When Chooch was home for Thanksgiving, we made him go to lunch with at Chimera Brewing and he was so annoyed because I only wanted to go there to get a stamp for my Pgh Brewery passport thingie and he didn’t want to be part of that. But then football was on the TVs there so he was happy. Because Chooch, son of Erin and Henry, somehow became a football fan on his own time.

I can’t remember what number stamp this was – 8, I think?? I’m already so over this but I can’t quit until I win. I definitely need something else to fixate on in 2026.

I watched the annual MAMA Awards which was really somber in light of the Hong Kong apartment fire tragedy. :( It was annoying because a lot of people were calling for MAMA to cancel entirely, but then when they opted to go for a somber, toned-down ceremony, people complained that it wasn’t exciting enough. Jesus.

Henry got Trudy all decked out in her Christmas best Friday night after Thanksgiving.

Kevin came over for the first time on Saturday so she had to be dressed for the occasion, lol. We were dying because moments after our company arrived, the doorbell rang AGAIN and we thought it was a glitch until later when Henry reviewed the security footage and we saw  that we were legit Ding Dong Ditched LOL. I was just bummed that our DDDitcher didn’t hang around long enough to enjoy the mesmerizing doorbell jam.

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We had pizza and played the 80s & 90s Song Humming game in the attic – Henry opted out, lol.

The next day, we went to Hazel Grove Brewing for another stamp (#10 – #9 was actually a “cheat” because I sent Henry to a place we’ve already been to – Strange Roots- and he bought a bottle of something called the Plague that was just OK). Anyway, I was excited about this place because they had some Belgians there but I am starting to come to the conclusion that I don’t like American versions of Belgian beers. I have been impressed by NONE so far and keep going back to my imports from Duffy’s. Clearly, I need to just go to Belgium. (And admit that I just don’t really LIKE any other kinds of beer.)

All of my Buddys are totally beefed up for winter. I don’t know how this one doesn’t get stuck in HNC’s roof!!

Last Saturday, Henry and I took the T to the North Shore and had, ugh, a “day date” I guess. BUT ONLY BECAUSE I WANTED MORE STAMPS!!! Right away in Dormont we encountered an aggressively chatty Elder Yinzer but then he liked my shoes (just dark purple Vans) so then I was like, “OK you can stay.” He was in a big hurry to get home and watch the game, whatever game that was.

We went to Southern Tier and had a nice lunchtime beer. Mine was Cherry Pie and it was actually OK but it got kind of cloying after a while. Our server was so nice and that made me like it there even more.

After getting my 11th stamp (yay!), we walked over the bridge to downtown and saw this which is so gross but obviously I had to take a picture because: agreed.

Once we were downtown, we walked around the Christmas Market and look–why do I even bother? I KNOW it’s not for me. And it still is not for me! But we did get a pretzel and cherry strudel to share, so there’s that. I’ll tell you what though, seeing Santa’s Workshop made me so sad though because YOU KNOW how much I looked forward to dragging my work friends over there for our annual group photo with Santa. :(

Here’s the last one we took, back in 2019. MEMMMMMMMMMMMMMries.

Santa always looked forward to our appearances. :( HE TOLD ME SO.

Anyway. Then we walked down to Sly Fox for our second beer and more importantly, ANOTHER STAMP. I got some winter ale thing that was pretty good but the best part was that it was so chill in there (it was also chill the last time we were there after the No Kings protest in June) and they had a bangin’ playlist! PORTISHEAD? BRING ME THE HORIZON? BALANCE AND COMPOSURE? BRAND NEW? It was so good that I had to give the two women behind the bar snaps and they were like, “YESSSSSS.” Being complimented on your music taste is the best, I’ll tell ya. I could have a parade of people going by and telling me I have a nice ass or I’m so smart or whatever, but one person tells me “sick playlist, man” and I am eating out of their hand.

Just like that.

Now you know.

(I miss the old days when people would ask me to make them a mix tape!)

Also, look at Henry smiling because he enjoys my company so much.

On the way back, we saw the Elder Yinzer again! He got on and back again in Beechview. Then on the walk back home, we stopped at Le’s Cafe in Dormont for sticky mango rice (and Henry got a pistachio latte but I learned the hard way that it’s one or the other for me – a sweet drink or a sweet treat from Le’s, I can’t do both or I crash so hard). It was such a nice day! Well, I mean, Pgh weather-wise, it was cold and gray. But it was nice getting out of the house for fun things.

I also learned that flights aren’t great for me. If I get a flight, I feel like I’m drinking less but I always end up feeling so drunk and sick for the rest of the day?! So now I am sticking to one beer. I think I was OK with two on Saturday because there was more than an hour in between the beers since we had to walk from the North Side to downtown for the second place. THIS WAS BY DESIGN. I PLANNED IT THAT WAY. God forbid I should just relax like a normal person. Everything has to have hidden exercise involved.

The rest of the weekend was full of cuddling with Peenlop and rewatching Stranger Things from the beginning. We binge-watched season 5 while Chooch was home but holy shit, did I forget A LOT, even after watching a 35 minute refresher video on YouTube before starting season 5!! I’m not ready for this show to end. Umbrella Academy was hard enough to say goodbye to! Those two shows go hand-in-hand for me and Chooch. I have the nicest memories of finishing a Jillian Michaels workout (don’t worry, I’m done with her) with Chooch and then sitting down to watch Umbrella Academy or Stranger Things. Also, Drew was around for that too.

Super sentimental about everything, I can’t help it.

Also, not a spoiler but Chooch and I were very much against the use of Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” in Stranger Things. We both screamed, “They can’t do that!!!” because UMBRELLA ACADEMY DID IT FIRST. Maybe they could have used DEBBIE GIBSON INSTEAD, JUST A THOUGHT.

Oh, also Henry went to Aslin on Sunday and got a 6-pack which will probably live in our fridge for mths, untouched, just so I could get MY 13TH STAMP!! 7 more by 12/31, can I do it??? We’ll be in Chicago this weekend so I’ll have to really strategize, ugh. All of this for some stupid glass.

It’s crazy looking back on this day because we truly just strolled around almost the whole time. Shopped. Ate. Poked around in alleys and explored little trails. But in my head, it felt like we did so much. For such a small town, I wasn’t bored at all! It was really all about the vibes.

After gorging on pie, we definitely needed to walk more. I had to take a picture of these two buildings for future paint palette inspo.

Hail Vlad, the national hero of Romania.

We were sitting on a nearby bench watching some girl making her IG Husband undertake a full photoshoot of her posing in this spot. I had just wanted a quick picture but they were taking so long that we actually left and came back. This is me “monkey see monkey do”ing, lol.

Henry is sort of getting better at taking pictures.

You guys, seriously. The colors.

In the late afternoon, we made our way back down the hill into the non-Old Town portion of Sighisoara.

It’s not too much more modern down there though!

We stopped at Atelier for a coffee break.

It was very cozy there and I was happy to sit for a while and write in my vacation journal.

Târnava Mare River with the Holy Trinity Church in the background.

We stopped in this bar called Murphy’s Law. I opted out of a beer though because I was holding out for more of the local stuff we had at the cherry pie cafe.

It was a nice vibe in there though!

After that, we walked back up the hill and stopped at our guest house for a bit of a rest before heading out again in search of papanasi. The lights were on now! I can’t express deeply enough how enchanted I was by this place.

Here’s Henry chatting with the hotel concierge guy who made me coffee!

We walked around looking for somewhere to have papanasi. I don’t think either of us were particularly hungry for a full dinner, but we definitely had room for dessert! Since the Vlad Restaurant was closed, we chose this place – Casa cu Cerb – because they also had Trepte beer! I was such a fan of that beer.

I brought this can home with us! It’s slightly dented but that’s OK. It’s on our buffet and I smile every time I look at it. I love that it has the Scholar’s Stairs on it!!

We did end up ordering real food too – I got this vegetable plate which doesn’t sound like much but that was the best zucchini I have ever had in my life. I still think about it! It was the perfect dinner for me.

Henry got some kind of soup.

We were cracking up because the complete opposite happened from the time we ate dinner in Cluj and were the oldest people in there – this time, even HENRY was younger than everyone else. There must have been a group tour there that day and all the elderly people had converged upon this place, but the even funnier part was that it was actually quite late – nearly 9PM – and all these Elders just kept filing in for dinner.

