Book Review: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

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Book Review: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

As I made my way into the vast expanse of Big Bend National Park, I felt I was on another planet. I was totally unfamiliar with this landscape: the heat, the sun, the prickly plants, and, of course, the sand and stone.

At times, I felt the beautiful expansiveness of this protected area. At other times, death became a pervasive thought. As a pale-skinned Yankee, I couldn’t keep myself from thinking how dangerous this landscape seemed and how awful (and easy) it would be to die here.

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Visiting Big Bend National Park during National Park Week

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Visiting Big Bend National Park during National Park Week

How do I even begin to describe my recent visit to Big Bend National Park? The experience was a story of contrasts and expansion.

To start, let me say that I’m a Midwesterner (born and raised in Detroit, Michigan) who went to college and lived in western Kentucky and Tennessee (Murray, Kentucky and Paris, Tennessee). And I’ve lived in Vermont since 2003. I’m used to a few environments: cement, sprawling farmland, and mountainous greenery. Big Bend was really my first experience with a desert landscape.

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Austin, Texas: So Much of Everything Good

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Austin, Texas: So Much of Everything Good

I knew I would like Austin, Texas, but I had no idea how much I enjoy the city nor for what reasons. Everyone knows Austin as the live music capital of the world, but I soon discovered a mind-blowing food and coffee scene in the Texas capital as well. Apparently, I’m not alone in appreciating the city. Austin Demographer Ryan Robinson has document 150 people moving to Austin each day and 40 leaving each day, for a net gain of 110. Can you imagine the U-Haul business?

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Book Review: The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

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Book Review: The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

I’ve heard of the classic struggle between straight couples: she wants to talk, to spend time together, to communicate. And he tends to do things, like gas up the car, mow the lawn or manage the family finances. Both fail to understand why they don’t feel loved or why their tokens of love aren’t fully received by the other partner.

Not every couple who complains has this particular dichotomy, but several who have bent my ear do and a few have mentioned one eye-opening book in particular. Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts intrigued me because I could easily identify two love languages, or so I thought. I wanted to know what the other three were as well.

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Re-Engagement Campaigns to Clean Your E-Newsletter List

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Re-Engagement Campaigns to Clean Your E-Newsletter List

It can feel incredibly good to see your e-news subscriber list grow, from the first time you hit the triple digits to the 1,000th subscriber. You’re on a roll when you get to 5,000, 10,000 or more. But at some point, your open or click-thru rates start to stagnate. You can’t get them above some goal or an industry average.

The fact is, on any e-newsletter list there will be people who lose interest or don’t have the time to open and read your messages. Worse yet, your message may be landing in the Gmail promotions tab (a no-man’s land no one wants to be in) or Junk Mail.

What to do?

Time to clean up your e-news subscriber list through a re-engagement campaign.

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A Week in Atlanta: A Four-Dimensional Experience

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A Week in Atlanta: A Four-Dimensional Experience

My last visit to Atlanta was 16 years ago. I loved it then, as a wide-eyed, scared 19-year-old on a budget, spring break road trip via Greyhound. This spring, as a woman in her mid-30s, I was glad to return to Atlanta’s warm embrace.

The first time I was in Atlanta, I rode in to the questionable Greyound station and stayed in a sketchy hostel. I was also dazzled by the clean, open spaces the Summer Olympics had recently created, along with cops on bicycles, and the World of Coca-Cola.

This time, I came by my own vehicle, stayed in a nice place on the northside through AirBnB, found a wonderfully flourishing coffee scene and was once again dazzled by the World of Coca Cola. Some things don’t change.

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