Here's to New Beginnings, Mayan Style

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How 'Bout Them Hokies?!

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After a quick run and not-so-quick coffee break yesterday morning with a friend, I hurredly showered and headed to the mall for holiday shopping. My husband came too, and it wasn't until a young couple passed us saying "Go Hokes" that it dawned on me that they meant Hokies and they meant us because we were both wearing Virginia Tech gear. On Saturday, this might be explained, but a day later, this was momentarily embarrassing - like we were looking for some attention, which if you saw my mussed-up hair and puffy eyes I most assuredly was not. Then again, when the computers rank your alma mater No. 1 and the humans bump it to No. 3, you can let the good tidings and questionable clothing coordination linger a little longer. [This photo by the way was taken by Case Western Reserve University students in Cleveland as a show of solidarity and support following April's massacre. I think all those warm wishes from around the world really helped the team this year. I truly d...
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I Leave You With This

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There's this social media post some guy put up on Instagram. I almost scrolled past it, but I'm glad I didn't. It asked what question we should ask ourselves when we die. In retrospect, ChatGPT's response was basically pulling from Eastern philosophy, but, still, I couldn't stop thinking about it in the hours and days since I first heard it. Here's a partial transcript I cribbed using -- what else? -- AI. Some guy set up the prompt, which was long and convoluted. The following picks it up from there.  Some guy : I'm assuming most people would ask, 'Where am I going? What's next?' Something like that. Is that a good question?  ChatGPT : No, because they don't matter. Some guy : W hy don't they matter?  ChatGPT : If there's a heaven or hell or some next phase, you're likely already heading there. Asking won't change your destination. It's a wasted question.  Some guy : That's a good point. Um, what about 'Did I do en...
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A Local’s Guide to San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs

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With pandemic restrictions rapidly lifting, and tourists pouring in, I’m sharing some of my favorite weekend walks. Last Saturday, some friends and I took in iconic Sunset Cliffs between Ocean Beach and Point Loma proper. Let’s start here.   A Brief History of The Cliff’s Rise and Decline There are several spots in San Diego that generate the lion’s share of  FOMO-worthy photos on Instagram and other social media. Sunset Cliffs is one of them .    Historical websites often open with how a sporting goods magnate spent a couple million dollars in the 1910s to make the cliffs publicly accessible with Japanese-inspired landscaped walkways and stairways, shelters and benches, caves and even a saltwater swimming pool replenished with each high tide. Albert Goodwill Spaulding bequeathed his 64-acre seaside park to the city of San Diego, which did nothing with it. A decade later, developer John P. Mills assumed ownership and restored some of the park’s features. He too gave...
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