A Duck Walks Into a Bar...

I have a love/hate relationship with the show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. I usually see episodes that feature places that are too far away to realistically visit any time soon. Tonight, however, I was lucky enough to see an episode that's first stop was a place that's a little more accessible. And I fully intend to go. Soon.

Why?

Because someone  has managed to make pot pie look appealing. See, I hate pot pie. Crust, peas, carrots, celery, onion, chicken and some kind of gooey, white-ish stuff (more commonly referred to as gravy) do not belong together. Why? Because it's gross. How do you make this formula un-gross? You make it with duck confit. Somehow, duck that's been marinated in its own fat, which is then the base to make a succulent looking gravy (and that says a lot, because I find the whole idea of gravy absolutely revolting), which is the blanching liquid for the vegetables...now that sounds amazing. Duck confit pot pie. Yes.

I wore the new coat today. I love it. It was the most interesting thing I had on today; I was almost sad to take it off when I got inside.

Don't mind the silly faces I'm making. Obviously, I don't have a modeling career in my future. I'm too fat and short anyway.

And now for some practical, girly-type nonsense. You may tune out if you wish.

I think my hair is having a mid-life crisis. Most would say it's naturally curly, I think it's naturally annoying. It's not doing anything it's supposed to. It won't curl properly when I leave it to curl on its own, it won't hold a curl if I create curls (any method - curling iron, pin curls, hot rollers or foam rollers), and today it didn't stay sleek and straight! It got all bushy and frizzy and I could feel kinks in the back of my head. When I got home from work, I flat-ironed it again and that seemed to help, but it was so weird. The last time my hair misbehaved like that when it was straight was quite a while ago. Like 2010 while ago. I don't know what to do. I'm considering bangs, but I'm terrified that they'll look terrible and then I'm stuck with them.

Ok, practical girl nonsense over.

Lately I've been wanting to write (something other than a blog). I've always had the vain imagining that I could write a book, one that people would actually read and, here's the kicker, like. I know, that's silly. I mean, what would I write about? Last night I was offered the chance to write my dad's biography (thanks Dad), today during a meeting with my boss and the computer guy, I thought that maybe I should write my boss' memoirs, because it seems the man has been everywhere, met everyone and done everything (no offense, Dad). At least it seems that way. Every time you have a conversation with him because one minute you're discussing something relevant and before you know it, you're on a fishing boat in Louisiana. I don't know. I'll probably never do it, because in order to succeed at such an accomplishment, you need one of two things, talent or confidence; I happen to possess neither.

I'm not sure how to tie all of this together for a neat finish. What do duck confit, my hair and my literary aspirations have to do with each other?

Sounds like a bad joke.

Black & White Photos Hide Blemishes...

But not under-eye bags caused by inordinate amounts of anxiety. *sigh*

I spent some quality time with my hair this morning.

Here we have a big barrel roll. Behind the bandana, it's just up in a bun. I attempted a big puffy ponytail, but my hair was too thin. It was fun to do, and not that hard! With a little practice and the right products, I could probably get it a little less fuzzy.

My outfit today was pretty basic. Black shirt with ruching on the sides, denim pencil skirt, stockings, black heels. You should congratulate me for not wearing head to toe black. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Oh, and you can bet that's bright red lipstick. There's something about red lipstick that makes me feel like a million bucks. Same thing with my hair...I feel so great when I play with it and create different styles. I especially feel accomplished and that I'm doing something that is just for me, even though the rest of the world can see it.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm reclaiming myself. You can't have it anymore.

16 days. There is a light at the end of the tunnel...freedom awaits.

Feeling Good

Birds flyin' high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me.
Yeah, it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, ooooooooh...
And I'm feelin' good.

Fish in the sea, you know how I feel
River runnin' free, you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree, you know how I feel
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me,
And I'm feelin' good

Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know,
Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean.
Sleep in peace when day is done: that's what I mean,
And this old world is a new world and a bold world for me...

Stars when you shine, you know how I feel
Scent of the pine, you know how I feel
Yeah, freedom is mine, and I know how I feel..
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me
And I'm feelin'... good.

-Nina Simone (And Michael Buble...and Muse...oh, how I love Muse...)

It's either the Xanax or the chocolate chip pancakes I had for dinner talking...but I feel great!

I made the pancakes with my dad. It was quite an adventure. A pancake-related meltdown led to the Xanax, which led to the pancakes actually being completed, which led to me being fat and happy.

I felt very "Mad Men"-esque today:

You can't really see it in the picture, but I rolled and pinned the curl on the right side of my forehead. It was my first attempt at doing such a thing and I was fairly pleased with the result. I think tomorrow I shall try a bigger roll. Wish me luck!

Hair and Back Again

I have curly hair. Perhaps you've noticed. Occasionally it looks alright when I leave it down, but most of the time it looks like a perm gone wrong.

My hair is the longest it's been since I was 25. Weeks after my 25th birthday, I chopped it off to about chin length, and it's been up there ever since. Well, until it started growing out because I had no choice. I liked my short hair. I had to straighten it all the time, but I didn't mind because it didn't take long to do, and that was kind of the point. Now that it's long-ish again, I'm faced with a dilemma. Cut it or keep it?

Short hair is so easy to take care of...long hair gives me more variety. But if I don't take advantage of that variety and just let it do its thing, then I get bored and want to cut it off again. It's a vicious cycle!

I haven't been playing around much with my hair lately because of my atrocious split ends. I haven't bothered because when my hair is this wrecked, nothing looks good. I had to do something though, I was going crazy. So last night after my shower, I blow dried and flat ironed my hair straight...and then put it in pin curls. Is that insane? For a curly haired person to straighten her hair just to curl it again? I don't care if it is. I like the results:

If I had a dress like this to wear every day, I might be the happiest girl in the world. I had a black cardigan over top to keep warm, and I have to say, I was quite satisfied with myself. I love, love, LOVE this style of dress. 40s-50s fashion makes me happy. Very, very happy.

But back to hair. This is what it looked like at the end of the day. This morning, the curls were tighter and made the whole style an inch or two shorter. The style is a lot of work, but honestly, I love it. I think I would be sad if I cut it off, especially since I'm just learning how to do fun stuff like this.

Ok. I've made up my mind. I keep it long.

I think.