Yes, I’m proud I got angry.

Why? Well…

The last week of November my friend and I went furniture shopping for her and her boyfriend’s new apartment. We drove out to the middle of nowhere (seriously, this place is in between two cornfields and there isn’t much of anything else around) to a furniture store that we’d had good luck at before and we found the perfect light gray couch for her, there wasn’t a matching chair so we hunted around for one she liked and when we found one we asked the sales lady if it came in gray. The sales lady said it did and showed us a picture on her computer of it in a nice dark gray. My friend loved it and bought it. There was a snafu and it took longer to get the chair then the sales lady originally said it would. But it finally got delivered today. I was at the apartment with FBF (friend’s boyfriend) and after it was delivered he came into the kitchen where I’d been sitting to stay out of the way and he asked me why we’d got a brown chair to go with a gray couch. I thought there must of been a mistake, they’d simply delivered the wrong color. So FBF called them…. ten minutes later he was still getting the run around because apparently that was the color we ordered. FBF tried to explain that it wasn’t what we were supposed to get though and that the sales lady had told his girlfriend that the chair would be gray.

Now, I’m not an assertive person with most people (and certainly not strangers), I hide from conflict and/or play peacekeeper (except with my brother, you’d think we like to argue as much as we do it) and I’m also very anxious talking on the phone, I have to psych myself up even just to call a friend or a family member. But at this point I was steaming, they were just repeating the same thing over and over and acting like they couldn’t do anything about it despite it being their mistake. I took the phone from FBF and told them in no uncertain terms that the chair was supposed to be gray. That’s what we were told, that’s what we saw on their computer. It wasn’t gray. So what were they going to do about it. In less then five minutes we’d worked out that they’d come Monday to pick it up and give my friend a full refund. To be clear, I let my anger bleed through in my tone, but I was perfectly polite the entire time.

I’m glad it worked out for my friends, but I’m also proud of myself for taking that phone in the first place. I’ve been working on the whole “talking on the phone” thing for almost two years but this is the first time I felt confident enough to actually want speak to a complete stranger.

As for being more assertive? I may have to do that more often when it’s called for, it’s much better than letting someone walk all over me.

Diagnosed

I had so many plans for this blog that totally didn’t involve my health (or lack thereof), I have ideas and even a few posts that just need a bit of tidying up. But sometimes life just sucks. Not that I’m really surprised, I’ve been looking at all the possibilities since December of last year and wondering which it would be, but finally getting diagnosed is just a bit… well… final, and it’s also kind of scary. Honestly I was hoping for osteoarthritis because, hey, at least it’s not an autoimmune disease. But instead I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and I’m left wondering where I’m going now. I’m not big on taking medicine but apparently that is my only option to actually slow the disease. Damn.

I am also starting on an anti-inflammatory diet and a new exercise routine. The next couple of months should be interesting. I just… I’m scared but I don’t really want people to know that, I don’t want my loved ones to worry any more than they already are. I have a lot to think about and it’s overwhelming me a bit.

I fully intend to keep this blog going, including my fashion feature posts (even though I skipped last week’s, sorry!), but I think the focus may shift a bit as obviously my current focus has to be my health while I work out what this means for me now and in the future. Also, hand pain makes typing difficult which is the main reason I’ve been silent lately but hopefully my doctor and I will get that under control soon.

So… yeah, that’s what is going on with me. I’ll be back with something else soon I think, although the Lily Munster dress experiment has been put on hold for a bit so I won’t be posting about that for a while. I am making myself a fairy costume for Halloween that doesn’t require any sewing so once I finish up the wings I’ll share some pictures 🙂

Too Young, Too Old.

I’ve been listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s album Eyes Wide Open she seems like a younger version of Rachel Platten. Although I like Sabrina’s music very much, I think I relate better to Rachel’s, maybe because Eyes Wide Open has a recurring theme of Sabrina saying she’s not too young for love or to know what she wants (I agree, she isn’t) but I’m a bit too old for anyone to say I don’t know my own heart or mind because of my age (though that doesn’t stop people from trying).

Sometimes I kind of want to turn some her lyrics around to say I’m not too old, because I’m not too old for young love (is anyone really?) or to try something new and different (purple hair anyone?). And sometimes it’s the exact opposite because I’m not too young to know what I want from life, relationships, etc. nor am I too young to understand how unfair the world can be (though I’d like to get back some of my innocence on that last one).

Oftentimes it’s “you’re too young to do that” or “don’t you think you’re a bit old to act like that?”. What exactly is the right age where we can act however we want and do what we like without someone commenting on our age? I feel like it should be whatever age we are now. Why should anyone be limited by their age? How old you are has nothing to do with your aspirations or even your maturity level. I admit it, oftentimes I’m not very mature and those are the times I tend to enjoy the most. I can “Adult” when I have to be mature and get things done but it isn’t necessarily something I enjoy. A good mixture of maturity and immaturity seems to me to be the key to both, getting through, and enjoying life.

