Something that never fails to captivate me is overlooked history. So needless to say I've thoroughly enjoyed my time cycling up the coast of Nova Scotia, where I've received numerous supplemental history lessons regarding the period of the American Revolution.

In school, we Americans are taught all...

2004. In four days I leave for South Korea. An overseas move of indefinite duration. What do I do? I decide it might be fun to visit the San Antonio Zoo. I’m not sure whether I got too close to the monkey cage or simply succumbed to subconscious stress, but that night I started to ache. The next...

I was understandably disappointed when I pulled up to the parking booth at Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy. “The big cave is closed until further notice,” the attendant informed me apprehensively. “The tour just goes to the sinkholes.”

She was surprised when I said it didn’t matter,...

The Greek festival had barely begun, but already crowds of people were filling the white event tent with high-spirited echoes. Clusters of teenagers, young families, disabled vets in wheelchairs, elderly folks from the nursing home down the road…they all crowded around the long tables decked out...

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So, I have an unhealthy obsession with maps. It’s something that may seem a little strange to the general public, but I’m comfortable writing about it here as I’m sure most Matador readers share the disorder.

I could easily while away an hour looking over a country map…any country. Really....

Spring comes late to the north country.

My untrained eye failed to spot the cherry trees sprinkled here and there along the snowy Portland streets. This being my first spring in the city, the brilliant blossoms took me totally by surprise. And, like many people I’m sure, I can’t look at those pink...

Henry John Amen IV
HJA
halamen
Hal

Is there a more basic possession than a name? We all have one—probably more than one. There’s your childhood nickname, the name your high school sports team gave you, your Matador profile name, the name whispered only by your lover, your super-secret pseudonym...

But...