Papanasi! I definitely preferred this version over the boiled one we had in Sibiu but Henry was still a staunch supporter of those boiled balls. I’ll tell you, papanasi is really good but that it is maybe THE ONE THING that I might have overhyped in my head prior to this trip. Because I will tell you with absolute authority and certainty that the sour cherry pie we had earlier that day was far excelsior to papanasi.

Sighisoara was eerily quiet after we left the restaurant. Of course I wanted to take a digestive stroll which was fine by Henry because he wanted to go back down into the main part of town to get some drinks at the store down there.

LOL I had to take this for Chooch. “LOOK WHAT YOUR DAD FOUND.”

Henry was like “MMMMFFFFFFFfffff” when I suggested, “HEY LET’S WALK UP THE SCHOLAR’S STAIRS AT NIGHT!”

There was a man playing guitar at the top so that provided some chill ambiance for us.

It was well after 10PM by this time and Henry was like, “CAN WE PLEASE GO BACK NOW.” Sorry, I’m just always trying to get the most out of these things! WE MIGHT NEVER BE BACK.

I kind of regret not getting food at our actual guest house restaurant because look at how romantic this courtyard dining area is! Although, I would have had to find better company, LOL.

This was the view from our loft window before we went to bed. I am so in love with Sighisoara. :(

P.S. Here’s the video recap of the day! Notes:

• the city in the beginning is Targu Mures, our first taste of “city life” after being in the Maramures
• coming down the Scholar’s Stairs behind the COOL GIRLS after school let out
• you can see the lady hard-massaging her companion at lunch
• also the Instagram couple who were hogging the corner photo spot along the wall in Sighisoara
• it ends with some military transport convoy thing that I didn’t even notice until Henry was totally tweaking out over it. YOU KNOW I TEXTED CHOOCH IMMEDIATELY. According to my texts to Chooch, Henry whispered, “There were rocket launchers on top.” WOW.

It’s been a minute since I went to a concert alone (not counting the kpop concerts we go to where we sit floors apart) but when I saw that PVRIS was bringing their 10th anniversary White Noise tour to Pittsburgh I didn’t even bother asking Henry if he wanted to go because I knew he’d say no. So I signed up for the presale and bought one ticket just for me – cheap and easy!

The White Noise album technically came out 11 years ago and it was on constant rotation in our house for a long time back then! From the moment I saw the video for St Patrick, I was subbed.

I’ve seen them a whole bunch of times since then – mostly at Warped Tour and as the opener for other bands – but coincidentally every time I have seen them headline, I’ve been alone (this was the third time!).

Henry dropped me off at the Roxian 30 minutes before doors and I was kind of shocked at how short the line was. Granted, it was a cold night but that usually doesn’t stop die hards. The Roxian opened sometime after I had become totally immersed in Kpop so I actually had never been here before this night since I wasn’t going to non-Kpop concerts for a big chunk of there.

While I was standing there, I saw a man get out of a parked car down the street and start walking over to the line. I squinted and was like, “OMG HENRY CAME BACK! HE BOUGHT A TICKET AND CAME BACK FOR ME!” because the man was of Henry’s age, same glasses, same beard…but the closer he came the more groomed he was and also his beard was more solid white and manscaped well. So, not Henry. But that man was definitely attending the concert though because at one point during the night I turned around and saw him standing up in the balcony.

Anyway! Doors opened right at 7PM. As my purse was getting casually inspected (have fun sifting through my collection of YOU NEVER KNOW tampons, Male Security, one of the lady staff standing nearby said she liked my purse.

“And your shoes, too!” she added and I did my signature cringey Shirley Temple hand-under-chin smile thing that I do which totally sends Chooch. Good thing he wasn’t there but I was sure to text him about it.

(My purse and shoes were both Vans! 99.9% of my shoe collection is Vans. I stay consistent. The only non-Vans I have ever coveted are the G-Dragon Para-noise Nikes which have been unattainable for me over these last 6 years.)

Once I got inside, I made a beeline for the barricade. It’s my go-to when I’m at shows alone. Usually far-right barricade. It seemed like the people at the barricade to my left were also there alone, and we all just kind of leaned against it, mindlessly scrolling through our phones, until the opener – Dua Saleh – came on. That was fine with me because small talk is exhausting to me, especially after a full day of work that also included therapy. I was happy to stand there alone in silence until the show started.

I went in blind to Dua Saleh and was blown away. First of all, they came out on crutches, foot in a boot, and still managed to work the stage.

I was blown away – I think all of us there who didn’t have prior exposure to them left that night as a fan. Their singing was soulful and mystical, honestly hypnotic to the point where I began to forget where I was.

Afterward, we were entertained by watching the stage crew go through the tedious process of attaching furniture to the stage lighting trusses (I made Henry look up the technical name for me because I was just calling the “stage light things” lol). Meanwhile, not one but two Fergie songs played which had me dying because we were talking about the meme of her singing horribly on GMA (I think?) and doing back flips across the stage. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually heard a Fergie song out in the wild, but they had an early 00s playlist pumping so it made sense but still!

The final result!

Oh, before I get into the rest, I want to give a shout out to the security at the front of the stage – there were three of them and they were so chill. I had fun watching them fuck around with each other in between sets and taking selfies to send to their security friends in the balcony. My first impression of the Roxian was really solid!

And finally….PVRIS. I knew I was going to cry but I didn’t expect to cry AS SOON as they came out on stage. (OK that’s a lie, lol.) But damn, it’s been too long since I last saw them live and that’s totally on me. (I think the last time was actually when I saw them in Royal Oak, Michigan?? That may have been in 2018.)

They tore through the entire White Noise album – no breaks, no banter in between songs. That did feel kind of sterile but also added a layer of mystery and seriousness, if you know what I mean. Like, this is such a special album and a special night honoring it, so it made sense that all the banter was saved up until the special set proceeding White Noise because it kept us all in the zone.

But Lynn is such a light-hearted banterer so it was definitely refreshing to hear her speaking voice after White Noise was finished. It brought us back down to earth, in a way, anchored us after that wildly emotional ride!

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You and I is one of my favorites and I screamed my throat raw during this one (not my video!!):

I don’t really know what else to say other than it was a great crowd, a great show, and an overall great night even though I was alone! I feel like the last two times I went to one of their headlining shows, the crowd was annoying, but the crowd was so cool and considerate at this show. When the person who was originally next to me gave up their spot to the young girl behind us who was SUPER STOKED TO BE THERE, she turned to me at one point and asked, “You can still see, right??” Her flailing arm was blocking my view a lot of the time but I just smiled and told her she was fine because go off, queen! She was living her best night and I’m not going to stand there and be a tight-lipped Karen because she has her arm in the air. (If it would have been her phone, that’s a different story!) But she was so cute and I was jumping and flailing about too so who cares. Just a really great crowd.

My voice was cooked after that though because I just screamed my face off most of the night (most of my video clips are just my big mouth lol). I felt so GOOD after that and was blabbering my head off to Henry on the way home.

PVRIS 4EVER.

SETLIST

1. SMOKE
2. ST PATRICK
3. MY HOUSE
4. HOLY
5. WHITE NOISE
6. FIRE
7. EYELIDS*
8. MIRRORS
9. GHOSTS
10. LET THEM IN
11. YOU & I
12. BURN THE WITCH
13. SNAKES
14. GOOD ENEMY
15. ANIMAL
16. DEAD WEIGHT
17. LOVE IS A….
18. I DON’T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE**
19. HALLUCINATIONS
20. GODDESS

*Ugh, Christina and I liked this song together
**What I say approx. 87x an hour during my typical work day

UGH, I love PVRIS so much.

I am obligated to end this with a picture of Chooch and Lynn Gunn from Warped Tour 2015! The line was actually cut off for their meet and greet and were like “:(” but then Lynn saw Chooch in his Emarosa tank and she called out to us, “I designed that shirt!” (she’s also an artist!) and then waved us over to their merch table and took a picture with Chooch. She was so gracious and sweet and it’s something that stands out in my mind every time I think of PVRIS. <3

Remember how I said I found THE THING in the gift shop inside Casa Vlad Dracul? I finally went back later that day to buy it. The lady at the gift shop assured me that this, along with the wooden crucifix I also bought, were made in Romania.

“100%!” she added for good measure, and you know, I believed her. She was very mysterious and cool.

