I have more than my share of awesomely terrible holiday sweaters. But this is definitely the most tasteless one that I own. I found this treasure several months ago for a few bucks at Goodwill, and I just had to have it of course. While Santa's magic reindeer have the gift of flight, that has not spared…
“Tin Men” Combines Today’s Geopolitics and Combat Drones into Thrilling Military Scifi (book review)
"Tin Men" by Christopher Golden (2015, Ballantine) shouldn't work as a novel. Golden combines the current geopolitical landscape with a somewhat plausible extrapolation of the US as the "world's policeman" and near-future drone technology. I read the book synopsis in the library and thought it just sounded overstuffed and dry. "Tin Men" is anything but…
Rocking My New Chloe Hong Suit
Chloe Hong is a Korean fashion designer who has been creating fantastic suits, pants, skirts and more for lindy hoppers from all over the world. At international competitions, fancy swing balls, and other high profile events, you see folks sporting these fantastic, vintage-inspired duds hand-tailored by Chloe Hong. Last August, I finally had the opportunity…
Homemade Kimchi in a Minute!
I shot some timelapse footage of me making homemade kimchi. It was super easy and fun! I'm using the Krautsource fermenting kit, which makes it really simple to do. Now the hard part is waiting… I prepared this based on the recipe for traditional kimchi from Krautsource.com. I had to modify the amounts since I was…
Emoji Keyboard: No Good Can Come of This! 💦🏠🐣💊🔫🎉
The "Emoji Keyboard." Brought to you by the fine folks at Disk Cactus (AKA 💾🌵).
Cold Showers and Tackling the Hard Stuff: Crushing the 30-day Cold Shower Challenge
Today I completed a challenge that I told myself was impossible : the 30-Day Cold Shower Challenge. But the question everyone asks me is… Why? Why? Why would I do something so obviously uncomfortable to myself every morning? Well there’s actually a good bit of research into the health benefits of cold showers. These include : increased…
Hurray for Rain!
OMG it's raining. Man, do we need it.
Alex Parker Falls & WINS AGAIN at Dragon Swing 2015?!?
Okay this is becoming ridiculous. Alex Parker, this time with partner Natalia Eristavi, fell again during a competition. And yes, HE WON AGAIN. This is seriously becoming Alex's signature move. This time it was at the Dragon Swing competition in Krakow, Poland. I got word of this and link to the GIF from Katie Latter, who says…
If You Dread Holiday Family Time
My family isn't perfect. I guess no one's is. But I am feeling grateful I generally feel safe and accepted when I am home with the relatives. It's maybe 70% pleasure, around 20% boring, and at most 10% awkward. I know that is not the reality for everyone. For some people, being with family means…
Exercise and Mental Toughness
I was running this morning and thinking about what the point of exercise is. I realized that beyond the obvious health benefits, that there's a lot of mental / emotional power-ups that exercise gives to you. I've long known that certain kinds of exercise effects my general sense of well-being, confidence, and happiness. Dancing, running,…