Author Archives: Risa

Hawaii Day 4 – Snow Day at the Observatory

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Risa

Here’s what I’ve noticed about the Hawaiian language so far. They seem to use all the vowels but I can only find evidence of the following consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, and W. Can you really create a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Hawaii Big Island, Travel | 1 Comment

Hawaii Day 3 – The Only Cool Thing About Helicopters is Freaking EVERYTHING

Posted on February 6, 2018 by Risa

Our amazing helicopter tour took us over the extensive lava fields and the live volcano caldera as well as a quick jaunt up to see a stretch of waterfalls. Not the Jurassic Park waterfall, just to be clear. That’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Hawaii Big Island, Travel | 5 Comments

Hawaii Day 2 – Volcano Vacation

Posted on February 6, 2018 by Risa

The reason we (“I”) came to the Big Island was to see “the volcano”. Not “lie in the sun” or “swim in the ocean”, which is just as well because the weather in Hilo likes to mix it up. During … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Hawaii Big Island, Travel | 1 Comment

Hawaii Day 1 – There’s Always a Mulligan On a Vacation with Us

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Risa

You know you’re not in Kansas anymore when you are loitering around the outdoor airport watching a rooster peck his way down the main road. The travel adventure started at the YVR check-in counter where we learned our flight was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Hawaii Big Island, Travel | 2 Comments

David and Goliath

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Risa

David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell I’m a bit done with Malcolm Gladwell. I really enjoyed Outliers (still do) but each subsequent book as been less and less enjoyable. I suspect it’s how he tends to play a bit loose and … Continue reading →

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Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Risa

The Culture Map, Erin Meyer The Culture Map is a non-fiction book that attempts to explain cultural differences between societies (mostly countries) based on 8 separate measures. Meyer convincingly argues that every society falls somewhere on a continuum and how … Continue reading →

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The Curve of Time

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Risa

The Curve of Time, by M. Wylie Blanchet After her husband passed away, “Capi” Blanchet packed her 5 young children up onto their 25 foot motor boat and embarked on a series of travels in and around the inside passage of western British … Continue reading →

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If You’ve Always Wondered What M-Theory is All About (and I know you haven’t)

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Risa

The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene Reading this book has inspired me to consider writing a science blog. In particular, my vision is to write about physics, where each entry is a basic conceptual building block that eventually leads to a full-blown, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Science | 1 Comment

The end of year 2

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Risa

Last year my goal was to read a book a week, and made it to 49 or 51 (depending on how you count). You can read about it here. This year I decided to read at my leisure and see where … Continue reading →

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The Eve of Destruction and a Nice Cup of Tea

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Risa

Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett This is my second time reading Good Omens and it’s just as good as the first. I decided to re-read it because some actual genius decided to make a TV mini-series and cast David Tennant … Continue reading →

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