“We Don’t Need No Stinking Permits“ (Small Business, June 2005)
The house was build in 1919, and things were bound to be a bit, well, archaic, shall we say. Not exactly up to modern standards. OK, falling apart. In fact, half the house was held together with duct tape; it’s amazing what that stuff can do, really. (MORE...)

“Art and Coffee” (Direct Art Magazine, October 2006)
My uncle had three questions for me over the holidays: Do I have a job? (No.) Do I receive a regular paycheck? (No.) Am I making a living? (No again.) I’m getting used to it. (MORE…)

“The Accidental Yogi” (Yoga International, March 2006)
There was a time—and not so long ago— when I thought yoga was a bizarre circus routine where sinewy, limber Indian contortionists in need of a shower bent themselves into pretzels to the beat of sitar music. Not that there’s anything wrong with being sinewy, from India, or a contortionist, mind you, it’s just that these misconceptions almost caused me to miss out on one of life’s more sublime experiences. (MORE…)

“A Walk in the Park” (Outside Magazine, January 2007)
“Day Hikes with the Parental Units”
You know that story of the rabbit being lured by the carrot? Now that I think of it, the parable may be about a bunny enticed by a carrot or threatened by a stick. In my case, it was a Cadbury Bar, milk chocolate with nuts and raisins, and I would have gone to the ends of the earth in order to chomp into one. This is the story of the kid and the Cadbury. (MORE…)

“Burning Man: Burn One Down” (Travel Magazine, Sept. 2007)
The most amazing thing about Burning Man is the culture it has spawned - part Mad Max, part mad Marx, part munificent madness. No money is allowed to change hands at Burning Man, as all encounters are based on a "gift economy." There are no corporate sponsors hanging their banners, no Starbucks that litter the landscape. People come with what they need (water, some chow, sunny dispositions, and shelter from the elements) and something to contribute to the larger group as well: Like a roving carnival game of "Let's Make a Deal," everyone's a player as well as host, and a joke, smile or song will surely get you what you need from generous festival-goers. (MORE...)

“Getting the Willies Over Death and Taxes” (Seattle Times, August 2006)
My family recently had a powwow with our tax-avoidance specialist (aka "estate planner") about death, taxes and that legal end-paper known affectionately as a Last Will and Testament. The discussion turned out to be a fairly illuminating affair, with tangents on the best way to smother someone, how we'll know when our parents are technically "incapacitated" (answer: when we say they are) and the location of the particular hike on which my mother would like her ashes scattered. Then we turned to the will portion of the death talks. (MORE…)

“Still Life with Amateur” (Direct Art Magazine, June 2007)
I’ll be honest: I was drawn by the wine, cheese, and possibility of meeting a gorgeous bohemian goddess under the canvas moon. The fact that there was an Art Walk taking place at several Chelsea galleries was an added bonus. (MORE…)