tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87153750477349857782024-02-12T11:33:55.279-08:00Read Me Sometimes, Think of Me Often.I am a resident of the world, like you. Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-31970418210015990162022-11-17T09:37:00.001-08:002022-11-17T09:37:51.574-08:00Remembering my father-in-law Bill Tyndall on his fifth anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivNsvKQTPuz6V7EquW4gWh6aQ-8Dg8TQl1jAtIEoz5GCwp--ay4N6wmJgnUbGkbTrrqO9RuPuLfP3zQNQpAXPJCDlZB6wf5JIrnm0ltW7sVAP7-zdXL7KTqo2jFXVO1mLnoUrMuxi725bkHlArKLNnA3FNi4voVOwVkAfTutKaz9g2DeYUGIoUM2Z88w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="589" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivNsvKQTPuz6V7EquW4gWh6aQ-8Dg8TQl1jAtIEoz5GCwp--ay4N6wmJgnUbGkbTrrqO9RuPuLfP3zQNQpAXPJCDlZB6wf5JIrnm0ltW7sVAP7-zdXL7KTqo2jFXVO1mLnoUrMuxi725bkHlArKLNnA3FNi4voVOwVkAfTutKaz9g2DeYUGIoUM2Z88w" width="276" /></a></div><br />It's hard to believe that we said good-bye to Bill five whole years ago. Half a decade! We miss him a lot. Five years ago, I meant to post the eulogy that I gave for him, but I never got around to it. And every year since. So here it is, my completely inadequate attempt to describe what he meant to us:<br /><br />In the spring of 2007, Mark and I decided we would get married, quit our jobs, get rid of 90 percent of our possessions, and move to Dublin, a place he had been telling me for three years that he absolutely hated. When I agreed to move here, I had never even been to Dublin. And I had also never met Mark's parents, Bill and Joyce. I didn't know what I was getting myself into or whether I was making a huge mistake to leave my home and my family to care for these strangers. Before the big move, Bill used to ring us and leave voicemails saying, 'Don't come! We're heading into a recession -- you're better off where you are!' But we didn't listen.<br /><br />When I walked through the door of 19 Quarry Road for the first time, I found two lovely and colourful characters there to greet me and accept me into their family. We fell into their routines as much as we could -- there were Thursday and Sunday night outings to the Homestead while Mark played pitch and putt with Bill every Saturday morning in summer. <br /><br />We came, not just for those final moments as both Bill and Joyce passed on, but for the precious years we got to spend with them. For being near enough to pop in to fix the telly and go with them to doctor's appointments. And for the special outings, the birthday dinners, Leopardstown, the Christmases and Stephens's Days in the pub, clearing out their back garden, trips to the cinema, swapping books. We tried to buy them fancy gadgets and furnishings to make them warm and comfortable, though it was always a gamble whether they'd use them. We listened to their stories with delight, no matter how many times we'd heard them before. And all of it was definitely worth every single thing we gave up in America.<br /><br />After Joyce died last year, we realised pretty quickly that Bill was lost on his own, so we asked what he thought of the idea of us moving in. He said sure, no problem. But there kind of was a small problem: I delicately explained that we wouldn't be able to all live in the house without fairly extensive renovations. "Do what you want," he said, "You have Carte Blanche! And I'll do the decent thing and die as soon as possible." For the next three months we proceeded to basically gut his house of 20 years in order to put in central heating, new floors, a new kitchen, and the ridiculous amount of stuff we managed to accumulate over only eight years. And Bill never complained about the chaos, not once. He happily read his books outside while we filled skip after skip with bits of his house, and when we arranged his things in the back bedroom, he acted as though it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him, even though he was the one giving up his bedroom for us.<br /><br /><br />We will remember Bill for his ability to bring levity to nearly any situation. In A&E, a female doctor asked him, 'Have you been falling lately?' to which he immediately replied, 'Well, I'm falling for you!' You couldn't beat his dark sense of humour, even at the end. If I started quoting all of Bill's best one-liners, we'd be here all day but it would certainly be the funniest eulogy anyone's ever heard.<br /><br />We will remember Bill's energy. He worked most of his life as a mover, and when he retired at the age of 70, he took up wind surfing. He loved being on the water, and sailing was another great passion. Despite having a physically demanding job, he found the time and energy to pursue his many other interest.<br /><br />We will remember Bill for his unique turns of phrase, even if most of the time he was actually quoting a classic. Although the overflowing bookshelves drove Joyce mad, he read constantly. He especially read books about war. I've thought a lot about why that was, and I've decided that Bill was fascinated by war because of how horrifying he found it. I think he found all conflict a very unsavoury thing indeed, which might be one reason so many people enjoyed his company.<br /><br />Before I close, I want to especially thank our friends and family who visited Bill in hospital this past month while myself and Mark were away. I hope you were able to see a bit of the Bill we knew and loved so much. I want to thank Billy Perkins for being the best brother-in-law to Bill anyone could ask for, and I want to thank Bill's niece Mary for being with us during those last hours.<br /><br />After we lay both Bill and Joyce Tyndall to rest this morning in Glasnevin, please join us in the Homestead on Quarry Road for a bite to eat.<br /><br />Bill would probably want me to end with his most often-used line, 'Well, it only remains to bid a fond farewell!' But instead, I'll actually end by quoting Bill quoting Charles Dickens: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-87741824297438332302022-04-14T06:11:00.002-07:002022-04-14T06:11:31.622-07:00Angela's six-week get in shape plan<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's SPRING! Well, it is where I live. Kinda. Some people think it's summer. Anyways, either way, if you want to get moving and get in shape, I put together this beginner training plan. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week
</span></u></b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>1</b></span><br /></span></u><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
1:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
2:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 30-minute beginner dumbbell workout <u><span><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=GY1JhB9BEkk" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">youtube.com/watch?v=GY1JhB9BEkk</span></a><br /></span></u><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
3:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30 mins)<br /></span></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
4:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Joe Wicks 30-min HIIT <u><span><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=tXOZS3AKKOw" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">youtube.com/watch?v=tXOZS3AKKOw</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
5:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
6:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Rest<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
7:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 12-minute Black Metal Bvrn HIIT <u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="https://youtu.be/rtXn_uyGm4E" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/rtXn_uyGm4E</span></a></span></u>
<b>and</b> Brutal Core and Ab Workout <u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="https://youtu.be/W3AObZhHt4E" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/W3AObZhHt4E</span></a></span></u>
(or 30-minute HIIT of your choice)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week
2<br /></span></u></b><a name="OLE_LINK1"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day </span></b></a><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: Cardio of
choice (30 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
9:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 30-minute dumbbell workout (different from
21st) <u><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sUGg9mcMGU" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sUGg9mcMGU</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
10:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
11:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Joe Wicks 30-min Cardio & Abs <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/FuZGiKYS2u4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/FuZGiKYS2u4</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
12:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 20-minute Yoga with Adriene <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/v7AYKMP6rOE" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/v7AYKMP6rOE</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
13:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
14:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 30-minute Low Impact Bodyweight HIIT (no
equipment) <u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="https://youtu.be/fu4ZL6DQpPk" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/fu4ZL6DQpPk</span></a></span></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week
3<br /></span></u></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
15:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-45 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
16:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 45-minute dumbbell workout <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/qs9wyBQrNYA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/qs9wyBQrNYA</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
17:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-45 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
18:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 30-minute Full Body HIIT (no equipment) <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/L6M0j6AwDGQ" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/L6M0j6AwDGQ</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
19:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 40-minute Yoga with Adriene <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/pWobp3phsEU" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/pWobp3phsEU</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
20:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-45 mins)<br /></span><a name="OLE_LINK2"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day</span></b></a><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 21:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Walk 5k</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week
4<br /></span></u></b><a name="OLE_LINK3"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day</span></b></a><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 22:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Cardio of choice (30-45 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
23:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 45-minute dumbbell workout <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/qs9wyBQrNYA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/qs9wyBQrNYA</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
24:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-45 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
25:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 30-minute HIIT (no equipment) <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/PUs5vQ2Osbo" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/PUs5vQ2Osbo</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
26:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Self-love Yoga with Adriene <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/GAnKh5kKpgA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/GAnKh5kKpgA</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
27:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-45 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
28:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Walk 5k</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week
5<br /></span></u></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
29:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-60 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
30:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 60-minute dumbbell workout <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/UoYLPbPi938" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/UoYLPbPi938</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
31:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-60 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
32:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 30-minute HIIT (no equipment)
https://youtu.be/PUs5vQ2Osbo and 10-minute Finisher <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/J3Qd-Q9WcMY" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/J3Qd-Q9WcMY</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
33:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 45-minute Total Body Yoga with Adriene <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/GLy2rYHwUqY" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/GLy2rYHwUqY</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
34:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-60 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
35:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Walk 5k</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week
6<br /></span></u></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
36:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-60 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
37:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Juice & Toya 60-minute dumbbell workout <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/UoYLPbPi938" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/UoYLPbPi938</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
38:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-60 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
39:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 30-minute low impact cardio workout <u><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfe4vzupWjI" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfe4vzupWjI</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
40:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 45-minute Yoga for Self-discipline with Adriene <u><span><a href="https://youtu.be/_Ki_-GM_5Ec" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/_Ki_-GM_5Ec</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></u></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
41:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Cardio of choice (30-60 mins)<br /></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Day
42:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Walk 5k</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p>
<br /></p><google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-26562438197696674352021-09-03T02:57:00.002-07:002021-09-03T03:10:19.972-07:00Thoughts on neurodivergence in Ireland<p> As more people become educated about neurodivergence, it is only logical that the number of people diagnosed with neurodivergencies will increase, which includes those with ADHD. Some people think that conditions such as ADHD and autism are some kind of diagnostic fad whose numbers are overblown and overmedicated. I disagree, and so does the research, so I encourage you to seek reliable information rather than wasting my own time making the argument.</p><p>But that's neither here nor there. Being an American who worked for years in the healthcare industry and was raised by a licensed social worker who now has an outpatient practice, I have had more exposure to the medical world than a lot of people. And in my experience, between an Irish person and an American person with the same symptoms, the American is more likely to make a doctor's appointment while the Irish person might take a paracetamol and hope for the best. I get it. I see things a little differently in my new country than a lot of my peers, but I'm ok with that. </p><p>I also seem to be drawn to neurodivergent people, for whatever reason, and have encouraged multiple people in my life to get assessed and all but one of them obtained diagnoses. I'm like the neurodivergent whisperer. However, despite what you may read below, I encourage anyone who thinks they may have a neurodivergence to seek an evaluation and don't give up until you get one.</p><p>Shortly after my partner and I moved to Ireland, I noticed that he was really struggling with his Master's work, particularly his independent thesis. Regular classes, which came with the accountability of classroom discussions and essay deadlines, seemed to be easier to manage. However, once he was left to his own devices for the thesis, he struggled to keep up. We were on social welfare at the time, so we asked our then-GP for a referral to get him evaluated for ADHD. She seemed confused, but made the referral, possibly because she had been the GP for his entire family for decades and let's just say certain traits run in the family.</p><p>However, when it came time for the psychiatrist in the HSE Health Centre to meet with us, things went very pear-shaped. By then, we'd done some research and some reflecting. We knew he met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. But the doctor that we met with? According to her, ADHD in adults doesn't exist. It certainly doesn't exist in people who passed the Leaving Cert (even if it took two tries), apparently. And for someone with multiple diplomas? Preposterous! </p><p>No no - according to this person, ADHD is an invention of American drug companies who want to get everyone hooked on addictive stimulant medication. And we only thought my partner had ADHD because we'd spent so much time in America and clearly had been duped by the US pharma industry. So it's no surprise that when he mentioned he'd experimented with drugs in order to self-medicate, she gave us a long lecture on the evils of drugs and from that moment treated us as drug seekers.</p><p>It will be no surprise to learn that we did not get him an ADHD diagnosis that day. The doctor said she'd happily refer him for CBT and he was welcome to anti-depressants if he wanted them, despite the fact that he had no symptoms of depression at that time. We left feeling very, very angry and helpless.</p><p>We managed to scrape enough money together for a private evaluation. The cost was more than 300 euro. He administered several tests and questionnaires, and interviewed my partner extensively. After he reviewed all of the material, he confirmed that my partner did indeed meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. </p><p>But he couldn't prescribe medication, as he was a psychologist and not a medical doctor. So he referred us to a psychiatrist who would have to confirm the diagnosis and write a prescription. We cycled up to the appointment, not knowing what to expect. The psychiatrist reviewed the material from the psychologist and asked a few questions to my partner. Then, very casually, after what couldn't have been more than 20 minutes, he informed us that my partner was autistic. 'Just a touch!' he said, so as not to alarm us. We were both so stunned that we didn't say much. He wrote out a prescription and asked for another 300 quid. The appointment hadn't lasted a half hour. At the time, we were so broke, that I'm sure I physically jumped. We didn't know it at the time, but this was one of Ireland's top autism experts and highly sought after. Still, he hadn't earned our 300 quid. So my pushy American kicked in and I friggin' haggled with him. And you know what? It worked. We paid 150 and it was money well spent.</p><p>Yet as we cycled home, we looked at each other, absolutely perplexed. Autism? (Or, as it was called at the time, Asperger's Syndrome.) How was that possible? In fact, he had done a whole research project on Asperger's in university and never considered that he might be on the spectrum. So we did what anyone would do: we googled it.</p><p>And let me tell you, if researching ADHD was an epiphany, seeing my partner through the lens of autism was a revelation. ADHD explained a lot, but autism explained much, much more. All these 'quirks' and oddities that I thought were unique? Nope - classic signs of autism. In retrospect, I don't know how our relationship managed to survive five+ years of neurotypical expectations. </p><p>If you think getting evaluated for neurodivergencies in Ireland is hard, well, you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you about finding supports for them, especially supports through the HSE. Generally speaking, if you can make it to adulthood and pass as neurotypical well enough to go to college, get a job, and generally appear "normal" (with the biggest scare quotes imaginable), then you will struggle to find accommodations from universities and employers, even with said institutions claim to provide them. You may technically have a disability and be eligible for disability supports from the HSE, but good luck navigating the system to access them. </p><p>The first big barrier was academia's attitudes toward supports. After completing his Master's programme, my partner was accepted to do a PhD. It's common knowledge that getting through a PhD is challenging for everyone; for someone with both ADHD and autism, it takes a Herculean effort. Add to that the stress of being evicted from our home during a housing crisis, losing our beloved cat, and then the pressures of having elderly parents. He had registered with the disability office of the university, but they didn't know what to do with him. They had nothing to offer, no accommodations and not even a counselling service. And he didn't want to talk about being a person with ADHD and autism for fear of losing respect or being seen as using them as some sort of an excuse invented for poor performance. Except that...he was struggling. And he needed some slack, not to mention editorial guidance. By the time his mother passed away, he was so far into burnout that there was no coming back. Three-quarters of the way through, he