Week 1.

Weight, 195 pounds.

Caffeine strike over.  It was distracting; I ended it.

I think I am reaching a changing point in regards to dress and presentation re: looking like a grown-up.  The short version involves drawing lines between work and play.  The longer version involves a kind of zero-sum equation.  Much in the same way that, when I was applying for jobs, I decided that I had a little room to deviate from the Standard Academic Appearance (which, thank god, already has a little room to deviate from Standard Professional Appearance).  I could either have interesting piercings, or overly casual shoes, or blue hair, or slightly disheveled clothes, but not more than one at a time.  If I had blue hair, I needed immaculate clothes, shoes, and standard piercings.  Sort of like spoons, if that's your thing.  I get a limited amount of deviation credits to spend at a time.

Certain things, like being known to be an "artist," and working in the arts, give me permanent extra deviation credits.  I can get away with "eccentric."  Certain things, like Fridays, or school vacations, give me temporary extra credits.  Some credits I use up by virtue of being, always, a little scruffy.  Messy hair, no makeup, non-professional demeanor.  Some deviations, like bright colors, are very little, and only use up half of a credit.  Some deviations, like a purple, sparkly, fairy princess skirt, I don't have the credit for, and can only be used when I'm not at work.  Some things take up more or less credits when combined with other things.   For example, Chucks with jeans, Chucks with skirts. 

It's the kind of math that people do every day, but I've spent most of my life avoiding.  (I never was good at doing my homework.)  It's not an entire overhaul of my closet, because I'm not aiming for professional, I'm aiming for grown-up casual.  T-shirts and jeans are acceptable in the pre-beat-to-hell stage.  I have a few skirts that already fit the requirements, and a few in that with an extra 2" length would work perfectly.  I need a better bag, and a better pair of every day shoes.  I'm thinking this bag (photo for size reference):

But in this color:

And I'm thinking of finding a pair of solid, comfy, mary janes. 

On the other hand, I'm also thinking that the possible overhaul of this space isn't going to happen.  I had thought, for a minute, that I wanted to clean up the mess here.  I was looking back at posts that function as very, very, small works, rather than chatter, and I wanted to go back to that.  I wanted a blog that was beautiful.  But I would miss having the freedom to not be beautiful.  I would miss having a space that doesn't edit for quality, that just is, without evaluation.

So this is week 1: Changes.  And not.