a couple managing a crazy long distance relationship (she’s recently widowed and lives in Mexico while he travels 300 days a year for work), a woman in her 80’s who plays basketball at the gym every week and goes to Alabama for tournaments, her genuinely joyful friend who survived a terrible tragedy you’d never expect, an Iraqi refugee who is working hard to help other recent arrivals with their transition, and another Iraqi who was working for the UN at the time the compound was bombed in 2003.

And I took a nice walk in the park with my family.

#211 Board

30 July 2017 // San Diego, California

You know how I like, have absolutely no hobbies or interests at all and need a new one? And how I need something new to spend money on because I have way too much cash all the time?

To help myself with that situation, I bought a surfboard. It’s taken me long enough, with how much time I’ve spent living in surfer paradises.

#212 Pints for Pups

31 July 2017 // San Diego, California

Beignet still hasn’t figured out how to start a little side hustle to pay her share of the rent. We’re hoping she can go viral and change that soon with royalty payments. Until that happens, though, we’ve figured out how to get her to save us $1 on pints. Thanks, Culture!

JUNE 2017

#152 BizX

01 June 2017 // San Diego, California

I love how you never quite know where you’re going to find yourself at any given day. I was at work in the afternoon, when I discovered that I’d be going to a business networking event. I would be going because a chain of five other colleagues couldn’t make it, but I thought, what the heck, I’ll go.

I was a total fish out of water. Most of the people there were from a big money business world, and my first clue should’ve been the fact that the event rented out the Museum of Man and had free cocktails and hoer d’ouerves– shoutout to myself for actually doing more than just standing at the charcuterie board and eating all night long. I could’ve so easily done that.

Instead I got to meet a bunch of people from totally different walks of life, and I had a whole lot of fun doing so. Here are my three big tips for these sorts of networking events.

• A pretty good tolerance to strong wine is an asset. Not everybody had that, and the pinot gris they were giving out by the door was a lot more potent than it looked.
• Do everything in your power to not choke on prosciutto while networking. This will kill whatever good vibes you have built up. If you are working on a slice of prosciutto, it is better to hide in the corner and eat it secretly than to choke on it in front of your new connections.
• Let the other people do most of the talking. This will show that you are interested, and you’ll get to actually eat a lot more charcuterie that way.

#153 Our Common Home

02 June 2017 // San Diego, California

My 9-to-5 job is to literally tell stories that show people how a better world is possible. That we get to build up our common home. To be honest, it often feels like there’s a pretty big gap in between the world we live in and the one I want.

This week was especially bad in that regard.

You probably heard about the terrorist attack in Portland last week. An angry man was threatening two Muslim teenage girls on the train. When a group of men intervened, he killed two of them and badly injured the third. That makes me angry on a number of levels. The Portland MAX consistently brought me joy, and it’s strange to think of something so awful happening on board. Even worse is that I’d like to be the type of person who stands up for others, and it’s terrible knowing this is sometimes the result.

In the Philippines last night, a gunman shot and killed at least 36 people in a Manila Casino. That’s another incident that hits pretty close to home.

There were also recent attacks in Manchester, Baghdad, and Kabul– places a little less close to me, but incidents that were just as tragic.

The last words of one of the Portland victims were “tell everyone on this train I love them.” In a moment so full of hate, ugliness, tragedy, and death, came a string of words so beautiful that we all need to hear. Aren’t we all just passengers towards our own mortality needing a reminder that we are loved?

#154 Carlsbad Coast

03 June 2017 // Carlsbad, California

Enjoying just a little bit of calm before the storm of travel that takes over the rest of this month.

One of my favorite cities in the country (Chicago) and somewhere I’ve never been before (Tanzania)– what a great combo. I’m thankful that my life right now gives me both a home base and a good amount of opportunities to travel. I’m my best self when I get home and away in the right balance.

Lately I’ve been doing so much flashing back to some of the first international trips I took. I can just as strongly remember how fresh and new places like Australia or Turkey felt to me. It wasn’t just the place, but also that constant process of discovery and strong feeling of independence that made those trips so full of life.

You can’t quite recreate that magic, and you can never really take the same trip twice. That said, I’m feeling nice and ready to see somewhere new for the first time and to once again lose myself while exploring. That exhilaration never gets old.

#155 Point Loma Steeple

04 June 2017 // San Diego, California

Defying tradition sort of comes natural to me. I’ve always been drawn to the unconventional. I’m not offended by fusion food. I like music that doesn’t have a genre. I am much more interested about hearing how somebody has created their own career path doing something way out there than someone who excelled and accumulated wealth the tried and true way.

It’s kind of funny that when it comes to my faith, I go in the opposite direction. Maybe it’s cause growth often looks like going against your natural urges. 

When it comes to worship, I’ve come to appreciate church calendars, common prayers, and liturgies that go much further back than I do. It’s the awareness I often need that this whole thing is not about me. That’s not to say that one style of practice is better than another, but this is where my growth has been for the past five or so years.

Sure, there’s a level of taking personal ownership and application of your faith, but I also really need the reminder that God’s narrative doesn’t have me at the center of it. I have a little bit of time left on earth, during which, I need to be a good steward of his story and word for those who come after me.

#156 Deanna Starts Work

05 June 2017 // San Diego, California

Proud of Deanna, happy for Deanna. Today she started her new job with the Community Research Foundation in San Diego, doing pretty similar work to what she did in Eugene, only now with transition age youth.

You don’t need to know Deanna as well as I do to know that she’s gonna totally rock this new job. And by rock it, I mean she’ll be changing and probably even saving more lives than anyone will realize, because that’s what she does.

#157 Turkey Ciabatta Sandwich

06 June 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 22: Keep it simple, but make a really good sandwich.

The Results: Start with ciabatta bread- and it doesn’t take much to take it off from there. A bit of japanese mayo and pesto, some lettuce, sliced turkey breast, tomato and muenster. It took only a quick couple minutes to put together and it totally satisfied.

#158 Universal Harvester

07 June 2017 // San Diego, California

“Not everybody wants to get out and see the world. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you just want to figure out how to fit yourself into the world you already know.” 

–John Darnielle

Book No. 20 of 2017

It shouldn’t be the biggest surprise but John Darnielle’s novel actually has a lot of the same vibe as a Mountain Goats song. I do think he is one of the most crafty songwriters, and so when his novels started getting heavy acclaim, I decided I needed to pick up one of them.

Overall, I liked it. This book had a really fascinating premise of VHS Tapes accidentally being partially written over with cryptic and creepy pieces of footage. This random mystery works its way into the lives of the video store employees and other related characters who are all missing something in their life.

As bold as that premise is, this is also a really subtle book, and it gives you a pretty long leash to make inferences about the direction the story takes. I’m glad I read it.

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#159 Anniversary 5

08 June 2017 // San Diego, California

Well— today took me pretty much everywhere, from the office to an amazing dinner at Bo + Beaux to a serene gondola ride in East Asia via virtual reality to where I am now, which is on board my flight to Chicago.

As exciting as all that is, it's all overshadowed by a certain milestone: Deanna and I have been dating for five years.

Of course we've since upgraded our status to married, but I never want to stop celebrating this anniversary as well. It profoundly made my life better and it's been growing me and inspiring me ever since.

Happy five years, hun. Thanks for filling them up with so many happy thoughts and moments.

#160 The Justice Conference: Day One

09 June 2017 // South Barrington, Illinois

Day One of the Justice Conference in the books.

I've mostly been posted up at the Plant With Purpose table, saying hi to people, and only got the chance to see bits and pieces of the speakers, and this.

Mariela Shaker is a fantastic violinist from Aleppo, who has survived unthinkable things. Knowing that added more music to the music, and her song was what resonated most in a room full of words. Hearing her play was incredible.

#161 The Justice Conference: Day Two

10 June 2017 // South Barrington, Illinois

“When we seek to love our neighbors, we cannot separate it from the systems in which they reside.”

“Our idolization of comfort and security will stop us from entering into other communities unlike our own.”

–Jenny Yang

The second day of the Justice Conference totally rocked. There were a lot of people who were only able to make one day of the conference, and we got to see a lot of new faces at the Plant With Purpose table and start some great conversations about environmental justice.

I also had a chance to run in to hear some speakers for a bit, and I think I did so at just the right time.

I caught the trifecta of Jeremy Courtney, Sandra Van Opstal, and Jenny Yang. Each of them had such compelling, challenging talks, and powerful reminders about standing alongside the marginalized.

Interestingly, in a conference of speakers two of the most powerful moments of the conference happened without many words. There was Mariela Shaker’s moving violin performance the previous day. Then there was Ann Voskamp literally giving up her seat at a panel citing "too much talking from people of privilege."

#162 Chicago Heat

11 June 2017 // Chicago, Illinois

Yeahhh- I’m not really one for these really hot days. My last day in Chicago kind of disagreed. I had to cope by trying to spend the night one foot away from a fan and by chasing down an order of Italian beef. The latter didn’t do much to help with the heat, but I love these sandwiches.

Despite being temperature challenged, I’m loving the summertime overall. My bigger travels have already happened, I think, but late nights with sours, taking advantage of the ocean next door, cookout recipes, road trip playlists, weekend camping trips, and early evening hangouts are still on deck. I’m loving this.

#163 Planes in Phoenix

12 June 2017 // Phoenix, Arizona

Another day, another layover. And apparently I’m crossing paths with John McCain at the Phoenix airport too. Ha.

It’s no secret I love to travel. And no matter how physically tiring a trip might be, I usually come back emotionally recharged and happy to take on my ordinary life again all the more thankful for it.

I’m thankful that I get to have a life where home-and-away can be in pretty good balance. I get to go to some interesting places and meet incredible people, to collect stories I’ll tell for forever, and to scratch the itch for adventure. Then I get to come back home to a life I love surrounded by people I’m thankful I always get to return to. I used to wonder if I’d ever hit a point where I’d have to compromise my need for a home base or my need for a long leash. I don’t take it for granted that not everybody has that, and I’m so grateful that I do.

#164 The Classy Skies

13 June 2017 // San Diego, California

Pretty much halfway through the year.

At the beginning of 2017, it was pretty tough to set goals or make plans. I was a free agent- looking for work and expecting to move cities, except I didn’t even know what city to really anticipate planning my life around.

I basically started with one goal– find a job. I wasn’t even necessarily thinking along the lines of a dream job- just something to help pay the bills, that could hold things together while I started to work on chasing a dream.

That goal was accomplished, and then some. Months later, I’d be standing on Mt. Kilimanjaro at a job that could not be a better fit for my skills, my interests, and what I want to do long term. I also wound up in San Diego, which has been a good fit as a new-but-old home.

I’m thankful- and we’ve still got half a year left- and as my goal for the remainder of the year, I’m ready to push even harder into making this place home. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in a place without also knowing the day I’d move out, and I’m ready to make this place more of a home than I’ve ever had.

#165 Bicol Express

14 June 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 24: Bicol Express is a coconut pork dish from the region of Bicol, and it’s got one of my favorite names for a Filipino dish–probably because it sounds more like a hipster café that serves the dish than the food itself. Yasmin Newman had a pretty simple looking recipe for it, so I decided to give it a shot.

The Results: I like what came out- I had to be really careful with these chili peppers since they were strong, but I like the way they went with the pork and the coconut. I’ll likely give this another shot in the near future- using pork shoulder rather than pork belly to cut out some of the fat.

#166 The Enneagram Advantage

15 June 2017 // San Diego, California

“Most of us wouldn’t ordinarily think of going to work every day as a spiritual exercise, yet our patters are constantly triggered by the job and the people around us. Once you know your type, you may become increasingly aware of times when your habit engages.”

–Helen Palmer

Book No. 21 of 2017

I greet most personality tests and profiles with a fair amount of skepticism, and the same was initially true with the enneagram, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it’s been one of the most helpful tools for allowing me to better understand my strengths and weaknesses and all that.

I’m pretty much the epitome of a type seven, and one thing stood out in this book that I hadn’t really heard from other enneagram resources before– to me, things change very quickly. You blink and suddenly everything’s different. Perceiving everything as fleeting guides me to make most decisions from a 30,000 foot view, wanting to squeeze in as much significant experiences as possible, wanting to have everything in order so I can take a deeper breath and take in a moment slower.

Thanks for the self-discovery, Helen Palmer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#167 IAD Layover

16 June 2017 // Washington, District of Columbia

I was pretty thrilled to see that my D.C. layover was a full 15 hours- 8pm until 11am the next day.

That's not a sleep-in-the-airport kinda layover. It's the get-out, take-a-shower, sleep-properly, get-stuff-at-Target-you-forgot kind.

Huge thanks to Evan and Jesse for letting me crash a night. Deanna and I will have to visit you two soon and stay longer than a handful of hours.

#168 Addis Layover

14 June 2017 // Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Made it to some African soil. Yes! Fourth trip to Africa over the past five years, and I'm pretty happy with that rate.

Flying into the Addis Ababa airport made me pretty interested in going to see Ethiopia someday. The surprisingly familiar looking cityscape, the dusty haze over the city, the really good coffee. But that's another adventure for some other time- not this one.

Instead, it was a good chance to people-watch all the teams of volunteers and missionaries on their layovers in all their matching shirts- "Love Alive Malawi" or "Tanzania 2017." Between that and long, multi-part customs lines, African airports and Disneyland have way more in common than you'd expect.

#169 Tanzania Arrived

15 June 2017 // Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

After I landed at the Kilimanjaro Intl Airport, I hopped in the van waiting for me and set out for the hour and a half drive to our lodge.

I wish I could say I was amazed by the sights along the way. The scenes. The nature. The people. I wasn't. I mean, I'm sure they were lovely, but I knocked out within minutes of hopping in the van.

By the time I got to the lodge, I was pretty out of it, but the staff immediately greeted me with a hot towel and cherry juice.

For some reason I'd been telling myself that my arrival time was in the evening, like 7. I actually was way off and got in around noon. That left more time in the day to slog through before sleep, but I got to spend it hanging out with Corbyn and Katrina before the rest of the team got here.

#170 Kilimanjaro Day Hike

16 June 2017 // Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

One big bucket list item for me has been climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. I got to partially cross it off with a day hike.

The mountain was beautiful- for several parts of the hike, it reminded me of Oregon with its lush soil and rich greens. Then the landscape would change drastically. Yosemite-like meadows with tall grass and open patches. Then monkeys. Red dirt.

I’d love to come back someday and do the whole mountain. This and/or Fuji are climbs I’d love to have accomplished someday. But they’re super expensive and take a good amount of time, so I’m happy with a partially crossed off bucket list item for the time being.

#171 A Very Warm Welcome

17 June 2017 // Moshi-Marungi, Tanzania

We were driving from the Tanzania office to the Farmer Field School, where for the first time, I would get to meet and see our participants in the setting where they learn farming skills.

I was mid-conversation and just stopped. I literally said wow. On both sides of the minibus were farmers, mostly women, in bright orange shirts waving leaf fronds in the air, shouting and yodeling and singing loudly.

We turned and drove up the road they were flanking, they followed behind and continued to serenade us loudly, returning our smiles and increasing in energy.

The bus stopped and dropped us off at the middle of a party. It wasn't long before we went from buckled up to holding hands with them in a dance circle and trying to pick up on the Swalhili tunes.

The warmth of the welcome only grew when I learned that they skipped a Market Day to be with us- that's where they sell their goods to bring in an income and a much harder sacrifice than just a little PTO. But I would never know if I wasn't told.

I don't think I've ever been welcomed anywhere this enthusiastically.

#172 Homestay

18 June 2017 // Rombo, Tanzania

A real big thank you to this family for hosting us for a night. Christina, Cornelius, Cornelius Jr, Eve, Precious, and Mary- this was a home stay I won't forget! You all have such generous hearts.

Also, thanks for letting us help with dinner. Definitely a new experience.

#173 Tanzanian Karibu

19 June 2017 // Siha, Tanzania

Andddd it happened again. We drove into the community of Rombo and were greeted with another wave of shouts and cheers and singing in one joyful, unified voice. I’d never experienced any greeting like it, except the day before.

There are no words, really, to describe what it feels like when you are welcomed and received and celebrated like this. At least not in English.

Karibu is one of the first words a visitor will learn, and it’s Swahili for welcome. But it means so much more than that. It’s reflected in the attitudes and warmth and hospitality of the locals towards a total newcomer. It means welcome, but it also says something more along the lines of– HEY! We are thrilled out of our minds that you’re here!

My new goal is to be a karibu sort of person to people I’m around. If I can make them feel half as happy as this village made me feel, then yeah, life would be amazing.

#174 Lionness

20 June 2017 // Ngorongoro, Tanzania

I feel like we beat the odds on this safari and scored some unusually up-close lion encounters. So very Planet Earth.

First, there was the one resting right by the side of the road after a kill. She decided to recoup right in the shade of our jeep, while we stared 100 meters away to see if she would notice the gazelle about to cross her path.

Then, there were the two lions we got to watch… mate. I don’t know what the likelihood was of us running into that when we entered the park, but I imagine it was pretty narrow.

#175 A Parting Shot

21 June 2017 // Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Our whole trip we struggled to get a good view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I mean, we spent a whole day on the mountain, but it was a total forest-for-the-trees situation. When we were far enough away to see it, it was usually obscured by thick clouds.

I wanted to get a proper shot before I left, so I had to make do with my limited resources– a Kilimanjaro Lager beer can.

Now I’m writing these words from the airplane (probably posting after I’ve already touched down).

