I know, I know, it's been a while. All is well, but the workload has been somewhat extreme. This is, of course, a good thing - better than having insufficient work, certainly - but only if I do what I need to do before the deadline by which I have to do it. And that, my friends, is going to be a close shave. It'll take me up until the Christmas vacation, I'm afraid, and at that point, I'll come up for air ... Read More
Blog
Back in Anchorage
October 9, 2011
Back again, in my happy place. I wonder what the future holds, but for now I content myself with being wrapped in my comfort blanket. It feels comfortable, it feels easy. Work is as productive as relaxation is plentiful. The mornings and evenings are cool, trending toward cold. The front deck bore a thin layer of ice this morning. But the sun shines and in the distance the mountains, dusted with an ever-growing coat of snow, loom large, protective and beautiful. Read More
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Tombstone
October 1, 2011
I was feeling a little blue yesterday, a little anxious about what the future holds, particularly financially. A nice contract that I have been fortunate to have for the past several months is about to expire, and I a) don't think I've done an especially good job; b) am not sure if it will be renewed at some point down the road; and c) have absolutely no idea what I will do financially if it doesn't. Read More
More fun with Bert
September 15, 2011
I'm in Las Vegas for another big fight (this time, Floyd Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz). as has been the case for big pay-per-views since 2009, Bert Sugar and I have shot some webisodes for HBO.com. Enjoy.
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Travels
September 11, 2011
About to hit the road again. Seems I spend most of my time traveling. So be it. The nomadic journalist has perhaps the best professional life of all. the next couple of weeks are a case in point: Las Vegas first of all, to cover a big fight. How many days have I spent in Sin City over the past eight years? I couldn't even begin to count. I have no idea how many times I've sat ringside either; must be close to 100. There is no shortage of sports fans who would surrender a limb, or chop one off somebody else, for such a privilege.
What I'm really excited about, though, is the week after, when I head to Tombstone, Arizona for several days to research an article for the Washington Post Magazine on the history of the town and, of course, specifically the Gunfight at the OK Corral. It's a completely new subject for me, and I love being a rookie, coming to a story fresh and learning all I can - particularly one that I enjoy personally as much as this. Pretty much a dream assignment. Read More
What I'm really excited about, though, is the week after, when I head to Tombstone, Arizona for several days to research an article for the Washington Post Magazine on the history of the town and, of course, specifically the Gunfight at the OK Corral. It's a completely new subject for me, and I love being a rookie, coming to a story fresh and learning all I can - particularly one that I enjoy personally as much as this. Pretty much a dream assignment. Read More
Ten Years Later
September 11, 2011
Truth be told, I don't have a particularly impressive 9/11 story. The day before the attacks, I had been in Los Angeles with friends; I nearly decided to change my flight to return a day or so later, but fortunately I did not. I returned to Anchorage late at night on September 10th, and decided to sleep in the next morning.
I vaguely remember my phone ringing in the middle of the night; it seemed like the people leaving messages on my answering machine (this being the time when people had landlines and answering machines) were crying. By the time I hauled myself out of bed, it was late morning in Alaska, and the rest of the country had been on high alert for five or six hours. Read More
I vaguely remember my phone ringing in the middle of the night; it seemed like the people leaving messages on my answering machine (this being the time when people had landlines and answering machines) were crying. By the time I hauled myself out of bed, it was late morning in Alaska, and the rest of the country had been on high alert for five or six hours. Read More
Anniversaries
September 10, 2011
Funny thing, anniversaries. They matter to us only because we decide they do. Dates, after all, are essentially artificial constructs. Even so, they do matter. They help provide a sense of focus, and allow for reflection. Tomorrow marks the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and there is little really that I can add to the reams of reflection and reminiscences.
But today is a personal anniversary, too. It's hard to believe that it has been a year since my mother passed away, and yet it has. My last conversation with her was on the telephone, as I stood on the deck of a ship in the Gulf of Mexico. I don't remember the substance, but that's of less import than the fact we talked. More clearly, I can easily picture my last time at home with her, when I was able to spend a week or two sitting with her in the living room, working quietly on the galley proofs of my book as the sun streamed in while she alternated between reading, chatting, watching television and napping.
As time passes, the significance of anniversaries often recedes a little. I find myself having to remind myself that Dad's anniversary is October 7. But I will no more forget that date or September 10 than I will ever forget my parents, who - anniversary or no anniversary - appear almost daily, unannounced but always welcome, in my thoughts. Read More
But today is a personal anniversary, too. It's hard to believe that it has been a year since my mother passed away, and yet it has. My last conversation with her was on the telephone, as I stood on the deck of a ship in the Gulf of Mexico. I don't remember the substance, but that's of less import than the fact we talked. More clearly, I can easily picture my last time at home with her, when I was able to spend a week or two sitting with her in the living room, working quietly on the galley proofs of my book as the sun streamed in while she alternated between reading, chatting, watching television and napping.
As time passes, the significance of anniversaries often recedes a little. I find myself having to remind myself that Dad's anniversary is October 7. But I will no more forget that date or September 10 than I will ever forget my parents, who - anniversary or no anniversary - appear almost daily, unannounced but always welcome, in my thoughts. Read More
Catching Up With Al gore
September 8, 2011
In December 2009, former Vice President Al Gore sat down for an interview with me, which I published in two parts for Discovery News. The links to those pieces are in the blog archives; last week, he spoke with me and two other journalists on the phone about his latest project, which I've written about here.
UPDATE: The day I posted the blog that resulted from my interview with the former vice president, a man who would be president made comments during the Republican debate that showed willful ignorance about climate change persists at a high level - and indeed has become an article of faith among some. A brief fact check of Texas Governor Rick Perry's attempt to compare himself to Galileo is here. Read More
UPDATE: The day I posted the blog that resulted from my interview with the former vice president, a man who would be president made comments during the Republican debate that showed willful ignorance about climate change persists at a high level - and indeed has become an article of faith among some. A brief fact check of Texas Governor Rick Perry's attempt to compare himself to Galileo is here. Read More