A wide view of the Mars-like terrain of Wadi Rum. So Mars-like that it's where they shot The Martian. Tire tracks follow behind.

Is Not Chicago

shenanigans and tomfoolery throughout the world

A Schedule Update

June 1, 2019
Ha Giang, Vietnam
I admit I have been very deliquent in my posts. Honestly, I barely open my computer, and that’s the best way for me to post. While you’re waiting, you should follow my Instagram account @udwi. My main posts are for cool photos… Read more
A long-exposure photograph of a waterfall

Happy Thai New Year!

April 15, 2019
Chiang Mai, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Put your money and your phone in a ziplock bag1. Step out onto the street and just accept that you will be soaked. As Thailand ushers in the Year of the Pig, they welcome it with all the water they have at their disposal. The festival of Songkran is probably the world’s biggest water fight. Everyone participates: kids, parents, grandparents, locals… Read more
Previously in Thailand, plastic buckets like this were used for drinking redbull and vodka. Now they're used to douse others with river water.

Moar Melbourne

March 29, 2019
Melbourne, Australia
As I stated before, the three day weekends and some beautiful (albeit hot) weather made for some excellent exploration of Melbourne and its surrounding environs. And now on to some desultory adventures in and around Melbourne during my working time. The B-East The B-East is located in Brunswick East (hence the name), and offers up some tasty burgers… Read more
A landscape of trees in the Dandenong Ranges.

Melbourne Adventures

March 17, 2019
Melbourne VIC, Australia
Lest you all be worried about my state of mind, all is well. It just took me a moment to adjust to the balance. I was still in a slightly nebulous purgatory halfway between work and holiday. But a solid weekend of exploring helped balance things out: the weekend was holiday and the workday was normal life (just in a slightly different setting). Plus, three day weekends are always great! Plus… Read more
Three brightly colored huts rise from the beach. What goes on in a bathing box? One can only wonder.

Netherworld Down Under

March 3, 2019
Melbourne VIC, Australia
It’s now been over a week since I set out on this endeavor. Oddly, though, it is not the adventure I anticipated. I suppose it’s because I’m in a kind of netherworld floating somewhere between vacation and real life. Maybe it’s the lag of the entire day I lost getting here (I’m not talking about the day I spent in LA… Read more
From a high vantage point at the Shrine of Remembrance, looking out over a courtyard with the city of Melbourne's skyline filling the background.

Day 0.1

February 13, 2019
This was meant to be the first installment of my international adventures posted from Australia. Alas, I’m still in the states. The good news: rather than a connection in Auckland… Read more
A closeup of my fresh passport and my ORD to LAX to MEL tickets.

Sabbatical, or Farewell for a Year

January 24, 2019
Perhaps the greatest envy I have known has been directed towards those lucky ones who have traversed the globe on that adventure dubbed “Gap Year”. Or, since I’m an adult, I should probably call it by its more mature name “Sabbatical”. Sure, I have taken my share of peregrinations but never of such scale. The years have passed… Read more
From my previous trip to Melbourne, a view looking out over the cliffs on Great Ocean Road. Several spires rise out of the surf. There were once twelve, but over time, erosion has led several of them to collapse.

Sunburn Layover

January 14, 2016
Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Never before have I gotten sunburnt during a layover. After a wonderful Christmas with the family in Atlanta, my sister Susan and I headed to the airport to commence our journey to the furthest reaches south. First stop: an airport transfer in Buenos Aires. Airport transfers are always annoying, but it made the flights significantly… Read more
A statue of some army fellow riding atop a horse. Behind and above him flies the Argentinian flag.

Drumming Abroad

May 6, 2015
Muscat, Muscat Governorate, Oman
It’s time to announce the next adventure! Y'all know that I love traveling, and I love to perform. It’s long been a bucket list item of mine to get paid to perform internationally. Crossing that off my list will soon occur! Be the Groove has been selected to perform at the International Rhythm Festival at the Royal Opera House in Muscat , Oman. In just under two weeks… Read more

The Sacred Valley

November 13, 2014
Ollantaytambo, Cusco, Peru
I’m still slowly catching up on my blog posts over the past couple years. Here’s another from my South American adventure from two years ago… Shortly before I departed on my trek to Machu Picchu I received a Facebook message from a friend asking how long I would be in Cuzco since they would be there soon as well. This is yet another serendipitous moments where Facebook has brought us all closer… Read more
A green mountain inset with yellow brickwork rises in the ancient town of Ollantaytambo.
An absurdly good looking bearded man stares out in the distance as the mysterious Sphynx does the same, wondering what I'm looking at
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