I always like to make sure I’m getting actual wares made by local artisans, and in a Taiwan factory. No offense to the Taiwan factories! But I want real Romanian shit that could potentially be crafted from wood from a haunted Transylvanian forest.

Anyway, Henry was very *deep sigh* when I saw the wall of masks and did that thing I do where I stop dramatically and clutch my chest. When you know, you know. And I knew. One of those masks was coming home with me.

After a few minutes of deliberation, this is the one I chose and never looked back! I can’t remember how much it cost but that and the cross were well under $100. I texted this picture to Chooch and he said he wanted it! Can you believe I bought something that’s Chooch-approved?? I told him I’ll put it in my Will.

Here it is on my wall now! Getting it home was a pain in the ass, I will admit to that. We carried it through 4 airports and stowed it under the seat in 3 planes in a black bag that looked like a small garbage bag and I kept forgetting about it until I would notice people giving us furtive double-takes. That’s when I noticed that a tuft of its hair was peering out of an opening in the bag, lol.

My first therapy appointment back was telehealth. My therapist asked if there was anything I brought back that I could show her and I was like, “Actually…..*thrusts the mask into the screen*” She visibly recoiled and said, “Oh!” But then she did say it was cool, lol.

And here’s the crucifix! If you’ve been to my house, you might know that my bathroom is religious-themed and this will be going in there soon.

There was another shop selling these beautiful painted spoons and plaques that we saw immediately upon entering the citadel that day. We still had our luggage with us, en route to check in, so Henry was like NOT RIGHT NOW. Thankfully, Sighisoara is small so we walked past it numerous times that day and I finally ran in and bought the above plaque and the two spoons pictured below:

I love my Sighisoara haul!

For lunch, we chose this place right at the bottom of the Scholar’s Stairs called Pensiunea Restaurant Bastion – La Strada. At least I think that’s what it was called! Other things say it’s “Crama Restaurant.” It was part of the Pensiunea Bastion. (I was really excited that Romania calls their guest houses “pensiunea” and Korea calls their “pensions.” FUN FACT FOR NO ONE.)

I ordered an Ursus IPA to start. Ursus is one of the biggest Romanian beers, I would say. The IPA was very refreshing! Usually, I drop off halfway through a full pour, but I finished this one easily.

God only knows what he’s mansplaining here.

Our young waiter seemed perplexed that all I ordered was a cheese plate and two vegetable dips. I’m telling you, not eating meat is a daily challenge and it was especially difficult at times in Romania – thankful for restaurants that post their menu outside the door so we can peruse and move on if needed! But when I saw that this place had a fresh, local cheese plate, the traditional roasted eggplant spread (Salata De Vinete) and roasted red pepper spread (Zacusca), that was all I needed to know! I had been dying to try the eggplant spread because it was referenced in so many travel videos.

This was the perfect lunch for me. Our waiter brought me a basket of bread for the spreads and I was so content.

Henry got the traditional bean ciorba (soup) that comes in a carb top hat. It smelled so good but I know it was loaded with MEATS even though it was billed as a bean soup.

OMG there were several adorable kittens cruising through the patio the whole time we were there – good food and free kitten pats?? Yes.

Also, school kids descending the Scholar’s Stairs in the background!

I thoroughly our view from the table. I loved that the weather was mild enough to eat outside comfortably. It was just and these two ladies at another table. The one lady stood up at one point and was fully massaging the other lady’s shoulders for a solid 15 minutes it seemed like. Like, aggressively rubbing them with the hands of a trained masseuse (or assassin). It was very entertaining to watch and I even have it in the background of a video that I was taking of the kittens so look forward to my Sighisoara video at the end of the final recap, I guess.

After lunch (loved it!), we continued on our stroll through the cobblestone streets where my predilection of walking with my head down came in handy – no tripping on uneven terrain for me! I’m a trained walker.

There were a lot of old people milling about. I assume they were tourists? I do think that people live in the old town but it felt like there were some small tour groups there as well. All I know is that it wasn’t crowded at all and I loved it.

To the right is Casa Vlad Dracul again and in case I didn’t mention this in my last post, it’s the oldest building in town dating back to the mid 1300s.

The Clock Tower was such a true beauty. According to Wiki, “its purpose was to defend the main gate of the citadel back in the medieval times. It also served as the town hall until 1656. It is now considered one of the most important clock towers in the whole of Transylvania.”

Papanasi is the national dessert of Romania! We were considering getting some from this window but held off and waited for the evening. This was the only time I saw a chocolate version though and kind of have belated regertz now that I’m looking at this!

I’m sorry, can you tell I was smitten with the clock tower? Am I annoying you?

There was random art displayed on this wall at the base of my boyfriend the clock tower and I really wanted to know if this clown painting for sale but Henry was like KEEP IT MOVING.

Heading out of the old town.  Yes, Henry wore his Canada hat every day. Do not associate us with Trump, thank you.

LOOK THERE I AM WITH THE CLOCK TOWER.

Dear Sighisoara, I miss you.

To the right you can see the Vlad Restaurant. We were going to go there later that night for papanasi but it was closed!

Sighisoara’s color palette is so pleasing.

Sorry, no marching bands allowed up here.

I watched some travel vloggers eat a cherry pie at this place called Casa Cositorarului and I had to have it. We weren’t purposely looking for it at this moment but when we stumbled upon it, I was like, “I MEAN, THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR PIE, AMIRITE” and Henry was like, “Let’s gooooo” except with way less enthusiasm because it’s Henry and he only runs on one setting. I mean, Romania might have been MAGICAL but it wasn’t performing MIRACLES.

Immediately after walking in, we were met with UTTER CONTEMPT from the guy working there. We walked in and said hi and he was legit like, “OK and???” So, I said, “Can we order pie?” and he was like, “WHAT DO YOU WANT???” while brusquely gesturing toward the dessert case. I chose the sour cheery pie of course and Henry went with a traditional Romanian cake (after deigning to ask the guy what it was) and then I was like, “Can we sit in here?” and he was like, “*gestures toward the dining area*”

We found a table in another room and I started to crack the fuck up. “That guy HATES us!” I wheezed. The best way I can describe him is imagine Michael Ian Black portraying a disgruntled Transylvanian cafe server. This tends to be the general demeanor, though, and you have to just not let it get to you. And a lot of times, the wall breaks down and then suddenly they are nice to you. But you have to coax them to that point!

I did look up some reviews recently and a lot of people were like, “THE SERVER WAS SO RUDE!” which made me laugh hysterically all over again because why did I actually admire his zero tolerance for us?! I referenced him so many times during our trip after that and at 0ne point considered him a “trip highlight.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Henry mumbled.

This place is also a guest house. MAYBE I WILL STAY THERE IF I EVER RETURN.

No. Stop it. WTF EVEN WAS THIS. Like God hired the best angel baker in Heaven to make the most delectable dessert for Jesus’s birthday and this is what they came up with. Fucking Biblical. Literally–they should print the recipe in the back of the Bible. It was like a pie and cake hybrid – instead of a crust filled with the sour cherries like a regular pie, the sour cherries were baked into whatever dough they used so it was like a dense and buttery cake, topped with something akin to streusel and a scoop of toffee ice cream with CRUNCHIES on top just like I love to get on soft serve!

Good Lord, the way I dream of this cake. Dare I say it blew papanasi out of the water? This is the Romanian dessert of my dreams. And prayers. Please someone learn how to bake this for me. Maybe that’s the theme of the next pie party? RECREATE THE FAMOUS SIGHISOARA SOUR CHERRY PIE TO WIN ERIN’S HEART???

Henry got this local beer from 176 Trepte brewery and it was nice! I peeled the label off with a deftness and saved it.

Then Henry had to go to the bathroom and I watched him walk past it so I was yelling, “HENRY HENRY!” but Gramps didn’t hear so he walked all the way back to where Transylvanian Michael Ian Black was glowering behind the counter and ASKED HIM WHERE THE BATHROOM WAS. That guy was probably like, “You stupid American fuck, you walked right past it on your way here to bother me.”

While Henry was in the bathroom, TMIB came into the room to collect our plates. I told him, in my BEST Pollyanna Goes to the Medieval Town intonation, that I LOVED the pie.

He paused and then monotoned. “Thank you. I am happy you like it.” I could tell that pained him. I was so giddy by the time Henry returned and I was like “I TALKED TO HIM!!!”

