Bondage

Day 151

I realized that my new shoes look like ankle restraints, and I think I like them more because of it. Besides, I look great in heels. Especially with my newly pedicured toes.

Tabby cats

Day 150

So apparently Luna and I have another thing in common now - stripes. The awesome time I had yesterday is totally worth the weird tan lines. But I still find it funny that I look like I'm wearing thigh high stockings when I'm not.

Pistachiopocalypse

Day 149

Toni is one of my favorite people. Unfortunately, we do not get to hang out as often as I would like. Hopefully that will change now that the weather is nicer and we live practically around the block from each other.

Toni and I met a few years ago through PXF. I don't know if he suspected we would get along quite as well as we did. It was pretty much an instantaneous bond. She's one of the few people I feel like I can tell anything to. She's a good egg.

When she invited me to a pool party to celebrate her adorable cat Pistachio's first birthday, the world not ending on May 21st, and the gorgeous weather predicted for Memorial Day weekend, I jumped at the chance. I invited Clem to go along with me, and by the time I picked him up from the train station, I could tell he was in a giddy mood and ready to have fun.

I really had a great time, drinking and eating... and drinking some more. I met so many nice, fun people. Unfortunately, I felt it was too cold to go swimming in the pool, so that was a waste of a bikini wax. I never even took my shorts off. That resulted in an odd looking tan line. Well, that's not entirely true; I took my shorts off to put jeans on later in the night when I got cold. But other than being disappointed that I didn't just suck it up and jump in the pool, I had an absolute blast. Toni is a great hostess, and Pistachiopocalypse 2011 was a big success!

Color me happy

Day 148

It's hard to believe that with the amount of time I've spent getting my nails done over the years, I've never gotten a pedicure. But up until today, I was a pedicure virgin. Katie was nice enough to take me for my very first pedicure, and she gave me a coupon to get a mani/pedi for $20. Bonus!

It felt so good to have my feet in the warm, swirling water. I thought I wouldn't like the filing and cuticle clipping, but I really didn't mind it. Then they exfoliated my feet and calves with a nice sea salt scrub. Next, they used lotion to massage into my feet and calves, and then as a special treat, they continued the massage with hot stones. It was lovely. I picked out a summery purple color, which ended up matching my flip flops perfectly.

I loved my first pedicure experience, and it may have to become a bi-weekly indulgence along with the manicure.

Sleepover

Day 147

Luna and I are camped out in Smithtown for the night. I have an appointment with the eye doctor tomorrow, and I won't be able to drive after they dialate my eyes. Mom was nice enough to volunteer. Luna isn't too keen on this whole overnight trip idea. Anything that disrupts her routine already isn't her favorite thing, and then I added a car ride on top of it. At least there wasn't an airplane flight this time.

Hello me, meet the real me

Day 146

A few years ago, I lost myself. I wasn't sure where I was, but I just wasn't there anymore. It wasn't so much a quest to find myself again as it was a blind stumble through confusion and uncertainty.

The latter part of 2010 helped put me in the mindframe to change that. From late summer on, I made a genuine effort to figure myself out - who I was and who I wanted to be. I made some good progress and laid the groundwork for the necessary changes.

2011 has proven to be the year I finally got my shit together. I got a great job in marketing in March. I moved into my own place in April. I did a lot of soul searching. I found myself. I'm Michelle again, and I know who that is, and I like me.

I'm the girl in the super cute outfit, toting a laptop and a Smart Phone. I'm independent and self-sufficient. I have a great job and a nice apartment. I go to the gym regularly. I've found my confidence, and it feels great. I love my friends, and my life, and there's only one last missing piece. It's nice to take a deep breath and a look around and realize you're right where you want to be.

Finally!

Day 145

The weather was nice enough that I was able to rock a pretty sun dress and strappy shoes to work today. Hellooo, spring! Better late than never.

Like a good neighbor

Day 144

Ron, Mom, and I have just gotten out of a 3 hour defensive driving class. Saving 10% on car insurance really shouldn't be that torturous.

My only direction for this picture was, "Look miserable." Mom is the only one who got it right. Apparently, this is Ron's "miserable" face - epic fail. I look like I'm completely apathetic to life in general, which counts as an epic fail as well, considering I'm the one who said to look miserable, and I'm the one with acting experience. Although, in fairness, Mom was a model, so she had to be able to take direction. Thank you, Mom, for carrying the rest of us.

So our family time for the week was spent being bored out of our skulls, filling out a booklet, and watching awful videos. At least we did it together.

Chillaxin'

Day 143

I have gone to the gym, taken a shower, cooked dinner, and am now sacked out on my couch for the rest of the night. As it should be. And the fuzzy GIR blanket just makes it better. Not to mention the purring kitty.

Caffeinated

Day 142

Mom and I met up this morning for a cup of coffee before going clothes shopping. She insisted on seeing this picture after I took it, even though it was only of our hands. She claims that she has "boy hands," but I think she's just being silly. I thought she would be happier about doing a hands picture instead of a face picture, but I'm starting to think she just doesn't like having her picture taken at all. Regardless, we had a very nice morning together. Coffee and shopping - can't really go wrong with that.