So much happened this week in Tanzania. More photos and stories remain. It feels like I spent two months here. It feels like I spent two days here. It was that kind of trip. I am so thankful for my job and where I get to work and the people I get to work with. Here’s what has me inspired to go back.

Knowing that what I do at my day job has such a profound impact for so many people will give me even more motivation to show up to work excited.

Having seen my Tanzanian friends be so industrious and creative inspires me to try to make the most of what I have, and to work to be fruitful and to have more to give.

The warm welcome I’ve received inspires me to be the kind of person who always lets people know I’m happy they’re around.

#176 The Aunts Who Feed

25 June 2017 // Carson, California

One of the biggest motivating factors for moving back to SoCal was to be closer to my aunts again.

We finally got to pay them a visit right after I got back from Tanzania, and it was just like old times. AKA lots of good food.

#177 The Packing District

26 June 2017 // Anaheim, California

As one part of our week of anniversary celebrating, we went to the Anaheim Packing District to find good things to eat. Sawleaf FTW.

Then, to celebrate Harry Potter’s 20th anniversary, we contemplated going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but balked at the price. Instead, we found a Hogwarts themed escape room and killed it.

#178 Two Year Anniversary

27 June 2017 // San Diego, California

I made it home in time to celebrate TWO YEARS of us being married!

Year two was a crazy one, but I'll be surprised if I'm not ultimately able to say that about all the years of our marriage. Finishing grad school, moving, both of us starting new jobs, it's been a lot of change. Mostly good changes but still big changes.

What doesn't change? We have so much fun together. And we eat good food.

Thank you for being the one who I get to live this life with, Deanna - we're still learning a lot too, but I'm glad we get to do that together.

#179 Homesick for Another World

28 June 2017 // San Diego, California

“You could hear your own heart beating if you listened. I loved it, or at least I thought I ought to love it - I've never been very clear on that distinction.”

–Ottessa Moshfegh

Book No. 22 of 2017

I don’t read a whole lot of short story collections, but I’d heard good things about Homesick for Another World, and from what I’ve heard about Moshfegh, she seemed like the sort of writer I might get into.

The way the stories were written were very good. Unfortunately, the stories themselves for the most part didn’t quite capture my interest. A few too many of them were extremely similar, and while disgust is meant to be a major emotional theme, there either wasn’t much beyond that or it was a bit too obscured.

⭐️⭐️

#180 The Best We Could Do

29 June 2017 // San Diego, California

“How much of ME is my own, and how much is stamped into my blood and bone, predestined? I used to imagine that history had infused my parents’ lives with the dust of a cataclysmic explosion. That it had seeped through their skin and become part of their blood. That being my father’s child, I, too, was a product of war… and being my mother’s child could never measure up to her. But maybe being their child simply means that I will always feel the weight of their past. Nothing that happened makes me special. But my life is a gift that is too great-a debt I can never repay.”

–Thi Bui

Book No. 23 of 2017

A reading goal of mine this year was to pick up more graphic novels. Thi Bui’s illustrated memoir helps show how wide-ranging that medium is.

Her story, really her family’s story of coming to the U.S. was both epic, but extremely relatable. Her immigrant upbringing was even set in San Diego, making it very easy to identify with. It wasn’t embellished, simply really well told, on the cusp of her own children being born.  

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#181 The Next Worship

30 June 2017 // San Diego, California

“Worship should be expressive and formative. The aim of corporate worship is not individual expression but communal formation of faith. We should practice authenticity and desire transformative worship experiences. Worship should stretch us to rehearse truths while our feelings catch up with us.”

–Sandra Maria Van Opstal

Book No. 24 of 2017

I picked up this book at The Justice Conference after hearing Van Opstal speak- actually she was probably my favorite speaker. While this book primarily focuses on corporate musical worship, something that I don’t interact with a whole lot beyond as a participant, I still found this book to be extremely helpful.

Van Opstal really does a good job refuting ethnocentrism- no matter what your background or worship style, it’s an ethnic style. There is no “normal” and we need to always check our assumptions about how everyone is “different” in relation to us. PB&J is ethnic food, after all.

For anyone involved in church worship or leadership, I would heavily recommend this as a resource full of ideas on how to help a church grow in the area of diversity. It’s not just a good thing to have, it’s impossible to be a church that reflects a God of all cultures without it.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

MAY 2017

#121 Remembering Grandma

01 May 2017 // Bakersfield, California

Just got back from a very quick trip to Bakersfield with my family-in-law.

Today we celebrated the life of Deanna's grandma. The last few years were pretty rough on her, physically. I got to meet her just before that started, to get to experience the way Deanna remembered her growing up- with lots of personality.

I remember that meal at IHOP fondly. She will be missed.

#122 Life From Scratch

02 May 2017 // San Diego, California

“Being happy takes constant weeding, a tending of emotions and circumstances as they arise. There’s no happily ever after, or any one person or place that can bring happiness. It takes work to be calm in the midst of turmoil. But releasing the need to control it– well that’s a start.”

–Sasha Martin

Book No. 16 of 2017

This book was totally different than what I expected, but totally beautiful, honest, and adventurous.

I know Sasha Martin from her blog and the project it revolves around– cooking dishes from every single country in the world. I was a fan of both, and I figured this book would capture much of the same spirit of adventure and culinary insight… it was, but that definitely wasn’t the foot that the book led with.

Instead, I got a book that explored her rocky and ever-changing childhood and all the emotional baggage that it came with. It was honest and vulnerable writing that I loved. There was definitely food involved, especially in the latter chapters, but it was the soul-bearing that left a more lasting impression.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#123 Meeting James Bishop

03 May 2017 // San Diego, California

This is James. He’s about to represent Plant With Purpose as he spends his summer on a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. In addition to being an advocate for the people we work with and an adventurer, he’s also a talented musician.

I’m excited to launch the Plant With Purpose Ambassador Program to give artists and adventurers the chance to promote our work while doing the things they love. Let me know if you’re an adventurer or artist wanting to tie your passion to the service of others.

#124 The Crack Shack

04 May 2017 // San Diego, California

My birthday week pretty much turned into my own personal San Diego restaurant week. Knowing myself, I shouldn’t be too surprised.

Here are a few of my early favorites in town:

The Crack Shack – Anyone who does fried chicken right has a fast pass to my favorites list. If only some Nashville Hot Chicken were also on the menu.

Farm & Fork – Not exactly in my neighborhood, being all the way out in La Mesa, but such a great spot for brunch.

Otono Sushi – I have many more sushi places to discover and explore, but for now, I’m glad I know I can count on this one.

#125 Twentyseven

05 May 2017 // San Diego, California

I looked in the mirror in this morning and what did I see? A few strands of white hairs mixed in amongst my sea of black. Wisdom. Experience. No wait... just Beignet's hair.

Thanks to everyone who made my day a fun one- everyone who greeted me here or texted me or bought me a pint or picnic'ed at the bay or got trapped in the Aztec temple with me. Thank you.

I'm happy about where I get to be in life right now. It's worth saying so many thank you's.

#126 Windy Cove

06 May 2017 // La Jolla, California

When I’m with you I have fun. 

That’s been our bread and butter since day one.

#127 The Magicians

07 May 2017 // San Diego, California

“For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.” 

–Lev Grossman

Book No. 17 of 2017

This book was pitched to me in a way that made it impossible to not be intrigued– Harry Potter for adults, plus a large amount of influences from Narnia. Of course I’d want to check that out.

That description was definitely accurate in a sense. The similarities to those classics were one-for-one enough so that it didn’t even seem “in the spirit of Harry Potter or Narnia,” it was intentional. A school for magicians otherwise invisible to muggles. A parallel land accessible through a grandfather clock… one that was visited by four siblings around wartime.

Unfortunately I didn’t find much more in the book beyond those curiosities. The characters weren’t likable… it was like Harry Potter but with Draco Malfoy as the protagonist. And the book blitzes through time. Midway through the first book, they’ve already made it through their academic career.

I’ll probably still try out the rest of this trilogy, under the rumors that it gets a little better, and because the ending seemed to be missing something.

⭐️⭐️

#128 PB Macarons

08 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Every now and then I’ll head over to the massive Asian mega-mart for my lunch break. It’s always a bit of a scramble to find the rare ingredients that are on my list in such a short time frame and it kind of feels like I’m on Guy’s Grocery Games.

Sometimes, though, I don’t need to hurry so much, and that gives me a chance to stop in for a snack at Paris Baguette and take a gander at some of their visual splendor. 

#129 Grown Up Toaster Scrambles

09 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 14: I’m about to confess something… Pillsbury makes these things that are basically savory breakfast versions of toaster strudels. Ever see them? They’re usually filled with bacon or sausage and can be found near all the microwavable Jimmy Dean stuff.

Okay, here’s the confession. I really like them. Like, guilty pleasure status. They’re a total atrocity to put into your body with all the saturated fats and sodium, but in the most artificial way, they’ve hit all the taste- and-texture notes I love. Flaky crust, tasty fillings, breakfast meats.

I wondered if I could make some that were homemade and less awful for you.

The results: I went with my go-to puff pastry recipe and filled it with goodies. Japanese style scrambled eggs. Shredded cheddar. Bacon. I froze the insides earlier so the consistency would stay right. And these things kept pretty well in the freezer.

Now I want to make these in bulk, so I can have them on hand with out the awfulness of having to go the factory-made route.

#130 Farmers Market Sampling

10 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Wednesday nights adventures at the Farmers Market lead to samples galore.

#131 Kimchi Bulgolgi Pizza

11 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 15: A Korean inspired pizza, some form of kimchi being absolutely necessary.

The results: Somehow the spiky acidity of kimchi and the sour-umami of bulgolgi are perfect matches for the rest of the flavors in a typical pizza. Just to make sure, I reduced the tomato sauce with some sriracha and hoisin to tie it all together.

#132 Massive Sushi Roll

12 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Our fusion food- It's like a sushi roll, but instead of fillings, there's a whole other sushi roll inside of it.

It's been great being able to hang out and make so many meals with Chris and Katie since moving to San Diego.

A) We have so much in common. A heart to see people grow. Interests in a pretty wide variety of anything and everything. A goal to build life around what we value the most.

B) We have so much not in common. Spontaneity versus structure. Doing versus becoming. Yet we benefit from the way those differences gel.

C) We've been friends for nearly a decade. With the past few years of my life consisting of so much movement and changing adventures, it's a real treasure having friends you can be confident about staying close after another decade goes by.

#133 PCT Trailhead

13 May 2017 // Campo, California

We woke up at three so we could get to the U.S.-Mexico border by sunrise. We met James at the Southern Terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail, as he was on day one of his thru hike all the way to Canada.

James is an Adventure Ambassador for Plant With Purpose. His vision for his trek lines up so much with the things we value.

“It’s not about this rugged individualism,” he mentions. “It’s a pilgrimage. One that helps me realize my own dependence- on God, on other people, on nature.”

He nailed it. The best adventures are quests of humility.

#134 Ultralightbeams

14 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Compassion fatigue is real.

Lately, there’s been a rise of “positive news” sites. On the whole, I love them. They’re an important counterbalance to traditional journalism which is biased towards negativity, and there are many ways in which our world continues to get better. On the other hand, I’m not entirely comfortable with the escapism that this sort of curation suggests. I know I have the tendency to over-focus on the good, which can be a weakness if not managed.

Last week I heard an interview with the New York Times’ Tina Rosenberg. She writes the “Fixes” column which began when she tried to write about how big pharmaceutical companies and the Clinton Administration were fixing the prices of AIDS treatments and restricting generics, keeping medicine out of the hands of the sick.

She tried pitching that story. No takers. There’s that compassion fatigue in action. She then pitched a different story about how Brazil was working around these challenges to provide the treatment for free. That story had legs. It revealed the injustice alongside a sense of hope– and it challenged any major actors to question why they weren’t trying a similar approach.

The interview was a great reminder that positivity and spreading joy should never be an act of escapism. Good stories are reminders that a better world is possible, and a defiant challenge to injustice. Hope outlasts outrage.

#135 #DEANNAPROBLEMS

15 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Happy Monday. Every new day, every new week, brings with it a new set of decisions– choices to make that will have subtle or drastic impacts on our lives.

Should Deanna go with Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel or Caramel with a Touch of Sea Salt?

#136 Design Grind

16 May 2017 // San Diego, California

I’ve been having so much fun at work ever since my design software subscription started!

With so many shirts and poster boards and website drafts to design by the first week of June, this week has been crunch time in the world of Adobe Products.

It’ll be so fun to see the finished products this week leads to.

#137 Johnnyswim Surprise

17 May 2017 // La Jolla, California

I told Deanna to come by the office for a little surprise when I got off of work.

The surprise was this– date night featuring Johnnyswim at the Birch Aquarium! We got engaged to their music so it wasn't exactly the first time I surprised her with their songs.

What a show. Gorgeous outdoor stage with paragliders overhead and the sun setting in the backdrop. Plus these two are pure chemistry, and I'm pretty sure I'll make a good effort to see them every time they come around.

#138 Bike to Work Day

18 May 2017 // San Diego, California

National Bike to Work Day, AKA, sorry for the sweat, co-workers!

It’s also a good day to discover all the points along your daily commute that would be so much more dangerous without a car.

#139 Pleasant Surprises

19 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Starting a sunny weekday morning up atop Downtown SD. Urban. Idyllic. All at the same time.

Some notes taken from earlier at Creative Mornings inspired by Jeni Amaraneni’s talk.

+ Talent is evenly distributed throughout the world, but opportunity is not.

+ The solutions to a lot of the world’s problems already exists, and it’s often a matter of bringing them to the people who need them.

+ You get to be somebody else’s pleasant surprise today… how fun is that!?

#140 Out of the Darkness

20 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Got to participate this weekend in the opening festivities for the Out of Darkness #overnightwalksandiego to prevent suicide.

It stood out to me were how many lives are affected by suicide. Most walkers were walking in honor of somebody who they knew personally. I think at least half of the people gathered in Ruocco Park were there on behalf of parents, partners, children, friends.

This isn’t something I really think about too often. But my own blinders aside, it’s such a real pain that confronts people every day… way more people than we’d probably realize until it confronts us directly. 

It also stood out to me was the instant connection between people who had gone through the same sort of profound loss. The presence of community was powerful. Struggles can bring people together in a way success can’t. I don’t think it can be said enough times– you are not alone.

#141 Weekendsea

21 May 2017 // La Jolla, California

Need a quick lesson in humility? Don’t we all? I highly recommend hopping into the ocean when the waves are in full effect and letting them thrash you around a little bit. It usually does the trick.

I really respect people who show restraint when it comes to taking on projects and ventures if they aren’t sure their motives are pure. That definitely doesn’t come natural to me. At the same time, there’s something to be said about jumping in and doing a cannonball into life. It’ll probably get messy, but life is a pretty good teacher if you take notes.

#142 Tteokbokki Burger

22 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 16: Confession– Mac & cheese cheeseburgers have become such a trend lately, to which I raise an eyebrow. Macaroni noodles underneath a bun simply double up on the starchy-carny ingredients, and I’d rather have a gooey patty of cheese rather than the inconsistent texture of mac & cheese. That said- if we’re going to be putting noodles in burgers, I thought the one with the most potential was tteokbokki, the large, super-gooey Korean rice noodles with their own distinct taste.

Results: I remain skeptical of noodles in burgers, but I did like the taste of this. The tteokbokki sauce played nicely with the beef patty, and I was able to marinate shredded lettuce in leftover kimchi juice with a few more pieces of cabbage to complement the flavor. I like the way these turned out.

#143 Age of Anger

23 May 2017 // San Diego, California

“Our unit of analysis should also be the irreducible human being, her or his fears, desires and resentments. It is in the unstable relationship between the inner and public selves that one can start to take a more precise measure of today’s global civil war.”

–Pankaj Mishra

Book No. 18 of 2017

I think I totally had the wrong expectations for this book going into it. I was expecting a pretty thoughtful reflection on the current hostile social climate that seems to be a global phenomenon, and thoughts on facets like online discourse, outrage culture, and the false promise of overconfident authoritarians.

Instead, this book is simply a synthesis of different philosophical and political-scientific writings throughout history as modernism comes into being. I didn’t really catch on to any thoughtful insights or ideas that came as a result of different thoughts being connected. It was my only reading material on a flight to Portland, though, so I ended up finishing.

⭐️

#144 Fried Green Tomato BLT

24 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 17: Essentially recreate a sandwich from Prodigal Son Brewing Co. in Pendelton- a fried green tomato BLT.

Results: An overpriced green heirloom tomato from the farmers market cut into steak like slices, breaded and fried were the centerpiece of this sandwich. Complementing it were crisp bacon, lettuce, pepper jack and pesto. I was pretty happy with my results here.

#145 Write Space

25 May 2017 // San Diego, California

It’s amazing how much a good physical space can do to get my creative juices flowing. A couple hours at Moniker before work means I’ve done some of my best writing in weeks before the clock turns nine.

I’m making it an active goal to try and do more of my creative work in spaces outside the home or office… also, it makes pleasant surprises a little more likely to happen. 

#146 Mom’s Birthday Dinner

26 May 2017 // San Diego, California

You may not know who half of the celebrities are when we play Heads Up, but that doesn't matter because you raised me to be kind and to always do my best at everything... including accents and impressions.

Happy birthday, mom! Here's to many, many more years of nobody believing you when they find out your age.

#147 Noble Canyon Trail

27 May 2017 // Pine Valley, California

This became a very familiar sight for miles and miles. I'm now back from the wilderness after a long weekend's backpacking trip with the bug bites, sore legs, and exhausted puppy to show for it.

