Non ancora

Yes, again.

I promise I won't talk about my hair forever, but I just think that has turned into something of a social experiment, an experiment that I'd like to write about.

Some people, when they see my new hair, comment. Sometimes it's a gentle, "Hey, I like your hair." Other times it's more dramatic, like the co-worker who pretended he was about to fall out of his chair.

But other people say absolutely nothing.

I mean, people get haircuts all the time. They don't all warrant praise. But if someone gets an entire foot of hair cut off, I think it's weird not to comment.

I think that's interesting, is all.

Vigliacca

I used to think I was the adventurous type. Let me qualify: the mildly adventurous type. Not the cliff-diving kind, but definitely the belly-button-piercing kind, and in my conservative world, there weren't very many of those.

I like doing new, but relatively tame stuff. Like chopping off my hair. But I realized today that there are some things I only want to do for a few days. And then I want to go back to normal. To comfortable. It's a good thing that there are some things I can't take back, cuz I am afraid I would and I would be sorry someday.

It was hard switching to Meredith. I mean, basically every other thing in my life changed, and I went and changed my name, too. It's a good thing you can't change your birthday cuz I might have gone stupid and changed that, too.

Anyway, today I was tired of my hair feeling different and tired of the attention (if you can even believe) and tired of absentmindedly running my fingers along the part of my neck that is shaved and basically I just wanted to feel normal again. I didn't really want my old hair back. I just wanted the new hair to hurry up and feel like my hair. I want to be used to how I look in the mirror. But that should happen soon cuz I can't stop looking at myself in the mirror.

Okay, I think that's enough freaking drama over a silly haircut. It's not like I donated a kidney or something.

So, more thoughts:
1. I've had about four people tell me that the first time I wash my hair after the new cut (which I've done now, so don't think I'm being gross) I was going to use too much shampoo.
2. It's nice being able to brush my teeth and not have to hold my hair back to keep from spitting in it.

Today

This weekend, I loved my hair.

Today, I am tired of different and am ready to go back to normal!

Who is that woman in the mirror?!

I haven't had my hair short in a long time. Maybe since kindergarten? That's a long time. I can remember twice (once in eighth grade and once in college) when it was shoulder-length, but those were pretty rare (and sometimes accidental) exceptions.

I've always admired women who could wear short hair. For some reason, I always felt too tall to wear it short. That doesn't really make any sense, but it was a serious mental block for me. Also, I never knew whether or not I would look like a complete and total retard with short hair, and I have had enough crappy haircuts in my life to be appropriately terrified.

I've been tempted to get it cut short for a while, but I kept chickening out when it was time to tell the hairdresser what I wanted done. I'd end up with basically the same haircut I'd had for several years, maybe with bangs or some layers, but that's the bravest I ever got. It's funny cuz I always felt regret and relief at the same time. Regret for being too chicken, but relief that I managed to dodge a potentially disastrous cut.

But eventually I decided that the only way I would know for sure is just to do it, and besides, I'm confident and smart, and I'm the CFO of the oldest medical organization in the country, and I'm not gonna be afraid of a haircut, dang it!

So yesterday, I did it!

This actually isn't a great picture, but this is Day One, so I felt like I needed to post it.

So here are my initial thoughts:

1. I think my new haircut makes my nose look really round.

2. You know how when you buy a new house, suddenly all your old furniture doesn't look as good? That's sorta how I felt with this new haircut. One of my first thoughts was, "Wow, I really need to do my eyebrows..."

3. You see that little flip it's doing? She made it do that. This morning, I figured I would try to make it do that myself. But after blow drying my hair, I discovered that my hair likes doing that naturally. In fact, maybe a little too much. After I put goop on my hair and waited a few hours, the flip chilled out some, which was good.

4. I don't need near as much shampoo.

5. My hair doesn't take as long to blow dry!

6. Not only do I feel more confident, I think I look more confident, which makes me feel like I can pull off "confident" a little better, which makes me feel more confident.

7. I think that I can change the look relatively easily. Last night, I experimented with the straightening iron and I really like how it looks completely straight, too.

