Rune and I are still in Santa Barbara having a good time, especially now that he’s finished with a string of 3+ hour business meetings! We were going to go on a catamaran ride, but it’s chilly and the air is moist here, so it doesn’t sound very appealing. 

Meanwhile, Harvey is ravaging the Texas coast. Hopefully, it won’t make a turn toward Houston as they had previously predicted. The kids are taking good care of the house, and they say the rain amounts are minimal–for now. Nick has been smoking a big brisket for 13 hours, and they plan on watching the McGregor/Merriweather fight later today. Houston and Kristina are going to join in on the festivities, too. I feel sorry for them, moving back to Houston from North Carolina only a couple of weeks ago only to find themselves in the crosshairs of a hurricane. Welcome to Texas, y’all. But no place is perfect. Some areas of the country have beautiful weather but also have a risk of mudslides, forest fires and earthquakes. There is no perfect place. Wait, of course there is. It’s where family is. 

Enjoy these Erik Encounters. 

Story #1

Yesterday i was enjoying the night outside, looking at the stars. I often do but i rarely see any shooting stars so i thought “Erik, show me a big one” and just kept staring. After a few minutes i forgot i asked him that, until i suddenly (and rarely) looked behind me and saw the most beautiful and “fat” shooting star, my smile was the biggest. I think of him all the time and talk to him so naturally, like i’m talking to myself. Happy Birthday dude, i love you and i can’t wait to meet you.

Story #2

Dear Dr. Elisa,

I want to thank you for all you give to the CE followers. You are truly a wonderful human being and there is no end of gratitude I feel for all the work you do to help all of us negotiate this thing called life. Erik is such a comfort and I feel a connection to him and all the CE readers because we are all seeking the same thing–peace. Erik is pure joy and Jamie, Robert, and Kim capture his essence so well that I feel like I knew him in his physical life. I know I’m not alone when I say I cannot wait to read each and every blog post and listen to every radio show where Erik dispenses sound advice concerning life’s mysteries and dilemmas all with the trademark Erik personality. I also love to hear all the stories about his pranks.

Which brings me to my next point. One day while I was between laundry loads (I live in NYC and have to take my laundry to a laundromat) I came back to my apartment to find my bathtub filled with Reptomin turtle food sticks. I have two turtles Bubbles and Bebe. I keep Bubbles in the tub with all the proper lighting because she is big and I don’t have enough room in my apartment for two tanks. She loves the tub! I got mad at my roommate because I couldn’t understand why he gave her so much food. There were so many sticks that they covered the ENTIRE surface of the tub. Not only that, but each and EVERY stick had been broken in half. I began furiously netting them because my poor turtle was just sitting there with all these sticks floating around her. When my roommate awakened, I asked him why he fed her so much food. He said he hadn’t. “You didn’t give her any food?” I asked. And he said, “No, I was sleeping.” It’s true that he had been sleeping when I left AND was recovering from a back operation. We were both perplexed until I remembered the prankster, Erik!. Ah yes, so, I told Erik he could come and play with my turtles anytime!

A few weeks later I awakened to a green Dragonfly chillin’ on my window screen. I thought it was a bit strange because I had never seen a Dragonfly in Manhattan before and certainly not around midtown, but I watched the little fella for a while, talked to him, and then went about by business. I didn’t know at the time this was one of Erik’s signs! Most recently, I have been experiencing the smell of cigar smoke (only at night time) and I have asked Erik to send the scent of Roses my way instead! He is a funny guy!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all you do, Elisa.

Oh, and check out this t-shirt design from Daniel Lucas by clicking HERE.