Apr 3, 2021Field trips go virtual at Waterwise Community CenterDuring a recent virtual field trip to the Waterwise Community Center, the third graders from Arroyo Elementary School in Ontario, California, had tons of questions. What do mosquitofish eat? Can you drink the water stored in a cactus? Is Sam the tortoise a boy or a girl? Chino Basin Water…Inland Empire4 min readInland Empire4 min read
Jan 4, 2021Mentorship in a FlashSometimes college student Annie Chen feels nervous about her future. The environmental science and management major graduated in 2019 from University of California, Davis and for now is keeping her career options open as she searches for a job. Talking to water industry professionals about their own career paths and…Mentorship4 min readMentorship4 min read
Jan 4, 2021Finding solutions for water shortages on Colorado RiverAmid nearly two decades of drought on the Colorado River, seven states that rely on its water signed an historic agreement in May 2019 to use less voluntarily to prevent the federal government from imposing mandatory cutbacks. The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation pushed the states…Water8 min readWater8 min read
Sep 30, 2020Inside Bananas the MonkeyIt was my first paying show business gig. And my last. “Can you be Bananas the Monkey tomorrow?” Randy, the front-of-house manager of Tulsa’s famous Casa Bonita restaurant, stood in front of me with his clipboard, hurried look and rubber-soled shoes. He smelled of fried dough, or sopapillas, a house…First Job9 min readFirst Job9 min read
Published inThe Haven·Apr 8, 2019Announcing a New and Seemingly Obvious HR Policy on Appropriate Hugging at WorkFROM: Human Resources TO: All Staff SUBJECT: Hugging in the Workplace Last Friday afternoon we bid farewell to Phillip, wishing him the very best in retirement. As the company’s first HR director, Phillip has been an integral part of the organization for many years and his encyclopedic knowledge of our…Humor4 min readHumor4 min read
Oct 27, 2017Robber’s Cave Social Experiments Hold Lessons for Us TodaySummer camp is not just a rite of passage, but also a fine social experiment in making friends, overcoming homesickness and trying new things. A week at summer camp in Robber’s Cave State Park in Oklahoma’s Sans Bois Mountains when I was 12 brought me a fascination with Belle Starr…Summer Camp3 min readSummer Camp3 min read
Published inExtra Newsfeed·Oct 27, 2017The Oklahoma Girl Scout murdersThe summer of my eighth birthday was overshadowed by a grisly crime made all the more harrowing because of its child victims. On a humid and rainy Sunday in June 1977, the idyllic memories of summer camp I had shared with my friends shattered into shards of horror when three…Crime6 min readCrime6 min read
Aug 23, 2017Trade-offs of dental school careWay back in 1999, I landed a job that offered excellent medical benefits with one hitch: no dental coverage until after the first year. Perhaps I could go without dental benefits for one year? It seemed a calculated risk worth taking, my then-husband and I thought. We were enrolled in…Dentistry4 min readDentistry4 min read
Sep 30, 2016The Wedding Registry GraveyardMy kitchen cabinet is a wasteland of my wedding registry gifts. I’ve been spring cleaning lately, pulling everything out of the kitchen cabinets. Seeing all of these cooking, baking and entertaining objects is like unpacking lost baggage from a long-ago vacation. These gifts–china, crystal–have outlived my interest in home entertaining…Cooking3 min readCooking3 min read
