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!

One week down

...51 to go! So far I'm having fun. I've never been a big skirt-wearer. Sure I dressed up from time to time but I could never figure out how to be comfortable in a skirt or dress just for the heck of it.
I am confident that I will make it through the year. A big motivation behind it is the fact that someone once told me I never committed to anything. While that is not true (the best example being my commitment to the aforementioned individual), it gives me great pleasure knowing that I am committed to something on my own terms. No longer can someone else force me to "commit" to things I didn't want to commit to, or even worse, take the things I have already committed to away.
So as silly as my little space in the internet may be, it makes me happy. I hope to have lots and lots of happy things to write about this year.

Today I wore a black and white striped shirt tucked into a long black skirt. I don't normally tuck things in, but for some reason I liked how it looked today. Black t-strap flats, red lips and red nail polish made it  complete and made me very happy. Hooray for happy!