The GeekHiker

(The title will make sense only at the end, but I couldn’t resist using it.)

First off, before anyone asks, yes of course I called my Mother today to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. I would have taken her out for brunch but, well, the 800 mile round trip was a little much to squeeze into a Sunday.

We had a brief but wide-ranging discussion, covering everything from religion to politics to their upcoming travel plans. On those more serious topics: one of the best gifts that she gave me was the ability to debate, and to debate both sides, of just about any given issue.

When I was a kid, especially in high school, we would do exactly that: take an issue, any issue, and debate it extensively. Then we would switch sides of the issue and go at it again.

From this I learned how to see both sides of an issue. On the one hand, it sometimes makes it difficult for me to state a definitive position on issues, but on the other, I’m so thankful in the worldview it’s given me. That I can see the shades of gray in a world that so very often, unfortunately, wants to render each and every issue into black and white. As we all know, the world really doesn’t work that way.

And that was but one of the many gifts she has given me.

I’m wishing her Happy Mother’s Day here on a blog that she doesn’t read, that she doesn’t even know exists. Don’t feel bad for her not knowing about it, though: there’s so much else that we do share, this one little thing is but a trifle.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent at The Museum of Jurassic Technology (a little more info here, but it may be a spoiler if you’re planning to go). It is, bar none, the oddest museum I have ever seen.

I recommend it wholeheartedly. But I can’t describe it to you. Hell, I’m still trying to figure it out myself. It is, positively, the most fascinating, random, eclectic place I’ve ever been.

So, of course, I’ll be heading back at some point.

If you go, though, don’t be surprised if , as you exit, you find yourself facing your companions, looking at each other, and saying “whoa” in a manner that would make Keanu proud.

Goodness knows that’s exactly what we did.

Then we had dinner at the Hare Krishna place around the corner, which somehow fit in perfectly…