Paper Fruit

My hair turned out. . . not so great. I’m reminded of the episode of Anne of Green Gables where she dyes her hair to make it not red and it turns green. Out in the sun it’s alright but otherwise it’s kind of mangy. I’ll put another layer on it before school to see if I can make it better.

My manicotti turned out great, though! And I just got Harvest Moon for my Gamecube and it’s awesome (I have an Iliad-themed town) but it might be too complicated for me. I think my character might be starving.

I just got in my electric lizard hair dye from Manic Panic, and I in the process of greening up by bangs! I’m a little nervous about it, I really liked my old turquoise color but I needed a change. 

Today I’m working on Pharmakoi and I’m really pleased about how well it’s going. I prefer editing to writing, and so being in the editing stage is an awesome, luxurious feeling. I think that by Monday I’ll be at least 2/3 of the way through it all, so cool! 

Actually, I’m not sure if it’s really 2/3 but the book is kind of in three sections at this point– the first part is a (fairly) linear narrative, keeping to one overarching storyline, though it does jump from the two main groups of people before they all meet. Then the second part crosscuts (for lack of a better term) among all the different groups after they split up. So what I consider to be the last third of the novel regains its linearity for the most part, although I suppose it does jump from group to group a little bit– but there are far fewer groups. I’m not sure if that makes sense to anyone but me.

At any rate, the project is really moving along, I have new hair, my right ear is up to 1g and I have hopes of tomorrow getting the left up to 1g, I just planted our first coconut tree in Animal Crossing: City Folk on Raechel’s Wii, so all is well. Later I’m going to see if I can find Harvest Moon for Gamecube (I know, I know, I’m behind the times something fierce) and then I’m going to attempt to veganize America’s Test Kitchen’s manicotti recipe.

I’ve finally managed to get my right ear up to 1g! The plugs came in yesterday but my left ear is too sore to stretch up right now. In a few days it should be good to go, though. I wanted to get both up to 1g so I could post about something like 1g on 1/1/09 but no such luck. Soon, though!

Last night I tried out a bar here in Tallahassee called Fermentation Lounge and it’s neat. It had nice decor and very knowledgeable and pleasant bartenders. No liquor, which is usually a dealbreaker for me as I don’t drink beer, but the wine selection was fun and different from what I usually buy for myself. It’s right by my favorite coffee shop so I’m usually over that way anyhow, so I’ll definitely be back on a night not New Years Eve. But even when the crowd got loud and big, it was still pleasant, most likely because it’s non-smoking. Yay! New place to frequent, I was getting a little bored with Finnegan’s Wake, though the proximity of Finnegan’s to my house is most tempting. We’ll see what Fermentation Lounge is like on Friday and Saturday nights. If it’s steady but not unpleasantly crowded I just might have found a new love.

I’ve been stretching my ears since last May and I’m almost at my goal size, but it’s been incredibly frustrating lately. I have preternaturally resistant ears and have had to use tape to stretch ever since reaching an 8g. Unfortunately, while trying to stretch from a 2g to a 0g, I somehow developed a sensitivity to the tape I was using. I took a month and a half off from stretching, did all the right things (vitamin E oil, massages, cleaning them, hot soaks, etc.) and yet, and yet, I am still no further along to a 0g than I was back in October when I hit 2g. 

The day before Christmas I decided to tape again only to be rewarded with hurty, unhappy ears that started bleeding for the first time since I started the process. Then this morning I woke up and there was pain and swelling, and when I took out my plugs I saw something that looked like pus, but given that it wasn’t green I’m hoping against hope that it was just vitamin E oil or something else. I downsized back to a 2g and just ordered 1g plugs to try to go up 1mm at a time, but I’m feeling very negative about the whole thing. I have several beautiful plugs just waiting for my ears to loosen up, including a pair of gorgeous, ridiculous, amazing, insanely large seraphim Raechel gave me for Christmas.

my god, the sheer size of them!

It’s just frustrating, I’ve been doing everything right, and this is what I’ve reaped. I know they’ll be fine and I’ll salt soak them and my 1g plugs will come but still. I just want them to feel better and be stretchy and nice like normal ears. They’re so resistant it’s insane. 

Tomorrow I’m heading down to West Palm Beach for an impromptu visit to John’s family, and I’m hoping to get plenty of reading done on the way down. I’m taking The Love Artist and The Secret History of Moscow, so we’ll see how much I get through. I also have to finalize my syllabus for the spring, though, so we’ll see how much I get through. I can’t believe vacation is almost over. I got a lot of work done editing my book but I was hoping to do more, perhaps I’ll have time upon my return to Tallahassee.

I hope my ears start to feel better soon. I am going to wait at least until my 1g plugs come in to do anything other than clean and/or mess with them but I’m tired of this. I know the 2g-0g stretch is supposed to be rough but not impossible! Sheesh.