My new do :D amazing how much better I feel! Still doing slight double-takes when I catch my reflection atm though…
skittledragon
has ordered my list according to importance.
Tried it twice, long hair isn’t for me. I am impatient and impetuous. It just doesn’t interest me at all any more, so I had it chopped off. Now I’ve got awesome hair and am kicking myself that I wasted 12 months trying to grow it… Just my personal opinion on my own hair, if you like and want long hair, good on ya, and good luck growing :)
Had a bit of an emotional talk with the boyf last night, my eyes are very puffy and sore now but I’m glad we talked because we finally got into stuff we’d both been worrying about, but hadn’t realised until we said it. Suffice to say, we both feel more secure in our relationship, reassured of the other’s love aaaand… we kind of decided to travel around America when he finishes his PhD. Omg. Something that wouldn’t have come up if we hadn’t discussed what we had, so although it was horrible at the time, things were better, brighter, afterwards. I feel like my relationship is revigorated and reinvented in the true meanings of the words, but also in the sense that we remembered what used to make it so great, and are determined not to let go of that again.
Wow, I feel a little teary again now, mard-arse that I am. So what else? Well the unexpected America thing has given me an actual kind of enthusiasm for all the hours I’ve been getting at my two uninspiring jobs – travel money! I’d been saving my tips from my waiting job aimlessly, but now I’ve got something real to save for, and an incentive to be a super-amazing waiter… more so than I usually am! ;)
It’s also helped to lessen the feeling I’ve been burdened with lately that I’m just languishing around in life, waiting til he’s free and we can live together again. It was starting to feel like limbo in some ways. One of the things I’d spoken about to S was that I was feeling like I’d stopped dreaming. He said that wouldn’t do, and so now I feel like I’ve been given back two dreams – living together again, travelling – and I can feel my others stirring again.
Let’s end on something completely frivolous: I had my hair all chopped short and dyed bright, bright blonde, just like I was threatening! I look totally different and I love it. It seems silly, but I feel like a new person.
So January, you had me for a little while, but screw you and your depressing ways! I have a life to be getting on with…
I love the title of this Bootcamp – because I feel I kinda failed a little in December’s (Best Self), and that I need to up my game and reinvent/reinvigorate my best self!
My main goal is health and fitness; I started working at a pizza restaurant where I get free pizza, then it was Christmas, inevitably I ate loads of crap food. Nomming roughly 900 calories worth of chocolate biscuits today (in my defense they were tiny…and delicious) and the resulting guilt trip has made me want to get out running. I’m doing a lot of walking, and signed up for another month’s use of the vibro-plate, but I just feel better and more accomplished when I’m sweating like a horse and knackered after an epic run. I’m really not creating a ladylike picture of myself in this post am I? :)
Also, I’m gonna get my hair sorted out. I’ve been umming and ahhing about getting it cut/dyed after growing it out for a year… but my current hair isn’t me. I need something brighter, fun and tbh, low maintenance. Extra 30 mins in bed > getting up early to style awkward barnet.
Gonna focus on these two things for the next week, then see what other aspects of my life need a kick up the bum :p
This, he has assured me, is OUR year. I know it’s an incredibly boring cliched thing to say, but I kinda believe it a little bit :) He’s getting cracking on looking for jobs once he’s settled back at work this week and hopefully one will be like, “Wow, we love your chemistry! You are an amazing scientist, come work for us right now!” He recently had a paper he is joint first author on accepted into a high level chemical journal, and another he contributed to, which will look great on his CV. I’m super proud of him, but I’m also super excited at the prospect of potentially moving in the next few months! *crosses everything
I think now is maybe the time to admit to myself that my hair is not the type to grow long and flowing in a beautiful manner. It grows long, then it grows flat, tangly and just sort of hangs there. Plus I’m getting so bored with waiting to achieve this magical ideal of long hair I’m wondering: why bother? Why do I want it? When I have longer hair all I seem to do is complain about it. I miss the uncomplicated but edgy nature of short hair; quick scrub through with some shampoo, bang some product through it – ta-dah, Skittledragon looks awesome. I’ve already scoured my favourite short hair blog for inspirations and am gonna print them out to show my hairdresser and get her opinion. I’m excited :)
I’m getting seriously fed up with growing my hair. I just don’t think it’s the type of hair that does “long” in a pretty way. Looking back at pics of my shorter hair thinking how cool it looked, as opposed to now. It just lacks… anything really. Chop, chop, mayhaps?
Started well, enthusiasm died off. December not a good month to work on myself; it was all about having to make other people happy. At a risk of sounding cliched (I don’t care!), new year, new start :)
Did this the other night, after much giggling and pushing and backtracking, scaring each other in the dark. It’s something I was always terrified of as a kid so I’ve always wanted to do it as an adult :) I just never put it on my list…so…done it :)
Today I need to buy some stamps and post the small handful of Xmas cards I’m sending out, secure a final present in town for my mum then all my family presents are bought, have a lovely little wander around as my exercise since I don’t have my running shoes with me, buy the last few presents I need to (if I see anything), and finally meet my mate after she finishes work and have that meal/gift exchange after 2 cancellations due to her short notice job!
