After leaving Bran on an empty stomach, I was starting to feel weird. Instead of going back to Brasov, the plan was to head over to a small village called Viscri which was close to a 2 hour drive. Viscri is an off-the-beaten path village known for its local artisans, farm-to-table meals at small restaurants, and for being a quiet place to stay in a guest house and experience slow living. It’s claim to fame is being the object of affection of King Charles, who owns a cottage there and advocates for the preservation of Viscri’s heritage and architecture by serving as a cultural ambassador. I was really looking forward to seeing this place especially because it doesn’t seem to be a known tourist attraction (yet). I was really excited to come here, stroll around and look at nature, buy some Romanian pottery and WHAT HAVE YOU. We were originally going to make reservations at one of the guest house restaurants but then decided against it, and well, good thing….

Since we weren’t going to be eating lunch there and I wasn’t sure if there would be snacks readily available, I had Henry buy me a pastry at a gas station.

It was cheese and raisins. It seemed fine.

But then I started to get SICK. I don’t get car sick very often at all – I’m the type of person who can read books and write in vacation journals in moving vehicles with no issue, so when I started to feel green, I immediately blamed it on the 3++++ servings of espresso I had early that morning. Maybe it was starting to hit me since I hadn’t eaten anything substantial in the meantime?

By the time we arrived to Viscri and parked, I was cooked. I didn’t even think I had it in me to get out of the car, but I pushed myself and then we had to walk quite a ways through the woods in order to get to the area where all the shops and houses are. It was here that I started shaking uncontrollably because I was freezing.

It wasn’t cold.

This was THE SICK SHIVERS.

I was basically panting too, all worn out from the slow stroll when I am basically a profesh ambler so you tell me – was I sick or nah.

All of the guest houses and shops are numbered.

Eventually, the path spilled us out in between some houses, one of which was a shop full of local wares. Thank god, because I wasn’t sure how long I was going to last and I at least wanted to buy a thing.

I could barely even stand up at this point and felt so miserable in this shop. I can promise you that had I felt like myself that day, I’d have spent $$$ in that bitch because it was full of exactly the type of rustic Romanian pieces I had been gunning for. But instead, I feebly pointed to a coffee mug and whispered faintly to Henry, “Get me this one, I have to go outside and die now.”

It was pathetic. I could barely even hold my head up and felt like I was going to spew my guts all over this precious pottery. There was a bench outside and I parked my sick ass down immediately and put my head in my hands.

Henry came out with my mug and I said, “I’m not going to make it, Henry. We have to go. NOW.”

I was still trying to take pictures though! Even though I had double-vision and had to do weird lamaze-type breathing except instead of trying to expel a human, I was trying to plug in the vomit.

DOG! A bright spot in my “AM I GOING TO FUCKING DIE IN ROMANIA???” freakout.

The color palette of Viscri, though.

This was truly such a long walk back to the car.

I took this while popping an emergency squat on the way back to the car because I really thought I was about to barf.

But don’t worry! I saved that for when we were about 5 minutes out of Viscri and Henry had to veer off onto the side of the road and frantically fish for a plastic gas station bag in the backseat, into which I violently vomited for what felt like a solid 10 minutes but I don’t think it was that long in succession lol.

The bag was red, btw. And actually very small. I will never forget that bag.

Unfortunately.

This was also the first time I even puked in the car that I can remember at least! There was a time when Janna was driving me home from a bar after I quit Weiss’s the first time, and I was so trashed that she had to pull over so I could puke in someone’s yard.

But this! This was some kind of bug. I thought maybe at first it was food poisoning, but it took me out for the entire rest of the day, part of the next day, and I wasn’t able to actually start eating without puking / feeling immediately nauseous until two days later. Our last day in Romania, LOL. Yay me!

I remembered watching this one travel couple on YouTube and the wife got super sick in Romania so I googled it and it’s actually quite common I guess? It’s one of the places where you’re not supposed to drink the water and I definitely didn’t, so I have no idea what I ended up having but you’ll be thrilled to know that Henry remained 100% unaffected. Because of course.

I ended up passing out in the car for most of the drive back to Brasov, puking again when we got back to the room, and then sleeping for pretty much all afternoon into the early evening.

I was too fucked to even be upset that I was missing out on doing Romania things. Like hiking to the top of the Brasov sign, which is what we were planning on doing when we got back from Viscri. :(

Oh well, here’s my mug!

I feel like this is the one thing most people know about Romania – “Dracula’s Castle.” I am really phoning it in, I know, but here is what Wiki says:

Marketed outside Romania as Dracula’s Castle, it is presented as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker‘s novel Dracula (1897). There is no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad the Impaler, voivode of Wallachia, whose byname ‘Drăculea’ resembles that of Dracula. Stoker’s description of Dracula’s crumbling fictional castle also bears no resemblance to Bran Castle.

Some of the more negative travelers will tell you that this is nothing more than a tourist trap and I would have to vehemently disagree. Take the whole Dracula element out of it and this is still a legitimate piece of medieval history. It was built in the 1300s for God’s sake! It contains art and furniture curated by Queen Marie but even if the whole Castle was empty, I’d still want to go there. It is so old! And so eerily perched upon a hill!

I do apologize, but this is going to be a big photo dump because I was acting like a kid in Japan who was given her first Nikon and unlimited rolls of film. I wanted to snap every nook and cranny, but I did find some restraint, I promise.

Henry booked us the full package (wow, spend it daddy) for once, opting to go for the guided tour with “skip the line” plus the optional torture chamber and Queen’s elevator thingie at the end. I didn’t care about all that shit but was happy that we had the skip the line thing because this place gets crowded and fast. We were the first people at the gate though! One lone traveler joined us after a bit and I was quietly laughing to myself because he also looked like a coaster thoosie so it was making me feel like we were waiting for a theme park to open and not freaking Dracula’s Castle in Romania.

Our guide’s name was Mihnea and I will be honest and say he was not giving docent. If I had to guess upon meeting him on the street, I would think he was part of the Romanian Intelligence Service of whatever is more secret than that, even. He was all in black and super mysterious with just a touch of “possibly a vampire.” I didn’t get any pictures of him but he’s possible in some of the video I recorded that day.

This was before the official tour started. We had to walk up the long and steep walkway with Mihnea and then he had us wait here for him while he did BTS tour guide stuff or attend to some secret government espionage thing. WE DIDN’T ASK.

Did you know that Vlad the Impaler never even lived in this Castle? Although it’s alleged that he may have been held prisoner there at some point.

I also find it interesting that while the rest of the world associates Vlad with Dracula and considers him a veritable monster, he is regarded as a national hero in Romania and I love that.

In modern times (aka the 1900s when I was born), Queen Marie lived here until her death in the 30s (who reads this thing for exact dates, anyway?), and then her daughter, Princess Illeana, was driven out in the 40s by the Communist regime and a decade later, the Castle was opened to the public as a museum.

JUST A LITTLE HISTORY FOR YOU.

Coat of Arms.

A window.

Oh! Through that doorway is the famous super steep and narrow staircase that E V E R Y T R A V E L Y O U T U B E R records. And yes, your girl also recorded the ascent, LOL.

Our guide told us to watch our heads at the top and then the lone tourist who looked like a coaster thoosie totally thwacked his forehead REAL HARD and I felt so bad but also had to turn around quickly because I was afraid I was going to start laughing.

The view out of every window was so on point. Probably not back in the day when flaming arrows were headed straight for you though. Just my guess.

You guys, in every single video or picture I’ve seen from people touring this place, the courtyard and walkways have been PACKED with poeple. But since we were FIRST! there was NO ONE ruining our shots! Definitely worth getting there early on a weekday.

Mihnea scolded some woman who started to encroach on our area while he was taking our picture. Worth the extra price of getting the guided tour! Don’t fuck with Mihnea!

That’s the town of Bran down there.

Sorry, I was obsessed with these old ass shingles. Don’t mind me.

Family tree.

Of course, they do play into the Dracula bit by having several little exhibits related to Dracula in media/pop culture and also the origin of vampire lore in Romanian culture, as well, more specifically Strigoi. 

I learned about strigoi from my old Darkchat friend, Cinn, in case anyone cares.

A group of middle-aged American women pushed their way in front of us in this room and Mihnea was like “Oh hell nah” and made an exasperated throat noise because they were talking so loudly while he was trying to do his spiel.

ALWAYS THE AMERICANS.