The bathroom was in the basement, down these very steep and narrow steps! I didn’t even have to pee but I needed to see what it looked like down there LOL.

Yeah, I definitely think I need to come back and stay there.

These are pictures from our walk to the nearby ATM after Henry tried to pay and TMIB was like, “CASH ONLY.”

This VLAD BUST was in the lobby of the hotel down the street where we had to go to use the ATM.

Henry doing the walk of shame back to the place to pay, LOL.

Back in the cafe to pay our debts.  I wish that kitty had sat in the room with us while we were there! Anyway, Henry paid and also tipped the guy which suddenly made his surly facade crack the teeniest bit.

“Thanks for trusting us to come back!” Henry said in this really cringey UPBEAT tone that he adopts from time to time when he is trying to fake a personality. I swear I almost saw TMIB smirk a little. Come on, bro. YOU LIKED US, YOU REALLY LIKED US.

I wish I had bought a whole pie to go.

Spotify Unwrapped tells me my age is 21 while I’m sitting here on the couch hours after falling on black ice starting to wonder if I have internal bleeding. Honestly, the fall was very graceful if I do say so myself! My right leg shot out in front and I slowly slid forward and gently -somehow-came to a rest on my left knee like I was frozen in a Senior portrait softball slide pose. I was holding a library book and three mailers of my Etsy greeting cards to be mailed and dropped none of it! Then, after saying “oh god” I popped back up like it didn’t happen and felt so empowered, like, “this is what they mean when they say strength training is good for women in their 40s! I nailed that fall! Nice try, black ice!” But then as the day went on, my body slowly started alerting me to new aches and pains.

This was also the morning after I went to a solo concert last night like old times and felt totally free & youthful, screaming and jumping at the barricade. That sidewalk this morning was like, “LOL u thought.”

Anyway, here are my Unwrapped highlights which cracked me up because #1 artist is so out of place but also – not surprising, I guess? The only thing that surprises me is that Stray Kids is my #3 because I don’t feel like I listened to them that much this year but Spotify knows all I guess.

I love how these alternate lol.

This was not a surprise.

Seriously though, I know we went to see Stary Kids in June but I don’t remember listening to them that much outside of that!?

This cracked me up.

Yep, makes sense. On Monday while I was working, Chooch walked through the door, glanced at the TV*, and said drolly, “I can’t wait for you to get your Spotify Unwrapped and retrowave is your top genre.” HA! NICE TRY! Sure, synthwave is close enough but it’s #5!

*(I usually play Spotify on Roku or put on YouTube playlists. In case you needed that for your case study.)

This was a weird year for me, musically.

After we checked into our guest house, I was like LET’S GO, BRUH! I could not WAIT to go full tourist lookie-loo on this place. Just going through these pictures is bringing me so much joy.

Sighisoara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in case you care about that stuff.

For instance, what you see in front of you here is the actual house that Vlad Tepes lived in as a child! It’s now a gift shop, restaurant, and HAUNTED HOUSE (well, kind of) but that part of it is sadly closed on Tuesdays. As soon as I walked into the gift shop though, I spotted THE THING. You know, that ONE THING that you find on vacation that completely speaks to your soul? The one thing that you were holding out for without even knowing yet what it was, and then convince yourself that it costs $$$$ but YOU WILL SPARE NO EXPENSE?

Yeah, I found that thing here and Henry was all, “NOT RIGHT NOW, I’M CARRYING THAT AROUND. WE’LL COME BACK” and I was like, “Hooooo, you listen, motherfucker – if we come back and it’s GONE*, I will channel Vlad himself and go full vamp on your ass.”

*(OK, there was a wall of THE THING but there was one in particular that had called to me, so apologies Henry if I was frantic about purchasing THIS THING. We’ll talk about that later!)

It’s actually embarrassing how many times I went into this gift shop. The girl running it was exhausted by me after a point, I think.

It was completely uncrowded in Sighisoara when we were there. The hotel guy told Henry that it is super crowded in the summer and I can only imagine. This was also the scene of public executions back in the medieval times. Things were much less barbaric when we were there (well, until it was Henry’s feeding time).

The Clock Tower being a pretty princess in the background. More on that later!

The colors of the buildings, ugh.

The first “tourist” thing we did was walk up the famous Scholar’s Steps. I knew that these were built way back in the day (1642 if you’re a history dork) for the kids to get to the school at the top of the hill.

OMG are we scholars now.

That’s the toy camera I used to take these pictures, by the way!

At the top!

The Scholar’s Stairs is one of the oldest covered wooden steps in the world!

In addition to the church and school, the Sighisoara Saxon Cemetery is also located at the top of the hill. The story is that when the Pied Piper lead the kids out of Germany, he brought them to Romania and they are now buried here, I guess? This is a pretty interesting read.

It was so quiet and tranquil here. A few people were walking around here and there, but it definitely did not feel like a tourist attraction.

When Henry says, “Do something.” My instinct is to pretend my bones have melted. Limp Vogue, I think is what they call it in the ballroom scene.

Romania, you guys.

My feet on Romanian ground!

As we made our way back to the Scholar’s Stairs to find a spot for lunch, an actual school was letting out for the day and we got to walk down the steps with REAL LIFE SIGHISOARAN HIGH SCHOOL KIDS!!! I was so giddy about this, especially when we happened to be behind these three girls who I just KNOW are the popular girls, it was so obvious. I have a short video that I recorded on the way down, which made Henry shake his head in disappointment.

I don’t think I had one bad moment in Sighisoara, if I’m being honest. I might not have even yelled at Henry at all??

OOTD (lol) selfie before leaving the Casa Alba guest house in Beclean on foggy Tuesday morning, which would eventually clear up. Autumn weather in Romania was consistently cycling throughout the days we were there. I have to say, I woke up super giddy because we were traveling to my most-anticipated town on the road trip: Sighisoara (pronounced Sig-e-SHARW-a). This is the historical, medieval birthplace of THE VLAD TEPES, everyone. Vlad the Impaler. VLAD DRACUL. Even aside from that hugely important piece of history, I just felt like this was going to be my place.

But first, we had something like a 2 hour drive ahead of us.

In my vacation journal, I wrote at 10:14am: “Just a reminder that Henry is annoying. Even just going to a gas station with him is frustrating.”

Anyway, this beautiful place is Galatii Bistritei.

We kept seeing these giant bird nests on top of telephone poles and finally learned that they were OSTRICH NESTS! We didn’t see any ostriches though because I think they had already migrated, I don’t know, I’m not exactly known for my ornithology knowledge.

Apparently, we had already left the Maramures before making it to Beclean, so we had already started the day back in Transylvania. Henry was at odds with Google maps and Waze all morning to the point where I was seriously concerned we weren’t going to make it to Sighisoara.

Eventually, we made it out of the rural areas that were fucking with Henry’s GPS and suddenly found ourselves in a city with traffic lights and actual….traffic. It ended up being a city called Targu Mures and they even had a zoo! Henry was calling other drivers assholes and dumbasses but I can only imagine what they were calling him.

These next few pictures are from when we were driving through a commune called Teaca. It’s composed of six villages this was apparently Ville Tecii.

It was hard to take pictures as Henry was impatiently attempting to pass other drivers and generally driving like a crazed American on the lam, but I really wanted to include these here despite the shitty quality because I loved the way the houses looked!

I just loved how we would be driving through these towns/villages and then suddenly, we’re back in the mountains, or we’re back in farmland. I was sad when we were in Targu Mares because I wasn’t ready to be back in fast-paced civilization but then we turned a corner and suddenly we were winding up the side of a mountain again. It was magical.

We did eventually make it to Sighisoara though, around 11:30am, but it took a while to actually DO ANYTHING because Henry was being an absolute foreigner about parking, etc. We were staying in the old town of Sighisoara and you can’t park there, so the hotel concierge had advised Henry to park at the bottom and walk up. We found a parking spot IMMEDIATELY but Henry had to dart around asking people how to pay, etc. He was being so embarrassing as usual. I was like COME ON I WANT TO GOOOOO! Literally felt like a kid being made to wait in the parking lot of Disneyworld, you know? SO CLOSE YET SO FAR BECAUSE DAD IS FUCKING AROUND WITH PARKING RATES.

Finally on our way up! It wasn’t that bad, maybe a 5 minute walk and yes it was uphill, but it wasn’t bad. Plus, a bunch of old women were in front of us making the same trek.

I think you’re allowed to drive up there but there is really nowhere to park, which is the issue. We did see some cars while we were there and I feel like it was people who worked up there. I personally wished there were no cars at all!

Passing through Catherine’s Gate into the city!

Immediately smitten. Sighisoara in the autumn? Vibin’.

First peek at Citadel’s Square, but first we had to go left and find our guest house.

All the little side streets looked like this! I was so happy!

Our guest house for the night! Fun fact, this was the first place we booked when planning our trip. I saw this on Booking.com and was like, “THIS ONE, THIS IS THE ONE.”

Lobby selfie!

The inner courtyard is also a restaurant! It’s an open-air ceiling but they did have a canvas covering over it since it was chilly.

We were following the concierge guy to our room so I was snapping these while walking like a dork.

After passing through the small lobby, there was this little sitting area. This was taken with my back to our room door and facing back out toward the front of the place.

Room 3 for the night!

The room was very small – as soon as you walk in, there was a very small sitting area and a bathroom. Then steps that went up to the bedroom loft, which is what I specifically requested because I thought, “Oh, that’s fun!” And you know what, once I got over the shock of how small it was, it actually was extremely fun staying there and super cozy. I think I had one of the best sleeps there.

Lowkey obsessed, tbh. I booked this room because it seemed to have the best views out of that slanted window, and it not disappoint in real life.

The Bootmakers Tower. 

When I say I leaned out the window and stared at this thing for minutes on end, I’m not lying.

View of the other, modern part of Sighisoara outside of the Citadel.

I walked so tentatively up and down these steps, LOL.

Ugh, Sighisoara. I have so much more to say but wanted to show where we stayed first. I loved it so much. I have a feeling that there were a lot of really incredible places to stay there, but I do not regret my choice. Also, the hotel guy was so friendly (in a droll Romanian way that we had come to expect from the men there, LOL) and accommodating. When I realized later that day, when we had come back  to rest for a bit, that the kettle in our room was only for tea, Henry went out to ask him if there was coffee available and he actually took Henry down into the breakfast room and made a cup speficially for me! He also asked Henry if he wanted to take a shot and Lame Ass Henry said NO?! I was really disappointed in him when he came back to the room and told me that. He could have made friends with that guy!!

This Thanksgiving was a very lowkey affair and I am not even a little bit mad about it. I was just happy that we got to have Chooch home, even though he is a big football bro now and that’s annoying.

It was just going to be the three of us (it usually is for T-giving), so I suggested to Henry that we (LOL “we”) just make a few Romanian dishes and call it a day. henry found a recipe for vegetarian sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls, but the Romanian version uses sour cabbage), mamaliga (polenta with farmers cheese and sour cream – we got Bulgarian feta from Pitaland and Ukrainian sour cream from one of the European markets), and sour cherry pie but somehow that morphed into a sour cherry cake and I was not happy about that but whatever.

I think I must not actually be Romanian because I was not a fan of this. Maybe it was just the way Henry made it, I don’t know, but I had to unwrap the cabbage and just eat the insides.

When Chooch set the table, he said “Pick a holiday.” I chose Halloween.

LOL and then when Henry brought out all the food I realized that OK, perhaps we underplanned this holiday spread. Henry also made green bean casserole and mashed potatoes but it didn’t feel like Thanksgiving.

I think that a past Erin would have pouted about this but I chose to look at it through an optimistic lens – Chooch was here and it felt normal here again. Also, the part of me that is terrified of food was glad to not be tempted to overeat. It was nice to spend the evening not feeling sick!!

See?? We actually had a decent evening anyway!

This was fine but it was supposed to be like the pie we had in Sighisoara and I was so excited because Henry said he found a recipe online that was a dupe of the exact pie we had at a cafe there, but then it ended up being a cake so I was extremely confused. It was still good but also had a pizelle-esque taste to it and I don’t like pizelles that much. I’m not sure where he went astray and I don’t bake so I guess I can’t judge him too harshly. IT WAS A DAY TO BE THANKFUL, AFTER ALL. I think I did a pretty good job not being too much of a brat – baby’s growing up.

It just took 46 years and getting back into therapy, lol.

Ugh, then we played some games even though I didn’t feel like it – especially not Scattergories because I get so competitive and then everyone accuses me of cheating but hello, maybe I’m just really good at linguistics?! The humming game is always dumb to play because I can’t hum without laughing, Henry is tone deaf, and the only time anyone ever guesses anything is when it’s Chooch’s turn and it’s always me guessing it correctly while Henry looks on in confusion.

And Scattergories – of course I killed it as usual, but there was one point where I was laughing so hard that I started to cry and Chooch was like, “I HATE PLAYING THIS WITH YOU! YOU’RE SUCH A CHEATER!!” while I was laugh-sobbing and defending my answer of “dabbing down ditches” as a hobby.

“No ‘cuz look – there is probably someone out there that enjoys jumping down into a ditch and dabbing!” I squealed in defense, wiping away tears, which Chooch and Henry started at me in disgust.

Then Chooch took over the TV for the rest of the night because FOOTBALL ugh.  I truly don’t know him anymore.

Anyway, it was a really nice day. I can’t remember the last time we all crammed onto the couch together – me frantically playing Duolingo because my friend challenge with my work pal Michelle was ending in 2 HOURS OK Duolingo, why would you do that on A HOLIDAY.

Today, Chooch was bitching about the Thanksgiving food selection and OK, I’ll claim the L on that one, it was my fault, I shouldn’t have suggested the Romanian theme! Henry worked hard in the kitchen all day and I know he felt bad about it but honestly, it was still a really nice day and I am thankful that I have a family that gets along – even when Chooch accuses me of cheating and then we start sniping back and forth at each other (“You’re annoying” “No, YOU’RE annoying!”). It’s what makes us “us” :)

(Chooch leaves Tuesday morning and I know he’ll back for Xmas but I’m still sad.)

I started to wake up from a fairly deep sleep around 1:30AM when I heard Chooch talking loudly on the phone and barreling down the steps. I assumed he was on a call with his friends and possibly leaving the house? But then he texted me this:

Apparently, he was on the phone with 911!!! I don’t know how Henry and I didn’t wake up when this happened, but Chooch was still awake and heard it as soon as it happened and, being the SON OF HENRY, he jumped to action. He said the 911 person was very unhelpful but it was OK because there were people down the street who had also called 911. Chooch said when he peered into the car, the driver was just sitting there staring into space – YEAH, I BET?! That looks like a CRAZY accident!

We think what happened was that the driver (it turned out to be a young woman) was speeding DOWN our street (these things usually happen the other direction) and hit the front of the Jeep parked on the side of the street, spun out and the car flipped over on its side facing back UP the street??

The only good news here is that there did not appear to be any injuries, somehow. The owner of the Jeep is a woman who works at that behavioral health house up the street from us, so she was out there too. We missed the part where they got the driver out, but we did see her spectacularly fail the “walk the line” test and into the cop car she went.

I was watching all of this from the bedroom window and here’s way – she was a lone woman out there with a bunch of male cops. Someone needed to keep an eye on things. Isn’t that sad? That we can’t trust the people who take a pledge to protect us? What a world.

During my vigil at the window, I watched THIS COP CIRCLED UP THERE toss something into the yard of the church across the street and walk off toward his cop mobile that was parked in front of my house.

“THAT PIG JUST LITTERED!” I cried to Henry, blood pressure rising. “I’M GOING OUT THERE TO SAY SOMETHING!” Henry didn’t even try to stop me. I’m sorry, but littering is one of my all-time biggest pet peeves and I cannot fucking stand to see it. Most of my confrontations in life have been me calling someone out for littering (this was my 4th confrontation, where the fuck is my GIRL SCOUTS badge for this shit??).

So, there I went, flying out my front door like the Kool-Aid Man in their Aunt Sharon’s oversized Bon Jovi tour shirt from the 80s, no bra, joggers, and no socks, arms protectively covering their chest. That was me. That’s what I’m trying to say,

“Excuse me, excuse me!” I yelled, as the littering cop was now getting back out of his copmobile, having moved it off the road and into my driveway (OH OK, BE MY GUEST). Now I need to preface this real quick by saying that I would not have went out there if anyone was transported away in the ambulance. No one was. The only carnage out there was the car on its side.

