“Do you have any injuries?” asked the trainer. “Not yet,” I replied. “Good. A blank slate.” Yes, I joined CrossFit, the cultish fitness craze that only seems to keep growing. Famed for the vehemence of its proponents, the intensity of its workouts and the preponderance of its injuries, CrossFit is not just a workout but […]

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“Cover yourself with the sheet and then ring the chime twice.” As instructed, I took off my robe and cotton slippers and lay face down under the sheet. I rang the metal chimes with a little wooden mallet to signal to my message therapist that it was safe to return. I had never had a […]

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Our boat’s engine had died. Our tour guide had turned green and was coughing violently into his handkerchief. We sat in the middle of the bay under the hot midday sun. A bottle-nosed dolphin surfaced nearby, as if to laugh at us. This had all started as a three-hour tour. A three-hour tour. A three-hour […]

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This morning I took a shuttle into the town of Puerto Vallarta. The touristy attractions of the bustling streets and beaches were enthralling. For about ten minutes. I then decided to take a water taxi to the more peaceful shores of Yelapa, a remote fishing village in the southernmost cove of the bay.   The […]

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“I want to know what love is. I want you to show me.” The soft strains of the 1984 Foreigner ballad wafted from the pool cabana several stories below my room. The sun swan dived into the ocean, laying a golden carpet across the glittering bay, beside the purple silhouettes of mountains blanketed by clouds. […]

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The eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread. – Pascal After a hectic few days and on the cusp of a weeklong trip, I decided to sit back last night and watch a movie. At the top of my queue was a suggestion from my brother — Christopher Nolan’s 2014 opus Interstellar. […]

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Last night, I saw Save Ferris. I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t remember them. According to Wikipedia: Save Ferris is a ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. On Save Ferris’s claim to fame: The band released their […]

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One of the toughest decisions of unemployment is whether to go full blown hipster. Because of professional dress codes, there is an upper limit to how cool one can be while holding down a corporate job. Without such limits, one is free to push the envelope of facial hair, thrift shop clothes and creative headwear. […]

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Enslave yourself to the chart and compass – gain the freedom of the seas. – old sailor’s proverb Today is my first day of unemployment. It feels strange to say that. Last month, I decided to quit my job of ten years and take a leap into the unknown. It’s exhilarating to be free, but […]

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