A day in the life of a ballerina

(source)

I happened upon an article on ELLE.com about the day in the life of Ashley Laracey, a soloist for the New York City Ballet. It is an incredibly insightful article and the photos are so lovely.

I have always found ballerinas to be absolutely fascinating and awe-inspiring. To me, they are so strong, talented, graceful, disciplined, and just beautiful! But I think that making it a career and becoming a professional ballerina takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice. And the article offers a glimpse into what its like.

This is one of the more powerful quotes from the article:

The most important thing, she's learned, is to treat new ailments immediately so they don’t get worse, so you don’t traverse from “injured” to “out.” Because, she says, “When you’re out, you feel worthless; you feel disposable.”

It seems like it's a very demanding job, both emotionally and physically. And it's kind of hard to understand, as an outsider, why someone so talented and accomplished would feel that believing in yourself is the hardest challenge. But I can imagine that it might come their constant pursuit of perfection.

Anyway, the article is worth a read on this (lazy) Sunday! (can be found here)

Happy Caturday! (Update on Wedge)

Wedge has already gotten used to both of us being away all day at work. The first week was super sad because it seemed like he was doing things to prevent us from leaving. For example, he usually follows us when we leave a room. Especially in the morning because he knows he's about to be fed. But after my first day, he tried to stay in the bedroom after I got ready in the morning. I don't know. Maybe we were imagining it, but I do think that animals are intuitive and smarter than they look/act. It was like a little protest.

But like I said, he's used it now! Which makes me feel less guilty. Yes, I would rather stay at home with my cat all day than work, but having the extra income gives us a lot more room to breathe. And also, it's a lot more treats/food for Wedge. So I guess I'll stay. #spoiled

Wedge's new favorite spot

We received these cat shelves, above, from Contempo Cat for free! It was part of a giveaway that Haus Panther sponsored. We just had to pay for the pelican wall clips and shipping, which is a pretty good deal. Not sure how many cat shelves they gave away, but it seemed like a lot of people participated! And Wedge loves them!

We installed the shelves above the tv, which is a pretty precarious place to put them in hindsight. He likes to chase his tail on the shelves for some reason and sometimes we get scared he'll fall off, but so far so good. And our tv is still safe! 

Taking a break from chasing the Roomba to look outside the window

We also got the Roomba, above, that Wedge seems to think is his newest toy. He goes nuts for the spinning side brush. Hopefully his curiosity about it dies down. He likes to undock it, even at night, which causes the roomba to make noise while it tries looking for the dock again. Also, he runs from whatever room he's in if he hears the roomba start on its scheduled cleaning time. He's obsessed!

Anyway, now you're updated on all the latest happenings about my cat!

Hope you all have a great weekend! :)

I'm back! (Things I'm Loving Lately)

It has been two months since I last posted which is coincidentally how long I have been at my new job. After not working for two years(!!!), it took me a while to get used to waking up early again and spending 8+ hours in an office. I was feeling super exhausted every day and using the weekends to recharge. Anyway, I didn't have the energy or motivation to blog or even cook dinner. However, I am feeling better. And although my job can be stressful, I am incredibly grateful to be working at all.

So, I'm going to try to be positive! I'll start by listing all the things that I've been loving lately, in no particular order:

Wedge with a bit of lipstick

1) My lovable, derpy cat, Wedge (above). He makes me laugh every day!

2) Every other Friday off from work. Hallelujah! This is going to spoil me for future jobs.

3) My iRobot Roomba 770. $500 for a vacuum?! Well, it's super convenient, sucks up a lot of cat hair, and lengthens the amount of time you can go between actual vacuuming. It has changed my life. Also, ain't nobody got time for vacuuming. At least I don't. If there were a robot that could fold laundry, my life would be set forever.

4) BECCA The One Perfecting Brush. I think that a lot of people hate it, but I personally looove it. It really cuts down on the time it takes to put on make-up before work. I use it for foundation, highlight, contour, and blush, which might make some people grossed out. But it works for me. It's a really dense brush, so it does take a while to dry after cleaning. I used to use the beauty blender sponge to apply foundation before this, but the BECCA brush is faster. I think that I'll continue to use the beauty blender sponge plus separate brushes for blush and stuff for fancier occasions.

Birchbox! (source)

5)  Birchbox! The above picture shows what I got in this month's box. I really liked the Temptu highlighter and the Noir eyeliner pencil (so smooth!). Last month's box was even better! I got a large "sample" of a ModelCO bronzer that I've been using lately, Amika dry shampoo (my new favorite), Laura Mercier eye gel creme, and hello breath spray. It's like getting a present every month.

6) Dry Shampoo! This is a lifesaver for those days that I don't want to wash my hair. Ew, I know. But sometimes I just need that extra 15 minutes to sleep. Dry shampoo is amazing! Also, is it just me or does 2nd day hair look awesome? At least that's what I'm telling myself.

7) My supervisor. I feel like I'm taking over a pretty crappy program, but my supervisor seems to be very understanding and tries to help me whenever I hit a dead end. Sometimes I want to give up, but then I think about how things would be worse if I had a bad supervisor. So, thanks for being a really cool lady!

8) Line app. My parents just moved to Okinawa, Japan a couple weeks ago for a new job that my dad got and I am able to call and video chat with them through this app (for free!). I guess it's a lot like Skype, but my parents chose to use Line instead. So thankful to be able to talk to my parents who are halfway around the world. Technology is amazing!

9) LOFT work pants! They recently had a 50% off sale, so I got two more work parts in the Marisa and Zoe fit. And this time in my right size! (They run super big, so I had to size down). They're a flattering fit and a pretty good price when they're on sale. Luckily, I can wear jeans to work, but sometimes I want to dress up a little, even if it's just for work.

10) Last, but not least: my husband! He's working full-time, too, but also attending school in the evenings to get his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. I feel like he has it worse than me, but he still listens to me vent about work and how I'm always tired and whatever else that I want to complain about. He's also super cool with eating take-out for dinner. Thanks for putting up with the two spoiled brats (me and my cat) in the house!

What sort of things are you guys loving lately? :) I feel so out of the loop!