Being a dad is a wonderful thing. My kids are now all three between the ages of 10 and 14. That makes me feel old, which I sometimes confuse with wise. As I get further along in this journey I’m beginning to realize that there is a progression that we go through. Here is the evolution of dads. You want [...]

Few experiences can excite the senses more than a Saturday evening stroll through T. Naggar in Chennai, India. As darkness nears, the streets swell with people. A mild-mannered chaos begins at each intersection as crowds of people and vehicles melt into each other. Visitors must either enter the dance or risk breaking the rhythm of this amazing flow. The sounds [...]

Sometimes I’m not sure what is worse, pets or pet owners. Before you get offended, though, please understand that I am also a pet owner. In fact, I feel like I should have a Noah’s Ark patch for all the animals with which I’ve shared our home. Since marrying my wife I have had the opportunity to own (or co-own) [...]

A few weeks ago I was honored to receive the Versatile Blogger Award. The award was conveyed to me by John Wiswell as part of his acceptance of the award. Did I mention I was honored? (Even if part of the reason he chose me was my post on auto-flushing toilets.) I don’t win many awards – ok, I don’t [...]

I’m a huge fan of automatic doors, auto-flush urinals, no-touch faucets and hands-free towel dispensers. At first glance it would seem that anything automatic would be great, but that is definitely not the case. My case in point? Auto-flushing toilets. It may seem odd that I am a fan of auto-flushing urinals, but not enthusiastic about the same technology for [...]

Not too much makes me mad. Sure, I get frustrated sometimes or irritated at someone, but ask most people that know me and they’ll tell you I’m a pretty “laid back” guy. It takes a lot to make me “fightin’ mad” as we like to say in the southern US. Until now. Did you know? That two children are sold every [...]

I hear that walking is good for you. It strengthens your muscles and exercises your heart. It can do way more than that. I was just over 3 hours into my walk, quite tired and heading back to the hotel. My small point-and-shoot camera had snapped images that stood out to me, touches of India that I wanted to keep [...]

I went for a walk today. This is perhaps my favorite activity in India. My family and friends are so far away, still sleeping at the moment. So I walk alone. It is hot. It is always hot in Chennai. My fair skin prepares for the scorching which the sun will undoubtably provide. My feet burn hot on the pavement. [...]

Last year I began posting my “Ball Drop List”. See here for an explanation of why I call it that. Having a list was helpful for reminding me what I wanted to accomplish. Even though I didn’t complete everything on my list, I did achieve a lot. I also learned that some of my goals were not specific enough to [...]

This post is part of Bridget Chumbley’s “One Word at a Time” Blog Carnival. For other perspectives on hope see the listing here. I’m pretty sure I’ve always underestimated the importance of hope. I didn’t realize this until recently, though. In my travels I have come face to face with poverty numerous times – in the US, Philippines and India. [...]