Planet Vort

Day 141

My new couch came today. It's so very comfortable, and much better than the bean bag chair. It will be a wonderful treat to be able to come home from work and sit on the couch, like a normal person does. It is perfect for curling up and watching TV or playing video games. I love it already!

Cutie pie

Day 140

Is this not the cutest little nose you've ever seen? I love petting Luna's nose. It's like velvet. And when she's being cute and cuddly, she likes being pet. We usually have quiet cuddle time for a few minutes when I get home. She's always happy to see me at the end of the day.

Thirsty Thursday

Day 139

Katie put the idea in my head. It festered there for a while until I finally broke down. I needed it. So I went to Starbucks on my lunch break and spent the last dollars on my gift card for the deliciousness of an iced venti soy chai latte. It was all that I hoped it could be and more.

The gift card was my Mother's Day gift from Luna. I suspect that she enlisted the help of my mom for this one. Not having an allowance, a car, or thumbs puts her at a bit of a disadvantage. Many thanks to Kate, Lu, and Mom for making my lunchtime treat possible today.

Teeter

Day 138

The last time I had to look presentable for work was about 40 pounds ago. Now that I have to look like a human being again, I've had problems finding anything that still fits me, but I do still have some clothing items from back in the day that I feel bad not wearing.

I thought these pants fit a little better than they did. Since I don't have a belt, I wore super high heels to make up for it so the bottom of the pants didn't drag on the ground. I realize this is not how most people handle things, but it made sense at 8:30 in the morning when I was trying to get my act together and to work on time.

By the time I got to the office, it made a whole lot less sense. By lunch time, I remembered why I vehemently dislike these shoes. And by the time I was out of work, I had absolutely no idea what I was thinking by wearing these stupid things. They're slightly too big, they hurt my feet, and I have to retrain myself on the difficult task of walking every time I get up from my chair.

However, the bottom of my pants did not get wet in the puddles I had to (rather slowly) walk through. So, technically, I did accomplish my goal by wearing these dreadful shoes. Who's smarter than me?

Tech support

Day 137

There's that whole blurry because I'm sleepy thing again. I was just about to go to bed, and my phone rang. I almost didn't pick up, almost didn't even check the number, but curiosity got the best of me. It was my dad - not a phone call to ignore. It might be important.

Turns out, it was extremely important. He couldn't figure out how to do something on Facebook.

After logging onto Facebook myself, and giving him as good a walkthrough as I could, it still didn't work. Honestly, what he was doing before he called me should have worked. Facebook was just having an attitude problem.

Really, Facebook, have a moment if you want to, but don't take it out on my dad. He doesn't use Facebook enough to understand your mood swings.

Housekeeping

Day 136

Changing the sheets is one of Luna's favorite activities. She doesn't really understand the fact that it's a household chore and not a game. She likes to get underneath the fitted sheet, and I let her do it for 3 corners, but I have to pull her out before the 4th, and she doesn't like that much. Then she attacks the flat sheet as I'm trying to make sure it's straight and tucked in at the bottom. She jumps on the pillows as I put the pillow cases on. The comforter is her signal that it's almost the end, and by the time I'm putting the decorative pillows in their places, she's settled in underneath the covers for a nap. There is never a time when I make my bed and there's not a little kitty hiding in the sheets.

Burn notice

Day 135

Welcome to dinner at Casa de Porter. And what dinner would be complete without the chef burning herself? I suck at this game...

As if making dinner isn't hard enough in this place. Shooing Luna off the counter is a full time job in itself without adding chicken into the mix.

I finally gave up and resorted to glaring at her over the stove top. "You could so easily be stir fry, you know," I grumbled at her. She knew it was an empty threat, and she stared back at me defiantly.

I can't even blame her for the burn. That was my own blatant stupidity. Although the meal was quite delicious. At least I didn't sustain such an injury for a culinary fail.

Beauty is pain

Day 134

Do you know how many times I've poked myself in the eye with eyeliner over the years? A few times more than too damn many. Does it stop me? Nope. I've even done the really special thing of drawing a line across my contact lens. That's fun. I then have to take out the contact without messing up the makeup I've already applied (not a simple task), then clean the lens (eyeliner does not easily come off with saline solution), and then get the contact back into my eye while not smudging the aforementioned makeup (very high degree of difficulty). But despite the occasional mishap, I do love me some eyeliner. I like the way my eyes look much better with it than without. As my eyes are one of my best features, I tend to want to enhance them. If you've got it, flaunt it.

Penguini

Day 133

I was not in a very good mood tonight - to put it mildly. I took out the cute penguin book that Clem got for me to try to cheer myself up. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. I'm definitely very penguin-like, but what's so great about being a penguin anyway?

Meh

Day 132

Just my luck. I finally get around to updating the blog, and Blogger is down. Another brilliant plan foiled.

Goodnight Moon

Day 131

Totally almost forgot to take the photo for today. I feel like I'm a step away from death, thanks to the blinding pain in my head, so don't judge me too harshly. At least I remembered. Barely.