Felt so good to get outside. Now if you'll excuse me, putting on a movie marathon and sitting very still sounds like it'll feel pretty good too.

#148 On The Trail

28 May 2017 // Pine Valley, California

I lived in Italy for a summer, years ago. Adapting to my surroundings, I did everything really slow. I walked wherever I needed to go. I got my ingredients at the market every night, not weekly. I'd start conversations I wouldn't expect to end for hours.

Oddly, it felt like there was more time for everything. What a paradox. The slower you went, the more time also slowed to accommodate you. It started to make sense why Rome gets called the eternal city. There was no rush from one day to the next, but each one held so many flavors, so many new sights, so much life.

When you're in a familiar place, it takes more effort to slow things down and take it all in. That's exactly what I want to do right now, though. There are so many people to get to know, so many new things I can't wait to try. But I want to slow things down so I don't miss any of it.

#149 Ginger-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

29 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 19: Make some shrimp and grits with a bit of an Asian twist. I’ve heard of people taking the ginger spin on grits before, and I figured I could add some miso as well and double down on the Southern/Asian fusion.

The Results: Hey- not so bad! The market didn’t have maize that I could use for grits, so instead I went with millet and that wasn’t a shabby replacement. I cooked trace amounts of shredded cheddar into the grits too so I could get it even creamier.

#150 Collapse

30 May 2017 // San Diego, California

“Two types of choices seem to me to have been crucial in tipping the outcomes [of the various societies' histories] towards success or failure: long-term planning and willingness to reconsider core values. On reflection we can also recognize the crucial role of these same two choices for the outcomes of our individual lives.” 

– Jared Diamond

Book No. 19 of 2017

During my job interview, actually, I asked my now-boss if he had any book recommendations to help me fill my void in knowledge about environmental science. He recommended Collapse, and I immediately added it into my Amazon cart.

I had a few other books to get through, but I eventually took on the quest of reading this. It is a large, thick book that is pretty dense with information. It took me much longer to get through this book than any other this year, even when adjusted for pages.

Safe to say, this book was terrific. I learned a whole lot about what it’s looked like when different societies fell apart when resources were poorly managed, when cultural sins led people to destroy their environments, and when leadership put people into conflict with their places. That’s led to the fall of some really powerful civilizations. Much of it seemed ominous when put up next to today’s leaders and societies.

It’s not a doom and gloom book, though, as Diamond also gives plenty of examples of how people have done things right. He’s especially hailed certain big business efforts, and pointed out how economic interests and environmental interests were often linked. I got a lot out of this read.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#151 Thai Basil Peanut Butter Meatballs

31 May 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 21: Recreate the signature item of one of my favorite food trucks that I left behind in Eugene– a Thai peanut butter coated meatball wrapped in bacon and basil.

The Results: Hey, not too bad! The key was making meatballs that were good enough to stand on their own, and that wasn’t so hard when you have quality ground beef and bacon wrapped around them inside the oven. The basil and spicy peanut butter helped round out the flavor- I only wish I had better noodles to pair it with. Some flat pad thai noodles would’ve been perfect.

BLOG

27 THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW SO WELL AT 26

ONE

Dunbar's Number: 150-200. This is the amount of social relationship links that your brain and spirit were designed to handle. Anything beyond that is unnatural for humans. Remember that during the next moment of political outrage, the next moment of mass tragedy, the next celebrity scandal. Those things are real, but they're also beyond the scope of human ability to fully process. We were built for more intimate circles. If more of us gave all our attention to empowering 150-200 others, the world would be radically different.

TWO

It's always a good idea to find a few people about five years down the road from you to learn from. Sometimes it's as simple as taking a few mental notes from somebody who lives a joyful, generous life. I've been getting so much inspiration from certain people just on the other side of thirty these days.

THREE

Love hops on planes, bursts through international borders, and books inconvenient itineraries, all for the sake of being with the people who matter. Thank you, Lola, for showing me.

FOUR

In a world that seems to insist on your anger all the time, the best way to rebel is to be joyful. (Thanks, Brad Montague!)

FIVE

Artists get to work in the midst of injustice, telling stories that build empathy and creating beauty that draws others in the way that logic and reason cannot. 

SIX

Happiness and comfort are two of the biggest pursuits of the world around me. What the world needs most right now is joy. We can keep drinking from all sources of entertainment and pleasure, but we'll stay thirsty until we find joy.

SEVEN

I'm naturally an enthusiast with a huge appetite for life– it's a great quality for showing others what an God's joy looks like and sparking a desire to create more joy. I can also be prone to over-committing and spreading myself too thin. Quality over quantity, every time.

EIGHT

There's a time to challenge others, and a time to be patient with people as they grow and learn. You can spend a lifetime learning how to know which is which, but a good rule of thumb is that your critique is only as valuable as the time and energy you're willing to invest in another person to help them grow.

NINE

“I’ve noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: they hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren’t determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they’re satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world."

(Thanks, Beth Clark)

TEN

Nine times out of ten, you’ll notice that whenever something controversial happens that divides people in sides, I default to reminding everyone to try and get along. To avoid trying to take sides, and to find some sort of common goal. Most of the time, I like this approach and I like that I have some sort of built-in avoidance for wanting to take sides.
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That said, this isn’t always the right approach.
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In an instance where people are being oppressed, when one set of ideas contributes to people being harmed, being put at risk, being separated from family, being vulnerable to hate crimes, being talked about as if they were not entitled to the same treatment as any other human, or being excluded, it is impossible not to choose sides.
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To choose to do nothing, to say nothing, or to act like it isn’t happening contributes to the status quo. It allows the oppression to last a little longer, for that many more lives to be ruined. There is no real neutrality in oppression. Yeah, speaking up may result in a few difficult conversations, but there is no improvement without sacrifice.
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I think there are ways to do this that are respectful of people while still challenging harmful ideas. And it’s difficult to get it exactly right. But one sure-fire way to not get it right is to let my non-confrontational nature to be an excuse for not showing my Muslim friends, my black friends, my LGBT friends, and all others in my life that I care.

ELEVEN

Sleep is totally a spiritual discipline.

TWELVE

This world is totally hungry for joy and hungry for justice. Many people take on the assumption that these things are mutually exclusive. They're not, and when you find someone who pursues both joy and justice, the force-for-good that creates is magnetic. (See: the Rapper, Chance)

THIRTEEN

Ain't no Twitter in Heaven. (Thank you, Chance)

FOURTEEN

It's dishonest and wrong to turn a blind eye to the injustices, outrages, sadness, and oppression in the world. It's equally as wrong to neglect the stories of good. Simple ones of ordinary people overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for others. This isn't the type of thing that makes the news, so be sure you find some other way of including good in your outlook.

FIFTEEN

An early morning walk-of-the-dog, with your thumb rubbing her leash like a string of prayer beads– that can lead to some of the best, most enriching prayers.

SIXTEEN

You create a community through the things that you communicate, the things you accept, and the things you celebrate. (Thanks for that one, Jake! It's been way more relevant to my life than I thought it would be at the time.)

SEVENTEEN

Wounded idealists turn into cynics. (Thanks, John Ortberg) Constantly growing idealists turn into humbled, sober pragmatists who actually make change happen.

EIGHTEEN

Good people can have bad ideas... ones that can support ideas that harm other people. And they can still be overwhelmingly good people. Remember they weren't created for bad ideas, but for great actions, and that'll help you speak in love. Remember that bad ideas also harm the people who hold them, and that'll help you speak the truth.

NINETEEN

Trying to win arguments is nowhere near as effective as trying to win people. You can win the argument, but both of you will likely go home less fond of each other, clinging to your beliefs. You can, instead win people. Look for the good in them, even if it takes a lot of squinting. Feed that good. And show off a better way to live.

TWENTY

I have yet to encounter a leader that I truly admire who doesn't have humility down as one of his or her most core, defining characteristics. For every single leader that I've found myself admiring, I have a personal memory of that person taking the initiative to apologize for a wrong, admit not knowing things, or doing "grunt work."

TWENTYONE

"The future is built with the present moment and how we take care of it. If you are fearful, the future will be fearful. If you are uncooperative, the future will be divisive."

"Community practice is crucial at this time. It's crucial not to be alone in front of the computer, reading media. That makes the world dark for you. Find flesh. There are still wonderful things happening."

(Thank you, Phap Dung!)

TWENTYTWO

Ask people to recommend more books. It's a good go-to question.

TWENTYTHREE

Challenges can be exciting and fun. Some are easy to embrace, especially if you have my personality. Some other challenges, however, are both hard and difficult. They take us away from our comfort and into pain. Grief is a challenging process. Health challenges are no fun.

Thing is, they make you grow as a person, and really, that’s where their value lies. 

TWENTYFOUR

Never take what you have for granted. There are things so much bigger than the usual things we freak out about on a day-to-day basis.

TWENTYFIVE

It's absolutely worth it to invest your time in things you love doing, and things you find important. The things you do regularly and repeatedly often become the things you get asked to do for others, and even the things that help pay the bills. The only way to get there is to try, and it's totally possible to take the "safe road" and still fail. Pursue what you're wired for, and you just might surprise yourself.

TWENTYSIX

Go ahead and make plans, but also leave lots of room for things not to go according to plan, room to have to rely on faith, room to still be amazed in the end. Feed hope and it'll feed you right back.

TWENTYSEVEN

Think of the most joy-driven, generous people you know. Ask them to tell you their stories. Ask yourself how you can help build more people like them.

Last Year's List

APRIL 2017

#91 Medford Dog Park

01 April 2017 // Medford, Oregon

As her last act as a Doggy of Oregon, Beignet decided to take a dive into the juiciest mud puddle in the park.

Exactly what I wanted to share the rental truck with – a soggy donut. 🍩

#92 Beignet the Copilot

02 April 2017 // Bakersfield, California

For how much energy this one has, she was a surprisingly good passenger in a fully loaded moving truck.

She ended up making the road down to California a whole lot better. I’m so glad that the bulk of this move is behind us.

I’ve been slacking on good-things posts lately, so here are a few other things making me happy:

The USWNT scored in their push for equal pay, and deservedly so. They shouldn’t need to be the powerhouse team that they are in order to justify being paid equally, but just to make it clear that they are, they cruised to a pretty easy win versus Russia to celebrate.

Also I finished reading the food memoir Life From Scratch– more memoir than food, but the personal story was so strong and unexpected that I plowed right through the book.

#93 Beignet’s New Digs

03 April 2017 // San Diego, California

The moving process must look so weird from a dog's perspective. Then again, what doesn't?

Glad she's settling in to her brave new world.

#94 It’s Only the Himalayas

04 April 2017 // San Diego, California

“Wherever you go, whatever you do, just… don’t do anything stupid."

–S. Bedford

Book No. 13 of 2017

This was a fun read. Nothing fancy. Just a fun, simple travel-logue that I blitzed through in two sittings.

A sense of humor carries throughout the book, and the stories are interesting in their own right. It successfully made me pretty ready to get up and travel somewhere remote.

⭐️⭐️

#95 After Work

05 April 2017 // San Diego, California

The hope was to find a job I loved, that would allow me to come home and keep living a life that I loved.

Achievement unlocked.

#96 Seaport With Beignet

06 April 2017 // San Diego, California

“I am ready for my yearbook photo!!!”

Keep hamming it up, Beignet.

#97 PDX-a-Lot

07 April 2017 // Portland, Oregon

Third trip to/from San Diego and Oregon in the past month.

My wish was to still be able to visit Oregon a LOT after moving out. So far that's come true, though I wouldn't mind these visits spacing themselves out just a bit more.

At least I'm in Portland this weekend for a real good reason.

#98 Jesse & Raquel

08 April 2017 // Canby, Oregon

It was a good weekend for sure.

Congrats Jesse & Raquel – so glad we could be there this weekend. Can't wait for the next time we get to hang out with you two.

#99 PDX Outro

09 April 2017 // Portland, Oregon

It’s probably gonna be a little while before I’m back in Portland.

I’m gonna miss this city, including my favorite airport in the world. To make sure I made the most of my last few fleeting moments, I spent the wait for my flight stocking up on PDX goods and eating some last bites of my favorites for a little while, including:

Trying out the matcha and orange cointreau brulee flavors of Blue Star. That last one was absolutely amazing, and even better than the rum brulee release I’ve had before.

Grabbing a bottle of Som drinking vinegar, because it’ll be a while before I get to stock up.

Picking up a couple jars of Yumm Sauce. They aren’t terribly hard to reverse engineer, but I want to get right to making some Yumm bowls this week.

#100 Silence

10 April 2017 // San Diego, California

“Kichijiró was right in saying that all men are not saints and heroes. How many of our Christians, if only they had been born in another age from this persecution would never have been confronted with the problem of apostasy or martyrdom but would have lived blessed lives of faith until the very hour of death.”

–Shusaku Endo

Book No. 14 of 2017

I want to learn and read so much more of Shusaku Endo right now.

The sad realities of martyrdom and persecution are so real globally and historically, and yet, in my immediate world, I have the hardest time truly grasping what that confrontation is like.

Shusaku Endo’s novel, set in mid-1600’s Japan, explores the religious persecution and the pressure to apostasise put on a group of underground priests. The book goes through a lot of grit and ugliness and is definitely not the sort to just put a pretty bow on things. I loved it and I do have a pretty good interest in seeing the Scorcese adaptation.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

#101 Run & Bloom

11 April 2017 // San Diego, California

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

–Robert Louis Stevenson

#102 Croque Madame

12 April 2017 // San Diego, California

I've really lapsed on my cooking goals for this year, for a number of life-reasons: moving, lent, etc. - Now that I have my kitchen workstation all set up though, it's time to make up for lost time.

Made this croque madame tonight, and was pretty pleased. Swiss emmentaler, some fake but convincing tofu-ham, and bechamel in a triple layered toast, topped with the egg and shaved cheese of course.

The one and only thing I would've done differently is try to make the bechamel less salty. But that is it!

#103 She’s Here

13 April 2017 // San Diego, California

Finally! The house is now a home.

As fun as San Diego has been so far, now it really starts to get good.

#104 Good Friday 17

14 April 2017 // San Diego, California

It feels like there's some degree of appropriateness that our move coincided with Lent the way it did- that I was offered the job on Fat Tuesday and that Deanna finally arrived in San Diego on Maundy Thursday.

It's been forty days of waiting, excitement, patience testing, celebrating, missing, hustle, and adjustment, and now, a new life.

Getting to pray through the Stations of the Cross was so appreciated for Good Friday. Thankful for life, in every sense of the word.

#105 Meat Market

15 April 2017 // San Diego, California

The discovery of this meat market and where to get some of the more exotic cuts of meat around town was definitely a high point of the weekend, especially if anyone wants gator burgers. And, it’s totally along my route to work.

Hooray for Siesel’s Meats.

Actually, I’m simply thrilled to know where I can purchase some black pudding. Depending where you live, it’s a pretty elusive food item in the USA.

#106 Easter & Earth

16 April 2017 // San Diego, California

"The tree, which had brought about the fall and the loss of Paradise, shall be the instrument of redemption."

–St. Augustine

Happy Easter everybody.

Feeling so thankful for life. Spiritual life. Physical life. My new life. My love life. The kind of life you extend to others. All kinds of life.

Also, California is a pretty sunny place.

#107 Together

17 April 2017 // San Diego, California

It’s a era of so many new things and I’m loving it.

In the middle of so much excitement, the days have my permission to trickle. To move as slow as they’d like.

To me, a new town feels like a playground. But we’re here for the long haul, so it’s all good to move slow now.

I have my whole crew in town. I have the chance to chase down so many possibilities, but in the process, I don’t want to miss any of it.

#108 Salmon Miso Broth

18 April 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 10: This idea is one I’ve been sitting on for a little while- making a ginger miso broth infused with salmon and scallion oil that plays a perfect host to udon noodles, mushrooms, and a little cut of salmon.

The results: After putting it off for a few days, I made the soup and this turned out to be one of the best soups I’ve ever made! For how easy it was, it came with a pretty high payoff. The broth had just the right amount of sour and tang to it. This is one I’ll be making again for sure!

#109 Staff Volunteer Day

19 April 2017 // San Diego, California

I have at least a few family members who think I spend my working hours physically planting trees.

Sometimes they're right.

Had an awesome volunteer day getting to visit Coastal Roots Farm. I love what they do!

#110 Pachinko

20 April 2017 // San Diego, California

“A God that did everything we thought was right and good wouldn't be the creator of the universe. He would be our puppet.” 

–Min Jin Lee

Book No. 15 of 2017

Wow, what a beautiful book.

The things I initially heard were comparisons to Cutting For Stone and the Kite Runner- and I kind of get it. Set in complex cultural boundaries, following multiple generations of a family’s story but with enough focus to really flesh out and bond with characters. Plus some deep and truthful themes of family and faith.

I liked the characters. They were honest, sincere, and didn’t fall for the tendency that most contemporary authors have of equating cynicism with authenticity. It was just the sort of book that at the end leaves you with a strong appreciation for family history, strong women, and perseverance.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#111 Duck Poutine

21 April 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 11: One of the meals in Eugene that I’ll miss the most will be the poutine at Rye– for less than ten bucks you can get a pretty good size portion of really good duck poutine. Of course they wouldn’t reveal the whole secret recipe, but I did get the waitress once to admit one of the key ingredients. Duck fat. With that knowledge, I sought out to try and recreate it.

The results: I don’t make gravy often so I definitely didn’t quite make it the same as theirs. Also in retrospect, beef broth would have been a good addition. But overall I thought the gravy turned out better than any previous attempt of mine to make gravy, and the fries were satisfyingly done.