quit. </p><p>Now, we know that autistic academic burnout is a real thing and it's intense. But are things any better at that university for people with ADHD and autism? Probably not. </p><p>We managed to get a meeting with an HSE disability officer. She was very understanding. We got a referral to an organisation who helps adults with autism. However, they help people who struggle with day-to-day tasks, who need training and practice with everyday conversations and socialising, and generally from a younger age group. For someone that didn't even get diagnosed until 40-something years of age, this organisation just didn't know what to do to help. </p><p>Meanwhile, my partner became a full-time carer for his father, who was slowly dying from an unfortunate combination of physical and mental ailments, including dementia. His physical ailments may have been surmountable, but the dementia had taken away his appetite, and we essentially watched him starve while his body became too weak to ward off recurring infections. Family carers get a massively raw deal. If the person in need is elderly, you are trying to keep someone alive 24/7/365 knowing you will definitely fail. Any disability that you yourself may have gets pushed to the side. No matter how difficult it gets, you have to keep doing it because there's no other option. Respite care exists in theory, but I can say from experience that in reality, it's often not possible. </p><p>Feeling frustrated with public health options, I tried to find someone who specialised in ADHD and autism in adults who could at least offer advice or guidance on managing a caring role while having these neurodivergencies. The fees these people charged were astronomical. Thousands of euro. We simply didn't have it. So we just had to persevere. </p><p>And this has been the most frustrating thing: finding support for ADULTS with neurodivergencies in Ireland. Nearly everything is geared toward kids, and even then, neurodivergent children in Ireland don't get enough support. So you can imagine how difficult it is to live in a world that expects you to act, appear, and BE neurotypical once you reach adulthood. </p><p>It's a fallacy that autistic people don't have empathy. I fucking HATE when people use 'autistic' as shorthand to describe a sociopathic asshole or someone just generally awkward. But many people with autism will struggle with how to live in a world where they are forced to do things that simply don't come naturally to them, particularly when it comes to care roles, whether that's parenting or ministering to an elderly parent. And we, as a society, are letting them down. The lack of supports for adults leads to a lot of pain, and it also means that the people they care for needlessly suffer as well. And I'm not saying that my partner didn't do an amazing job caring for the three elderly people in his life; I'm saying that it came at a huge price and didn't always go as planned.</p><p>For me, in the middle of all this, I could no longer ignore that the books I was reading about ADHD also described me. My partner would often read about an ADHD trait and proclaim, 'That's YOU! You do that!' and I'd try to shush him and ignore the fact that he was right. And there is ADHD in my family, so really I should have put it together sooner. By the time I managed to get a private evaluation, I was 38 years of age. Upon being diagnosed, I decided to put off medication, as I was hoping to get pregnant. The psychiatrist said to get in touch when I was ready and he'd write it up.</p><p>Five years later, when that was no longer an issue, I decided to see if medication would improve my ADHD. The guy who diagnosed me had retired. That's when I discovered that no psychiatrist will prescribe ADHD medication based on another practitioner's diagnosis, which is why that doctor so many years ago had wanted to charge 300 euro. He considered that an evaluation, not just a consultation. </p><p>After waiting for six months to see a new psychiatrist and paying another 350 euro, I got my medication. And then I had to pay another 150 for a check-up... three more times before she agreed to let my GP manage my meds going forward. And let me tell you what this entails.</p><p>Ireland recently passed a law that means doctors can't prescribe more than one month of a stimulant medication. So for example, I take allergy meds. When I request a refill from the GP via email, they will typically send three to five months worth of scripts. Of course, I can only fill one at a time, but they remain on file in the chemist so all I have to do is pop into them when I need more. But with my Medikinet (slow-release Ritalin), I have to email a refill request every single month. (And if that month has more than 30 days, you need to rob Peter to pay Paul, i.e. skip a day). For someone who struggles with executive functioning, this can be a very large barrier, if you even manage to get through the barriers involved in getting a prescription at all. This paradox is beautifully explained by Jessica McCabe from the Youtube Channel 'How to ADHD': </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aKUdadCsuRE" width="320" youtube-src-id="aKUdadCsuRE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Between me and my partner, we've had four evaluations and spent nearly 1,500 euro. He would like to try a different medication than the one he's on, but to do that, as his original prescriber has retired, he would need to get a third evaluation and start from scratch all over again. Based on what I paid, that's another 600 euro.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is apparently a new Adult ADHD programme initiated by the HSE. But when you read the fine print, this programme has massive barriers built in from the very start. First of all, you need to get a referral from your GP. If you have one of the many, MANY, in fact majority, of GPs who have outdated ideas about ADHD in adults, that's problem number one. They'll often offer to give you anti-depressants and send you on your way. So you basically need to walk into the appointment with the diagnostic criteria in hand and be able to explain exactly which symptoms you have had, that you've had them basically forever, and give examples of times that these things impacted your life. You essentially need to perform your own evaluation and present it to your GP.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But if you manage to get a referral, through the new programme, '<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Adults with symptoms of ADHD are referred to their local General Adult Psychiatry Service for mental health assessment and each person referred is also asked to complete two ADHD screening questionnaires. This includes adults who have previously been treated for ADHD as children and/or adolescents and who have current symptoms suggestive of ADHD.' In other words, yo</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">u don't see a specialist at first. So that's three major hoops to jump through just to be assessed by an ADHD specialist. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And even if you go private, self-referring is nearly impossible. Like so many things in Ireland, the GP is the gatekeeper. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I have no ending for this. I guess it's all just to say that we are being failed. You need to be so organised, self-aware, and on top of things to get diagnosed and treated for neurodivergence when these are the exact things we struggle with in the first place! It's kind of a wonder anyone gets any help at all. </span></span></div><br /> <p></p>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-72868063591467116672021-03-23T04:48:00.001-07:002021-03-25T02:02:09.572-07:00Reflections on Ignoring Pain<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjERytigy4yXeeEXyKI61yoSL0ShT8v8W9JiaDypYHbhIkZJlalbaXiaE0MQ7oOF-Giyzw4m2YnwGTKhyj8shsnWTYxqVFfdBW7X257o5vR8TS9Ud1s50FAz_RX4Z0TaS50lFgfREzEDz/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="445" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjERytigy4yXeeEXyKI61yoSL0ShT8v8W9JiaDypYHbhIkZJlalbaXiaE0MQ7oOF-Giyzw4m2YnwGTKhyj8shsnWTYxqVFfdBW7X257o5vR8TS9Ud1s50FAz_RX4Z0TaS50lFgfREzEDz/" width="179" /></a></div><br />Many years ago, I was talking with my brother about a health issue that one of my sisters was having at the time. He said, 'Well, I told her that if you ignore it, it will go away', to which I responded, 'YEAH! That's what I always say!'<p></p><p>'No,' he said, 'I was being sarcastic. You shouldn't ignore health problems', and he gave me a look, like, 'What's wrong with you?' But for me, over the years, honestly that has been the best approach. </p><p>In the months leading up to my first marriage, when I was working and in graduate school, juggling a long commute from my home in southern Maine to my university in Boston, a strained relationship with my fiancé and his family, and wedding planning, I was suffering from crippling abdominal pain. It hurt just to breathe, as if all my organs were swollen. I went to the university health centre, and had all kinds of tests done, but they couldn't find anything wrong with me. 'It's probably stress', they finally concluded. And sure enough, after the wedding when I had slightly less on my plate, the pain went away.</p><p>In the months after my second marriage, when I was working three jobs, unloading 90% of everything I owned, moving into a temporary room in preparation for emigrating to a new country that I knew practically nothing about, leaving behind my family, friends, career, and everything I considered 'home', I started feeling this strange, painful sensation in my throat and chest, like I swallowed a hard candy. It felt like something was stuck, and no matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. The doctor examined me and ordered an MRI, which came out normal. 'It's probably stress', she finally concluded. And sure enough, the moment I stepped off the plane in Dublin, that feeling in my throat was gone.</p><p>Other pains, such as abdominal pain that I asked doctors about for decades, was put down to normal female reproductive pain, probably from ovarian cysts coming and going. Only through trying to get pregnant did anyone decide to investigate it. I had endometriosis, as it turned out.</p><p>I struggled with shoulder pain for years before a doctor finally ordered an MRI and whoops! By then, I had a partially torn rotator cuff from a bone spur that had been growing and the only course was surgery. When I tore the other side, a different doctor, incredulous that I'd had a tear ten years previously, told me I was too young to have torn it at my current age, let alone younger. The MRI, which I pushed for, showed (quelle suprise!) a partial tear. Since it's from an injury rather than a bone spur, and it's not as painful as the other one, I just deal with it.</p><p>I've learned that I have a high threshold for pain based purely on the number of ailments I have ignored over the years. When I recently discovered that I am peri-menopausal, I realised that I had had many symptoms leading up to it, but had ignored the majority of them.</p><p><b>Women are taught to ignore pain of all kinds.</b></p><p>In my previous post, I talked about all the symptoms that I have been unable to ignore these past few months, and my journey to figuring out their cause. Happily, all of the exams, tests, and scans have come back normal. The picture of health! And that old chestnut, 'It's probably stress' looms large. However, this time, there's no stress. Home life is great. My job is great. Friends are great. Family is great. Fitness levels are great. Money stuff is...good, which honestly I'm happy with. ('Great' would be a stretch!) I've never been less stressed in my entire life. </p><p>My head isn't haunted, like. Something is causing me to hear and feel the blood pumping in my left ear. It's not a magic spell or a ghost. There is an explanation and I won't give up until I find it. </p><p>However, I have had to go back to the drawing board. And that has led me to realise a sort of elephant in the room: I have been ignoring pain in my neck, back, ribs and hips to such an extent that I didn't even really acknowledge its existence until now. After ruling out everything else, suddenly there it was: I'm in pain! Pain that could be impacting the rest of my body. Pain that probably could be relieved. So I made an appointment with an osteopath.</p><p>The laundry list of ailments that I gave this poor guy - how was I walking around with all of that going on? From head to toe, I described no less than ten points of chronic pain that have been going on for months to decades. When he examined my neck, he described the left side as 'totally jammed'. As he turned my head, the rest of my body followed. I felt embarrassed for myself - I don't even remember the last time I turned my head without a cacophony of crunching and strain.</p><p>Is my 'jammed' neck causing all my problems? Probably not. But will I feel immense relief once it's unjammed? Once I start rehabbing my displaced ribs? Once I fix the pinched nerve in my leg? Once I stretch out the achilles tendon pain? Once I attend to this tennis elbow, and so on? I surely will. </p><p>This is all a long-winded way of saying that despite all my work trying to be healthy and get a diagnosis for health problems, I still managed to shove down and neglect my body. So I recommend doing a scan of yourself and trying to be honest, like really honest, about how you feel? Do you have pain that you're ignoring? </p>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-41027291998646472192021-03-03T06:21:00.010-08:002021-03-03T06:40:58.987-08:00A picture<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWKhueim0F949W_VKFKF6K_RrAQuYS3CTZm4IG61JK5P2nxNDAfJhnG7QXUkoTy08BArrP4JrNnkPEhUQ_mrdAbaSjU_Nf3fL5WhnWMIPE70hIjOz-w4FZ2v0VWDH616BY1XbikoX1IyZ/s384/0005_1.3.46.670589.11.44047.5.0.3368.2020090111224639004-0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="384" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWKhueim0F949W_VKFKF6K_RrAQuYS3CTZm4IG61JK5P2nxNDAfJhnG7QXUkoTy08BArrP4JrNnkPEhUQ_mrdAbaSjU_Nf3fL5WhnWMIPE70hIjOz-w4FZ2v0VWDH616BY1XbikoX1IyZ/w200-h200/0005_1.3.46.670589.11.44047.5.0.3368.2020090111224639004-0001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></blockquote><p>Previously, I posted about how I've been doing things to improve my health since lockdown. Once I recovered from an infection last March, I re-started the couch to 5k and slowly built up to 5k and beyond. I can now run a 10k easily and plan on increasing my run times once the weather warms up a bit with the goal of regular 15 to 20k runs. </p><p>I also have been incorporating other types of workouts depending on my mood, which may include weight or strength training, yoga, ballet, dance workouts, aerobics. And I walk pretty much every day in addition to all of the above. </p><p>Expanding my cooking horizons has become a real highlight of lockdown life, and my diet is healthier than it's ever been before, filled with tonnes of vegetables and fruits, healthy vegetarian proteins, and very little fried foods. </p><p>My alcohol and caffeine intake is moderate. I have one cup of coffee each morning (occasionally two on Fridays and Saturdays) and I like to have a drink, sometimes two, of an evening (but not every evening).