You guys, Princess Illeana gave up being a royal, turned into a nun, and died in ELWOOD CITY, PA! That’s not too far from us! We were like, “OMG WE HAVE TO GO AND SEE HER GRAVE” and of course have not made it there yet. Maybe this weekend?! I just thought that was a really cool semi-Pittsburgh connection.

Maybe this castle isn’t as grand as Peles, but I loved every inch of it.

Shingle Time!

TORTURE CHAMBER TIME! Mihnea waited outside of it for us, LOL. I was glad to be in there just the two of us so I could hoarsely whisper vile and depraved threats to Henry.

WINDOWS IN THE TORTURE CHAMBER. (It actually wasn’t a torture chamber per se but just the section of the castle where all the various torture devices were displayed. God forbid I should give inaccurate information!)

I kept trying to push Henry inside of this, LOL. Why the smiling face, tho???

Some lady was very sweet and took these pictures for us outside of the gift shop. She was either American or Canadian and pounced as soon as she saw me attempt to take a selfie of us. Super nice lady!

Then we bought a bunch of shit in the gift shop (Henry even bought a Bran Castle hat, LOL, dork) and parted ways with Mihnea as we had reached the end. Since we bought that extra elevator experience thing, we got to leave by going down the elevator that Queen Marie installed so she could have easier access to the Royal Gardens. Of course the current elevator has some Dracula-y video show playing in it which is kind of corny but also – when in Romania, right? It deposited us in this underground walkway thing that was lined with video screens showing different scenes of Vlad and vampire history in Romania. I thought it was really cool, actually, but there was this couple that came down right after us and they blew past all of that and went straight to the end where you could have your picture taken.

“Why would you skip all of this??” I whisper-cried to Henry, because I thought it was actually really cool and worth the upcharge of the deluxe “we’ll never be here again” package we splurged on. And the best part is that the picture at the end was included in that!

Worth it.

After we got our picture printed in yet another gift shop, we left through a door that spilled us out onto a lower courtyard area.

Sorry, a million pictures of me but bro, I’m at Bran Castle. Let me have this, please.

From here, we went back down to where all the vendors were, bought some magnets and postcards, I almost bought a fake Labubu (intentionally), Henry peed in an underground bathroom, and we did the Bran haunted house!

We tried to get food but this was our first taste of WE HATE TOURISTS attitude from the locals which was kind of hilarious considering these people were vending in quite possibly THE most tourist-trappy area of all Romania. I was trying to ask for Placinta cu Branza which is like a savory cheese pie but I wasn’t saying placinta with the exact accent required so the girl was like YOU’RE A MORON which I inferred from her impatient huffing and tone. Then she sent me to some other girl who was more English-y but also even more busy and was like IT’S NOT READY YET. YOU CAN HAVE THIS OR THAT, OR I DON’T KNOW and then stalked off and I was like OR I CAN LEAVE BYE because I was scared, you guys. These were legit Romani I’m pretty sure and they were not fucking around.

So we left that area and started walking back to the car and saw another little food stand thing that also had placinta but when we tried to order it the older woman sternly shook her head NO so…no placinta for us, fam.

This was just the beginning of what would end up being the worst day of the whole trip NOT TO BE DRAMATIC NO NOT ME, NOT EVER.

Also, it occurred to me that I never posted the video recap from the day before this! If you are hard-pressed for something to watch, here it is.

We’re en route to Philly (BIG SAD FACE) and I need to record this for posterity: before we left this morning, OUR HOUSE BY MADNESS was playing on the radio in our bedroom. Ughhhhhh. (If you read my NYE post, then you know!)

It’s 9:54am and Henry just ate a full Tastykakes pack like there was no tomorrow. Probably didn’t even chew.

Lololol.

12:11pm: An hour left – I finished this book in the meantime which is why I have neglected this boring-ass live blog.

Here are some pictures from our late lunch at Tillie’s yesterday! Chooch requested that we go there and we never say no to a Tillie’s request.

During lunch, chooch made a comment about how Henry “always” leaves leftovers at the restaurant which is hyperbolic but he has definitely done this on occasion! More like leftovers-adjacent but there was this time where we METICULOUSLY curated a bag of taffy from the candy shop at Holiday World only for Henry the Stoop to leave it in the hotel room after we checked out the next morning. (He had put it in the mini fridge, making it out of sight, out of mind!)

And wouldn’t you know it, we were nearly out of McKeesport when Chooch goes, “did you bring the food?” NOPE. NO HE DID NOT. Henry decided to go back and I was like there is no way they kept it, that shits been trashed, but Henry insisted that since it had only been 10 minutes it would likely still be there?! Like there is some “10 minute” guarantee on left behind leftovers?!

No. It was gone. LOL. My friend Chris commented on my IG post and said leaving behind Tillie’s leftovers is a mortal sin – AGREED. You’re the worst, Henry.

12:18pm: Chooch doesn’t have his backpack. His laptop is in his backpack. Awesome!

1:38pm: on our way to a cafe and I think this is the best subway experience we’ve had in Philly ever.

Also some guy was playing Luther Vandross’ “here & now” on his saxophone while we were waiting and I originally thought it was Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last” – I think something is actually deteriorating (not dethroning like autocorrect assumed) in my brain. :(

2:13pm: Henry said it looks like he’s praying to get away from us wow.

Anyway we made it to Grindcore House!

Satisfying!

Chooch is being so annoying BTW.

3:11pm: made it back to whatever station this is.

Chooch is still being annoying. (Look at his hostage smile?!!) And Henry is complaining. I just look old and tired.

3:42pm: Chooch is looking for his wallet in the car before we drop him off because I can imagine that being another pertinent item he left at home. Henry said something about him being a dick. “Can you please not swear in front of him,” Chooch said before causally saying, “oh there’s my gum!”

Anyway he things his wallet is in his backpack in his room in Pgh lololol ugh.

3:51pm: We just dropped him off and he said “cool bye I’ll see you in Korea I guess.” Wow bye love you too.

oh here are pictures of the Grindcore House bathroom:

And now for the long drive home.

What a nice time with Chooch though, getting to revive our fake rivalry over who Penelope loves most, jokingly telling him to can it every time we fake bicker, watching Season 5 of Stranger Things over Thanksgiving and Christmas and seeing the finale together at the theater. That dumb WWE thing. Seeing Marty Supreme with him at the Hollywood Theater on Friday (such a fantastic but stressful film!!) and sharing Stranger Things memes and theories. I really love that kid. :(

5:06pm: Now we’re listening to the Pens game on iHeartRadio lol. I had to redownload the Pens app to access the WWE tickets from work and in doing so I started getting game notifications again and just like that, sucked back in. I haven’t actively watched since 2017 or so because we got rid of cable and I had no way to watch after that and considered it a blessing for my health because as you may know, hockey was such a blood pressure jacker for me. I have no idea who even anyone is on this team now aside from the mainstays.

5:39pm: Pens made it to overtime with like 14 seconds left!

Henry keeps asking me all these Pens questions and I’m like bro I haven’t paid attention to hockey for the same amount of time as you so how would I know?! Apparently he just wants me to google all of this for him for free. (I didn’t even know who their new coach was!!)

5:43pm: YOOOO PENS WIN IN OT! CROSBY! On that note I’m ending this live blog. 2 hours and 42 minutes left.

Real quick I want to show-and-tell the bitchin’ coffee mugs I got when we were in Chicago last month! Technically, I was shopping for Kevin and I don’t know him very well so when I saw these mugs at Wolf Bait, handcrafted by local artist Liz Born, I was like, “OH WELL GUESS MAMA’S GETTING HERSELF A CHRISTMAS PREZZIE INSTEAD.” I mean, I would LOVE to gift someone a she-bopping rat mug for Christmas but literally the only person aside from me who I know would appreciate it is probably…Bill. I don’t even know.

But then I felt guilty and decided I didn’t need the mugs so we left.

I pouted REAL BIG until Henry was like JESUS CHRIST so we went back the next morning before leaving for home and he bought me the two I wanted lololol. I mean, I could have just bought them myself but it was more fun this way. (Besides, I found Kevin a normie mug there made by an art therapist who works at two local correctional institutions and then goes home and makes pottery as a way to process her stressful days. It was a beautiful, texturally pleasing mug!)

