I spent two months traveling around Japan in 2008, lived there for two years in 2017-19, and this summer came back for a month. It felt, surprisingly, like coming home. I still remember the intricacies of navigating the immense three-dimensional maze of Tokyo and the best choices in vending machines. I still feel intellectual pleasureContinue reading “Back to Japan”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Birding up
This year I did a lot of birdwatching. I haven’t done it much since moving to New Jersey nine years ago. By that time I had seen almost all regularly occurring birds of the continent, and the handful I was missing never show up in New Jersey anyway. I am not particularly into chasing rareContinue reading “Birding up”
New Jersey
In our wonderful state of New Jersey, the main airport is all but paralyzed, bus/train system is on strike, and two main freeways are blocked by sinkholes. But life here is not all gloom and doom. This morning I escaped to a nearby park for two hours of birding and it was a near-tropical experience:Continue reading “New Jersey”
Canadian dreams
We’ve just spent a few beautiful days in Canada, a country we all love. One night there I had a weird dream. In my dream, Trump invaded Canada, claiming that Americans and Canadians were the same people, that Nova Scotia had special sacred meaning for Americans, that Canada was on the verge of joining theContinue reading “Canadian dreams”
Napoleon
I just finished reading three books by Michael Broers. Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny ends with a cliffhanger of sorts as Napoleon marches his newly created Grande Armée into the War of the Third Coalition in 1805. Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age covers Napoleon’s best years and greatest victories in 1805-10. Napoleon: The Decline andContinue reading “Napoleon”
Weekend in Washington
We spent the weekend in Washington, DC. Usually looking its best in spring, the once proud capital is a sad sight under enemy occupation. Its imperial grandeur now feels like mockery. Its great museums are half empty; some exhibits are being removed or changed, reportedly to comply with the new rulers’ neo-Nazi ideology. Dozens ofContinue reading “Weekend in Washington”
Zombie country
My friends from abroad are asking me what’s going on in the US. My short explanation might also be of interest to fellow Americans since they don’t seem to get it, either.1. After decades of massive disinfo campaign, a criminal organization pretending to be a political party has seized all branches of our government.2. ThatContinue reading “Zombie country”
Mudslides in the mist: Cusco in the rainy season.
We spent our spring break in Cusco, flying there and back with overnight stays in Callao for plane changes. The kids hadn’t been to South America yet, my wife always wanted to see the area, and I love Peru since my first trip there 30 years ago, when I hitchhiked through the entire country NContinue reading “Mudslides in the mist: Cusco in the rainy season.”
A belated book review
In 2024 I read a bunch of non-fiction books, but very little fiction. Fiction just can’t compete with non-fiction nowadays. Anyway, the best non-fiction book I read in 2024 was (drumroll)… The White Mughals by William Dalrymple. It’s a stunning love story from the late 18th century Hyderabad. I learned a lot about the BritishContinue reading “A belated book review”
Adventures of the English language
1. The habit of using “like” in almost every sentence as a kind of punctuation mark originated in Devonshire dialect. It was imported to American English in the 17th century and locally persisted in rural New England but went virtually extinct in Devonshire. In the late 20th century, it suddenly began to spread like wildfireContinue reading “Adventures of the English language”
Naturalist on Earth 