Lost Identity

For the first time in my life I have been the victim of identity fraud. Sort of. I received a call from my credit card company this morning asking whether I had recently purchased several tickets on Delta Air Lines. I stated that I had not, although my credit card apparently had. Trips from Miami [...]

It’s Our Anniversary

This week marks five years since my wife and I were married. It has gone by quickly in some ways, and in others, it’s hard to remember the pre-marriage life. We have accomplished a lot together since 2004. We have each completed our education and have begun careers. We have taken some risks, moved across [...]

Happy Birthday Hanna

It has been two years already. In these two years I have seen my daughter Hanna develop from a small (but still large for her age), helpless baby to a charismatic, fun, energetic, smart little girl. It is amazing how fast the time has gone as well as how much she has changed. Hanna is [...]

A Real Family Man

I am now the proud owner of a Toyota Sienna. I looked at various minivans and midsize SUVs over the past several weeks, but in the end it came down to a Toyota Sienna or a Honda Odyssey. And how could we go wrong with either? Each was rated almost identically and there are tons [...]

En Español

You would think I speak better Spanish than I do given my last name, but I unfortunately feel like I can barely get by en Español. This past week I had the chance to interact with my uncle from Spain as he made a rare visit to the U.S. with my dad. Sure, I have [...]

It’s Automatic

The other night I heard a song that took me back ten years. The song is “Automatic” by Utada Hikaru and it is legendary in Japan. You see, ten years ago, in 1999, I was living in Sakai, Japan, near Osaka. We had just exited a long, cold winter and spring had finally come. The [...]