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"Shenandoah Breakdown" describes what can happen when you decide that relocating to the boonies will be a great adventure, so you move from the city to the country only to discover you now inhabit not another county but another country.
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Written by 2 Authors
Jose Padua
Heather Davis
Followed by 10 People (invite friends)

Shenandoah Breakdown

English - The South, Shenandoah Valley, Front Royal
http://shenandoahbreakdown.wordpress.com/
Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

A Slightly Sentimental Journey from the Country to the City—and Back Again

I don’t know. I say that a lot these days—though maybe I don’t actually say it and instead just think it. And, when I’m in a particularly bad mood, it’s, “I don’t fucking know.” On these winter days in Front … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

Birthing to Restore Sanity: How Jon Stewart Helped Deliver My Baby

“Your reasonableness is poisoning my fear.” -Stephen Colbert Hooked up to an I.V. and crisply beeping monitors, I close my eyes with each contraction so I can focus on panting and blowing. I need to get through the pain as … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

A Life of Uncontrollable Urges (or Tourette’s and the Writing Life)

On a recent Sunday afternoon, as I pushed a cart in the aisle between the checkout counters and the racks of men’s shirts at Walmart, the song that went though my head was Brian Eno’s “Here Come the Warm Jets.” … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

Why Drunken Poets Need to Procreate

If it were somehow obligatory that I sum up my existence with a single sentence—or perhaps with just a phrase and a simple image—I’d be at a loss. I would, in fact, feel quite helpless, as if I were trapped … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

The Indestructible Manliness of the Stay-at-Home Dad

On those days when Heather goes into the office, I’m not awake when I get out of bed. I’m standing, yes, and making my way down the hall into the office where I know I’ll find Maggie (who usually wakes … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

My Shenandoah Breakdowns

Breaking down has become a regular occurrence here in the Valley. And it happens even when I’m just staying here in town—or maybe because I’m just staying here in town. Unlike Heather, I don’t get that regular dose of the … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

Just a Country White Girl

It’s more than embarrassing but I have to admit that I’ve had a long-time obsession with that icon of squeaky-clean Hollywood-style Appalachia, John Boy Walton. Growing up in my large, sometimes poverty-stricken family, I latched onto John Boy like a … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 1Y ago

Fear and Loathing in Front Royal

Don’t take my word for it, but I’m an incredibly funny guy. I was once described by writer John Strausbaugh in the NYPress as a “stand-up poet” in a preview he wrote for a reading I did in New York—which … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 2Y ago

How I Learned to Stop Worrying about God, the Bomb (and Waterhead Disease)

It’s hard, real hard. But sometimes, I’m nearly overcome by Front Royal. Living here, I get these urges. Urges that aren’t good for my health. Urges that have nothing to do with trying to make the world a better place. … Continue reading →
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Shenandoah Breakdown · 2Y ago

Revelation at the Cracker Barrel

It’s a sunny cool day in March, a time every year when Front Royal starts to show some promise. With the skies clear, you can look up from the dilapidated houses and empty storefronts, the tattoo parlors and grungy strip … Continue reading →
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