AUER LIFE @kerstinauer - Tumblr Blog

Welcome to the Archives

After hemming and hawing about the fate of Auer Life and trying to hold on to it while also writing more, I’ve finally made a decision, just in time before the next life-changing event.

As we will soon transition into a new part of our lives (my husband turns 50 this week, our youngest will be moving out soon, and we have some big plans I can’t share yet) it’s time to retire this blog and keep it around as a testimony to our first 12-and-a-bit-years in Canada.

I’m proud of having built this and share our lives and my thoughts, it’s something I will always cherish.

Onward!

The hummingbirds are back and I could watch them all day.

There is a fierce competition in our neighbourhood, everyone has a feeder and is trying to attract them all. We have three birds coming to our feeder regularly, so far so good. Two of those birds are fighting over who gets to feed first, it’s almost like having both my kids back home again. JK, we all eat all the time 🤦‍♀️ {For the record - I am offsetting my pandemic cake baking and eating by exercising three times a week and walking 5 times a week. Yay!}

Well, shit. What ‘re y’all doin’?

Well, shit. What ‘re y’all doin’ is the catch phrase of the pandemic. I can effortlessly use it at least 25 times per day. The pandemic. Let’s talk about that for a moment.

It’s been just over 6 months since I declared my good intentions to write here more often again. And I have written lots, just not here. I did fill in the blanks in my archive with links to my other blogs, so this here blog now houses posts of {or links to} all my personal musings since November 2010. Almost 10 years.

Right, the pandemic. When I wrote my last post here in October, I had no idea what would be coming. Nobody did, except maybe a few really smart people at the CDC or WHO. And here we are. A new decade that was supposed to be bigger and better than ever before, yet we’re all staying at home, some more reluctant than others.

It’s been just about 7 weeks since the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and we watched the whole world shut down while thousands of people died. Borders went up again that had been torn down previously, stay home orders were issued, and life as we knew it stopped dead in its tracks.

I have no idea how much longer this will take or what’s going to happen. But maybe in this time of uncertainty going back to writing more often will be a much needed constant, something to rely on. A renewed declaration of good intentions is at least a good start. Let’s see where this goes.

And the train rolls on

I blinked and it’s October. Middle of October to be exact{ish}. I really want to write more regularly on this here blog, but there is just too much going on all the time.

They say that if it’s really important to you, you’ll make time. Well, they can fuck off because I don’t have more time. But maybe I will in November and I’ll participate in NaNoBloPoMo? October is the busiest month of this year so far, with more projects than I should have taken on. But it seemed like a good idea at the time!

Apart from the fact that I want to write more again, I also want to pivot in my business. So if you wanted to pay me $300 per blog post and I’ll write one per day that would be swell. Mkay? Two birds with one stone. Not bald eagles though.

Husband: look, those are the rings I told you about. They are silicone and you can even have one with your birthstone in it.

Me: you know that’s not what I want. I want the Trinity Rings from Cartier.

Son: let me check on Wish for those.... oh look, here they are. You can order them for $13.00!

Me: ...

A low carb diet sucks

While I wait for my husband to watch Judge Judy or something equally stimulating so we can have a low carb lunch, I want to pop in here and say that I’m not enjoying the low carb diet.

I have found over the years that fat wreaks much more havoc on my body than carbs, so the low carb diet can suck it. Give me the bread, I’ll give you the butter and the lunch meat.

How is it already July?

It’s been several months since my well-intentioned plans of writing here regularly were laid to rest. Much like my capacity for any kind of bullshit.

I find myself with a head so full of random thoughts and deliberations that I just have to write down somewhere or my head might explode.

In no particular order:

My older son quit his job and will start working for Starbucks soon, while also waiting for top surgery and looking for a bigger place to live that’s affordable and will allow his stinky ferrets. There are so many things I want to say to him but I won’t because I am exhausted and preoccupied with my own life and he’s grown up and needs to make his own choices and mistakes.

My younger son started dating a virtual boyfriend and I have an issue with wrapping my head around it. I just cannot imagine that a professional dancer who also works in a place that trains service dogs, living in Oklahoma, and being interested in politics is a real thing and a good person. But then again, his parents might be wondering the same thing about my son.

My husband is 3 months post back surgery and started working a few hours per week again, after shutting down his company. I feel like there is an elephant sitting on my shoulders, the weight is crushing me.

Peri-menopause sucks but health care in Canada is affordable and accessible even if the wait times are long and sometimes mediocre just has to be good enough.

Apparently dogs can get protein allergies just like that because our dog just went from robust to special needs and now requires $100 bags of food.

My husband is also convinced that a low carb diet will solve our weight problems. A doctor wrote about it very convincingly on the internet. Supposedly as you hit 50 your body needs less carbs and it’s the only way to sustainably lose weight. I don’t believe anything anymore I read on the internet. Heck, I don’t believe 85% of the shit people tell me face to face.

My husband did a really hard thing. He announced that he is closing his company permanently, because his health is much more important than his business. And it is. Don't we all say that? But how often do we not act like it at all? . Being a plumber after major back surgery is just no fun, and while I completely understand how hard that decision was, I'm glad he made it. And I'm here to support him for whatever comes next, because I know that any employer would be lucky to have him.

The Falkland Wars

My 17-year-old just said: I am going to finish up watching the documentary about the Falkland Wars before we watch Real Time. It’s super interesting.

Just so you know how our wild Friday night is going.

Waiting

My husband is having back surgery right now. It’s one of those life-altering events, not sure how much our lives will change, but I know it will be significant.

Grown-up things are hard. But also exciting. The older I get the more I know that I love change, but only the type of change I want. Let’s see how this one will turn out for us.

Life Update

I didn’t write any words on my tumblr blog in February, and March is already halfway over as well. I have a ton of thoughts in my mind, looking for a place to spill them, but what used to come naturally and flow freely, has dried up.

I want to share, but also don’t want to. Only writing it down in a journal or an app makes it seem less legit, but sharing it publicly makes me feel more vulnerable than I want to be with complete strangers. Yes, being vulnerable is a good thing, but I don’t owe it to anyone.

Between having opened up a coworking space that’s not very well used yet to some potentially major changes coming up in my business, to some huge life changes coming up in my family for sure, to peri-menopause {OMFG}. It’s a lot and I feel like something’s gotta give at some point, but I’m not sure which it’s going to be yet.

For now, onward.

Resting Bitchface

I was happy to find out this morning that unlocking my iphone with my face does work on days when I have resting bitchface. Phew.

Capacity

My capacity for bullshit is at an all-time low. I don’t see any chances of it increasing ever again. I am so done with mansplaining, women who don’t support other women, non-collaborators, and assholes in general.

Living on the Edge

Roland: Can you put some lotion on my back? My skin is so dry.

*Kerstin puts lotion on*

Kerstin: My back is dry as well, can you put some lotion on mine? Just use the same one.

Roland: No, this one is just for men. You'll get a hairy back. You're already hairy enough as it is.

Kerstin: You're pretty mouthy for someone who is completely dependent on me financially, for the moment.

Roland: I like to live on the edge.

Going Vegan

Me: Has M gone completely vegan yet?

Hunter: It is very hard to go vegan. You have to do it slowly.

Me: Why is that?

Hunter: Because it’s very hard to cut out cheese and ice cream when you really like cheese and ice cream.

Revelation: I just found out how to follow hashtags on Instagram and my life will never be the same again with things like #letterfolk.

When your husband just doesn’t get all the things you need.

I have the Oprah Magazine now {and know why I cancelled my subscription years ago, it’s still sort of meh}, motivation and financial freedom still outstanding.

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