I wrote an opinion piece over on Yehoodi.com on why we should rename the Jack & Jill dance contest to something more inclusive. Read it all here!
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May the Fourth be With You: On Fan Culture and Real World Rebellion
My friend DJ posted to his Facebook wall this excellent summation of why fan culture matters in an our current era of aspiring autocrats and empires. I got his permission to repost it here. Remember, when you're rolling your eyes at all the people posting about "May the 4th be with you", think about what that actually…
My First Urban Dance Battle!
Urban dance has many facets and manifestations — club dancing, sessions, cyphers, workshops / classes, crews, performances, and jams. One aspect of urban dance culture I've never really been that interested in is battling or competitions. It just never interested me as a fairly non-competitive person. I enjoy going to battles and contests. Watching people…
Running, Dancing and Eating my Way Up a Mountain (Twice)
I run, dance, and eat healthy for a lot of reasons. One of the most important is that all those activities help me feel strong and capable. I have a good understanding of what my body can do, what my strengths and limitations are. I have pushed my body to be as close to its peak potential…
NYT: An Hour of Running May Add 7 Hours to Your Life
The New York Times reported recently that researchers had found that running for as little as five minutes a day may add years to your life span. Scientists scrutinized several health studies conducted at the Cooper Institute in Dallas and found that runners tend to live longer, up to three years longer, than comparable non-runners,…
African Penguins, Elephants and Termites, Oh My!
Going on an African safari is something that has long been on my bucket list. Finally getting to South Africa to see animals in their native habitat was beyond amazing! Here's some of the highlights. Penguins We saw African penguins on the beach! (In case you didn’t know, African penguins are a thing.) Just a…
The Sad Reality of “Premium” Airport Lounges
As part of the benefits of a fancy new credit card I got recently, I now have access to hundreds of lounges at airports throughout the world. When I got my airport lounge access card in the mail, I thought to myself, "now I've arrived!" I've been flying for most of my life, always the…
South Africa in Black and White
I knew a little about South African politics and Apartheid before coming there. But being there in person brought home the brutality of Apartheid and the continuing challenges South Africans face as a multi-racial society. Historic Sites On our second day in Johannesburg, we visited the Apartheid Museum. The museum presents in rich and compelling detail…
Eating Healthy Means Asking for What You Want
I realized today that one of unexpectedly hard parts of changing my eating patterns has nothing to do with what I eat, it's communicating what I want. Tim Ferriss writes about how important it is when eating out to modify your typical food order to make it healthier. Like substituting roast veggies for french fries, or…
Mopane Worms and Lamb Brains: South African Foodie Adventures
I had few expectations about food when I was planning my trip to South Africa. I knew a little about South African cuisine, from having visited a couple of restaurants in the East Coast. But otherwise, I was pretty open. To start with, there is no one South African cuisine. It’s too diverse of a country,…