Create Cohort Blog

Author: Sara Bellum

  • Adventure Time!

    Adventure Time!

    What do we have here? Just two tired, puffy-faced idiots who just got back from their very first road trip together! Did we exhaust ourselves? Yes. Was it worth it? %10000.

    Dave’s beautiful sister, and my sister-in-law, Emily, got married last Saturday! The wedding was held in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, a 9 hour drive from Detroit. Sadly, I have no photos from the drive out due to having my phone replaced. Basically just picture Dave and I stuffing ourselves with delicious tacos and snacks, and me begrudgingly setting up my new iPhone during said 9 hours.

    …thanks, Apple.

    We arrived late at night on Thursday, and Emily was so very kind and sweet and stayed up to wait for us. Speaking of kind and sweet, meet Thor!

    The next morning everyone was up early, and I finally got to meet more of Dave’s family. It was a busy day, and everyone had running around to do before the rehearsal dinner. Dave was asked to officiate the wedding (he was NERVOUS), and since we did not have a million things to do like everyone else, we went exploring!

    The first thing Dave took me to see was the Mississippi River! I have been to NOLA a few times, but have only flown over the river. Next, we wandered through the downtown area. Prairie du Chein is a very small, but adorable town. We immediately got coffees from the cutest cafe, Simply Cafe. Dave noticed that they mix their own spices for the dirty chai he ordered me, and it was fucking amazing. We then wandered through the little shops; a thrift store, a vintage shop, a shoe store that had loads of cute boots (I obviously wanted all of them), and made our way to a bar to get food.

    We all stayed at the hotel that the wedding was in, and the rehearsal dinner was great, I got to meet so many family members! Dave and I wandered back out after a few drinks with everyone, and ended up at a little bar with live music going on (we are sluts for live music).

    The next morning was the start of the big day! Dave was up stupid-early (again, nervous af), going over everything that needed to be done.

    As you can imagine (you’ll have to because below are the only photos I took), the wedding was %100 beautiful! I absolutely loved Emily’s dress, the decorations, everything. I feel bad for not taking any photos, but, in my defense I was having a fantastic time with some pretty cool people. There are a few photos on Facebook, by the incredibly talented photographer, Mary Hampton (seriously, she SLAYED). Also, Dave did a fantastic job as the officiant. I love, and am so very proud of him.

    Also, also, Oath-binder, Oracle of the Dawn and i cleaned up well.

    We headed out early on Sunday morning, and everyone was up at the hotel having coffee and breakfast. I really loved meeting Dave’s family, and I was thankful that we were able to say good-bye to everyone.

    Dave and I then headed back to MI, stopping for the night in Grand Rapids to meetup with some friends.

    I have been to Grand Rapids a few times, but hadn’t been downtown in a minute. We ended up meeting our friends at Stella’s Lounge, which was really cute! Obviously, we love random-nerd decor, and this place nailed it. The food was pretty good, too! One of the bestest BLTs I have had, and I have consumed MANY.

    We then checked into our hotel, and made our way out to peruse the local bars. We ended up spending most of the night at The Apartment Lounge, where they were hosting Showtunes Sunday Karaoke, and it was lit! There are many, many talented singers out there, I am not one of them, so we did not partake but did enjoy! We also made friends, who we then ran into again at The Grand Coney, which is an incredible experience at 3:30am, if you were wondering.

    The next morning, we stopped to get caffeine, then headed to Lansing. We were on a mission to find a cool gaming shop, which we did, but not before a legit, accidental side-quest to the mall. Which ended up being a cool experience, because we stumbled across Schuler Books, an independent bookstore, and it was not only huge as hell, but also packed! It was really nice seeing not only a bookstore doing well, but one located in a mall. A what a wonderful, beautiful relic!

    The Gaming Cantina was choc-full of all kinds of goodies! We left with two mystery bags; A D&D one for Dave, and a Stranger Things one for myself. We decided to eat our first meal of the day at 3:30pm, at Tavern 109, and to open said mystery bags…and also put together Legos, because I am literally twelve. The bartender was really excited, she likes Legos, so it was nice to meet another twelve year old in the wild.

    Because a million hours in the car wasn’t enough, we decided to not take the freeway the rest of the way home, and to instead take Grand River all the way. We stopped once more at New Way Inn, a place that neither Dave or I had been in ages. There have been MANY a drunken nights spent there. Woof.

    This was not only our first road trip together, it was also our first real vacation. We haven’t even taken our honeymoon yet, because we are living that entrepreneur life (A.K.A., always busy). So many thank-yous to Emily and Dylan for getting married, on the most beautiful Saturday in February in existence, and for Dave for driving the entire trip. I actually managed to only nod off three times, coloring books came in clutch!

    We have a lot of big things coming up, and hopefully I will be able to share about some of them soon. I am forever grateful for this time with Dave, and his wonderful family <3

    *I was not paid, nor asked to provide links. I just like supporting the little guys :)

    Until next post!

    📍Detroit, MI.

    Sara Bellum

  • The End Of An Era

    The End Of An Era

    “I was grinding my teeth, I was wasting my youth
    And using up my teeth
    Now I’m done chewing my nails
    Hanging my head, chasing my tail
    It got so bad I quit my job
    Then I got a new job climbing the walls”

    -Climbing The Walls, They Might Be Giants, The Else

    T.M.B.G. appropriately named their 12th studio album, IMO, The Else. I had always thought that The Else referred to the unknown, or, everything “else”. The Else, (again, IMO) is chockfull of songs with a heavy theme of imposter syndrome. Climbing the Walls being the most relatable to the person behind the keyboard, not to mention it had been stuck in my head constantly throughout the last dregs of this past year.