Here are some more pics I took tonight, having "done" my hair myself. I know a lot of the pics sorta look the same, but there are only so many angles you can do when you don't have a remote and you are taking your own picture. (Also, I was playing with the settings on the camera, so... you know.)









I need to get my friend The Dif to take some more pics. They'll look way better.

Slugs

Jeff and I have slugs in our backyard, slugs like I have never seen before. They are some sort of strange, exotic, Pennsylvania leopard slug.

Last summer, Jeff and I discovered some slugs "doing it" in our backyard. I hate to have to show you slug porn, but I have tried taking pictures of them since, and you just can't see them as well.

The first image was taken during the actual act of making slug babies.


So apparently, one of the slugs makes this slimy snot-like substance that attaches to the wall, and then they just hang on to that (and each other, apparently) during their "quality time."

"Thanks for the good time! I'll call ya later!"

"But wait! Don't you want to cuddle?"

Anyway, about the slugs. I hear tell that they aren't great for your yard, especially if you have a garden. To be clear, I do not have a garden. Right now, my backyard consists of dirt covered with newspaper and mulch, and three azaleas. No grass, a few weeds (dang it!) and that's it. BUT! Maybe I'll have a garden someday? Maybe? I'd at least like the option.

So, I have researched ways to get rid of slugs. When I say I have a slug problem, most people say, "Beer!" If you pour beer into a container, the slugs are attracted to the smell and then they get in and drown (but drown happy.)

So the other night, I put out two tupperware lids and filled them with beer. A few hours later, I went out and discovered that a few slugs had made their way into the beer! Yay! But the next morning, they were all gone. None had met their demise in the beer. Boo!

I was lazy and ended up leaving the two original lids out there, and just added a new, deeper one the next night. When I went to set out the new lid o'beer, a few slugs had already made their way into the first lids I set out. I decided to go ahead and pour more beer into the lids while the slugs where already in it.

OMG, it was horrible. Three slugs were in the lid and they just started writhing. It was terrible. I couldn't watch, and I couldn't just walk away, so I turned the lid over and let the little creepy things out.

Mysteriously, however, I was still able to pour beer into the new container that was deeper and walk away from that, knowing that I meant for slugs to be harmed by my actions, but I didn't want to be inconvenienced with having to watch.

It worked. The next morning, I had 5 dead slugs.

Leave of Absense

I HATE to do this now since I just got started blogging again, but here's the thing: the Olympics are on. And I watch a lot of Olympics. So I may not be able to post for a while. (I am writing this at work, where I can't watch Olympics.)

It has been amazing:
The opening ceremonies
The US Men's basketball playing China and Yao Ming in Beijing. (That's just crazy.)
Micheal Phelps and the Miracles in the 400 relay
The US Men's gymnastics team taking bronze, even without the Hamms.
All the beach volleyball!
The synchro springboard and platform diving!

It's all just too, too much.

Happy Meetiversary!

Jeff and I met two years ago today. If I had known how my life would change, I might have been a little more nervous going and answering the door when he arrived.

Correction

In this post, I mistakenly said that Jennifer takes care of rhinos. NOT TRUE! She takes care of HIPPOS! So in that paragraph, all instances of "rhino(s)" should be replaced with "hippo(s)." I apologize for any confusion.

(They don't have rhinos at the aquarium. That would be silly.)

RHINO

image by Mark Pettitt

HIPPO

image by Stig Nygaard

Feeling like spaghetti

Image by Sporkist

Have you heard of the book Men are Like Waffles, Women are Like Spaghetti? I don't buy into these sorts of stereotypes completely, but I do think they contain elements of truth and can sometimes be helpful.

This one is helpful to me today cuz I am totally feeling like spaghetti.

I am in the process of writing a blog post about my experiences with Facebook. But it's annoying cuz it seems like so many things in my life are interconnected with other things so in order for me to fully explain Thing 1, I also have to explain Thing 2, which prolly also brings up Things 3 and 4, and then to be able to explain all the Things in the right detail and in the right order, well that just takes too long to figure out.

So I am trying to write about my life. But I want to write about it right, but by the time that happens, I have a headache and you are bored.