I’ve never thought much about my own bucket list. I guess when I was in my 20s I thought I would live forever. I’ve gotten so down over the last several years I’ve forgotten about the important things in life (the important things to me anyway). I can still do these things. I have done them before. It’s just time to let go and get them…

Geeks’ Boutique Article On Friday July 27th, the Star Wars Show, Lucasfilm’s official YouTube Channel for everything Star Wars, broke the news about casting decisions for episode #9.[1]  As expected, we will see the return of Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. …

I’ll bet you all didn’t know my pack has a trail name too. His name is Frank (short for Herr Trekkin-Pakken Van Frankenstein!) – exclamation mark included.  Lord, I have too much time on my hands.

Shoes are one of those things that do not just disappear for a lazy person. You got your kickers on. You’re sitting on the couch. You get sleepy. Your feet ache. So, you kick em off and they land on the floor. Sometimes they get swept under the coffee table, or the couch, or the bed, or thrown in the closet behind some…

Check it out Peeps! I went to the Sheltowee Trace ceremony tonight. I got my end-to-enders patches, a title now that says I’m an end-to-ender, a cool sticker for my car (already in place), and a certificate thanking me for my work on the Vanhook Falls project. The highlight of the night for me (I was so surprised and…

I was telling a coworker today about my belt that I always wear. It’s sort of like a tattoo. You might have one, but sometimes you forget about it until you see it in a mirror. My acorn belt was part of my uniform when I worked for the National Park Service at Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace. I remember…

Camping and hiking with the BSA used to be a big part of my life when I was a kid. However, I was reflecting today that the STA is so much better than the Boy Scouts (I loved scouts, but I mean duh!). I don’t have to wear uniforms, it’s nearly 100% out in the woods, no meetings, no slogans…

This has been one of the hardest years I’ve ever had to go through. There has been a ton of surprises and heartache, enough for a lifetime to be sure. If I would have my druthers, I would ask for TWO broken legs instead (and believe me after what I went through in 2014 I never want that to happen again).…

The tree in my front yard is dying. It was once a good tree; beautiful with climbing ivy and thick shady boughs. Every year when spring came it bloomed little white petals, joining the local dogwood understory, that lines the concrete paths of our urban dungeon. Every year it gave me comfort to see it regain its vitality. This…

One of my favorite things about Tolkien is how he describes a typical Hobbit. They are amiable, brave, stout, hardworking, ritualistic, yet complacent, cranky, boring, non-imaginative little creatures, who never do anything inappropriate like take adventures. Their chief goals in life are to eat, reproduce, and pass on heirlooms to their children. Anything outside of…