    They also released The Else in 2007, the very same year I started my first of many jobs at Vesco Oil.

    I started off very green, I had never worked in an office before. I was also a student, very eager to pay off debt, no longer living at home, and after years of not having insurance, I was elated.

    It took me a minute to graduate from community college, and then enter Oakland University, full-time, while also working full-time.

    I had also gotten married, bought a house, graduated, got divorced, moved home, moved out, survived a few shitty breakups, was mugged and hospitalized, all over the span of almost 19 years. I worked with four different departments, made friends, made enemies, made some pretty solid memories that will be kept for as long as my geriatric millennial ass can remember them.

    I took the time and care to decorate my office and would change things up seasonally. Behold my first big-girl desk and decor:

    The offices are attached to the warehouse, making for an interesting setup. It was almost always freezing or hotter than Satan’s armpit. No matter what department I worked for, I trekked out into the warehouse daily. I made friends with a lot of the warehouse employees, mechanics, and drivers.

    Over the years, I worked in a variety of different departments: Transportation, Inventory Control, Purchasing, and I assisted in the AP department.

    The last leg of my *almost* 19 years was 3.5ish years as a Purchasing assistant. I was hired into the department with the understanding that upper management would be seeing how I fared in Purchasing after so many years in other departments. I received a dollar raise when I entered that department. I was under the belief that after a few months, or at the very least my next performance review, I would be informed if I would be considered to be trained as an actual Buyer (the person I “replaced” was a Buyer, I am not sure what that salary entails, I just knew that It had to be more than whatever I was making at the time).

    After a year in Purchasing, I was told that I was a hard worker, I needed improvements because I made mistakes, and that it was noted that I would like to learn more.

    After the second year of the same results, I knew that I would never become what they were looking for. I made mistakes, little, stupid mistakes. I was late, often, and although it wasn’t an issue that I just stayed later to work all of my hours, often after many employees left so that I could get work done in peace and quiet, it suddenly became so.

    It was known for years that I had bad stomach issues, and, I was finally diagnosed with Microscopic Colitis. I have a steroid that does wonders to help aide the side effects, however, MC is a literal disease. Despite watching what/how much/etc I eat, I have flare-ups. Another cause of flare-ups? Stress.

    I had to ask my PC to write me a note, explaining what I had, what the symptoms were, and to describe a flare-up.

    A place I had worked for years, watched my co-worker get married, watched another fight for everything when their child was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Watched two coworkers fall in love, watched everyone be supportive when I went through divorce, breakups, and eloping with the love of my life.

    Watched them be supportive as I took workshops, and classes at Grand Valley to pursue a career in Digital Marketing.

    Because I had worked there for so long, I had worked with many departments over the years. I had insight to know how changing one procedure in one department would affect another. I knew how to assist the Order Entry department, not because of my knowledge of being in Purchasing, but because I worked in Inventory Control. I knew, and had relationships with, half of our vendors before even moving to Purchasing because of helping with Accounts Payables. That really comes in clutch when you are waiting on credits, need things to be returned, etc.

    I was also diagnosed (FINALLY) with ADHD during my time in Purchasing. Adderall aided me greatly, but I also needed to be challenged. I also understand how asking to learn more, while also trying to launch an entirely separate career can look confusing on the outside, but hey, I have that spicy brain that needs challenging input in order to function better.

    I also had to build this entire career from scratch, it was going to take time. I also loved the coworkers that I loved. I was also a hard worker. Also, also, I love to learn. Vesco had also not hired a Buyer in the 3.5 years I was in that department. And, when my boss announced his retirement, they didn’t hire a replacement until he had two weeks left until he was %100 gone.

    Being as though there were only three people in Purchasing, one buyer, one manager, one assistant, and one person in another facility who can assist, however, had been moved to Operations in another state entirely, maybe some consideration should have been applied?

    I asked my immediate boss, I asked our office manager, I asked our company manager, to be trained as a backup for our department, with compensation. I spent six months trying to make this happen, with the support and help from my immediate coworker (the only Buyer Vesco had), the office manager, and mostly, the company manager. I waited.

    The HR manager couldn’t come to the phone, why? They fucking quit.

    The replacement for my boss was hired, and, while in training, I was completely bombarded and swamped with questions from the sales team and Customer Service, while doing my own daily/weekly/ tasks and duties.

    Climbing the Walls was played on repeat in my head, and IRL (do people still use IRL? IDK)

    After my old boss left, and my new boss took over, I spent three weeks not only training my new boss on most of the tasks he really needed a month or so being trained on and not a few days, but running the entire packaging side for the entire company, with zero training. I had two choices: either do nothing, or, do something.

    I didn’t know how to run the daily report that informed the department of what to order. I did know how big the orders needed to be for each vendor to be placed. I knew which vendors had freight requirements and the min/max to meet them. I knew what vendors were close to our different warehouse locations, therefore what could be picked up by who and placed on a transfer to the location that needed the product.

