"she'd only love two things. The first was her long dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and not feel a thing"

ie, the chronicles of my hair

I heard this quote in 500 days of Summer and thought "well that's emo." But it stuck with me. Because I totally get this. I love my hair when its long and wavy and I can braid it and try whatever hairstyles I feel like. But I also love that I have no guilty conscience in chopping it up. Part of this is due to the fact that my hair grows quickly, so I know that it will grow out soon enough if I don't like it short. But I do actually like that I have gotten over my sentimental attachments to my hair. 

I always had long hair. One time when I was six, I cut it shoulder length, and after that it was always long. I'd freak out about a trim, and I had my stylist well-trained to never cut it any more than was necessary. (A trait he keeps to this day) Because I had beautiful long hair -- it was one of my key defining qualities. My senior year in high school was the first time I cut it relatively short -- and even then it was mid length at best.  But it  broke the cycle for me. 

I've grown to like it short. So for the past three or four years I've been in a cycle of chop my hair short, grow it out, rinse and repeat. And each time it gets a little shorter. This time I didn't even want to wait for it to grow out, combined with the fact that it was a stage in growing out where it did literally nothing. It wouldn't go curly, wavy or straight. I ended up piling it on top of my head most days. And I was curious as to how it would look chin length. Add in some new year's desire to reinvent oneself and you've got a haircut. So I did it, and did not feel any sentimental pains at watching inches of hair hit the salon floor.

a little Louise Brooks, if I do say so myself.

Gold Star to the Summer's of hairstyles

Being busy

I love how being busy makes me do more things.

Let me clarify this statement. I learned in college, that the more commitments I have occupying my time, the more I do. Not just with the time I dedicate to said commitments, but I make a lot more progress on personal goals, and feel more fulfilled with how I spend my time. I now have two jobs, and with less free time, I value and prioritize my free time better. Which is good timing. New year's resolutions, anyone?

Anyway, this means I'm going to finally keep up with the resolutions I made -- what, mid-December? I have been sewing, let me assert. I have finished two dresses, which will be photographed and up soon, and I actually have a tutorial on the way.

This week's resolution: to get through and sort all my photos.  Yes, all of them.

Gold star to the busy bees :)

Twitter

Yes I've caved. I'm still not that interested in following people (other than George Takei, because that man shares the best things via social media), but if you want a more day-to-day look at my life, follow ABeforeCaffiene. Specifically, its a record of those moments in which, despite all my education and intelligence, I am a special little snowflake. Not that I'll post daily, because those moments of spectacular stupidity don't occur daily. Just most days.

Gold Star to special little snowflakes.

Anna's Get-well-soon smoothie

So,  you know how you know you're sick when you feel like youv'e had a love tap from a compact car? I got that feeling approximately an hour before my shift ended. Naturally, I got home and wanted nothing more than to go to bed. But by this time my stomach was hurting from lack of  food, so I figured I should eat something.

So, you know how when you have a sore throat you don't feel like eating anything that isn't cold and of a silky-smooth creaminess reminiscent of a baby's behind? So I thought, "smoothie!"

It was a good idea for my brain being so congested it felt approximately the consistency of cotton fluff. It was also good, for having it made up on the spot of sick foods and whatever sounded good. 

So I'm sharing!

1 vanilla greek yogurt (has all the protein to make up for the food you don't want to eat, plus happy tummy enzymes)

1 bannana (because you can fix most ailments with a bannana, including the one where your smoothie lacks creaminess and thickness)

1/2 to 1 cup oragne juice (vitamin C, use to preference)

10 ice cubes (for coldness)

1 tbsp honey (honey = good for sore throats)

1 cup brewed ginger tea (ancient chinese secret for delicious that somehow makes you feel better)

Makes about 2-3

Blend all ingredients until they are the desired aforementioned creaminess. 

PS: Airborne or somesuch could be added for extra immunity. Or, dredge up an Odwalla C monster. So much vitamin C you won't be sick for a month. 

Gold star for slightly inappropriate metaphors. 

