Katrina Goering

I’ve had one trim in two years. But I’m getting attached! It helps to remind myself that as much as I love my hair, someone else will love it too. (Not to mention how much easier it will be to take care of when it’s short.)

I have a folder on my desktop containing pictures of short haircuts I like. :) Anyone else do this?

I’m looking for things I can wear both at work at at home, comfortably. I’ve always been very picky about my style, which actually works out well for me when I find something high quality to invest in. I still pick around thrift stores for shoes and jackets, but I’m happy spending extra on things I know I like, and that I know will last.

So far an awesome multi-way bra from Victoria’s Secret, two very interesting pretty scarves, and a pair of really sweet ebay slacks have me jazzed about getting ready in the morning. I’m saving up for a big autumn purchase sometime soon. Winter’s a beast, every time. I’d like four more cozy sweaters to get me out the door every day of the week. Pbbbbt.

Recommendations on sweet places to shop?

It’s been a long road, and I think I still have a way to go. I left school again to try to figure out the big picture instead of just part of it. Dad let me stay in his basement like a true scumbag drop out. It was good for a while. We joked, and cooked, and watched movies. He gave me a job and helped me buy a car and fed me while I transitioned. He’s ready to be an empty-nester, though. He started dating again, and it doesn’t work very well having a kid around when you’re trying to make plans for the future… let along when you trying to get in someone’s pants. Our relationship slowed as I got more comfortable in the house, and he liked to remind me that it was HIS house. It was a battle I fought for a while, but there wasn’t much I could unselfishly say. He was doing me a favor. I saved up money and moved out. And now we see each other at work every day, which is enough for my liking.

I haven’t yet found how to best combine family and friends. Maybe it just involves a layer of trust I don’t have in me yet. But I’m getting closer, I think. I helped type up papers naming personal possessions when the divorce was being finalized to help my dad get by. I had lunch with mom when she came to town for… something or other, and told her I always liked her maiden name when she said she was switching back to it. She likes to keep her affairs private (no pun intended) but she likes to help facilitate projects she approves of. She bought me a sewing machine and sent it home with me when I visited her side of the family for my grandmother’s birthday. She bought me an all-too-expensive messenger bag that she knew was perfect for me. I worry about her debt, and when she’s going to catch up, and I wonder why she’s not worried. But I guess I’m sitting very quietly as my own debt from school loans builds higher with interest. I guess I have options that she doesn’t. Peace Corps. AmeriCorps. Teaching abroad. All things I have interest in. But it’s funny that we’re treating our debts so similarly. I wish I could convince her that all the things she’s buying herself in her cozy little (well, HUGE) rented house aren’t worth anything. And that I want her to find what makes her feel achieved, and useful and happy. But I think she has that with teaching, and I hope that’s enough for her. When we last saw each other, I tried to be patient. I know she tries to have a good relationship with me, even if she’s not interested in changing her style to do so. She’s a mother very naturally, and it’s something I admire about her, I guess. Someday I’ll have to tell her that she doesn’t have to buy me things to show me that she loves me. I know she loves me. And spending time with me is what really shows me that.

I don’t know. I’m getting there. I think the more I discover myself, the easier it’s getting to remove weight from their shoulders. Five years after I started this goal, I know I’ve come a long way. I can at least see both of my parents as reasonable human beings (in their own ways) which is a huge deal. I think when I can buy my dad a beer, or maybe bring him a bottle of wine, and when I can call my mom up just to chat, I’ll check this off. It’s a long road. And I’m still walkin’ it.