    I also realized that I gave zero fucks about oil. That I should give zero fucks about the way “new management” was handling things (i.e. micromanaging, zero trust in employees, watching moral just swim in the toilet, disliking greatly when you explain that making big changes are amazing but making sure they are executed properly and learning how those changes might affect other departments) I still gave a fuck about my coworkers, my friends. The people I had seen on the daily more than any partner I had been with.

    I realized that if a company can get by with not giving you the actual title of what you are doing, they won’t ever pay you more.

    And why would they? Why pay me what the actual wage is for a Buyer when I am already doing %99.9 of it for the rate of an assistant?

    Enter They Might Be Giants fifteenth studio album,”Join Us”. Most notably, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down”:

    “Outnumbered a million to one
    All of the dicks in this dick town
    Can’t keep Johnny down”

    After just shy of 19 years, I put in my two weeks notice.

    Did I feel like complete shit abandoning the only other person in Purchasing, and my friend? Yes, and terribly so. Did I have another job lined up? Fuck no. Did I remember that I worked 50+ hours per week, clocking out after 40 so that I wouldn’t get into trouble for having over time and just working for free? Fuck yes.

    The last two weeks? I chose me. I saw my hair thinning out, the bags under my eyes from running on four hours of sleep, for not being able to sleep due to stress.

    I chose me because I wasn’t chosen by them. Those weeks of running the entire packaging side of the company and training my new boss? I was challenged. I made mistakes, but far less than the ones caused by not being stimulated. I chose me because even though I knew I could do it, and I was capable, I refused to be treated like I wasn’t.

    I chose to write this blog post as an exit interview, as I did not receive one.

    Why was I asked by many of my Vesco cohorts to stay? To come work in other departments after I put my notice in? To be asked to stay on, at least until I get a new job. I don’t know. Why was I ignored when I asked to be trained? Why were the managers who tried to help me ignored?

    Am I just a shitty employee? Considering four head of department managers came to see me after I placed my notice, I doubt it. Am I just fluffing my feathers for not getting a pay raise for the work I put in? Possibly. But, I think proving that I am in fact capable of the tasks and responsibilities I handled takes care of that.

    I just wasn’t going to do it at $22 per hour, with zero allowance for OT.

    Maybe the need to be constantly learning/stimulated was too weird. Maybe making my office space look like an Ikea apartment was weird. Maybe being the office snack provider so that people didn’t have to spend money on the vending machine was weird. Maybe, the non-binary, not straight, office twink who wore whatever the fuck they wanted (within dress code) was just too fucking weird.

    Blah, blah something about not wondering about “The Else” and instead to “Join (you!)”.

    I choose me. I chose me. And none of the dicks in that dick job can keep Sara down.

    Until next post!

    📍Detroit, MI.

    Sara Bellum

  • A Photo An Hour (Kinda)

    A Photo An Hour (Kinda)

    The prompt for this blog post was to take one photo, each hour of the day for twelve hours. The inspiration was to capture these images with Dave’s Canon, with the intent of becoming more familiar with his camera.

    Neither intent or purpose made it. I took photos throughout the day with my iPhone, because I have no clue where the Canon decided to hibernate. Also, because I chose Saturday, the day we both are at Tocororo, it was busy as hell and I did not have a spare moment for every hour we were there.

    An attempt was made. Behold:

    Bright eyed & bushy tailed in Eastern Market, kicking off the workday with fresh flowers for the tables at Tocororo, and loads caffeine.

    The market was a little on the empty side, and we nabbed a great parking spot. We therefore assumed that we wouldn’t be a very busy day. We were wrong.

    I failed to take a picture an hour, however, I did manage to get some foodie + drink pics for Toco’s socials. A Cajun chicken thigh sammie, which is a new menu item. And rum, because rum bar (also, the box is pretty).

    Almost end-of-shift boop w/the Toco kids!

    I finished up a little earlier than Dave, so I sat at the bar noodling out some ideas for upcoming posts when a wild Nekita appeared!

    Nekita works at Lagerhaus No. 5, a brewery we frequent in the market. She is also a fellow neurodivergent-crafty kid, and one of the besties.

    Dave and I then decided to grab a post-work drink at Detroit City Distillery, also located in Eastern Market. They are still decked out for the holidays, so it is festive af in there.

    We then headed up to Ferndale to celebrate the birth of another bestie, Aaron! I also failed to take a photo of said kid. Instead, enjoy this photo of Dave, Paige, Dwayne, Nick, et moi.

    I have high hopes of doing a series of these posts, hopefully taking photos once per hour and not at random, and with the intent of using all of our cameras. That being said, stay tuned! Hopefully I won’t fuck it up next round!

    That’s all folks, see ya next post!

    📍Detroit, MI.

    Sara Bellum

  • Elmwood Historic Cemetery

    Elmwood Historic Cemetery

    “In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.”

    – Elizabeth George Speare

    A beautiful Sunday off during my absolute favorite, and, simultaneously busiest month of the year? Gallivanting about, dressed like vampires in Detroit’s oldest (and rumored to be haunted, because of course it is) cemetery? On a quintessential, fall as fuck day? How wonderfully unexpected!

    Mostly because we had gone out the night before, after working all day, and stayed up way too late like the feral freaks we are.

    We had dressed as vampires for Creepy Cheapy, a super-fun Halloween event in Pontiac, MI. It was too dark to take decent photos, and when we finally arrived we found our friends and immediately became complete menaces. Needless to say, we had a good time.

