it's vanity hour
may was a busy month in general, but towards the end of the month as i'm writing this, i realize i made a lot of time for what i can only describe as... primping!
i think it started with me asking my usual hair guy for face-framing bangs, and i liked the result so much i actually started taking care of my hair. my hair is very straight and really needs... like, no styling or even brushing in the morning, so i've never fussed with it. but i've found a little bit of blowdrying with a round brush shapes it cutely (i finally know how to blowdry with a brush at the ripe old age of 26), and leaving a roller in my bangs for some time gives them a subtle little swoop for when i leave the house (i also finally know how to use rollers). this has brought me a lot of delight.
since my lifting meet ended, my sessions at the gym have been less PB-seeking, more... maintenance? it's a good thing, because its routinary nature has allowed my competitiveness to step aside for a little bit so i can focus on things like walking more often and being more aware of how i eat. food is a delicate topic for me, but i'm happy to report that nothing bad has happened and no one has died and i haven't undergone emotional suffering since being asked to start logging my food. HOORAY...
since that's been happening, i've slowly been losing a bit of weight, which i'm happy about and am starting to see on my body! i'd like to say i'm doing this because i want to go down a weight class for my next competition, but i also... just want to wear a wider variety of clothes LOL. and these days, i'm finding it's easier to find stuff that fits well and looks cute – or am i just in clothing stores more often now that i have a little money to spend? girl please be serious.
anyway, all of this is to say i'm in a season of feeling pretty good about my physical form, which is always a nice season to be in. it's even better this time because it's also something i know For Sure is the result of me actually looking after myself, and not just some unidentifiable change my body is going through or me buying my way to it (even though i have been buying things...).
of course there's something to be said about simply enjoying your life and seeing how that affects your disposition/habits/self-perception, and treating yourself to stuff like brow and nail appointments is always a nice little boost. but i'm just glad it's on top of something that feels a bit more intentional or tied to what i'm consciously, effortfully doing. so i get to say yeah, i did that! i'm making this happen!
some other things
- job stuff – this was most of the busyness so i gave it a bullet, but it's boring to talk about so next
- i started reading dracula by following along with dracula daily. i attempted it last year but couldn't get past the history descriptions early on... so i read those bits aloud to my dog until i got past them, then it got really fun. i like lucy westenra a lot.
- i started the cross-stitching kit i got four (4) years ago. it was therapeutic, but i feel like not the textile (?) art for me. i'm thinking of getting into embroidery and sewing. i bought myself a cheap machine to get started with, and one of my best friends (who has sewn many a thing!) is going to come over and have a sewing date with me.
- as mentioned, my lifting meet happened! i won gold for [redacted] category in [redacted] weight class, and silver in [redacted #2] category. not too impressive (there was like, one other person in my weight class lol), but not bad for a first-time athlete! my family came to cheer me on with big homemade paper banners, which was so so cute and sweet... i was so touched by the effort.
i also got a lot of cute and fun emails this month, from friends old and new! i guess my prompt at the end of april's entry to email me worked... heh... (my glasses glint as i adjust them) all according to plan.
(offscreen commentary: why is she smug about having friendly correspondences...?!)
until the next entry! hope may was as good (maybe less busy) for you as well.