Star Stuff

I’m one of those lucky people who receive training dollars from my employer. Today I asked my Facebook community for suggestions of trainings, and I was totally blown away by their response.

So I’ve provided the list here of the suggested trainings in case you’re looking for a training (and included some of my friends’ comments as well)!

Cognitive Edge Institute: “I saw Dave Snowden at a…

Key Resources for General Assembly: Building Brands People Love

On March 23, I spoke on a panel for General Assembly DC/Crystal City about “Building Brands People Love.”

Here are links to some of the key resources I referenced:

Adam Grant’s book “Originals” [Also: this is one of my favorite interviews: Adam interviewed by one of my favorite radio hosts Krista Tippett for “On Being”]

Statistics/metrics gathering sites: Alexa and Quantcast

How NASA Throws a…

The land of fire and ice

The mystery and grandeur of Iceland has made this land of fire and ice live at the top of my travel bucket list for years.

This week, dreams became reality.

I booked my trip through WOW Airlines, a discount carrier operating out of BWI and other cities throughout the US. I found the airlines to be modern, aside from no entertainment options on the plane and you have to pay for all the extras –…

I have so many observations about Bangkok it’s hard to know where to begin. For starters, Bangkok is not a third-world city, like Addis Ababa. It’s not Tokyo either. About nine million people habitat the capital city on a work day, and Thai traffic is no joke. Red lights don’t just feel like they last for minutes- they literally do. But the streets are paved and clean. Power lines smother the…

Whitewater Rafting Through A World Heritage Site

Our rafting group on the Tully River. Photo posted on Facebook by Raging Thunder.

The Tully River is a gift to Queensland. The area is rich and fertile – home to banana plantations and sugar cane farms. The idyllic countryside is criss-crossed by train tracks to deliver the goods throughout Australia and the world.

Tully is a World Heritage Site and part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland.Tully…

The Great Barrier Reef lived up to its hype. I picked Reef Experience (http://reef experience.com.au) because they were highly rated on Trip Advisor, and as always, Trip Advisor did not lead me astray. Pick up came promptly at 7:30 am from my hostel. I met a fantastic mother-daughter duo Debbie and Bianca on the shuttle, and they became my company for the day. We kicked off the morning with…

After one missed flight, I made it to Cairns (pronounced “cans”) Thursday afternoon. The airport is small but sufficient. My Croatian-born cabbie grew up in Sydney but has called Cairns home for about a decade, and immediately I could see why. The mountains and foliage reminded me immediately of Hawaii, but a lot less humid.

I checked in to the Nomads Cairns, a delightful hostel I picked because…

“What do you do for fun?” my blind date asked.

I sat silently for a moment, realizing I couldn’t answer the question.

I was 32 years old, had just ended a serious, long-term relationship, and within an instant, a stranger had made me realize that there was a whole world I had yet to see. An Ohio native, I had traveled all over the United States, and visited Canada and Mexico with my family. But I…

There’s been a gap in my posting here because I misplaced my Kilimanjaro journal! Also, the gap in writing is a bit symbolic because there was also a gap in my journaling at this time at the trip. After suffering heat exhaustion on Day One, I almost passed out on the trail 20 minutes in to the hike on Day Three.

Presumably, more training at altitude could have helped me cope more easily. Also a…

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on my blog about the 2012 AIDS Life Cycle Ride. In February 2012, I bought a new bicycle; in June, I pedaled it nearly 545 miles down the Californian coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles and raised over $3,000 in support of HIV/AIDS-related charities.

What do you fear?

For me, I know exactly: Heights Bridges Tunnels Riding downhill on a bike…

3 Feb 2015: Day Two

That wasn’t easy. Today we climbed something like 800 to 1,000 meters in elevation*, leaving the rainforest behind and entering more bushlands. Plants and shrubs were shorter, geology was more volcanic. I tried to stop frequently to take in the scenery and snap a few shots, as well as give my exhausted body a moment to recover.

Camp was bustling and bigger than the first…