Time to resolve, everyone! Have you been to the gym yet?
I haven’t. I don’t have a gym membership. I was going to go running after work today but I woke up at 3 in the morning and I AM TIRED. So I think I will go home and eat kale and scrambled eggs and talk to my cat.
I had a good New Year’s Eve. I wore a mini dress and a feathered headpiece and barely made it to midnight. New Year’s Day I drank all the leftover champagne.
Hey 2012, you were all right!
I’m at work today, at a VERY quiet office with very few tasks at hand and not much desire to focus on them. It is freezing in here and I look a little bit like an art teacher in black skinny jeans that are somehow baggy, striped socks, clogs, and a plaid flannel shirt I have maybe worn 3 days in a row. Whatever. There’s no one here to see me. Oh I also have a huge black sweater coat wrapped around me. It’s freezing.
Soon it will be time for New Year’s Eve festivities and I’ll have to get all dolled up. I don’t have any closed toe high heels. Is it ok to wear tights with open toe shoes? I know the answer to this question.
I don’t really have any NYE festivities planned, I’m kind of lying. I think we’re going to dress up and have a drink out and then go home and make confetti and throw it at each other. We thought about going to a fancy dinner, but didn’t make any plans until, like, 2 hours ago, so surprise! things are all booked. Or have ridiculously high prices. It’s hard to pay $150 for a restaurant you frequent weekly and I don’t like truffle oil anyway.
2012 was a nice middle of the road year, no great highs, no deep lows. I decided I liked Seattle. I started dating someone nice and fun and funny. I kept in touch with faraway friends. My family visited me and I visited them. I was a bridesmaid in my dear friend’s wedding. I went camping and saw some beautiful sights. I ate and drank a lot. I freaked out about work more than is probably warranted.
Well, I’m off to cut up newspapers into confetti. Have a fun, safe and happy New Year’s Eve!
I didn’t go home to Michigan for Christmas this year.
I didn’t have enough days off, plane ticket prices were out of control. It just made more sense to stay in Seattle, and save my family time for January, when I will be able to stay in Michigan for 2+ weeks and work from home.
Sensible or not, this is the first time I haven’t spent Christmas in the UP, with my family. The run up to Christmas was a little difficult – I kept reassuring my parents and my self that this was the best option, that the holiday would be ok for all of us, if just a little different. I fretted about presents and shipping, worried that they would be sad, that I was ruining Christmas for my family.
But then the holiday weekend came, and I didn’t get on a plane. We talked on the phone, I insured their packages would get there on December 24. We realized it was ok to do things differently. I realized this is part of growing up, of choosing to live across the country.
And I had a happy Christmas.
I had fun opening presents from home.
Maybe too much fun.
I spent the holidays with Chris. We watched a lot of movies. We made delicious food and bloody marys. I accidentally made 3 pans of cinnamon rolls.
I miss my family and they miss me. But I had a nice holiday all the same.
Why is it so hard to graciously accept a compliment? When someone tells me something nice -they think I’m smart, that I do a good job, that my shoes are cool or my hair beautiful (that one never happens) -why do I get embarrassed? Why do I turn red and try to laugh it off?
Just accept it! Say thanks! Smile! Feel pleased that someone noticed something good and felt strongly enough about it to comment!
I got some nice praise at work this week. It really made my day, but also totally mortified me too.
I also received the following delightfully specific compliments from friends:
“you are a silly, a wonderful silly”
and
“you’re more than pretty enough to make up for having a personality”
Thanks!
My apartment is small and mostly undecorated. I have a mini couch. I have a bed.
I’m not sure why decorating seems so daunting – even though I know I can always take things down, move them around, I am SO reluctant to buy furniture or hang up pictures.
It makes for a pretty spartan existence.
BUT! Alex and I did a craft project a few weeks ago. We were inspired by Pinterest.
We set up a workspace in Alex’s basement, and mod podged our way to map success.
And yesterday I finally hung up my finished product.
Inspired by my crooked hanging skills, I decided to also hang up some curtains I bought about a year ago.
Yep, these have been hiding under my bed for almost a year. I’m afraid the wild cat will climb them. But I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try it out.
I think that’s the problem with home decor – I don’t want to let myself make mistakes. This is really silly, because it’s not that terrible to say, “oh no, that looks awful!” or “I’ll move this over here now.” I’m not sure why I got it into my head I have to get it perfect right out of the gate – and something usually looks better than nothing!
Here’s to home improvements, little by little.
I went home, to Michigan, last weekend. I flew out Friday night and arrived in Detroit at 6 am on Saturday morning. My parents drove a long way to get me, and then drove me a long way home.
We sat in the sun. We swam in the lake. We went for walks.
We explored the forest around home. We drank light beer and Moscow Mules. I saw my sister and met her dog. I went to the beach and laughed with my oldest friends.
It was wonderful, but also a little sad. I came back to Seattle on Tuesday night, and was reluctant to leave. It’s not enough time, not ever, but especially not when I try to sneak in a weekend trip. I live too far away, the travel days are too long. I can’t just get bored, which is the whole point of going home, after all.
Sometimes, usually after a trip like this, I start to wonder why I live so far away. I’ve grown to love life in Seattle, at least most of the time, but I sort of wound up out here by chance. I like my job, and my friends, but I’m pretty alone out here. The city has a lot to offer, but I don’t take advantage of nearly enough. These are my fears, anyway – alone and wasting time.
At the same time, I’m proud of myself for moving across the country, weathering the storms that followed that move- unemployment, a break-up, loneliness – and making a life for myself out here. I can do what I wish with my life. I love so many parts of it. But some big parts of my life are hard to get to, my family of course, and my friends, but also the comfort of a small town, the lake stretching out to forever, and the smell of cedar trees and sand.
Going home is a reset button. Four days there makes me question not only where I live, but what I want to get out of my days. It’s a good thing to thing about.
Pictures of myself in the bathroom at work, and in front of the closet at home. I need a photographer. I only pick the classiest of locations.
By the way, it’s embarrassing to try to take your own picture in the work bathroom. Then why do it, you might ask? Because I like to look at pictures of myself, that’s why.
Tuesday brights and librarian hair.
Wednesday stripes and a lot of focus. Also, comb-over hair. Also, scarf.
Thursday hair improvements and heaven cast eyes. Also, wine glass. Also, Tuesday’s shirt is now clean and hanging behind me.
Good hair, Rosemary.
Primary colors for Thursday date.
And finally Friday crazy face, orange bathroom, time to travel, get me outta here, ahhhh so excited! My coworker asked if he could touch my pants to determine if they were jeggings. They are not.
Hopping on a plane TONIGHT!
