Waiting to Get There. Usually on the A/C/E in Chelsea, New York City.

There was lots of action during our trip to Israel last week, so let me begin with the low point... and by low point I mean 1300ft below sea level low. We spent a morning in the Dead Sea amidst a flotilla of citizens from post-Soviet countries. It was kind of great. There are apparently dodgy public beaches around the Dead Sea, but it was made clear to us that you don't go there. You buy a day pass at a hotel. You have a buffet breakfast and lavish yourself upon their facilities like any self-respecting retiree from the Uzbekistan. The lobby was marble, the cushions were orange and the carpet was plaid. The crowd had their plan down pat: Sauna, Sea, Jacuzzi, Steam room (dry), Steam Room (wet). Repeat for one weekend. We changed into white terry bathrobes with the hotel name embroidered on the lapel and walked across the street to the beach. We got to wear our water shoes , which was a big deal because we didn't wind up going through that water tunnel in Jeruselem. Our gui...

photo credit: https://www.bibleplaces.com/heztunnel/ About three weeks ago, Tom announced that he had booked a business trip to Israel. Of course I immediately invited myself along. I suggested that he book our flights before his meetings started, so we'd have some time to tour around. Tom's meetings were set for Monday, so he booked our flights the Thursday before. Those reservations didn't last long. I am not going the whole way to Israel for a long weekend. We compromised and Tom booked the tickets so we'll have a full week to take in the birthplace of about twelve religions and an outpost of the Roman empire.  Speaking of the Romans, here's what I just learned reading  Sapiens : Christianity only became a real deal when one of the Roman emperors, Constantine the Great , for some reason, decided Jesus was his man. By all accounts, this was an odd choice. The Christians at that time were just this weird little sect tooling around on the fringes. I...

Image credit: http://axtschmiede.com/meditation-2/ I’m a half decent meditator. I know this quantitatively.  In December, 2014, I attended a digital health trade show and purchased a headband which tracks brainwaves while meditating . Then it gives you an EEG style reading after you’re done, including a score. So if you’re me, you can get all competitive about it.  A couple Fridays ago, I met this very large party of Buddhists drinking at the Rubin Museum happy hour. One of them was also a vegan wearing a shirt with a giant fluorescent green Under Armor logo emblazoned across the front of it. It vibrated my eyeballs, this logo. I would not have expected a vegan Buddhist to sport such a large area of fluorescence. That’s one stereotype debunked. Anyway, subsequent to two bourbon on the rocks, generously poured, I decided to become a Buddhist. Then I read up on it. Buddhists are all about not suffering. Because not suffering is a synonym for happine...

An Introduction to Elvish The Summer Solstice: Your Minute-by-Minute Companion The World of Fountain Pens Memento Mori: A Coffee Table Book also its sequel: Dead Things on the Sidewalk Zagat's Guide to Peculiar Lip Balms The next book by Patrick Rothfuss . Seriously man, get on with it.