1. I had a temporary crisis when my favorite chicken shop closed its doors for a week because of the Coronavirus. I frequent this shop for rotisserie chicken multiple times a week, and their delicious birds are a staple in my diet.
They have since reopened, and the world is spinning again.
2. I like to travel light when I am visiting new places, and when I stay at hostels (which doesn’t happen much any more, Air B & B for the win) I don’t bring a towel. If the hostel doesn’t provide free towels, I use the pillowcases. Perks of short hair.
3. I’ve done some foraging lately for dandelion greens, and will ride my bike to a field of flowers to pick them. (I could never do this in the states, glyphosate is real y’all.) I wash them, and then I eat them. This makes me feel like a witch doctor, and I love it.
4. I received a ticket in England back in October, for driving in a bus lane. I fought the ticket, won, but was still charged a fee from the rental company. It took me eight months, but I finally got the processing fee back from the rental company. PERSISTENCE.
5. I noticed a mural on the side of the Partenkirchen fire department building while out for a bike ride recently, and I stopped to admire the chiseled looking man in the painting. If all the firemen looked like this I’d likely be arrested for arson. He’s lacking in the pogonotrophy department, but I can let it slide. Only in Bavaria will firemen look like Greek Gods.
6. I also got a ticket in Italy, for driving in a restricted zone (back in September!) The ticket is still in the rental company’s name (they’re supposed to send the place in Italy my information) and I don’t intend to tell them to do so. So for now, I don’t have a ticket.
7. I’ve attempted jogging a few times the last couple weeks, and continue to be reminded why I stopped running. It was a pathetic sight, and it was painful, so I’ll stick to biking. At least my views were amazing.
8. I am a sucker for numbers, specifically money numbers. Whenever I embark on nomadic adventures, I like to keep track of how much money I have pocketed (net income after all expenses) while exploring the world. I came to Germany on a 15 month contract, so these numbers reflect 15 months of life (I stopped counting at the end of my original contract/when Corona ran rampant.)
I honestly only hoped to break even while here (travel ain’t cheap) so any growth in my savings account/IRA/401K is a win! Keep in mind I work in a coffee shop…so we ain’t bringing in the big bills working here. (Hence why a strong savings account is essential for nomadic adventures.)
15 months of income: $25,596.94
15 months of expenses: $18,278.70
Net income after 15 months: $7,318.24
15 new countries, 15 months of non stop travel, 15 months of eating all the food – I essentially made $7k while traveling Europe. (OK, I also worked my ass off, but you get the idea.)
9. I mentioned this in a previous post, but I’ll say it again. I washed my bike…in my bathtub. She was in need of a wash, and I don’t have access to an outdoor hose…so I carried her up three flights of stairs into my room. That first bike ride post wash felt like pedaling on butter.
10. I miss my cat so much sometimes I feel physical pain. I miss my family too, but I have an overwhelming anxiety that he will die while I am not with him. Is this what love is?
11. When I make coffee, I make it in a beer glass. I buy coffee that is finely ground, and brew a makeshift French press/pour over of sorts (without the filter.) I put the coffee into the glass with cinnamon, pour hot water over it, stir it, let it sit, and then pour it. The coffee sinks to the bottom perfectly and I am left with zero waste of a filter, and don’t have to invest in a French press. Innovative coffee making 101.
12. I then dump said coffee grounds down the toilet. I like to think it helps clean the toilet pipes?
(Update: I have since stopped dumping my grounds, but that dumping lasted for weeks. Kein Stress.)
Q: What’s your confession?
Blissfulbritt 
28 thoughts on “Early Morning Confessions”
thechrisdotcom
I plead the 5th.
Brittany
Ha!
rootchopper
A friend tosses his coffee grounds under his azaleas. Azaleas like acidic soil.
In order to love running you have to do it a lot. Getting from “this really sucks” to “I love this” can be very painful and can take a long time. Bicycling isn’t like that unless your bike doesn’t fit. Then you never get to “chiropractor” instead of “I love this.”
