Category Archives: Suzanne Strazza

“There is in this world no function more important than that of being charming.” —Victor Hugo There’s a book out there meant to guide us in all aspects of life; a book that teaches us how to be worthy, faithful, … Continue reading →

What do my friends look like? Do I still have friends? Should I move the couch? Again? Is he still our president? What else can I spray-paint? Bangs? How stupid can my brilliant children be? It’s good to not wash … Continue reading →

“Beware the ides of March” — William Shakespeare I was watching the turkey vultures rise on the wind over the canyon today, contemplating my passion for these birds that goes all the way back to when my kids were small. … Continue reading →

One of my most surprising activities during the pandemic has been, just like the rest of the world, reconnecting with high school classmates. Zooming away. When I reminisce about those formative years, although there are a few fond memories, my … Continue reading →

Finding my place amid a global pandemic   Sitting at the kitchen window, heavy March snow falling, my eyes fix on an invisible spot on the southwestern skyline. These vistas are expansive; horizons form straight lines interrupted only intermittently by … Continue reading →

Have y’all heard of Masterclass? Become a student? Have y’all heard of David Sedaris? For those who aren’t in the know, Masterclass is the newest in adults-with-free-time education. It’s the online version of going to a literary festival and hearing … Continue reading →

Where has Suzanne Strazza gone? She vanished. I need to be hearing about her f-ed up life so I can feel better about my own. Well, glad you asked. Because I’ve been asking myself that very same question for nigh … Continue reading →

F—ing skunks. If you have seen me recently, you may have noticed that once again, I am injured. And once again, there is a great story to the injury: one that includes a large amount of clumsiness and little to … Continue reading →

I went to my first Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 1988 – the 15th annual. My friends and I loaded up the car with tie-dye, squirt bottles, blankets, and enough peanut-butter pot cookies to incapacitate an entire army. We drove down … Continue reading →

I went to my first Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 1988 – the 15th annual. My friends and I loaded up the car with tie-dye, squirt bottles, blankets, and enough peanut-butter pot cookies to incapacitate an entire army. We drove down … Continue reading →

I put together one of these last year and was asked to provide a new one, annually. What follows is a compilation of scribbles on scraps of paper, direct from brain to hand, unfiltered, and somewhat embarrassing in that you … Continue reading →

Seems like the older I get the less inhibited I become. Is this a good thing? Jury’s out on that one but I am certainly spending less time questioning what others think of me. Again, good thing? Or not? Therefore, … Continue reading →

Eight years ago, I was a hot mess, and newly single. I wrote a column titled “50 things you should know before we date.” I got myself a stalker suitor out of it. Now, once again, I am single. But … Continue reading →

Due to a very large, handful of unforeseen surprises in my life (read: my life imploded), I find myself in a situation that I never thought I’d be in again… I live alone. I live with two cats and one … Continue reading →

Being a writer, I am always having writerly thoughts – brilliant blips that are sure to bring me fortune and fame if I can just put them on paper then get them out there into the world. I carry pens … Continue reading →

Sitting on a plane next to, not only a bigot, but a preacher bigot. Just as I sat down we had a brief discussion regarding his Bojangles Fried chicken which is really, in my humble opinion, rude to eat in … Continue reading →

In January of 2004 a column appeared in this very publication titled, “Confessions of a Frivolous Woman”; it centered around one main character – Mr. Darcy. I wrote it. I confessed to an unabashed love for Colin Firth (who is … Continue reading →

I just cleaned out my truck. Before you get too excited, it was a surface clean. No rags, cleansing agents, or muscle power used in the process. And I didn’t actually get to the glove compartment or the ashtray-slash-mini junk … Continue reading →

“She’s gone country, Look at ‘dem boots  She’s gone country, Back to her roots  She’s gone country, A new kinda suit  She’s gone country, Here she comes.” — Alan Jackson Having grown up where I did and how I did, the world that existed … Continue reading →

