I realize that many of my articles have a tendency to be a form of gonzo history, in which I insert myself into the bigger picture of history.

That might be because my AP History teacher (as a senior in 2001) would always tell me to see, "the forest from the trees."  Later that year, I could not help but notice a single dead tree within a forest along Old San Jose Road through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

I was in New York on September 1, 2001, which is when I took the included picture from the Liberty Island Ferry, a day that fundamentally shaped my outlook and actions on the future, when I was still coming of age at 18.  It is also why I deferred from moving to NYC, and inste...

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