This past Sunday I joined a group of friends to watch the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Washington Capitals and I must say, it was quite exciting, though not for the reason you may think. I may have missed the fun at the tailgate before the game but once the game started rolling, I did something I don’t normally do. I opened DraftKings and started making a few bets. While my bets were small in nature $5 and $10 they led to excitement throughout the game. My first longshot bet was on which player would score the 4th goal of the game and when Necas fired in the goal a few moments later I whooped and hollered with my friends, though their excitement was limited to the goal, mine was linked to a payout of $65. Now with some free cash in the coffers I made another bet on who would score the 6th goal. For this I chose Andrei Svechnikov. Now I found myself watching the game closely, waiting for #37 to skate down the ice and plant himself in front of the goal hoping for a redirection into the back of the net. Unfortunately, the minutes tolled by without another goal and time was running out. My friends next to me were laughing every time I saw a close shot come in which was defended. My hands would tighten and my exasperated breath could be heard. It’s crazy to think a $10 dollar longshot bet would have such an effect on me. I wanted the Canes to win but I found myself rooting against everyone except #37. Reminds me why I don’t play fantasy sports. I found enjoyment but also found myself rooting against my own teams. Enough of the aside, let’s talk about the conclusion of this short story. Time was ticking down, there were only mere seconds remaining, the Capitals pulled their goalie but still no goal. The puck was dumped down the ice, the capitals player sent the puck back in for a last ditch effort. Fortunately the puck was intercepted and passed up the ice to none other than Svechnikov who skillfully shot the puck passed the defender into the back of the goal with only 8 seconds to go in the game. The fans went crazy, my friends jumping for joy for the secured victory and me, I was on a whole new world of excitement, yes, the canes won, but so did my miracle bet, my $10 turned into $120 in that instant. Once the adrenalin wore off, I laughed and showed these two bets off to my friends. On the way out of the arena, I cashed out of the app and took my winnings to the bank so to speak. I don’t foresee betting often, but given the opportunity to watch a game in person, I may have to.

Check out the goal below, it sure was exciting in the moment

Oh and the supporting evidence:

Our team name was “Icy Dead People” and Amazon came through with perfect shirts to keep us uniform, though we didn’t win the costume contest. The ice at Peachtree was quick and it took repeated adjustments through our games to figure it out. While there were close games throughout the weekend, we weren’t able to secure our spot in the semi-final matches.

While I did not experience winning on the ice, I did find a sense of victory in the form of raffle prizes. I locked down two for myself. One was the Cube of Beer representing beers from the Orlando area and the second was a basket full of mini games. I also took home a lesson learned from a fellow curler. What was it, a name stamp. While I was writing my name 80 times on raffle tickets, they used an address stamp to apply their name to the same allotment of tickets in a fraction of the time.

Check out our first game on the ice

Drove down to Atlanta Georgia for another Curling Bonspiel and took the opportunity to stop by the Georgia Aquarium. This is a bucket list location for me as its one of the few aquariums in the world to have a whale shark in its tank. While the whale shark stayed at the top of the tank during my stay, it was still very impressive to see this majestic animal swim pass in the tank. Add in the large Manta Rays and other species of fish and this tank was quite breathtaking to watch. As an added perk, the aquarium boast a viewing area where you can sit and enjoy the sea-life to your hearts content. It was interesting to hear how they train each species of fish to respond to a different feeding mechanism. Whether its a color of a bucket or the sound of the chirp, each species has their own unique identifier which alerts them to feeding time. I’m glad I could check this location off my bucket list. Now time to focus on the Bonspiel!

This past weekend I made my way down to my hometown to take part in the 2024 Grits and Granite Curling Bonspiel at the Charlotte Curling Club. The host club put on an excellent spiel and ensured all curlers felt welcome. I curled with my friends from the Triangle Curling Club and took up the Lead position responsible for setting up guards and positioning the initial shot stone. While I mainly play in the second position in league, I was pleased with my performance through the weekend. Our team had a great time. I felt our first game was the best all around performance from our team and was a close one til the end (video below) Ultimately, we faced some great teams through the initial rounds and did not make it to the final day.

