Overdue visit

So, after a 25-year hiatus, I made a return visit to Japan — but this time, I actually made it to the mainland. The last time, in 1985, I was stationed on the strategic, but very remote, island of Okinawa — without any vacation time that would have allowed me to see some of the [...]

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International pastime

OSAKA, Japan — The first thing I notice about TVs in Japan is how crystal-clear the picture is. I’m watching a baseball game between the Hanshin Tigers and Yakult Swallows and every time they zoom in on Hanshin’s relief pitcher, who looks as if he’s all of 21, I can see the sweat forming on [...]

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Heading east? First, go west

Twenty-five years ago, I made my first trip to the Far East. Next week, I’ll make my second. The last time, in 1985, I was reporting to a military duty station in Okinawa, Japan. This time, I’ll be going to South Korea to teach English as a second language in the public school system. It’s [...]

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Reflections on Europe

WORCESTER, Mass. — So, I spent most of August (and part of September) in Prague taking a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course, then a couple more weeks seeing parts of Austria, Italy and Germany before flying back to Massachusetts. As you might imagine, that left little time for blogging — or, at [...]

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‘Merica in the middle

Six days. Three thousand miles. Eleven states. $31.80 in tolls, $255.26 in motel rooms, and $280.86 in gas. That’s what I had to go through and what it cost me to cross America the beautiful — which is much bigger than I expected. What did I see along the way? Very little from Reno to [...]

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A good place to be

When I die and they lay me to rest, Gonna go to the place that’s the best … – Norman Greenbaum, “Spirit in the Sky” For me, one of those places is Yosemite National Park, home of some of the most majestic scenery the planet has to offer. Fresh air. The bluest blues. The greenest [...]

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Baseball, anyone?

A couple of weeks ago, I gave you my thoughts on the best place there is to see a baseball game: Fenway Park in Boston. I haven’t changed my mind about that. However, there is a pretty close second: AT&T Park in San Francisco, home of the Giants. I’ve been there a couple of times [...]

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The only thing lazier than a cat…

… is an albino alligator. Where can you find such a creature? In San Francisco, of course. Yes, that San Francisco. The city by the Bay. The place where Tony Bennett left his heart. The City. Home of Alcatraz — and that big orange (not red) bridge. I should mention that this gator isn’t roaming [...]

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