Every now and then when I least expect it, it’ll show up. That little negative voice in the back of my mind that’s full of criticism. It used to be a really big part of my life when I was younger, I was convinced that everything I did spelled out one word: awkward. And I was so uncomfortable in my own skin that I’m sure I wasn’t that far off.
Beauty & Bodies
I’ve always wanted to be a runner. I’ve taken up jogging once a financial quarter for the past three years, but I’ve never gone from being someone who runs to being a runner. You know the type, they wake up early to get their sneakers on, and have a glow that’s hard to miss. And they talk about running like it’s a friend, not a chore.
The big day has come and gone and…. I have my outline!
{Tattoo by Rich at Kapala Tattoo}
The decision to get this tattoo took me a long time to come to. My last tattoo experience was hard. My koi fish was done on the part of my back where my chronic back pain comes from, and at the time I wasn’t doing much to keep it under control. About twenty minutes into the colour, I lost it- the pain went off the richter scale and the muscles in my back started spasming. I ended up having to leave, let it heal, and did two months of physio and massage and yoga to get the pain into a place where it was manageable. I went back and sat through the colour, but for a long time the sound of the tattoo machines made me feel like I was suddenly seasick. I knew that my shoulder pice was something I wanted, I wasn’t sure that my body could handle it.
I went in for my tattoo consultation last weekend and I’m scheduled in for June! I’m so excited, it’s silly. And I’m so nervous, it’s silly. Thankfully I’ll have a lot to keep my mind busy until then. When I went in I did the same thing as when I get a hair cut – I brought pictures of what I like and what I don’t like, so when I express myself all wrong I still have something concrete to explain my tastes.
I’m not someone who pushes their beliefs or habits onto other people, for the record I think that kind of stuff is just hopelessly boring. I also have no interest in becoming a food blogger, but when I posted and tweeted about our split kitchen the one big question I got back was definitely: “….thanks for the vague bullet points but seriously, HOW do you manage?!” and in posting about my vegan challenge there have been a lot more questions.
Being vegetarian has always been pretty easy for me, especially since it’s what I grew up with, but over the past year I’ve gone from being a healthy vegetarian who watches her protein and vitamins to a carb-etarian who lives on potatoes and pasta. I’ve tried to be healthier, I participated in a six week health blogging challenge and focused on making progress with my habits. But all winter I knew that how I was eating wasn’t healthy, and I had to get back to viewing my healthy vegetarian eating as something fun and manageable instead of as a hassle.
Six years in a private junior high and high school was definitely interesting. My school was progressive, secular and high pressure. It hung on the British structure, from uniforms and boarding to being put in one of four “houses” when you were admitted. My graduating class was unprecedentedly large at a whopping thirty five girls, and my time inside its gates were wild. They were everything you would imagine and more. We worked two grade levels ahead of other schools in most subjects and the implication was clear: this is a gift from your parents, so get the scholarships they paid for.
Originally posted here with The Demoiselles
It takes a lot to slow me down. I’m a former stage manager and planning addict. I have google calendars and daybooks coming out my ears. I feel like I can do a lot- and like Gauri I’m also a helper. If you need me I’m there. I’m also there if I think that it’s possible you might need me, or if you don’t need me but your second cousin might. Between this natural tendency to over extend myself and the challenges I’ve been dealing with personally, these past six weeks have been awfully hard. I’ve been going to school, maintaining my own blog, guest posting here, working, trying to keep my house & puppies in some semblance of order, seeing friends two nights a week and dealing with a big challenge in my family.
