bzirkone

Born and raised in a small town in Kansas, I eventually realized my lifelong dream of leaving both the town and finally, Kansas.

The truth is, dreaming was pretty much all I did for most of those first 18 or-so years and the dreams were colorful and exciting. I was a photojournalist, a prized writer, an eccentric traveler, strange and beautiful and sought after by famous magazines and publishers. I captured the Pulitzer photo on every outing. My family, back home, missed me and regretted treating me with such indifference. But, I couldn’t go home.

Driven to find and write one story after another--capturing the essence that only I could imagine and communicate; writing was my life. I had no home and could not go back to Kansas.. They just didn’t ‘get’ me there... and never did. I was chic, wealthy, hip, and oh-so-elusive. I wore tight, straight-legged Levis and brown, loose knit sweaters and a black, lacy, push-up camisole underneath (Not really. Okay, yeah, really. It’s a dream, okay?). I traveled with a backpack full of lenses and notepads, hiking through the rough terrain of mountainsides, narrow paths, impossibly dangerous locations and the indigenous tribes, heretofore unfriendly, welcomed me, inviting me in to tell their story as they sensed that only I could. I was afraid of nothing. I had a calling. A story to write.

In spite of all that dreaming, I graduated high school and did a short and mostly hilarious stint in college until I'd exhausted my limited funds, but not before I landed a lifelong friend--who convinced me even further that I needed to be out of Kansas. But how?

I joined the Army. I trained (again, mostly hilarious) as an MP. At my first duty station, I met and married my first husband and the two of us traveled to my second duty station in Hawaii, where I landed a job in the Public Affairs Office. I finally had an audience. I wrote. I took photos. I learned how to paste-up a weekly newspaper. I traveled. I lived in a cool apartment on the beach with my beautiful southern husband. I got pregnant. Then, a couple years later, I did it again.

My southern husband and two babies and I moved back to Kansas. Actually, when my tour of duty ended and we studied, debated, and mapped out our return to the mainland, we landed on Virginia, Arizona, or Kansas as the possible places we would raise our little family. I did not know for many years that my sports-fanatic husband pushed the Kansas option–-not so I could be near my family, but because they have a professional football team he liked.

Three years later and in my early 30’s, I got pregnant again. My charming husband was never much of a wage earner and, in fact, never really worked that much at all. Thankfully, I landed a job making enough for us to get by - without many extras – but, we got by. I wasn’t writing much at that point, except the random angry tangent in some secret diary under the mattress. This was pre-DSL, pre-MSWORD and Yahoo was just the guy who snatched my newspaper out of the driveway every Sunday morning. When the third baby was a year old, my beautiful husband died in a car crash.

I set about raising my children in an old farmhouse in the country. They are grown up now. Smart, beautiful and mostly happy. One of them is the younger version of me. Driven. Answering a calling from somewhere in his soul. It has nothing to do with writing or words but he is searching and traveling. He lives in Arizona. Turns out they have a football team there, too. He looks just like his beautiful dad.

I remarried eventually and now have a rugged and beautiful second husband. We are old and mostly happy. We have some land and a small garden. He loves fishing, camping, farming... and me.

I kayak, camp, play around with indie films, and nose around my kid’s lives, when they let me. I run a small business from my home. I am still searching for the perfect story. I am still dreaming.

Find me @ bzirkworld.com

In the Spotlight

Coming Out as a Writer

My artistic aspirations do not include posthumous fame. I want to share my work now, even if to a small and receptive audience. I’d like to write. I’d like it better if a few readers enjoy my work. Besides mom, I mean.

In the Spotlight

Delicious, Healthy Black Bean Soup

This is the best black bean soup I have ever tasted. Actually, it's the only black bean soup I've ever tasted and I love it the best of any I can imagine. I make it especially when it's cold outside

In the Spotlight

Seeing is Believing...Sort of

I watch with slack-jawed amazement at every new plastic contraption that might... no... for sure... will make my life easier. I can barely resist any of them...

In the Spotlight

How Could I forget My Own Kids?

My daughters, unlike my son, are not like me. They share some physical resemblance and naturally imitate some of my mannerisms ....

In the Spotlight

Transparency: Mostly Absent in the 24/7 News Cycle

This being an election year, much of what we hear and see in Washington is showboating and has little actual relevance. The bill’s authors have no intention of supporting any such bill beyond the headlines they garner.

In the Spotlight

Know Your Competition

Get your head in the game before the game begins. Study your competition. Know the product. Know the advertising. Make a show of confidence.

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  16
  Chicken Recipes

  Buttermilk Baked Chicken

  7 years ago

  Turns out I’ve been brining my chicken for awhile now but I did not know it was called brining. I just call it marinating, and it is, but it is also a form of brining because of the salt.

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  2
  Insurance

  Insurance: Fear and Loathing

  9 years ago

  When you are ready to get a new quote for a vehicle, be prepared before you make the call or visit.

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  16
  One-Pot Meals

  Delicious, Healthy Black Bean Soup

  7 years ago

  This is the best black bean soup I have ever tasted. Actually, it's the only black bean soup I've ever tasted and I love it the best of any I can imagine. I make it especially when it's cold outside

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  11
  Famous Writers & Poets

  Coming Out as a Writer

  21 months ago

  My artistic aspirations do not include posthumous fame. I want to share my work now, even if to a small and receptive audience. I’d like to write. I’d like it better if a few readers enjoy my work. Besides mom, I mean.

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  10
  Kitchen

  Seeing is Believing...Sort of

  3 years ago

  I watch with slack-jawed amazement at every new plastic contraption that might... no... for sure... will make my life easier. I can barely resist any of them...

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  7
  Health Care, Drugs & Insurance

  Stoning Mom to Death

  5 years ago

  Reviews on WebMD indicate that all the folks taking Humira would recommend it to their friends. It’s a 5-star drug. I guess the blind, deaf, and dead people felt pretty good before they took their final dose.

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  16
  Kids

  How Could I forget My Own Kids?

  9 years ago

  My daughters, unlike my son, are not like me. They share some physical resemblance and naturally imitate some of my mannerisms ....

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  8
  Self-Improvement at Work

  Take Your Robe Off And Get To Work!

  9 years ago

  The idea of working from home is seductive. Often, I see it advertised as, “Work in your pajamas!” “Roll out of bed and read your email in the buff!”

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  0
  Financial Planning

  Choosing Life Insurance: Consult with a professional

  9 years ago

  "... I disagree with Saikit that children do not need life insurance coverage. Children need life insurance for many reasons, not the least of which is that a parent who loses a child may need several months or years away from work to deal with grief.

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  7
  Retail Businesses

  Know Your Competition

  3 years ago

  Get your head in the game before the game begins. Study your competition. Know the product. Know the advertising. Make a show of confidence.

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  4
  Politics & Political Science

  Transparency: Mostly Absent in the 24/7 News Cycle

  9 years ago

  This being an election year, much of what we hear and see in Washington is showboating and has little actual relevance. The bill’s authors have no intention of supporting any such bill beyond the headlines they garner.

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  0
  Viral Marketing on the Internet

  Online Marketing Replaces the Brag Wall

  9 years ago

  "...People are talking to other people every day about the service, products, and experiences they have. Droves of people- millions and billions of people are talking to each other – about businesses they love, like, and hate…on the web, on FaceBook, on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Amazon."