Christmas is done and packed away, except for (too much) remaining chocolate, I'm back at work, back at the gym and whaddya know, things are ticking over just the same as they were in 2013. It's hard to contain my underwhelming enthusiasm really. Gees, I haven't even managed to come up with any pics for my Random Photo Fridays the past 2 weeks either.
So, while I continue to hope for some enlightenment and dazzling inspiration for 2014, I figured I'd blather about a couple of things that are new with me. Well, new-ish anyway.
Nine months ago I decided to try a new hairstylist - Sonia - who'd apparently replaced my previous guy at a salon I've been to a few times before. I'm always horribly nervous and skeptical of trying someone new and, while Sonia was very lovely, interesting to talk to and took a really long time over my hair, I left the salon quite distraught (inwardly anyway). Clearly Sonia had somehow confused a 2" trim with a rather dramatic 7" chop. My past-shoulder-length hair was suddenly about jaw-length, the shortest it'd been in four years and, quite honestly, I was not impressed. In fact I was really upset. I'd said 2 inches, indicated exactly where I wanted the length and at no point in our conversation and my showing her a couple of styles I'd picked out was there ever any discussion to the contrary. And it wasn't just a case of taking an extra inch - she took off seven!! I suspected she was going a little short but tried to trust her and figured she must just be doing a few shorter layers underneath etc., especially because my hair's so thick n'all. Wrong!
Let's just say I was still so choked about it the next day that I decided to call the salon and give my feedback, undeniably upset and with my voice breaking as I tried to explain. Thankfully they were very sympathetic and offered to have someone else fix it or a free cut with a different stylist if I'd give them another chance. I pointed out there wasn't enough hair left to 'fix' and it wasn't that Sonia had given me a bad haircut per se, just a much...much...shorter one than was ever discussed. Had I planned to get a full 7" cut off, I would've gone in there armed with a bunch of images and ideas of the new style I was wanting. I went in for a trim and came out with a CHOP!
Suffice to say it was a full 6 months before I needed to go back and in that time, I have to admit the style actually turned out quite nice, I got a lot of compliments on it and it even kept a nice shape as it grew out. So I updated my initial review on Yelp and in September, still cautious about giving Sonia another try, particularly since she might be p*ssed off at me for the feedback and the review I'd left on Yelp, I saw a different stylist for my freebie. Besides, you really don't want someone who's mad at you going anywhere near your hair armed with scissors or a razor! Noooo thank you! That'd be like p*ssing off your dentist then inviting him to drill your teeth.
Anyhow, I felt it was more of a tidy-up trim which was fine except it soon lost its shape and, after deliberating for a couple of months about whether to just go back and see Sonia again, I decided to take the plunge. I was nervous as hell but she seemed fine, lovely in fact, and I even mentioned that my hair had 'ended up quite a bit shorter than I intended' the last time I'd seen her. But this time I had a few images of what sort of style I wanted and she picked out the one that was actually my favourite too.
Although neither of us mentioned the Yelp write-up, Sonia was noticeably cautious in checking and double-checking that I was 'absolutely sure' I wanted to go as 'short' as the picture, i.e. collar-length, in view of how I'd felt the last time. But it's such a lovely style (plus the model has the same hair colour as me, even if I don't have her good looks) that I went for it and I was really happy with how it turned out even if I can't yet seem to get it to look quite like it does in the photograph, or if I do it's destroyed the moment I leave home, thanks to Vancouver's damp weather. Mind you, I generally prefer any new haircut after about 4-6 weeks, once it's settled down, so we'll see in a couple more weeks but on the whole I'm quite happy with it, I believe Sonia and I have re-bonded and hopefully I'm safe to go back to her again. That said, it probably won't be for a while because a) I've decided to grow it a little longer again and b) it costs close to $90! (Unlike Lorne who can get a great haircut for just $20! Men always get the better deal on these things, it's so ridiculously unfair and sexist!)
Once I had the new do, it was time to get new specs, not least because my eyesight has certainly deteriorated this past year (this aging thing sucks) and also because Lorne's annual medical benefits still had money available which will otherwise run out after 12 months.
