all content © Sarah Hepola Dot Com, 2005
July 2002
I was driving through Massachusetts when I decided to visit Emily Dickinson's house in Amherst. I couldn't afford some $10 entrance fee, but at least I'd get to see the place. When I got there, the building was obscured by... more
The World's Worst Story Pitches
July 29, 2002
As the broker-than-broke Sarahhepola tries to put some money in the bank by pitching her wares to the big-league publications, please enjoy this list of the worst ideas I've come up with, all involving chickens, for some reason I can't... more
All Dat Drankin and Smokin (New York City)
July 29, 2002
Ada and Neal live in a nice big Brooklyn loft beneath a sewing factory. Every morning, later than it should be, I am woken up by the mysterious thunks, wheels rattling over wooden floors. Everyone at work but me and... more
A World Inside a World
July 26, 2002
I grew up knowing of Rhett Miller. People nudged each other when he walked into our public school cafeteria. Girls whispered when he appeared at the occasional Battle of the Bands, his silky dark hair pulled back in a ponytail,... more
On the Air (Austin College Radio)
July 24, 2002
So my friend John Erler -- the same John who traveled with me to Alaska -- has a weekly radio show in Austin called "The Elk Mating Ritual Hour." I forget the origin of that name, but it's a pretty... more
No Sleep Till Brooklyn (New York City)
July 22, 2002
Day 1. I drive into Manhattan with my friend Jerm. We're lost, it's raining, we're stopped in traffic. A tree fell in the road. "Should I go left? Should I go left or should I go right?" "Go left." "Okay."... more
A Year in the Americas
July 16, 2002
It occured to me this morning that it was a year ago today that I flew to Ecuador. Let's read that entry for old-time sake, shall we? Ah, I was so much younger then. At least a year.... more
Conversations With My Father, Continued (Michigan)
July 15, 2002
Brief Historical Interlude: What We Talk About When We Talk About Finns Both my father's parents came from Finland. That makes me half-Finnish. "Okay," people say. "Tell me when you're through." (Ha!) The other half is Irish. That's the part... more
Conversations With My Father (Michigan)
July 13, 2002
Scene 1: A restaurant in Dallas, Texas. Let's say March. "So when I get to Michigan," I said, tearing some bread, "I thought I might spend some time in Detroit." Sometimes, when I am talking in a restaurant, I like... more
On the Subject of Money, which comes up a lot
July 11, 2002
Here is how I am paying for this trip: 401K money. This is a common question, maybe the one I get asked the most, and so I thought I'd clear that up. It all goes back to this conversation, between... more
Just Like Riding a Bike (Peak's Island, Maine)
July 10, 2002
This morning I take a 15-minute ferry from Portland, Maine, to Peak's Island. Perfect sunshine. The world is like tanktops and cool white cotton. Waves crash on the black shore, water spills over the rocks. Two scruffy men in front... more
Phew. Much Better, Thanks (Nova Scotia)
July 09, 2002
In which Sarahhepola sings the praises of Dumpster diving, soup kitchens, and Wendy's 99-cent menu Or: Ha! Just keeding. Things are turning around. For one, I've bathed. For another, I'm out of the car and staying in an actual bed... more
And the Center Will Not Hold (Maine)
July 08, 2002
I can't escape the feeling that things are falling apart. First, the computer. Then the rain, which pours on me whenever I use the payphone in the town square, which I use because my cell phone doesn't work here. For... more
Talk of the Town (Maine)
July 06, 2002
Or, things I overheard in Maine when I was pretending not to listen. Item 1: Skeleton Crew Bangor, Maine, a working-class lumber town most notable as the stomping grounds of one Steven King, who was nowhere to be found in... more
Or, things I overheard in
July 06, 2002
Or, things I overheard in Maine when I was pretending not to listen. Item 1: Skeleton Crew Bangor, Maine, a working-class lumber town most notable as the stomping grounds of one Steven King, who was nowhere to be found in... more
Andre of the Belly Fingers (Quebec City)
July 03, 2002
Everyone speaks French, which I expected, and it is so oppressively hot, which I did not. I went to the lake today, where I waded out waist-deep into the water and the little boys with swim masks resting on top... more
Busted (Ottawa, Canada)
July 02, 2002
His name is Eric Allbright. "White male, medium build, messy hair (but short), kind of funny nose." That`s what I wrote in the police report, which I filled out in the back of the cop car as sweaty frat boys... more