    Waking up the next morning and finding the motivation to put our entire costumes back on and document it? Wonderfully unexpected, indeed.

    Behold! The Elmwood Historic Cemetery:

    Established in 1846, Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit is one of Michigan’s most important historic cemeteries. Located in Detroit’s Eastside Historic Cemetery District, Elmwood is the oldest, continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan.

    Elmwood is approximately eighty-six(ish) acres, a certified arboretum, and recognized as a significant site for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, by the National Parks Service of the United States Department of the Interior. There are several famous and well-regarded humans buried in Elmwood’s grounds, rumored ghosts, and ghostly markers with interesting history, but most importantly, IMO, it is gorgeous as hell.

    The design and layout of the park was created to preserve and enhance the natural land; groves, hills, beautiful trees, vegetation, and, a historic creek: The Bloody Run.

    “On July 31, 1763, in an incident during the Pontiac uprising against the British, the creek was renamed Bloody Run after the Native American massacre of Captain Dalzell and his men“. Can’t imagine why it’s claimed to be haunted.

    Elmwood Cemetery contains the only part of the creek that is open and visible, and most likely where all the ghosts like to hang.

    Many thanks to Frederick Law Olmsted: landscape architect! (RIP)

    Dave and I had made plans last October to visit Elmwood, however, our schedules rudely prevented it. I was elated to finally get to see it in all of its glory, although I would like to make a return visit on a gloomy day. You know, for the “mood” and all.

    Speaking of, it could have been the beautiful weather, the fun of taking photos, the confusion on the two different tourist groups faces at the sight of a couple of idiots dressed as vampires, but, Elmwood did not feel haunted. I have only ever felt unwelcome at one cemetery, The Ganong Cemetery in Westland, MI. All of the other cemeteries that I have visited have actually felt very calming, and welcoming. Or, my ghost spidey-sense is broken.

    Elmwood is also very close to our home, so, we are basically neighbors. I fully plan to make return visits, and I will keep y’all posted on any ghostly happenings.

    Until next post, XO

    “It’s not a phase, Mom!”

    📍Detroit, MI.

    Sara Bellum

  • Halloween Hollow

    Halloween Hollow

    hol·low /ˈhälō/ adjective

    1. having a hole or empty space inside.

      The past few years have been full of endings and new beginnings: moving three times, friendship and relationship breakups, etc. Resulting in the loss/damage of most of my Halloween decor. Little remained, but last year I was able acquire a few things for my Dreamtroit Dorm.

      Over the years, my aesthetic has changed little-by-little when it comes to decor in general. My old apartment in Ferndale was very hedge-witch/vintage mixed with horror-regardless of the time of year, and after that it was more of a mix of vintage Halloween decor with whatever came along. When I moved into Dreamtroit, I had so very little that it was almost nothing, a hollow.

      Obviously, I love blue. So I started with adding a few blue pumpkins mixed in with whatever I had leftover. My parents, and Dave, gifted me two of my most favorite items: a light-up haunted house, and a ceramic pumpkin with an almost folk pattern. Both have remained up all year, because us spooky-nerds have wants and needs.

      When Dave and I first started shopping around for Halloween decor for the house, we both ended up really loving the vintage-inspired items we found at Marshalls/Home Goods, etc. So began filling the Halloween hollow.

      I took these photos specifically for Halloween, but, you lovely readers also get an unintentional house-tour: spooky edition!

      The first set of photos are of the entryway to our home, that is quickly becoming one of my favorite areas of the house. I never used a front door as the main entrance before, I have always lived on corner-lots in houses, or in an apartment. We have a giant tool-chest thing, and my old table set from the dorm as the furniture, and new MCM shelves that Dave installed earlier in the year. Most importantly: the blue typewriter that Dave gifted me last year that was my favorite item to display at Dreamtroit.

      Who uses typewriters anyway?

      Most of the Día de los Muertos decor was gifted to me over the years from my mom, and they reside in the kitchen-one of the most colorful rooms of the house. Obviously here I only focused on the Halloween decor, but, I will have to do a follow-up post showing off all of the art.

      A few of our vintage-esq bois that we picked up are mixed in, which I love because despite the entire house leaning on the eclectic side, this room holds the most variety. And jars. Hi, my name is Sara and I am a jar goblin.

      Our dining room is a work-in-progress, but very pretty at the moment. A headless doll prop from a photoshoot a few years back sits on the tinest chair, that I had picked up for a whole dollar. My brother had said that I needed an accent chair in my dorm, but there really wasn’t room in that studio. After acquiring this vintage, children’s chair that can barely hold a pillow, it became my “accent” chair.

      My brother was not amused.

      My mother gifted us the spooky tablecloth that doesn’t quite fit our table, so I folded it and it makes a nice little layer under the runner. We also have a random end table that was thrown in the corner, and now looks like a spooky-altar of sorts.

      At some point I started collecting both wood, and dried florals, and Dave has brought home more (blue ones!!) and they are scattered throughout the dining and living rooms.

      My second favorite nook of the house is in the living room: The Record Corner. That Ikea bookshelf has survived six moves, a beast! Dave placed it there and I wasn’t excited about it until we turned it into the *coolest* record/music station.

      Surprisingly, that other large shelf does not hold all of our house plants. They breed like rabbits and have taken over. A spider plant actually wrote this blog post.

