ericaaaaa

Hi, hello, is anyone still there? Why do I still check tumblr? Why do YOU still check tumblr? 

But yes, this is your annual reminder that my blog has moved into your inbox, if you want it. Click here to subscribe to my tinyletter. The archive is viewable here.

Hey friends, do you still read this? I was looking through the archives (hey, it’s winter break) and man, 2009-2011...that was the HEYDAY of this tumblr. And tumblr in general, I think. It feels lonelier now, even if stuff is still happening. Lots of instagram posts...but yeah. Many of my close friends who I met via this here blog no longer check here, and I get it - I don’t even post much anymore. Also, sometimes when I click on my page it takes me to weird spammy site and blerg. 

So I’m trying something new - a NEWsletter! Yes. Yes. You can sign up here, and get posts that I would maybe post here but in your EMAIL instead. I’m hoping once or twice a month, but we’ll see. I do know that a dispatch will be arriving in email inboxes VERY VERY SOON. Like, today or tomorrow. 

(Source)

Make a tulle skirt that I can somehow wear without looking ridiculous

Have a fancy holiday cocktail party so I have a place to wear said skirt

Make wreaths for every season to hang on the door

Become an obnoxious lifestyle crafter

Hang the pictures already

hahaha I still haven’t done that

Fold all clothes and socks using a Japanese organizational method, achieve zen

First part yes, second part no

Get 8 hours of sleep on weeknights

Maybe even A weeknight

[siiiiigh]

Join snapchat

Yes!!

Make new friends

That’s what snapchat is for, right?

I...don’t...know?

Buy a lot of things so I can can earn a free flight with this new credit card

Boom! 2 flights to Seattle and 5 days of car rental.

Things like a rug! A coffee table! ETC!!

Yes! YES!!!

Dance to Taylor Swift in the kitchen every night until my husband files for divorce

Not always Tay Tay but kitchen is still happening at least once a week

Come up with a convincing argument (to my husband) as to why Taylor Swift is a cultural force to be reckoned with because 100 million album sales isn’t cutting it

I dunno, I SORT OF convinced him

Take a quilting class

Yes! All I want to do is quilt

Host a light rail pub crawl that has a $10 entry free

Give participants two $5 bills as drink tickets when they show up

Apply for a grant to travel to Finland to prove why recess is necessary

Dinner parties, always

Dinner parties where everyone has to wear fake fur

Only buy clothes from websites with free shipping both ways

Decide what I’m going to wear before going to bed so I don’t waste 15 minutes every morning deciding I don’t feel like wearing a shirt with birds on it

Throw out any clothes that don’t spark joy

YES

New uniform: stripes forever

TRUTH

Sing “22” at karaoke sometime

I DID THIS, IT WAS KINDA SCREAMY

YEAH DUH THAT’S A TAYLOR SWIFT SONG

Rewrite “22” as “32” and change the lyrics to things about going to bed at a reasonable hour ohhhhhh yeaaaahhhh

It’s getting dark too soon and my days are too busy. It’s nice that it’s still warm out, but I’m not outside, I’m working (a lot) and I want to break in my new boots and make loads of soup. It’s Fall, I suppose.

You know, that Japanese organization system devised by Marie Kondo where you discard everything that doesn’t spark joy. I read the book, I started going through all the things, and somewhere around komono (the large category that includes everything from CDs to cords to those glass cherries you bought in Venice 12 years ago) I lost speed. Some thoughts:

The category of clothes was probably the most successful for me. I got rid of approximately 7 bags of stuff I don’t like/wear and felt totally okay with it.

The thing with “joy sparking” is that some clothing items spark joy even though you never wear them. Those adorable vintage dresses? Super joy inducing and still super not wearing them.

Books, who needs them? Also, never ever sell your books to Half Price Books, what a sad state of affairs. 

The whole notion of “discarding” is tricky when you pride yourself on reusing stuff and/or not breaking laws about hazardous materials. The book really doesn’t address that some things stick around (broken lightbulb, old prescription cough syrup) because no one has the will to take them to the proper place.

