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The How and the Why of the Wend

How have I done it?

And why? And what does my lifestyle have to do with my English degree?

In November I was fortunate to be invited to speak at the Clark University English department’s annual alumni event. I was asked to address these questions in front of an audience of current and potential English […]

The 29th Year

In three days, I will be 30 years old.

For the past 362 days, I have not been 29 – I have been “almost thirty”.

It’s been with both trepidation and an accelerated sense of validation that I’ve contemplated this milestone. “There are certain things I want to accomplish in my life,” I told a […]

Ríos to Rivers, or Susan’s Next Scheme to Save the World

Did I ever tell you the story of the month that I spent in Cochrane, Chile, under the tutelage of Roberto and his kayaking club, Los Escualos? The month I spent wearing a patched wetsuit and fraying dry top, with my legs wedged into a battered kayak, learning to do an Eskimo roll? The month […]

Grand Canyon Time

“Lleveme. Lleveme, hermano, por favor. Take me with you. For the love of God, I’m begging you, hermano, por favorcito.”

He wore baggy jeans, a pink blanket, and red, inflamed eyes. His voice wobbled as he pleaded with the Greyhound conductor, who stood in the Flagstaff, Arizona, terminal with arms crossed, and responded in […]

the Wasatch from above

I had to run to catch my flight today. The relative proximity of SLC International to my home in Cottonwood Heights made me a bit more complacent than I should have been. The good news is I made it. The bad is that now I’m sweaty.

It was a spectacular day to lift off. The […]

when the universe speaks, it is good to listen

Last week I loaded up Chewy (my little honda), checked the oil, and set off for the hills. I’d planned on a six day backpacking trip in the mountains. I finally had a bunch of days off in a row. Yippee!! I pulled out onto the interstate, accelerated, and WHAM!! My hood flew up and […]

It’s Official!

I’m a published writer!!

I’ve been struggling with the task of promoting and pitching my own work for quite some time, with a few miniscule forward movements. Several months ago, in a burst of confidence, I rewrote and submitted a story about sheep falling off the roof of a bus in rural Ecuador. No response. […]

John Muir’s take on friendship and love

“To ask me whether I could endure to live without friends is absurd. It is easy enough to live out of material sight of friends, but to live without human love is impossible. Quench love, and what is left of a man’s life but the folding of a few jointed bones and square inches of […]

Plane tickets: bought! And, why Americans should travel more.

Tonight’s my last night working at Solitude. These past several weeks have been a long, white blur. I come home at midnight, collapse into bed and dream until the beepbeepbeep of the alarm crashes the slumber party, waking me up to do it all over again. I also worked at my editing job this morning, […]

new! and exciting!

Dear readers,

I’d like to point out a couple of new features on my website. After almost two years of tinkering, it’s finally coming together according to my vision. Thanks for being patient with me!

NEW: See that little “Subscribe” button to the left? Type your email address in the box above the button, and […]