</p><p>Recently, I bumped into a friend of mine while on a run and he described me as 'the picture of health' and I had to agree. I feel really good - strong, energetic most days, and all of the exercise has improved my mental health considerably. But a picture can hide as much as it conveys. It reminds me of when my dad used to respond to compliments on his youthful appearance with, 'I'm rotting from the inside out'.</p><p>I've been battling a frustrating medical condition that is not only rare, but invisible. And it's not the first time. </p><p>Back in late 2017, after a trip to Venice, I came down with a bizarre vestibular issue that made me feel like I was on a boat. All. of. the. time. For several months, I walked around with sea legs and felt myself floating on a non-existent ocean as I tried to fall asleep. I even suffered with sea sickness from it. Finally, I was able to gradually rid myself of the affliction through vestibular physical therapy. Then, a year after my remission, it came back and lasted nearly another year. While I still have balance issues caused by damage to my right inner ear, I'm off my boat and can mostly ignore it in day-to-day life.</p><p>So, when I started having pain and fullness in my ears last year after a bad cold, I figured it would go away. When it didn't, I went to the GP who gave me antibiotics for a middle ear infection. The pain eased, but I was left hearing the sound and sensation of my heart beating in the left side of my head. It's called Pulsatile Tinnitus and it's constant. The only time I don't hear it is when other noises drown it out. But I began to notice other things, like tingling on my head, mostly on the left side. Fullness, neck pain, eye spasms, headaches are others, and for the past month I've been trying to ignore other worrisome symptoms such as dysphagia (trouble swallowing) and an ache in my left leg.</p><p>Since last summer, I've had two ENT consultations, an MRI, and MRA, a dental checkup, several craniosacral therapy sessions, a full blood workup, and I've tried taking a month off my ADHD medication. None of those things produced answers or a cure. I joined a Facebook group for people with Pulsatile Tinnitus and began educating myself on the most common causes. </p><p>Pulsatile Tinnitus (PT) isn't a diagnosis; it's a symptom of something else, and it's usually nothing to do with the ear, though many make that assumption. As I started reading people's PT stories, I saw how difficult it is to get a diagnosis. Most of the people in the group have spent years getting to the bottom of it. But an alarming number, when they finally discover their diagnosis, have life-threatening or serious conditions, usually vascular in nature. There was even an episode of House about it!</p><p>My symptoms are most noticeable first thing in the morning (from the quiet and the pressure of my head on the pillow) and late at night (also from the quiet). This can make sleeping difficult, not just because of the whooshing noise in my ear, but also because I often find myself unable to sleep, stuck in an ADHD hyperfocus, looking online for answers to what's wrong with me. The panic caused by googling symptoms is something we've all experienced. After months of dealing with a mystery condition, you can go a little mad. And then, add to that the condition itself, a constant whooshing in my head of the blood flowing through my body, and it's a wonder I can function normally.</p><p>I made it my mission to find someone in Ireland who wouldn't fob me off as my GP and ENT had. I started to research the types of specialists who diagnose the most common causes of PT. Finally, I found a news article about a consultant in Dublin who I thought may be able to help me, and I emailed him to see if he had dealt with PT. My heart leapt when he responded that he had. He told me the main conditions that he would want to rule out, and when I saw that they were all vascular, I made an appointment to see him in person. We discussed my symptoms and previous scans. He looked in my ears with a special microscope just to be sure I didn't have a specific ear issue that can cause PT. He said that he wanted to send me for a CT angiogram to check my arteries and to rule out fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). I had come across FMD in the Facebook group but I didn't remember what it was. He wrote it down and told me to look it up when I got home. I left feeling comfort in the knowledge that I'd found someone who may be able to help me. I felt hope for the first time in a long time. </p><p>I didn't bother to google FMD for more than a week. When I did, I have to say, I wasn't thrilled, especially when I reviewed the list symptoms, most of which I have. I keep telling myself that just because I have most of the symptoms, doesn't mean I have it! But then I think, if it's not this, then what is it? All I know is, I've accepted that this isn't going away, it cannot be ignored, and I will not stop until I know what's going on. </p><p>Tomorrow, I'll be going for the CT angiogram. I didn't google that either until I was discussing it with my manager at work and he googled it. That's when we both realised how naive I'd been only taking the morning off work. It's definitely a full day off from work procedure. </p><p>Why am I writing all of this? A couple of reasons. First, because I want to say to anyone searching for a diagnosis to any sort of medical issue, DO NOT GIVE UP. And secondly, because while I'm doing really, really great in so many ways -- better than I've ever been in my entire life, in fact -- I'm still having a hard time with this one aspect of my life and I'm suffering physically and mentally. I'm afraid of what lurks behind this picture of health. I'm afraid that I'm not actually healthy. I'm afraid that I'll drop dead before I figure out what's wrong with me. I'm afraid that I will have to give up this new active lifestyle that is part of who I am now. I'm afraid that I deserve this. I'm afraid that I'll never know, like so many people with PT and other conditions. </p><p>But at the same time, I feel incredibly OPTIMISTIC. I swear, I do have a balanced view. I'm taking it in stride as well as anyone could. I'm confident in my new doctor. I'm confident that I can do whatever needs to be done to cure myself once I find it out. I'm grateful that I have amazingly supportive friends and family to help me in all kinds of ways. And now, we'll just have to wait and see. Wish me luck!</p><p>xoxo</p>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-32290782166535169932021-03-03T03:29:00.002-08:002022-02-27T05:03:11.022-08:00Skincare tips from a lady in her late 40s who has tried everything<p> I need to acknowledge how incredibly lucky I am in the skin department, for the most part. However, age makes everyone its bitch and despite being a stone's throw from menopause, I still get spots. And to make matters worse, my skin has always been dry as a biscuit and allergic to practically everything, including citrus oils (bergamot, limonene, linalool, etc., which are in the majority of skincare products).