First of all, the cop – a big white bald-headed gap-toothed white man who probably is also a wife beater – called me ma’am but I sensed a SARCASTIC tone.

“Did you just litter back there?” I asked sternly.

He just started at me like he needed me to define the word “litter.” So, I told him I SAW him throw something into the church’s yard. I won’t lie, in my head I was like, “This is stupid, you’re going to end up in that backseat with the drunk girl, Erin” but now there was no turning back. I’ll just make a donation to a charity today to counteract my Hulking out over litter last night.

He took a step toward me, AN INTIMIDATION TACTIC, and oh Yolanda, if you could have heard the SHIT EATING TONE he applied to his voice when he said, “You mean THE HEAT PACK from when I was assisting in the blabblahblah procedure?”

UM, SO HEAT PACKS AREN’T LITTER? Are heat packs BIODEGRADABLE?

Also, “assisting” in what now, sir? Because from my post at the Bedroom Watch Tower, all I saw him doing was meander about like an NPC, doing fuck all.

“I don’t care what it was, I hate litter,” I said, and I know my face was BEYOND resting bitch face. I was now Real Fugly Karen Just Rolled Out of Bed in the Middle of the Night.

“I hate litter too,” he said. OK THEN WHY DID YOU LITTER WHEN YOU WERE LITERALLY WALKING BACK TO YOUR CAR, YOU COULD HAVE JUST BROUGHT THAT SHIT WITH YOU???

I honestly can’t remember what happened after this but he was seriously getting too close to me and my anger was making metallic crashes in my ears so I just shittily said, “HAPPY THANKSGIVING” and then stomped back into the house, yelling FUCKING DICK as I slammed the door shut. Then I noticed Chooch was there watching the whole thing with his patented, “Ladies and gentlemen, my SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR mother” smirk on his face.

“Feel better?” he asked sardonically.

NO ACTUALLY I DIDN’T because now the adrenaline was cruising through my nervous system.

“I did it,” I said to Henry, who was still watching from the bedroom. He said he knew, and played back our security camera footage where you can hear me yelling EXCUSE ME lol.

The last words I said before I fell back asleep was, “I bet he’s also an ICE sympathizer.”

I GUESS THIS ONLY APPLIES TO CIVILIANS.

ETA: I just replied to Janna’s comment about how I can have the shittiest service at a restaurant and I will be like, “Eh, the server might be having a bad day” but a man in authority DARES TO EVEN GLANCE AT ME and I am like OH BUDDY, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

“So I’m not a Karen,” I defended myself to Henry. “What does that make me though?”

“A psycho,” Henry said WITH NO HESITATION, WOW.

Also, “welcome home, Chooch!” He must seriously miss this action sometimes. Henry said he came out of his room when he heard me fly out the front door and asked, “Where did she go?”

“To jail,” Henry sighed.

This is the last leg of the Maramures adventures and also when things began to unravel – you knew it was bound to happen!

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT GODDAMN ICE-CAPPED MOUNTAIN BACK THERE THOUGH?? I don’t think I have ever snapped so many pictures out of a car window before in my life. But anyway, this was after we left the Barsana Monastery and stupidly said, “Eh, we’ll eat at the next stop!” when we were considering whether or not to get something from the food vendor in the monastery parking lot. Dumb dumb dumb.

The geotag on this picture tells me we were passing through Strimtura. Also, I’d like to note that lots of elderly people bike around in Romania. I was saying that you rarely see this in the States and Henry immediately referenced two old men who bike through our town of Brookline regularly and I was like, “OK HENRY, BUT ASIDE FROM THEM!!!” God.

Calinesti provided some STOP THE CAR! worthy views.

So, in an effort to keep this final Maramures recap short and short (I really want to move on to SIGHISOARA which was my favorite town in Romania!!), after leaving the monastery (maybe by the end of this post I will have learned how to spell MONASTERY on the first try and nope, that one was not it) I had thought we were headed to Budesti but Henry had looked at an incorrect version of the itinerary that Copilot had lovingly helped me craft and he was heading somewhere else which I didn’t know until we reached that somewhere else and discovered that the only road to reach it was blocked off by the electric company and a small huddle of villagers. I don’t know what was going on, but it was clear that the incident was not close to being resolved.

Henry was all, “THERE HAS GOT TO BE ANOTHER ROAD TO GET THERE” and started jabbing at the car’s navigation screen with his angry man stubs. This brought us to a DIRT ROAD that wound up a hill and into farmland and then eventually turned into a DIRT PATH which prompted Henry to scream “WE ARE ON SOMEONE’S PROPERTY I THINK THIS IS A FUCKING HORSE TRAIL” as the car was catapulting us over rocks and divots. I have some video of this – it was cracking me up, but Henry was SCARED. (Not of some farmer coming after us with a shotgun, but that he was going to bust the rental car and be in BIG TROUBLE with the Enterprise guy at the Bucharest airport who fucking haaaaaaaated us.)

It was around this point when I realized, “Hey wait, where are you even trying to get us to?” after I really – finally – looked at the map on the screen.  Henry was trying to get us to Ieud, but I wanted to go to Budesti. I still don’t know exactly at what point the miscommunication started to bake this casserole of chaos, but here we were in the middle of nowhere, Henry frantically trying not to get the car stuck or send us careening over a surprise cliff.

Green = where we started

Blue = where we were lost

Red = where we needed to be

Of course, the only way to get to Budesti from Ieud was to go all the way back to Barsana and down to Budesti. We were running out of daylight and had to check in to our guest house by no later than 8:30 that evening, so it was a frantic drive from here on out (spoiler – everything in Budesti was either closed by the time we got there or we missed some magical entrance, so basically the whole last half of our day was spent in the car, starving because we didn’t pass a single store until much later!).

I will say it wasn’t all a bust though because the scenery in Budesti was chef’s kiss. Not to mention we had another “YOU CAN’T TAKE THIS NORMAL ROAD SO WE ARE REDIRECTING YOU TO SOME RARELY USED MOUNTAIN ROAD” moment which was terrifying because the road was pockmarked with potholes and if ever we were going to break down and get mauled by bears, it would have had to have been on this portion of the drive. Especially since the sun was setting and every roiling shadow I saw on the sides of the road just SCREAMED “big bear silhouette!!! alert!!!” to me.

Honestly though, we might have missed out on whatever crafty local wares were to be had in the village of Budesti, but we got to cleanse our eyeballs with some poppin’ views.

Cernesti brings the vistas.

Driving through a town called Strimbu-Baiut – the sky was immaculate.

After stopping at a convenience store in some tiny town and stocking up on snacks* in lieu of dinner (REMMEBER WHEN I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO EAT DINNER IN BUDESTI LOLOLOL), we made it to the town of Beclean around 8:30 as expected and the owner (?) of the guest house was waiting for us. We were the only guests in the whole place and I felt so awful when I learned later from Henry that she had come out specifically to meet us and check us in. Ugh, hopefully she lives close by and didn’t have to sit there all evening watching the news (which I noticed was talking about Charlie Kirk #vom when we walked past the office to enter the house.

*(I got some delicious pastry that I grudgingly shared with Henry, and cheese curls. Both were good but not SATISFYING.)

After bringing our stuff in, we headed out to two nearby grocery stores (one was the ubiquitous Penny and the other one was a smaller shop that I didn’t write down the name of but did say that Henry majorly embarrassed me at the bakery counter by saying CHEESE? CHEESE? over and over to the confounded lady working back there until I waved him off and just pointed to the one I wanted after determining on my own that it was a fruit something or other and when I ate it in the next morning in the car, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was filled with a delicious raspberry filling) for some more sustenance and things to eat in the morning. I was obsessed with these 7 Days “croissants” that were pretty stale tasting but filled with delicious things like chocolate and various fruits. I preferred the “forest fruit” variety. It was just a cheap and super-convenient breakfast pastry to eat in the car and also something that I would never eat at home, so it was also a treat! I didn’t think they were strictly distinct to Romania only but when I googled, the website has a New Jersey contact address which made me LOL. Maybe I can find them in Wawa next time I’m out that way?? BUT WILL THEY HAVE FOREST FRUIT.

I did also see in my Internet travels that Romania specifically is “obsessed” with them. Someone asked “why” on Reddit and there is a whole thread of Romanians arguing about if they’re good or not lol. It sounds like the general consensus is that it’s a nostalgia thing – grabbing one from a convenience store on the way to school as a kid type shit.

