6/365

I love these rings. They've become somewhat cliche, which I hate, but I will, without a doubt, continue to wear these two suckers.

My mom gave me the one on my left hand, and my dad gave me the one of my right. We're a really spread-out family, and so for me, it's a way to keep both of my parents with me no matter where I'm at--even though we have our disagreements, our differences, I'm half of each of them, and they're wholly with me 24/7.

5/365

Normally, I'd be crocheting while sitting on a couch. Or a chair. At the very least, I'd be sitting on something other than concrete. But my house is currently getting new floors, and since the contractor wasn't working during the weekend, I pulled out a few couch cushions, found a couple bean bags, and curled up with some Mad Men (Christ, I'm addicted!) and a very, very ugly sweater vest that I'm working on. Granted, it wasn't as comfortable as it normally is in that space, but at least it made for a good dancing arena :)

4/365

I'm dog-sitting this week, which means I'm doing a lot of hanging out with this guy. I think college students (of which I am one of many) flock to dogs like bugs to a light. Walks sometimes take twice as long as they could because once on campus, students will go out of their way to come pet this fellow. I don't know, call it a comforts-of-home thing, but there really is nothing like curling up on the couch, blanket around the shoulders, and dog resting on your lap. Absolute bliss.

3/365

My ship tattoo is the simplest one I have, but it still remains my favorite. During the Vendel period, those living in what is now Scandinavia would bury their dead either in ships or ship-like vessels, seeing the ship as a transport to the next life. Even though ship burials are associated with Scandinavia history, its practice extends all the way to the Mediterranean. Author J.R.R. Tolkien used this idea while writing his Lord of the Rings series--the Grey Havens symbolizing an afterlife, and the ships which those of Middle Earth take to reach them, they are the literal manifestation of these burials.

My ship tattoo means all of this. Four years ago today, someone close to me committed suicide. It hit me hard at the time, as it did all of us who knew him. I decided to get this tattoo as a memorial for him, since his love was the water, and his ashes are spread in the Hudson at West Point. It only seemed fit, and with the added background of the ancient burials, it just felt right. I love seeing it daily, and hope he's at peace now.

2/365

Ah, the perils of eyeliner. I've never been much of a make-up kind of gal myself, but there are times when one just needs an excuse to doll it up a bit, y'know? And this evening, I have a pretty darn good excuse. I'm off to see the Minnesota Orchestra perform Debussy's La Mer in Minneapolis. I'm excited, as it's my first time seeing the Minnesota Orchestra perform, although I'm no stranger to live classical music--I'm kind of a classical music nerd at heart. Growing up near Chicago allowed me the chance to see one of the best symphony orchestra's in the world multiple times, and I owe my appreciation of such wonderful music to those experiences.

1/365

Alright, so here we go. I'm starting out on a 365 day project--one self portrait a day for a year. I hope that even though I'm starting this project out of, well, a lack of anything to do at the current moment, that it keeps up even when I'm busy as all hell.


I'm a Midwest girl at heart. I bitch and moan about the dog days of summer when it feels like I've stepped into a sauna rather than out my back door, or the windchills which delve into temperatures absolutely otherworldly, or even all those corn fields which never seem to end, but deep down, I actually like all those things, and more. No matter how much I travel, if I stay away long enough, I start to get a yearning in my heart which can only be filled by the prairie.
So yes, even though I wore 5 (yes, 5!) layers outside today and still felt cold, I really do love it here. Call me crazy, but it's true.