This is why I'm bitter. Based on a true story.

I was the 6th-grade "slut." And I kept a diary. So I decided to create The UnSlut Project in the hopes that my own diary entries could provide some perspective to girls who currently feel trapped and ashamed. I am publishing these entries one at a time, without changing a single word except for the names of the people involved. My limited commentary, which is confined to brackets in each entry, is meant to provide the relief of my current perspective, fifteen years later. The UnSlut Project: Working to undo the dangerous slut shaming in our schools, communities, media, and culture by sharing knowledge and experiences.

These are musings of mine, told as I grow through residency. I hope to share a little insight into the making of a doctor, one who still cannot believe she's been blessed with this responsibility.

Blood, bruises, broken promises and calls to 911 overshadowed my life... This was my nightmare, one in which I thought I would never awaken. Devin overpowered my senses and my control. I relied on my survival instincts to not only protect myself but our vulnerable son. Fighting Devin and his addiction felt like a tightrope, in which I had to balance carefully or I would never make it to the other side. This is how I persevered...

"You two become farmers? You must be kidding!" How little our friends really knew us. Sure, that's how life had been for the Secretary and the Building Supervisor... but those were the keywords - "had been". An opportunity had arisen to learn farming, working for a friend for 18 months on a 6,000 acre cropping and sheep farm he'd inherited... our 'apprenticeship'. Once our rural sojourn began, it continued until today on our small retirement farm. Here are the tales of our journey, filled with humour and pathos; joy and a few sorrows, too; and woven throughout, our absolute love for the land and the animals we have shared our lives with. Each chapter is a 'stand alone' providing a choice for a quick read 'on the move' - or a more leisurely and relaxed involvement with my words. Enjoyed this first book in my 'Old McLarsen had some Farms' series? Now there's 'everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask' about a decade of dairy-farming in South Australia in my second book - 'The Milky Way'. This first book is available in ebook format at Amazon, and through Smashwords and their outlets, and I have been pre-recording excerpts for local radio. These are to be broadcast soon and I will be able to share them on Soundcloud in far superior quality than my amateurish sampling there just now. I have also begun a couple of different kinds of memoirs - 'Just Moodling About... My Favourite Things', and another - 'Growing up in the Fifties' And - 'Wishful Thinker' - my first collection of short/short stories and anecdotes . My writing skills don't extend to the creation of deeply hidden allegories or metaphors. I like it this way and hope you understand my simplicity of choice. I welcome your thoughts on my stories. This way I can learn and write in the future, so please don't be afraid to express 'the good and the bad' (maybe not any 'ugly'). And please don't hesitate to share and/or vote to show your enjoyment.

I wrote this book primarily for my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, great-great-great… well, you get my drift. Having not yet completed my service to the United States Marine Corps, I thought it would be a bit presumptuous to pen my memoirs. That said, my family and friends have always enjoyed hearing my flight stories. So, I dug out some of my old journals and decided that I’d give an accounting of my flight school adventures. This is by no means representative of everyone’s time in Naval Flight School—this was just my personal experience and point of view on things. So, if you’d like to find out how a Utah girl who’d never given any thought to becoming a pilot before, much less touched the controls of the plane, ended up earning her wings of gold, read on. Semper Fly, Janine K. Spendlove ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ From my journal, dated 3 March 2002 On Monday something crazy happened. We were flying our Form Solo. I was “lead” so I named our flight “Vader” flight, cool eh? So anyway I was flying us out to the area (2F) & as soon as I leveled us off @ 6500ft I noticed my oil pressure was dropping. This is bad because if it drops too low your propeller will feather & your plane becomes a glider—basically your engine is worthless. I stayed calm & let my flight instructor know about my problem. The instructor in the chase plane sent my wing home & followed me down & made my radio calls for me while I executed my emergency landing at Brewton field. My landing was ugly—but I was nervous. I didn’t break anything & I’m alive. ☺

I have had a very eventful life. The stories that I post are from real events that I have witnessed. Some of them are quite humorous, some may be totally outrageous and shocking, but all of them are true (Most of the time, real events are lots better than fiction anyway). I hope that when you read these clips from my life that it may bring a smile to your face and make your day a little more pleasant, or make you count your blessings! Copyright 2014 Lloyd Benson

Ever wonder if anyone else was as confused about life as you? Welcome to my collection of existential crises wrapped in 21 chapters of insights! In this collection of insightful reflections, I'll answer everything from 'What is success?' to 'How do I truly belong somewhere?' Perfect for anyone who's ever felt lost in the maze of life or just wants to feel better about their own existential crises. (P.S. The cover art is created by yours truly!)

A series of letters to a once best friend, a series of letters he may never get to read. There are 73 days in summer, and that means 73 days of change. From a suicidal, depressed, self-harm addicted teenager into a (hopefully) stable young woman, this journal, written to my once best friend, chronicles my recovery. The only thing keeping me alive is a promise I made one year ago, a hope for a better future, and the thought of him. Many things will change, and my journey to recovery will not be easy.

As a little girl I loved Indiana Jones, not Harrison Ford, no, Indy. I dreamed about one day exploring ancient temples just like him. Now, as an adult, many say I am a real life Indiana Jones. I'm an archaeologist with a masters degree in Cultural Heritage who works in museums and goes to excavations. I've seen the temples, held the skulls, encountered the creeps who only want the treasure, and yes, IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM. But I'm not Indy, I'm no hero, no finder of priceless treasures; I'm just one person in a team of amazing experts who's job it is to try and uncover the truth about our past. And these are my stories. 🎖2019 Watty Award winner Non-fiction 🎖#1 in autobiography 11-09-2019