some girls wander by mistake.

it is monday, july 27.

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i turned thirty last week, and though it was far less of a bacchanal than i have orchestrated in previous years, it was perfectly suited to both my new decade of life (or: my twenties to a close) and current life-goings-ons. on the day preceding my birthday i took myself out for cajun lunch, spent over $20 without hesitation. the rest of the day i tinkered around my new house, painting things and lining cabinets with wallpaper, tracking the sun and determining where the garden (or at least, the pots) will go for optimal sunshine. at midnight, james and i continued a birthday photobooth tradition with a quick stop-off at the florida room. on the way there, i saw an adorably tiny tail-less mouse crossing the road.

i rewarded myself on my birthday-day to do no (new-house) projects. i worked from home; james took a half day to make my birthday cake (a different long standing tradition): a (from scratch) vanilla sugar/butter old fashioned cake with marshmallow fluff frosting, topped with marshmallows. later james, sara and i had thai dinner at my favorite place off alberta.

birthday "party" was to be a laid back evening of music at TIGA. leaving the house wearing a pretty dress and boots (the first time i've actually put effort into my appearance since the whole house business/summer business began), i spotted a bunny. then another. then...another. apparently a neighbor's bunny farm had gotten loose: they were blissful veggie-loving little fuzzy things, nibbling on leaves and sprawling out on the grass.

TIGA was nice and relaxing, though spatially not the best choice for a birthday gathering. the weather that night was perfectly slightly chilly, which is about the best gift this warm girl could ask for.

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i have spent almost every day since the 17th painting and doing (moderately) physical labor. i've also skipped yoga classes for just about as long, which doesn't please me. my body aches every evening, and the relentless heat isn't making life any more comfortable.

to combat the discomfort, i've been:
-taking cold-water showers, kneeling down and letting the water cascade over my scalp, shoulders, back
-moving through a series of crocodile twist yoga poses and inversions

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tomorrow is moving day.
tomorrow's high is supposed to be 101.
if there is time after the move, i'm busing out to some florida-esque shopping plaza and buying an A/C room unit.

an update about body-things, namely:

-veganism. it's going well, and has been delicious and easy (in actuality, was probably eating vegan 50% of the time as a vegetarian/pescetarian); the rigidness of a vegan diet makes it, in a way, easier to be both creative and strict. i am doing this as a cleanse/separation of myself from foods/food allergies/reactions: after my surgery this december, i've been super sensitive to foods, with a myriad of small but irritating symptoms that i'm trying to prevent. i've still had a few instances these past few weeks eating strictly vegan, so it's not just dairy, though it has helped my digestion/tum tremendously. my long term goal is maintain a mostly-vegan diet, loosely 75-85% of the time. rigidness/restriction when it comes to food does not appeal to me (as one who hasn't "dieted" and loves/lives to eat), so i'll be making "special occasion" feasts out of the random ingestion of cheese/desserts/eggs/seafood (these are basically the only things standing in the way of a 100% vegan diet). for example, like when i go to the tillamook creamery in a couple weeks.

-i have no idea when the body breaks addiction, but i'm past 2 weeks without sweets and i'm still thinking about sugar/sweets/dessert pretty much hourly. the cravings are out of control bad. i'm still alive though. i haven't even decided when i'm "allowed" sweets again, because i am wanting them so bad: i feel like i have to at least past the point of scheming and obsessing to earn sugar again.

-yoga. i started going (back) to yoga the week i got back from sundance, after a very long hiatus. it has been amazing, mostly because i'm at an actual studio (instead of a goddamn gym), and each instructor definitely has their own style. i am sort of horrified, thinking back to my yoga class in FL, the "power yoga" instructor of a group of 50+, rushing through poses, showing off her ability to do advanced moves none of us could do (nor were shown how), and a general feeling of the class being, essentially, aerobic exercising. here, the studio is incredible and reasonably priced (check out their credo). all the students are genuinely interested in their practice. (and there are bearded-boys in classes regularly. seriously.) i've been shooting for about 2 sessions a week. my unexpected favorite class is yin yoga, which holds each position about 3-5 minutes; while seemingly less challenging than some vinyasa classes, it's pretty amazing to find stillness and clarity in the positions.

-biking. spring is here, and i've hardly been biking through winter for various reasons. i hope to change this soon. still on a mission for a secondary road bike, as i sense my old bike isn't quite as lightweight and efficient as it could be. eventually i'd like to get to the point where i'm biking part of my (17 mile) work commute (on the 2 days i have to actually get out there), but this has not happened yet. hell, i'm not even biking downtown/SE yet. yet.