</p><p>Thanks to my mother's extreme paranoia of looking her age (which, it must be said, served her well), I have tried to care for my skin from a young age. When I was 7 or 8, I remember spending my allowance on clay masks and moisturisers! (I should have been buying sunblock, but it was the 1970s so that wouldn't happen until, oh, twenty years later.)</p><p>When it comes to beauty and skincare in particular, a lot of people I know take one of two approaches: natural products only and 'throw every chemical known to man on there'. I fall somewhere in the middle. It's also very easy to spend a LOT of money on skincare, but these days there are loads of affordable products that easily compete with the pricey stuff.</p><p>Recently, I have been using the 'curly girl method' on my hair, which entails cutting out silicone in my hair products along with drying alcohols and detergents. And that got me thinking, if silicone and that other nasty stuff dries out my hair, what are they doing to my face? I read the labels of my skin products, and discovered that most of them used silicone, even the dermatologist-recommended brands, such as Cetaphil, Cerave, and Elave. It turns out that silicone is actually not bad for your skin -- it can help retain moisture -- but I also don't want it in every single product, so I started searching for silicone-free skincare products. It was especially difficult to find moisturisers with SPF that didn't use silicone. But I found some, and I'm going to tell you how!</p><p>There are two websites that I use to figure out if a hair product is 'curly girl approved: <a href="http://www.isitcg.com/" target="_blank">IsitCG</a> and <a href="https://www.curlsbot.com/" target="_blank">CurlsBot</a>. You simply copy and paste the ingredients into the tool and it tells you which ingredients are not 'approved' and which ones you should use with caution, such as ingredients that can leave build-up residue over time. Having realised that all of the precautions I take with my hair are the same ones I wanted to take with my skin, I decided to use the tool on skin products. </p><p>One of my favourite brands at the moment is an American brand called <a href="https://acure.com/" target="_blank">Acure Organics</a>, which is very affordable and can be ordered online, but it's not always handy to do that from overseas. If you're in America, though, do give it a try.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Cleansing</h3><p>Ironically, I have found that the best routine for my skin has been a 'less is more' approach. For example, if I don't have makeup on my face, I don't wash it at the end of the day. And if I'm showering first thing in the morning with a bare face, I usually won't cleanse it in the morning either. I only cleanse my face after exercise and to remove makeup. Otherwise, I leave it be.</p><p>You may have heard of people who use oil cleansers, either formulas made by a company or an oil you can buy in a food shop. Coconut oil is one you see online a lot. While coconut oil is great for removing eye makeup, I do NOT recommend coconut oil to cleanse because it is highly comedogenic, which is a fancy way of saying it will clog your pores. If you like the idea of cleansing your face with oil, I recommend hemp oil, which available in any health food shop. Simply spread it over your face, and then wipe it off with a hot, damp cloth. Personally, I no longer cleanse with oil because the hot water in my house (and most houses in Ireland) is unreliable and you really do need hot water to rinse the oil from the cloth after you've removed in from your face. And even then, the oil tends to discolour the cloths over time. </p><p>I recommend gentle, silicone-free creme cleansers. Here are a few that pass the test: <a href="https://acure.com/seriously-soothing-cleansing-cream.html" target="_blank">Acure Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream</a> (<a href="https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Acure-ET1047-Sensitive-Facial-Cleanser/dp/B00B4C35IW/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=Acure+seriously+soothing&qid=1597744779&sr=8-10" target="_blank">UK link here</a>), <a href="https://ie.iherb.com/pr/Earth-Science-A-D-E-Creamy-Fruit-Oil-Cleanser-Dry-Sensitive-Skin-8-fl-oz-237-ml/15192" target="_blank">Earth Science, A-D-E Creamy Fruit Oil Cleanser, Dry & Sensitive Skin</a>, <a href="https://www.hollandandbarrett.ie/shop/product/dr-organic-moroccan-argan-oil-creamy-face-wash-60013580" target="_blank">Dr. Organic Argan Oil Face Wash</a>, <a href="https://www.hollandandbarrett.ie/shop/product/dr-organic-manuka-honey-gentle-face-wash-60013582" target="_blank">Dr. Organic Manuka Honey Face Wash</a>, and <a href="https://www.nourish.ie/p/sukin-cream-cleanser-pump-125ml/suks004" target="_blank">Sukin Cream Cleanser</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://acure.com/media/catalog/product/cache/c687aa7517cf01e65c009f6943c2b1e9/s/o/soothingcleansingcream.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="525" height="200" src="https://acure.com/media/catalog/product/cache/c687aa7517cf01e65c009f6943c2b1e9/s/o/soothingcleansingcream.jpg" title="Acure Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06BC2owcCco0hyhama6km_PBsDlBBdRZJ0NzU85cQx3WdXCD0UbH3w8GWeitvTbnvxFlZ1I-zAYXD2LNGYJVr-Ku5sVuolP9j89Y8xqk2fHOoXSfJ-S8PJ9bU22qLBk7Jp1GGcFA_tNhw/s585/fruit+cleanser.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="171" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06BC2owcCco0hyhama6km_PBsDlBBdRZJ0NzU85cQx3WdXCD0UbH3w8GWeitvTbnvxFlZ1I-zAYXD2LNGYJVr-Ku5sVuolP9j89Y8xqk2fHOoXSfJ-S8PJ9bU22qLBk7Jp1GGcFA_tNhw/w68-h232/fruit+cleanser.jpg" width="68" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSHjrU37PoU9nfmJec3R3IuqJGmFUBpDDlDoKop-W7F84PJ9D_soMEybdwWQ6zVtHkwySwnRbkzWrr1leSJcIFNORnGPOt4UIxxOqc-88XQUiQeEpJ4rAxZF30xysLrjR8ZgbMM8mljv0/s663/argan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="385" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSHjrU37PoU9nfmJec3R3IuqJGmFUBpDDlDoKop-W7F84PJ9D_soMEybdwWQ6zVtHkwySwnRbkzWrr1leSJcIFNORnGPOt4UIxxOqc-88XQUiQeEpJ4rAxZF30xysLrjR8ZgbMM8mljv0/w116-h200/argan.jpg" width="116" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZaawK9gtyDGG0XDrycMffS6D0Hi-AhpLe5qGwtC8CIRYOCIaDA7wG_Cw2an1XYVwc63fd5gnHrNhtXxk3WbnTDHK3qD1Ka8lXVq6y9gMU804QEPRQoVyfDqoNaU2jQuZj6FHLWxhMJ1V/s657/honey.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="382" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZaawK9gtyDGG0XDrycMffS6D0Hi-AhpLe5qGwtC8CIRYOCIaDA7wG_Cw2an1XYVwc63fd5gnHrNhtXxk3WbnTDHK3qD1Ka8lXVq6y9gMU804QEPRQoVyfDqoNaU2jQuZj6FHLWxhMJ1V/w116-h200/honey.jpg" width="116" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhlc-5BttvBd1hzaLYZ2upSdQ5ifQi1r7cRs_1uwqwoFOghYQpgAjUfFH93q8EBdGv720qwGH37rcqkvLNRpDj9Pg7A7QTpxo7mI1hIj_pqHvU8dopziavcyBvrfkMFhNBSQF9QkCWH1r/s886/sukin.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="393" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhlc-5BttvBd1hzaLYZ2upSdQ5ifQi1r7cRs_1uwqwoFOghYQpgAjUfFH93q8EBdGv720qwGH37rcqkvLNRpDj9Pg7A7QTpxo7mI1hIj_pqHvU8dopziavcyBvrfkMFhNBSQF9QkCWH1r/w89-h200/sukin.png" width="89" /></a></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moisturising</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My skin has been dry since I was a baby, so I am always battling cracks, flakes, and rough patches. Here are the night-time moisturisers in my rotation currently: <a href="https://ie.iherb.com/pr/Sukin-Calming-Night-Cream-Sensitive-4-06-fl-oz-120-ml/99018?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhP2BBhDdARIsAJEzXlHHioTBF0Dod_vQ3l1jIPb4qKW-oeqSj4TGhbmDDj3Pm9ICdX26x0waAit2EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Sukin Calming Night Cream, Sensitive</a>, <a href="https://ie.iherb.com/pr/Acure-Radically-Rejuvenating-Whipped-Night-Cream-1-7-fl-oz-50-ml/87203?