Q?rius

I signed up as a volunteer at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  The 13 week training begins today.  Stay tuned.

I'm collecting donations for Marshall Islands drought relief

I ask for your help a lot, whether it's to plant trees, clean beaches, sign petitions, or help someone out who needs some helping. And right now there are some people in the Marshall Islands who really need your help, so I'm asking for it again. And no, it probably won't be the last time.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

15 islands in the Marshall Islands have been experiencing drought conditions for the last several months and have run out of water. They are receiving international aid, but there is a role for the average person (that's you and me). I've partnered up with Women United Together in the Marshall Islands to purchase water, canned goods, and powdered milk. I told them I'd work with my friends to try to raise $1,000. I'm going to hand over the money at the end of this month.

I've set up an Indiegogo.com campaign to collect the money. Can you donate $5, the cost of a bottle of water?

Thanks again for your never ending support,

Flabs, Not Abs

In case you were wondering, that is sucking it in.  Last Wednesday I spent the morning on a boat.  I've got a good story, but my lawyers have advised me not to post it here.  Ask me about it sometime.  It was an amazing day!

Ocean photos are always greatly improved when you pretend to stare off into the horizon.  What do we see?  What are our thoughts?  Mostly we're just modeling.

And if you point it makes it look like you are talking about something important.  Even if your friend is smiling because you're not really pointing you're just saying stupid things while your other friend snaps photos.

And then you take it a step too far and point with the other arm, hoping that it looks like you're flexing without really trying to flex.

May was a busy month.  I started the month by visiting Palau and then Yap.  I was supposed to attend a three day meeting in Hawaii, but that turned into one day in Hawaii and over a week in Fiji (with only enough clothes for three days in Hawaii).  I also spent a few hours in Guam, island of my birth, and had layovers in Kiribati and Samoa.  I didn't get to leave the airplane either time, but I'm never been to either country before and I say it counts.  I'm looking forward to a more sedentary June.

Books Read in 2013

For the last four years I've kept track of the books I've read (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012).  I don't think any year's list is complete, but it gives a general picture of what I've been reading.

The Lost Hero
by Rick Riordon
I picked this up over Christmas while I was visiting my family.  It picks up where the Percy Jackson books leave off, but is much better.  The Percy Jackson books were crap.  In this series, the Romans and their gods are introduced into the Camp Half Blood universe and they team up to save the world.

The Son of Neptune
by Rick Riordon
This is book two of the series.  The adventure returns to Percy Jackson who has been missing through all of book one.  They set off on an adventure to save the world.

The Mark of Athena
by Rick Riordon
In book three the characters from the first two books join forces to save the world.

The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This book was great.

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
I read this last year.  It's good airplane reading, so I took it to Hawaii.

Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
I was supposed to be just going to Hawaii, so I only brought two books.

A Game of Thrones
by George Martin
Turns out I had to go to Fiji all of a sudden, so I picked up this book in Suva.  Getting through the rest of the series and then the dvds will probably take the rest of the year.

A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
This was everything I was supposed to learn in college, compressed into a single book.  If only it had been published in 1996 I could have saved some time and money.

The Hobbit
by JRR Tolkien
Haven't read this once in years, perhaps since high school.  It was the fun little romp that I remember and Peter Jackson's movie sucks.