I’m always impressed — in a “wow you’re really stupid” sort of way — by what people will put themselves through for hypothetical money. Apparently, painful self-sacrifice in the name of a slightly above zero chance of becoming rich is a normal part of human behavior. Back in the 90s, for example, people joined startup […]
Category: Blog
Lunar Crater National Landmark 70 miles northeast of Tonopah, Nevada is not the same as Meteor Crater Natural Landmark in Northern Arizona. You will note the absence of the word “National” from the latter name, though the word “Natural” may or may not be there to trick you into thinking the landmark is part of […]
Here in California, we have both the world’s oldest living thing and the world’s largest living thing. As long as you’re willing to be flexible with the definitions of “oldest” and “largest.” By volume, the sequoia redwood tree “General Sherman” is the largest known organism. Before you raise your hand and say “what about the […]
The last two times I’ve tried to go to the stupid Devil’s Postpile, the stupid roads have been closed. Why? Because there was still too much snow up there. In July. Curse you, Nature. Why do you have to be so danged inconvenient all the time? Anyway, this meant the first day of Road Trip […]
For me, beachcombing has always been this: My mom would give us empty milk cartons and send us out on the beaches of Fort Bragg, and we’d find a bunch of broken shells. Occasional whole mussels (yawn), broken sand dollars, and top shells without their tops. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun. When you’re […]
One of my kids — let’s just call her the one in the top middle — likes to visit abandoned places. This would be cool, except for the part where abandoned places are almost always heavily posted with “danger” and “no trespassing” signs, and I’m tired of having the “we could just climb through that […]
I think I just don’t like San Francisco. Shhhh this is a very unpopular opinion in Northern California. But when you think about it, what’s to like? I mean besides the culture, the food, the sights, the history, and Tartine Bakery on Guerrero Street. First of all, you can’t make a left-hand turn anywhere. And […]
Since writers’ websites mostly just exist as a form of self-promotion, I’m going to tell you all one more time about my recent story in Undark … which also got picked up by The Atlantic and Popular Science. I’ve been trying to maintain my writerly cool, but you know, it’s hard. Anyway, gold mining has […]
Just want to share my second piece for Undark, published yesterday: The Gold Rush returns to California Demand for gold has risen in recent years. Not everyone is happy about that, especially some residents of Grass Valley.
I have been nowhere and done nothing since last October. For a start, it’s just too COVIDy out there right now. Also, it’s cold. I don’t even like to walk back and forth to my car when it’s this cold. Someone from the midwest is going to read this and go, “Haha California girl complaining […]
