On Foot

Ryan asks:

You have talked a bit about your shoes. Speak to me of your shoes. (Perhaps that seems too mundane a topic, but I still ask.)

Very well.

The shoes in question are Merrell Jungle Mocs. I got turned on to them by folks at the office; I think about half of us wear them now. I like them because they’re comfortable and eminently practical. In some ways, they’re like my car: a little unusual and highly versatile. I can wear them with just about anything and in a wide variety of situations. When I was away from home for four weeks last summer, they were only pair of shoes I brought with me, from GenCon to Agile 2010, from working in our office in Lausanne to hiking in the Swiss Alps. And for passing through airport security, the moccasins are tough to beat.

Update

Fitness: 30 minutes workout
Writing: 330 words, 269 average

Farming Genes

I didn't actually grow up on a farm, but I got about as close as a city boy can. Though we didn't live there, my parents owed the farm my father grew up on, I was in 4-H, and I showed sheep at the county and state fairs. Given that I'm now a software engineer living in Southern California, I guess I fell a little further from the tree than might be expected.

My aunt Cheryl said didn't think she was going to have much to do with farming when she went to journalism school, but she ended up writing for Successful Farming, marrying a farmer, and most recently, being honored by the National Farm Medicine Center for her work advancing farm safety and health.

Goes to show you never can tell, I suppose.