Parenting in the era of legalized marijuana is an experience I never dreamed I’d have. When I was the age my children are now, I was definitely stoned, listening to The Dead, and hanging out in my basement with my … Continue reading →

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I … Continue reading →

Christmastime never fails to evoke memories. While some vary from year to year, one is the constant; this little bit of nostalgia is at the forefront the minute I sit down to begin wrapping presents… Working at Bloomingdale’s. For those … Continue reading →

In a bizarre, this-could-only-happen-in-a-small-town, alignment-of-the-stars circumstance, I had Thanksgiving Dinner in my old home. The heart-pulls that began upon walking in the door have grown from stirrings, to fluttering, to poundings. So many sentiments bubbled their way to the surface … Continue reading →

“Our clothes are too much a part of us for most of us ever to be entirely indifferent to their condition: it is as though the fabric were indeed a natural extension of the body, of even of the soul.” … Continue reading →

What I learned about airplane travel in a week. Day 1: Using miles to purchase your ticket does not elevate your status (as in “Welcome back Ms. Strazza – so nice to see you again.”) It actually sends you to … Continue reading →

Preface: When I was 14, I convinced my brother Kent’s friends, Steve and Rick (aged 17) to teach me to drive Rick’s car. Kent was out for a run and my parents were in Europe. God only knows where the … Continue reading →

Fifty. 50. Five-Zero. Not dollars in my bank account. Not miles that I ran. Not cups of coffee I drink in a day. Years. Fifty years. Fifty years old. As I write this, I am in the twilight, no, near-midnight, … Continue reading →

My stomach hurts. It hurts so much that every move I make causes suffering. Rolling over in bed is now something I wish to avoid. Why, Suzanne? What is wrong? You ask with deep concern mixed with a little bit … Continue reading →

Every year, in the frenzy of getting holiday gifts out to family and friends, and dreading standing in line at the Post Office, I think of this day. It may be the most significant Christmas memory this family will ever … Continue reading →

I belong to a writing group. We get together each week to share our creativity, which is often inspired by a prompt that someone has chosen to throw at us. Last week, this was one of those prompts: Ten reasons … Continue reading →

Why is it so difficult for me to get motivated sometimes? Running makes me so happy. I should really do this everyday. Why do those first steps hurt so much? God, my back is all cattywhumpus. Pearl Jam. I’m totally … Continue reading →

A friend was heading out to a concert in a really big stadium, in a really big city — one of those concerts where, even with binoculars, you can’t see the performers on the stage from anywhere but the $500 … Continue reading →

So it seems like every time I turn on my computer, there is a new “test” for me to take that starts with some version of “What kind of _____ are you?” I took one – to determine my ideal … Continue reading →

Trick question? Do you really want an answer? When Emily Post taught me my manners, she made it very clear that when you greet someone, you say those words. Unconditionally. The only time I ever gave any thought to that … Continue reading →

Michele: Oh, okay. Um, I invented Post-Its. Romy: Actually, I thought of them completely by myself. I mean, all Michele did was say: “Whatabout making them yellow?” I’d like to thank Romy and Michele’s brilliant minds (or whomever the idea … Continue reading →

Before moving to Mancos, I had never lived anywhere (as an adult) for longer than two years, often fewer than two. Various apparent reasons: job, love, loss of job, loss of love, climbing. But beneath the surface there was a … Continue reading →

I have recently had the opportunity (chore) of rereading everything that I have written in the last four years. I have come away with several thoughts, a few of which I am going to share, here, with you. A – … Continue reading →

I am so un-hip when it comes to music. Actually I’m pretty un-hip in general. But really, I think that I have better taste in music than anyone, which I prove through my relationship with the King. Yeah, Elvis. Elvis … Continue reading →

Went for a run today. Sand Canyon Sunday. I haven’t run for months; three months ago I stopped, gave it up fearing it was for good. “Why,” you ask, “would you give up something that you love so much, something … Continue reading →