#112 North County Earth Festival

22 April 2017 // San Diego, California

"I want creation to penetrate you with so much admiration that wherever you go, the least plant may bring you the clear remembrance of the Creator ....One blade of grass or one speck of dust is enough to occupy your entire mind in beholding the art with which it has been made."

–St. Basil the Great

Happy Earth Day!

Fun times repping Plant With Purpose at the Earth Day Festival in Oceanside. Doing it all over again tomorrow in Balboa Park. Come give a shout!

#113 Earth Day 2017

23 April 2017 // San Diego, California

Balboa Park has the largest outdoor Earth Day shindig in the country- and it was so fun to be there on behalf of Plant With Purpose!

So much sun and so many people with so much passion for so many causes I didn't even know existed. Hopefully more people are aware of ours now too.

#114 Grapefruit Macarons

24 April 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 12: I’ve been on a roll with macarons lately, and feeling a bit more daring, I decided to see if I could start with a totally out-there concept and turn it into a macaron. Grapefruit rosemary is a great combo, I figured, let’s go with that!

The results: Well, my hot streak ended, because these macarons puffed up and got out of hand. I meant to make a whole batch of them but wound up with only six survivors. Fortunately, those six survivors were pretty good.

I still don’t know what went wrong, but the texture just didn’t come out the way it was supposed to. I got the shells to puff up way too much. The redeeming factor was that they all came out tasting pretty great. The grapefruit buttercream filling was refreshing- made from the real deal. If only those shells turned out, these would’ve been even better.

#115 Around the Block

25 April 2017 // San Diego, California

This city is extremely diverse. And I love that. It’s diverse in so many different ways- race, age, politics, walk of life. I definitely missed that living in the Northwest the past few years. It also happens to be one of the most segregated cities I’ve come to know, but I love that it gives me an opportunity to connect people who might not otherwise interact.

Got to spend an afternoon in City Heights to get oriented for a volunteer opportunity. I love this neighborhood in a way many in San Diego miss out on. The diversity. Lots of life. A bit of an edge too, of course, but I need to be connected to that.

#116 Dreaming & Dinner

26 April 2017 // San Diego, California

I love having Chris and Katie over to talk about big dreams we have and the most generous, joyful people we know… and how to help develop more people like them!

No doubt, getting to reconnect has been a big perk of coming back to San Diego.

#117 Salt & Pepper Chips

27 April 2017 // San Diego, California

Mission 13: Homemade chips are far and away better than the packaged stuff. I remember trying homemade chips for the first time as a twelve year old and being totally amazed that chips could actually taste that good. I decided that it wouldn’t be too hard to make a batch.

The results: Salt and pepper are my favorite chip flavors, usually, so I figured I’d keep it simple and go with those, plus just a bit of chopped parsley. I loved the chips and wouldn’t have changed much. They paired perfectly with the Modern Times guava gose we ended up eating them with.

#118 Creative Mornings: Beyond

28 April 2017 // San Diego, California

This was such a fun way to start off a workday– I finally got to attend a Creative Mornings San Diego Meetup, something that’s been on my radar for quite a while.

I had a blast getting to meet all the other creatives working locally over communal coffee and doughnuts, plus Kirstie and I totally got free headshots from Shuttershock/Stacy Keck.

I will definitely keep coming back!

#119 Liberty Market Time

29 April 2017 // San Diego, California

Sinking our teeth into an alfajor at Liberty Public Market’s Paraná and getting all nostalgic for that Argentine life.

One of the most dangerous bits of temptation is a subtle one- it’s to accept life as a casual occurrence instead of a miracle. It’s to eat simply because it’s lunch time, without taking in the flavors. It’s to look at a sunset with a list of chores stuck in your head. It’s to jump into new days without the awareness that each one is a temporary, wonderful gift.

Stay on the lookout for this temptation, and resist it with a few deep breaths and a pause for wonder.

#120 Dog + Nephew + Pool

30 April 2017 // Bakersfield, California

Dog plus nephew plus swimming pool equals a real good time.

It’s not quite summer… but it’s been feeling more and more like it lately, and I’m totally okay with that.

MARCH 2017

#60 GCF

01 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

When it’s all said and done, the thing I’ll be missing most about Oregon are the people. More than the hard-to-believe campsites, the friendlier cost of living, and the short list of restaurants I look forward to getting a taste of next time I’m back, it’ll be the people.

All that other stuff was waiting for us the moment we arrived in Eugene, but the community we had there, that took some time and effort to cultivate.

Our church felt like a family from very early on.

Many of our GCF friends were walking through some very similar challenges at just the same time.

UO introduced me to quite a few new personalities.

I am happy that it seems like many of the friends we made all seem to be entering new seasons of life, about to start on new adventures or to enter the next stage of an ongoing journey. I’m glad that for a good window of time, we got to get there together.

#61 Valley River

02 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Today I decided to go on a walk and to not stop until I felt like it. The path by the river goes on forever and allowed me to do just that.

I kept thinking about how over the past few years I would compare my life to the one I lived in my early twenties where travel, idealism, and adventure were abundant. The past couple years have been quieter ones and I often wondered if I got "off track" somewhere along the way. Life got too quiet... and I have a hard time with that. (7 trait, def.)

Then... in seemingly an instant, life became full again. I found my way back to being a dreamer, chasing opportunities I can hardly believe are open to me.

But I think I can appreciate this so much more having gone through a much quieter season. I can embrace adventure with a better appreciation for the simple things. I can be an idealist conscious of the hard work it takes to make ideals reality. That wasn't the case four years ago.

God keeps on reminding me that he isn't one to waste time.

#62 David Minor Theatre

03 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

I'm gonna miss Eugene's quirky theatres.

As our last date night I'm Eugene- at least for a while, we kept it simple with a movie night and mango hefeweizens and some fantastic beasts.

#63 Joy Friends’ Housewarming

04 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

We started announcing that we were officially moving out at our friends’ housewarming party and it’s been an emotional freefall ever since.

I’m feeling so thankful for the people we’ve been able to get to know over the past couple years here in Eugene. Our friends at Joy Church were a big part of helping us develop and further our sense of community, and there are so many faces that we’ll be missing.

#64 Joy Church Eugene

05 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

A year ago, Deanna and I had yet to find a church in Eugene where we really felt like we belonged. We knew we’d know it when we found it, but also, we had already lived there for a long time to no avail.

A week later, we walked into Joy Church– a small startup group of families and people meeting at a community center by our house. We quickly gathered that they were a new church. Really new. Like, that was only their second or third week of existence. People seemed surprised that we found them, but we knew we found something special.

Between their belief that “every city needs more joy” (really, I was feeling that way about Eugene right around then) and the warmth of community we got when we went out to Killer Burgers right after the service with a bunch of people we just met, we knew that the church was the right fit.

In the past year, they quickly outgrew the community center. Outgrew the first movie theatre cinema, and are quickly about to outgrow the largest theatre in the movieplex. Also, we grew closer to a lot of the families and friends we got to know through this church.

Today they celebrated their first birthday, and it saddens me that it coincides with my first day since moving out of Eugene. But I’m so, so happy for them. And so thankful for the work Jake and Bethany and the staff and volunteers put in to making it a strong community. And so glad our stories got to overlap for a year.

I only wish I had found them a lot earlier while living in Eugene, but I guess we pretty much found them as soon as we possibly could have. Happy birthday, Joy! I hope to be able to keep visiting lots.

#65 We’re Moving

06 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

This change is gonna be so bittersweet.

I took a job offer, a really sweet one, that will start on Monday in San Diego. I drive down next weekend.

I'm going to miss Oregon. A lot. That much is clear. Long before we even started dating, Deanna and I would just talk about how much we liked the Northwest and how we'd probably end up there someday.

And we did. We moved up the week after we got engaged. We've gotten married, finished grad school, switched jobs, made friends, and adopted a dog while living in Eugene. It's a place where we made so many memories and saying my farewells the past few days has been a hard order.

It's a good thing I really like the job I'll be starting soon. And I think I'll like living in San Diego as an adult much more than I did growing up there. I'm sure we'll make it feel like home soon enough. In the meantime this week doesn't feel real.

#66 PDX Farewell Dinner

07 March 2017 // Portland, Oregon

Had to take a daytrip to Portland before leaving Oregon so I could have a farewell with these faces. One of the big things I’ll miss will be being so close to some of our Portland friends– but more reasons to keep visiting.

Thanks Jesse and Raquel for getting married so soon. This farewell dinner was a bit more like “see ya in a month."

#67 Eugene

08 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

It all kind of happened so fast. One day, I get a phone call and the offer for a job in San Diego. I always knew I was going to accept, but I called back a few days later to make things official. I got excited. A new city. A new job. A great job. There was so much to look forward to. Then it started to sink in– Leaving Eugene behind is going to be difficult.

In spite of that, I’m glad that it’ll be hard to leave. That wouldn’t have always been the case. As a smaller city, one with stretches of grey days that would seem to never end, it often tested my patience. I usually wanted more activity, more community, more things to do.

I eventually found those things, but only after it had taught me how to appreciate what was in front of me, how to balance ambition and appreciation. The ironic thing is, that makes it much harder to leave. But that’s a good thing. Goodbyes should be hard. It means you’re leaving behind something good.

#68 Birthday Beignet

09 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Our girl turned two today! (Or sometime roughly around today, but we celebrate her birthday on her adoption day.) She wasn’t so fond of the party hat but I told her it would just be for Insta.

Two is fourteen in dog years, so I guess we now have both a two year old and a teenager at home, in the same fur. 😳

Right when I was in the thick of grad school, Deanna was sure my life would be better with a fur creature in the house. And she was right! Beignet has made some otherwise ordinary nights hilarious with her antics, her silent screaming outside the door when she begs to get into bed with us, her musical outbursts when she thinks we’re about to drive towards the dog park, and her fondness for road trips to Bend.

She’s also been quite a handful at times. We adopted a really high energy dog, and there was that time when she treated herself to an entire package of extremely nutrient-rich maize meal from Africa. But she’s a sweet one and having her in the family definitely adds to our lives.

Happy birthday, Beignet. You’re our girl.

#69 Eugene Farewell Party

10 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Our friend Jordan threw us a nice send off at his ranch on my last night in town.

I’m gonna miss this group of people right here. GCF was a good community to have at a time when a good community was hard to find. It seems like a lot of us will be starting new adventures soon, but I’m glad we all did the Eugene thing together.

Also, most of my farewell events revolved around Code Names and I’m totally cool with that.

#70 Southbound

11 March 2017 // Sunnyvale, California

The long drive between Eugene and San Diego is made much better with this in the middle.

Happy birthday, Daniel

#71 San Luis

12 March 2017 // Los Baños, California

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion.

He hardly knows which is which.

He simply pursues his vision for excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide if he is working or playing.

To him he's always doing both."

–James Michener

Found this idyllic reservoir <30 minutes outside of Gilroy. I knew I had to pull over and go have fun and be thankful.

#72 Day One on the Job

13 March 2017 // San Diego, California

My first day at the new job went splendidly.

Friendly coworkers, a pretty exciting mission, and a Mexican potluck as a welcome. That’s a sign of a pretty good fit.

I’m really looking forward to getting settled in at Plant With Purpose. Plus, I have a medicine ball instead of a desk chair. Here’s hoping it does what it’s supposed to for my abs!

#73 Parental Crashing

14 March 2017 // San Diego, California

Thanks to my parents for letting me crash with them until my new apartment was ready to go.

I couldn’t stay too long because it started to feel way too much like 2004, but it was a huge help when work started a week before my lease.

#74 The Righteous Mind

15 March 2017 // San Diego, California

“If you really want to change someone’s mind on a moral or political matter, you’ll need to see things from that person’s angle as well as your own. And if you truly do see it the other person’s way– deeply and intuitively– you might even find your own mind opening in response. Empathy is an antidote to righteousness, although it’s very difficult to empathize over a moral divide."

–Jonathan Haidt

Book No. 10 of 2017

This is a book I’m very glad I read. Haidt seeks to explore while people are so often divided into liberal and conservative camps, both fueled by a belief that they’re doing the right thing.

That’s something that had interested me too, and although I don’t share every worldview with Haidt, I found his insight into moral palates one of the most satisfying theories about what defines a person’s political orientation. The short version is that there are five “flavors” of morality– care, justice, loyalty, authority, and purity. While liberals will have strong tastes for the first two, conservative tastes would be more distributed across all five.

The long version is worth reading, and I found it to be a rare thing claiming to be a helpful “explanation of the other side” that actually lived up to the claim.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#75 Luna Ave.

16 March 2017 // San Diego, California

“I’m never gonna wait
that extra twenty minutes
to text you back
and I’m never gonna play
hard to get
when I know your life has been hard enough already.
When we all know everyone’s life
has been hard enough already
it’s hard to watch
the game we make of love,
like everyone’s playing checkers
with their scars,
saying checkmate
whenever they get out
without a broken heart.
Just to be clear
I don’t want to get out
without a broken heart.
I intend to leave this life
so shattered
there’s gonna have to be
a thousand separate heavens
for all my flying parts."

–Andrea Gibson

#76 First Week Down

17 March 2017 // San Diego, California

Cheers to a really good week.

After my first week of my new job, I couldn't feel more thankful. I love it. It's exactly the sort of role I dreamt about having years ago- and now it's a reality.

Also, the USA just won the World Baseball Classic and I'm getting close to the end of reading Pachinko. So many good things.

#77 Moving In

18 March 2017 // San Diego, California

I officially got the keys to the new place on Friday and got to start moving in. It made for a fun weekend of IKEA trips, furniture assembly, and picking out a houseplant. And... no more driving around with all our stuff in the car!

Good to be home.

#78 IKEAing

19 March 2017 // San Diego, California

New apartment means a visit to a certain Swedish Meatball restaurant that also lets you try out their mattresses.

#79 Loving This Job

20 March 2017 // San Diego, California

Going to work feels a lot like I’m playing. I have a lot of fun with what I get to do, and I know that’s a privilege for sure. I get to flex creative muscles, work with great people, entertain my international tastes, and do something that I believe helps people.

Case in point– the other day I got to spend about an hour and a half brainstorming ideas for a children’s book. It was a lot like that scene in Elf, minus the angry Peter Dinklage.

#80 The New Jim Crowe

21 March 2017 // San Diego, California

“Racial caste systems do not require racial hostility or overt bigotry to thrive. They need only racial indifference, as Martin Luther King Jr. warned more than forty-five years ago."

–Michelle Alexander

Book No. 11 of 2017

Wow. This book was a challenging and important read for me. It came recommended by numerous people whose intelligence and experience with matters of inequality I respect, so I knew I had to take to reading it sooner, rather than later.

The writing in this book was plain, but in a powerful way. By laying out the statistics and historical episodes that people of color in the United States have faced over the last century I began to deeply appreciate the drastic way the Civil Rights Movement shifted public perception to make overt bigotry unacceptable. At the same time, it helped me understand the new challenges this creates.

Whenever there’s a big step made towards equality, like abolition or the Civil Rights Movement, the old inequality usually finds a new way to express itself. After slavery, bigotry took the form of Jim Crow laws. Alexander convincingly makes the case that after Jim Crow, mass incarceration became the new vehicle for racial inequality- a tougher one to fight because of its lack of an explicit label.

This book was written at the beginning of Obama’s presidency, but in many ways it’s even more relevant with age. I don't know if this would be effective in swaying somebody committed to the idea that the world is post-racial, but I found the information and facts in the book to be extremely important to deal with.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#81 Looking to Run

22 March 2017 // San Diego, California

Finally hitting a groove here in San Diego means that it’s time to start running again. Or to at least find the right trail.

Started down this one this morning for just a couple miles. I think I’m onto something.

#82 In Search of a Good Morning

23 March 2017 // San Diego, California

Still on the hunt for my morning spot- the place I get to when I’m up early enough to watch the sunrise and watch the waves crash. It’s a spiritual experience.

Started today by testing out this bench. I think even the search for the right spot will be good.

#83 Meeting Downtown

24 March 2017 // San Diego, California

Got to spend my afternoon in a meeting downtown in one of the sweetest East Village offices. Good midday visit.

You and I are off to a good re-start, San Diego. Way to be.

#84 Chris Coffee Dates

25 March 2017 // San Diego, California

From public speaking to college housing to podcasting, Chris Ward is one of my all time best collaborators.

Now that we're living in the same city for the first time in a long time, I can't wait to see what happens next.

#85 Ducks In

26 March 2017 // San Diego, California

Final Fo' Baby!

This Duck just migrated south. Still a Duck.

#86 Crossing Paths

27 March 2017 // San Diego, California

“Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment."

–Paolo Coelho

#87 The Bluest Eye

28 March 2017 // San Diego, California

“Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do."

–Toni Morrison

Book No. 12 of 2017

This was an important read that feels like one I should’ve gotten to long ago. I didn’t until now, but I’m glad I finally made up for a little lost time. At first I wasn’t sure how strongly I’d be able to connect with a book that seemed to be about body identity, but hey, I found a few entry points.

It doesn’t feel right to say that I loved it. So much of The Bluest Eye was written for the sake of intentional discomfort– something designed to provoke a little more self awareness in its reader, but in a less nihilistic way than Lolita infamously sought out to do.

It is fair to say that Toni Morrison is a gifted writer I look forward to reading more of. Her writing style is fluid, and this book still manages to be sharply provocative in 2017… all the more so when you consider when it was written. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#88 Sunset Resolution

29 March 2017 // San Diego, California

You know how there are tons of people who live close to some major attraction who never seem to take advantage of it? All the people in Anaheim who never go to Disneyland. All the people in Chicago who can’t remember the last time they just took a walk up the Magnificent Mile. The people in NOLA who know Bourbon St. is for the tourists.