My favorite part was that when we went back the next morning for my redemption shopping spree, one of the owners was there and we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with her about the mugs and Pittsburgh (she has a friend here who owns a curiosity shop!) and she was just the best. Her entire personality felt like a raunchy GIRLS NIGHT comedy. Just an amazing person and I am so glad we went back! Wolf Bait is my new go-to shop in Chicago for gifts (for myself lol).

This was the positive experience I needed to turn my day around because for some reason, I had woken up that morning in the hotel feeling like I wanted to be a royal pain in the ass that day. I don’t know why I get like this, but we had picked a restaurant the night before to go to that morning for breakfast and I immediately said I didn’t want breakfast, I didn’t want to eat, I was having a big food scare. Can’t just let myself live!

Then we went to The Brewed for coffee and Henry was being annoying and having no spatial awareness, being in everyone’s way, and then they were preparing for an event so there was nowhere to sit inside and I just felt like I was going to flip out in public so I demanded the car keys and went and sat in the car like a little fucking bitch.

But then we went to Wolf Bait and it brought me back down to earth. And yes, we talked about this in therapy lol. I think I need bigger help for my food issues though because I feel like I’m getting worse.

Shop at Wolf Bait. Cool bye.

One thing about me that hasn’t changed since probably 2003 or 2004 is that I will NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE ON NYE. You can’t make me. I like to stay in, be cozy, not get social anxiety, and most importantly – avoid drunk drivers.

Plus, we got some heavy snow this year on NYE so even more reasons to stay in! Chooch was happy because we played some dumb game he got for Christmas called Hitster which he quickly realized he hated because I was REALLY GOOD AT IT. Basically, you can a QR code on a card and when the song plays, you have to correctly place it in the timeline you’ve created from other cards you’ve won. It gets progressively harder the more cards you accumulate.

You can also win a “token” if you correctly guess the name of the song and artist. Chooch made fun of me bigly because one of his songs was “Let it Be” and he goes, “Oh the hit Let It Be by Corsby Stills and Nash” as a throwback to when Corey and Kevin were here Thanksgiving weekend. I don’t think I wrote about this but it has been HAUNTING ME ever since so here goes.

Deep breath.

Exhale.

OK, we were playing that Songs of 80s and 90s Humming Game that I love so much. One of mine was “any song by Madness.” Um, OK I only know the ONE Madness song and I thought, “OK I have this in THE BAG.” So I started humming it and NO ONE was getting it. Everyone eventually gave up and when I said, “Our House by Madness” no one knew the song and I was aghast. But here is where it goes south.

“Yeah, it’s their cover of the Beatles’ song,” I said with full confidence. Chooch and Kevin were both immediately questioning this and I was like, “Yeah, the Beatles.”

We moved on with the game.

But two days later, I shot up in bed and cried out, “The Beatles didn’t sing Our House! That was CROSBY STILLS AND NASH!” I texted both Henry and Chooch about this, in a state of PANIC because if you know me, I am like half-savant when it comes to music things.

“Wow, good job,” Chooch replied, and then Henry admitted that he was thinking to himself that night, “What is she talking about??”

But then a few days went by and I was still emotionally self-flagellating over this when the actual Madness song popped into my head and I said out loud to no one, “THAT WASN’T EVEN A COVER, THAT WAS THEIR OWN FUCKING SONG, WHAT WAS I EVEN THINKING?!?!!?!?”

Am I losing it? Is this early on-set dementia? Was it just because I was drinking a strong Belgian beer and off my game??

Anyway, Chooch will never let me live me this down, hence his little Crosby, Stills and Nash quip.

I originally put on Seoul’s countdown and Chooch goes, “This was like 12 hours can we please just watch the US one, thanks.” W O W. Penelope was walking by and stopped abruptly to stare at the TV, which cracked me up.

Then she continued watching from the table.

Anyway, anti-climactic as always. Happy fucking New Year, etc.

But then for some reason, I brought up the Miz again I GUESS HE HAS BEEN HEAVY ON MY MIND SINCE LOSING HIS MATCH AT  THE DUMB WWE HOLIDAY THING ON SATURDAY and it inspired me to put on The Challenge compilation videos and Henry and I sat there until after 1AM reminiscing, saying things like, “What was his name? Abram I think?” and being totally mesmerized by CT (the best to ever do it, IMO). There was one clip of CT with Adam from The Real World Paris and I was like, “His dad was someone….but I can’t remember now.” Lionel Richie kept coming to me but I knew it wasn’t him. Eventually, I gave up and Googled and his dad is one of the founding members of The Commodores, so practically Lionel Richie! But it also made me laugh because one of the songs Henry got earlier that night during Hitster was “Easy” by the Commodores but he said Lionel Richie so we didn’t give him a token.

How’s that for too much detail into our boring NYE??

Meanwhile, I was avoiding my phone all night because the Stranger Things finale was released but Chooch and I had tickets to see it in the theater on New Year’s Day at noon. I wouldn’t even open Instagram to post a Happy New Year picture.

But finally it was Thursday and I was so sick to my stomach over the anticipation of saying goodbye to Stranger Things! I get so easily attached to everything and anything, it’s fucking stupid. I hadn’t originally intended on seeing it in the theater. Kevin and Corey were telling us it was going to be released this way back in November and at the time, they had thought it meant it was the ONLY way to watch it so I was really annoyed by that because I don’t generally enjoy going to the theater to see movies, let alone a series finale?? (Says the broad who is about to go to the movies again tonight to see Marty Supreme, but I digress! This is only because Chooch also wants to see it and I’m trying to actively be more supportive of the Hollywood Theater down the street.)

Of course, it turns out that it was also going to be released on Netflix so yay, but then Chooch started hounding me to reserve tickets to see it in the theater since he’d still be in town for it. I grudgingly did so. There were only two theaters showing it, and the closest one is in a part of town I try to avoid with all my might (the Waterfront, I have always hated the feel of this area) so I asked Chooch if he cared if we’d have to drive 45 minutes out of the city to see it in Greensburg, LOL. He said he didn’t care! He just wanted to see it and besides, the theater in Greensburg had more availability.

Can I just pause here and say that the fact that he chose to do this with me and not one of his friends actually made my heart feel like it was going to pop out of my chest? We have watched this show together since it came out in 2016 and this just felt so special, driving to Greensburg (me yelling, “SLOW DOWN!” to him every 10 seconds as if he doesn’t get his speed demon tendencies from me) and making him listen to my annoying music, ugh. It was probably the BEST New Year’s Day I’ve ever had, if we’re being honest.

There was some AMC promotion where every ticket came with a $20 food credit — the same cost as the ticket, so suddenly I wasn’t AS annoyed that it cost us $40 for these tickets!? I am so out of the loop with theater prices that I had to consult with my friend Nate at work who confirmed that $20 is the going rate for “special releases” I guess. Because of this, I figured we could just get there a little bit earlier and get food for lunch they allege to have Impossible nuggets, flatbread pizza, etc. But the young kid at the counter said, “no, we’re out” to both of these items and then before we had a chance to choose anything else, he added, “We’re out of basically everything.”

Dafuq.

Here’s $40 in concession credits, good luck.

There was a mall across the parking lot from the theater and we had a good 45 minutes, so I suggested just going there. I was fine because I had eaten breakfast, but Chooch hadn’t eaten anything yet and I didn’t want him to have popcorn for lunch (assuming they weren’t out of that too). So we went to the food court and luckily there was a Panera there so Chooch got his beloved caprese sandwich. Neither of us had ever been to the Westmoreland Mall before so that was a fun side quest.

Back at the theater, the concession stand now had a legit line as opposed to earlier when it was just Chooch and me, looking like we had only gone to AMC to eat lunch. I felt bad for all the people in line around us discussing what they were going to get when I knew it was basically candy, popcorn, or suck their fat one. (IYKYK.)

However, when it was our turn, I decided to press my luck and tentatively ask for a soft pretzel.

There was an awkward silence.

“Well…” the guy started. “We’re out of the pretzel bites, but we do have one Bavarian pretzel left…” He was saying this is a tone like he was trying to talk me out of ordering it, but that’s the pretzel I was actually asking about.

I was like, great my guy, OK cool, I’ll take the last Bavarian.

But he goes, in a weirdly serious tone, “It’s a pound and a half.”

LOOK I HAVE $40 DOLLARS IN FOOD CREDIT HERE AND WOULD LIKE MY FUCKING PRETZEL STOP FAT-SHAMING IT AND ME! Bro was about to pull out the bullhorn next to announce to everyone that this Fatty from the City had just purchased the last 1.5 pound soft pretzel.

