Writ.

Party Bloom: 03

2009-11-08T22:00:00.003-08:00

Party Bloom: 02

2009-11-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

Party Bloom: 01

2009-11-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

Post-Party Post.

2009-11-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

The cocktail party was thrown, drinks were flowing, laughs were had. Our new apartment's inaugural gathering was cozy and lovely.

Chuck proved himself the best boyfriend any girl could have, and there is nobody who can debate me on this. Dude managed to pull two perfect quiches, a gorgeous pumpkin bread for dessert, and had beef tenderloin on the grill while I distracted guests with cocktails.

True to my new calling as a drink master, I spent the whole night mixing drinks and asking guests if I could refill their martini glasses. My contributions to the cocktail party conversation included the intricacies of breeding fighting fish and the oft-misunderstood lives of tapeworms.

Few photos were taken, which I regret. But I love the few that were captured anyway (thank you again to the best boyfriend a girl could have):

<3.

The ingredients of a party

2009-11-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I'm hosting a sweet little cocktail party with my flatmate Thiena (or, as my fish calls her, Human #2). I'm breathless with excitement. I haven't hosted a party in a long time and I'm so ready to bring on the "host face." I'm particularly giddy about this party because I've cleverly avoided participating in the food preparation (to the relief of our guests, I'm sure) by anointing myself the drink specialist. The mixologist of your dreams.

I'm taking this new role very seriously. I'm almost through the second season of Mad Men, so I can confidently say that I know what sophisticated people like to drink. I have crafted a spectacular drink menu, with a list of ingredients that made me look like the most spectacular lush at the grocery store this evening.

Cocktail ingredients:

Bourbon whiskey
Vodka
Tequila
Gin
Sweet red vermouth
Angostura bitters
Triple sec
Cranberry juice
Oranges
Maraschino cherries
Lemons
Limes
Olive brine
Sugar cubes

Other:

Various wines
Sake
Sparkling apple cider
Coke

I'm giving a prize to the first person who can guess the 5 specialty cocktails that I will be making from the ingredients on this list.

Cheers!

A lesson in perspective.

2009-10-13T22:00:00.001-07:00

Today after a long rainy day, Chuck was eager to show me how high the water had gotten at a nearby stream. He took me to a spot that he found earlier, where thousands of little ants were marching uphill. "Watch all the little white spots they're carrying," he told me. We followed them for a while, an endless mile of determined little creatures on a mission. The challenges and frustrations of my own day were stomped away by the perseverance of those little ants, saving their eggs from the rising water.

My guest spot on Mad Men

2009-10-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

If you don't watch Mad Men, you should start now. Or you can watch 8 episodes of it on a transatlantic flight, like I did recently. You'll be completely disoriented once you land in a new continent and you'll get on a bus without knowing where it's going, but it will be worth it.

Mad Men Yourself! (PS I love how I'm carrying a purse in the middle of a pitch. Sassy.)

13.1 miles

2009-10-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

Erica dela Cruz, you just ran a half marathon! What are you going to do next?

Drink about a gallon of water, and be really cranky. Then, get an incredible high from the realization that I don't have to keep running anymore. Then, get cranky again.

Who do you wish to thank?

My boyfriend Chuck, who talked me into this hairbrained scheme back in July, and who pushed me to keep running week after week after week. My flatmate Thiena, who ran with me the whole way through. Finally, I'd like to thank Hal Higdon, who provided me with the training schedule that I followed somewhat consistently, though there was maybe a week or two in September when I decided to rebel against the schedule and be a spectacular couch potato. The price of this rebellion was that I couldn't feel my legs after the half marathon. Had I followed Hal's schedule all the way through, I'm certain I would've been doing cartwheels at the finish line.

What was your finish time?

2:54:15. This was a wonderful surprise, considering I'd spent the last 3 months worrying that I wouldn't make it under the 4 hour race cap.

Would you recommend a half marathon to people who share your distaste for physical exertion?

Yes, I would highly recommend it. It is an achievable goal that provides a ton of benefits, such as increased fitness and bragging rights. I certainly intend to reference the fact that I ran a half marathon in every conversation I have this week. "You gave an excellent presentation today. It reminds me of that time I ran a half marathon in 2:54:15."

What was the most important thing that you learned from this experience?

Reading Runner's World does not make you a runner
Buying a lot of expensive running gear at the Sports Basement does not make you a runner
Running, in conjunction with reading Runner's World and buying a lot of expensive gear at the Sports Basement, makes you a runner who possesses a great deal of trivial running knowledge and looks very athletic also.

What was the best tip you got from other runners?

Applying vaseline to areas of my foot where I normally get blisters after long runs. I did this on half marathon day and got no blisters!

Are you going to continue running? Will you aim for a marathon next?

I will certainly continue running once my body has forgotten that running once made my calves feel like they were trying to separate from the rest of my body. I would like to do a marathon one day. I'm sure Hal Higdon will show me the way.

Attention, Li Yundi fangirls.

2009-09-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Can we please collectively sigh at how beautiful this performance is? If you mashed together all my favorite poems from the Romantic period, it would play out like this in my head. Now who wants to watch that Keats movie with me?

Family.

2009-09-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

I finally checked my mailbox after a couple of weeks of neglecting it, and as a result got a handful of lovely birthday cards a couple of weeks late (oops). My Aunt Nene sent me one that made me smile a big, big smile:

So glad that we're family,
so very impressed
With all of your sparkle
and spirit and zest.

Whatever life hands you,
you give it a whirl --
You're fun and you're fearless ...
you GO, niece girl!

She is the best lady, my Aunt Nene. <3

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea, or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

2009-09-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

To all of you who have been following my fish, Merton, and his view of the world from a bowl in my living room, I am so, so sorry to tell you that he recently got very sick. He died peacefully.

Merty captured my heart profoundly, and I still haven't quite accepted his death. He has been a constant part of my 25th year, my best year. After meeting Chuck and making a new life with him, I didn't think I could be happier or more in love. But a little fish made this possible.

It is hard to describe what Merty has done for my life and my perspective without sounding like an overgrown child who needs more people friends. But I'll try anyway. I've spent a lot of time looking at the world through Merty's eyes. He has made me a better, less self-centered person. He's allowed me to see the petty things that occupy too much of my mind's real estate, and genuinely laugh at myself. He's deepened my awareness of my capacity to love others, and be loved in return. I imagine that he gave me a glimpse into what it might be like to raise another human being.

Chuck and I were able to give Merty the farewell he deserved. Early one morning, we took him to a glimmering river, and let him float downstream. I like to believe that we've sent him back to his true home.

A few days ago, I started my 26th year. And, like a true best friend, Chuck gave me a gift that shifted my mind from the sorrow of loss, to the joy of new beginnings:

His name is Pembrook Hazlitt Wordsworth. He's a baby -- only a third of the size of Merty when I first got him. I can't keep my eyes off him, and so look forward to discovering what he will teach me about myself and the world that he and I share. When he's settled into his new home, he will start sharing his thoughts on @ericasfish. He has some big fins to fill, but I hope you give him a chance, and follow him. I certainly will.

I will never forget you, Robert Jove Merton.

@ The Killers

2009-09-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

I saw one of my favorite bands, The Killers, play live this past weekend. We were on the lawn and honestly saw very little, but hearing them and feeling their energy was heaven enough for me. <3

A few songs you might like:

I am never making another video again.

2009-09-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

Every time I get overwhelmed by the prospect of having to come up with lame captions for 300 photos that I want to share, I think to myself, "Say! Why don't I just make a video and avoid the captions altogether?" Gah! I keep forgetting that videos are the biggest pain in the bum to compile!

What I mean to say is: Here's a video of us camping and it DIDN'T take me 3 hours to make.

Song is "Jesus on the Radio" by Guster.

Happy Camper.

2009-09-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks Dan and Andrew and Chuck for taking me on my first camping trip ever! What an amazing weekend ... photos and snarky commentary coming soon.

Dublin colors and textures

2009-09-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Nostalgia City, I walk your streets again.