      The living room is Bella’s abode. We just live here.

      Last year I had the great idea to put a bunch of cheap bats all over the walls, and despite putting up 834 bats, 835 bats remained. Our bathroom mirror is Pinterest porn, and I am not mad.

      Also, Dave got this cute lil blue bubbly boi and he is precious as hell.

      The top-tier nook of the house is this little area that became my office/mini-library. It’s also the only “room” that we have painted thus far, and I didn’t pick blue! Instead, I added a million blue items: carpet, curtains, shelves, trinkets, etc.

      Nagi also resides in this area, right across from our bedroom door where she can wheek at us whenever she feels the need to demand treats. There are no photos because these were taken prior to her cage being cleaned, and she is a poop miser.

      Our bedroom is the only other upstairs room documented, because the spare room and Dave’s office take turns in being fallout rooms. I have had that cheap “Nevermore” banner for years, and I was having a hard time finding a spot for it, until the panel was hung and there is where it lives now.

      This room is the one that reminds me the most of my studio at Dreamtroit. Stacks of books, layers of pillows and blankets, using the desk as a vanity, but it’s mostly the shades of blue and the boobs.

      Dave picked up some remote candles that were supposed to be used for my birthday decorations, but apparently that day came early because I put them everywhere.

      I never thought that I would live in a house again-I didn’t want to deal with the responsibility, and, I have been spoiled by being in walking distance of groceries, bars, coffee, etc. Our home is in one of the coolest little neighborhoods where there’s an abundance of things in walking distance, and, we are a bike ride away from Eastern Market. Dave is also a chef, and therefore he is always fucking cleaning, etc.

      I love our home, and creating a cozy-spooky aesthetic for our first Halloween-my favorite holiday-living together has been absolutely amazing.

      Until next post, Happy Halloween!

      📍Detroit, MI.

      Sara Bellum

    1. Let’s Get Weird

      Let’s Get Weird

      “So what is it that you do?”

      A question that I have been asked on more occasions than not, often resulting in myself mumbling about being an ‘aspiring digital creator’.

      “Like an influencer?”

      Surprisingly enough, I am not affiliated with Weezer, despite the tattoos on my person (yes, plural). Nor am I paid to post content from any of the coffee shops/bars I frequent (Tocororo aside), so no, I am not an influencer. Though I do try my best to post/recommend local and small businesses that I do regard highly, and encourage others to check out.

      I stated in the very first Create Cohort blog post what my mission in this creative endeavor is, and it’s %99.9 still very true.

      Outfit recap and GRWM reels? Highlights of the books I am reading this year, homemade croutons, Halloween decorations, meticulously curated Spotify playlists, Renaissance festival shenanigans, nerd shit, kissing my partner, Nagi’s inevitable world domination, and of course, editing, editing, editing.

      I didn’t start on this journey in the hopes of running ten different social media accounts for others, nor did I expect to be hired as a digital creator for some giant, conglomerate company. Not that I wouldn’t mind having a gig that would pay off my debt, but, I would need 4-85 years experience, as well as being an expert in EVERY single editing program that exists, as well as sacrificing my first-born.

      No, this will be done organically. I am constantly learning something new, a better way to tackle a problem, discovering some setting on my camera that I never knew existed. Also, I don’t have any children, so, I am left to my own devices. Which sadly involves fighting with Meta Business Suite, and ever-changing , bullshit algorithms. How do I go about doing this? The same way that I always have: documenting my life.

      What better content to use than yourself, your hobbies, your loves, your pet-peeves, etc? No one is a better expert on you than you. Well, that might not always be the case, but, I am a firm believer that it is mostly true. I might have spent the majority of my adult life not knowing what to do with myself, and eating cheeses that I knew would wreck my innards, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how I want to capture an event I enjoyed, how to dress myself comfortably/sexy/as a Gallifreyan, the very specific way I want the kitchen pantry organized-mostly with all of the jars that I have dragon-hoarded. By knowing these aspects of myself, I know how I want to represent myself to the rest of the internet world. I know my voice.

      I blame my meticulous tendencies.

      It’s weird, but, it works in my favor.

      Managing Tocororo’s social media accounts, assisting with events, etc-I have to know Toco’s voice. The owners, the staff, the patrons, the environment, the vibe, all create a voice. There is a story. The regulars know who the twink behind the curtain is, and that is a factor as well.

      How does that all workout? The content shared, the captions/phrasing/puns even, the music picked, the angles of the images in the photos, the lighting, the colors in an advertisement, all are emulating what this physical place is-with my own creativity mingled in the mix.

      Is it hard? Coming up with content for Toco-no. There’s always something going on, and, a plethora of unused content is stashed away on my phone, Google Drive, old Instagram stories, etc. Coming up with content for myself? Kinda. I have had this exact post in draft for like, two weeks. I went from being the friend that did nothing but get high and rearrange everything in their apartment out of pure boredom, to scheduling most everything I do a week or more ahead of time, to make sure there is that in itself, time. I don’t write out blog posts for the sake of needing something to post, or create TikTok’s/Reels just for the trend-unless it actually makes sense and fits me.

      At the end of the day, everything I create has one major requirement: authenticity. That includes having to go back and re-edit blog posts after they have been posted, reading over a misspelled word because I was too hyper-focused on what photos to use is %100 authentic. Spending the last three hours prepping one post for Toco, while noodling out 12+ more with Dave, is also %100 authentic.

