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Bob’s Recent Blog Posts
- The Gift December 25, 2020
- Sigeric’s Roman Holiday December 13, 2020
- Food that Fuels me. November 26, 2020
- My Life in the Time of Covid – 19 May 24, 2020
- The Consolations of Philosophy in the time of Covid – 19. Part III – Accountability. April 12, 2020
Adventure Archives
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The Gift
The Gift Sometimes, the spirit of this season is crystallized in a small moment, a gesture, a simple kindness, what I like to call a Tender Mercy. I had one two days ago that has blessed me with a renewed … Continue reading
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Sigeric’s Roman Holiday
Attached is a modified version of a paper submitted to my SFU class on the history of Rome. In this time of covid, my Liberal Studies courses have kept me busy, given me purpose, structure and discipline. This one also … Continue reading
Food that Fuels me.
In these covid times, it is easy to feel sadness, grief and a sense of longing for what might have been or what we feel we are missing. It can be more difficult to see the joy in life or … Continue reading
My Life in the Time of Covid – 19
In the past few days, I experienced two events worth marking in time; I had my first haircut in over two months (sorry, photographic evidence will not be forthcoming) and I had my first sit-down coffee, a double espresso machiatto, … Continue reading
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Tagged covid 19, Off the Couch and Out the Door, Simon Fraser University
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The Consolations of Philosophy in the time of Covid – 19. Part III – Accountability.
It is hard to see anything positive in the midst of this pandemic. There is no light at the end of the tunnel; the only likely short-term solution is more social distancing; that means no dinners with friends, no live … Continue reading
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Tagged marcus Aurelius, meditations, Off the Couch and Out the Door, Stoicism
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The Consolations of Philosophy in the time of Covid – 19. Part II – Agency
If Stoic philosophy offered only the consolation of acceptance, it would be fairly dismal. To me, acceptance alone is justifiably interpreted as fatalism. All is lost, we accept the capricious fate delivered by Fortune and await some turn of events … Continue reading
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Tagged covid 19, Epictetus, Man's Search for Meaning, Stoicism, Viktor Frankl
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The Consolations of Philosophy in the time of Covid -19. Part I – Acceptance.
I have never thought much about philosophy, much less about how the study of philosophy could give me valuable insights into the meaning of life and how to make the best of my short time here on planet earth. In … Continue reading
Testing Paradigms.
This the first academic paper I have written in some 40 years. It was a part of my first course, started in September, in the Graduate Liberal Studies program at SFU. Having passed the course, I now feel comfortable sharing … Continue reading
School Daze I
On September 4, I walked into the downtown campus of Simon Fraser University as a student, a real bona fide student. I had my own student card, I had a student account and a password that helped me navigate the … Continue reading
Ten Years After
Ten years ago, on June 29, 2009, I walked into Chef Patrice’s kitchen at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. I had just turned sixty and learning how to cook, really cook, seemed like a good idea; maybe a little late … Continue reading
Hardening of the Attitudes.
My good friend Bob, observed one day that the first sign of aging is a “hardening of the attitudes.” The phrase has been around for decades but it was new to me. It resonated. There have been a few too … Continue reading
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the Joy of Receiving.
This is my story about learning – again – to receive the gifts of others, about recognizing our vulnerability, our inability to go-it-alone through any and all circumstances and our need, our profound need, for a community of others. I … Continue reading
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Sweet Spots and Improv.
Sometimes, planned adventures happen exactly as planned. Sometimes there is some faint resemblance between planned and actual experience, it doesn’t mirror but it rhymes. Occasionally when we are blessed with serendipity, our adventures take on a life on their own … Continue reading
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Tagged Dreden, Gorlitz, midlife adventures, NOPI, Off the Couch and Out the Door, Ottolenghi, Panometer Dresden, semperoper
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Road Trips – Affirmations and Acceptance
Fast approaching my seventieth birthday – my soixante dix, I try to think of a way to celebrate this event in a meaningful way while avoiding the consequences of achieving this milestone. We’ll face all the ‘growing old is fun’ … Continue reading
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Tagged friendship, midlife adventures, Off the Couch and Out the Door
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If this is Monday, it must be Beckett.
