So, Summer is about to roll around again in the Seattle area, which is usually something most people here celebrate. However, as a volunteer with Community Emergency Response Teams, I think of wildfires. Already, as I write this, a massive complex fire has devastated at least one city in Alberta, Canada. Other blazes are raging...

So, full disclosure. I do not like cruises. I used to hate them, now I tolerate them. The idea of being stuck on a ship with thousands of people, on a vessel that pitches and rocks, did not sound like my idea of a vacation. And getting into a port of call with several thousands...

Growing up, I was always fascinated with languages. Even as a child, the idea of communicating with people from a different culture seemed terribly exciting to me.

A couple of months ago, my oldest, Zach, told us he was going to quit school. If getting an A- was an Asian F, well, what does that make a college dropout?