unreachable

I am sitting at home waiting for my sister to come home so I can borrow money to buy food and tea. Because I realized on the drive home that I had left my purse in my desk at school, something I knew was bound to happen eventually. I thought of turning that car around right then and there, but I also realized that I would be back at school in about 13 hours, and I can live without my cell phone and wallet for 13 hours. Also, that is super sad. My life is consumed with work right now. I should be working now, but screw it for the time being. Oh yes, and I do have food AND tea in the house, but I need to go to a coffee shop with paid wireless so I can actually get work done. Yeah, it's complicated.

The odd thing is, I actually have gotten used to my early waking hours. I sort of like my 6:15 am drive to work. It's so dark and quiet and peaceful. I still haven't gotten my stereo fixed so I sing and talk to myself and no one knows cause it's pitch black out!

Here's what I want, for now and the future:
-food
-my own place closer to work
-travel. Hopefully someplace domestic over spring break, and someplace foreign over the summer.

I'm gonna go dig around the house for money now.

the perfect breakfast

I have discovered the perfect Saturday morning/early afternoon breakfast. First, I put on a pot of tea. [Quick aside - I am stupidly attached to using the teapot my old roommate got me when it is actually quite slow at boiling water. I really should listen to this article, but like I said, stupidly attached.] Then, in one skillet, I start frying up some hash browns in oil. While these are all a sizzlin', I prepare my eggs (3 whites, 1 yolk, and milk, all scrambled with salt and pepper). I also shred some pepper jack cheese. When the hash browns are starting to brown, I start frying the scrambled eggs in butter. Now my tea is ready...so I get that good to go (milk and sugar, please). Now! The grand finale...since the hash browns are almost done, I put the scrambled eggs in the skillet with them, and then add the shredded cheese. I fry this for about a minute until it becomes a gooey, cheesey, eggy, hash-browny pile of goodness. Then I put it on a plate and add some ketchup, drink my tea, and read the paper. MMMM.

sing me spanish techno

Dear New Pornographers,

Please punish me for listening too long to one (your) song. Also, I hope you don't mind that I don't replace the stolen copy of your cd. Also! Please come back to Minneapolis like you're supposed to.

XOXO,
E

P.S. Threadless is having a sale and I have money but the site is soooooooooo slow right now. Boo.

fuel.

When I went to the coffee shop last Friday morning, it was far too early. I walked in before 6:30, and the cashier was impressively perky. Not annoyingly so...I was simply amazed at how awake she was considering she probably got there an hour or so earlier. As I waited for my white mocha to be made, the other girl working asked how I was. "Tired," I replied. She said that she was tired too, and we chatted idly while she topped my drink with whipped cream. After she put the lid on she picked up a couple of chocolate-covered espresso beans and placed them on top. "These will help keep you awake," she explained. It made my morning. I need to remind myself to remember things like this when I'm having trouble making it through the day.

too good to ignore

...Even with all the business. Here is Ted Leo rocking out with children. The cynic in me wants to say that they're actors, but I still love it.

j-o-b!

So, I got a real job. Which means that I will be very busy very soon. Which means that this blog here will likely not be updated all that much. Yep!



While you lie around saying, "Oh when oh when is Erica going to update her blog again?" you can also read this article about Liz Phair and feminism.

sunday laziness

Best rejected advertising
This is just really cool. Yep.

A dot for every second of the day
Yeah, I don't know why I like this.

Interesting article on the politics of fat
It's such a mess. In the 50s, people did not have expensive gym memberships and Atkins. And I definitely think that people are responsible for staying healthy and taking care of themselves, but come on! There is certainly something about the mainstream American lifestyle that makes people fat. I went to Europe and lost 15 pounds without trying. Yeah, I should go back.

so good, it deserves its own entry.

You knit WHAT?
Hahh. Oh, knitters. Hilarious.

sleepy.

My long weekend started off nicely. I went to a pumpkin patch and a corn maze on Thursday (pictures), and it was lovely. On Friday I saw the Decemberists, and they put on a fine show as usual. My friend and I were going to buy tickets for the New Pornographers the next day, but it was cancelled. We went to hang out, and my car got broken into. (pictures) HOORAY! So awesome. They took the crappiest cd player on the planet, I swear. And some of my favorite cds, without cases. AND two boxes of Viactiv Calcium Chews. Wow, that's some hardcore thievery - your next outing will not be thwarted by threats of osteoporosis, for sure. They left a Harry Potter book, my map book, my umbrella, and a few random cds. I'm gonna list the cds they stole, just for my inventory. I probably won't replace most of them since I won't be getting any insurance money from this (not enough lost to offset the deductible), but hopefully I can get burned copies from friends for the ones I don't have on my computer.

Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out, The Woods
The Decemberists - Picaresque, Her Majesty
Beulah - When Your Heartstrings Break
Mirah - C'mon Miracle, Advisory Committee, You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
That Dog - Retreat From the Sun
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Tyranny of Distance, Shake the Sheets
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois, Michigan
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Hockey Night - Keep Guessin'
The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
Q and Not U - Different Damage
Elliott Smith - Either/Or
A. C. Newman - The Slow Wonder (case too)
The Blow - The Concussive Caress
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

Urgh. Some people, I swear. I took care of my window, now I just have to figure out the stereo business. I'm tired.

food, glorious food.

When I woke up today (before 6am), it was still dark out. That's to be expected. When I left (6:45), it was still dark out. And even when I got to work about a half hour later...still fairly dark out. It was unnerving. Falling back will be good.


This just in! Fantastic Falafel in a box is good stuff. I was always scared of homemade falafel (that is, if you count homemade to mean "adding water and frying") because I figured it would be inferior. But no! It is pretty darn good. Have you ever tried to explain falafel to someone who's never had it? I still am confused about what it actually is even after scanning the boxed ingredients several times. I always just tell them it's good.

Speaking of food, I'm in fall baking mode. I made some banana bread last over the weekend (my one Sunday accomplishment), and soon I hope to make pumpkin bread of some sort. I usually go for pumpkin chocolate chip, but this apple pumpkin bread looks damn good. I should take more pictures of food. Also, I need people to help eat my baked goods.

Speaking of pumpkins! I am planning on going to a pumpkin patch later on in the week, and I am super excited about it. Yes. I'm a dork. Ok, nostalgia time. I'm including a little story from four years ago about falling in love with a pumpkin. It's from my very first blog. Memories!

...As we're walking [through the farmer's market], what should we come across but a stand selling pumpkins. The perfect pumpkin, in mine eyes, was sitting there on the ground. A vibrant orange. Taller than it is fat. It was so beautiful. I picked it up and cradled it in my arms. Kari says, "Are you gonna buy it?" and I say, "What am I going to do with a pumpkin?" But looking at it somehow brought me immense joy. I didn't know what to do. Kari says, "You're not going to be able to put it down. You love it." So I decide I better put it down. IMMEDIATELY after these girls come over and start looking at my pumpkin. MY PUMPKIN! I look at Kari with a gasped/pained look on my face. We laugh, and I think the girls sensed my jealousy and left. By then, my fate was sealed. That pumpkin was mine. I paid the lovely old man $3. He gave me 2 quarters back. And I carried it around for like...2 more hours. But it's so pretty. And well worth $2. Now the pumpkin sits on my windowsill.

Well, that's quite enough for a Monday update. Sheesh.