Sometimes, if we are lucky, even when we make choices for the strangest reasons, the resulting joy eclipses the consideration given them. Garbage in, wisdom out. Single people know that life doesn’t just happen, nor does it queue neatly to … Continue reading
Summer adventure, Life adventure
I have found that fear is a powerful motivator for me; in my running days I had a fear based training program. Set an impossible goal, then use fear of failing to motivate the necessary training. A few sleepless nights … Continue reading
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Walking with Purpose III – Switzerland and Italy
The Via Francigena is not for the easily distracted or for those who desire instant gratification; it’s a 2000 kilometre path that starts in Canterbury, England, traverses northern France then wends its way through Switzerland and crosses into Italy over … Continue reading
Walking with Purpose II
Last summer, I started a major walk; the Via Francegina, from Canterbury to Rome. It follows the path of Sigeric the Serious, the Archbishop of Canterbury who made the trek to be appointed Cardinal. His return trip was documented; he … Continue reading
A Cautionary Canada Day tale
Joseph Stiglitz is a Nobel Prize winning economist, a past chair of the US Council of Economic Advisors and a past chief economist of the World Bank. I may be going with my gut here but I’m thinking he has … Continue reading
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History is messy.
What’s history? In my schoolchild days it was a long, complicated series of dates and names to be memorized; kings and queens of western European countries, battles and maps and heroes and villains. It was dead white men of privilege … Continue reading
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Jewels in an Uneasy Crown
I’m not an historian, I’m an opinionated blogger, an undisciplined student of whatever is on my mind and an itinerant traveller with a superficial grasp of the facts. I have a thin patina of knowledge, enough to make me dangerous … Continue reading
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Tagged Alcazar, Alhambra, Cordoba, Granada, malaga, menocal, Mezquita, Ornament of the world, seville
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Base Camp Basel
Over the last five years, I have enjoyed the warm hospitality and my very own bedroom in Basel, Switzerland courtesy of Kristen and Christopher. A few weeks ago, I made what is likely my last visit to Basel. They are … Continue reading
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My Digital Dependency
I signed up for Twitter about a month ago; Trump tweets were the catnip for joining. I NEEDED to see Trump’s tweets directly; news casts blaring BREAKING NEWS and showing me the feeds were not enough. I wanted to go … Continue reading
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Smart Shopping.
I’m going to change my bank this week. I have decided, despite knowing that this will be a pain in the butt, I’m moving my bank accounts to Vancity, a British Columbia credit union with more than 500,000 members. Vancity … Continue reading
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Tagged aria market, Delaneys coffee, smart shopping, Tango meats, Vancity, Walmart
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Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe.
There is a restaurant called Bollywood at Jungfraujoch, an amazing Swiss tourist site in the middle of the Jungfrau range. It serves authentic Indian food to some 1000 happy customers a day. An Indian restaurant in the center of an … Continue reading
Man’s Search for Meaning.
Victor Frankl is regarded as one of the world’s foremost psychologists. His most popular book, Man’s Search for Meaning, was published in 1946. The book has been translated into 24 languages; more than 12 million copies have been sold. It … Continue reading
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Tagged Auschwitz, Birkenau, Man's Search for Meaning, Off the Couch and Out the Door, victor Frankl
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Walking as Inspiration
If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. – Raymond Inmon My first response to anyone who asks, ‘what do you think about when you walk?’ is always … Continue reading
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Tagged 88 temples, Camino Portuguese, Climbing Kilimanjaro, Hike, middle aged fitness, midlife adventures, Mount Kilimanjaro, Off the Couch and Out the Door, Outward Bound, shikoku, shikoku pigrimage, St Francis way, treks, walking inspiration, writing inspiration
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Walking as meditation.
Over the past few years, I have become a walker, a hiker, a trekker, a wanderer, a rambler and, later in the day, a trudger and a plodder. I have come to enjoy going off on long walks in various … Continue reading
Sandra gives us more than yoga.
The secret to thriving in big cities is to become a part of the small neighbourhoods within them. The secret of these small neighbourhoods is people who animate them. Our secret in my hood is Sandra. When I moved to … Continue reading
China – Shattered Images – #3
I find a visit to any country ignites an interest and a curiosity to know more. I’ve read more about modern China since returning home than I have in the months prior to departing. My interest piqued, I’m trying to … Continue reading
China – shattered images – #2
My primary purpose in visiting China was as a tourist; to see the sights, taste the food, hear the sounds, experience the reality. It is after all a foreign place. Is Canadian Chinese food really Chinese? Is the Great Wall … Continue reading
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China – shattered images – #1
Six years ago, Kristen and Chris returned from their adventure in China astounded. “It changes the way you see the world!” they said. They were obviously right; I am still wide-eyed and speechless after a three week whirlwind trip through … Continue reading
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Tagged Beijing, China, Chongqing, great wall, midlife adventures, Off the Couch and Out the Door, Shanghai. GAdventures
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What are you thinking?