I'm far-sighted and have only ever needed glasses for reading/computer and, as I mentioned the last time I got new specs, I've always tended towards discreet, safe and unremarkable (read relatively plain) styles. Although I distinctly remember that, when I got my last pair (April 2011) I felt they were actually pretty trendy and I was proud to have gone a little outside my usual comfort-zone.
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I thought the new frames (right) were a trendy departure
from the safety of my usual 'blendy-blendy' frames. |
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| Very tempting but the price wasn't nearly as attractive. |
So I trudged around several more places and, just as I was starting to give up on the whole idea, I tried one last store - Tru-Valu Optical, where the incredibly helpful Fred quickly picked out a pair for me - also Mizyake no less - and, despite still trying on just about all the other frames in the store, the Mizyake pair kept coming out tops - and, at $300 total, considerably cheaper too. Done deal!
The greenish colour works really well with my hair and eye-colour, also green (my eyes that is not my hair) and the shape is just right, not too narrow but not owl-like either.
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| Mizyake MZ4312, Forest |
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| Oooh fancy laser etching on the sides. Right posh is that :-) |
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| They actually don't look that great in this photo thanks in large part to my big nose and dull 'I'm just staying home today' attire. |
Ugh, the above photo is neither a good example of my haircut nor my glasses - and my schnozz looks massive. In real life my new glasses are similar to the style worn in every conceivable colour by Kathleen Robertson, who plays Kitty O'Neill in the dark and intriguing (but now cancelled) drama "Boss". Anyway, I'm quite happy with my new specs even if they do look surprisingly (ie disappointingly) non-descript in the photo. I'm sure they look better in real life, she wrote, trying blame it on just another bad Iphone pic. But that's enough boring banter on the subject....As for the new weight.....well, it seems I outdid myself this year. Despite not going seriously overboard with festive indulgence, exercising some restraint on hoovering my way through the choccies, mince pies, chips and other such treats and going to the gym FOUR times over the holidays, I still managed to inflate by about 6lbs - right up to 140lbs, the heaviest I've been in.....about 15yrs! Un-bloody-believable and downright un-bleedin'-fair given that I didn't even go as mad this Christmas as I have in Christmasses past and was diligent enough to work out several times. What the F....????? I feel so cheated. And hitting that ominous 140 mark was quite the shocker, let me tell you - especially considering this time last year my weight was dropping to below 130! Almost a full stone. (Why do we brits talk about our weight in 'stones'?)
Of course, in the grand scheme of things and life n' such, I am fully aware that gaining 6lbs over Christmas is really no big deal. But try telling that to my jeans - stretching their seams across my somewhat widened derrière - and the love-handles and bubble-bum that are making my trousers suddenly look an inch too short. (Interesting how the hem of your pants rises in direct proportion to the inches gained on your bum/hips?) Heck, it's been tough deciding what to wear for work....or rather what fits!
Naturally I've weighed myself on about 4 different sets of scales in hope the news would be less demoralizing but there ain't no escaping it. Just like everybody else - I've gained a few pounds but while they're talking about their New Year diet plans etc. I don't get to be nearly so pleased with myself this year, feeling all smug that I only gained 1 or 2lbs. Bah bloody humbug, I say!
So it's back to the gym, cutting down on the booze and treats (Baileys really is not conducive to a slimmer waistline) and I've resorted to trying a different brand of Garcinia Cambogia that I ordered off Amazon in time for New Year (yeah me and a gazillion others, I'm sure). I've never tried any kind of diet pills in my life but this slowly upward-creeping weight/size thing is really starting to bother me and, while GC is actually a health supplement, it's primarily touted for it's 'alleged' weight loss properties. I've tried 3 or 4 different brands over the past few months and have not noticed any difference, so this is definitely my last attempt. Even I have to admit I've likely just been totally suckered in by the hype but hey, I figured it was worth a try. Maybe. Anyhow, I'll give my final verdict in the weeks ahead.
In the meantime, I'll still endeavour to gather my thoughts and perspectives on how to make this a great year.
Happy New Year!
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