This slightly rant-y post is brought to you by a mid-twenty something girl who is tired of being told to act her age, especially when other peoples’ ideas of “acting her age” don’t really jive with her’s. She is nowhere near ready to “settle down” or start a family, nor is she too old to collect (and by that she means play) with stuffed animals.

And to end this post on a different note; my favorite song from Sabrina Carpenter’s lovely first album is We’ll be the Stars and here’s the video for it:

Musical Memories and Bucket Lists

Today’s blogging 101 task was to take a look at The Daily Post’s writing prompts and pick one to use in a post, and I was originally going to go with the prompt; “The Transporter.” Why this one? Because I clicked through a few others that didn’t catch my fancy then I hit on this one and started laughing like crazy. The prompt is “Tell us about a sensation — a taste, a smell, a piece of music — that transports you back to childhood”. Why is this funny? Because I’m listening to an old N Sync song. Remember N Sync? I grew up in the 90s and early 00s and it was hard to not be aware of boy bands, I didn’t listen to any of them for a bit there because I was really a country music type of girl at that age but N Sync was the first band I listened to and liked outside of country music. And talk about a blast from the past when I discovered some of their songs on YouTube.

However, the next prompt I got was Dust in the Wind and I thought making a bucket list sounded interesting so, I guess, really, I’m doing both :).

Bucket List

1. Graduate college.
2. Visit the U.K.
3. Visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
4. Eka Pada Galavasana (Flying Pigeon Pose).
5. Become a street and/or installation artist, even if it’s just for a day.
6. Choreograph and dance a ballet performance en pointe.
7. Visit Mesa Verde and actually go into the ruins.
8. Take up tap dancing.
9. Fall madly in love (even if it’s just for a short time).
10. Road trip all over the U.S.
11. Watch every single episode of Doctor Who. (It is totally and completely a coincidence that this is number 11, really! 😉 )
12. Go to a renaissance faire in a completely homemade costume.
13. Learn archery.
14. Go to a Steampunk convention (preferably in a completely homemade costume).
15. Go to a OneRepublic concert.

A Letter to Me….. From Me.

Dear Dig,

You may have noticed that the letter writing prompt from Writing 101 has me in a bit of tizzy; there are just so many ways I could go and how do I decide which one? I’m an avid letter writer who seldom has the chance to write to anyone. Even for this prompt I had to stop and think more about who I could write to instead of what to write about. But who better to write to then one’s self?

It’s always good to check in. And I suppose I’m not too bad, my hands are hurting me and I’m lacking the energy required to have motivation, but those are both normal things for me now and I’m learning to deal with them.

I know you’re struggling with your future plans and are worried and stressed about a lot of things but, as the above letter that I whipped up on Pixl says; live life out loud. Keep fighting and stay sparkly.

XOXO

Far From You – Book Review

Potential minor spoilers for Far From You by Tess Sharpe, I do promise to not to give away “whodunit” 😉

First off; isn’t this a gorgeous cover? Although it’s also a bit sad when you realize what part of the book this was taken from.

---

Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she’s fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bad leg, and an addiction to Oxy that’ll take years to kick.

The second time, she’s seventeen, and it’s no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina’s murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina’s brother won’t speak to her, her parents fear she’ll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places, and Sophie must search for Mina’s murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, Mina, and the secret they shared.

---

I love finding mysteries in the teen or young adult sections, there are not nearly enough of them and I practically bounced around in glee when I found this one.

This story may be told from Sophie’s point of view, but it is Mina’s presence that haunts this story and makes it so gripping. The story alternates between present day and flashbacks so we really get to know these characters and their shared history in a way that is intimate and also sad. Because the really big question throughout? It isn’t who killed Mina, it’s will Sophie really be able to cope without the girl who made her life scary, beautiful, sad, and wonderful all at the same time.

The conclusion was satisfying, if somewhat predictable. There were only three characters in this story who didn’t earn some empathy from me and I think that what really made this story, besides Mina’s presence even when she wasn’t really there, was how realistically these characters were portrayed, their faults and insecurities were really brought to the forefront which helped to make this into a dark and gritty story. I was seriously crying by the end, I felt so sad for practically everybody, especially Sophie.

I have a lot of feels about this book, I do think the main reason I connected to the story so well is because I connected to the three main female characters in completely different ways, Rachel’s love of being odd, Sophie’s determination, and Mina’s… uh, well everything. I swear I could be Mina, there was one point where I was thinking ‘hmm, if it were me I’d  do “this” because I bet you it’d make Sophie smile’ guess what Mina did on the next page, exactly what I was thinking of, I was grinning so hard at it, and at Sophie’s reaction, that my cheeks started hurting.

I highly recommend Far From You to anyone who likes mysteries or just a good story.

Lists

And now for the writing post 🙂

Ahh, lists! I love lists; I make lists of my lists, not even kidding. But making a list for my blog? I realize these assignments are supposed to be very open so practically anyone can do them but, for me anyway, this one is lacking a little something in the inspiration department. I’ve been following the tag “writing101” and I’ve seen some pretty cool blog posts inspired by this but I’m coming up completely empty :shrugs: I guess I’ll list my top five favorite TV shows of all time (for no good reason whatsoever, it’s just the only thing I can think of).