While our team did not make it to the final day, we participated in several broomstacking events after each game. Broomstacking is a way for teams to relax after each game, discuss plays and get to know one another. In addition, there’s a great tradition within Curling, well two. First, the winners buy the runner up team the first round of drinks which softens the blow. However, the tradition I have come to enjoy is the sharing of your club pin with the other team. Its a great memento to remember those whom you’ve played against and established friendships which persist. I have just started my collection recently but it has grown nicely. I can’t wait to get more.

The Grits and Granite was my second away spiel but definitely won’t be my last. These events are so much fun and I get to play a sport I have come to thoroughly enjoy. My goal for future spiels is to make the final day and get piped out onto the ice and share a drink with my fellow finalist. This is a tradition at Bonspiels and traces its roots back to the Scottish founding of this sport. Naturally, you all will see that happen as I will share this milestone with each of you.

Work has been stressful as we are all wondering if you jobs are safe in the upcoming restructuring. To combat the stress, I went up to Norfolk VA to visit a few friends and enjoy my first visit to the Roar and Pour Event. This event opens the Zoo to visitors who can try various brews from the local breweries while taking in the various animal exhibits around the Zoo. The perk here was the crowds were kept to a minimal which for me is always appreciated.

The zoo was fun but for me the self-guided tour of the area on my motorcycle was my main takeaway from the weekend with exception of time spent with friends. One stop was a quick visit to the USS Wisconsin. All in all, a great weekend getaway.

Welcome to Robbinsville NC, also known as Deals Gap, aka the “Tail of the Dragon”. The Dragon is known by car and motorcycle enthusiast alike for is 11 mile stretch of 318 turns through the mountains. This was my first journey to the Dragon but definitely won’t be the last. Plus, it’s close to the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains which means even greater chances for windy roads and scenic hikes. What took me by surprise on the Dragon was the photographers who took pictures of every vehicle that passed by. I felt like I was at the amusement part getting my photo taken as I’m leaning into a turn. I’ll be honest, the first time I saw them I got a tiny bit distracted but from that point on my focus was fully on the hundreds of turns ahead of me.

All are welcome on this route and there’s ample pull off spots to take in the scenery or to watch the numerous enthusiast driving by. In fact, it’s relatively close to Pigeon Forge which often host Jeep week, Truck week, Car weeks, etc so there’s always an opportunity to watch from the side of the road. And hey, if this isn’t your thing, I’m sure Dolly would love for you to stop by DollyWood!

Check out my ride below, I plan to post more videos of my rides and some of the cool finds I see along the way!

It had been several months since I last packed my bags and raced off to explore another destination around the world. I had considered multiple paths including working remotely from somewhere in Europe for a month. Ultimately, the decision was made when my company mandated a week a leave for US based employees. So I set off and found a great deal for a 6 Night stay in Portugal with stops in Lisbon and Porto. Naturally, with a few tweaks I made this a wonderful sprint around Portugal.

My journey started in Lisbon and in a similar twist of fate to my trip to South Korea, I was welcome with a live concert in the square. Music transcends language barriers; while I didn’t comprehend every word, I found the music and crowd experience inviting after a long day of travel. On my first full day in Lisbon I made it a priority to walk around all the major landmarks. What is truly amusing when in Europe is how google maps stresses the walking directions as relatively flat. I assure you when you see this, just laugh and look at the steep inclines in your path. If walking isn’t your preferred means, Uber is alive and well in Lisbon. Some of the great sites I visited in Lisbon include:

• Castelo de São Jorge
• Miradouro de Santa Luzia
• Jerónimos Monastery
• Belém Tower
• Monument to the Discoveries

For my second day I hired a driver on ToursbyLocal for a tour out to Sintra with stops at Queluz National Palace, National Palace of Pena and concluded with a stop at Miradouro do Cabo da Roca which is the western most point of Europe. The immersion of history which unfolded on this day was spectacular. From the stroll around the Queluz Palace and learning about the feud between brothers on the various philosophies of leadership which led to modern day Portugal to the beautiful architecture at the Pena Palace, there was no moment where I was not humbled to be where I was.

After 3 days in Lisbon, it was finally time to head north so I packed my bags and heading for the train station. After a 3 hour journey through the country side and down the coast, I made it to undoubtedly my favorite place in Portugal. Porto is a majestic port city in the north of Portugal which offered a smaller footprint than Lisbon, with just as much history packed in. Relaxation was the only feeling I felt each night while overlooking the Douro River. If you find yourself in Porto, I highly recommend walking to Jardim do Morro which is the hill top park near the cable cars. Get there early enough as many locals and visitors setup picnics to enjoy the sunsets over the water.

