My Name Is Tim Now – Greetings from the Starbucks Universe When the name on your cup suddenly develops a life of its own. For those unfamiliar with Starbucks: when you order, you tell them your first name so the right coffee can find the right person later. At least that’s the plan. What actually […]
Catalina Island – Somewhere Between Heaven and Reality An island between the Pacific, pastel colors, and the realization that sometimes the dangerous part is not the ocean — but the motion sickness pill. The Pacific can be loud. Grey. Unpredictable. But on this particular morning, it lies there like polished glass. Almost too beautiful to […]
Los Angeles – Arriving Between Routine, Reality, and a Shift on Perspective Between passport control, pizza, and charred palm trees A Smile at the Border Sometimes, arriving begins with a smile. Passport control in Los Angeles is unusually relaxed this time. At the counter, an officer with humor, curiosity, and that particular tone that immediately […]
Silvester without a Magic Moment – a very personal year’s end Prologue – When a year ends in jet lag Not enough that a long transatlantic flight is behind us—Christmas has already packed up and gone, too. And here we are now: once again in California. New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles. I can’t quite […]
When Winter Longs for Sunlight Prologue – When Winter Runs Too Long Before winter even begins, the heart sometimes knows exactly where it wants to go. Our annual escape to California, for instance – Reinhold’s quiet masterpiece. Long before we set off for India in the autumn, I could already read a certain truth in […]