Halloween Update

It's been awhile.

No, I haven't forgotten about this blog.  Okay, maybe I did a bit.  Well, that's not entirely true.

So I started to dabble into Tumblr a little bit.  I'll link that at the end of this article.  I'm not going to lie to you.  Social media has never really been "my thing."  I've always been ages behind.  I was on Dead Journal while people were pimping out their MySpace.  I dismissed Instagram as an obnoxious fad and now most days I prefer to Facebook.  Oh, and Facebook, I didn't have one of those or even a phone with Internet for the longest time either.

So obviously I've come a long way from that.  Now I have a YouTube and an Instagram - of course a Facebook as well.  I'm still holding out on Twitter, perhaps unwisely.  I'll get there some day.  For now it's still a bit like reading Greek to me trying to decipher people tagging one another.  I realize this all makes me sound incredibly ancient.  I had a laughable run in with Snap Chat when my friend encouraged me to download it.  Needless to say, I had no idea what I was doing despite her best efforts.

So in regards to this blog I haven't really been sure what I was doing.  I just knew that I needed one to go along with my YouTube channel.  Prior to this I had one for a few years that did well enough I suppose.  I used it to publish misanthropic ramblings, poems and short stories to no avail while I bitterly lived my banker life instead of my best life.

In two months it'll have been a year since I started my YouTube channel.  I adore it.  Now that I've take steps to become the artist I've always felt I am inside I've never felt more inspired.  For several hours each week I spend some of my precious time breathing trying to turn emotional garbage into something beautiful with a meaningful impact.  It's crazy, fun and heart rending sometimes.

In the wake of this I've neglected this blog a wee bit, but I've returned!  The reality is my first love has been writing since just about forever.  I feel the beginnings of creating a YouTube channel has heavily involved me finding my voice and just how to express my wee narrative.  I feel like a year in I'm happily finding my stride and I have something to offer in written form as well.

So if you've some how found this amongst the sea of things that is the Internet, hello, welcome.  I hope to be seeing you on here again and keep an eye out for more updates on my life, insights and this crazy YouTube thing I'm doing.  For now I'm super frazzled on coffee and about to hit the gym for a much needed cardio session before working our midnight sale at the shop.  

Happy Halloween all, I hope you're all enjoying what I consider to be the best holiday of the year!  Here's what I wore for Halloween this weekend.  I had a blast!  The Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite characters and favorite musicals.

Owning Yourself Financially

Originally from Houston, Texas, Runic Rigel is a YouTuber and writer who helps her fiancé run a small, local business in the small Midwestern city in which they live.

It may seem at odds with the current mindset but I believe we’re living in a time where loving what you do is a prerequisite for doing it. This rule applies especially to those of you in pursuit of being your own boss or creative guide. Motivating when you’re in charge of your own schedule is freeing but terrifying. There is no upper management to blame if you thrive or fail on the guidelines that no one but you has set for yourself. I’m also learning that when you work for yourself, part of the reason you must love what you do is because, there is no escape. Now our work lives, social lives and personal lives intricately mingle with one another. There are certain things we can do but social media has taken on an almost uncanny life of it’s own. Aspects of our lives will cohort and meet regardless of what we do. There is no off button.





Even when I’ve pried myself away from my desk I’m still attached to the store’s e-mail, Ebay and employees contacting me through my phone. When I go on personal outings like a walk or to run errands people that recognize us from the little retail store my boyfriend owns want to stop and have a conversation. Are we taking certain items for trade? How much cash could they get? People want to talk shop not realizing this is what we already do every day - sometimes from the moment we wake up until the wee hours of the morning. Unwittingly, they are infringing on very precious personal time. It’s not infrequent that I’ve been up until 2 a.m. in the shop pricing items and setting up displays during the only time I can work on them — after the store closes.




Representing yourself or owning an institution eats up everything. It consumes your thoughts, your conversations, how you behave and if you don’t keep it in check it’ll consume your interpersonal relationships too. It changes peoples’ perception of you. They don’t see the amount of time you exchange for the compensation you receive. Nine times out of ten it doesn’t all come out in the wash. A nine to five this is not. It isn’t uncommon for both me and my partner to spend over twelve hours a day individually. We price records while we watch TV, we take calls and texts from employees at all hours, we simultaneously take vacation while also attending conventions and shopping for the store, we respond to online inquiries from wherever, whenever.