Anyway, I got to use the stupid food vouchers – one Bavarian pretzel, one bottle of water, and one soft drink was $30. Jesus.

However, once that pretzel was birthed from the over and delivered to us, I opened the lid and yelped. That was one motherwhompin’ pretzel for sure and actually worth the $16. Plus it came with two things of cheese. It was so big (literally looked like a vine from the Mind Flayer) that Chooch and I only ate about 1/8 of it before Stranger Things started and took the rest home for Henry the Pretzel Monster.

I should have held it up to my head for scale – it was definitely bigger than my head.

Well, anyway – no spoilers here obviously but props to Chooch for twisting my arm because being in a sold out theater for this finale was everything. I don’t think I have ever experienced anything like that even back when I was regularly going to the movies (I used to be a huge movie buff as a teen and into my early 20s!) and I’m so glad that the Duffer Bros made this an option because the live audience made it feel so much more epic! I still plan to rewatch it at home on Netflix (Henry and I have been re-watching the whole series and are almost done with Season 4, anyway) but this was truly the coolest way to watch it. THANK YOU, CHOOCH.

He was 10 when it first came out, and being able to watch something with him that touched so heavily upon my own childhood as an 80s kid was wild and memorable!

(OMG don’t mind me but I’m just over here crying again, lol.)

The rest of the day was super chill. Just hung out at home, finally got to start scrolling through all the Stranger Things reaction and theories posts on Threads and Reddit, and just had a nice relaxing New Years evening.

That was a really nice start to 2026, although it also means it’s almost time to take Chooch back to Philly and I am really getting sadder and sadder thinking about this because having him home for this Christmas break made everything feel normal again and now I’m going to go back to being lonely during the days while I’m sitting here working.

Sigh.

Happy New Year!

Don’t mind me. I’m just over here green-faced and burping at the mere recollection of my journey to 20 stamps. Chooch kept saying this was going to turn me into an alcoholic but in the end, I think it actually turned me AVERSE to beer.

Anyway, let’s get the rest of the stamps on record here for prosperity.

We met up with THE Chronica at Headley’s for some stamp action. I truly lost track as to what # stamp this was but rest assured we had a wonderful evening with Chronica. We hadn’t seen them since their going away party last July at Spoonwood! They returned from Spain in the fall but are actually headed back again as I type this. So I am super grateful that we got to see them during a hectic holiday season!

Either Chris or Monica pointed out that this picture makes it look like we were hanging out a random animal hospital, and very happy to be doing so, LOL. I don’t know why we were positioned this way, probably at my misleading direction, but it makes it even funnier honestly!

Of course I made them pose with the bag of CHRONIKKAH Dark Matter coffee that I saw and had to pick up for them when we were in Chicago because they have gone by the portmanteau
Chronica for probably as long as I have known them!?

Last weekend, we went to Helicon in Oakdale. It was OK. I wasn’t wow’d and probably would not go back. I also started to get a headache almost IMMEDIATELY after my first sip of whatever this was.

After one half pour at Helicon, we went to the new Grist House location also in Oakdale. I have GOT to stop getting locally-brewed Belgian beers because they do NOT TASTE LIKE BELGIAN BEERS. I didn’t really enjoy my other beer either (some kind of sour that was supposed to make me feel warm on a cold day or something but that was not true) HOWEVER!! I am not writing off Grist House because I have had one of their IPAs from somewhere else and I thought it was just fine, plus this new location is really cool, the staff were incredibly friendly and attentive, and I am just going to go ahead and say this now – I think I had the best soft pretzel of MY LIFE there. Would certainly go back for that and the vibes.

This is the sour that did not inspire warmth.

The next day, we went to Golden Age to buy beer for Christmas Eve, as previously mentioned in my Xmas Eve post, and that counted toward a stamp!

On the way home, we stopped at Burghers on the Southside. I didn’t see anything on the menu that appealed to me so I opted out, but Henry got some New Zealand ale thing. I took a sip expected it to be basic but YOOOOO. Was this possibly the best beer out of all 20 stamps? I don’t know but it was NICE. You know how when people say something tastes bright? Well, now I understand what that means because it legit lit up in my mouth. I loved it. I probably ended up drinking half of it.

Then we went down the street to Velum. Mid, honestly. The people there were very nice but I wouldn’t go back.

I can’t even remember what this was but it was whatever. Henry got two tiny IPAs that were fine. One had a description saying it tasted like spruce and yep, they got that right.

I dunno, I didn’t really like the vibe in there either. It felt like we were sitting in a snack bar, which is only acceptable if it’s connected to a ROLLER RINK, obviously.

And then Friday was THE DAY! I decided on Eleventh Hour for my 20th stamp, because I realized that I never collected the 10 stamp prize along the way and Eleventh Hour was one of the only breweries listed that had BOTH prizes available to collect.

I LIKED THIS PLACE! I think I’ve had their beers before at other places, but the vibe of the actual brewery was super chill (I mean, it was also a Friday afternoon, so…) and the bartender was great. She didn’t even count my stamps, just completely trusted me!

I had a REALLY delicious sour (I am so fickle with sours so when one is amenable with palate, I rejoice) and enjoyed it while lovingly stroking my prizes. Meanwhile, Henry was looking at the Pgh Brewers Guild website and it says that these books DON’T EXPIRE?? That you just can’t combine books for the rewards?? So I can technically still keep collecting stamps in this one I guess until I reach 30??

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

That chaotic race to 20 for WHAT.

Oh well, it was fun and you know I love a challenge.

Anyway, I came home and shoved my rewards in Chooch’s face.

“Oh wow,” he deadpanned. “How will you talk about this for 30 minutes at the Christmas Eve table with Kevin and Corey?”

OK HATER.

(Literally, he said we talked about beer for 80% of the night on Xmas Eve and I really find this to be a gross exaggeration.)

Here are the breweries we visited (or popped in just for a to-go pack and stamp); the ones I will definitely go back to are bolded:

• Lolev, obv.
• Cobblehaus
• Dancing Gnome
• Brew Gentlemen
• Hitchhiker
• Aslin
• Back Alley
• Headleys
• Helicon
• Strange Roots
• Burghers
• Velum
• Eleventh Hour
• Chimera
• Grist House
• Sly Fox
• Southern Tier
• Golden Age (I loved that Christmas beer!!!)
• Hazel Grove
• East End

What have I learned?

• I have low tolerance
• I am extremely picky
• Flights aren’t for me – I get sick/drunk every time I get a flight
• I’m so over IPAs yet they’re also my failsafe / fallback
• I really like red ale but have also had bad ones so I don’t know
• Christmas beers are better than pumpkin beers
• Belgian beer should only be made in Belgium
• Sometimes if a beer sounds like it’s going to be plain/boring, that might end up being the best one so I need to stop looking for the flashy ones!
• I need to find a new challenge for 2026, preferably one that involves salads and lots of exercise
• Beer tastes better at concerts 100%

My goal of wrapping up these recaps before the end of the year does not seem to be within reach now. But! We have reached the point of the trip where my luck ran out and the PINCH ME I’M DREAMING spinning on a hilltop mindset finally record-scratched me back to reality, lol. But at least this morning was nice! We’ll get to the bad part another day. First, let’s talk about our day trip to Bran Castle a/k/a Dracula’s Castle!

Bran is about an hour drive from Brasov so we set out around 7AM because this is a place that you need to get to before it opens since it’s such a big tourist attraction (or trap, as some reviews online say! BUT IT’S FUCKING BRAN CASTLE IN ROMANIA, OK? You can’t skip that).

On our long walk from the guest room to the car, we stopped at a cafe that wasn’t actually even opened yet but my big dumb American ass saw lights on and a barista behind the counter, so I barged right on in and ignored the “closed” sign on the door. UGH I hate myself. (Yes, the sign was in Romanian but come on, dumb stoop American tourist – be more aware!!) An older man came out from the back to see what the fuck was happening I guess, and he took over for the barista. To both of their credit, they were extremely friendly and forgiving. They didn’t even point out that they weren’t technically open and the guy even patiently explained the whole Romanian “long black” mystery to me. He suggested that if I wanted a larger size, to do three shots instead of two and I AGREED TO THIS? WHY DID I SAY YES SO CALMLY TO THREE SHOTS OF FUCKING ESPRESSO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH?

Foreshadowing, my friends, lol.