I’ve been guilty of this myself. I went to college for four years right on the ocean. I never learned how to surf and didn’t make a habit of going to the ocean regularly until towards the very end. I grew up in San Diego and still have zero memories of that world famous zoo.

Well now, I live in one of the best places to watch the sun turn everything a blazing orange, and I’m feeling pretty committed to seeing it in person as often as possible. And if I miss one, I’d better have a much more legit excuse than whatever Netflix original.

#89 Moving Phases

30 March 2017 // San Diego, California

3/13 - Get to San Diego; start work
3/17 - Move into our apartment
3/31 - Go back to Oregon; get the dog; drive down the moving truck
4/7 - Back to Oregon again for a wedding; Deanna begins her drive down to SD
4/16 - Being able to eat meat and try a lot of the good looking restaurants in my new neighborhood.

What a month! Needless to say I'm looking forward to getting on to Phase 3 and taking another step towards a normal-ish life.

#90 Moving to Move

31 March 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Not gonna lie, yesterday was pretty much no fun. Fifteen hours of loading up everything we own into this truck, trying to keep the dog from freaking out too much, and juggling a carpet cleaner, emergency trips to Lowe's to do wall repair, and donating half our things- with more donations yet to come.

This more than makes up for my extended absence from any sort of gym.

In honor of #LiNKWeek I am now going to drive this massive, fully packed vehicle across state lines.

FEBRUARY 2017

#32 Designing Your Life

01 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

“Living coherently doesn’t mean everything is in perfect order all the time. It means you are living in alignment with your values and have not sacrificed your integrity along the way."

–Bill Burnett & Dave Evans

Book No. 04 of 2017

This book was one of those business-oriented self-help titles that seemed to make some pretty grand promises on its book jacket. Naturally, I was skeptical. But it did offer some big picture ideas regarding “designing” a life that worked well for you in was including and beyond your career. Being on the job hunt and having the cleanest slate ever, I figured it would be a good time to check it out.

A lot of the ideas in the book were seemingly random. There’s a chapter in there about job interviewing and networking. One about brainstorming and mind mapping. One about evaluating your life. In one way, it made sense, but it also felt like a random assortment of exercises and ideas. Thankfully, the exercises and ideas were helpful and so they had a bit of value.

I’m thankful I read this book. I went through and did some of the exercises, so I think I got my money’s worth out of this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#33 Sinigang

02 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Mission 04: Make a version of this Filipino sour pork soup on par with the stuff you had growing up.

The Results: I mostly used Yasmin Newman’s recipe, with a few modifications. I always thought it was vinegar that gave the soup its sour taste, but it turns out… it’s tamarind! I had a good amount of seared pork belly, some bok choy, and eggplant in here. Sinigang isn’t one of my favorite Filipino foods, even when it’s good, but I thought my version turned out alright alright.

Also, I gotta get some more photogenic bowls.

#34 Pandemic

03 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Some of my favorite nights with Deanna these days is clearing the table off after dinner and playing Pandemic. We badly needed a board game we could indulge in whenever it was just the two of us. Pandemic was the perfect choice.

It took us a little while to engineer the gameplay to just the right level of difficulty, but I think we’ve got it. Great game. My one big complaint is that three of the six pawns are different shades of green.

#35 Alpaca Farm

04 February 2017 // Creswell, Oregon

The other week I took Deanna on a nice little date to an alpaca farm not far behind our house. I know you're all thinking it. Wow! This is something right out of The Bachelor!

Nothing but the best for my sweet girl. And the best means alpacas because they are the best of the best. You may be familiar with their work from the sweaters I've worn to many a Christmas party.

Alpacas. You guys are my favorite camelids and camelids are my favorite livestock. You keep doing you.

#36 Super Bowl LI

05 February 2017 // Springfield, Oregon

Give it up for the real Super Bowl MVP– teamwork. As in New Belgium teaming up with Ben & Jerry’s.

Thanks to Tai for hosting!

#37 The Circle

06 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

"Most people would trade everything they know, everyone they know- they'd trade it all to know they've been seen, and acknowledged, that they might even be remembered. We all know the world is too big for us to be significant. So all we have is the hope of being seen, or heard, even for a moment."

–Dave Eggers

Book No. 05 of 2017

I'll give Dave Eggers credit for something, he knows how to think up a book premise so interesting-sounding that I find it hard not to read. Does he always deliver? That's a different question.

The concept of a Brave New World style dystopia that emerges from some Google-Facebookish mega network sounds intriguing. And it had the chance to make some interesting points.

Unfortunately there were a few things I felt fell flat with the book. First, I don't think Eggers added anything new or substantial to the conversation that hasn't already been said in most anti-social media rants, he just lets those play out to their logical extremes.

Also, most characters lacked a believable or interesting motivation and came across as flat. I've seen the film trailers for the adaptation and I think it has the potential to be better than the book. If anyone can rescue flat characters, I'll take my chances with Emma Watson and Tom Hanks.

⭐️⭐️

#38 Smith Family Bookstore

07 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

I suspected that being done with grad school would result in me reading a whole lot more. That ended up being the case. At this rate, I’ll have read a book a week throughout this year. And I’ve already come upon some good ones.

Here are some of the things that have helped me read more–

1) Using travel time well. I finished Trevor Noah’s memoir and The Righteous Mind both on extended airplane trips and with airplane time. There’s something about sitting inside a flying iron capsule that lets me enter a deeper focus I can't in “ordinary life.”

2) Designate time. I’ve been better at reading before going to sleep, mostly because it helps my mind transition and my eyes get ready to shut. But consistency is probably the big reason I’ve done so much reading this year.

3) Read with purpose. I used to force myself to read some books so that impulse purchases from four years prior wouldn’t go to waste. I cut out the impulse purchases, and as a result, the feelings of obligation also went away. Instead I look to mix up my genres, read what I’m passionate about at the moment, follow friends’ recommendations, and things that pertain to my life at the time.

#39 Here I Am

08 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

"There’s a Hasidic proverb: ‘While we pursue happiness, we flee from contentment.'"

–Jonathan Safran Foer

Book No. 06 of 2017

I picked up Here I Am both excitedly and nervously... excited because Foer's other two novels are a couple of my all-time faves, nervous because it's been over a decade since his last and what if the magic wears off?

JSF really doubles down on his style in this book, for better or worse. There's one moment when, in order to show a character's discontentedness, he lists her architectural likes... for a whole page in parallel sentences. A little excessive there, and without a character like Oscar in Extremely Loud, it felt more out of place.

But! There are these moments where Foer rears his brilliance at showing a character's complicated interior life through amazing narration... as he does when the character Jacob realizes the scarcity of moments that make him feel alive.

Compared to his well-received other novels, this book takes similarly great creative risks but lacks a loveable central character like Oscar or Alexander. Jacob is an overly familiar mopey 40-something divorcee and Sam is a more cynical twist on Oscar. While the first half of the book is extremely domestic, it does take a more captivating and creative turn when geopolitical drama surrounding Israel is introduced.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#40 The Waiting

09 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Man, 2017 thus far has been kind of a patience tester. And I normally think of myself as a patient person. Flight delay? NBD I got a good book. But I've found that once I've gotta wait more than 24 hours with a little uncertainty in the mix, then the challenge begins.

It's tough to remember so I gotta remind myself- life wouldn't be the same without a little uncertainty, a little suspense, and a little I-wonder-what's-going-to-happen next. It's only in some messed up Black Mirror world where we know how everything turns out in the end, and even the most miraculous life events are greeted with a shrug.

#41 Lardon Rolls

10 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Mission 05: So there’s this place in Portland– Philippe’s Bread. Maybe I’m (for obvious reasons) biased, but I love their stuff. One of my favorite items is their lardon rolls, which are perfectly fluffy and carry just the right hint of bacon all the way through. My goal was to try and make some on par with that.

The Results: So I didn’t quite do that. Not that mine were terrible, but there’s a reason why Philippe’s Bread is one of the top bakeries in town. I thought mine were alright, but I wish I could’ve figured out how to get the hint of bacon to resonate throughout the whole roll. We did make some of these into buns for breakfast sliders, though, and that was just great.

#42 Early Valentine’s Day

11 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Before I had Deanna in my life, a good Valentines Day would be a rare thing. I thought I just had the worst luck ever when it came to February 14. Maybe I was being overdramatic, but also, I might’ve been right! I’m married to the best girl ever, and yet, being able to properly celebrate the day continues to elude me.

Last year it was being sick. This year I’m in California for some interviews. Maybe I’ll get a rad job and that’ll allow me to afford some pretty sleek dates.

Thankfully, we preemptively celebrated over the weekend. We went to go see A Dog’s Purpose (Giant Beignetface, as I call it) and then had dinner at Membrillo Latin Kitchen and oh my goodness, you guys, I had one of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted there. Seared scallops with black garlic and squid ink chimichurri… yes please!

#43 OMW San Diego

12 February 2017 // San Francisco, California

Good things have been happening lately!

First of all, I just learned that pandas and sea cows are no longer considered endangered due to population increases. This is actually somewhat old news, but it’s news to me. Hooray for them! Especially the sea cow. The best New Years’ Resolution I ever made was in 2014, when I decided to start calling manatees by their proper name.

On a more personal level, I’m en route to San Diego for an interview! I’m feeling cautiously optimistic, but this is the first time I’ve been flown somewhere to interview and that’s an exciting feeling.

And finally, last week I finished Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel series, Boxers and Saints. Long story short, I loved it! I thought the story was so well told, and I don’t normally read graphic novels. I’d be totally down to explore some more, if I can find others of this caliber.

#44 Interviewed

13 February 2017 // San Diego, California

The reason I’m spending a week in San Diego this month: I got an interview with an organization I'm a pretty big fan of.

Every day leading up to it was building excitement and tension. If I get the job, I figured, I would be doing exactly what I'd hope to be doing with my career– as opposed to taking a job just cause it'll feed the family. Plus, if I spent years doing something I was less in love with, I'd be putting myself in line to keep doing that in the future. But I need to nail the interview to even have an option!

Normally I would tell nobody until it was a done deal and I was hired, because that's how I like to roll. But I guess I really wanted the job because I told some people who I wanted prayers from. And I think that paid off. I think they liked me at the interview.

#45 Chris at Bankers

14 February 2017 // San Diego, California

Photography tip: hang out with your friends and get wrapped up in a conversation that goes for so long that the sun goes down and the commemorative photo must be taken using a way-too-bright phone flash and salvaged on Photoshop.

Wait, that’s not a very good photography tip… but it’s a great tip for fun!

#46 Holy Parking

15 February 2017 // San Diego, California

We’re parked!

Remember where you parked.

That should be pretty easy.

Maybe you should drop a pin?

Nah, trust me I’ll remember.

Okay, but just to be safe–

No, man. This is a parking space you won’t forget.

#47 Ballast Blast

16 February 2017 // San Diego, California

The past week in San Diego has been fantastic! And of course Ballast Point with cousins was a necessary part of the week.

A couple other good things–

One of my first favorite albums of 2017 has reared its head. If you like Jack Garratt or James Vincent McMorrow, might I suggest Sampha's newest album? I've been digging it.

Also, I've been learning some fun stuff about Mike Illitch, the Little Caesars CEO who also owned the Detroit Red Wings and Tigers. A lot of the athletes he employed are coming out and saying great things about the guy, who happened to quietly pay Rosa Parks' rent for years until she died. I love it when people do secretly incredible things.

#48 Julian’s Classy Office

17 February 2017 // San Diego, California

Ok so Julian gets the prize for coolest workspace I've visited. I mean, his desk is right over the ballpark and a dozen steps to a beer and kombucha tap.

Thanks for showing me around! Hope we get to have some more meet ups soon.

#49 Baked Bear

18 February 2017 // San Diego, California

I do love some cousin time.

So far this year has gone by at both lightning speed and at a snail's pace. It's been a couple months of hurry-up-and-wait and hoping and dreaming about opportunities that are so close but yet to come.

I have so many ideas I'm looking forward to implement. For now, I've got a couple days more to sit back and trim the excesses from my life to make sure I have ample room for what I want front and center.

#50 Chris at Legacy

19 February 2017 // La Mesa, California

Went to church on Sunday and– oh hey, I know that guy!

For real, though, I'm very proud of Chris and happy to see him in a role he's very much made to thrive in. Plus he spoke on Purim and the book of Esther which is one of my faves and one I've been into a lot recently.

#51 SD to EUG

20 February 2017 // San Diego, California

Spent a whole lot of time yesterday in airports because of crazy weather and flight delays. Thankfully I got to charm my way to some food vouchers! My visit the past week to San Diego was great! Honestly, it was one of the best times I’ve had in a city where I’ve spent a lot of time.

I loved seeing a whole bunch of family and old friends, many of whom have just moved in the area pretty recently. And I got to make some new friends I meshed with just about right away.

I was super happy to see how green it was. All that rain really paid off. I don’t know if I’ve ever appreciated it’s flora so much.

And I love how much new stuff has popped up since I last frequented its neighborhoods. New restaurants, book stores, community groups, and of course, microbreweries.

Here’s hoping and praying that I’m back again in the city very, very soon.

#52 Boxers (& Saints)

21 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

“What is China but a people and their stories?"

–Gene Luen Yang

Book No. 07 of 2017

I don’t think I’ve given graphic novels their proper credit or attention in the past, so I sought to rectify that this year. I heard good things about Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers & Saints series, so I decided to start with that and I am so glad I did.

The complementary stories show two different sides of the Boxer Rebellion in China a century-ish ago, where peasants and countrymen in China rose up against the urban elites and the foreign missionaries and Chinese converts to Christianity who were bullying them. Except among those converts were people who Chinese traditions had oppressed.

This story itself does a great job of reminding us that in every conflict there are two sides, each with deeply personal motivations. It’s well told, visually, and the story got compelling right away. The elements of magical realism and heroic iconography were also awesome. The first of the two books focuses on the Boxers’ side of the story, and how one village boy turned his love of opera into his motivation to be his people’s defender. I ranked Boxers above it’s Saints counterpart, only because the story is longer and in the case of this series, that is a good thing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#53 (Boxers &) Saints

22 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

“The world will never be exactly as we want it, Vibiana. But regardless of how imperfect things may seem, God’s will can still be found."

–Gene Luen Yang

Book No. 08 of 2017

The sister piece to Boxers– this book focuses more on the perspective of the Chinese converts to Christianity during the Boxer Rebellion, those deemed “foreign devils” by revolting peasants.

Of course, this book/series does a fantastic job of using a simple story to show how things are more complex than that. While many of the missionaries and their governing allies are undeniable bullies, other Chinese villagers have found acceptance among them while their societal traditions have once bullied them. The characters are so well developed, noble and flawed.

I wish that Saints was equal in length to Boxers, as it left me wanting more- but in a good way. The final scenes, in which the two stories are tied together, happen so beautifully and richly that you’re reminded of how people’s differences are equally capable of producing beauty and brutality.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#54 Matcha Shortbread Cookies

23 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Mission 06: I’m not a big sweets guy, but one of the huge exceptions would be shortbread cookies. I think it’s because they’re buttery and give you a bit of that sweet and salty magic. What could make it better? Maybe a little bit of bitter? I wanted to try and add some matcha to make it even better.

The Results: I’m happy! Matcha is one of my favorite flavors, and you really don’t want to do a whole lot to take away from its depth. I ended up using large flake sea salt instead of regular salt in the dough and it turned out to be an improvement– when eating the cookies you’ll get more scattered sharp notes of the crystals and that is one of the things that actually compliments matcha pretty well.

#55 Red Pepper Linguine

24 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Mission 07: I’ve been working on trying to get some better veg-friendly meals going. Homemade pasta seemed like a good bet- and red pepper linguine seemed to be enough of a complex flavor so I wouldn’t really miss the meat.

The Results: In terms of flavor- I’m happy. The red pepper taste was alive and well, and complemented by a modified marinara sauce, sea salt, and crimini mushroom to add a few extra notes. Unfortunately the texture was a bit off. Our kitchen/apartment is a little too small so we don’t exactly have a great space to spread out pasta noodles to dehydrate overnight, so I just had to face the fact that it would get a bit on the mushy side.

#56 Silvan Ridge

25 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

This weekend was an oasis of sunlight in the middle of a month of monotonous winter days. It was too good that we had to get out and had fun.

After getting the dog tired out at the dog park, we headed to the outskirts to do some wine tasting.

It was our first time at Sylvan Ridge… a simpler vineyard compared to the others we’ve tried in the valley, but their complementary tasting had some good malbec as a part of the flight.

#57 Hired

26 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

I have degrees in International Studies and Nonprofit Management. I also have a knack for telling stories, communicating, and marketing. A job that contained all these elements would be the perfect fit for me. After finishing grad school, though, I figured I would take one that contained two of the three, or maybe even just one. I’d eventually get to that perfect fit, but I expected to have to work for a little bit in a less-fit role to support the family for the time being.

Then, I checked the website of a nonprofit organization I’d been following for years. Plant With Purpose. I discovered them through my friends Chi, Jihyun, and Youngjin three years ago and kept them on my radar. It turned out they were looking for someone to do their marketing. They do amazing work at reversing deforestation and reducing poverty… and way more people should know about the great stuff that they do.