Right. Better get out of my PJs and into the shower then xD
Edit
Achieved everything!
Magpie and Treacle are 3 years old now, which is pretty respectable for a gerbil. They seem to be in really good health, still happily destroying anything they can get their teeth into and keeping me awake scratching in their tank at night… but I’m conscious of their advancing age, and the fact the oldest gerbil I’ve kept lived to a bit over 4. It’s important I make this year awesome as a small chompy rodent could wish for xD
Self improvement took a big leap forward last week. I’ve been forcing myself out of my shell more at work, strengthening relationships in my older job (shop) and integrating more at my newer one (restaurant). Makes me happier at work which goes toward making me feel more positive in general :) Increasing contact with friends I don’t see very often too, even if it’s just a random text or, if I’m desperate, facebook message. Hate that place.
I also went to visit my granddad as I haven’t seen him for a while. Been caught up with other things, but he lives a 15 minute walk away so there’s no excuse really. He seemed well and spent a nice hour there with my dad before I had to go work.
Fitness wise, I ran over 5k in pretty decent time, considering I really had to slow down over the many, many icy patches… not bad for my 2nd proper run in over a month! Noticing a definite firming up of the old body lately which is making me feel good, even though my work pants are now so loose I am constantly in danger of flashing my kecks at the customers. ‘Buy new work pants’ should be on my goals really.
Final whoop for now: I was promoted at the shop! xD well, I’m going from ‘assistant’ to ‘supervisor’, and I’ll only be working one day a week, but without telling you my life story, it works out better for me in a few ways. I start training in Jan. It’s summat to do anyway :)
Long story short, he started a PhD in Liverpool in 2009. When I finished my final year of uni, I moved there with him and spent 18 months living together. The last 6 months of the PhD is unpaid, so we decided that it would make sense for me to move back to my parents and him to move into a smaller flat so we could both save more money, so he could manage when the payments stopped, and we could both build our savings. Great idea in theory. In reality we are both utterly miserable after experienced living together and now being separated. Hopefully (and I am really hoping for this), he’ll get a job by next summer and we can both move to wherever it may be. I don’t know if I can take much longer being stuck at my parents’. Don’t get me wrong, I love them and I’m super grateful for them letting me move back… it’s just I loved having my own place so much, being independent and doing what I want. Doesn’t help also that all my friends are getting their own houses, when they’re not busy getting engaged/married/blah blah blah. To be honest, I feel like everybody else is progressing in life, and I’ve kind of taken a step backwards.
Just got to keep reminding myself that it’s not for much longer.
And I am SO doing this. Last time I was there, the 3 lads I was with wimped out of trying one, but this time it’s happening even if I do it on my own!
I’ve been making a real effort in regards to maintaining a positive attitude about my current situation, but I am struggling. It just sucks. And I know there are people going through a lot worse stuff, I just can’t stop it getting me down. But I am trying, and sometimes, it works :) Not much longer to wait.
This ties in to thinking about other people. I’m not taking my frustration out on S anymore, but having proper conversations about The Sitch without one or both of us stropping. Good, good!
I’ve also really hammered the Xmas shopping recently; I’m nearly done buying things, and I’m wrapping stuff as I buy it so I’m not having another hours-long wrapathon right at the last minute. I’m chuffed with my present choices too and think people are really gonna like them ^^
Last week I got back into exercising regularly, I’m on the vibroplate at least 3 times a week, I’m walking to and from work most days, I’m running again, and I’m working two physically demanding jobs (seriously, all that lifting and carrying is doing wonders for my arms)... though I think I’m quitting my older job in the new year now I’m settling into the new one.
Pretty trivial, but I did my hair in a different way one day… shhh, it’s being creative and experimental right!
Seem to be doing quite well so far, it’s tough dragging my best self out again but I’m proper determined it’s gonna happen!
Cannot believe how long I’ve left this for. UGH. I’ll have access to a colour printer Sunday so I can print my reference pic, then I will FINALLY paint my little swallow.
As promised, my list of today’s achievements for the judgement of 43Things…
- Got a pencil case to use at work for keeping my cash, receipts, vouchers, etc, safe.
- Exercise: walked 2 miles into town.
- Went into work and spoke to my manager about my holidays.
- Exercise: 20 minutes on the Vibro Plate.
- Got running stuff: cold-weather top, gloves and hat.
- Exercise: Walked 2 miles home.
- Exercise: Went for a short run to test the new stuff I bought.
Now I think I’m gonna have a nice relaxing bath and an early night ready for my working week to begin tomoz!