Anyway, I know the “pictures from the car window” is so tiresome, but ROLLING FOG ALONG THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS ON THE DRIVE TO THE BRAN CASTLE? Come on. I was hanging out that car window like a motherfucking dog.

Can you imagine living here?! I mean, I personally would hate it because it’s already hard enough for me to go to Kpop concerts just living in PITTSBURGH. Imagine rural Romania!? But I wouldn’t object to living here part time? Like, a month out of the year. Henry can do farm things with a mule while I lay in a field and read books watch Kpop videos on my phone.

We eventually made it to Bran, which was still somewhat Sleepy Town. This was our first glimpse at DRACULA’S CASTLE! We had a good hour to kill so we parked and found a cafe, like I really needed more caffeine after my TRIPLE long black!

We walked to Bran Coffee a bit down the street from where we parked.

IT LOOKED LIKE THIS INSIDE AND I LOVED IT!

THIS WAS NOT MY DRINK. I opted for no drink. Henry thinks this was a flat white, but he doesn’t have a vacation journal that he writes in habitually so we may never know (he just exclaimed from the kitchen that he is sure this was a flat white but it’s also possible that he wants my 1.5 readers to think he’s fancy). I will tell you that my croissant was the worst croissant I’ve ever had – so dry and hard that I would have needed to borrow Vlad’s sucker-fangs to make any purchase on it.

“I love Romania and all but Korean cafes are by far superior,” I muttered to Henry, who said, and I quote (because I wrote this in my vacation journal!!!), “You ain’t kidding.”

Cafe culture in Korea is just…different. It’s a whole genre.

Anyway, after this, we made our way over to the Castle ticketing area where all of the local vendors were noisily setting up their wares and food-stuffs, and it was really starting to feel lively! However, knowing that this place gets super crowded, I started to get the PEE JIG / INDIGESTION feeling that I get when we’re trying to rope drop at an amusement park. Even though Henry booked us guided tour tickets for 9AM AND “skip the line.” We don’t normally spend the extra money for fast pass bullshit but this was an exception.

More on the tour in the next post, because it’s time for me evening feeding.

Sappiness doesn’t usually good on me and we all know I’m that vain bitch, but I gotta be real here and tell you that this past Christmas was anticlimactic, quiet, and — absolutely perfect. All I wanted was for it to be just us three, no expectations, no obligations. And it was just that.

Against all odds, Chooch has grown up to be someone who doesn’t care about the amount of Christmas gifts under the treeTrudy. He was content with all the things we got him, like a jersey from some guy from the Seahawks, a Gulf of Mexico shirt (FDT), other assorted clothes items, Dr. Squatch, a really cool diffuser that Henry and I have become obsessed with and are planning on buying our own, lol.

We did also get him and his friend Zakk tickets to a Steelers game the week before, I gave him my credit card on Black Friday so he could buy himself clothes and an Eddie Bauer (he loves Eddie Bauer??) jacket at the outlets, and we let him roadtrip to Cleveland today for another Steelers game with two of his friends. So, he is happy!

As for me? HIM HO (that’s what Drew :( and Penelope call Santa) got me G-DRAGON’S PEACEMINUSONE NIKE PARANOISE AIR FORCE 1s!!! This was the most recent version released earlier in the year that I didn’t even attempt to buy because it’s a bloodbath and no one can compete with sneakerheads PLUS G-Dragon fans. But then I found my size on eBay and sent it to Henry as a HINT.

(

Oh! And as usual, half the fun on Christmas is watching Chooch roll his eyes at who all of his gifts are from. This year:

• Truman
• Lady on the sidewalk, dead
• Pam’s Eagle tattoo (our coaster friend loves the Eagles and is always showing off her Eagles tattoo lol but Chooch hates the Eagles)
• Splenny Claus (I inexplicably call Penelope “Splenny”)
• Wolfman’s Nards (obviously a nod to Monster Squad)
• Truman again, I guess I’m losing it
• 마크 (Mark Lee from NCT – when Chooch cared about Kpop, Mark was his bias)
• Johnnie Gilbert in his Never Shout Never phase (Chooch hates that I love Johnnie)
• Tara Yummy’s dog, Sugar (Chooch hates that I watch this certain group of YouTubers and know random things about their lives like the name of their dogs)
• “Welcome to the shithole!” guy in Iowa (literally one line in this entire blog post good luck finding it)

Let’s look at my shoes again!!!!

OMG my dream is to wear to these to a BIGBANG concert in 2026.

Excuse me, who is this adult.

Penelope, checking to see if they’re G-Dragon scented.

Later that day, we went to Pink Box for our annual Christmas buns. I got a taro mochi. I don’t know what the others got, just that they were annoyed that I wouldn’t let them eat them until we got our family pictures done in the cemetery.

The day started out so ugly and wet – just in general, the air was so cold and damp. But on the way to Pink Box, the sun came out and then the skies were a beautiful blue at the cemetery! It was also just warm enough to comfortably take off our jackets (hilariously Mr. Anti-Coat kept his on???).

There was only bad sour moment of the whole day and it was when I got into a big argument with the tri-pod and then pouted in the car for only approx. 30 seconds – BABY’S GROWING UP.

I ALMOST FORGOT TO TAKE PARTY!PARTY! PICTURES! Chooch was like, “Oh GREAT, you’re still using that app?!” when I screamed, “WAIT! PARTY! PARTY!”

Location change! And bun debut!

Anyway, as usual, these turned out like the usual Erin and Her Background Standers snaps that everyone is used to. There were actually quite a few people walking around the cemetery at this time (it’s usually dead, pun intended, but ever since Covid it’s like people realized that cemeteries are great places to take a stroll, ugh, go away) and I felt like we were getting stares but fuck you people, this is our TRADISHAWN.

Then, to cap off a perfect Christmas, we gathered on the couch at 8PM to watch all three new episodes of Stranger Things, and Penelope even joined us here and there. It was the coziest end to a wonderful day with my two faves and the only bad thing is that it’s going to make it so much harder to say goodbye to Chooch next weekend. :(

This just REALLY made it feel like Christmas to me.

OMG he went thrifting his friend last week and got this blanket gown thing that he has worn every day since and he’s so annoying about it.

Splenny <3

This has been a rough for most people I know and I just hope that everyone found some peace with their family / friends / furry kids during this holiday season.

7:06pm: Remember when I mentioned I won suite tickets to a WWE event that I wasn’t trying to win tickets for? Well, that night has arrived.

I’m here with Henry, Chooch and three of Chooch’s friends who were way less annoyed about attending this thing than I was.

Will they come out of here with as much pyrotechnics as EriKa KirK???

All my work friends told me to at least come and take advantage of the free food. This is all I can eat. The meatless pierogies have kielbasa and bacon bits all over them. :(

YOU GUYS I TAKE IT ALL BACK THIS BROAD JUST ANNOUNCED WHO’S GOING TO BE HERE TONIGHT AND SHE SAID THE MIZ??

IM SUDDENLY EXCITED.

MY MTV REAL WORLD / ROAD RULES CHALLENGE HEART JUST SWELLED.

7:18pm: I’ve just learned that The MIZ is a villain. I’m rooting for him.

7:34pm:

Whoever this guy is. DONT POINT AT ME.

I like this guy though:

I think everyone else hates him though. He just left the ring like a baby.

7:44pm OK my guy lost. I hate wrestling.

7:56pm: I had to just ask Henry if the bad guys ever win because this feels RIGGED.

Fraxiom is dumb.

8:00pm: LETS GOOOOOOO

I think he’s going to lose. People are freaking out over this other guy.

Chooch just texted me “Carmelo is winning” stfu boy.

You guys I just cheered alone in a sea of boos lol.

OH MAN and he just derobed to reveal a Cleveland Browns jersey?!? I extra love him lol. Everyone here HATES HIM bigly.

OMG this other guy just did 6 7 and someone behind me said “I want him to lose now.” LOL.

R I G G E D

Now I don’t have to pay attention to the rest of this.

8:30pm I’m clearly not in the know.

Ok what wow:

What in the Hills Have Eyes is this.

8:38pm: I just took a bathroom break because I don’t care about anything now that The MIZ has lost.

Henry is just happy that I won’t be buying merch lol.

8:46pm: wow what a shocker the guys everyone wanted to win won.

That thing in the dress did nothing btw.

8:51pm: intermission. They just announced the main event or whatever and it’s some guy who is a champion. Never heard of him.

Apparently the Chex mix is the Pgh Penguins snack mix.