2009-09-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

I met up with another old friend from Oxford and a brand new friend this evening. We had dinner at a lovely restaurant somewhere in the Dublin City Centre, maybe one of the loveliest ones in the city by some accounts. Unfortunately I can't remember the name at the moment, but I do know I had confit duck leg (nice, crispy), foie gras (I've had better), crab cakes (a bit salty), seared scallops (perfect), a couple of glasses of Malbec (I described it as "woody" at the table and got laughed at) and a mint tea to calm my stomach after all the eating and drinking and laughing. Old Oxford friend and I do what I always do with old Oxford friends -- reminisce about our time in Oxford and bore everyone else.

What a perfect trip this has been! I can't even describe how much I was dreading going to Ireland last week. Dreading the hectic work days (this was a business trip), the jetlag, the awful weather, the having no friends here, the being away from Chuck and my family and having no access to hugs. But -- but I go home in a couple of days, yippee! And I've done everything I needed to do here. And got a few hugs that I didn't even expect.

Dublin, I love you.

It's Phil! It's Phil.

2009-08-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today my friend Phil flew all the way from Liverpool to spend the day with me in Dublin. Phil and I go way back from when I was a third-year visiting student at Oxford, and he was a wee freshman. He's still (and always will be) just a wee lad to me -- he's turning 23 tomorrow!

I took a gazillion photos but I'll just post a few because I need to soak my feet in a hot bath. I walked over ten miles today in little red flats that were not born for hardcore city walking. Ouch.

Anyway. Here we are somewhere in the City Centre:

Here I am in front of some law building. (I obviously didn't take many notes during this outing, as we only had one afternoon and so much to take in. Bad traveller! Bad!)

Phil and I spent a lot of time looking at the tourist map.

We had to go from one side of town to another to get to the restaurant where we wanted to have lunch, and we couldn't find a bus map anywhere because Dublin does not like to help tourists on Sunday. It's true! The tourist information stop was closed, and the CENTRAL BUS STATION where I picked up Phil DID NOT HAVE BUS MAPS. So, I spotted the first bus that stopped in front of us and told Phil to come with. Phil doesn't like to argue (at least not with me!), so we got on and hoped for the best. Miraculously, we got to where we were going. Too bad the place we had planned to go was closed. (As it turns out, everything is closed in Dublin on Sundays. )

The place we went to instead was just wonderful.

Luckily, the churches had no problem being open on Sunday. And St. Patrick's Cathedral was breathtaking.

The James Joyce House of the Dead was not open. Here are some nice photos from someone who was able to get in on a separate visit.

We had dinner at an Irish pub where Phil opened his birthday present from me. This was my favorite part of the whole day.

And here I am enjoying what I call the The UK Panini, which I've never seen replicated stateside. The UK panini has a special kind of bread and is all pressed and perfect and looks like this. If you know where I can find a UK Panini in California, oh my god you've got to tell me where.

Phil and I did more during our outing besides eating and visiting closed attractions, but I hope to recap all that in a later post. For now: foot bath. And sleep.

Thank you for visiting me, Phil! To quote another favorite friend of mine: You are one in a million.

In Ireland, Freaking Out the Irish*

2009-08-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

I'm in Dublin. It's a lovely city from what I've seen so far. I had a lovely flight over (I couldn't sleep but, on the upside, I watched 8 episodes of Mad Men), am staying in a lovely apartment, and seeing my friend Phil tomorrow afternoon which is going to be the loveliest of all.

A long time ago this view would have stolen my heart, but now it's something I'm happy to enjoy on my own for just a week, until I'm back home camping with Chuck and our friends!

I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait.

* The heading is a reference to an older heading on Writ, when I was "In England, Freaking Out the British."

Concerts on the green.

2009-08-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

When I was in Wisconsin in July, I got to spend a couple of afternoons sitting on the lawn with my boy, listening to live symphony music as the sun went down. Oh, I miss those days already!

Our first concert on the green was in Milwaukee, where we got to listen to an orchestra that featured Chuck's sister on the french horn and her fiance-now-husband on the trumpet. Before spreading our blankets on the lawn, we explored a nearby little town called Cedarburg, where we wandered through candy shops, had lunch at a lakeside restaurant ...

Admired Amish crafts ...

And went shopping for a good wine to enjoy at the concert.