A few years ago, I was talking with Tiara, my Buddhist friend, about an upcoming walking trip. I told her I was good on the flat ground but climbing hills was tough. Tiara offered a suggestion, she called it walking … Continue reading
Remembrance and Sadness.
There is no joy to be derived from visiting any war memorial. There is no celebration in visiting the grave sites of the hundreds of thousands lost in any conflict or war. For me, there is only sadness, an unbelievable … Continue reading
Walking with Purpose
In 990 AD, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric, walked to Rome; invited by Pope John XV to be elevated to the position of Cardinal. We know this because his return trip was chronicled by a member of his party – … Continue reading
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Why I give to Outward Bound.
Recently, I was asked by Outward Bound to write a short note explaining why I supported Outward Bound. The original note can be found in Outward Bound’s Fresh Tracks newsletter. http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/122508/4d2dc37fc9/ARCHIVE I believe in adventures; stepping out of my comfort … Continue reading
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My Aussie-land
Many years ago, I read the definitive history of Australia, The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. It was a long, difficult, compelling and, ultimately, rewarding read. Hughes chronicles the early days, the shipment of some 160,000 convicts, orphans and indigents to … Continue reading
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Portuguese Adventurers
Jose Saramago, the Nobel prize-winning Portuguese writer, described the Portuguese as “people who possess little and feel much.” It wasn’t always so. The Portuguese were the world’s great adventurers; for a glorious century, the Portuguese expanded the known world beyond … Continue reading
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Excessive Portugal
As long as I feel the fresh breeze in my hair … Continue reading
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The Power of Trust – II
Pierre Trudeau paddled the South Nahanni in 1970; his love of paddling was clear: “What sets a canoeing expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other…. paddle 100 miles in a canoe and you … Continue reading
The Power of Trust – I
The South Nahanni River is a true Canadian Icon, a World Heritage site. It is rugged, powerful, inaccessible, and indescribably beautiful. Paddling the 200 or so kilometers of the South Nahanni below Virginia Falls in a canoe is a legendary … Continue reading
Look for the Helpers.
Some adventures in life are not fun, they are just life in all it’s messiness and unpredictability. I have to search within my self to find meaning; sometimes the introspection process is the only important result of the search for … Continue reading
Wanderwegging in Switzerland
Wanderweg is German for footpath. Switzerland is wanderweg heaven; a maze of thousands of kilometres of footpaths and hiking trails of various degrees of difficulty, every path carefully marked, given a number and assiduously signposted. The Swiss, home of impeccable … Continue reading
In the Land of Needless Worry.
There is a difference between vacations and adventures. A vacation is about rest, relaxation and enjoyment. It is, by definition and choice, intended to lower the blood pressure, facilitate mindless hedonism and indulge the senses. An adventure is completely different. … Continue reading
Energy advocacy – what to believe?
It’s been a busy week for energy advocacy. On Tuesday, billionaire Murray Edwards and Brian Ferguson, Cenovus CEO, penned an oped for the Globe entitled Our country – and our companies – are ready for a new pipeline dialogue. Here’s … Continue reading
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Pipeline hubris
Spoiler alert- This is not a travel adventure blog post. Somehow this one slipped through. Someone wise once told me that most of our wounds are self-inflicted. In the context of this weeks noisy debate about pipelines in Canada, we … Continue reading
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Tagged canadian energy, Justin Trudeau, Northern Gateway, Notley, pipeline politics
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Where’s home?
I travel a lot. When I travel, one of the first questions I’m asked by fellow travelers is: “Where are you from?” It is all about establishing your home. This idea of home has been on my mind lately. I … Continue reading
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Hockey and Heidi-land.
Yes, there is a place called Heidi-land. It is in Switzerland and it doesn’t just resemble the movie home of our beloved Heidi; it replicates it. Read the book, see the movie; your internalized, glorified, mythical image of Switzerland exists. … Continue reading
India and COP21 – not a Travelogue.
My travel goal is to deliberately take myself out of my comfort zone, to cause myself a bit of discomfort. Trips to strange places challenge my conventional wisdoms, confront my biases and cause me to think more deeply about all … Continue reading
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Tagged climate change, COP 21, Dharavi, India, midlife adventures, Off the Couch and Out the Door
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Responsible Tourism
Inscrutable India; she is beyond comprehension to me. I have difficulty understanding Mumbai, how it functions, how it reconciles the extremes evident everywhere. My first inscrutable is why more than 500,000 rural peasants migrate to Mumbai every year. My second … Continue reading