On the downhill slope

Last week, while in the plane from California to Chile, I turned 50. Nothing changed. We were all so sleep deprived that the rest of the day was consumed by naps and a slow realization that we were now in the lower hemisphere. It also meant leaving a perfectly mild south Bay Area summer for the cold Santiago winter. Once I figure out how to download photos from the cell phone I'll post some of them here. In the meantime, I dug up a cartoon that captures my reflection on aging.

The beginning

My resistance to starting a blog is due to a couple of factors: 1) I don't really understand what a blog is for (aside from just another web page), 2) I don't know why anyone would want to read generic postings on my work or life. Too many times someone has asked what I do, and after a couple of minutes of answering, with growing excitement as I describe the connection between civil engineering infrastructure, climate, urban design, and on and on, it slowly dawns on me that I totally missed the cue that their question was a polite one, needing a simple "I teach" or if elaboration is needed "I teach at a university." But I have been promised by many that blogs are a productive use of time, a valuable way to organize one's thoughts, and even a way to facilitate community building. The last bit was enough to get me to give it a try. If anyone actually does read this, I ask your patience as I figure out how to tailor these postings to be meaningful, interesting, and concise.