I don’t just mean the shop either. Right now I am working to establish a platform for my art. Almost every minute I’m not working on the store I’m working on my own personal start-up, a business that is made up of my thoughts and me alone. When I’m not working on the store I’m working on focusing my feelings, my ideas and creating them into a product of self-expression or research. Anytime I’m spending my time on something that doesn’t manifest into a product that I can cherish and be proud of I feel guilty. Many times this makes leisure time less satisfying while others it’s more enjoyable, rare and sweet. The reality is we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. We’re all on borrowed minutes. I want mine to count for something. This is where I turned when I went about-face from the banking industry. These works with long hours, little pay and no health insurance are my pursuit of passion.




It takes work to run a business but it also takes work to make sure that the business doesn’t run you. It’s a fine, vastly rewarding and terrifying line that at times feels exhausting, overwhelming and the furthest thing from gratifying. In what is being increasingly referred to as a shared economy adulthood no longer seems limitless but far more like indentured servitude to corporate institutions. If you are not laden with debt and loans from the pursuit of education it’s just as likely you will be chained to debt regarding medical expenses or some other form of credit. However, I do believe in this Wild West called the Internet we have an advantage. The feather in our cap is that we’ve grown up in and around this world of inter-connectivity and the pursuit of intuitive design.




I won’t lie, I’m on the older side of the Millennial time frame. I started out with no Internet, then dial up and didn’t have cable high-speed until I was almost out of High School. Yet, I do that in this point in history if you are willing to put in the work and commit regularly to do what you love and if you use resources like the Internet to connect, you can do so to the right people. They’re out their waiting to intimate, collab and commune with you if only you can find them — whether they be customer, partner or friend. A platform is waiting if you’re ready to spend the thankless work of building it from nothing.




In this new era of phones, apps and social media replacing the social life we have to align our skills and time to insist upon their value. Self-motivation and the hours we have available to work are our biggest commodity. If you can learn to walk the tight-rope of time management skills and relationship building I truly believe the possibilities are endless. That’s what I’m counting on anyway.




So owning a business is hard, but you think I should do it? Not necessarily. What I am saying is that by pursuing something you love you open up doors not only for yourself but others. I’m telling you it isn’t always easy but there’s a rewarding feeling in there that your time is being exploited instead of a corporation slapping you with a number and exploiting you instead. What I’m letting you know I believe is that the “little guy” is still important and that in the land of Netflix and chill maybe it’s time get out of our feet and take ownership of the economy that’s been tilted from favoring us.




In a world stacked against the little guy finding your own way can be it’s own mighty form of protest against an unjust system that favors the already grossly wealthy and powerful. We are encouraged each day to embrace complacency and consumer. Instead, I suggest that you feed the monster of productivity, just don’t let it get at your fingers or you might lose the proverbial hand you need to do good work.

LONDON - Three Countries in Two Weeks

I'm writing this on the train to Amsterdam as the countryside soars past us.  The blade of the tall wind mills generating electricity remind me of the ride to Minneapolis from Wisconsin but we're far from the Twin Cities now.  There is a cheerful, quiet din in the train car but without my headphones in my ears I jump every time another train from the opposite direction passes by at the speed of lightening.  There is always an initial sound of a head-on rush as aerodynamics impact with one another although the trains do not.

After traveling more regularly over the past two or three years I've learned it's always better to record your journey as you're taking it.  I still regret not journaling my solo Las Vegas trip during the course of it while the bizarre memories were fresh (aside from a few hangovers.) So I've resolved that this time will be different.  That being said, what better time to write about this exodus than when I'm zipping through the French countryside headed to Belgium and ultimately beyond that to the Netherlands?

London was almost exactly how I expected it to be, almost to the point of irony.  The city was exceptionally well-kept and the infrastructure was clear and effective.  Blocky, black cabs buzzed through every vein of the city seemingly with frequency than private cars.  Hailing one from almost any point was easy and unfortunately for our pocketbooks we relied on them heavily.  At one point we purchased an Oyster card determined to master the renowned underground train system.  That plan was quickly usurped by our ignorance when we spent fifty pounds purchasing a week long access to bus and tram only to realize that the tram was not in fact The Tube as we tried to pass through the turn style and failed.  Not to be outdone we resolved to take a bus and quickly proceeded to get lost and an add hour to ultimately what was a hike to the British Museum.

The were many men wearing neatly tailored suits that whizzed by not in sports cars but on bicycles were striking to me.  Speaking of bicycles, the traffic in London is down right harrowing.  Shout out to the fellow I saw languidly peddling down the thoroughfare one hand on the bars, the other ushering food into his mouth.  He gave me a look over as a crimson double decker bus roared around him and he continued on unconcerned.  Swerving and going around other vehicles of all sorts seems to be a key component of navigating the narrow streets of London-town.  Combine this with the fact that they drive on the side of the street that opposes the driving norms of most every other country trying not to get run over takes more conscious effort than usual.