I sent a resume. They sent emails. I sent emails. They asked me to come to San Diego. I came, ate the best burrito I had in years, and also interviewed. And then I went back to Oregon. They called me and sent emails. I sent emails. And after all that, it became official. I was hired.

And… I found this old newsletter that Jihyun gave me when he told me about them for the first time. Now I’ll be helping to put stuff like this together!

#58 The Seven Story Mountain

27 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

“It is only the infinite mercy and love of God that has prevented us from tearing ourselves to pieces and destroying His entire creation long ago. People seem to think that it is in some way a proof that no merciful God exists if we have so many wars. On the contrary, consider how in spite of centuries of sin and greed and lust and cruelty and hatred and avarice and oppression and injustice, spawned and bred by the free wills of men, the human race can still recover, each time, and can still produce men and women who overcome evil with good, hatred with love, greed with charity, lust and cruelty with sanctity. How could all this be possible without the merciful love of God, pouring out his grace upon us?"

–Thomas Merton

Book No. 09 of 2017

I have wanted to read some Thomas Merton for a long, long time. The consensus was that The Seven Storey Mountain and his conversion story would be the right place to start, so I found a sweet eighties copy at a used bookstore and dove right in.

This book and Merton’s thoughts and stories are all pretty meaty and substantive. This memoir starts off a bit slow but then really ramps up a bit before the middle. It’s not the sort of book you can quickly blitz through, but it’s also not the sort of book you’d want to. While this book in particular is about Merton’s gradual embrace of the monastic life, it is scattered with the sorts of thoughts and quotes I came to expect from snippets others have shared.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#59 Dutch Bros.

28 February 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

One of the worst parts about San Diego? The Dutch Brothers aren’t the same. Literally. I did a search for Dutch Brothers here and apparently all they do is repair cell phone screens.

Here’s one thing I’ll be missing from the PNW for sure.

HIRE PHILIPPE

HIRE PHILIPPE TO HELP TELL THE STORY OF YOUR TEAM, BRAND, OR ORGANIZATION

BOOK PHILIPPE

REQUEST PHILIPPE FOR YOUR SPEAKING EVENT

**Philippe is on staff with Plant With Purpose, an international development organization. For any talks given that focus on or significantly incorporate Plant With Purpose's work and mission, all speaking fees will be used as a contribution to the organization's work. For more information visit plantwithpurpose.org

WHAT I'M READING

I'm an avid reader and I read all sorts of things. I've been trying to get better at writing reviews, since that's something I appreciate as a writer myself. Feel free to click through the links if any of these titles catch your interest and you want to know what I thought.

2017

• Red Letter Revolution: What If Jesus Really Meant What He Said? by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne  (✮✮✮✮)
• How to be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want To Be When They Grow Up by Emilie Wapnick  (✮✮✮✮)
• Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman (✮✮✮)
• The Magician King by Lev Grossman  (✮✮)
• Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau  (✮✮✮✮)
• To Sell Is Human: The Surprisng Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink  (✮✮✮)
• The Kindness Diaries: One Man's Quest to Ignite Goodwill and Transform Lives Around the World by Leon Logothetis  (✮✮✮✮)
• This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf  (✮✮✮)
• Shadowbahn by Steve Erickson  (✮✮)
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett  (✮✮✮)
• The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson  (✮✮✮)
• Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance (✮✮✮✮)
• Break Open The Sky: Saving Our Faith From a Culture of Fear by Stephen Bauman (✮✮✮✮)
• We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (✮✮✮✮)
• Lila by Marilynne Robinson (✮✮✮✮)
• Amoris Laetitia: On Faith and the Family by Pope Francis (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Perfect Little World: A Novel by Kevin Wilson (✮✮)
• Truffle Boy: My Unexpected Journey into the Exotic Food Underground by Ian Purkayastha (✮✮✮✮)
• Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities Into Unity, Wholeness, and Justice by Brenda Salter McNeil (✮✮✮✮)
• Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (✮✮✮✮)
• The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (✮✮✮✮)
• The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World by Sandra Maria Van Opstal (✮✮✮✮)
• Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh (✮✮)
• The Enneagram Advantage: Putting the 9 Personality Types to Work in the Office by Helen Palmer (✮✮✮)
• Universal Harvester by John Darnielle (✮✮✮✮)
• Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond (✮✮✮✮)
• Age of Anger: A History of the Present by Pankaj Mishra (✮)
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman (✮✮)
• Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin (✮✮✮✮)
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Silence by Shusaku Endo (✮✮✮✮)
• It's Only The Himalayas by S. Bedford (✮✮)
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (✮✮✮✮)
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (✮✮✮✮)
• The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt (✮✮✮✮)
• The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton (✮✮✮✮)
• Saints by Gene Luen-Yang (✮✮✮✮)
• Boxers by Gene Luen-Yang (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer (✮✮✮)
• The Circle: A Novel by Dave Eggers (✮✮)
• Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans (✮✮✮)
• Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir of Sorts by Ian Morgan Cron (✮✮✮✮)
• Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (✮✮✮✮)

2016

• Chicago by Brian Doyle (✮✮✮✮)
• Going Somewhere: A Bicycle Journey Across America by Brian Benson (✮✮✮)
• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight (✮✮✮✮)
• Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton (✮✮✮)
• Street Life Under a Roof: Youth Homelessness in South Africa by Emily Margaretten (✮✮✮✮)
• The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture by Euny Hong (✮✮✮)
• Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin (✮✮✮✮)
• A Tale For The Time Being: A Novel by Ruth Ozeki (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Garden City: Work, Rest, and a New Way to Be Human by John Mark Comer (✮✮✮)
• Beautiful Ruins: a Novel by Jess Walter (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations by Chris Fair (✮)
• Laudato Si: On Care For Our Common Home by Pope Francis (✮✮✮✮)
• Homegoing: a Novel by Yaa Gyasi (✮✮✮✮)
• If You Feel Too Much: Thoughts on Things Found and Lost and Hoped For by Jamie Tworkowski (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell (✮✮✮✮)
• Fight: A Case for Christian Non-violence by Preston Sprinkle (✮✮✮✮)
• Born for This: How to Find The Work You Were Meant to Do by Chris Guillebeau (✮✮✮)
• Eat My Globe: One Year to Go Everywhere and Eat Everything by Simon Majumdar (✮✮✮)
• A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers (✮✮✮)
• The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau (✮✮✮✮)
• Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E.P. Seligman (✮✮✮)
• The Son of Laughter by Fredrick Buechner (✮✮✮)
• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (✮✮✮)

2015

• The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (✮✮✮)
• The Light of the World: a Memoir by Elizabeth Alexander (✮✮✮✮)
• And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseni (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Under the Same Sky: A Memoir of Survival, Hope, and Faith by Joseph Kim (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunée (✮✮)
• A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (✮✮)
• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (✮✮✮✮)
• The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War by Denise Chong (✮✮✮✮✮)
• NW: A Novel by Zadie Smith (✮)
• A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins (✮✮✮✮✮)
• When Waters Whisper by Dan Daly (friend's book)
• The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan (✮✮✮✮)
• Forever the Road by Anthony St. Clair (✮✮✮✮)
• This Is The Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett (✮✮✮)
• The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home by Pico Iyer (✮✮)
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (✮✮✮✮)
• The Invisible Girls: A Memoir by Sarah Thebarge (✮✮✮✮✮)
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Home by Marilynne Robinson (✮✮✮✮)
• Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy by Donald Miller (✮✮✮✮)
• A Country at War With Itself: South Africa's Crisis of Crime by Antony Altbeker (✮)
• Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Ariana Huffington (✮✮✮✮)
• A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity by Nicholas Kristof (✮✮✮✮)

2014

• Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche by Ethan Watters (✮)
• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche (✮✮✮✮)
• The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life by Chris Guillebeau (✮✮✮✮✮)
• India Becoming: A Portrait of Life in Modern India by Akash Kapur (✮✮✮)
• Sergio: One Man's Fight to Save the World by Samantha Power (✮✮✮)
• Moment Maker: You Can Live Your Life or It Will Live You by Carlos Whittaker (✮✮✮)
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (✮✮✮✮)
• Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul by John Eldredge (✮)
• Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit by Erwin Raphael McManus (✮✮✮✮✮)
• American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar (✮✮✮✮)
• What is the What by Dave Eggers (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality by Barbara Bradley Hagerty (✮✮✮✮)
• Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Naht Thanh (✮✮✮)
• The Tiger's Wife: a Novel by Téa Obreht (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Crowd, The Critic, and the Muse: a Book for Creators by Michael Gungor (✮✮✮✮)
• Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner (✮✮)
• Into The Mud by Adam and Christine Jeske (✮✮✮)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Aleph by Paolo Coelho (✮✮✮)
• The Entitled: a Tale of Modern Baseball by Frank Deford (✮✮✮)
• The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God by Timothy Keller (✮✮)
• Snow by Orphan Pamuk (✮✮)
• With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (✮✮✮✮)
• Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katharine Boo (✮✮)
• Holy Nomad: The Rugged Road to Joy by Matt Litton (✮✮)
• Wounded Prophet: a Portrait of Henri J.M. Nouwen by Michael Ford (✮✮)
• Preemptive Love: Pursuing Peace One Heart at a Time by Jeremy Courtney (✮✮✮✮)

2013

• The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson (✮✮✮✮)
• Neighbors and Wise Men: Sacred Encounters in a Portland Pub and Other Unexpected Places by Tony Kriz (✮✮✮✮)
• Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff (✮✮✮)
• Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry (✮)
• Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America by Jeff Chu (✮✮)
• In Search of a Confident Faith: Overcoming Barriers to Trusting in God by J.P. Moreland (✮✮)
• Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman (✮✮✮✮)
• The Myth of Certainty: The Reflective Christian and the Risk of Commitment by Daniel Taylor (✮✮✮✮✮)
• In The Shadow of the Buddha: Secret Journeys, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual Discovery in Tibet by Matteo Pistono (✮)
• Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro (✮✮✮)
• A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Can Serve the Public Good by Miroslav Volf (✮✮✮)
• Life After God by Douglas Coupland (✮✮✮✮)
• Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know by David Steinberg (✮✮)
• On The Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac (✮✮)
• Miracles by C.S. Lewis (✮✮✮)
• The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (✮✮✮✮)
• The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out by Brennan Manning (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things by Ken Wytsma (✮✮✮)
• Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield (✮✮✮)
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (✮✮✮✮)
• The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker by Brad Lomenick (✮✮✮)
• Faith and Doubt by John Ortberg (✮✮✮✮)
• Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall (✮✮✮✮)
• Out of Exile: Narratives from the Abducted and Displaced People of Sudan by Craig Walzer (✮✮✮)
• Around Africa on my Bicycle by Riaan Manser (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller (✮✮✮✮)
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay: a Novel by Michael Chabon (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert (✮✮✮✮)
• Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication by Andy Stanley (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Father Fiction: Chapters for a Fatherless Generation by Donald Miller (✮✮✮✮)

2012

• The Storyteller of Marrakesh: A Novel by Joydeep Roy Bhattacharya (✮)
• Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road by Donald Miller (✮✮✮)
• Escape From Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden (✮✮✮✮)
• Muscular Faith: How To Strengthen Your Heart, Soul, and Mind for the Only Challenge That Matters by Ben Patterson (A Friend's Book)
• Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (✮✮✮✮)
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon (✮)
• Have a Little Faith: a True Story by Mitch Albom (✮✮✮)
• The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Out of a Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis (✮✮✮✮)
• The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (✮✮✮)

2011

• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (✮✮✮)
• Haiti: After The Earthquake by Paul Farmer (✮✮✮)
• Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy by Kevin Bales (✮✮✮✮)
• Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola (✮✮✮✮)
• The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (✮✮)
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (✮✮)
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (✮✮✮)
• The Five Love Languages: How To Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman (✮✮✮✮)
• Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson (✮✮✮)
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell (✮✮✮✮)
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy (✮✮✮✮)

2010

• Never Let Me Go: A Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality by Rob Bell (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
• Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan (✮✮✮)
• Wild Goose Chase: Reclaiming the Adventure of Pursuing God by Mark Batterson (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Elementary Particles by Michele Hollebecq (✮)
• Gomorrah: A Personal Journey Into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System by Roberto Saviano (✮)
• The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller (✮✮✮✮✮)
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects by Marshall McLuhan (✮✮✮✮)
• The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (✮✮✮✮✮)
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni (✮✮✮✮✮)

JANUARY 2017

#1 Welcome to 2017

01 January 2017 // Manhattan, New York

This young year is off to a really, really good start.

I can’t recall the last time I started a year with so much mystery surrounding my life… so much wondering what’s going to happen next. It’s refreshing since last year felt fully planned out from the very beginning. Right now, all I know is to anticipate a handful of big changes… and that’s as specific as I can get!

This year, I hope to live with openness. Open hands, doors, minds, openness for new things and holding on to old things loosely. Not knowing what comes next can be scary, but I’m finding that I really, really like it. Life feels less like a conveyor belt when you’re forced to take things just one day at a time.

#2 Drive to DC

02 January 2017 // Washington, D.C.

Spent the second day of the year driving through several East Coast states and the giant Burger King freeway exit that is New Jersey.

We did it to get to Washington, D.C. to hang out with Deanna’s cousins for a few hours and even though we weren’t able to hang out for very long, it was well worth it.

I’m not always madly in love with Washington D.C., which is kind of a shame because in my field that’s where almost all the jobs are. But it does have its sweet spots.

#3 The Daily Show

03 January 2017 // Manhattan, New York

Now this was fun… Deanna and I took a chance on standing in line for a few hours in the rain and we earned ourselves seats inside a live taping of The Daily Show.

Honestly, I’m pretty partial to Trevor Noah, and I have no doubts that a lot of that fondness is because of my broader love for South Africa. He won me over just after he came to the U.S. with his knack for accents in his half-hour Laugh Factory Special. I know his reception as Stewart’s successor has been mixed, but I appreciate his perspective as a relative outsider. Especially as one who was brought up in the collapse of apartheid.

Anyways, if you watch his episode with Michael Che from a few weeks ago and overhear somebody with a weird laugh that sounds like morse code for ‘IAIAIAIA,’ I did that for you to have an easier time recognizing me.

#4 Manhattan

04 January 2017 // Manhattan, New York

People. Adventure. Generosity. These are the three big components of the life I’ve been trying to build.

You can live well in nearly any scenario as long as you have the right people around you. There are times where I miss the closeness of sharing dilapidated houses with almost a dozen friends, right next door to a dozen other friends who were doing the same thing. I don’t think community needs to look like that exactly, but I do long for more game nights, dinner parties, and heartfelt conversations.

Pursuits are important, too, and I often struggle to put into words why ambition and adventure matter to me. Think of any life you admire, and most likely, there’s been some pursuit behind that admiration. When I shared this idea with a friend who understood what I was talking about, it felt so validating.

The best pursuits, of course, are the ones that help and create opportunity for other people, and there’s so many different ways for that to look. Being a listener. Being a fundraiser. Climbing a corporate ladder but with the goal of changing its culture and giving away your earnings. The more I hear about my older family members’ spirit of generosity, the more resolved I feel to have that be a part of my own raison d’etre.

People. A pursuit. An opportunity to help others. These are pretty much the three things I want to have in my life at all times, and the three things I’ll be taking heavily into consideration as this year likely brings about a new job, a new city, and a whole lot of change.

#5 Fly Newark

05 January 2017 // Newark, New Jersey

One of my favorite feelings is when you’re on the plane en route to whatever next adventure. I put a lot of thought into setting the mood just right. Some playlists that can flow right into my ears those moments before takeoff, a book I look forward to making a lot of progress on, and- if I’m flying out of PDX, a massive banh mi sandwich, because that’s the only airport where I can get that many calories for just a bit over five bucks.

I have only the vaguest sense of what life might look like by December, but I know there are adventures to be had. And I’m glad I’ve got a few miles saved up to make them happen.

#6 Eugene Snow

06 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

We kept comparing the weather on our trip to the weather in Oregon. We were going to Chicago and New York, after all, so we expected COLD.

Almost every day of the trip, Oregon was colder than wherever we were. Chicago was at 20º below the week before we left, and it rose to 40º while we were there. New York only made me put on a single leather jacket. I kept thinking that “wow, bet this is going to be the warmest day of the trip” and it just kept getting warmer.

Now, I’ve come home to snow everywhere. And apparently NYC is getting it too. Weather be weird man.

#7 Beignet Reunification

07 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

The surprise on her face when we got back from our trip and she realized we weren’t dead. Plus, there was snow all over, so it was a great day for Beignet.

Also, she had a stomach ache again… separation anxiety.

#8 Portrait of Beignet as a Young Pup

08 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Beignet is so spoiled.

In college, the first one to pass out is the one who gets drawn all over. Instead, Beignet gets painted in watercolor.

#9 Late Start

09 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Came back home from New York with sleep I wanted to catch up on, a stack of books I was lost in, and snow all over the place.

Plus Deanna was off. It was the perfect recipe for a few nap filled days.

Now, two weeks into it, it feels like the year is actually starting. Finally sitting down to handle to logistics of things like time and money makes it feel all the more real.

And actually, I like having these things to chip away at. We’re officially in the part of my year where I have no idea what happens next.

Side note: I’ve been drinking so much water. It wasn’t even a resolution, I just wanted to wash out a very mild cold, but I’m feeling very proud of myself for it.

#10 Playlist Making

10 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Any other obsessive playlist makers out there? I spent the better part of the day sorting out my favorite songs from the past several years into several different playlists.

One set of songs for the morning, one for the gym, some for dinner parties and road trips and everything else you could do.