OMFG I just said that the MIZ should go back to doing The Challenge and Henry frowned and said, “His body is too beat up. He moves so slow.” W O W.

Dude the amount of times I’ve said, “this has got to be almost over, right?”

9:08pm: THERE ARE TWO MORE TITLES ON THE LINE.

Chooch and all his friends are recording this guy. I guess he is someone.

Wait everyone likes this guy more.

OMG:

Wait I think those guys are on a team never mind.

9:31pm: yay finally people I wanted to win won so I got to clap. Also WWE has lots of inside jokes I’m not privy to but they seem stupid so I don’t care.

I yelled THAT MEANS CRAZY IN KOREAN and Henry was like ok sure but then I googled her and that’s why her name is Michin so STFU to everyone who doesn’t listen to me.

questions:

Do ppl ever actually get for real hurt doing this?

And if so, how would anyone know it wasn’t part of the act?

Omg Henry is sending videos to his work friend.

THIS REF SUCKS.

9:46pm: THE MAIN EVENT IS STARTING. chooch and all of his friends have their phones up, recording lol.

The one guy is McIntyre. Never heard of him. I guess he will be wrestling the top guy whom I have also never heard of but Henry informs me I know his dad.

This McIntyre guy is like 50.

who???

Holy shit is hair plastic??? Is he from LAZYTOWN??

All the sadistic fans in the crowd wanted the table and now they got the table.

10:35pm: welp, waiting for the T with a bunch of unruly WWE fans. What a weird night.
Henry is bragging to Chooch about going to THREE OR FOUR WWF events as a child bc Judy knew someone and one time – HE GOT TO SIT IN THE FRONT ROW. Chooch and I both said “wow” in an our monotoned surly teen voice at the same time.

ETA: Home now – I just asked chooch if his friends had fun and he said, “yeah I’m pretty sure the only person who didn’t have fun was you.”

W O W. OK first of all, I was fine?? I just wanted more of THE MIZ. I thought at the end, they’d all come out for a goodbye parade like the idols do at KCON and other Korean music events and award shows but I guess not?? It just ended with that winning guy with the plastic Ken hair?!

Also one of the guys in the suite next to ours was so hostile but in a very PG way and kept screaming YOU STINK! and WE WANT THE TABLE!

I’m so ready for bed.

*******

ETA Part 2: It’s the next morning and I have had time to collect some sober, unstimulated thoughts. Here we go:

• I neither liked nor disliked the evening. The MIZ was fun, I was bored numerous times, it didn’t hold my attention but I also didn’t feel anger being there. So that’s something!
• I LOVED WWF as a kid in the 80s. There wasn’t a single wrestler there last night that gave me nostalgic vibes. In fact, I have already forgotten every single one of their names except for the Miz of course and MICHIN!
• That son of Rhodes guy is GENUINELY the best they’ve got??? That’s pa-THET-ic. That guy was so fucking lame and boring??!
• WWE by far has WAY more diversity than I remember WWF having back in the day so I will give them snaps for that for sure. (But also, how is TRUMP able to support this??!! lol)
• I liked that they gave love to the kids with disabilities down by the…rink? No, ring.
• I’m just happy that Henry, Chooch and his friends had fun. I can’t remember the last time I saw Henry laugh so much (????) and I kept looking across the aisle at Chooch & Co and they were taking pictures, cheering, and actually paying attention which was wild because I was way on the other side of the attention span, dangling, holding on with three fingers.

We hosted Christmas Eve at our house this year and it was really nice if not a little frantic as time ticked on during the day but that’s normal for us, lol! Obviously, Chooch and I are of NO HELP to Henry in the kitchen but I at least cleaned the bathroom and living room and got the table set and the house mood-prepped, while Chooch was the designated “OH SHIT can you go to the store and get all of the things Henry forgot to buy” runner.

To his credit though Chooch did attempt to bake cookies (I forget what they were actually called – something about slamming the cookie sheet onto the counter after they came out of the oven, but they were essentially just sugar cookies) but he got immediately frustrated with using a hand mixer so Henry had to take over and do most of it while Chooch stood there antagonizing him. Ah, the harsh tones of two surly men sniping at each other in the kitchen, I’m going to miss that when Chooch goes back to Philly next week. :(

I think this was when we were looking for the Christmas tray for the ham that Kevin was bringing, lots of slamming and metallic rummaging ensued. And sorry if my unread message count stresses you out, you should see the number of unread emails I have on my phone (it’s over 10,000, you’re welcome).

I’ve been really into Romanian club hits which apparently the actual genre is called “Popcorn” – that makes me love it even more! So I had a YouTube playlist going on the TV to set the “mood” – right when my mom showed up, a video of half-naked girls wrestling in oil was playing. She just kind of glanced at it and kept on walking past, lol. Oh, Romania.

The incomplete dessert station featuring “Chooch’s” cookies. Henry also baked an apple butter pie (I FOUND THE RECIPE) which was legit fireworks on the palate – the perfect mix of apple and pumpkin pie, really. Best of both worlds. But just in case, I had him also get a storebought sweet potato pie as backup. The apple butter pie was perfection though and made me really want to bring back the pie party next year.

Henry got this Christmas beer from Golden Age so that I could get a stamp (lol) but it ended up being worth it regardless because it was SO GOOD. I think second to Belgian beers, I like Christmas beers the best?? I haven’t had one I didn’t like.

I like that it looks like I’m the only one who showed up to Christmas Eve dinner, but the truth behind this picture is that, true to the type of ride hostess I am, I ran to the kitchen to serve myself first, lol. So, when I took this picture, everyone else was in the kitchen getting filling their plates except for me, Chooch (who was shoving me out of the way to get to the food first) and Henry the Martyr of Holiday Hosting who waited for everyone else to get their food before getting his own. Remember when I used to do the Goofus and Gallant, Oh Honestly Erin-style drawings? This would have been a good one.

I was going to make a kohlrabi and apple salad until I realized that it involved lots of slicing and I didn’t feel like doing that so I delegated it to Henry who pointed out that the recipe was behind a pay wall (I didn’t even get that far when I found it – just looked at the picture LOL) so then he took it upon himself to find something similar and I don’t know what he did but literally all I could taste was vinegar and I hated it, sorry Henry.

The tofurky was good though.

Oh look, there are the pies!

Chooch got to talk to Uncle Ryan about football. I still can’t believe he likes football. He’s going to Cleveland tomorrow for a game!!! WHO IS THIS KID.

Annual sibling photo.

Chooch in his new Seahawks (his favorite team??) zip-up from Ryan and the “dad” Blueie slippers my mom got him, lol. College Fashion. Of course, Chooch made us play a game after present-opening (Chameleon) and said that Kevin was the only one who understood the assignment. He is so judgey! That’s why I hate playing games with him!

Other than that, I feel like I told the same stories I always tell, my mom said things like, “WHERE WAS I???” every time Corey, Ryan, and I reminisced about our childhood hijinks, and Chooch accused us of talking about beer for 80% of the night which I strongly disagree with.

Relaxing after everyone left. <3 Penelope glowered on the back porch all night, refusing to greet her guests, lol. Overall, it was a very chill Christmas Eve and so nice to have my family here. I’m not saying I was a Grinch this year but there was so much going on that I didn’t really get too much into the Christmas spirit – we didn’t even have time to have Chingumas and that was a hard decision to make because I love having parties here.

I finally sat down and started going through more of the DSLR pictures we took in Romania. Here are the salvageable ones from the Merry Cemetery + some blurry/unfocused Henry gems because they capture the true disdain that shows on my face when he is doing something I don’t approve of, in this case, using  my camera lol:

Classic Erin, annoyed AF.

I don’t have an intro.

1. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

Eh. Some Alex Finlay hits but this not of them.

2. Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

This was a hot mess.

3. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

OK, now THIS one I really liked. It brought back a lot of the Stop Asian Hate rage that us normal, non-racist people felt during the height of Covid and then shows you what it was like for Asian Americans. I loved the supernatural element to this as well – it was so creepy but also had more than a few LOL moments. Loved it.

4. The Exorcist’s House (The Exorcist’s House, #1) by Nick Roberts

LOVED IT. 4.5 – exorcism is my favorite horror trope and this was so chilling that I could only read 1 or 2 chapters at a time.

4. The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards

4 stars – this one kept me hooked enough to make me seek out other books of the author so we’ll see if this was a fluke! I have one sitting behind me as I type.

5. Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls by Lauren Graham

Not as juicy as I wanted, but I opted for the audio which is narrated by Lauren Graham and it was just so comforting to have her voice in my ears.

6. All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

S.A.Crosby is such a solid thriller writer and never fails to make me hate white people more and more. Not as good as Razorblade Tears though. That’s my bar for S.A.Crosby novels.

7. Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby

Holy shit, this was so boring. What a beautiful book cover wasted on this snoozefest. NOTHING HAPPENS for the longest time!

8.We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough

A pretty unique take on the haunted house trope but for me personally, it didn’t scare or chill me. I’ll give it a three though because it was still entertaining.

9. Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

Someone called it “cozy sci-fi” and while I don’t like sci-fi, generally, I thought that maybe the cozy element would win me over. It was just OK.

10. Palaver by Bryan Washington

YES. This was fantastic. And the author includes photos from when he lived in Japan. Sentimental. Uncomfortable. At times, relatable. SAD. FUNNY. HAPPY. ENDEARING. I did not like “Memorial” that much by this same author so I was admittedly hesitate to pick this up but the cover spoke to me at the library. I am so glad I gave it a chance because it was beautiful and I don’t think I will ever forget it.

(I review with my emotions in case you couldn’t tell. “Oh, you wanted a plot? Click on the link. We’re talking about my FEELINGS here.”)

11. 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s by Rob Harvilla

Rob Harvilla used to write for AltPress back when I was a fervid subscriber so when I saw this was available on audio, I thought, “Eh, why the heck not. I was alive in the 90s.” Admittedly, there isn’t much from the 90s that I genuinely like (I know, I’m a traitor to my generation) but it was still fun and entertaining to listen to Rob go off on tangents while intertwining his own personal connections with the songs. This was also what inspired to pick up Maynard James Keenan’s biography earlier this month, spoiler. I gave it a 4 – it’s not riveting or groundbreaking but it was just a fun listen while getting in my daily steps. You know how it is. (P.S. I didn’t get a pretentious man-splainy vibe from this either which we love.)

12. Strange Houses by Uketsu

I don’t remember reading this many books in November. But this one I definitely remember because it was pretty creepy. This was my second Uketsu book and I think it’s safe to say I’m a fan.

13. Assembly by Natasha Brown

Beautifully written and I dare you to not be pissed off as you experience all of the micro-aggressions the narrator experiences just trying to BREATHE. A short but solid read to end the month for me.

Piața Sfatului, or Council Square, was lined with restaurants and bars and has got to be the place to be in the summer season. And winter! In autumn, it was still beautiful and blessedly uncrowded. I have seen so many pictures of the iconic BRASOV sign on Mt. Tampa back there and it felt beyond surreal to see it in real life. It’s the little things!

Strada Sforii! It’s one of the narrowest “streets” in Europe, only wide enough for two people to walk down side-by-side and was intended for firefighters to use it as a quick accessway. This is a must-do in Brasov and I was stoked that we made it there in between hordes of tourists! I have seen videos where people are pushed through in a crowded line – no fun in that!

I would say the top complaint I have seen across the board about Romania is their unhinged graffiti problem. We definitely saw less of it the more rural we got, obviously, but once we started making our way south toward Bucharest again, the tags began popping off. Brasov was a clear indication that while the buildings were old as shit, we were in more urban land for sure. Graffiti doesn’t bother me – as long as it’s not on churches, etc. Probably, it shouldn’t be here either but I felt like it added some flavor, I don’t know! It was fun to go through and look at all of the different languages. I didn’t see it in my pass-thru but on one travel vlog I watched on YouTube, I saw something written in Korean!

I knew if I looked hard enough, I’d find at least ONE Kpop reference, lol. #StanATEEZ

I took pictures with the good camera too and haven’t had a chance to even LOOK at them. Basically, I’m saying these Romania posts have no end in sight. I’m sorry.

Huntr/x representin’!

I mean, I don’t know! The graffiti gives it a grimy, sleazy flair! I think it would be such a cool backdrop for senior portraits. I have no idea why that was my first thought.

After moseying around town some more, we stopped back at the room to chill for a bit and I had to stop and take a million pictures from the catwalk thing that lead to our room. I just couldn’t get enough of this sight! It’s the main reason why I booked this room.

Then on the way back out, it was darker so I had to take more pictures LOL. Me one day in the nursing home: “Have I ever shown you my BRASOV SIGN pictures?” Every nurse under employment: “YES. ALL 87 VERSIONS.”

Brasov has a Romulus statue too!

I loved the lighting on this building!

After some shopping, we ended the night at a bar near our room called AFTAR STUBE.

Henry for some reason asked to sit outside and it was SO COLD. I was visibly shivering and although Henry was ignoring my frost-bitten status, the waiter noticed and asked if I needed a blanket.

YES, PLEASE.

He grabbed one from a stack inside an old telephone booth and brought it over to me and I was so grateful. He had come off very brooding and dark-vibey up until this moment (not that I minded, we were in Transylvania for fuck’s sake, ride that stereotype my guy).

Even though it was so chilly out, it was a great atmosphere. Groups of people came out here and there to smoke, so it wasn’t like we were ostracized but I still wished we had sat inside where the action (and heat) was.

I don’t want to paint myself like some kind of hop ho, but I was openly moaning while lapping up this sexy glass of sweet froth.

(FORESHADOWING: for as much as I loved this in moment, I feel extremely queasy just thinking about it right now. Ugh.)

This was a classic Romanian beer – very delightful! Bere Czell toasted my check-in on Untappd! (It was Henry’s beer, but I stole a few sips lol.)

Then this confident girl strutted onto the patio! The blurry picture is the result of me being slightly inebriated, my hands shaking from the cold, and the cat not standing still for even a split section.

One of the younger servers told us her name – it sounded like Video but that wasn’t it – and said she is a neighborhood stray who comes there for food every day. After I said, “aw” to the stray part, he said, “She is….” and after struggling for a moment to find the fitting English word, finished with, “living.” LOL. She definitely looked happy and healthy!

That was one thing I noted very quickly about Romania – they love their stray cats. It seems that many local restaurants have quid pro quo relationships with them – they keep the rats away, the restaurants give them scraps.

“Video” was following the younger server around like she owned the place. I loved it.

We split this veggie pizza – it was perfect with beer!

I stopped after my Hop Hooligans dessert beer, but I made Henry get this IPA from Clandestin because I follow them on Instagram and wanted to taste it lol. Also, it’s worth noting that I kept the labels of both cans, of course. I’m Captain Packrat.

What a great end to our first night in Brasov!

Last Saturday, Henry and I drove to Chicago to see Key at the Riviera Theater. Key is a member of one of my absolute favorite groups, SHINee. I am so happy that in the same calendar year, we had the much-appreciated pleasure of seeing not just Key, but also Taemin and Onew on their own respective solo tours. That’s 3/4 of (present-day) SHINee!

(RIP always to Jonghyun – the 8th anniversary of his death was actually a short 5 days after the Key concert which made it bittersweet.)

After an afternoon of shopping in Logan Square and scarfing down Beacon Doughnuts at Logan Vegan, we made our way to the Hilton in Evanston, where I changed into my concert OOTD. I went with this metallic gold blouse thing that I forgot I owned, because I felt that it gave off outer space / galactic vibes like some of Key’s stage outfits!

It is a really awkwardly-fitting top which I forgot about but I didn’t bring any back-ups, so oh well, too bad so sad.

The theater was about a 25 minute drive from our hotel. Originally, we had talked about just taking the L or whatever they call their train in Chicago, but it was legit 0 degrees that evening and it required a transfer so I cried, “CAN WE PLEASE JUST DRIVE?!!?” If it spring/summer/fall, sure, let’s pub-transit it up, who cares. But I absolutely hate being outside in the cold and please, just give me convenience.

I wanted to leave early because who knows what parking challenges we had ahead of us, but of course, we found parking immediately on the street that the theater was on, and it was also right outside of this place called FAT CAT, where we had some pre-show beers and small bites.

I found out about the Brown University shooting on the TV behind Henry. Happy Holidays.

I had a delightful winter ale from Spiteful Brewing called Jingle Balls. I have learned in my brewery travels that I genuinely like winter / Christmas beers. You’d think I’d be a lush for the October / pumpkin ones but they just don’t hit the way I want them to!!?

