à la carte spirit by ilona fried
ilona fried
Amtrak Case Study: How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything
A frequent business traveler on Amtrak’s Boston-New York route told me the following story. Early in the trip he’d go to the cafe car to buy a coffee, and the woman behind the counter asked if he had small bills. Since it was the beginning of the route, the train not yet full, he wondered … Continue reading
Amtrak Residency: The Perils Within the Fine Print
Recently, my younger brother clued me into the Amtrak Residency for writers, a program that has been celebrated in social media. Successful applicants will ride the rails for free, in a room of one’s own (bed, desk, and window), on a route of Amtrak’s choosing. Having traveled in a roomette from Boston to Denver in … Continue reading
Introvert Birthday? Solo Road Trip
I recently celebrated my 47th birthday. By myself. As I wrote last year, my birthday falls during a time when I’m prone to seasonal affective disorder which even the Colorado sunshine doesn’t fully eliminate. It’s difficult for me to cheerfully celebrate when I’d rather crankily hibernate. Planning and conveying excitement to anyone who’d join me … Continue reading
Strip Malls as Spiritual Teachers?!
The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust Colorado is blessed with dramatic landscapes and sweeping sunny skies that inspire many people, myself included, to relocate here. Some folks even call this place “God’s country”. I wonder if these are the same people who’ve … Continue reading
Writing as Mystical Act
When I redesigned my blog in August of last year, I included a “widget” that shows what people are reading now (for those of you receiving this post via e-mail, it’s called “Current Reader Favorites” in the right column of my blog’s home page). It reminded me of a feature of online newspapers that indicate … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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