      Striving to continuously educate myself-be it over a new feature on Instagram, and learning from my mistakes? You get it.

      In the meantime, I will continue to, and also encourage anyone else trying to learn by experimenting with what you know. I am 10/10 suggesting playing with yourself-don’t make it weird.

      Until next post, xo.

      📍Detroit, MI.

      Sara Bellum

    2. For The Health Of It All

      For The Health Of It All

      Question for the girly-pops: Without being diagnosed as a neurodivergent in your thirties, with anxiety and/or depression, and a spicy tummy, can you really call yourself a millennial?

      It all started with poop.

      I always knew that I was lactose intolerant, though I am one of the lucky few who can get away with low-lactose foods; hard cheeses, goat/sheep dairy, even cream cheese! However, at some point in my early thirties my digestive system became a complete menace.

      Cheese, ice cream, yogurt were no longer the culprits. Every single thing I ate/drank was a betrayal to my digestive track. I did what every logical adult would do: fall down a Reddit rabbit hole. I wasn’t sure if I had Crohn’s, IBS, or something else entirely. I mainlined Imodium, nothing. I made the brilliant decision to just live with it for longer than I should have, because I knew I would have to go to a specialist and my insurance was rudely expensive.

      In 2022 I ended up in the emergency room twice within a month, both times staying several days. I knew that I would hit my Mount Everest sized deductible, so I told the doctors about my…shitty situation.

      After eventually getting setup with a G.I. doctor, and lots of testing, I was diagnosed with Microscopic Colitis, an auto-immune disease. I was also put on the best steroid for MC, and after about a month, it really helped.

      After being on the steroid for about two years, I started to notice some strange swelling around my ankles/legs/abdomen, and hands. I stopped taking the steroid (bad idea), went back to the G.I. doctor, and since I am on the lowest dose possible, I will most likely be on it for life. The swelling, Cushing’s Syndrome, is a very not awesome side-effect.

      I have a standing desk at my 40 hour/week day-job, and although I do move around a lot when I am at Tocororo, I often have to sit or stand to do all of the editing, posting, file organizing, etc. I probably spend an additional 15+ hours per week with my face buried in a laptop.

      So what’s a swollen kid to do? Move. Movement is the best way to circulate blood and reduce swelling. Dave and I now are Fitbit wielding, nerdy gym-rats. And as much as I really loathe the gym, the swelling improved a lot after a week or so. That and consuming more water, and stretching. When I remember.

      My dislike for going to the gym can mostly be summed up into one category: time. As mentioned, I work a lot. When I am not working, the life things that people do need to be done: cleaning, laundry, taking care of pets, grocery shopping, etc. People also have needs like rest, socializing, hobbies/hyper fixations. I wasn’t sure how to fit it all in.

      I also tended to neglect the latter. Stupid priorities, and bills (rude). If I rarely have the alone time to recharge, or read a book, or see my friends on the regular, sacrificing even more time wasn’t ideal. Except, I didn’t have to.

      Once the weather became warm, Dave and I opted to take walks outside instead of at the gym, which ended up being a great way to recap our days, and noodle out ideas. Because we do have days where our work leads to opposite shifts, I often started going on walks alone. Blasting music while charging down the Dequindre Cut, or along the Detroit River Walk became therapeutic. And, probably why I haven’t slain any of my coworkers.

      One of my biggest hobbies is reading, and despite my clumsiness, I am pretty good at walking and reading. My day-job is two miles away from Tocororo so I often will walk there after work, reading along the way. I now bribe myself to go to hit the treadmill, because I can most likely knock out a couple of chapters. I read like, six books that way. Awkward high school years spent avoiding people while wandering the halls reading comin in clutch.

      Some weeks are better than others, and I have had a few where I set a goal of 20k steps per day and managed to hit it. I do love my newfound alone time, but I have also had friends join me on walks a couple of times this summer and it has been an enjoyable and therapeutic way to catch up. Bonus: cute selfies to hold accountability.

      I have always been a decent walker, but if you told me circa 2007-2016 when I thought that my 3-5 mile walks per day were a lot, that I now can occasionally breeze through 7-10 miles? Crazy pants.

      I guess there is something to physical movement, staying hydrated, and eating healthy (when Dave is around, because when I am left to my own devices it’s chicken nugget city). So with that being said, I will continue going on my stupid walks for my stupid mental health. And swollen body parts.

      Until next post, xo.

      📍Detroit, MI.

      Sara Bellum

    3. Village Crawl

      Village Crawl

      During one of the very first coffee-conversations that Dave and I had together last year, we discussed the importance of time. Time is something that Dave holds with very high importance; it is something that isn’t given back. Not just in the sense of having to spend hours at the DMV, stuck in traffic, or regretting the movie choice made for the evening. Time is the biggest aide in growth, and healing. Time is needed for rest, enjoyment, to appreciate what we have around us, what to address, to work on. Time can also become very different for individuals. Days of the week, as well as seasons, can alter how time is experienced depending on schedules, residence, lifestyles, and perspective.

      Sundays are Dave’s Saturdays, and they are my…Sundays, and the only current days that we have off together. We try to balance them with a mix of attacking tasks that neither of us were able to get to during the week; romanticizing the mundane with grocery shopping/cleaning/errands together with coffees from a local shop. Sometimes we spend the day with friends, brunching, bar-hopping, or shopping. Occasionally we tackle something off of our list of wants. On this particular Sunday, we invented: The Village Crawl.