LOL purposely used this picture for Untappd because I’m such a sweetheart. This was Henry’s Cinnamon Prost from Old Irving Brewing Co. It was good! I stole a few sips. He also got a winter ale called Fall For Revenge from Pig Minds and it was also worthy of a few stolen sips. I stuck with just one beer for myself because this stupid brewery passport stamp-collecting has made me concerned that I’m becoming an alcoholic.

I also got a delicious carrot ginger soup and Henry and I shared a plate of vegan chicken bites. It was perfect pre-concert food and I didn’t feel sick at all afterward!

Toward the end of our stay there, a young couple came in on a date. She was from Australia and it sounded like they go to college together, I guess? Anyway, he ordered a DUVAL which I LOVE and he tried to give her a taste but she said she doesn’t like beer. It took everything in my power to not blurt out, “I DIDN’T EITHER UNTIL I HAD MY FIRST BELGIAN BEER TRY IT YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.” But I bit my lip and tried to focus on other things, like, I don’t know, Henry.

But then the guy started talking about THE BEERS HE HAD WHEN HE WAS IN BELGIUM and I made anguished eye contact with Henry, like, “PLEASE LET ME INTERRUPT” but Henry gave me a tiny head shake, like, “no Erin, don’t barge into their date.”

UGH.

Our time at Fat Cat was excelsior with ONE EXCEPTION: we started the evening out with a superb server and then I guess her shift ended so she was swapped out with some super intense man server who made me feel so pressured to be done with everything in front of me – he tried to take Henry’s beer when he still, god forbid, had one small chug left to it so Henry swiftly pulled the glass away and said, “I’m not finished yet.” Jesus Christ, bro, let us BREATHE. I could see if he was trying to usher us along to free up a table but…it was not crowded there AT ALL.

Oh, I’m sorry – one other complaint. Every time the door opened, Father Frost came wafting in and that place NEVER WARMED UP. I was so cold that I eventually put my coat back on.

We eventually left around 6:20 because the doors for Key were supposed to be at 6:30. When I tell you it was the SHORTEST LINE I have ever stood in for a Kpop concert, I’m not lying – that’s how you know the cold was no joke. Plus, it was a seated concert so I’m sure no one felt the need to be FIRST.

Doors were late opening and I eventually reached the point where I was so cold that I seriously worried about losing my toes. I did have a hat and gloves on but I was just wearing Vans and two pairs of socks. I had to march in place to keep my blood from freezing too.

Thankfully, there were still some brave souls passing out freebies, and I of course was being very overzealous about asking for some. I love my freebies, OK?? And I genuinely appreciate everyone who takes the time to make these special little mementoes.

Finally, we got to go inside! I truly feel like it was 7PM by the time we got in there. I was in so much fucking pain that when Henry left me to go to the bathroom, I had to get up out of my seat and walk around out of genuine fear that there was something medically wrong with my feet. My LORD I can’t remember the last time I was this cold!? Maybe when I did that effing ghost hunt at the abandoned school in South Park?!! That was definitely during the winter, in the middle of the night at a school with no utilities. Super awesome times.

I went back downstairs and accidentally ended up in the merch line, which was VERY SHORT, so even though Henry was instructed to get me a shirt after he went to the bathroom, I scooped one up super quickly – legit THE EASIEST merch experience I have had at a Kpop concert to date. Chef’s kiss, A+++ efficiency.

We were in the center section of whatever “LOGE” is – the front part of the balcony, 4 rows back. It was awesome – there was a railing behind us with the walkway and then the rest of the balcony started back from that.

Henry’s seat mate saw us struggling to take a selfie (they had these bright blue stage lights going from the moment everyone entered the place and they were extremely blinding to the point where I honestly wished I had sunglasses in my purse) so she offered to take several for us which was so nice! She looked extremely familiar. We chatted with her a bit and learned that she’s from Buffalo and also traveled to Chicago last February to see Taemin, so we think we might have recognized her from that show! I love the Kpop community. I can’t tell you how many of the same faces I used to see at my old sad boy concerts but god forbid anyone talk to me at those things.

Oh you guys. Did Key become my SHINee bias after this!?!? Is it time for me to just admit that I legitimately cannot be forced to choose a bias at this point because I love all SHINee members equally and for some many different reasons? Key put on such a strong show from start to finish. He is also exceptionally fluent in English AND SO FUCKING FUNNY that it almost felt like a stand-up show at times. His MENTS were hysterical!

We stan a man who can sing, dance, and make us laugh with his effortless humor and biting sassiness. Key delivers on all points!

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The two seats next to me remained empty all the way up to when Key took the stage, and even during the 1 or 2 songs. Eventually, two women took the seats but then it turned out one of the seats belonged to someone else – a MAN! I kept telling Henry that I hoped a man would be sitting next to me, I don’t know why since I actually fucking hate men, and it actually happened! I will say, it was an older demographic for Key and there were more men than usual – one of them was down by the stage and Key even called him out during one of his MENTS and even said, “KPOP is a weird industry, right? So WEIRD…..” I was dying. Actually, there were so many moments where Key had me laughing so hard that my stomach was starting to hurt. HE IS SO FUNNY!! Key mentioned numerous times that he was so grateful to finally get to do a solo tour in the US, after being an idol for 18 YEARS. He even threw shade to his agency at one point too which was amazing.

(Honestly, do better, SM. You have the most amazing talent on your roster and you treat them like shit.)

I am so glad that we were able to attend one of his shows because he deserves all of the sold-out venues, for real. What an icon.

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One of my favorite moments was when people started yelling “RING DING DONG!” which is a super popular SHINee song from back in the day that is such an ear worm that it was actually banned in Korea during exam season because it would get stuck in students’ head and make it hard for them to concentrate – LOL I’M NOT KIDDING, this is an actual thing in Korea where songs will get banned for that reason.

Anyway, Key famously is sick of that song so people do this to goad him. He stopped talking and said, “Oh shut up!” in the most harmless way and then when someone else yelled, “REPLAY!” (SHINee’s debut song 18 years ago!) he said “shut up” again and then immediately sang, “Noona namu yeppeo….” and we all fucking lost our minds!

I felt so energized and WARM after this show. Key is a gem, a true treasure. I’m honestly tearing up as I recap this because it was a really emotional night for me and so many others in that theater who have never had the good fortune of seeing SHINee. We’re just collecting their solo concerts at this point. (LET’S GO, MINHO!!!!)

I screamed so much that night that I could feel my voice submitting its PTO request before we even left the Riviera.

SET LIST

1. Strange
2. Helium
3. CoolAs
4. Want Another
5. Killer
6. Guilty Pleasure
7. HUNTER
8. Heartless
9. Good & Great
10. Pleasure Shop
11. Picture Frame
12. Another Life
13. BAD LOVE
14. Gasoline
15. Imagine
16. GLAM (the guy next to me popped off during this one & I loved it!)
17. This Life
18. Lavender Life

In case Henry one day gets famous and you get asked about what his favorite Key song is on a radio show morning trivia sesh, it’s Gasoline. He didn’t hesitate at all when I grilled him over his favorite part of the night.

I couldn’t go to bed that night until I sorted through all of my freebies! I was so stoked to get a Helium bracelet <3

Wait an absolute banger of a concert. And without expended too much energy on this, I would be remiss to not mention that while he was here in the US – IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING TOUR – he got dragged into this ridiculous scandal where some broad was busted for administering illegal injections outside of hospitals. From my understanding, she was a trusted woman who was giving medical IVs to clients, sounds like to treat mild things like dehydration and exhaustion, but her clients didn’t know she was unlicensed. First, a comedienne went down for this, and it happened that she was co-starred with Key on a variety show, and then it was discovered that at some point, she had posted a picture on her Instagram of Key’s very famous dogs, which brought him into the scandal.

This happened a few days before his Chicago show and I was actually concerned that the rest of his tour was going to get canceled because that’s how nasty Korea can be over these things. First, everyone over there was up in arms because he wasn’t releasing a statement. (HE WAS IN AMERICA, ON TOUR. LET THE MAN BREATHE.)

Then when his tour ended, he released a statement admitting that he did receive treatments but didn’t know she was unlicensed, so then everyone bitched because his statement was too INSINCERE. Jesus Christ. So he ultimately has stepped down from all of his variety shows and upcoming commitments, including the SM Town concert in 2026. Unbelievable. I LOVE Korea for many reasons, but there are also numerous reasons that makes me so angry with them as a country too.

If his career is ruined over this….I just can’t even think about that. Please go listen to his music.