20 Out of 32: Dying my hair a crazy color

So I first dyed my hair when I was in 8th grade and had dyed it throughout most of high school.  I have been every shade of brunette, red, and was even a strawberry blonde at one point.  I have always had a desire to do something more drastic though.  I would always talk myself out of it with excuses like it wouldn't be professional or I'm too old.

I decided to throw caution to the wind and go Platinum Blonde!  Do I love it?  No (it is early though and it takes me about a week to warm up to a new hair cut or color).  Do I hate it?  No.  Am I glad that I did it?  Yes!  It was very liberating.  This wasn't the most exciting thing on my list of 32 things, but it was a huge act of bravery on my part.  Who knows maybe cotton candy pink hair is in my future.

19 Out of 32: Recognizing the Love of My Life

So when I first started this blog I mentioned that I'm not big on dating.  I'm even less into relationships. My last relationship was over two years ago and even that was merely noteworthy at best.  These past few months have been an interesting progress for me.

This winter I started seeing someone casually.  He was only in town for a few months on a freelance project so we agreed to keep it light.  We had a nice little fling and have not been in touch since he moved back to his home state.  It was perhaps the simplest "relationship" I've ever had.  There was fun, passion, and no hurt feelings by either party.

After that I thought maybe I can do this relationship thing.  So I started dating more and in late spring I started seeing this guy.  Again it was very casual.  We would only see each other about once a week. He was very nice and much more of a gentleman than most of the guys I've dated (I tend to date more frogs than princes).  However we got to that point during dating where things would have transitioned into a relationship a lot of things happened.  I was sick and then I got busy with work.  I kept canceling dates and taking rain checks, or finding excuses to not be free when he would ask me out.  This really nice guy didn't bolt, but was patient and never complained.  I felt bad that I just had too much going on in my life and ended up breaking things off for good.  My sister asked why I didn't just say I'm having a couple of crazy weeks and see if we could pick up in a few weeks.  That's when it hit me, I didn't do that because despite him being a nice guy whom I had a lot of common interests with and physical chemistry, I just wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with him.

This got me thinking about relationships, dating and where they fit into my life.  I feel like the past decade of my life has been a cycle of not dating for long periods then serial dating because I thought that's what I should be doing.  I've rationalized all the reasons why dating was hard for me:  I wasn't pretty enough, I was a magnet for undesirable guys, guys whom I would be interested in weren't interested in me, I was too busy, etc.  I sat down with the truth which is I'm not in a relationship because...I don't want to be.

I'm not single because I have shortcomings.  I'm single because I choose to be. I had a very dear friend and mentor who gave me some good advice this winter when I was having my casual relationship.  He told me that because I love my job so much and am so invested in it I was going to have to make a choice.  He told me that I'd have room in my life for one other thing.  He said I could have a side project, a relationship, a hobby, etc but that to do both my job and my other thing well and personally be satisfied I'd have to choose just one thing outside of work.  I've made that choice and I choose me.  I choose to focus on writing projects that allow me the creative outlet I need, giving myself time to lead an active and healthy life, and being open to new experiences and journeys.

Does this mean I don't date?  No.  This means I am open to dating and the possibility of seeing where that could go, but not pursuing a relationship.  If I find someone who suddenly becomes priority enough for me to carve out the extra space in my life then so be it, but it isn't something I'm concerned about.

I've always known that if I remained single that I would be okay, but I'm finally embracing that I perhaps would actually prefer my life that way. When I'm an old lady (who will no doubt be senile with half a dozen bunnies running around her apartment) I want to think back on my life and make sure that I filled it with the things that were most important.  If I don't have a partner, spouse, or kids I don't think I'll regret that as much as I would waking up realizing that I gave up on professional dreams and personal aspirations because I was focused on finding a relationship. Do I have moments where I'm at a party of all couples and think why don't I have that...you bet your ass I do.  But, at the end of the day those moments are fleeting and the pros of being single outweigh the cons for me.  Unless that scale suddenly flips...I've found the love of my life and it's me.

18 Out of 32: Journal

When I recently went to San Francisco one of my favorite things to do was just walk through the neighborhoods.  I would take in the places and people.  When I needed a break I'd find a cafe to grab a coffee to read and people watch some more.  It reminded me of when I first moved to NYC.  That was how I got to know the city.

My favorite neighborhood was The Haight. I kept finding myself returning there to browse in funky clothing stores, grabbing a Cherry Blossom Latte or Jasmine Gelato at Coffee Cantana, and checking out all these sodas that I never knew existed at the Fizzary.   On my last trip to the neighborhood I picked up a journal at The Booksmith.  I haven't journaled since I was in college.

Photo by Walt Stoneburner 

I've blogged and had other writing outlets, but there is something to be said for journaling.  For me it has taken two forms.  One is a more traditional form of journaling which is just private conversations I have with myself.  My goal with this blog was to be as true to my voice as possible, but there is something to having a conversation with yourself that you can't replicate elsewhere.

The other form of journaling is less interesting, but has been helpful and that is just recording how what I do and intake make me feel.  I had a really bad couple of months of acid reflux and found that certain foods trigger it.  I made this realization through journaling what I eat.

Journaling can take all different forms.  About six months ago I reviewed old notes from the last time a journaled which was about 10 years ago.  It was interesting listening to my 21 year old self now.  I can't imagine what my 41 year old (gulp) self will think of what I'm writing now.