      Dave has lived in Island View for a few years now, but hadn’t had the chance to checkout some of the newer places in the nearby villages. I, a new resident to the area, as well as directionally challenged, wanted to get a better idea of where everything was in the area. We decided to go exploring by foot, starting with coffee!

      Or so we thought. Because someone (me), decided to sleep in, and then take a little longer getting ready, the coffee shop we frequent was closing up for the day. The diner next door however, was still open for a few hours and had coffee, and more importantly, food.

      Norm’s Diner is a charming, women-owned spot located in Detroit’s West Village. Their focus is serving fresh and locally sourced food for all-day breakfast and lunch, with specials. The interior is bright and cozy, and the vintage touches like the candy machine, are top-tier nostalgia.

      Our food was delicious! We split the biggest BLT I have ever seen, a salad special, and some house-made sausage. They had sold out of a lot of items, which tracked because they were bustling with customers. They have grab & go items as well, which we want to try for the errand-running days because I love me some pasta salad.

      Next up was a walk over to Brewery Faisan, a place I have frequented often, but Dave had his cherry popped.

      Brewery Faisan is a micro-brewery, that not only brews tasty beers, they are almost always hosting events featuring local music, artists, and food pop-ups. They are located in Island View, close to the house, which is great because the Periphery, a Raspberry Saison, is my favorite and it is 7.3%.

      I love the Mid Century Modern furniture, ample seating both indoor and outside, the awesome staff that we love chatting with, but my favorite thing about this brewery is that it is the best place to meet new dog friends. I don’t think that I have ever been there when there wasn’t a doggo present, and I can’t wait to bring our pit Bella on our next visit!

      We left the brewery and wandered over to the Island View Kiwanis Park, as the cutest, hand-made sign informed us. I have rode past these statues on my bike many times and had always wanted to take dumb photos with them, we checked that item off my list, hence the dumb photos.

      I wasn’t even aware of the little library, which is probably the biggest little library I have come across.

      On our way to a frequent haunt of ours, we saw that a new shop was opening up, Dandy Detroit. Dave is basically the mayor and knows everyone, so of course he knows the person behind the operation. I love that the building is being used, and for something exciting and unique.

      We also passed by another coffee shop that we hadn’t tried yet. We will amend that and report back, like the good coffee sluts we are.

      We weren’t actually going to stop at Two Birds until the way back home, but after two beers and park shenanigans, our bladders were pissed. We resolved that, and then immediately refilled with gin and sodas.

      Next up: Father Forgive Me, located on the grounds of The Sheppard. I had first heard of The Sheppard when I had moved into Dreamtroit last summer. We explored the outdoor sculpture park, honoring the late Detroit artist Charles McGee, and had drinks at Father Forgive Me.

      There’s a lot more involved in The Sheppard, and I would like to do a follow-up post sometime soon. It was the perfect early-evening to sip gin in a beautiful space, and run around the grounds before wandering off to our last stop: Collect Beer Bar.

      Collect Beer Bar used to be located on Gratiot, in the Eastern Market area. Because I had lived in the market for a couple of years, I had frequented Collect often. At first I was sad when they announced that they were moving to English Village, but the newer space is fantastic. They are family-owned, and another place that you will most likely find a doggo, or five, hanging out at.

      They have a rotating tap, as well as a fridge stocked with beers, ciders, and wine. Lots of NA options, and delicious/dangerous shots of Four Roses.

      We were going to stop back in at Two Birds, but at this point we had walked 1-2 miles in between each stop, and my tired butt was craving the couch and Indian take-out.

      I cannot express enough of how much I love where we live, and spending the day slowly enjoying our time together here. Walking, taking silly photos, talking, planning, wandering down streets we haven’t walked down before, and making new friends were all a welcome recharge from the business of everyday life. Taking our time to enjoy what we have, together.

      Until next post, xo.

      “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
      “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
      ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

      📍Islandview , MI.

      Sara Bellum

    4. Curious Cohort: ADITL 7-2-25

      Curious Cohort: ADITL 7-2-25

      When I first began tinkering with ideas for the Create Cohort Blog, I wanted to include some elements of my old blog, Cat Ears & Coffee. Giving personalized recounts detailing local places and events with my own photos for visuals had, and continues to, set the format for my style of blogging. What else might I want to include in this new blog? Dave and I really liked the idea of revisiting some old haunts, parks, festivals, venues, etc. with the intention of a “Then vs Now” sort of approach.

      As I continue tedious task of reviewing every. single. post. on the old blog, I have a stash of ideas brewing for said future posts. However, I didn’t want to just compare how X event/place physically/environmentally is now compared to however many moons ago, I really wanted to poke a little at the Blogger behind those earlier posts, and see what might have changed in my own person since then.

      I decided to start with this post from March, 2016: A Day in the Life. A post dedicated to being fascinated by the habits, favorites, routines, etc. that aide in creating the character of a person. Here we are in July of 2025, documenting a day in the life of a Digital Creator, fabricating what is currently the digital creation you are currently reading. *Insert meta pun here.

      It has taken me awhile to get a handle on a morning routine that my ADHD brain can function with, but also aides in getting my pokey-ass to work on time. It has been a struggle bus this past year, but over the last few weeks I have finally gotten the hang of it. As we all know, accomplishing such a feat absolutely results in the obvious: a little treat.