We headed off to our spot on the lawn, and we watched people while the orchestra got ready to play.

We drank and drank the Pinot Grigio that we picked out ...

And ate and ate a delectable Pinot Grigio cheese spread that we bought to go along with it.

I looked more and more like a little bug as it got colder ...

And Chuck just looked like a mischievous little boy.

The symphony gave a lovely performance ...

And then there were fireworks.

A perfect day.

Welcome to my home: Blue

2009-08-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was convinced that my bedding was too masculine and went on a hunt for something with softer features, only to be stopped by the frugal faeries prancing around inside my head. So, instead of buying new bedding, I repurposed a year-old rug that had previously been in my living room. And my room became instantly girly.

The rest of my room is marked by strong-featured wooden furniture, all handed down from my mom. There's this tall dresser that I love:

And this chair that I love even more:

And here are a couple of photos I adore. The bottom photo is the Great Court of the British Museum (not taken by me) and the top is a photo I took in the Musée Rodin in Paris.

Sick days.

2009-08-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

I seem to have come down with a bug. I arrived home from work in the late afternoon and failed at several attempts to nap away my various ailments. So, I baked.

The sweet smell of chocolate chip cookies floating through my home has lifted my spirits some. Next door, my boyfriend is attempting to nap away the very same bug that he gave me. Soon I will put on my flip flops and knock on his door; I hope we eat dinner soon.

Welcome to my home: Living & Dining

2009-08-16T23:18:00.001-07:00

About time I gave you a little look at the ol' abode! So here we go. Welcome to my living room:

There are a few things from Ikea: the sofa, the little lamp, and that corner cabinet which I can no longer find on their website. I say this because I once claimed I would never live in an apartment furnished by Ikea. But then I came to the realization that Ikea furniture plays perfectly nicely with non-Ikea furniture, so what's the big deal? They're tetherball buddies at recess.

The more interesting pieces are all from my mom: the orange leather chair, the wooden chest that I use for a coffee table, the magazine basket, the Egyptian leather bean bag on the right that you can barely see because of the heavy vignetting on this photo. The little blue bowl is from Anthropologie. The print of the 50 states is something I purchased after I became an American citizen. The TV is old school, as is the popcorn ceiling.

If you look closely, you can see Merton sleeping near the window.

Here's a closer look at the wooden chest, which is inlaid with mother of pearl.

The Egyptian bean bag:

The orange chair, which my family has owned for well over a decade:

My non-alphabetical book shelf:

The magazine basket:
An antique sungka game, also handed down from my mom:

Here's a view of the living room from my work table, also known as my dining room:
And this is what my dining room looks like when it's not my work table:

Coming up next: My linen closet, woo!

Nice hustle.

2009-07-30T11:58:00.001-07:00

Needless to say, I failed to catch the bride's bouquet. That's how I look when I play tennis, too.

Pro Fisherman indeed.

2009-07-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Despite my lifelong fear of lake fish, and despite owning a fish whose life I value more than most of my worldly possessions, I went fishing for the very first time a couple of weeks ago. It's one of my boyfriend's absolute favorite things to do, and I didn't think very hard about what kind of conflict it might ignite in my crazy head. So I decided to hop on a boat and cast a lure.

I caught a little bluegill within a few minutes of setting anchor. This is what he looks like:

I released him back into the water after posing with him. He seemed just a little bit ruffled by the incident, and I could've sworn he flipped me the bird before swimming away.

The next fish I caught was just as tiny. But my hook got him pretty bad. Chuck struggled to unhook him, and it got to the point where I had to turn away and focus my mind at the still lake. When Chuck released him back into the lake, the poor thing didn't move. "He's gone!" I screeched. "No! No!"

I stared at that fish for the longest time, and then buried my head between my knees and sobbed. And then, in a scene right out of a bad comedy, a seagull swooped down and snatched the dead fish up and away from me.

Chuck took turns comforting me and trying very hard not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. But I was inconsolable for a little while. I spent the rest of the afternoon casting the lure as far as I could, and reeling it in so fast that no fish could ever catch it.

Wedding Day

2009-07-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Mother, Daughter.

Brother, Sister.

Woman, Wife.