Resoluting

Hey, I'm a writer, I can make up words can't I?

About being a writer....

I need to do it. I've been in retail a year now and I still like my job, but I'm beginning to look around me, see all my friends with big girl/boy jobs, and want that. And I'm beginning consistently have days where I just don't want to go to work, and that is something I got a degree to avoid. So, even though its a month early, I'm making some changes. I even bought  a book on freelancing.

And this book -- to be reviewed when i finish it -- advises a business plan. Not necessarily the official bound and suit kind, but some sort of plan, written on blog, beer coaster, napkin .... Oh hay, I have a blog....

Anna's plan

1.) Write here once a week. I have tons of tutorials and ideas planned, I just need to get them down
2.) Finally do the illustrations for the header.
3.) Reach out to other blogs and contact bloggers for advice.
4.) Finish my surprise yet to be revealed....
5.) Write one professional article per month.
6.) Write/record my fiction. Stories of people and fantasy lands are my constant companion -- I might as well put them down and get some use out of them.


Gold Star to those who believe in resolutions all year round.

Peter Pan Complex

There's probably some truth to saying I'm afraid to grow up. Not that I'm in danger of going into some  creepy Neverland, but let's face it, so far my adult life has consisted of getting a job amongst sparkles at a children's clothing store. And using my employee discount waaaay too liberally for someone childless.

Mostly I just buy the Mario T-shirts, promise. And sparkly headbands.

But really, my mom is rather correct in her attempts to launch me. I left college burnt out and not even being able to think about grad school or a job, so I moved home and got a day job. Now I've been in that job almost a year, and I keep saying I'll look at grad schools but not doing so, I haven't even looked at my senior thesis in more than a year, and with the ending of my internship, it seems all I do is fold sparkly T-shirts. I can't even remember the last time my room was clean.

Maybe its just this moment, with the need to look for Grad programs actually approaching (because the thought of getting a job just now would be too much growing up), that I feel my childhood longings. But let's face it, grownups clean their rooms, and do grown-up jobs, and at 22 I'm in that world more solidly than I like to think sometimes. I also need to start actually managing my life (so I can give you guys posts of what I've been doing).

Now, off to spend a week with high-school band nerds. (what a great way to grow up).

When I get back I may just have a grown-up tea party where we all dress up and eat fancy desserts and sip tea not like childish buffoons.

Not so much to grow up, but because I want to have a tea-party. And a sudden longing for a teapot tattoo.

Gold Star to the Wendys who have to go back to reality.

Leaving my beloved...

That is right, I am going camping, and leaving my computer home. Even though the McDonald's, with its tempting wireless is right next door to the campground, I am resisting. Is it bad that I desperately want to take my computer CAMPING? It says addict to me...

This is step three of my plan. Take time off the internet.

Because I've discovered something -- there is a big difference between getting inspired by the internet, and being inspired by yourself. Both have their plusses, but you need a balance of both. Right now, all my inspiration comes from being too poor to buy the pretty clothes I want. I spend my internet time not creating, but viewing others' creations and being jealous. And I'm not entirely sure I'm all right with that.

Perhaps that is why, even though I have restarted my blog, have tons of brand-new ideas, and am generally revamped in my motivation, nothing has really happened here. My inspiration all comes by way of copy. My inspiration is all from other peoples' things, and there are plenty of places on the internet to share things that aren't my blog. Sharing things is not bad, but I want my to live MY inspiration, and make my internet space what I make my world -- not how I copy  others because I like what they did. Plus, thats skeevy. Even though I don't copy so much as interpret, as a journalist, I find this unacceptable. In writing and in life, you need to create your own material -- and there is no problem being inspired by others, but you need to make it your own.

I have been working on stuff, and original stuff. I promise. I have FINISHED stuff, just waiting for a photo shoot. But I need time to plan and to be inspired by my inspirations, not others'. And I am going to take this week off to plan, to ruminate on how to make my blog MINE. And when I come back I will have lots for you.

Gold Star to the brave ones fighting internet addiction. They should make PSAs about that stuff.