I received a highly offensive reminder from Kaiser Permanente recently: "People with a cervix should receive a screening for cervical cancer every three years."

Setting aside the fact that I am not comfortable receiving care from a medical team that thinks "woman" is a dirty word and would prefer to refer to me as body parts and vaginal discharges, this reminder made me angry because exclusive, woman-erasing language like this literally kills women, harming the most marginalized women the most. 

I've spent 11 of the last 36 months traveling. From Austria to Cambodia to Honduras, I've blogged about how travel can teach you how to be happy; how travel is like being in kindergarten, college, and adulthood, all at once; and how there's no limit to how much you can learn (and teach) while abroad. I've seen wild orangutans, herds of elephants, five different hornbill species, 900-year-old temples, blue flame volcanoes (seriously!), and so much more.

Despite all this, when people ask me to pick my favorite country, the answer is easy:

America. 

​America is the best country.

The difference is consent.

It's Christmas -- so let the "annual debate" about Baby, It's Cold Outside commence. 

Victoria's Secret's CEO, Jan Singer, is stepping down -- and Forbes speculates it may be connected to rival brand ThirdLove's open letter in the New York Times about inclusion.

Singer, a female CEO, will be replaced John Mehas. (I don't mean to "assume his gender," but I'm pretty sure he's a dude -- I thought it was cool when a lingerie company had a woman at the helm.)

I'm not sure what this means for the future of VS... but part of me is worried about the future of the Victoria's Secret and its fashion show.

So my buddy Nick and I have been talking about playing at an open mic... and we thought it would be fun to do a set of songs that is all G-Em-C-D. Because what a versatile chord progression, right?

Naturally, Wagon Wheel came to mind... But then Nick brought it to my attention that, according to mean (and potentially racist) people on the internet, no one should cover Wagon Wheel, ever -- not even Darius Rucker.

But, guys. Darius Rucker's version is way better than Old Crow Medicine Show's. 

Image: @cockdieseljeremy on Instagram

Crazy story: once, while preparing to do a solo night dive in Bonaire, I met two American Ninja Warriors!!!!! (Together, we watched fireworks from 40 feet below the surface!)

Crazier story: one of them was kicked out of a Planet Fitness this week... for no discernible reason other than his size.

Smartphones connect us in so many ways. They stunt us in so many others.

So I went to this super epic camping party this weekend.​ (Just an hour from home, too -- I love discovering new adventures right in my own backyard.) There were burgers, guitars, and beautiful harmonies. I was just about to debut my new song, "Expats Are Expats for a Reason," when one of the trip organizers made an announcement:

We were to gather around the fire for group storytime. And during this storytime, I realized that if you're a feminist guy or a male ally or whatever... you kind of just can't win.

Last week, the Stanford Daily posted about new women-focused weightlifting hours in one of Stanford's many gyms. This week, a triggered little boy filed a filed a Title IX complaint to the U.S. Department of Education; a gender discrimination complaint to California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which enforces the Unruh Act; and an Act of Intolerance report through Stanford’s Student Affairs office.

Terry Goodkind, bestselling author of the Sword of Truth series, just published a new book, Shroud of Eternity... And last week, he publicly dissed the cover art, calling it "laughably bad," and launching a free book sweepstakes for reader input.