The perks of being between jobs. Every single thing in my life gets organized.

#11 Commonwealth

11 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

“It was about the inestimable burden of their lives: the work, the houses, the friendships, the marriages, the children, as if all the things they’d wanted and worked for had cemented the impossibility of any sort of happiness.”

–Ann Patchett

It’s gonna be a good year for reading, I can tell.

Ann Patchett’s latest was a good one, though she’s been such a reliable author I’d be surprised if it wasn’t.

This novel chases two sets of half-siblings back and forth between the moment their family branched to their own fallout as adults.

I do often get bored with novels that are about discontented domestic 40-somethings moping about their existence and there are times when Commonwealth bordered on that. But the true-feeling characters and creative approach to storytelling kept the whole thing afloat.

#12 Brail’s

12 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s a bit late, I know, but it’s here! What is it? It’s my list of favorites from the year of 2016– movies, books, albums, TV shows, podcasts, speeches, sports things, all mashed up into one list. By popular demand!

Okay, no one was actually demanding this out of me, but I love making lists, and it was a fun use of a snow day when I got trapped in the house with no power or wi-fi.

2016 was actually a pretty good year if you’re a lover of linguistics-focused science fiction, socially woke bunnies, and dudes that can sing a cool falsetto.

#13 The Kitchen Wall

13 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

I don’t know when it’ll happen exactly, or where it’ll be, but I’m really looking forward to knowing where we’ll be living next. It’s been a really long time since I’ve been able to live somewhere without seeing an end to it not so far off and there have been quite a few things that I’d love to finally be able to do with a more permanent home base.

1) Being able to start building up a community around a regular ritual is something I’ve been hoping to do for a while. A dinner party, game night, movie night, anything like that. I’d love to be able to gather people together.

2) I’d also like to start mentoring somebody- and to be mentored. It’s hard to get that going when you might just leave soon enough. To get the most out of these ties, it takes a long-term investment of time. Soon enough!

3) I have two ideas for side projects I’d love to have- one nonprofit and one business service. Again, it’s tough to start these things in a place if you’re planning to uproot. I’ve been working on these ideas as much as possible and I feel like I’ve gotten as far as I can so far without a permanent base.

#14 Deserved Donut

14 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

In an age of misinformation, chaos, a refusal to accept the facts, and blatant deceit– don’t ever forget what’s true.

You deserve a donut.

#15 Born a Crime

15 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

“In any society built on institutionalized racism, race mixing doesn’t merely challenge the system as unjust, it reveals the system as unsustainable and incoherent. Race mixing proves that races can mix, and in a lot of cases want to mix. Because a mixed person embodies that rebuke to the logic of the system, race mixing becomes a crime worse than treason.”

–Trevor Noah

I was probably in the minority when I found out Trevor Noah would be the successor to Jon Stewart. I had kept tabs on Noah’s standup and mostly liked his multicultural stuff. When he was named to the Daily Show gig, I figured it would be a nice change to get the perspective of an outsider to the U.S. who is also wildly familiar with things like apartheid and racial tension. As it turns out, that hunch ended up coming true.

Noah’s autobiography was even better than I expected it to be. It’s deeply personal and also features some brilliant essays and commentary on growing up in the time of apartheid and throughout it’s collapse. It examines the poverty he grew up in, his relationship with his comically religious mom, and the last chapter of this book… it was completely unexpected and something else. I enjoyed it totally.

#16 Pisgah on MLK

16 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Nine times out of ten, you’ll notice that whenever something controversial happens that divides people in sides, I default to reminding everyone to try and get along. To avoid trying to take sides, and to find some sort of common goal. Most of the time, I like this approach and I like that I have some sort of built-in avoidance for wanting to take sides.

That said, this isn’t always the right approach.

In an instance where people are being oppressed, when one set of ideas contributes to people being harmed, being put at risk, being separated from family, being vulnerable to hate crimes, being talked about as if they were not entitled to the same treatment as any other human, or being excluded, it is impossible not to choose sides.

To choose to do nothing, to say nothing, or to act like it isn’t happening contributes to the status quo. It allows the oppression to last a little longer, for that many more lives to be ruined. There is no real neutrality in oppression. Yeah, speaking up may result in a few difficult conversations, but there is no improvement without sacrifice.

I think there are ways to do this that are respectful of people while still challenging harmful ideas. And it’s difficult to get it exactly right. But one sure-fire way to not get it right is to let my non-confrontational nature to be an excuse for not showing my Muslim friends, my black friends, my LGBT friends, and all others in my life that I care.

#17 Morning Mugs

17 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

I believe that most people want what’s best for their families, their neighbors, their communities, and each other. I believe that in divisive times, attacking each other only makes the division worse. I believe that we must not lose sight of kindness and civility.

But also…

I believe to do nothing during times of oppression is to contribute to it. I believe there are times that we’re called to speak truth against hate, that history is full of examples of the beautiful things that happen when people are bold in standing up for right and the awful things that happen when people ignore problems.

How do both these beliefs coexist these days?

Love people. Evaluate and critique and investigate ideas. Love people. Know that most of the time, our ideas require nuance, but there still is truth. Love people. Attack ideas that do harm to people. Love people. Even the ones who hold espouse those ideas. Love people, and remember that hate harms both its target and the one who hates. Love people to bring freedom to both.

#18 Tsunami Books

18 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

As of the end of January, I’ve completely finished four books and have three others that I’m within pages of finishing. As I’ve suspected, the end of grad school is leading to what will probably be my most well-read year so far.

Here are a few hopes for what I’d like to read this year.

1) Some graphic novels. I’ve never been a big graphic novel guy but there have been enough I’ve heard good things about. I’ve already got Boxers & Saints on its way and I’m hoping to read John Lewis’ graphic memoirs soon.

2) Some of the books on racial justice that have been on my radar forever. The New Jim Crow, Between the World and Me, and Just Mercy. I want to be better educated on some of the things many of my friends have to deal with that I’m unfortunately not aware of like I should be. And for that matter, Hillbilly Elegy and The Righteous Mind have come highly recommended as titles to understand differences in political thought from a sociological standpoint.

3) Thomas Merton. I think this is the year I finally read The Seven Storey Mountain, instead of just taking screenshots of quotes from it.

#19 Thai Tea Donuts

19 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

The mission: Try to create homemade donuts that remind me of the taste of creamy thai iced tea.

The results: Yes! So the texture wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. I ended up unwittingly creating some old-fashioned donuts with a crispy exterior and a crumbly inside, when I was going for a little bit more of a puffy brioche dough. When it comes to the icing, though, I think I nailed that thai iced tea taste.

#20 What To Do Now

20 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

I can’t recall a time in my life that’s been as filled with tension, anger, and outrage as the past several weeks. Political drama trickles down and it’s made so many people quite unpleasant. A lot of the anger has been righteous anger- there really is a lot to be upset about. It often feels like that part of the movie where one thing after another has gone wrong, and it seems like the heroes are screwed.

But this is no movie. What do you do when this is the world around you? Can it still be one tension building scene in a great movie?

It’s a season like this one that makes me look all the more forward to having a job with an organization doing work that makes life better for people and to know where my long term home will be so I can begin pouring heavy into that community. I want to channel all of that uncertainty into action- even if it’s just trying to make sure I can do for 20 people what I wish I could do for the world.

In the meantime, it’s a bit of a waiting game. It hasn’t been a passive waiting game, though. I’ve been discovering in random moments a strange sense of calm that doesn’t make much sense.

I think it’s faith. It’s faith that the next chapter will begin exactly when it’s supposed to. It’s a faith that it’s coming, that I’ll have a role to play in taking care of other people, and that I’ll be ready and willing.

#21 Women’s March of Eugene

21 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

I’m the product of being Loved well and having strong, positive, encouraging influences in my life, and when I think of who those faces actually are, they are overwhelmingly female! Like… by a long shot!

There’s Deanna, who has to fight every day to have some of the things most of us take for granted, but she doesn’t just settle there. She gives hers to lift kids out of some really dark places.

There’s my mom, who managed to totally put everything she had into raising me after losing my dad and her dad almost within a year of each other without ever using that as an excuse for giving me anything less than the best she could.

Then there are my Aunts, Ella and Fely. Auntie Ella hopped on a plane in the fifties to be one of the first in the family to move to the US and practice medicine. She then basically turned into Mother Teresa, using most of her earnings to support the rest of her siblings and donating her skills on medical missions. These two helped me get a car and a college education and are the most generous people you could ever meet.

Oh, and my Lola, who passed last year. She had the original heart for orphans, the love of hooking people up with a good meal, and the willingness to cross borders for loved ones.

If you think people who treat women like objects are fit to lead, you need to change that. If your vision for the future, the country, the planet, or the Kingdom of Heaven in any way inhibits women from full and equal opportunity, I want nothing to do with it because it’ll always be weaker than it could be with women empowered.

#22 Eugene Canal

22 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Most of the time it doesn't feel real, but it's sometimes sinking in that I don't likely have much time left in Eugene. For the most part, the time feels right, but moving on is always a tough task!

That said, it's time to do that thing I do best and make some lists.

There are lists to be made about the future, the logistics of actually moving. What to keep, what to leave.

More so, there are lists about the present. Things we absolutely need to savor while we're still here. Favorite restaurants. Hiking trails. Dog parks. Friends to see.

All that will ultimately translate into a list representative of the last two years, the dates we went on, the people we met. What we'll remember about this city.

It's a good thing I really like lists.

#23 Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me

23 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

“Love always stoops."

–Ian Morgan Cron

Book No. 03 of 2017

This book has been sitting on my to-read list for years. I remember when I first heard about Ian Morgan Cron– people had largely good things to say about his spiritual memoir, and since that’s the genre I write, I went in expecting big things.

At first, I thought the book was missing something… maybe direction. I couldn’t see a central story or pursuit that strung together its different memories and recollections. I guess I have this weakness when I write, so it stood out to me.

Then I realized I was looking at the book wrong. It was a portrait of a long life and a spiritual formation, and when I started reading some of the middle chapters, where some of the roughest points of Ian’s life began to enter something resembling redemption, it took a turn for the beautiful. I began to appreciate the beauty of staring at life with a big picture lens.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#24 Country Bread

24 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Mission 01: Bake a simple but satisfying country bread loaf.

The Results: I think I nailed this one. I'd been on a cold streak of not getting my bread to rise the way I want, but I finally got this right. It's a late start to this year's set of cooking project but I've played catch up before.

#25 Dangerous Things

25 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s a wild thing to be going from one week to the next not knowing if by the weekend life will drastically change for me and my family, or if it’ll be another passage into more waiting and wondering.

It’s gotten me to pray a whole lot more. That’s for sure. And while some people pray with beads, I use my dog’s leash and have the best moments when I get walking.

The past few weeks have been full of small urges, no doubt, as a result. I’ll find myself surprised by what I suddenly feel like I’m supposed to do. Message a friend. Send this email. Call a certain person. Head up to Portland. Even clean the house. I’d be lying if I said it all tied together in a super obvious way, but I also know that there will be more to this story before it’s all over. For now, I’m loving the pursuit.

#26 City of Gold Cocktail

26 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Mission 03: Make a cocktail that reminds me of the City of Johannesburg worthy of the name City of Gold. Do it to commemorate my return this time last year.

The results: Unfortunately I had to choose between working with Amarula Cream or ginger beer- the two drinks that remind me most of South Africa. They don't mix well due to curdling reasons.

I went with the ginger beer and added some lime. Then cognac- which seemed fittingly cosmopolitan but with an edge. I guess that's almost a Moscow Mule. If I had the means, some rooibos bitters would've been the perfect accent. Then I garnished with a maraschino cherry, lime slice, and candied ginger.

I thought it was pretty yummy. Surprisingly smooth.

#27 Job Hunt Grind

27 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

The people who say looking for a job can be a full time job in and of itself are right. I've been at it pretty diligently this month and I feel good going into February.

The biggest challenge of looking for a job, in my opinion, is that suddenly life becomes all about what you don't have. You know, the lack of job. And that's especially true in my scenario where I'm probably gonna relocate. Cause then it gets harder to find non-work things to get involved with since you can't make a long commitment.

But I totally dislike the idea of defining life by what you don't have. I have a lot of great people in my life, an adventurous spirit, and a few secret projects up my sleeve I haven't announced yet. I decided earlier this week that I would try to be the 'Best Unemployed Person' out there. How you even define that, I'm not sure, and the competition's steep with Barack Obama and Chase Utley also on the job market.

I figured one way to start would be to not use up all my time tweaking my resume, but to also use portions of the day to do things I don't get to really do when working. I gave the house a good cleaning to make Deanna happy. I sent a letter getting in touch with South Africa. I've also made it my most well read year so far- January and I've read five and a half books. If these are the cards I'm dealt, I'll wanna be sure to play all of them.

#28 Vino & Vango

28 January 2017 // Springfield, Oregon

Deanna really wanted to do those wine and painting classes for a long time. Here's proof that not everything on our adventures list was totally my idea.

A good date night has the other person in mind, though, so we went out this weekend. I think I scored some husband points. Not just for being one of two guys in a class of thirty women, but also for resisting the urge to paint my tango dancers in the shape of Coneheads.

#29 Hardesty Mountain

29 January 2017 // Dexter, Oregon

Good people can have bad ideas.

'I know good people who voted for both candidates.' 'I know good people who support Proposal X and good people who oppose it.' I've said these things in the past and still believe them to be true.

But good people can also support ideas that harm other people. After all, every year there's a philosophy professor somewhere asking his students how millions of -good German citizens- once allowed Hitler's rise.

When you find a person you want to believe the best about, who supports ideas that harm other people, remember these things:

1) Remember that they weren't created for bad ideas but for good actions. Consider the potential that they could bring if their talents and personalities were used for good. It'll help you to speak in love.

2) Remember that a bad idea also harms the one who holds it. You have nothing to gain from hatred or from fear. When you free someone from hatred or narrow-mindedness, you free both them and the people they harm. It'll help you to speak the truth.

Speaking the truth in love can be one of the hardest but most necessary things.

#30 Yearbook 2016

30 January 2017 // Eugene, Oregon

Instagram is like my journal. And I curate my Facebook albums. And my 365 project goes back seven years on Flickr. But what'll this mean to me in 30 years?

Some people have shoeboxes of photos in attics that get taken out on holidays, or maybe only once every couple years. But looking them over can be kind of magical, and scrolling through my 2011 archives on social media just isn't the same, IMO.

Last year I turned my 365 project, plus other favorite photos into a yearbook. (I used Artifact Uprising - a bit pricier but great quality). Deanna and I spent tonight flipping pages and being thankful. Lots of Beignet, weekend trips, and food pics.

Here's hoping to do this every year- and when the finances allow it, I'd also love to work my way backwards to 2010.

#31 Microprotesting

31 January 2017 // Portland, Oregon

Thankful for Jesse and his activist spirit. Our two man protest last week at PDX may have been very, very, very small, but it was mighty-ish.

Also, I am proud to say it was a peaceful protest. Not one arrest was made.

5CEES

HILLBROW IS ONE OF AFRICA'S ROUGHEST NEIGHBORHOODS

Hillbrow was once the Central Business District of Johannesburg. A complicated string of events after the fall of apartheid, however, led to it becoming saturated with violent crime and gang activity. While the neighborhood has seen some episodes of improvement, it remains a hot spot for violence and a notoriously unsafe area. Regularly, children as young as four fall victim to some of the most brutal acts in the area. Desperation caused by poverty and inequality feeds the spread of illegal activity in the area, which makes things worse for a population of children born at the peak of the AIDS crisis.

IN 2013, I WENT TO LIVE IN 5CEES- A CARE CENTER FOR ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN

Because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, South Africa has one of the highest rates of orphanhood in the world. Many children who have surviving parents are unable to receive proper childcare because of family illness and poverty, which is the need 5Cees responds to. Christ Church Christian Care Center began as a ministry of Rev. Mike Sunker, and has now grown to accommodate over 60 children. At the time, I came to teach, to mentor, and to provide whatever technical support I could.

AT FIRST I WASN'T SURE I WAS HELPING, THEN I LEARNED WHAT IT MEANS TO HELP

My unsafe surroundings left me mostly confined to the center, where I wasn't sure I was connecting and making the impact I hoped to. But then I started to pay more attention to the lives the kids at 5Cees were living, especially within the context of HIllbrow. I realized the ubiquity of negative influences that regularly surrounded them, and it occurred to me that without positive influences to counter them that were just as present and consistent in their lives, they were really up against unlikely odds. That helped me see the irreplaceable importance of being present, a key value that continues to influence all the work I do.

VIDEO

WRITING

LIBERTY IN NORTH KOREA

North Koreans live in one of the most difficult places on Earth 

Every day, the people of North Korea face obstacles like famine, political oppression, and a broken system of government that allows little freedom. North Koreans are forbidden from speaking out, from gathering, from traveling, from accessing information from the outside world, or from many freedoms that are necessary to pursue a better life. North Koreans who violate these restrictions are subject to extremely harsh punishment, including imprisonment in concentration camps where they face torture and abuse. For these reasons, many North Koreans seek to escape the country, but the journey is extremely risky. North Koreans are frequently caught up in forced labor or sex trafficking, and at any point in the journey through China, they risk getting caught and sent back- where execution is very likely.

Liberty in North Korea is a movement changing the story of North Korea

Liberty in North Korea is an organization that believes nobody should have to live the way many North Koreans are forced to. When North Koreans escape, LiNK seeks to help get them out of China and into a new safe country to be resettled. Ultimately, North Korean refugees become a key player in the country's eventual freedom. Their connections back inside North Korea provide a rare opportunity to communicate and exchange ideas beyond its borders.