I’ll do it countdown style (again, for no good reason whatsoever):

5. Agent Carter. YES! A show all about a strong female character that I actually like! Kudos to Hayley Atwell for her portrayal of Peggy Carter, actress and character are both awesome. Plus, a show that takes place in the 40s? Double YES! Because that’s one of my favorite eras fashion-wise. Also, love Jarvis, he is just so cute!

4. Psych. I love it because it’s hilarious. The actors are incredibly funny but they’re great at the drama too. And it’s totally the reason I say the pineapple is my favorite fruit.

3. The Flash. Speaking of drama… the twists and turns in the first season were fantastic and really kept me guessing, I’m looking forward to season two (though not as much as I’m looking forward to Legends of Tomorrow. (But that has an awful lot to do with Arthur Darvill being in it).

And we have a tie for the number one spot! I refuse to choose between these two shows so they’re both number one.

1. Merlin. I was heartbroken when I learned season five would be the last of this awesome series. The characters, the plots, the treachery and heartbreak, the gorgeous costumes and sets. This show had some of the best actors! Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Arthur, Angel Coulby as Guinevere, Anthony Head as Uther. All were beyond fantastic as these characters. My favorite was Eoin Macken as Gwaine though, he was hilarious (and handsome). This show is one of only two that have ever made me cry, I love it but it hurts. Actually that’s one of the things I love about it though, it sort of “grew up” throughout it’s five seasons so that the first season is rather light and airy and it just keeps getting darker and darker, though never going too dark, it’s not Game of Thrones (thank goodness!).

1. Doctor Who. I LOVE this series, both the classic episodes and “New Who” are fun and exciting and interesting. Eleven is my favorite Doctor (and I’m going to kill a popular theory here, because no, he wasn’t my first Doctor. That was Ten). Blink is my favorite episode (so creepy!), the Daleks are my favorite villains, and Martha, Sarah Jane, and Rory are my favorite companions. I can’t wait for the new season, Capaldi is killing it as Twelve!!!

Blog Title

Today’s Blogging 101  and Writing 101 assignments are really fun and I wrote way too much to make them one post. So here’s the blogging post first. For this assignment we’re supposed to work on our blog titles and/or taglines or write a post about what inspired our blog title. I’m going with the latter here since I don’t desire a tagline and am very happy with my title.

 

So then, how did I come up with Dancing in Glitter? You may have noticed that this blog isn’t about dancing and I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned the word “glitter” before this post. Well I actually wasn’t trying to come up with a name for my blog because my blog didn’t exist and I hadn’t even thought of starting one.  I was writing up a submission for a crochet/knit challenge group on Ravelry, the basic idea was to make a project and tie it into something you regretted not getting to do, I ended up going in an entirely different direction with my write-up but one line that I’d wrote stuck with me. The write-up was about dancing as a snowflake in a production of The Nutcracker, unfortunately I didn’t get to do it and I was especially disappointed because I’d been looking forward to getting to dance as glittery “snow” drifted down from on high and swirled gently around me and all the other dancers. The image of “dancing in glitter” stuck with me and, I have no idea why, but I suddenly decided it would be the perfect name for a blog and I should really start one, so I did 🙂

To me, dancing in glitter is about being free and feeling beautiful. Because that’s how I always felt on stage, there was power and longing behind my movements and I never wanted those moments to end, I felt like I’d found the place I belonged and that I could do anything that I wanted, as long as I was willing to work for it.

Sadly my dance ambitions died a horrible lingering death…. but my art has done a pretty good job of helping me to realize I could still do something I love, I’ve just got to work even harder because, unlike with dancing, I don’t have much natural talent and I’ve never had formal lessons.

It’s rainbow-colored now, instead of just white, but I’m still dancing in that glitter. It’s a bit different but just as exciting and empowering and I want to share a little bit of that journey.

Hence the blog, and the title 🙂

Blogging101 & Writing101 – First Posts

So I’m participating in Blogging 101 and Writing 101 here on WordPress. I may or may not post everything I write from the prompts but I guess I’ll at least post the first prompt from each.

Blogging 101 – Introduce Yourself to the World

I already did this one pretty recently…. as in just two Saturdays ago in my Obligatory Awkward First Post and also on my about page…. I really don’t think anything has changed since then.

---

Boy that was easy!  😉

On to the writing!

---

Writing 101 – I Write Because….

I write because I have something to say. I guess that’s a rather simplistic answer to a question that could be answered with a lot of thought or emotion. But it’s the easiest way to say that I like to write. That I have things I need to get off my chest. That I like to feel like people are listening. That I have things I want to say out loud but am afraid of what others will think of me. That writing them on a blog is just as good because I can still get my thoughts out there. That because of blogging I’ve gotten to meet likeminded people.

Really I could say a lot of things about why I write and go into great detail on each point, but I’d rather just write and let my writing speak for itself.