Wishing you lots of chocolate, wine, snuggling, and Sex and the City on this heartsy V-DAY. Will you be mine? L*O*V*E, saskatch Continue reading

Hear ye, hear ye...NOT only am I back on coffee (the dreaded cleanse is OVER!), but it's sunny and 75 degrees (and rising) outside. This goes without saying, but it is the weekend, to boot! Things are looking up, dear readers. No more crushing caffeine headaches and hyper-salivating at the sight of wine and gluten for this girl. I am free, albeit gluttonous, once again. I'm drinking a glass of wine as I type—in the middle of the DAY. Sigh. Still, even through the veil of my weekend-sugar-caffeine-acohol-high, I feel the distinct sensation of Sunday night blues creeping ever so... Continue reading

How are your New Year's resolutions coming along? As I write, I'm half-starved and painfully caffeine-free thanks to a particular resolution, which requires a "mellow" three-day cleanse I read about. I thought I'd feel light and bright, if not a little high from being so... healthy. But you know what? It is horrible. Really, really awful. Every time I complain, my beau says, "Patience and self discipline, my love." I say BOLLOCKS. I know the first day of a cleanse is the toughest and all that... oh, did I not mention that this is my first day? Eight hours and... Continue reading

In case you don't remember me, let me introduce myself: My name is saskatch and I have been remiss in my blogging duties. Like, really really ridiculously remiss. You don't want to hear my excuses, and honestly, I don't feel like making any up. The truth is that I've been in hibernation—I am part forest creature after all. OK, that's not true. BUT, you could say I have been in a creative hibernation... of sorts. Lucky for me, I have been busy writing and writing for actual work, so in my free time the witty side of my brain has... Continue reading

In classic California form, the crunchy-autumn-leaves type fall I waxed on (and ON) about the other day has come to an abrupt halt. After a foggy season that left summer wardrobes hanging in the closet, the thermometer hovered at 106 degrees yesterday in Santa Barbara (113 degrees in Los Angeles)—a slight inconvenience when you sleep in a loft and that pesky heat continues to rise. See, when you live in Santa Barbara and you like to call yourself an artist (I know, I deserve a pinch under the arm for that), more than one room in a home is a... Continue reading

It's unmistakable: Long summer days have morphed into evenings punctuated with a golden autumn light; European, map-toting tourists have been replaced with eager, backpack clad college students; and then there's that hint of wood smoke and the distinct smell of sharpened pencils in the air. It's FALL! I ask you: What's better than spiced cider on the stove and holiday excitement hanging in the atmosphere? I want to run out and buy gourds and Indian corn and fake cobwebs. Don't even get me started on planning for Halloween costumes (do you recall my panic last year?). I purchased a pumpkin-spice... Continue reading

Behold my latest obsession: Clogs. Before you judge, consider this: When I was little, we teased my clog-wearing uncle relentlessly—Wearing your frankies, I see! This particular uncle happened to push six-foot-five, so "frankies" referred to Frankenstein, of course. (Kids are cruel... if not a little bit clever!) And then there's my first-ever date with sasbeau (worthy of a blog post all its own). My only hesitation? I wasn't quite sure how to process the fact that he sported clogs. He seemed particularly tall when I met him at the seaside park for a winter picnic (swoon), but it wasn't until... Continue reading

Perhaps you've noticed I've been a wee bit distracted lately. Reasons for this are two-maybe-threefold: one, I am heading out of town this weekend for a WEEK!, so my workload feels a little bit like when a wave breaks on top of you and rolls you around until you inhale a suffocating helping of saltwater. In addition to my normal workload, I've been finishing a freelance writing job (thank you, Universe!), which I need to wrap up by the end of this ever-so-stressful week. This means that I work from nine-to-five at my normal job, attempt exercise and socializing post-work,... Continue reading

Internet, I have realized something: I can't party like I used to (as a UC Santa Barbara co-ed, I once took only Sundays off from playing...you know, to study). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'd spend my afternoons slurring Journey songs in a smokey bar, but I enjoyed a jolly night out on occasion. I don't know if it was the Old Spanish Days celebration that took over our town last weekend, or the much-too-fun-to-crack confetti-filled eggs being sold on State Street (I bought a dozen), but on Saturday I decided to venture out into the abyss. I... Continue reading

Do you know how many times I heard Prince tell me that as a graduate of the class of 1999, it was my duty to party because, well, two thousand zero zero party over with out of sight, right? That was 11 years ago! More than a DECADE! I'm not going to pretend I feel aged and mature nowadays—not that you'd be fooled. I don't feel much different than 18-year-old saskatch—or eight-year-old saskatch for that matter. (Not sure if that's a good thing or not.) Do you know what more than 10 years out of high school means? Reuuuuuunion. When... Continue reading

I have been procrastinating on writing this post—not because I have nothing to say about the beautiful wedding we attended in Point Arena, but because nothing very funny or clumsy happened. (A good thing, I suppose.) The gorgeous bride walked down the aisle, said I DO, and kissed her sweet groom. I met the groom only once prior to the nuptials, but in classic form, when the music began and his eyes welled when he saw his bride, I cried. Either sasbeau slipped some hormones in my Coors that afternoon, or I am that girl now. When did this happen?... Continue reading

We drove to Point Arena for a wedding a couple of weekends ago, winding passed towering Redwoods and Douglas Firs along Highway 1, stopping for pee breaks and wave checks every hour or so—any excuse to suck in a chest full of salty air. The dramatic coastline is rugged and not just a little bit stunning. Waves crash against the rocks sending splashes 40 feet high, and thick fog cloaks the horizon, making the scene ethereal and dreamy. And can I get a shout out for good car convos? (Or, "conversations" for those who do not use abreves.) There's nothing... Continue reading