“My basic principle for sorting papers is to throw them all away.” 

That is probably my favorite line in the book because fuck papers.

I couldn’t throw away my college newspaper columns because I would have to read them first and also fuck that.

But yeah, I got rid of almost all my CDs and that was about the point I started to sputter out. 

Touching all your stuff is exhausting.

I mean, I KNOW I should throw out those glass cherries from Venice but they’re cute. 

Also, there’s this part about how others in your household will see your great efforts and be motivated to follow suit and I’m going to say that so far THIS HAS NOT WORKED, not even in the slightest.

That said, a lovely byproduct of not having any shirts to wear because you threw away all your shirts is NEW SHIRTS THAT SPARK JOY!

The first time I heard about Point to LaPointe, it was explained something like this: start in Bayfield (on the south shore of the Great Lake), swim 2.1 miles towards land, arrive on the beach where someone says “Welcome to Madeline Island.” Then it’s a big party and you get to drink Oberon all day, said my swimming friend who was also a bartender at the time.

It only took...six...seven? years after first hearing about the race, but I finally did it last weekend. It took a while because the whole endeavor is involved. You have to obtain a wetsuit (either buy or rent). You have to drive 4+ hours. You have to find a place to stay in a tiny town. You have to not get married the same day the race is happening. You have to swim a lot.

Some of these parts are easy, but the worst part for me was the wetsuit. I looked at confusing charts and discovered that in wetsuit sizing I am a long, small man. Or maybe just a small man? A few pounds heavier and I am a medium man. I managed to get a $400 retail wetsuit for $120 and felt accomplished until I had to put the damn thing on - the struggle of inching it up my thighs so that the crotch maybe gets close to where it should be, then over my hips, which never feel super large but are not meant for wetsuits. After that, the helpful zipper closed me in and sure, it fits, if “fits” means that I feel constrained and unhappy. So I swam in the damn thing and sort of hated it and then hated it less until I got used to it enough. It’s Lake Superior, it’s necessary.

The hotel part should have been easy too, but when everything in Bayfield was booked solid I started looking farther out to Ashland...and booked a room at the Super 8 in Ashland...OREGON. Through some miracle the desk ladies granted my friend and I the very last “emergency” room even though we ran into two other groups that booked places in the wrong Ashland as well. Luck of the draw...

So anyway, race morning: I swam a lot all through July and swore to myself that I wasn’t going to get stressed out and anxious about time - I just wanted to finish. The dudes left first, leaving the ladies waiting in the cold cold water - 64 degrees. My feet were bare but comfortable. When we started, my face hit the water and ohhhhh fuck it was really fucking cold. My face got better, but somewhere around halfway my dumb Raynaud’s afflicted hands started to get numb. I wasn’t tired, but I was tired of my hands not circulating blood properly, tired of two swim caps pulling on my forehead, tired of my left shoulder not feeling right, but I kept swimming because that is pretty much the only option, lest I wanted to QUIT (ha!) and have the Coast Guard take me back to Bayfield. Swim swim swim. The water was cold but it felt really clean - maybe because it was so cold? And so clear, with the sand presenting itself through my goggles as I finally finally inched closer to shore. Are we there yet? 

I swam for 1 hour and 9 minutes. The ferry ride takes about 20 minutes and costs $6.50 each way. There was no real “party” on shore, and no Oberon, but there was a fire (the smoke being a useful sight tool while swimming) and donuts and stuff. I realized that I messed up my shoulder pretty badly, and tried to warms my hands back to normal so I could tweet about my success.

I mean, see that land way back there? I swam that whole way. 

It’s been about a month since I washed my hair with normal, full of chemicals, fruity smelling, reddish-pink bottled shampoo and conditioner. DON’T WORRY FRIENDS. I have washed my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar. I have also been preeeeettttyyy gross for the better part of a month.