Alternative skin care

Day 130

Even though I've just gotten out of the shower, Luna apparently thinks I need a bath. She likes to give me a good grooming every now and then. Oddly enough, it's a pretty good exfoliant. Between that and the fact that she's taking time out of her cranky pants schedule to be nice to me, I'm not going to fight it.

What does the G stand for?

Day 129

All GIR'ed out and no place to go. Except to bed, which is the best place to be anyway.

Fashionista

Day 128

I decided to put some effort into my appearance today. Not usually my M.O. for a Sunday, but I have company coming, so I should probably attempt to look like a human being.

The fam

Day 127

I had a wonderful day with the family today. It is very rare that such a large group of us are free on the same day when it isn't a special holiday. We caught up with each other, blew bubbles with the kids, and just generally had fun. I bonded with my little niece Talia, the newest addition, and I'm apparently pretty awesome company for an 8 month old, because she didn't like the idea of being taken away from me. Yay, I'm loved! Or at least very well liked. Family is so important, and I'm glad I got to spend a nice day with mine.

Inner child

Day 126

This is Brownest In The World Bear. I've had him ever since I can remember, which is a long time, because I remember everything. I was always very clear about the fact that he was the brownest in the world - and don't you forget it. Brownest now lives on the ledge of my storage nook, along with the other stuffed animals from my childhood. I only saved a select few - the important ones that meant a lot to me. Some days you just need to hug a teddy bear.

She's lucky she's cute

Day 125

I made the mistake of leaving the top drawer of my night table open when I took out my nail file. Luna decided this was a terrific opportunity to not only poke around the drawer and sniff everything, but to actually go behind the drawer and slide down into the drawer below.

I closed the top drawer - carefully, of course, lest she still be behind it - and opened the bottom drawer. She wasn't there. I feel like I ask the following question a little too often, especially being that I live in a studio apartment: "Where the hell is the cat?"

I got down on my hands and knees to peer behind the bottom drawer. A tiny little "who me?" face blinked her pretty eyes at me. I've gotten over wondering how she gets into the random places she does. It just happens. She must have gotten ninja training before I adopted her.

I tried to coax her out from behind the drawer and into it, so I could easily scoop her out. She thought that was funny. She swatted at my hand through the small space between the bottom and top drawers. I tried toys, shaking the ones that make noise, and dangling others in front of her. Either she didn't care, or she did a very good job of pretending she didn't.

I pulled out the damn drawer. Her expression clearly stated, "Okay, so now what?" I tried the toys again. She looked at me like I was a total moron. I finally just gave up and reached in to grab her. She demonstrated quite clearly what she thought of that plan. It's her little feline way of saying "GFY," and I must say, it's certainly more effective than the human equivalent of giving the finger.

Bookworm

Day 124

Yes, I am still reading A Dirty Job. I know what you're thinking - "Get off NetFlix, loser, and finish that damn book!" I agree with you. Reading usually comes after NetFlix. I'm trying to make it a nightly ritual. I try to read a few pages before bed every night. Once the couch comes, I think it will be a better transition. Physically moving from one piece of furniture to another seems more purposeful than just rolling over. Actually having to move to the bed will get me into "bedtime reading mode." It makes sense in my own head - that's what counts.

Scrunch!

Day 123

I am definitely a fan of the way my hair looks when I take the time to straighten it. But most days I'm just too lazy to put in that kind of effort. It takes too much time out of my busy nightly schedule of watching movies and bad TV. Now that I have discovered the streaming of NetFlix through my Nintendo Wii, the time I spend in front of the television has spiked to what may qualify as an unhealthy level. Distraction, escape, whatever you want to call it, it works.

My hair does curl rather nicely when I put mousse in it and scrunch it. I'm happy I discovered that trick, albeit a little later in life than was strictly necessary. The mousse and scrunching discovery happened somewhere around 22 or 23. I'm always a little behind the curve, but at least nobody can say I peaked too early.

Ingrate

Day 122

The only thing I really wanted all day was to come home and hug Luna. I kept seeing her picture on my phone, and it's the really cute one of her giving the "who me?" look. I'm feeling cranky, and the weather isn't helping, and I just wanted to hug my little punk and hear her purr. When I finally got home and tried to claim my hug, she was having none of that. All she wanted to do was let the bird outside drive her even further into insanity. There is a cardinal who has apparently made his home in the tree outside - probably the same jerk that keeps pooping on my car - and he flutters from the tree to the bushes right outside our windows and back again. This sends Luna into a complete frenzy, with chattering meows and some serious tail flicking. I'm sure that she was completely enthralled with this bird all day, and she should have been tired from running back and forth across the window sill. All I wanted was a hug. All she wanted was to sit at the window and be pissed off at the bird she knows she can't reach. And usually when we have conflicting agendas, Luna wins. She's not really that spoiled. She just has very sharp teeth.

Herky!

Day 121

The bean bag chair went to its new home today, so I can totally starfish on my living room floor. At least for the next few weeks until my new couch comes. I'm super excited about this whole having a couch thing. But until then, I can sprawl on the floor whenever I want. Okay, so it's not overly exciting. I also have more room for Wii Fit. And I can practice the dance for hip hop. Well, I could practice if I could remember it for more than five minutes after leaving the class.