17 Out of 32: Going a Little Greener

As Kermit the Frog said, "It's not easy being green." There are lots of things I could be better about with reducing my carbon footprint.  I recycle like most people in New York do, although I have to say after visiting San Francisco, the West Coast has us beat when it comes to composting.  Despite NYC being a big city that often gets a bad rap for it's garbage, I have to say there are some easy ways to be green in this city.  I used to volunteer with Transportation Alternatives  a non profit dedicated to getting more people to walk, bike, or use mass transit.

Yet there were other things I could do in my life to be a little kinder to mother Earth.  Here are some new practices that I've adopted.  They may not change the world, but they make me feel better ecologically and in some cases physically.

Eating Greener: I recently wrote a post about eating cleaner.  The other great thing about cutting out processed foods is you can get everything you need at the farmers market.  I love helping out local farmers and venders, plus you enjoy fresh foods that you just can't get at the supermarket.  I never see Wild Strawberries at Gristedes and Lavender Honey Goat's Cheese at the farmer's market is better than your run of the mill processed cheese product any day.  The prices are great too!  I recently got the yummiest cucumbers for about a third of the price I would have payed at Whole Foods.  The farmer's market also is a good reminder for me to use my reusable bags.  Even Milo has gone green.  One of his favorite treats is when he gets wheatgrass from the farmer's market.  He get a lot of his other produce from the farmer's market too.  He loves his kale, carrots, and berries.  Another bonus to having him is since I live a alone I used to waste produce all the time, now there are two of us who can enjoy mother nature's yummiest before it spoils and has to be thrown out.

Milo going to town on his kale! 

Using Natural Products for Beauty and Hygiene: I had starting using Tom's of Maine deodorant years ago when I learned that aluminum was one of the ingredients in most store brand antiperspirants.  But this year I have gone even more natural.  Lately I've been getting a lot of comments on how healthy my hair looks.  I'm hesitant to tell people this when they ask what I've been doing but I stopped using store bought shampoo and conditioner because they are filled with harsh chemicals.  It sounds crazy, but I now wash my hair with baking soda and condition it with diluted apple cider vinegar.  By the way both of these products are amazing for other things.  I mix baking soda in my toothpaste for a whiter smile and apple cider vinegar is also a great skin toner and I drink a little to help with acid reflux flair ups.

Using Natural Products for Cleaning:  I don't like using chemicals when cleaning now that I have Mr. Milo.  White vinegar has been great for cleaning out things like his litter box but also for cleaning the hard wood floors in the rooms he hangs out in.

16 out of 32: My First LARP

I was never into Dungeons and Dragons or Magic as a kid.  I was a nerd, but a nerd of a different breed.  I have a number of friends who were/are into those games as well as LARPing (Live Action Roll Play).  LARPing isn't something that I thought I would really want to do.  I enjoy Lord of the Rings, but I have no desire to be an Elf and wear a medieval costume for a weekend.

However I recently had the opportunity to go to a LARP that was right up my ally.  I went to a James Bond themed event put on by Aces and Ops.  I love James Bond movies and have always had a fantasy about being a Bond Girl.  I did go a Pussy Galore once for a James Bond themed New Year's Eve party.  But, for this event I got to create my own character.  It was a lot of fun!  I dressed up in cocktail attire, went with some really good friends, and had a blast!  We got to take part in solving a mystery and formed alliances with other characters.

Image by Don Kennedy 

It was a really fun experience.  Okay so maybe I was letting my nerd flag fly a little, but who cares!  I did kick ass in the James Bond trivia round.  I can't wait for the next event!

 

15 out of 32: Eating Cleaner

I have been on more diets than I can remember at this point.  Weight wise I'm at a pretty healthy place, I'm five pounds lighter than my goal weight (which is okay since it is still a healthy BMI for me).  I'm focused more on toning than weight loss at this point.  

I have been working on altering my diet though.  Mostly because I have acid reflux.  It has progressively been getting worse, I am seeing a doctor (which I strongly recommend to anyone with any type of digestive issue), but I have noticed that I feel better when I eat certain foods and worse when I eat others.

The foods that I notice I don't typically feel great after eating are: meat, heavy dairy (full fat cheese, sour cream, etc), and white flour (breads, pasta).  So I've been making a conscious effort to cut these foods down to a minimum and focus on eating things that agree more with my stomach like beans, veggies, soy, and fish.

I started off slow by incorporating a meatless monday into my routine.  Now that has expanded to not keeping any of these foods that make me feel lousy and I'm trying to keep eating them period to a minimum.  It's a small start, but when I follow this plan I feel better.

Photo by Danny Boyster 

14 Out of 32: Help Others

I used to volunteer on a regular basis when I was a student.  When I first moved to NYC I would do some one off volunteering with God's Love We Deliver and Transportation Alternatives.  I have been wanting to volunteer on a more regular basis but it challenging for a few reasons.  1. A lot of the organizations I'm interested in helping don't really need volunteers at this point or need people on weekdays when I am working.  2. Time in general it is hard to commit to always being free at a given day or time every week.

I wanted to volunteer about something I was really passionate about and an opportunity presented itself to me.  Sparkpeople is a health and fitness website that I love.  I recently had the opportunity to lead one of the teams.  It is fun setting up fitness challenges, encouraging others, and being willing to share my story.  Vulnerability isn't my strong suit, so this is a good way to push myself.

This wasn't the type of volunteering I had in mind when I set this goal for myself, but this year is all about surprising myself.  

Photo by Oklanica