Why did I do this? Because it’s summer and I like a challenge. And also because my hair has been different ever since I moved to this house. It is probably just the water, but something about not loving my hair completely is a good reason to mess with it. Most of the other hippie reasons that people have (saving money, less exposure to chemicals) don’t do a lot for me. Though I DO like the idea of bodies maintaining oil levels all by themselves. See? Experiments.

Other random comments:

- I am still waiting for that moment when my hair is all YAAAASSSS QUEEEENNNN and I can proclaim how great this experiment is and I’ll never go back to normal shampoo again! Right now it’s just weird and sort of greasy most of the time. 

- The last time I washed (with b.s. and vinegar, see what I did there, because washing with this stuff is kind of bullshit) my hair felt super straw like and weird so THIS time I added coconut oil to my damp, freshly washed hair, and that was the worst idea ever because now everything is a grease ball.

- The one big takeaway I have so far is that whenever I think I need to wash it, I can push myself another day. I think this effort of pushing oneself should probably be reserved for athletics and other pursuits instead of being gross, but it breaks the cycle of “I have to wash my hair every ______!” Whatever that amount is, it can be increased. 

J Crew Chevron One-Piece Swimsuit

 Light gray hiking pants, capri length, that seemed stupid at first but now I have grown to love to wear for yard work

North Face black hiking pants, long (thanks for having regular length pants that are actually long enough!)

North Face rain jacket that I don’t even like, but it’s supposed to rain every day and my cute rain jacket has no vents / doesn’t breathe / is not a living and breathing rain jacket like this one

North Face (OMG I LOVE NORTH FACE) t-shirt that is just a tee, but maybe it has some SPF in it or some shit? All my cotton tees seem inadequate and I’m lusting after ones that cost $85. DON’T WORRY! The one I actually bought only cost $25

Eddie Bauer scarf that is a knock-off of a Lululemon scarf but on sale, I say I’ll wear it to jazz up boring outfits but in truth it will probably be too hot all the time. BUT it could also double as a beach-cover up.

Eddie Bauer Travel Cardigan that has special travel material (wicking! drying! non-wrinkling! etc!) that I mostly bought so I could get free shipping for the scarf

Eddie Bauer striped tank that probably has SPF but who cares if it doesn’t cover your shoulders?

A pair of Teva sandals that are not flip-flops, and not very cute, and I was all grumbly about buying dumb sandals that I won’t wear again until I wore them and was all “these are so comfortable and great!” and inside I died a little because with the hiking pants and the sandals and the new obsession with wicking travel wear I have become one of them

Other shoes (running shoes, a pair of Chaco sandals (NOT THE UGLY KIND I SWEAR)) because why not? My running shoes had holes in them and adult sandal investments, etc

An Osprey urban backpack that is of course maroon, because women wear maroon and light blue backpacks and men wear forest green. The gendered coloring in sporting goods is awful. But anyway, this backpack has SO MANY POCKETS so who cares if it’s still kind of ugly and not a cool hipster Duluth Pack because POCKETS!!!

Costa Rica, by Lonely Planet

Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A $7 wallet from Turnstyle because my normal wallet is too big and apparently I threw out all my other slim wallets in a fit of pre-Marie Kondo Marie-Kondoing

Note: going to get all Marie Kondo up in here when I get back (and probably won’t throw out the hiking pants (I KNOW))

A bikini wax

A bottle of TendSkin to deal with the aftermath of the former 

Not bought, but acquired: regret at attempting either of the last two

A Target nightgown type thing, it’s soft and blue and it’s my honeymoon so if I wear pajamas they should be different, right? But I also think this nightgown wants to be a dress in a secret life, it has a built-in bra and everything

Moleskin Notebooks, because maybe I’ll write all the things on the beach!

An impulse bottle of bug spray with only 30% Deet

- Sometimes I go through phases where I just want to make cakes and pies, and sometimes I go through phases where I think about giving up refined sugar.

- I still eat too much sugar, and I’ve made two cakes this year.

