Odds and ends

Well, I am excited, because I have settled on a basic concept for my cover up tattoo. I actually consulted with one of the artists at an Etsy shop I "frequent," and got permission to base the tattoo off of her brooches. My last tattoo was partially based on a Tudor Rose brooch I bought from them. I should have asked permission, but it didn't occur to me, to be honest. It was only after I thought about it that I realized they were owed some credit for my tattoo design. That was a "meaningful" tattoo, because the Tudor Rose was in memory of my Boxer "Good Queen Bess," and it was surrounded by Violets (for guess who).



This time I will be basing it on her pansy brooches, particularly this one. Cover-ups are usually pretty big tattoos, so I am also going to incorporate the Ophelia quotation from "Hamlet": "And there is pansies, that's for thoughts..." which is a an idea directly ripped-off from the shop description of the brooch. But I don't think Shakespeare is protected by copy write. Har. I won't be able to do this for a few months. due to cost, but it is awesome to have settled on the final idea, I am in love with it. And I know H will be excited to start working on a basic design. The last tattoo ended up being a four person project. I came up with the idea, Wychbury provided the model for one part of it, H did the rough design, and Jessica from Staircase Tattoo refined it, and made it look more botanically correct.




So, it has been very hot here, in the mid-90s. Which has, of course, influenced my wardrobe choices. What I wore yesterday: My little Tiffany silver Tudor Rose earrings, a sage green spaghetti strap top I got at GW, which has kind of extra fabric that you tie in front, so it has a layered look. It has spaghetti straps, so I have to wear a camisole with a shelf bra, and in this case, it was a neon green one. I really am not thrilled with my arms, but I tend to wear tank tops a lot. Also, I wore some green denim shorts, also GW. Finally, I wore my Keen flip flops, I guess officially they are Waimea H2.

Here I am:



These are the sandals, although mine are grey:



Today was very hot as well. It also is a day worth remarking on, because it is the first time I have taken a picture of an outfit and thought, "Shriek, that is horrible on me." I couldn't have emphasized my faults better, and the shirt I wore was just too small. So it is going to Goodwill. I guess this is going to be a major aspect of the blog, seeing myself in clothes and saying, "HOLY SHIT!" So I am wearing a camisole (same neon color, different one), the v-neck collared sage and ivory striped shirt that is going to GW, same shorts, and purple Crocs flip flops.



The striped shirt is supposed to be cropped, but I don't think it is supposed to end just below my boobs. And the horizontal stripes are just, well....

I was going to go to a drop in beginning belly dancing class tonight, but then the owner told me the place had no air-conditioning. I decided that would be one thing if I were already in reasonable shape, but trying out a new exercise under the worst possible conditions was not exactly giving the new type of exercise a chance. So I will go next Wednesday.

We got our American Express bill, and it is just deadly. We won't be totally back on our feet until early December (just in time for my family's very competitive holiday gift giving, ugh). Our savings are pretty much zero, although we do have stocks we could sell, so we do have some net worth. We won't have to sell them unless there is an emergency, so that is good. Still, even though we wiped out are savings, that is what savings is for, right? We got through 10 months, and they always say save up 6 months. So we obviously had passed that goal. But now we are starting over. First savings goal, save 10k. It is like going back to the beginning of our marriage.

My mood chart says my function has gone from good to moderate. I agree. I have a lot of signs of hypo mania, but unfortunately, none of the useful ones. Mostly agitation, sleeplessness, over-eating, but none of that energy, or the "high." I am anxious about seeing my shrink, our last meeting did not end on a happy note, and now this will be our last meeting before he goes on sabbatical. Ugh, a new psychiatrist. I really like *this* guy, even if we did have a bit of a tiff.

NakedJen has landed in Santa Cruz with her doggie companions, Stella and Buddha. DH and I will be seeing her on Saturday. On Sunday, I am going to a "bird class," to learn about bird care, because we might be getting a bird! DH seems to waver back and forth on it. I am very interested, but if he doesn't want one, there is no point. It was supposed to be kind of a "concession" to him, although that isn't the right word. I just mean it was his turn to get something he wanted, and it was a bird. But now he is going back and forth. My biggest concern is that the bird will shriek while I have migraines, and I will want to kill it. Joking. Sort of. The cage would have to be in our room, there is no room elsewhere, and the light setup is the best and healthiest for a bird, as well. Violet's "hang out" is in the study, so we could have them both secured in separate rooms when we left (I would NEVER leave Violet with access to the bird while I wasn't there.

In other, more alternative news, the weekend after this coming one (23rd-24th) I start classes at Oaksterdam University, where I have my first medical cannabis course, Basic 101 Weekend . This course is a 1/2 of their Classic Curriculum. Their Classic Curriculum lasts 13 weeks, the way I am doing it is over two weekends classes. I am very psyched about this.

Well, I think my shopping is mostly done for a while, but I still have tons and tons of finds to show off to those of you who have not already had the misfortune of being forced to look at them as I purchased them. And I am also sure I will have just as many appalling outfits to post. I need it to cool off, I have many more things to wear once it goes into the 60s.