Its typical that the first time you travel a place you do the tourist circuit.  You tour the sites and get it all out of the way.  Here in Europe that's a little more difficult due to the fact that these legendary cities are teeming, even cobbled, with history.  I usually prefer my second visit to a location after I've spent the first familiarizing myself and playing tourist.  It's a relief, in a way, to get the admiring of beautiful spots out of the way, pass through the sensory overload and begin to tune into the pulse of the city you're in.  Since we've got a full plate this trip I doubt that will happen this venture so it feels like I've been buzzing with confused excitement non-stop since we arrived a week ago so I'll beg you to understand if my current thoughts are fuzzy and slightly sleep deprived.

I bring all that up to say that seeing Big Ben in person and hearing his song was delightful and made my heart happy.  Seeing Westminster Abbey and leaving a kiss for the memorial of Lord Byron made me more deeply connected to the human experience.  It's nothing short of sobering to stand under arches ten centuries old or to meander over the bones that once escorted great minds.  I don't think you can judge a trip like this by one key moment,  Maybe I just haven't yet had that moment, or more likely they're all overwhelming wonderful, sometimes solemn and profound minutes that merge into one fantastic experience.  Traveling is a greatly existential experience and I'd even argue it's an art form in and of itself.  Travel is about touching the Earth like Buddha.  It as much about feeling and traveling through the present moment as it is about passing through the halls and monuments built for our use and perusal within an infrastructure far greater than any one person.

I suppose, if I had to choose one of the things I enjoyed most in London it would be dining at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant succinctly titled Ramsay and even more so watching the production of the Phantom of the Opera on the West End.  I suppose that's two things.  The show is a staple and I can see why.  Although I already knew most of it's songs by heart I had never seen the story unfold and I fell deeply in love with it.

Ultimately, London was simultaneously eerily familiar while being nothing at all like the United States.  I found myself envious of their infrastructure full of intention and ease.  The whole place seemed pervaded by an impenetrable force of dry humor and common sense.  At times that was refreshing, other times it felt stuffy and slightly disingenuous.  Overall, I really enjoyed my time there.  It was a hive of culture, art, and prosperity which the British are rightly quite proud of.  I enjoyed spectating their methods in action as much as I enjoyed browsing their art collections and monuments to history, work, legacy and sacrifice.  I think America could learn a thing or two from our ritualistic friends across the Pond.

Crossing the Chunnel was a breeze and I'll write more soon about the city I found on the other side.  If you want to see video of my travel check out my YouTube channel - Runic Rigel

LONDON VLOG DAY ONE + LOOK BOOK

How to Learn Any Language Fast, Easily and for Free - Great Tips for Travelers

Are you or have you ever been about to head out of the country on a trip and wanted to learn a new language to help you on your adventure?  Learning some basics of a new language is a great way to make allies out of locals, new friends and of course for your trip to go much, much smoother.

But learning a new language is far from easy.  If it were everyone would be doing it.  And if you've tried it you know rote memorization simply doesn't work.  It's extremely difficult to retain information that way especially if you are no longer a child, teen or young adult.  Those of us out of our twenties have it a little rougher because our brains have a more difficult time integrating a new form of communication into one we've already established.

If you've turned to YouTube and the Internet you've probably also figured out there are a lot of videos and websites out there looking to make money off of your attempt to learn a new language.  You seriously don't have to spend any or much money to learn a language these days.  If you haven't gotten to that level of frustration great!  This should save you some time.  If you're feeling lost I'm glad you've found this page and this video.

I started out learning French by teaching myself using the strategies I outline in this video.  When I returned to college as a non-traditional student last year I placed in French 102 (instead of 101) but since I was self-taught I opted to start out at 101.  I've learned a lot over the past year and a half about how to teach yourself on a budget (or with no budget but zero dollars!)

Check out this video if you are looking for a quick way to build a solid foundation that will allow you to begin to comprehend, understand and even speak a little bit of a language in a way that you will actually retain information.  I don't claim that you'll be speaking fluently in a matter of weeks but I do think these methods are a great way to start especially if you're on a time crunch.

Good luck!

By the way, if you're new to my blog or YouTube channel please subscribe!  I would love to get to know you.  I do a lot of various content but the consistent features are Travel, Veganism, Sex, Culture and Relationships.  See you there!