On Writing

Good coffee stimulates good writing. El Vendaval,  another gem from Verve Coffee Roasters (Santa Cruz, CA), with notes of golden raisin, stroopwafel, and cocoa, fits the bill. If I cannot travel freely, I might as well enjoy the next best thing: coffee from exotic locales, like Costa Rica.  Why write? For work, it is an imperative. … Continue reading On Writing

La Jolla

Imagine Marbella, Cap D’Antibes, and San Remo, with a laid-back, Southern California vibe, and you have La Jolla, about twenty minutes north of San Diego, and just south, along the iconic Highway One, of Del Mar, Encinitas, and the Solana Beach. La Jolla, the jewel, is my favorite spot in California, and you will soon … Continue reading La Jolla

Innovation

Olivetti Exhibit, Pisa (2019) Innovation is everywhere.  During an October 2019 visit to Pisa, one of the great university cities of Europe, if not the world, I saw a poster (pictured above) for an international exhibition titled: “OLIVETTI @ TOSCANA.IT, Territorio, comunità, architettura nella Toscana di Olivetti. Recall, perhaps, Adriano Olivetti, the Italian industrialist, of typewriter, calculator, … Continue reading Innovation

Cancun

Not to be political, but it’s a very pleasant 84 degrees in Cancun … I need a vacation as well.  Another Caribbean port (St. Maarten), but same concept (author's photo) Earlier this week, a certain U.S. Senator departed for a family vacation in Cancun.  Meanwhile, his home state was experiencing a storm of the century, with … Continue reading Cancun

International Adventures in Gluten-Free Dining

Roma Senza Glutine We continue our food and beverage theme (https://johnpavolotsky.com/2021/01/28/in-search-of-the-perfect-cup/), with a trip around the world in search of gluten-free delights.  We start in Rome, the mecca of gluten free dining.  Roma Senza Glutine, a treasure trove of gluten free breads, crackers, biscuits, and other goodies, was but a short walk from our flat in Trastevere.   … Continue reading International Adventures in Gluten-Free Dining

In Search of the Perfect Cup

One of my favorites It is not always the right or perfect cup, in the absolute sense, but the right cup for the moment. After a bone-chilling carriage ride to Ocean Beach (San Francisco), Mark Twain writes: “That coffee did the business for us . . . . As the generous beverage flowed down our … Continue reading In Search of the Perfect Cup

Future-Proofing Work

If you want to see the future, visit Japan.  Pepper, a semi-humanoid robot from Softbank Robotics, greeted us in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Shinjuku in October 2016.  On it was mounted a tablet (iPad?), displaying information in an interactive manner.  Unfortunately, we could not discern any other capability.  About a week later, on our last full … Continue reading Future-Proofing Work

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

One of the few (if only) bright spots of the last ten months has been that the morning hike has replaced the morning commute. More thoughts on the virtues of hiking are available here: https://johnpavolotsky.com/2021/01/09/take-a-hike/ Pulgas Ridge Preserve Today’s hike started at 7:15am, in the Pulgas Ridge Preserve (Redwood City, California) parking lot, en route to … Continue reading Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Take a Hike!

Pillar Point The year of the dog continues.  Sure, in the Chinese zodiac, it is still the Year of the Rat, to be soon followed by the Year of the Ox, but my dog, a three year-old chocolate labradoodle named Roxy, could care less.  She is a prolific hiker (and walker and runner), enjoying up to three … Continue reading Take a Hike!