As this year comes to a close, I still remember fondly the months I spent bicycling the Continental Divide from New Mexico to Montana. At first I thought it would be a physical challenge to go the entire north-south length of the United States, about 2000 miles. In the beginning, it was. But as the …
Tag: Culture
Jan 04 2015
Giỗ – An Annual Remembrance
In December, my family had our annual giỗ ̣(pronounced yoh) for Ruth . Giỗ is the Vietnamese word for the annual remembrance of a family member on the event of their death. In Asian cultures, it is a death anniversary which is observed every year. Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian cultures honor this tradition (For …
Nov 02 2014
I So Much Wanted to Vote for Prop 46
I so much wanted to vote Yes on Proposition 46. In the end, though, I will not be voting Yes, but not for the reasons the Vote No on 46 wants you to believe. I actually find myself siding with the Vote Yes on 46 camp, so it is with much sadness and dread that …
Apr 28 2014
First Travel in Years
So this year I took my first travel after Ruth’s death. Truthfully, there is no fun in going anywhere any more, and I’ve had no desire to travel. But I am doing this for a number of reasons. The first is to force myself out of my doldrums. Even though traveling without your significant other …
Nov 06 2010
A PostModern Grief?
I miss Ruth so much. There was this one person on this earth who understood me well, all aspects of me. In the terms of this culture, she was my “soul-mate.” No matter how odd my actions and thoughts were, she would listen—and understand. But that person is no more. In my grief, I’ve thought …