I once took a personal day from work so I could clean and cook for about ten hours straight. Granted, I had guests arriving for the weekend, but the act of spending the day scrubbing, sweeping, dusting, and whipping together a big meal was therapeutic and fun. I blasted my favorite tunes, chatted on the phone, meandered around Trader Joe's for a solid hour, picked up soil and flowers from the plant shop—all in all, making a major dent in all the chores I'd been putting off for, eh, months. And then there's cooking... I made a killer homemade soup,... Continue reading

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go. I'm standing here outside your door. I hate to wake you up to say goodbye. Raise your hand if you love John Denver. Don't fight it, admit it. He's the best and whenever I leave town, I can't help but hum his tune (which Ben Affleck ALMOST ruined for me in Armageddon). This afternoon sasbeau and I are hopping in his Jetta and taking the 101 north to spend the weekend in Marin County and Mendocino. I've never been to "Mendo" (as the locs call it...I think. Hopefully it's not the... Continue reading

I'm trying a little something new with my background color...It's summer, it's warm, and I think we can all agree that we could use a little light in our lives. Thoughts? Continue reading

Recently, sasbeau and I escaped our city woes with a backpacking trip to the nearby San Rafael Wilderness. I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I'd never been backpacking before. Hiking? All the time! Hiking with everything I need for an overnight trip neatly bundled on my back? Nope. We both split from work at 5-on-the-dot on Friday evening, drove about an hour out of town, and hiked a mile-and-a-half from the car. After our jaunt, I thought, Backpacking, pffff, EASY! We made dinner, splashed around in the creek, and read David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day out... Continue reading

Remember when I told you I was training for a half marathon? Suffice to say, that goal crashed and burned (like I very well may have done on the track). I tried to register for the race, but I tried too late, and... [insert genuine sadness that I didn't get to run, followed by excuses, naps, and cupcake consumption]. Don't get me wrong, I love working out—but yoga, walks, pilates, hikes, and dance classes (you don't need rhythm to shake it) are more my cup of chai. I guess you could say I've never been one for competition (in sports... Continue reading

Last night, I saw an idol! A hero! A genius! Well, at least that's what a history-dork-who-wanted-to-be-an-anthropologist-(still might!) would tell you. Filmmaker Ken Burns stopped through Santa Barbara to speak about sharing the American experience. A fast-talking historian with mind-blowing recall and a, eh hem, signature hairstyle, Burns eloquently shared personal anecdotes and favorite moments from some of his most popular PBS documentaries, like Civil War, Baseball, and Jazz. I received a last minute invitation to the event—an upscale benefit dinner for a local nonprofit—so I threw on my swankiest duds and my best hello-I-am-important face and made my way... Continue reading

Next time I say something as tempting to the universe as "I'm ready for a change!" or "I need a house project" or "I like being busy!" please remind me of the week when I was 29 and I had not one, but multiple fever blisters on my lips, and scarfed a malt with extra malt AND onion rings AND a cheeseburger more than once in a 24-hour period. To top it off, my boyfriend (who I now live with! High-five, chest bump!) is officially afraid to wake me from a slumber on the couch to gently suggest I move... Continue reading

Have I told you about my side business as a dog-sitter? I'm a regular Saskatch Millan. Although, unlike Sir Cesar Millan, I play favorites and admittedly get embarrassed when people assume certain types of dogs are my own (I won't name breeds!). You might be wondering why I don't have any pets-not-even-a-dog if I love them so much. I'm currently living with my boyfriend and his three girl roommates (who, incidentally, are not fond of his alleged squatter-meets-live-in girlfriend, even if she is as elusive as her nickname). Since living with roommates-who-are-not-my-roommates is tricky to begin with, owning a dog... Continue reading

When my boyfriend and I agreed to watch a couple of my cousins for a night at my aunt and uncle's cabin in the woods, we had visions of finding minnows in the creek, taking adventure walks, and telling tall bedtime tales. What we did not anticipate, dear readers, was rinsing messy bums in cold creek waters, inconsolable pre-bedtime crying, and midnight barf-o-ramas. We left Santa Barbara early Saturday morning, and headed south for a night in the Ortega mountains, where my aunt (who, incidentally, is only six years my senior and has always been more of a sister to... Continue reading

The time is nigh to be outside. This weekend, our clocks rolled forward and after-work-sunlight has finally returned to grace us with its presence. Every year before the time change, I find myself at the brink of serious winter blues. Mind you, I live in Santa Barbara, CALIFORNIA, so it's not like I'm emerging from hibernation amid blizzards and darkness. I'm not all beach-girl-wuss though—I lived in Norway once. Do you know what happens when a born-and-bred Californian moves to Scandinavia? I'll tell you. Summer months trick you into falling in love with the toe-head capital of the world, when... Continue reading

I know, I know... I haven't posted in much too long, and Valentine's Day has long come and gone. Still, I'd be remiss to keep stories of my heartsy v-day weekend trip to myself. (Do you know how many Valentine's I've spent eating chocolate while watching Sex and the City with girlfriends? I had a romantic getaway this year, and by god, I'm telling you about it). Growing up, February 14th meant a special breakfast of heart-shaped pancakes at a candle-lit table sprinkled with pink and red confetti and glittery vintage cards. (My folks have been my faithful valentines for... Continue reading