Brittany
I ran for years, and I really never got to that “I love this” phase. It’s just not for me haha. Biking, much better!
Back home I used to pour my grounds on plants!
rootchopper
Also, coffee grounds are bad news on pipes. In my last office, we had signs over every sink begging us not to put grounds down the drain.
Brittany
I have stopped. 😂 My roommate gave me a look so I now pour into compost bin. Thanks for the tip!
Sheree
I always say « persistence pays dividends » so thanks for another example of proving my point.
Brittany
Yes! I love your phrase.
Sheree
😎
Pam
I use my travel trips as an opportunity to discard clothing…. Only coming home with one change of undergarments…👋👋👋 and the clothes I’m wearing. Gives me room to bring back treasures from my trip❤️😊, not to mention thinning the wardrobe.👍
Brittany
I love this about you. A great idea!
Pam
I even take my old pillow cases to sleep on and leave….yay, feels like home❤️
Liz H
Will have try #11. And I throw my coffee grounds out on the lawn, for the nitrogen (?). Why buy fertilizer when coffee grounds so readily available?!
Brittany
Works with an actual French press too! When I used a press previously I would dump my grounds outside!
Allie Zottola
Oh how I have missed your early morning confessions posts! You’re so innovative with coffee! And lol at the fireman looking like a Greek God. Only in Bavaria! Also, now I want to try dandelion greens!
Brittany
I’m amazed how many people here forage for dandelion greens!
Amy
I LOVE your confession posts!! 🙌🏻 I nearly panicked when grocery stores were all out of chicken here at the start of the pandemic too… Totally a staple in my diet too! 😉 My confession is that I love numbers as much as you — if not more! I track every penny for both personal and professional things in an Excel spreadsheet. My accountant was so impressed that she took back her offer about doing bookkeeping for me. 😂I’m such a nerd!!
Brittany
I LOVE YOU for that Excel spreadsheet, my dad would too! It’s so satisfying to see things like that haha.
I heard about the chaos of meat in the states and how there wasn’t any at a lot of stores. One of the things I’ll miss the most is this rotisserie chicken at this shop. 🤣
David Lazar
Fun post, BB! Not a confession, but an idea. When I want to travel light, I bring a hand towel instead of a full bath towel. This saves the weight and bulk, but still gives a short-haired person a bit of a happy and effective ending to the shower 🙂
Brittany
A hand towel is a good idea, I will remember that! 🤗
Josh dV
Confession: I’m slightly jealous of folks that are isolating at home because I have not been (nurses still have to work) and I am (not so secretly) a hermit who prefers little to no people and lots of outdoors and quiet.
Brittany
You’re a good soul Josh, being a nurse is no easy task. I completely understand though, I too am a hermit and I wish you were able to have so isolation time!
hyddyr
I confess you taught me a new word: pogonotrophy. Did not know that word and its meaning of “The act of cultivating, or growing and grooming, a mustache, beard, sideburns or other facial hair.” I also confess that I love learning new words! So thank you for this. ❤
Brittany
I confess I was so excited to have also taught this word to my dad. He is the knower of all things, so this was exciting! Happy to have shared it with you too. 🤗
Rosie
Yes to #8! When I’m travelling, I keep a note of what I’ve spent on transport, accommodation, food, postcards, attractions etc., on my phone. It helps me budget for future trips, as I have a much better sense of how much a trip is likely to cost. I’ve recently started pouring used coffee grounds around my vegetables to ward off slugs. So far, it’s working!
Brittany
I like that idea!! I should do that for future travels. I used to pour the grounds on plants to help them grow, but didn’t realize they helped with slugs. Good to know!
Bradley on the Run
My confession is that I had to look up ‘pogontrophy’ and then I laughed.
Brittany
Ha! You and two others admitted this to me. I love when I can teach someone a new word!