John Mayer is tired of his own music; that much was obvious at last night’s concert at Tampa’s Ford Auditorium.

Mayer’s was the first concert I have attended in quite some time. The previous one was a joint Kiss/Aerosmith concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City in, I believe, 2001, and before that was a 1994 James Taylor concert in Indianapolis. James Taylor has always been one of my favorite artists. His music is timeless and he does not disappoint, despite the fact that he has been doing this for many more years than Mayer. Kiss and Aerosmith? Although they are performers from my era, they are not exactly my favorites, but I happened to be in NY when they were scheduled to appear, and so I went just for kicks. Again, their show did not disappoint.

During the past couple of years artists like John Mayer and Jason Mraz have gradually climbed to the top of my all time favorite list, sharing honors with the likes of James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, and Seal. So, last night, with previous concerts as my frame of reference, I was prepared to be blown away by Mayer. I got to the amphitheater two hours early and stood on line for more than an hour, undaunted by the steady rain that eventually soaked through my hip-length raincoat and drenched the back of my jeans. Forty minutes past the scheduled opening time, Read the rest of this entry »

When I was in Singapore last year, I saw the world’s largest fountain. Several times a day the shopping center in which the fountain was located would host a laser light show, featuring a variety of images that were projected onto a curtain of falling water. The Japanese fountain in the video below bests the Singaporean version. It uses water to actually create the images. I can only marvel at the technology and precision that must have been required to create this display. The Japanese company that manufactured the fountain calls it a “Space Writer.” I call it a water writer. Take a look:

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When I first started this blog, my tag line to the Hole In The Donut title was, “Who am I? Why am I Here? What Is My Purpose In Life?” That was at a point in my life when I decided to walk run away from a job I hated, strap on a backpack, and travel solo around the world for six months, searching for what would bring me joy. I learned what I had always known, that joy is an inside job. I learned that to find happiness, we must be true to ourselves. I learned that what is really important in life is not money or material things, but the love of family and friends. And I discovered the pleasure that comes from always being as kind as possible and helping others whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I can easily lose sight of all this. My ego wants to take back its old life whenever I am not present and mindful. Sometimes it is extremely difficult to stay in an attitude of loving kindness and unconditional acceptance. Recently I was put to a test of sorts, as I had occasion to be angry about an incident in my life. I reminded myself of a very important credo in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous: “It is a spiritual axiom that whenever we are angry or upset, there is something wrong with us.” This is not an easy thing to hear and it is even harder to accept, but I have found it to be quite true. The Big Book also tells us that anger is Read the rest of this entry »

Eight years ago Orrin Hudson was watching the news on TV and heard that seven restaurant employees were shot in the head, execution style, for $2000. He said to himself, “That’s it, I have to do my part.” Hudson, who had previously been an Alabama State Trooper and subsequently owned a car dealership, used his savings an even maxed out his credit cards to start a program to help inner-city kids. His unlikely tool for helping these kids? Chess.

Hudson had himself been a problem child. He was in and out of trouble, associating with the wrong people. A teacher took an interest and taught Hudson chess, using the game as the means to introduce him to critical thinking. Now Hudson is imparting these same lessons to thousands of at risk kids through his Read the rest of this entry »

If I have been strangely silent for four days, it is only because I have been consumed by the task of moving. After much internal debate, I finally decided to move into a place of my own. I have not gone far; in fact I have only moved about 100 feet to a different apartment in the same complex. But, having moved many times in my life, I believe that short distance moves are more difficult. When I move arcoss the country, everything gets packed up into nice, neat boxes. This time, everything was just thrown into open boxes or carried by the armload. Down 19 steps, across the parking lot, and up 17 steps. Over, and over, and over, for the last three days, and still I am not finished. By day two I hurt so bad I could barely move. Yesterday, my calves were so sore I winced every time I went down the stairs.