That Candy Can sat in the car, unfinished, for a few days before I finally tossed it. It was like drinking sparkling simple syrup. My teeth were screaming.

It’s amazing how tired simply being in a car for most of the day can make you. I slept real well that night!

I took these pictures the next morning before we left (it was actually kind of creepy being the only guests there, I’m not going to lie):

We sat out here the night before, drinking a beer and I wrote some postcards – MAYBE IT WAS FOR YOU.

This was the beer we drank that night, I had to take this picture the next morning when I realized that GOD FORBID I had forgotten to check it into Untapped.

Here’s a compilation of our Maramures day – the last clip is my favorite, also I purposely recorded for nearly the entirety of Call Me Maybe because it reminded me of MY LOVING SON, CHOOCH.

1. Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte

OK this is very verbose and ambitious and definitely not some light, quaint beach read. It’s a series of interconnected (subtly, blink and you might miss it) stories about a case of flawed people experiencing rejection in different ways. I was really into this until toward the end when I reached the Main Character story, and then it blew my attention and interest into smithereens. I will say that this was some of the hardest writing I’ve ever read in terms of subject matter, while somehow still giving me moments where I genuinely laughed. There was one story that went DEEP into a gay Thai man’s kink and it was sending me back to my LiveJournal days when nothing was off limits and I wrote some seriously depraved shit but none of that even came close to this wildly imaginative smut.

I really wanted to give this a 5 but that one damn story really took me out of the zone.

2. The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine

Great cover but I spent much of the book asking myself, “No seriously, haven’t we already read this?” I think it’s just kind of a basic thriller. I was neither shocked nor awed but the audiobook version provided mild entertainment on my daily walks so I can’t complain. There were some genuinely creepy moments, but then way too many descriptions of meat and slaughter which ruined it for me.  Middle of the road 3 stars.

3. The Watchers (The Watchers, #1) by A.M. Shine

I gave this a three only because the ending was pretty decent but I was alarmingly bored through the first 3/4 of this book. The only character I liked was the bird.  I don’t think I will watch the movie (which is kind of funny because we were somewhere recently where it was on TV in the hotel – maybe Newark? – and even that seemed uninteresting yet I still picked up the book!! To my credit, I didn’t make that connection at first. Needless to say, I will not be continuing on to the next one in the series.

4. Small Spaces (Small Spaces, #1) by Katherine Arden

Sometimes we need a good, creepy Middle Grade horror in October for old time’s sake. This was really fun!

5. Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

Oh. I didn’t realize this was a short story collection. I did enjoy the title … track? lol. But the rest were pretty lame. I was listening to this on audio and finished it at O’Hare airport during our stupid 5 hour delay and it did nothing to improve my mood. Also, one of the stories was about a plane crash, so amazing fucking timing.

6. Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang

And then I didn’t read AT ALL while we were in Romania. But I picked this one up when we got back and it was just OK. Actually, the first half was really great until the reveal (I guess?) happened and then it got really far-fetched and I quickly lost interest.

7. Heart the Lover by Lily King

You know that Friends episode where Monica is doing her erogenous zones demonstration and totally sends herself when she gets to 7? That is me telling you that this book is a 5! 5! 5! OMG FIVEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! 

I actually brought this with me to Romania and I am so glad I didn’t attempt to read it while on the plane or actually there because this fucking TREASURE, this MASTERPIECE, broke me. I was weeping messily at home reading it and I can only imagine the scenes I would have caused if I had been reading this in public. Lily King is a literary goddess. The way she writes her characters into existence, I felt like I was a part of it. I WANTED to be part of. It’s like feeling that aching tug of nostalgia for something you didn’t actually experience – Lily King does that.

The last sentence of this book fucking killed me. And then when I realized it is connected to her other masterpiece, Writers & Lovers, I lost my damn mind. I am crying just thinking about this book. If you take anything from this dumb book review post, let this be the one. Read this. Maybe ready Writers & Lovers first, but it’s not necessarily a must. (I recommend it though! You won’t regret it.)

(Maybe you will and if you do, don’t come for me.)

8. All Fours by Miranda July

I am such a Miranda July fan-girl. This new one of hers was so gross and weird and poignant and hilarious and RELATABLE. Totally Miranda July-coded. Which also happens to be Erin Rachelle-coded. Every time I see one of her IG posts or read her latest book, I feel like we could be really great friends. She is so fucking weird lol.

I listened to the audio version of this which is narrated by July and her soft, quiet voice just really puts the bow on the package. Her writing is not for everyone, but it is for me. And I love her.

9. Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

What a waste of a great book cover. I did not enjoy this. Referring to this as horror is incorrect and deceiving. It was very boring and not even remotely scary or chilling. Sorry.

10.Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley

Sloane Crosley is up there in my Lily King god tier. This is her memoir about grieving the loss of her best friend, which happened to coincide with her apartment being broken into. The subject matter sounds like this would be extremely depressing and heavy-handed, and it IS very sad at times, but she manages to frame her friend’s suicide with these beautiful, funny, quirky vignettes to show us why she loved him, who he was, what he meant to her. The good and the bad. Definitely somber at times, and by the end, you will feel like you lost him too. You will go through all the stages with her. So beautiful and unforgettable, an amazing tribute to a best friend.

11. The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

When we were at Castle Blood, one of the items we obtained during our challenges was a plastic eyeball. “I’m actually reading a book right now about some girl who is obsessed with eating eyeballs,” I blurted out to the two strangers in our group. Why do I do these things. That statement hung in the air like a rancid fart before we all moved on with our quest in the Castle.

But no seriously, the protagonist in this book becomes obsessed with men’s eyeballs and eating them. This is an unhinged revenge mission and I loved it. FUCK GEORGE. FUCK ALL MEN, honestly.

12. Penpal by Dathan Auerbach

OK I don’t know why I gave this just a 4 on Goodreads, because it was brilliantly chilling, exactly what I wanted for October! I actually purchased this for my Kindle about 5 years ago and then my Kindle broke and I’m sure there is still a way to read it but I am too lazy and forgot about it. I ended up just getting it from the library when I remembered that it existed and it was worth the wait. This was expertly craft, kept me rapt, filled me with dread, and the only far-fetched part of it in my mind was that this shit was going on when the two friends were IN KINDERGARTEN and running amok in the woods and neighborhood? I get that this was the 70s or 80s I guess, but it was still hard to picture these little Kindergartners out in the wild. I don’t know, maybe I’m just being hyper-critical because I had literally no other complaints with this book.

And those are the books I read in October, thank you for attention to this matter. – Queen ERK

Our next stop after the Memorial to the Victims of Communism was a 28 minutes drive to a town called Barsana. There is a beautiful wooden church and monastery there that I had to see. I was so nervous that it was going to be closed because we were really racing against the setting sun – there is just never enough time when you’re on vacation!

This will mostly just serve as a photo dump because nothing super memorable happened other than me and Henry admiring the wooden structures.

This was a town called Oncesti, halfway between Sighetu Marmatiel and Barsana.

We made it! It is free to enter, but we did of course stop by the gift shop on the way out for magnets. I mean, obvi.

Most of the buildings here are inaccessible to the general public because this is an active nunnery. I didn’t see any of the nuns while we were there though unless the older lady in the gift shop was one.

I actually felt like we were in Switzerland for a minute!

I love religious art so much.

The inside of the church was so beautiful! There were a handful of other visitors there at the same time and they all seemed to be actively religious people so I was trying to hang back until they were done praying and fearing God, etc.

I kept going on and on about how much I loved the color palette and Henry was like, “Ok. Cool.”

I’m not a religious person but I love going inside churches and cathedrals in other places and then I always feel like, “Wow, maybe I really am religious” until we’re in the car driving away and suddenly I’m back to hailing Satan and puking up green pea soup (FORESHADOWING lol).

Looking back at these pictures, though, I’m filled with this super cozy, sentimental feeling. It was such a beautiful afternoon, barely anyone else was there, and Henry and I were still card-carrying members of the Get Along Gang. Somehow, someway! Maybe it was all the churches we visited, infecting us with Christ-dust, but I really feel like our couple’s road trip through Romania made us like each other more or something, I don’t know, don’t make me say more.

