Ah, 2012: a new year filled with hope for new prosperity, new opportunities, new peace, and, in the US, a new me/you/us. The tradition of establishing resolutions for the next…
Climbing for Change
Life is malleable. We have the power to improve our abilities, our health, our lives. At least maybe. In fact, research shows that only some of us believe this. Such…
Women who Rock
Climbers are a particular breed of human being. Particularly unafraid of dirt and opening beers of the edges of picnic tables, we have an abiding dislike for severe humidity and…
For the Love of the Job
I’m not sure this has been mentioned before, although if it hasn’t been said then let me be the first: the job hunt is just like dating. I realized this…
A Time for (Online) Work and a Time for Play
For the first time since I started kindergarten twenty years ago, I am not enrolled in school. I have no new professors whose names I pray to pronounce correctly, no…
Downhill Mountain Biking – An Introduction
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Working Online: Flexible Lifestyle or Utter Chaos?
I knew, when I began a Master of Fine Arts two years ago, that I would take off a year when I finished, before pursuing a PhD. I didn’t know…
Working out – without realizing it
I abhor working out… when I realize that what I’m doing is a workout. I have found a scant few things as mundane and monotonous as working out on machines…
How to Be a Successful English Teacher – Things I Learned the Hard Way
Teaching in any country can be challenging, even without the added difficulty of a language barrier. Yet as globalization increases, the demand for English teachers internationally continues to boom literally…
How to Make Friends when Traveling
I’ve done my fair share of traveling and made some of my best friends in the most foreign of situations. But if you’re about to start traveling, either alone, or…
In love with…bandanas
While on a recent run down a mountain, I had the misfortune to catch my toe on a protruding rock and did a spectacular belly-flop onto the ground. My injuries…
The Delicate Art of Cutting Hair
I once had a linguistics professor who told our class “The two jobs that can get you anywhere in the world are teaching English, and cutting hair.” While I have…
Preparing to Study Abroad
Recently, my school asked me to help lead a meeting for everyone who is going abroad next autumn. Besides a brief frisson of jealousy, there was excitement and anticipation for…
Travel Companions: Love Them or Hate Them
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain We three…
Refunds, and How to Get Them
Unless you’re a pilgrim, today’s traveling woman will likely be taking a lot of flights as they jetset across the world. In a moment of boredom and reflection, I counted…