Many people outside North Korea primarily associate the country with nuclear weapons and dictator personalities. By changing the narrative to focus on the stories of ordinary North Koreans, the organization pursues a future for the country where its people are not forgotten and are empowered to create a new reality with a better future.

In late 2012, I lived out of a van to raise awareness

To help raise awareness and funds for the organization, I spent weeks living out of a van with two teammates. We traveled up and down the Heartland, from Colorado to Minnesota to Ohio to Texas, speaking at high schools, churches, universities, coffee shops, retirement homes, and for anyone who would listen. We encouraged people to sign up to support the cause monthly, and to keep their focus on the North Korean people. The tour was a success in that it helped raise $75,000 for LiNK's refugee work while expanding the movement's profile. I gained a life-transforming experience, as LiNK is an organization that is all about people. I learned a lot about how to live for others, whether that means those living in persecution in North Korea, or the many, many connections I made at LiNK who would turn into lifelong friends I remain close to.

VIDEO

WRITING

2017

VIDEOS

VIDEO YEARBOOKS

THE CLASSICS

GOOD THINGS ACCORDING TO PHILIPPE

Like Oprah's Favorite Things, but cheaper!

FALL 2017

DECEMBER 2016

#336 Grad School: One Week

01 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Just a little over a week left to go… you can put up with almost anything for a week! Though this week is going to really put that idea to the test.

Two major projects are running full throttle right now. Simultaneously, I have twenty pages of research to write and one exam to get ready for, all within the next nine days.

Grad school really wants to make sure that I don’t miss it too much, I guess.

#337 Grad Finale

02 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Grad school: where if you keep responding to enough emails, eventually somebody gives you a degree. This time next week, I’ll be looking at an empty inbox.

In the meantime, I get to enjoy a weekend with my favorites. We were gonna go visit Santa at PetSmart, but then somebody found a very muddy dog park, and you can’t show up to Santa lookin’ like that.

#338 Amazon View

03 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“I find students today much smarter and more competent than in my time, I also find them far more pessimistic. Occassionally they ask in dismay: Where is the U.S. going? Where is the world going? Or: Where are the new entrepreneurs? Or: Are we doomed as a society to a worse future for our children?

I tell them about the devastated Japan I saw in 1962. I tell them about the rubble and ruins that somehow gave birth to wise men… I tell them about the untapped resources, natural and human, that the world has at its disposal, the abundant ways and means to solve its many crises. All we have to do, I tell the sthudents, is work and study, study and work, hard as we can.

Put another way: we must all be professors of the jungle.”

–Phil Knight

#339 Welcome Mathis

04 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Got to meet my friends’ baby for the first time. His snores were adorable.

Welcome to the world, Mathis. I hope you like it.

#340 Grad School: Final Week

05 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Eugene’s looking a little Scandinavian today. A couple more tomorrows and we’re done.

One essay, the last two finals I plan to ever take, and grading exams for fifty students.

Alright, let’s do this.

#341 Whole Foods Eugene

06 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Whole Foods is a dangerous place when your food budget gets tight. Especially that hot food bar. But here’s a game you can play next time you’re in.

Challenge a friend to get as close to one pound of food without measuring as possible. If you go over, you lose. Closest one to one pound flat wins and the loser pays for the meal.

This is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Costco challenge.

#342 DWNTWN EUG

07 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

If finishing my Masters programs this week wasn’t tiring enough, we just saw three straight nights of Christmas parties. They were a blast, and they saved us a ton on groceries, but man, I am gonna go into my first week of post-student life ready for a bit of hibernation.

Here are some things making me happy this week.

Okay, so the obvious. Grad school done. Yay!

I also saw Arrival over the weekend and it was an amazing, clever, meaningful film. It’s a puzzle film in a lot of ways but it also had tons of heart and hope. It’s a great work of art.

And Deanna and I also picked up our first Christmas tree. I love living where these grow without effort.

#343 Grad School: Done!

08 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I just took a two hour final. It’s rainy. Miserably cold and most people get to stay home today because of the snow. Not me.

But that doesn’t matter.

Because.

I
Am
Done
With
Grad School.

(Assuming I didn’t overconfidently just bomb that exam. But ya know.)

PTL.

#344 Christmas Party-thon

09 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Tonight we’re going to our third Christmas party in as many days.

Mid December. What it do.

#345 Christmas Tree Farm

10 December 2016 // Veneta, Oregon

Did you grow up in a real tree or fake tree fam? I was raised with a plastic thing that hid in our garage for eleven months.

I always looked forward to the future when our Christmas tree would be a real one that I went to the woods to chop down. Didn’t quite chop this one down myself, but it is an actual tree, so that’ll be a good place to start. .

This Doug is totally dead on one side, so we had that face the wall and saved ourselves at least 40 bucks.

“The Christmas tree…where did that tradition come from? It sounds like the behavior of a drunk man. I can picture it now: ‘honey, why is there a…pine tree in our living room?’ ‘I like it…tomorrow…we’re gonna…we’re gonna decorate it…for Jesus…’”

–Jim Gaffigan

#346 Christmas Deck’d

11 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Oh bargain tree, oh bargain tree.

Your diseases saved us money.

It’s our first Christmas tree since getting married, and now our house is now all properly decked out for Christmas. I like this look. Even our Baymax and Ron Swanson prints look so festive.

#347 Norwegian Potato Porridge

12 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

When I was planning out what meals to make over the course of the year, I mostly thought about seasons and what sort of foods go well as the weather changes. For the most part I did a good job. Then I realize I’ve gone really heavy into Scandinavian type foods the past few weeks. I must’ve gotten the severity of Oregon’s winters mixed up with Norway.

While I’m glad we don’t have as much winter harshness as the Nordic states, I’ll gladly welcome in some of their cuisine, as I did with this potato porridge. Came out a bit on the thick side, but when it’s chilly out, nobody complains.

I did do something right by adding bacon. Sometimes a starchy potato based meal just asks to be matched with a salty pork of some kind.

#348 Going Somewhere

13 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“That morning, we might have learned a boring lesson about foresight and preparation. We did not learn such a lesson. We did not learn so much anything, actually. But we did remember, both of us having long ago imagined the best thing about growing up would be getting to eat candy whenever we wanted. And now, we agreed, we’d been so, so right.”

–Brian Benson

Picked up this book at the PDX Powell’s while I was going somewhere. (Little Rock, I think) I will read most any given book about people challenging themselves to some sort of unconventional journey. Biking the perimeter of Africa. Walking the Appalachian Trail. In this case, biking from Wisconsin to Oregon.

As you might imagine, the Northern Plains offer large stretches of nothing, and this book was pretty tightly focused on the two characters’ journey. Minimal flashbacks, spiritual themes, or side encounters with characters possessing crazy life stories. In most cases I’d like more of those.

To Benson’s credit, his writing is skilled enough to still keep me engaged and empathetic throughout the story. The agonizing Montana winds felt very real, as did the evolution his romantic relationship took on the road.

#349 Attack of the Frost Giants

14 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

They say that many Native American tribes have hundreds of words for different kinds of snow. And I understand why. Not all snow is the same. There is the nice powdery, fluffy kind that is on the ground in Portland right now, and there is this ice-everywhere attrocity that we’ve got in Eugene.

All through the night branches kept cracking and crashing down. A tree completely toppled onto the parking spot next to mine. Beignet wouldn’t stop barking with all the other dogs in the neighborhood.

The power went out, and the Wi-fi was out for the next fifteen hours. The lights shut off just as a character in the book I’m reading died.

When I woke up this morning I went on a little walk to see how bad it was and whose cars were spared. That Civic was completely landed on. A tree landed perpendicularly across six parking spots that I usually take. It looked like some ice apocalypse.

It was also a little pretty. But not too pretty.

#350 Loving

15 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Thanks to all the ice and snow, Deanna and I got to enjoy a day at home and at the movies. Loving definitely makes my short list for favorite movies from this year.

Speaking of, here’s that list.

Arrival – It’s the linguistics-nerd, sci-fi puzzle film we never knew we needed. It’s Spielberg’s whimsy, Christopher Nolan’s inventiveness, and Terrence Malick’s visuals all tied into one story.

Loving – How perfect is it that the couple whose case ended up setting the Supreme Court’s ultimate ruling in favor of interracial marriage had the last name Loving? Obvious answer, it’s too, too perfect.

Zootopia – A second animated feature… but some of my favorite movies in recent years have been Disney/Pixar movies, so maybe that shouldn’t be so surprising. Those were some socially-conscious cartoon rabbits.

#351 5th Street Christmas

16 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I’ve been paying more attention to the difference between Christmas music and Advent music lately. The latter focuses on waiting and a somber sort of hope. It’s why when I’ve heard sugary versions of Holly Jolly and Sleigh Ride (or Twisted Sister’s 12 Days) a few too many times, O Come, O Come Emmanuel really hits the spot.

That song, like many African American Gospel songs or East Asian and African standards, uses the pentatonic scale- one that creates a feeling of tension, unrest, and having not arrived. It’s like melodies speak on behalf of cultures or something.

Advent will never make complete sense to someone who hasn’t seen oppression or injustice in some way. The oppressed were its original audience.

The Book of Common Prayer led me to reading the well known “to us a child is born, to us a son is given” part of Scripture. “And the government will be on his shoulders.” What stood out to me, though, was the part that came right before.

“You have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.”

That is most definitely music our world really needs to hear this year.

#352 Hamilton-ish

17 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This weekend, we treated ourselves to a showing of Hamilton! But since we’re really on a budget, it was a high school performance of Hamilton. And since the school didn’t quite have the rights to Hamilton, it was actually about 70% of the musical plus random other songs from Waitress, Rent, and Chicago.

About a year ago I fell in love with this musical. I wasn’t expecting everyone else to fall in love similarly, otherwise we would’ve been set to see it in Chicago or New York. But thankfully it’s massive success means that high schools are giving it a go. NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour mused that there would be some pretty awful high school performances of the show. This wasn’t one of them. The kids were pretty good. Of course, Oregon doesn’t have the diversity of Hamilton, but the show was a great time.

#353 Kahlua

18 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Celebratory mood, anyone?

My second-to-last cooking challenge item for the year was none other than a batch of homemade kahlua. It turns out that this treat is way easier to make than it appears- just don’t skimp on the vodka because that’ll do most of the work.

I’m really glad I made this batch. Not just cause it was fun, but also cause I drink kahlua so rarely that the amount I made could stretch five years.

#354 Rack of Lamb & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

19 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

At the very end of 2015, I decided that my cooking skills could use some improvement. I liked to cook, and to eat of course, but there was so much I hadn’t made before. I wanted to know the exact impact an adjusted ratio would have on bread, what one more minute at whatever temperature would do to meat, and all that.

After Christmas I made a list of 52 different things to cook over the next year. Most were chosen so I could learn specific skills. I picked some just cause of the time of the year, or cause I really wanted to try making them.

Last week, I got to end the year off with a bang, making a rack of lamb using Julia Child’s marinade and topping it off with a wine reduction. I was thrilled when I cut into the center to find the exact shade of pinkish-red I wanted.

Here’s to challenging yourself and getting it done. Now to figure out something for 2017 in these next few days.

#355 Christmas Carons

20 December 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Hey family, spoiler alert. Stop reading here and erase the image you just saw from your mind.

(Psh, I know some of ya didn’t 😏)

Man… I keep posting about my low budget lifestyle lately, but that is our truth. When your family is large on both sides but your Christmas budget is small… homemade gifts are a lifesaver.

Thankfully I taught myself how to make macarons earlier this year. They go for about $1.50 a piece at our patisserie, so a single 5 piece box would be worth $7.50. If I was more motivated, this could turn quite a profit. The knowledge paid off this Christmas though. Less than $50 for ingredients gives me gifts for 25ish people… and even more if I didn’t screw up a batch or two.

This was also my first time making macaron flavors other than dulce de leche and chocolate. I improvised and experimented with coffee ganache, red wine and chocolate, and mango… and I surprised myself with how well they turned out.

#356 Chicagobound

21 December 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Yesterday was quite the day of transit for us.

We got up before five so we could drop Beignet off at the sitter. Then we took off to Portland early enough for some errands. We got to get lunch with @jessedmorris and @sunshinebucket at this adorable place, Mothers, in downtown Portland. Then it was off to PDX.

I tried to stay knocked out for as much of the first flight as possible to SFO so I could stay up for the second flight and get some writing done. We arrived in Chicago at 1:30 for a very chatty Uber driver to take us to our hotel.

At around 2:30 AM, we arrived, but realized we’d only had one meal all day. I ran out onto Michigan Ave. in hunt of a grocery store open 24 hours. Half an hour later we were splitting a 3 AM hoagie surprised that it was just that morning we dropped off Beignet.

#357 White City

22 December 2016 // Chicago, Illinois

Some of my favorite times are when it’s the two of us, doing some exploring. Sometimes it’s a new city. Sometimes it’s a familiar place. Sometimes it’s somewhere that’s familiar to one of us, new to the other one, and every landmark is also a personal landmark full of stories from before we knew each other. Some of these landmarks are buildings and statues, and others are sandwich shops and relatives houses.

Then we love meeting up with friends wherever we go. We’re cursed to always be far away from the majority of our friends, but blessed to be near a few friends wherever we wind up.

In other words, the past few weeks have been amazing.

#358 University of Chicago

23 December 2016 // Chicago, Illinois

In high school, I always thought I would end up in Chicago. I was in constant contact with Northwestern and University of Chicago and took a trip out my sophomore year to visit both those schools. I even had this elaborate fantasy image of leaving some cool Chicago coffee shop and looking back to see all my cool Chicago friends in the window.

Then when senior year came around, I just didn’t apply. For whatever reason. It’s like I forgot the school existed during the six months that mattered.

But, I ended up going to school in Santa Barbara and having the time of my life over there. And I even made some cool friends in coffee shops, including my wife.

We wandered around the University of Chicago’s Hogwarts-esque campus for a while, amused at the idea of how it was like staring into an alternate reality of the past.

#359 Christmas Eve 16

24 December 2016 // Moline, Illinois

Took it nice and slow this morning getting out of Aurora. Loaded up the car and set off for an extremely easy two hour drive.

Got to the Quad Cities early enough to hang out and eat the whole rest of the day.

Also, Codewords is a real fun game. Would recommend.

#360 Christmas 16

25 December 2016 // Moline, Illinois

Another Christmas in the bags, and a good one at that. I haven't had one in the Midwest since, I dunno, the early nineties.

For once, we actually got our number one pick at the White Elephant and held onto it up until the end.

You should know that the Oregon Trail card game is a good one, even though snakes will probably kill you just before the end.

#361 Baella

26 December 2016 // Moline, Illinois

Got to see this kiddo for her first Christmas ever.

#362 Chicago: A Novel

27 December 2016 // Chicago, Illinois

"A roaring city, gunfire and applause and thunder. Gleaming but made of bone and stone. Bitter cold and melting hot and clotheslines hung... an American city, with all the violence and humor and grace and greed of this particular powerful adolescent country.

Perhaps THE American city— no other city in the nation is as big and central and grown up from the very soil.... it is itself, all brawn and greed and song, brilliant and venal, almost a small nation, sprawling and vulgar and fowl and beautiful, cold and cruel."

–Brian Doyle

One last read to close out the year, set appropriately in Chicago itself.

This novel was simple and sweet, more of a love letter to the city than anything else. At times it was hard for me to get the groove, as the thrust of the plot was kept pretty subtle.

Instead, this is more about the unnamed character's coming of age in the city, the people he meets, and the way he stretches his independence to discover more and more. And while I never experienced such a thing in Chicago, specifically, I do know what that's like.

This book is quirky and romantic and fun, and made for a great travel companion.

#363 Flatiron Fun

28 December 2016 // Manhattan, New York

I’ve always thought that living fully, humoring your curiosity, saying yes to adventure, and taking along a sense of joy weren’t just good ways to have fun, but that there was something spiritual to the process of coming fully alive.

Enthusiasm has a fun meaning. ‘En’– that means within, and ‘Theos’– that’s God. God Within equals enthusiasm.

I love that, and I know I’m biased because I’m quite an enthusiast. (If you’re an Enneagram nerd, I’m very much a 7.) I have an appetite and energy for life that I need to channel well, but that I don’t want to suppress, because I love loving stuff.

Go where the Love is, and you won’t be lost.

#364 Connecticutted

29 December 2016 // Washington Depot, Connecticut

Two of the states that I hadn’t been to yet were Connecticut and Rhode Island. They’re so small and tucked away behind some much larger cities and frequent destinations, that I never took I-95 East of New York.

I wanted that to be something I did on this trip to put me closer to my fifty states goal, so we did just that, stopping by some Connecticut small towns en route to dinner in Providence. We found some lovely spots and good bites.

Also– Dakotas, Wyoming, West Virginia, Delaware, and Alaska… I’m coming for ya.

#365 Brooklyn Bridge

30 December 2016 // Brooklyn, New York

“It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have yet to get, how much more there is to learn. Maybe that’s enlightenment enough - to know that there is no final resting place of the mind, no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom, at least for me, means realizing how small I am, and unwise, and far I have to go."

–Anthony Bourdain

#366 New Year, New York

31 December 2016 // Manhattan, New York

The past is weird. I mean, does it really exist ? It feels like it exists, but where is it ? And if it did exists, but doesn’t now, then where did it go ?

–Ruth Ozeki

Welcome to the future everybody! So far, it's a pretty good time. 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽

2016