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Car free for three
Last month marked the beginning of my third year of living without a car, and I don’t miss it at all. Though we are raised to think of a car as a means to be free, I find I am much more free now than I was when I had one. Free of debt, free…
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The Cliffside Cadaver
As I checked into my San Francisco hostel yesterday, I listened to a girl debating with herself as to whether she should pay for another night at the hostel or camp somewhere in the city. It prompted me to recall a story of one time I camped in San Francisco. I had experienced a similar…
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My way of coming out ahead in Vegas
I recently attended a conference in Las Vegas. It was the first time I’d gone to a conference that an employer hadn’t paid for, and I was shocked at the $600 price tag. This didn’t include lodging, and I was so bitter about the cost of the conference that I decided not to stay at…
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Creation of a coffee addict
The other day, a friend asked me whether I drank coffee and, as always, there’s a story. I didn’t actually start drinking coffee until I was 45 years old. Prior to that, I was always able to take a nap at any of my jobs. Some places I worked had nap rooms; others had couches…
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How I became a tour guide
Often on tour, I am asked how I came upon this career. I usually start the story by sharing that I got my degree in architecture so naturally it just followed I became a tour guide, at which point everyone laughs. The reality is not far from the truth and, at times, equally comical. Like…
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A quick trip to Tofino (Canada)
Like Pai, in Thailand, I’d heard about Tofino for years before I visited. Every time I told people I was visiting Vancouver island, they’d tell me I’d have to visit Tofino. This summer’s visit to Canada provided an opportunity to see if the entreaties were true. I’d also heard that the winding narrow road over…