The place really needed a deep cleaning prior to the furniture being moved, so I moved by day and cleaned by night, well into the wee hours. I concentrated on the areas where the furniture would be placed, washing walls and scrubbing baseboard and wood floors so that I would not have to move furniture once it was in place. The result is that I have three-quarters of the bedroom clean, half of the living room clean, and none of the bathroom done. The kitchen is complete; it was the first thing I tackled. For some reason, a woman just feels better when her kitchen is clean.

The few pieces of furniture that I still own were moved yesterday. Thankfully, I had help for the heavy stuff. The building owner set me up with a couple of homeless guys Read the rest of this entry »

While I am still searching for a way to give back something to this world, Kaziah Hancock has already figured it out. She is an artist who lives on a rural Utah ranch with 100 goats, painting landscapes in oil that sell for thousands of dollars. Then one day, she heard about the first Utah boy to be killed in the Iraq War and decided to paint his portrait to memorialize him. The following video documents what has happened since then, but I warn you, it’s a tear-jerker:

Note: In December of 2006, author Barbara Weibel left her successful but unfulflling career to pursue her dream of becoming a travel writer and photographer. This story is one in a series about people who, like Weibel, have chosen to lead authentic lives by pursuing their true passions.

The other day a friend commented about my bright blue eyes. I’ve never thought of my eyes as being particularly blue. When I was younger they were more green than blue, and people sometimes referred to my eyes as being hazel. (Don’t ask me what color hazel is because I have absolutely no idea, but apparently it is the color my eyes used to be). Then, as I got older, my eye color began to change. One of my eyes turned blue and the other became green-blue. Some days, they both look blue; other days they both seem green. Some days they look just plain dull.

Especially on days when my eye color ventures toward the brownish realm, I wonder why they change so. Is it the clothes I wear? Is it what I eat? Bingo! That must be it – too much coffee. I’m sure there are other explanations. Some would probably say that I am just too full of….well, never mind.

A few days ago I received an email from my friend, Victor Sibanda, who lives in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. There is so much bad news coming out of Zimbabwe these days that it surprised me to learn Victor has started his own tour hosting business. I was encouraged by his news; it indicates there is still some small sense of normalcy in this devastated country.

I met Victor last year when I backpacked around the world for six months. I spent about a month and a half in Africa and realized my childhood dream of going on safari. The other destination I had always dreamed of seeing was Victoria Falls, so when I planned my safari, I also booked a side trip to Zimbabwe. All the arrangements had to be made prior to leaving the U.S. because the tour operators and hotels will no longer accept the local currency, as it is virtually worthless. Consider the following:

• The regime is surviving by printing money. The German firm Giesecke & Devrient holds the contract for printing Zimbabwe’s currency and they have been delivering bank notes at a rate of Z$170 trillion each week. Last month Giesecke & Devrient decided they would no longer print bank notes for Zimbabwe, bowing to pressure from the German government.
• John Robertson, a respected Zimbabwean economist, estimated inflation in July 2008 to be forty to fifty million percent.
• An egg costs $50 billion Zimbabwean dollars and withdrawals from ATM’s are limited to a maximum of Z$100, about the cost of a loaf of bread.
• On August 1, 2008, the government devalued the Zimbabwean dollar, making Z$10 billion worth ZW$1
• Shops can only cash checks if the customer writes double the amount, because the cost will go up by the time the check has cleared.
• Most credit card companies will instantly cancel any card used in Zimbabwe

At the time I booked and paid for my trip, the situation in Zim was not yet dangerous, but by the time I was scheduled to to visit, the situation had deteriorated. I contacted the company that had handled my reservations and asked their advice, explaining that I would rather lose my money than put my life at risk. The tour operator assured me Read the rest of this entry »

My friend, Guido, over at Happy Hotelier started a new series of articles where he profiles travel bloggers by asking them to provide the answers to ten questions about their travel experiences. He posted my profile yesterday; take a look: