Bitesize #46
Packing for a never-ending vacation and subscriber counts
I’m currently seated in the upstairs living room of my sister’s house on Bornholm. There is sunlight pouring in from (what feels like) every direction, a breeze going through the entire house since about five different windows are open at the same time. Finn is sleeping on the wooden floor, kind of tucked into a corner because of the 4 meter long Brio train track taking up most of the floor space. A lazy bee is buzzing around on the window sill.
I’m wondering if the feeling I have right now is a universal summer feeling all over the world, or if its exclusive to the Nordic type of summer. I say this because I personally don’t have this feeling anywhere else in the world, no matter the season/weather. The Spanish summer makes me feel careless, timeless and decadent in the best of ways, whereas the American summer (that one time I visited the East coast) made me feel kind of alive and buzzing and almost invincible, like I was in a teen movie. The Nordic summer makes me feel mortal and grateful and at peace. Time moves slowly in the moment, but weeks can go by in a flash.
Before going here, I obviously had to pack. Packing for a week I can do. But packing for two to three (maybe even more)? Impossible. Firstly, what if the weather completely changes from one week to another? Secondly, what if my personal style completely changes from one week to another? Okay, I’m exaggerating but also not. If it’s more than 20 degrees outside, I want to wear something out of a surfer movie á la the 00s. A sarong, an open shirt on top of a bikini, flip flops, not much else. If it’s between 10-20 degrees, I need to feel like I made somewhat of an effort. Maybe jeans and a blouse, a little skirt with a nice oversized tee, a bracelet, a little concealer. Bad weather? In the countryside? Give me anything Gore-tex for outside and pyjamas for inside.
Fortunately my sister and I have mostly the same size so all “practical” clothes can be borrowed from her, like rain boots or windbreakers. So I focused on outfit-’fits and beach ‘fits. All in all I landed on 8 tops, 7 bottoms, 1 jacket, 1 dress, 2 bags and 4 pairs of shoes. I guess we’ll see what I wear and don’t wear, so I’ll leave the evaluation for another time.
Finn (my dog) and I have been in a really good place lately, where I feel like he listens really well, behaves well and is overall a pleasure to be around. He’s cute, he’s funny and my friends like him. Just a stand up kind of guy. That is, until we arrived here.
My sister has a 1 year old golden retriever who is the absolute cutest menace you’ve ever seen. But she kind of brings out the teenager in Finn, which means he apparently goes completely deaf around her and also enjoys barking at everything and everyone that looks his way. What to do? This whole thing awakens some kind of inner authority in me that is neither pleasant nor helpful, and that usually ends up speaking in a *very serious tone* to Finn, that neither of us are used to. Which awakens some kind of inner bad boy in him that wants to do the complete opposite of whatever I tell him. Like “come here”. Or “stay”.
Any fellow dog owners out there who can give me a pat on the shoulder and tell me he’s gonna come around and be his normal self as soon as the novelty of having a cheeky cousin fades?
My sister and I will be going to 3 days of design on Wednesday and I can’t wait. Copenhagen is my favourite city, maybe in the world. And I know a lot of people say that, but it’s true. I love the streets, the shops, the ambience, the people, the language, the style, the food, the drinks. And it’s even better being there with my sister, partly because she’s a really great time and partly because she used to live there and shepherds me around to all the best places.
If you’ve got any good inside info on either Cph or 3 days of design - let me know.
I’m like, kind of into the idea of running a half marathon somewhere in the south of Europe in the fall. Is that crazy? Will I survive training throughout the summer?
If you’ve ran a race somewhere in Italy or Spain, hit me up.
I went over a subscriber mark this spring that felt kind of surreal and now a few months later I’m back down like 50 subscribers again, which puts me below said mark. It honestly really bummed me out at first, because it felt like a setback. Like, oh these people thought they wanted to read my stuff and liked what they were given and then realised that uhm no thanks. But then I saw that
had a similar experience that reminded her that we’re here to “just do the thing”. And that is 100% right. When I started Good Talk, I began from absolutely 0 and barely anyone I know irl even knows about my writing here. My goal from the beginning was to just write, for the sake of writing, practicing, exploring my own voice, documenting, remembering, sharing. Now of course I love all of you who are here. But I might never get to the amount of subscribers that I see others have and that is more than okay. I love you guys, but I also just love writing.
Wishing you all the absolute best start to your summer. Remember your “why”. Remember to slow down. Remember to have fun.
Talk soon x
I love what you packed and hope you'll enjoy the time with your sister. Such lovely plans ❤️ Keep doing what you're already doing and don't worry to much about the algorithm and subscriber counts although it can be hard not to at times! As long as you enjoyed writing it, it's a win.
Enjoy 3 days of Design!
Best advice - venture into the courtyards e.g. at Sankt Annæ Plads 1-3 they usually deck it out. Been working in the “Design District”-area (but not in the industry) for 10+ years and love the vibe during 3 days, such attention to detail.