I'm not stopping because this is weird. Bullish on OPI- rusty red. Two coats with Poshe top coat. Take me for what I am, Internet!

I'm Just a Girl With a New Haircut & It's a Pretty Nice Haircut

You Don't Know Jacques

There’s a story I’m involved in telling pretty frequently, it’s where a friend from high school asks if another friend and I have ever used opium. There is this long pause. I don’t know what she was thinking, but I was thinking, “haveidonethatnobutisitsomethingishouldlieabouthavingdone?” Turns out the preface was a vehicle for her to tell us another friend had. So if you spend some time in other peoples’ worlds, it’s hard to hold on to your sense of up and down, good and bad. It happens a lot with the internet, there are so many weirdo worlds in there. For awhile it was Christian mommy bloggers, lately it has been nail polish blogs. Thanks and no thanks to Lauren P. who made/ruined my life with a nail polish blog bundle on g-reader. They all do this thing they call “swatching” where they paint their nails with a new color or design and then photograph their nails while holding the bottle of nail polish. So I painted my nails after work yesterday and took this picture:




And I am admitting this, only because I promptly gave myself a firm talking to where I reminded me that I have interests and a career and interesting people in my life and I don’t need to be a weirdo just because those people on the internet are. I also don't need to compete with what I imagine these other people are. So, no, I have never tried opium. But don't my nails look great?

This Summer, So Far

And there went a month! This summer, more than others, I’ve really been appreciating how great summer is. I think doing it right has a lot to do it with, doing summer-specific things and not just living the same way in warmer weather. There have been a lot of highlights, but the quiet quality and enjoyment has been the best. In the past month of summer, I…

Drove up the Pacific Coast Highway in an orange Camero convertible.

Had a fire and drank wine at the ocean.

Walked bare-armed and sun-kissed home.

Ate tamales and fish tacos with a view of the Pacific.

Trained tomato plants into a trellis cage.

Walked dogs after work, enjoying the extended light.

Hung out by the lake in Michigan.

Read 5 paper back mysteries in a swing over 4 days.

Had two milkshakes one day, and then two rootbeer floats the next.

Drank hard Arnold Palmers at dusk.

Suntanned my legs.

Whacked weeds, watered raspberries, moved indoor plants outdoors.

Wore skirts and dresses to work, most days.

Drank drinks on a patio.

Shopped the farmer's market.

Stopped by, “just for gelato…”

Picked blueberries.

Watched a hula.

Celebrated national Hot Dog day.

Saw old friends, saw new friends, made even newer friends.

And probably a lot more. And still it seems, none of these things enough—but trying and succeeding in being present and thankful and enjoying life, are good things to do in any season.