On my second day in Porto I had ventured out on another private tour to Braga and the surrounding areas. My first stop of the day was the beautiful Bom Jesus do Monte which is pictured below. Walking up these steps toward the cathedral was not on a great morning workout but was also a peaceful journey through history. From the architecture to the statues, there was history all around which influenced many other locations around Portugal. It’s no wonder why so many weddings are held here at this location.

After leaving Bom Jesus do Monte, I made my way into the town of Braga which had completed a festival the day before. So while the hustle and bustle was missing, the decorations were still up which made for an inviting walk through the town. My stay was brief though, after lunch i made my way back out of the city and towards Guimarães Castle and the Ducal Palace of the Braganza. For the latter, it was nice to walk the halls and stand where so many before me have stood, sadly though the Palace was not kept fully original as it was used as the Presidential Residence in the 1900’s. Can’t blame them though, I would likely need the extra heat from the installed fireplaces as well.

My last full day in Portugal was a fun day trip to two differing places, each offering their own unique traits. The first stop was Coimbra, which was a few hours by train from Porto. After a brief uber from the train station in style (Tesla), I was dropped off on the bridge outside of town where I captured the photo below. I thoroughly enjoyed this city. Though walking from the bridge to the top of the hill where the university sits was quite exhausting. Then if that wasn’t a glutton for punishment, I then chose to climb the clock tower to get a full panoramic view of the city and surrounding area. The stairwell up was one-way and while I did hit my head on the concrete steps a few times, the views at the top were worth it. Coimbra University is the oldest universities in Portugal and also designated as a World Heritage site.

After leaving Coimbra, I headed back towards Porto with a stop in Aveiro or what some called “the Venice of Portugal”. As someone who has been to Venice Italy, this was not a fair comparison by any means. Don’t get me wrong, it had canals, it had its own architecture and had a great boardwalk by the sea to walk around. However, the modernization around the canals took away that ambiance that I come to appreciate in other locations. That said, Aveiro is very walkable and offered a great stop to break up the train route to Porto. As an added bonus, I was able to immerse myself with the locals and watch some of the football matches that were ongoing at the time. Though I saved the Portugal match for when I returned to Porto!

Overall, my trip to Portugal was everything I hoped it would be. Great culture, cuisines, architectures and history. The bonus of my trip was the people I met along the way that shared their life briefly with me during my stay. There’s always more to explore in each country I visit so I know I will be back one day.

Each time I looked for locations close to Tokyo to visit Nikko popped up every time. I finally made it and was welcomed with cooler temperatures and great seasonal colors. I started my day with a walk from the station to see the Shinkyo Bridge before making my way to Nikko Toshogu, Nikko Futarasan Jinja and the grave of Prince Rinnoji. After, I took a bus through the mountain pass to see Chuzenji Lake and Kegon Falls. Truly a wonderful experience.

When I return to Japan, I plan to rent a vehicle so I can visit more areas around the National Parks.

My time is winding down here in Japan and I have a great weekend planned. I’m choosing to stay local for my trip today and visited the local Shinagawa Aquarium. This small aquarium was positioned at the end of a neighborhood park and showcased a dolphin and sea lion show plus a smattering of other exhibits. If you’re looking for a reprieve from the busy tourist sites around Tokyo, I’d give this place a go, especially if you have small kids.

Yesterday I didn’t venture far out, nonetheless, I enjoyed a leisurely walk around Ikegami. This included stops by the small Buddhist temple Shoei-in, the 5 story Honmonji Pagoda, the Ikegami Honmonji Temple, Daibo Temple with its beautiful garden and Koi pond and lastly a stop at the Honmonji Tahōtō Pagoda which had a very distinctive shape not seen throughout my trip here in Japan. Its location was perfect as it was hidden in the trees and I had not seen it on the map, I would have easily walked by without knowing it was there.

I truly am blessed to be here. I chose to work remotely from Japan and my walk around Ikegami personifies why. Japan is accessible where ever you are. Most people only get a few days here and miss opportunities to explore. This trip is unforgettable and has inspired me to keep traveling and seek more opportunities to work abroad.