      We reside in Islandview, Detroit, and our favorite morning coffee spot is The Red Hook on Agnes. It is also apparently everyone’s favorite in West and Indian Village, as it is always bustling. Dave is on a first-name basis with all of the baristas, and I, tend to forget every single person’s name I have ever met within five seconds of being introduced. I nevertheless partake in the friendly banter that almost always ends up ensuing. I don’t have a typical order perse, but I have been on an cold brew + oatmilk kick with lavender simple syrup (they make their own!) these days.

      I then trucked off to work, where I am still greeted with truck-butts in the morning. Yes, I still work for the same company, however, I was moved upstairs to the Purchasing department a couple of years ago. I don’t think it is physically possible for me to not decorate any space that I have to spend copious amounts of time in, and my corner of the office is decked out in all sorts of decor. I married a chef, so, my lunches are pretty fantastic, and I tend to eat while I work, then take a lunch to practice either French or Spanish) crushing that Duolingo Owl is %100 a daily priority).

      I then ventured out to the gym. It is funny, because I stopped going for years, and then I had a few weird flare-up issues that prompted me to try to be healthier. I like to bribe myself to go to the gym by bringing a book, and walking on a treadmill while reading is something my uncoordinated ass never thought were possible, but I haven’t broken anything…yet. I am currently reading The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst as part of a summer-fantasy-book-read with a few other friends, my very first (informal) reading/book group thing!

      I am learning how to navigate around the city on my own, so I stopped taking the freeway to and from Pfit. I am very proud to say that yesterday was the first time I made it both to the gym and home without relying on GPS, and, I managed to get a few red-light photos.

      I then ventured up to Tocororo to work on some Spanish, transfer all of these completely unedited photos to WordPress, bribe Dave into making me food with the bag of salad mix I stashed in my purse, and to read some more.

      We ended the evening with a little late-night walk around the block with Bella, as it cooled off enough for her, and that was the day!

      It is apparent that I still love Romanizing the Mundane, as I have created many Tik-Toks and Reels over the last few years doing just that. I don’t think I will ever change in that sense, there is an importance in making the boring bits of the day have recognition as part of life. Driving to work, scream-singing Remi Wolfe is a million times more enjoyable than the feeling of impending doom of being a desk-jockey for eight plus hours. At least I like to think that it is.

      What are some of the things you like to romanticize that could be seen as mundane or boring? I might steal an idea or five.

      Home, post-gym: laundry (we just installed the dryer last week), and a few scritches for some of our current menagerie. I made it a point to use my Sony ZV-1F for all of the photos for this post, as I mainly only use it for video. Bella, and Elvis Catsello were feeling particularly modelesque. Trying out some of the lens filters and editing software that came in the camera kit is not a want, but a need that I have yet to accomplish. But when I do, coffee reward!

      Until next post, xo.

      📍Islandview , MI.

      Sara Bellum

    5. Coriander Kitchen & Farm

      Coriander Kitchen & Farm

      Around a year ago, I was sitting alongside a beautiful canal in the sun at a picnic table, enjoying a lunch packed with giggles and a pretty amazing person. I had no idea that the person sitting across from me, one of my best friends at the time, would end up eloping with me, about twenty feet from where we were sitting.

      “Eloped? Eloped!” Was exactly how we announced it to our loved ones, and the rest of the world. We knew we had found each other, finally, and we wanted to just do something simple: Wear what we want, pick a spot we loved, just for us-and, a few lovely friends who thought they were just coming to brunch and a little bar-hop around Hamtramck.

      We were sneaky, and we had a few hiccups, however, we wouldn’t change any of it. Perfect day was perfect.

      Coriander Kitchen & Farm is one of the most unique restaurants in Detroit; being woman-owned, and in a former canal. The decor is a little vintage, a little hodge-podge, with a self-described “Drunk Grandma” vibe. Settled in a former marina, the establishment is nestled up to a beautiful canal, that is often full of kayakers, canoes, geese, swans, turtles, etc. Which makes waiting for your table at the outdoor mini-camper turned into a bar an endearing experience.

      The atmosphere alone is enough to charm your pants off, however, the food is always fresh, creative, and incredibly delicious. Being one of the only restaurants in Detroit that also has its own farm, the menu changes with each season, and there’s almost always specials for both lunch, brunch, and dinner. Not to mention Grilled Cheese Monday, with a different sandwich featured each week. Not me over here, drooling on my phone at their Insta posts.

      We were graced with a visit from some family from out of town over this past weekend, so we took them to our Place of Elopement for brunch. My parents had also never been, so, we got to pop five Coriander cherries on Sunday. Between sharing a few appetizers, the excitement of seeing an entire crew of kayaking kids, a variety of water fowl, and of course, reminiscing about previous dining experiences, we created another amazing memory here.

      Coriander is located in Jefferson Chalmers, Detroit’s far-east side.

      They are open on Wednesday-Friday, and Mondays, 11am to 3pm & 5pm to 9pm, with the kitchen open until 10pm. However, be sure to check their website and socials for special event closures, as they are a popular wedding venue location.

      As far as a location for elopements, I am not sure if anyone else has or not, but 10/10 recommend.

      Until next post, xo.

      📍Jefferson Chalmers, MI.

      Sara Bellum