It was my birthday last weekend, specifically my 31st, and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake I made last year. Instead of doing anything for my 30th (a milestone year!) I simply let it… slip by for some reason?
No, I was going to make up for it this year by doing one of my favorite things: going to Eau Claire!
If you’ve never been, Eau Claire is a city with around 70,000 people. It’s the home of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, but that’s not what makes it special. It’s the music and artsy vibes of the whole city. There are some absolutely fire record stores (shoutout to Abraxas!) and great murals and sculptures everywhere you turn that keep your spirits up.
And, when you’re tired from walking around the city, there’s always some great stuff to eat. We had some Cajun-influenced food, some pizza at The Lakely, and a bunch of great desserts (because, again, it was my birthday. 🎂)
There’s also a college in the area, so it feels like there’s always new life being brought into the city and keeping things fresh.
There’s only one part I hate about the city:
Leaving it. 😭
Every time I leave the city I get lowkey sad for a couple days. I think of all the food I’m missing, the shop owners I can’t talk to. All the records I’m missing out on!
But it’s OK, because I have it good here in Sheboygan. I like my job, there’s still good food, and we even have a record store too – albeit a little smaller, but the owner clearly has as much passion for music as any of the stores in Eau Claire! Plus, I’ve gotten to know many of the people here and establish myself as a member of the community (PS: if you’re in the area and want to join a chill writing club, come hang! We meet every third Sunday of the month.)
It’s taken years to get here, and I just don’t feel like this chapter of my life is nearly over yet. So, while I dream of moving to Eau Claire one day, I’ll make peace with being just a visitor for now.
I was heavily inspired by Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy when I wrote this. I thought I could maybe turn this into a book and started strong with a couple chapters, but frankly I ran out of steam after a bit and accepted that it just wasn’t in the cards for now. Maybe I’ll revisit the idea in the future (maybe when I move to Eau Claire one day????), but for now I hope you enjoy the first chapter from today’s selection…
Chapter 1
Walking through farmland, a 12-pack of PBR in his hand and only the stars above him, Mike crushed a can and threw it on the ground before grabbing another — his third for the night. Despite the booze, his head was still filled with the inane babbles of the people this morning. They were an awful bunch and he never knew where half of them came from. They asked all sorts of weird things, ignored you while on their phones, and could never seem to use a bathroom without making it look like a poonami (a poop tsunami) hit it. They were known as customers and he hated seeing them every day at Friendly Grocers.
He hated the dumb questions people asked. He hated the people who coughed in his face (the worst, a man who announced he had walking pneumonia shortly after hacking up a lung). And he especially hated the dumb membership card management wanted him to push on people. It didn’t even do anything other than save a few cents every trip and add people to the store’s email list. People just wanted to buy their groceries, not have some chump sell them a shitty membership card.
Mike knew it was shitty because that’s what a man had called it just this morning as he screamed in Mike’s face, getting spittle all over the register (and his glasses). His manager had watched the entire thing happen right before his very eyes and, instead of being sympathetic, all he could muster was a “You’ll get ‘em next time”, a thumbs up, and a coupon for 10% off any Friendly Grocers brand item (that expired that very same day).
Tomorrow would bring more of the same. And so would the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that…
But hey, look at all this great farmland! Mike had been yelled at for littering by a farmer one day, but he didn’t care because of one thing and one thing only:
His favorite cow Bessie — whose name was actually Gertrude, but she didn’t have the heart (nor the brains) to tell him that. Rain or shine, she was always there for him, standing in the same spot and ready to listen to any and all of Mike’s complaints.
“HEY BESSIE,” He screamed at her, coming to sit down right in front of her as he did most nights. She stared back at him blankly as she chewed on her cud. He didn’t mind though — he told himself that this was a sign she was really listening to him (she was not) and that she really cared about him (she didn’t).
He babbled to her incessantly as she continued to chew, ocassionally regurgitating something and chewing on a new piece of grass. They went on like this until he laid in the grass, too drunk to keep his eyes open.
Everything felt like it was spinning around him, which wasn’t a surprise because he and Bessie were in fact being lifted up into the sky by a big rusty UFO.
But no worries; he would not have to worry about this until he came to in the morning (with a nasty hangover).
Here’s a few things you can do:
Like my post & leave a comment (I love each and every comment and do my best to respond!)
Share my posts with friends/families/lovers/enemies/aliens/bigfoot/etc.
No matter how big or small the amount, any and all tips will be appreciated! As a consolation of my gratitude, anyone who contributes any amount will have their name displayed at the bottom of my newsletter for all of 2025 (Unless you want to be anonymous, which is fine too!)
My newsletter will never cost money, but your tips help me continue to work on this project and, with enough donations, even grow it too!
A shoutout to my supporters this year:
Tara Y
Kevin A
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.