- That cake I made, here is the recipe. I started following an adorable woman who blogs and makes adorable cakes, it seems like, EVERY WEEK. I don’t get it. I made one cake and ate it every day and begged friends to come over to enjoy cake but Minnesotans are weird and mostly won’t just come for cake, there has to be an event that just happens to have cake. Cake cannot be the solo event. This is the lesson of cake. So anyway, I don’t understand people who make cakes every week - who eats them? Do they just exist for the purpose of pretty pictures and blog posts?

- Really, what do I know? I am not paid to blog, nor to make cakes.

- I also made the I Want Chocolate Cake Cake which is a much better idea when you don’t want to have a party, or drag a cake to work.

- Making buttercream frosting in a food processor is vastly superior to using a stand mixer.

- I lack some of the perfectionist drive to make beautiful cakes, which makes me understand the ease of sheet cakes over layer cakes (they’re easier to transport, too).

- Our oven has been frustrating lately - everything takes longer than the recipe says and then I end up over-baking it but frosting is always amazing. 

- My oven is kind of like this 7-year-old MacBook that sometimes takes five minutes just to load gmail.

- Life goals: buy new computer, calibrate oven, bake cakes while giving up refined sugar. And have more parties.

The City That Believed in Desegregation - The Atlantic

I got this app called Balanced via a recommendation from Deb. You set up things you want to do do (daily, weekly, monthly or some other interval) and then it reminds me. I had to turn off notifications because I would get messages reminding me you should think about going outside now and I'm like FUCK YOU APP IT IS NOON AND I DON'T HAVE A JOB WHERE I CAN JUST FROLICK OUTSIDE WHENEVER I GODDAMN FEEL LIKE IT so yeah, notifications are off. 

Right now it is telling me Yoga or stretching (Do now!), Read (Do now!), Create Something (Do now!) and I guess that third one is why I'm here - even though I often think this app is stupid I still want to make it happy and check things off the list. That's me - driven by lists that tell me to do things or at the very least make me feel guilty about not doing things.

Things on other to-do lists that have been there for a long, long time:

Hang pictures

Buy a rug for the living room

Buy a new chair for the living room

Write thank you notes

Make earrings

Give away bags of clothing and old coats and old dishes

Hey, I watched a movie and only drifted off a tiiiiny bit! 

Pros:

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate's jeans - that lady can pull off high-waisted like a fox

A comedy about abortion that works!

Rants against the patriarchy from female friends

Jokes about underwear goop

Cons:

Nitpicky, but: wasn't she on birth control while in the previous serious relationship? There are many ways this could have been worked in, so it's odd that it wasn't addressed at all.

Also nitpicky: so many comments about how cold it is while NO ONE IS WEARING GLOVES OR MITTENS

Not enough scenes with Mom

Cause eff the bad things, right? I'm done with those.

Getting married was a prettttyyyyyy fun day. 

Going to lot of friend's weddings was also very fun. My wedding was the best, obvi, but I tried to rank the other weddings and I honestly couldn't put any one above the other. In short, celebrating with friends is always good.

Travail! I never wrote about it, but we went to Travail with another couple, got the tasting course, did the whole thing, and it was a really spectacular food experience. One I can't repeat super often because $$$ but I'm really glad we went.

Flowers. Weddings mean that this year I was introduced to the world of flowers, including cheap bouquets at Trader Joe's that last forever.

Choir was again fun, but there was one show in particular that I wasn't planning on attending but changed my mind last minute. It was at Patrick's Cabaret, the acoustics were awesome, and I got to see Murder Of Bros. Murder of Bros? They are a dude choir that does 90s covers, including Weezer's "Holiday" sea-shanty style. SWOON.

Babes in Bikeland! This alley cat race was another thing I wasn't really planning to do, but I buckled down on work and signed up 15 minutes before the start. And then had a grand time biking all over Minneapolis with lady friends. It cost $5 to enter, which made me wonder why I bother with pricey triathlons and other events.

Sticking it out at my job. Last year was horrible (so I guess that's still 2014...) but this school year has been so much better.