On the Cusp

I took a year of Japanese in university - and in that year of intense study and group projects I had mastered hiragana, katakana, and some Kanji. I was doing well. Then the class was over and I no longer had an opportunity to use what I had learned.

90% of my fluency went up in smoke.

One of my 2019 goals is to re-learn all that Japanese fluency that I lost. I'm pretty much starting from scratch, so if you're also interested in teaching yourself Japanese, I invite you to come along on this journey with me.

Materials:

GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, 2nd Edition
GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, Workbook
JapanesePod101 and their Youtube Channel
Memrise.com - Japanese
DuoLingo App - Japanese
Essential Japanese - but ONLY for the audio CD

I also have a variety of handouts, practice sheets, and some flash cards from my old university class. I will strive to provide links to those resources as I'm able to locate them! 

げんきですね〜
I found this fun graphi…

It has, in fact, occurred to me that I have never done a proper "What I Wore" post on this blog. Lots of reasons for that - insecure about my own looks, poor quality camera, lack of decent lighting or location...
Look, we all have our excused for why we might be shy about sharing our photos on the internet, but I'm laying that to bed for myself! I'm not perfect - I rarely do my makeup, my hair is usually kind of frizzy, and I don't wear a lot of fancy brands.
99% of what you see here is THRIFTED!!! 🌈🌟

The List: Army Green Lace-Up Boots | Black Leggings | Beige Tunic Sweater | Winter Coat

The List: Army Green Lace-Up Boots | Skinny Jeans | Snakeskin Print Turtleneck

The List: Black Blazer | Coca-Cola T-shirt | Black Leggings | Cheetah Print Loafers

The List: Snakeskin Buckle Boots | Black/Gold Floral Midi Skirt | Black Crop T-shirt | Oatmeal Cardigan | Layered Gold Necklace

The List: Army Green Lace-Up Boots | Navy Blue Work Dress | Brown Twill Blazer

The List:…

When my roommate first picked up this pore extracting device from Target, courtesy of the "As Seen on TV" section - I thought there was no way this thing could be as effective as the advertising claims.

And I'm certainly not the first person to review this little gadget; see here, here and here.

But after last year's harsh winter and the horrible start 2019 has gotten off to (we're talking losing a job, engaging in seven hour depression naps, and overall forgetting what food and showers are) my skin is in pretty rough condition. Clogged up, even.

So what is the DermaSuction? According to their website, it is a powerful, yet gentle vacuum that you can use anywhere on your face or body to suck out gunk trapped in your pores. The demo videos promise a lot of satisfyingly gross results - on par with the nasty that is Dr. Pimple Popper.



So, after watching the demos and clicking through a couple of reviews, I decided to give this thing a try myself:
1. First things fir…

In operation since 1989, Kelly's has been an institution in downtown St. Paul, serving up simple pub fare and a limited number of local taps to an unpretentious crowd who are, in all likelihood, more family than strangers.

But on April 30th, Kelly's will close their doors for good.


The first time I had a chance to visit Kelly's Depot Bar was in 2016 when I first moved to St. Paul. My then significant other worked out of a location based in the area and they would frequently gather at this pub after a long shift to decompress. I can easily see why this was the place to be - after a day of being berated and pushed around by the general public, one could easily relax among this crowd of ordinary working folks.

On the corner of Wacouta and Kellogg, Kelly's Depot Bar sits right across the street from Union Depot - which used to be a hub for transportation by train back in the day and now mostly just shuffles people by bus around the city and maybe out to Chicago or the nea…

Dear Readers,

It's been a rough week.

Actually, it's been a really rough month and a half.

I haven't been unemployed this long in years. And the last time I didn't have a job and a structured routine, I was in a really dark place. My mental health was at an all time low back then and I used to think about suicide, or just giving up, a lot.

I feel like I've been slipping back into that head-space again. And I'm not sure how to stop it.

Being unemployed and stuck at home can give you a lot to think about and reflect on what you want out of your life. It can also make it really easy to spiral down into bad habits - like drinking every night, bingeing Netflix and ignoring all the dishes piling up, and eating microwave popcorn instead of real food for three nights in a row.

It's been a few days since I've showered, too.

So much of my stress lately is tied up in job hunting. Do you know how difficult it is just to get an interview when you only have a few ye…

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.*

It's 2019 and unless you've been on a digital detox or holed away in some cozy cabin off the grid, you know there's a lot of toxic and negative energy in the world these days. We encounter it everywhere - at work, at the coffee shop, and even online in our social media communities.

While it may be difficult to avoid coming into contact with any negative energy, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves and our homes from all that unpleasantness. Here are four easy things anyone can do:

1. Clean & Ward your Space

Clutter tends to put most of us into a real funk, so the first step to making sure our energy is clear and untainted is to clean up our living space. Do a little Marie Kondo'ing if you haven't yet, but it's also important to make sure that you're wiping down and disinfecting the surfaces in your home.

If you…

The 2019 Spring Trends are shaping up to be a weird hodgepodge of styles, and while that might look kind of strange on the runway, it's good news for us lowly consumers. With so many differing styles gearing up to become trendy the moment the snow melts, it means there's a little something for everyone who wants to jump on a fashion bandwagon.

Here are the ones I'm most excited about:

Bermuda Shorts

Yes, give me some length! Bermuda style shorts that are a bit roomier and more reminiscent of a safari short are perfect for spring and summer. Not only are they comfortable, but they pair well with cropped tops and make your legs look miles long.

Animal Print

Hanging on from the previous season, animal prints like leopard and snake skin will be worn aplenty in the coming season. I, for one, am glad I don't have to put away all my leopard blouses this spring!


Ruffles and Frills

There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than a chance to pay homage to my Gothic Lolita days. …

If you aren't familiar with the concept of Mercury going retrograde, I can only assume you've been living under a rock. But what does it mean for Mercury to go 'retrograde' and how might that affect your quest for a job?

Let's break it down:

Mercury Retrograde is defined as a period of time in which the planet Mercury appears to move backwards in orbit - it doesn't actually of course. It's just an optical illusion from our vantage point on Earth, but within the realm of Astrology this retrograde observation can have serious side effects.

The planet Mercury is associated with things like communication, travel, information, and critical thought, so when the planet appears to move backwards or "goes retrograde", all of that goes haywire too. Emails get lost in the digital ether, flights are mysteriously cancelled, the exact time of that conference isn't listed on the event flyer, and you forget everything you'd had rehearsed for your upcoming…

I believe in the importance of shopping local and giving back to your community. Shopping at local establishments or doing business with those who are part of that community is a great, but often overlooked, way to do this.

Today, I'm sharing with all of you SIX* businesses that are run by local women in the Twin Cities, MN. These wonderful creators and business owners are passionate and dedicated to their crafts - so check them out!

(*The exception here is Jennifer from Solid Gold Aquatics, but since I went to high school with her, I decided to include her also!)


Samantha Rei

"Samantha R. Crossland began her fashion design career with her label “Blasphemina’s Closet”, one of the first Lolita clothing lines in the US, in 2000. After closing “Blasphemina’s Closet” in September of 2013, she started anew with her new eponymous label “Samantha Rei”. “Samantha Rei” embodies the sweetness, femininity and attention to detail that has come to be expected from the designer."

Hitomi …