Back in the beginning of October, Henry and I stopped into Lolev because they had a seasonal beer with MICHAEL MYERS on the label and I needed it, even though it was a stout. Or a porter. I don’t know the difference, just that I don’t enjoy either. But the can!! Michael Myers!!

Anyway, we ended up sitting at the bar for a bit, chatting with the bartender – who was insanely friendly and informative – and he showed me this beer passport thingie. I have seen the coffee ones before, but didn’t know that there was one for breweries! He said, “Eh, it’s probably too late in the year to get started with this though” because I guess it’s only good for 2025. Basically, you just go to the breweries that are participating and get a stamp, and then collect prizes at the end of the year based on the number of stamps you get.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

He happily gave me my inaugural stamp (Lolev is my fave local brewery so I was happy to start there!) but then we went away to Romania and lost many days of stamp-earning.  However, I came back with a vengeance and am proud to say that I have SEVEN STAMPS now out of 40. 40 stamps earns you the privilege of attending some beer party but I don’t want that – going to a party with a bunch of beer dorks is the last thing I want to do. Getting awkwardly mansplained about the types of hops in the beer I’m drinking and probably not liking? No thanks.

Besides Lolev <3, here are the breweries I collected stamps from so far:

BACK ALLEY

Guys, I cheated on this one! Back Alley is right up the street from us and I was like, “OMG Henry great idea, why don’t you walk your ass up to Back Alley and just get a 4-pack to go so I can get a stamp?” and then as he was getting ready to walk out the door, I ran after him with my passport screaming, “DON’T FORGET MY STAMP!!!”

We tried two of the beers that night while watching Johnnie Guilbert videos. They were fine. I only took a few sips of each and then slid my share on down to Henry. He was like, “I’m glad you’re turning me into an alcoholic just so you can get stamps.”

Anyway, it was fine, but probably won’t go back. I’m picky.

COBBLEHAUS

Last Sunday, we went to Cobblehaus with Corey and Kevin. I had been wanting to go here for some time now because they’re supposed to have Belgian beers and after dabbling in IPAville for a bit, I have decided that Belgians really are my one true love.

They only had two Belgians on draft that day and they both good but just didn’t give me the feels like legit Belgians do. (Imagining a group of Belgian people tickling me now, maybe this will be my next hyperbolic kink that gets me in weird blog situations.)

(Clearly, I need to just to go to Belgium.)

But! I did really enjoy the experience. The atmosphere was great and the company was even better. We got there when they opened at noon and accidentally stayed until they closed at 5PM, lol.

Henry was embarrassed because as soon as we walked in and said hi to Corey and Kevin, I immediately panted, “CAN YOU STAMP THIS???” at the bartender.

“Jesus, Erin, at least order something first!” Henry said, full of disappointment. I lack brewery couth, sorry!

BREW GENTLEMEN

Last Saturday, we had to go to one of the European markets to get stuff for Romanian Thanksgiving, so I suggested that we just “pop in” to a nearby brewery while we were out so that I could get a stamp. IT IS CONSUMING MY LIFE. Brew Gentlemen was pretty close to where we were going, so it was settled. We’ve had BG beers before (actually, I think it was at the Honey Revenge concert) but have never been to their place.

This time, I ordered before thrusting  my passport at the bartender but I could tell Henry was still annoyed – SORRY THAT I GET EXCITED OVER STUPID THINGS, HENRY.

Anyway, I got this really amazing chai ale thing and it was refreshing AF. I kept saying, “I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I ACTUALLY LIKE THIS” around every single sip.

Henry being annoyed with me.

Henry being dumb.

Me in the bathroom.

Anyway, what a fun and quick afternoon beer! Then we went to a cemetery and walked it off before Euro grocery shopping.

HITCHHIKER

On Sunday, we had decided to try to do two breweries within close proximity. Originally, we were going to go to 2 Frays and East End, but then Kara told me that Chris and his bike club did a collab with East End and there was going to be a thing there for that on Tuesday so we moved East End to Tuesday and decided to instead go to Sharpsburg and do Hitchhiker and Dancing Gnome which are withing WALKING DISTANCE of each other, so even better!

Hitchhiker was actually sort of the gateway into me thinking, “Whoa, COULD I like beer??” but then Henry was all, “You don’t like beer, you just like these because there’s sugar and lactose in it!”

OK to his point, yes, I was only drinking their dessert-y milkshake beers. But they are SO. GOOD. It’s what challenged me to try other, more basic/standard beer again just to see if maybe my palate had been broken enough to tolerate it by now.

I immediately felt super comfortable here. Granted, we got there right after they opened so there was only one other couple sitting at a table, but the bartender was very lovely and reminded me of Lynn Gunn a little bit (I’ve come to realize that many women of a certain age remind me of her, and by certain age I mean mid-20s). She was very patient as Henry was being a diva unable to make up her mind.

I got the Mr. Bitters and then swapped with Henry because he actually got a pumpkin something or other?! Henry hates pumpkin! But I think he probably knew that I would like that better than the Mr. Bitters which was fine but the pumpkin thing was so much better.

DANCING GNOME

We had planned on just having one beer at Hitchhiker and then walking to Dancing Gnome because for some reason I had it in my head that I was going to like it more there.

I DID NOT. I found the bartenders to be your typical “we know beer better than you do” types of whatever this new generation calls hipsters. I mean they weren’t blatantly rude but I felt like they were making fun of me as soon as I turned around MAYBE I’M PARANOID BECAUSE I HAVE LOW (NO) SELF ESTEEM. But it just wasn’t a warm place.

The beers were just OK. I can’t remember what I got. Oh! The Yam Jam. It was neither yammy nor jammy. I smrobably would have been better off with just a basic IPA. Whatever that is. But the one in this picture is actually Henry’s – I probably look like such a drunkard but I always check-in every beer on UnTapped even when it’s something I just took a sip of. So this picture was just for check-in purposes.

I did not like this one at all and immediately passed it over to Henry. (We were getting half pours, btw. Look at me trying to justify us.)

Guys, we went left Dancing Gnome feeling unsatisfied and went BACK TO HITCHHIKER for a flight!

“Why didn’t we just go to Dancing Gnome first for one beer, and then come here?” I asked in disbelief. We KNOW we like Hitchhiker!

“We’re back!” I said happily to the guy bartender and he was like, “Oh boy.” No, I’m kidding, he smiled.

I always think I like sours because Hitchhiker has the best ones (hello sugar) and then I get burnt at other places when I try a sour. But damn Hitchhiker is really so great.

I was talking to my therapist about how we’ve been doing this (she’s a beer person and was flipping through my passport because ofc I had it in my purse during our last session) and I realized something! Henry and I have actually been spending quality time together during this mission! It’s been really fun and I’m thrilled to say that my fear of becoming the kinds of Empty Nesters you see at a restaurant, not talking to each other, was all for naught because we’ve been having the best time!

Granted, I’m a professional yapper so I don’t know why I ever had fears of becoming an incommunicative couple.

I will admit that day drinking is not for me though. We definitely went overboard like we were on a date or something weird, who are we.

EAST END

I will only leave the house on a work night for a select few people and Kara is one of them! As mentioned previously in this drunken post, Kara’s husband Chris is a co-founder of a local bike crew called Give Up and East End made a havy IPA in their honor! Kara lured me with the ube-flavored sour, and that was a fun one but I REALLY liked the Give Up beer!! I wanted Henry to buy a pack of it but he was all THERE IS NO ROOM IN THE FRIDGE!!

It was a great time hanging out with Kara while also dodging the East End owner because I trashed his beers so hard in an old blog post – like REALLY old, so old that it was actually from the LiveJournal days and then reposted over here –  back when I truly hated beer with my whole hateful heart. And then he found it, because of course he did, when am I ever going to learn, but he commented and thought it was funny! And he asked if he could include it in his beer newsletter or whatever and I was so mortified but also like, how could I say no this guy who was clearly such a class act and so chill about some dumb broad dragging his livelihood through the mud of the Internet streets.

Anyway, after we left, KARA TOLD HIM and he apparently said he wished I had said something while I was there but OMG having to talk to someone about something weird I wrote about them on my blog already happened once this month, so I think I reached my limit! Maybe next time!

Well, that’s my summary of the first 7 stamps in my dumb passport (PICTURED ABOVE!!). 13 more to go by 12/31! CAN I DO IT?