9things

Lately I’ve been trying to reconnect with my inner risk taker. No, not the “Danger, Will Robinson!” one (I’m glad she’s gone!). I’m referring to the me who used to take chances.

You know how it is. You’re faced with a choice — you can either play it safe and take the simply “okay” outcome, or you can go the riskier route and shoot for the potentially awesome ending.

I was more willing to take chances when I was younger, and with that courage came some great things. When I think about how fearless I was back then, well, I’m kind of amazed! I guess I always just assumed I’d land every leap of faith, but then you come up short a few times, life knocks you around, and pretty soon you don’t know if you can afford another miss. You start to play it safe — first once, and then again, and again, until pretty soon you’re playing it safe all the time.

Today I tried to think of the times I took chances in my life, and here are the nine that came to mind (in no particular order):

1. Chopping off my hair

After a bad breakup in my 20s, I traded my long, elbow-length black hair for a short, chin-length bob with red streaks. I felt like I needed a change, and the easiest place to start was on the top of my head. 🙂 Sure, it’s cliché, but I felt liberated afterward, even though the back of my neck was always freezing!

2. Skydiving

I always wanted to jump out of an airplane and finally went for it about 10 years ago. And I did it without telling my mom. Woman was PISSED when she found out! Now, whenever I feel afraid of something, I remind myself that I willfully hurled my body from a moving airplane thousands of feet above the ground.

3. Drama, One-Oh-One

As a kid, I was painfully shy, and then when I started high school, I decided I didn’t want to be that way anymore, so I enrolled in drama and public speaking, both of which really helped me break out of my shell.

4. Yellow nail polish

The first time I saw a bottle of yellow nail polish I thought, “Weird!” But thank goodness I went there. A good yellow polish always brightens my mood.

Essie Shorty pants, from the Neon collection
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1. A fancy honeymoon. El Hub and I just had our second anniversary. With our jobs and whatnot we never went on a fancy honeymoon. I can’t complain, but I’d sure love to go to Italy!

2. Guitar lessons! My lil’ brother got me this guitar for Christmas. It rarely sees any action. I can paw at it like a cave girl, but the sound it emits frightens the cat.

3. Making out with C. Bale. Just kidding! Kinda…

4. Blogging from Paris, Milan and Tokyo Fashion Weeks, all in one year!

5. Riding as a passenger in a smokin’ fast jet, like the kind the Blue Angles fly! Fast cars and motorcycles don’t do it for me, but there’s something about fast jets…

6. Sleeping in every morning for an entire month. I’m sooo not joking, yo.

7. Watercolor painting.

8. Not doing anything productive at all on the weekends.

9. Sipping a warm cup of coffee on a NY rooftop at the crack of dawn, looking out across the city as it comes to life.

Do you have a list of things you’d like to try? Please share them in the comments. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

1. Master using the MAC 224 windshield wiper brush.

2. Teleport to Hawaii, catch some early morning waves on Oahu and then have macadamia nut pancakes from Boots & Kimo’s for breakfast.

3. Interview C. Bale for the blog. *gushes*

4. Perfect the art of the blended, grey smokey eye (I have a hard time with this one!).

5. Keep Tabs safe indoors without feeling guilty about stealing his outdoor cat freedom.

6. Be able to ride a bike without having to hold on to the handle bars.

7. Get my parents to understand what a blog is.

8. Have coffee with El Hub at a Paris cafe and spend the afternoon at the Musee d’Orsay.

9. Sleep in.

What are some things you wish you could do? Share them with me in the comments. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

He asks: “So, what do you do for fun?”

She replies: “Well, I like to go hiking, eat sushi, go dancing…”

Last week, during dinner at one of my favorite Thai restaurants, there was a couple sitting next to me who were clearly on a first date. My nosy ass couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation between bites of yellow chicken curry (what can I say? I multi-task) and spring rolls. The boy hailed from Texas and liked indie rock; the girl liked to meditate and go hiking. They looked cute together, but there were several awkward moments of silence during which both of them sat there, obviously nervous, nibbling away at the Pad Thai for way too long.

It got me thinking about the-getting-to-know-you stage of friendships and relationships…

9 Random Things My Friends Know About Me

1. I hate earthworms. No, I don’t just hate them. The very thought of earthworms makes me physically sick (I’m cringing right now). They are among the grossest things on the planet and disgust me on a great many levels. I hate how they squirm, how slimy they look, and I hate their nasty little turtlenecks.
2. I am not a morning person.
3. I was in a bad rollerblading accident involving a hill, a deaf elderly lady, a flock of slow moving ducks and a patch of ivy. What occurred was both startling and unpleasant.
4. My first car was a red ’95 Honda Civic with black interior and NO AIR CONDITIONING.
5. I can square dance.
6. I don’t bowl.
7. I sing in the car.
8. I don’t like hot, spicy food but lurve extra garlic.
9. I wore braces in junior high.

How about you? What do your best friends know about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen