My life is so exciting.

...ahem.


So I have a haircut on Tuesday!!! This is breaking news, people.

The thing is, it kind of is breaking news, as I haven't actually gone someplace and had my hair cut in over 3 years, probably. It may have been longer than that, but I know for sure that I have been cutting my own hair for at least that long. I am in the process of booking this lovely lady to take some new headshots, and my best friend's wedding is September 12, so I think that actually getting my hair cut by someone other than myself is a good plan.

The big question:


What am I going to do with it??



I want to keep the length. It's probably to the middle of my back and I like it that way. There are some layers, as my very sophisticated method of cutting it has just been to flip my head over after I have washed it and cut it straight across (If you're ever feeling adventurous, it actually gives very nice layers. Don't cut too close to your head, though... it can be very frightening...). The way it is now is basically a grown out Jennifer Aniston. Cutting it shorter in my fashion gives it a Friends-ish Jen-Cut.


Anyway, I don't want it thinned (because it's super thick and it's awesome [that's what she said]), I don't want it colored (because I haven't before, and I like low maintenance), and I don't want too much cut off... I am not sure I will even be able to tell a difference.


Suggestions welcome.

Bloggers I admire

Last year, I got into this blogness just because everyone else did (I think everyone has a post like that one. Haha). It has taken several months, but I feel like I am finally starting to have, well, not necessarily something to say, but definitely a voice to say it. I really admire the people that when I read an entry of theirs, I can immediately tell who I'm reading. When I read my older entries, I can sense my imitation of other bloggers in an effort to figure out my place in this blog-o-whatever and decide how to say what I wanted to say. To an extent, I still do, but that's true of me even when I just hang out with people. If I am with them enough, my speech patterns and gestures and whatnot start to emulate whoever I hang out with. Like sometimes, the way I phrase stuff just comes out differently after I've been reading The Bloggess because the way she writes is so distinctive.

In any case, I wanted to write a little tribute to the bloggers that really have helped shape the way I write on this thing and have helped me navigate the blog-o-whatever.


The incomparable Bloggess
This lady is incredible. She is absolutely laugh-out-loud funny and as I've said, her distinctive writing style is a riot to read. She posts to several different sources, and they are all must-reads. I'm thinking there are very few people that can claim to have a mommyblog and a sex column (that people actually read, that is) and be insightful and sublimely entertaining on both fronts and all the social media in between. Also, she's from Texas, y'all. And makes fun of jew cats. She's a damn genius.


The loverly LiLu
You can thank this Masshole for her "ever popular, yet gravely feared" TMI Thursdays. I, personally, adore the Shiz My Boyfriend Says chronicles because nothing beats smart and funny people being in love with each other and saying funny shiz and then blogging about it (see also: Bloggess). LiLu also has the exceptional ability to personally connect with each commenter/follower/blogger that passes through her blog. Or even links to her, really. Her faithful followup with everyone is awesome and she does it in a way that just makes you feel good. Of course, I'm slightly biased, because in an infrequent bout of internet idiocy, she totally came to my aid (hehe, that's gotta be what she said).


The darling Meg Fee
I feel a bit of a connection to this lady because of her background in the arts and her aspirations to perform. Being a gal in New York seems so glamorous, and it is sometimes. She conveys the glamorous times so well, but what I love about Meg is the way she talks about the every day. She writes about her battles with herself with every bit of the eloquence that she employs when extolling the virtues of love and talking about her so cute family. My original note about her blog was: "Lovely writing, excellent book choices, so romantic and heartbreaking and hopeful and gorgeous and inspirational." That's pretty much right.


The amazingly sassy Ginger Mandy
This is a gal with some great stories about butter and buttholes, great advice about peeing standing up (I know I link to that about every other day, but dang. I don't think one can GET a better tutorial on the subject) and how to get your intake of Fiber up, and will probably help you learn how to get great gas mileage if you asked her (because she has wicked sweet knowledge like that). Anyginger, her honest and straightforward writing is an unabashed account of her opinions and experiences, and it's entertaining on top of that! What more can any blogger aspire to achieve? Nothing, friends, I assure you. Success, Gingerlady. Great success.


I just got a little choked up thinking about you guys (ok, maybe not quite), but I do love reading what you have to say to the blog-o-whatever and look forward to it daily. You ladies are bloggers to look up to, and my own blog thanks you from the bottom of its little heart.

Well, I mean, I do, too... ♥

New music and my beef with bloggy photos

As tends to happen, Joel said I ought to listen to a band called Parachute because I would like it and... I did. (They sound like a more palatable Gavin Degraw, but anyhow). The video for "She is Love" is VERY cute (watch here), but I prefer the acoustic version on the album. So here's today's pretty picture and song post!


She Is Love - Parachute

I think this is pretty!
But it does contain obviously "bloggy" elements: tree, sky, blurred edges, birds


On an unrelated issue: why are balloons such a popular item in bloggy photos here lately (Exhibits A, B, and C?) I am not gonna lie, I like bloggy photos (you know, the ones that are arty and original and blurred on the edges with the saturation down and the focus on one specific and usually ironic thing?) and I have even posted arty photos, because they are bloggy. And arty. Anyhow.
There is just some typical subject matter in bloggy photos (flowers, sky, trees, lens flares, birds, skinny girls with flawless skin, disheveled hair and billowy short dresses), I just was mildly curious how balloons got into the mix. And typewriters? And cameras.
It's also funny to me how formulaic some bloggy photos are. I can make a bloggy photo in about 3 steps: reduce saturation, up contrast, add blurred edges/vignette. Ready? Here it is:


This is actually a photo from a college with a degree in landscape design. Truth be told, it was hard to find a landscape photo that wasn't already bloggy.


Blogified. Caption possibilities:
"My heart is here..."
or
"silence breaks me"

(Create your own!)




Well, this was longer than I expected it to be... (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!)

Ok, enough harping on the bloggy world. As is obvious, I like 'em, too, but that doesn't make them any less predictable. :)



photo here

Real life

Vacations are wonderful. Really, no matter what you choose to do with your time away from work, it's the suspension of reality that is the best part. Coincidentally, that is also the most heartbreaking part of going back to work. I say I'd get tired of sleeping in and watching movies and eating delicious food and going neat places and not having to go to work... but I don't know that I'd really get tired of that.




Rocks, water and me. Bricktown, OKC

Bison... not as stable as it looks.

Baby Duckies!! They were so damn cute...

I so should have made him take another one. My hair is all in my face.


So anyway, I am back in the real world and I am thinking of a quote from Someone Like You. Admittedly, it's not the same scenario, but I feel it's still appropriate:


"There are few things sadder in this life than watching someone walk away after they've left you, watching the distance between your bodies expand until there's nothing... but empty space and silence. "

him: You're going to cry.
me: Shut up. I am not.
him: You're so going to cry.

All day paper writing marathon

That isn't so much happening today. I have been jacking with the scanner and trying to get all the settings right for a 10 page PDF that my co-worker needs to send. Wouldn't be so time consuming if I hadn't scanned it wrong (as far as settings) 3 times and spent way too much time trying to manually adjust the size and scale, when I should have just fixed the settings for real and scanned it again. Anyway, I still have to watch the new Office since last night was all about the wildfires. So I plan to do that while I'm eating, or immediately when I get back and then it's Chichester Psalms for the rest of the day. Hopefully I can get something ready to actually send to my professor EARLY and he can give me suggestions on how to not fail his class.