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhP2BBhDdARIsAJEzXlFaceZDp6w6ya4ICdtE-V4tMqrc7RsmFioAqbN7M9KkSQrlvxVCAcwaAuXxEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Acure Radically Rejuvenating Whipped Night Cream</a>, <a href="https://ie.iherb.com/pr/Acure-Ultra-Hydrating-12-Hour-Facial-Moisturizer-0-67-fl-oz-20-ml/100525" target="_blank">Acure Ultra Hydrating 12 Hour Facial Moisturizer</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nGfAU-v-TK5NC_qN3VxaSR9jPTraju5Z_vYQ2ZFOKwrzTdZ8ek4m9b7kpLtYYLynJoO9mhYxyakeCojva2BmPf90PP1WHilhq4k0vEV4IeNk_xCcqiDquc7Qot7U1LW2tkfJiO_flf20/s300/sukin+calming+night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nGfAU-v-TK5NC_qN3VxaSR9jPTraju5Z_vYQ2ZFOKwrzTdZ8ek4m9b7kpLtYYLynJoO9mhYxyakeCojva2BmPf90PP1WHilhq4k0vEV4IeNk_xCcqiDquc7Qot7U1LW2tkfJiO_flf20/w200-h200/sukin+calming+night.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nGfAU-v-TK5NC_qN3VxaSR9jPTraju5Z_vYQ2ZFOKwrzTdZ8ek4m9b7kpLtYYLynJoO9mhYxyakeCojva2BmPf90PP1WHilhq4k0vEV4IeNk_xCcqiDquc7Qot7U1LW2tkfJiO_flf20/s300/sukin+calming+night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXrAuuRIx03csT5y8BSDgryB0EohHrJDyGWX15nIbPzOA7-3XiLi2sydRxNanw3LgUrb3X_k6KjjgCR9zp3Oc0gaFc8M_CPmTch3V8AIy6DF8Ha2-WC6ALcDQR1U8-vhhLgnhHCAXJHHb/s607/acure+night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="303" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXrAuuRIx03csT5y8BSDgryB0EohHrJDyGWX15nIbPzOA7-3XiLi2sydRxNanw3LgUrb3X_k6KjjgCR9zp3Oc0gaFc8M_CPmTch3V8AIy6DF8Ha2-WC6ALcDQR1U8-vhhLgnhHCAXJHHb/w100-h200/acure+night.jpg" width="100" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsdEKgYZoHILGyyfi1Z4eSnGIFbcaU41lAVddFm4Flsz72X8WNFZ-rTUwwpToM3DxdSq6ZcsPgkZsgDCBYM-CRJ6HBhHv5XN2Ij0qlkxxdGHO4qacBNzyQ7s8f0Yk6YrF99DXnobMuZ6j/s610/acure+12+hour.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="433" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsdEKgYZoHILGyyfi1Z4eSnGIFbcaU41lAVddFm4Flsz72X8WNFZ-rTUwwpToM3DxdSq6ZcsPgkZsgDCBYM-CRJ6HBhHv5XN2Ij0qlkxxdGHO4qacBNzyQ7s8f0Yk6YrF99DXnobMuZ6j/w142-h200/acure+12+hour.jpg" width="142" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And for day time, I try to use moisturisers with a fairly high spf, though it's difficult to find ones that I'm not allergic to, even the supposedly sensitive ones. But these three have worked well:</div><div><a href="https://ie.iherb.com/pr/Acure-Radically-Rejuvenating-Day-Cream-SPF-30-1-7-fl-oz-50-ml/87202" target="_blank">Radically Rejuvenating SPF Day Cream</a>, <a href="https://www.boots.ie/soltan-sensitive-protect-face-cream-spf50-50ml-10245728" target="_blank">Soltan Face Sensitive Protect 50+ SPF</a>, and <a href="https://www.boots.ie/holidays/suncare/expert-skin-sun-protection/avene-very-high-protection-cream-spf50-plus-sun-cream-for-sensitive-skin-50ml-10246611" target="_blank">Avene Very High Protection Cream for Sensitive Skin 50+ SPF</a> (there's a tinted BB cream version that's nice too).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W2HgSmV4ibWOGlnpSvewCv4rPvOm0XRRTn_5qm6dhbaJXJNFqYTbY_lWi-Bj5SCEoqyWK9II_tsnQz3jTFPFJqJBuNTRRQnrSlFgBcZmhxlntpf1yqOiE8ju5ldRDn1_VCCRmjBb5jSn/s595/Acure+day+30+spf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W2HgSmV4ibWOGlnpSvewCv4rPvOm0XRRTn_5qm6dhbaJXJNFqYTbY_lWi-Bj5SCEoqyWK9II_tsnQz3jTFPFJqJBuNTRRQnrSlFgBcZmhxlntpf1yqOiE8ju5ldRDn1_VCCRmjBb5jSn/w104-h200/Acure+day+30+spf.jpg" width="104" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbEGz9XJ1IrQunlbvHMRVmot2DplMxfwa_IgyK7K_HsWyrYUw2NVBsil3e5yD_ZfYU4KNPMTIpac7bvKIjHy5XVLnIBNMFj2o4j3HsdEriJzAWKFQa5OWLOal9M4MGlz6arSu_NMIdVQ_/s540/Soltan+face+sensitive.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="238" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbEGz9XJ1IrQunlbvHMRVmot2DplMxfwa_IgyK7K_HsWyrYUw2NVBsil3e5yD_ZfYU4KNPMTIpac7bvKIjHy5XVLnIBNMFj2o4j3HsdEriJzAWKFQa5OWLOal9M4MGlz6arSu_NMIdVQ_/w88-h200/Soltan+face+sensitive.jpg" width="88" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqaB1-oyWav4ZrBuXSERTAtj7aWKt28-a-IfXBG-jH7NPcBrRg5rqze8G7kv5_KOurVD1BowV4jy9Kvdt6jnucJ2DPir1B27_xfTBWpIwydnyM8CMuD42nVBJqdiDQxvCkcAGY-elGHSE/s546/Avene+50+spf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="226" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqaB1-oyWav4ZrBuXSERTAtj7aWKt28-a-IfXBG-jH7NPcBrRg5rqze8G7kv5_KOurVD1BowV4jy9Kvdt6jnucJ2DPir1B27_xfTBWpIwydnyM8CMuD42nVBJqdiDQxvCkcAGY-elGHSE/w83-h200/Avene+50+spf.jpg" width="83" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Serums and other anti-aging measures</h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrebsRPP5Fut_eM2GGa8nUF9n07FZsvCNb3hNy_vVYcT0KL0I2kUtiGxyQ4VYdLpzVCOZ-YvZm5DRXMw1QQN72HPq4UlEzKOJRFm1qwBTgcnG8AS4rrtsX0jkecqQR3xqYI0zBjzaNs9dw/s495/image+cleanser.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="147" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrebsRPP5Fut_eM2GGa8nUF9n07FZsvCNb3hNy_vVYcT0KL0I2kUtiGxyQ4VYdLpzVCOZ-YvZm5DRXMw1QQN72HPq4UlEzKOJRFm1qwBTgcnG8AS4rrtsX0jkecqQR3xqYI0zBjzaNs9dw/w59-h200/image+cleanser.jpg" width="59" /></a></div>Once a week, I try to <b>exfoliate </b>with this <a href="https://www.imageskincare.co.uk/ageless-total-facial-cleanser" target="_blank">glycolic acid cleanser from Image</a>. Don't use<br />those abrasive exfoliants on your face! Back in the day, we used that apricot scrub,<br />which felt amazing, but as you get older, your skin is much more delicate and it can<br />wreak havoc. So you're better off using a chemical exfoliant. I massage it into my<br />face dry for exactly one minute, then rinse off with a cloth. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to my moisturiser, I alternate a few serums, which I use depending on what my skin is doing, the weather, and my plans for the day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because I have dry skin, I often use <b>hyaluronic acid serum </b>right after I wash my face. You want to always use hyaluronic acid when your skin is freshly hydrated (in other words, after it's just been wet). If you want to use it but haven't just come out of the shower, you can splash or spray your face with water, dab it dry, and slap some on. I use <a href="https://www.boots.ie/the-ordinary-hyaluronic-acid-2b5-10267780" target="_blank">The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid + B5 </a>because it's cheap and cheerful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm prone to hormone-related breakouts along my jawline and hairline, so I like to use a couple of products that keep these at bay and clear things up if I happen to get a couple of spots. They're both from The Ordinary: <a href="https://theordinary.deciem.com/ie/mas-rdn-niacinamide-10pct-zinc-1pct.html" target="_blank">Niacinamide & Zinc Serum </a>and <a href="https://theordinary.deciem.com/ie/rdn-azelaic-acid-suspension-10pct-30ml.html" target="_blank">Azaleic Acid Suspension</a>. (The latter does contain silicone and has been harder to find in Dublin.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LcOmE9IJaMnrZTCSeQUF77JkdxkH2DiV3bRD9KaHBHIEWlTu6yn2q_DfmZTMLlGe1txoL-S_VQ-onIAzXzaab3hMsJ9tK1PykuQx7A56tC6eFiHZAgyeoKrS3PlbRhvSxR4jnOzHQXj3/s532/niacinimide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="193" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LcOmE9IJaMnrZTCSeQUF77JkdxkH2DiV3bRD9KaHBHIEWlTu6yn2q_DfmZTMLlGe1txoL-S_VQ-onIAzXzaab3hMsJ9tK1PykuQx7A56tC6eFiHZAgyeoKrS3PlbRhvSxR4jnOzHQXj3/w73-h200/niacinimide.jpg" width="73" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQOR3ZPtBTDYGuhHkQY7Nt6hp7_NG16M79HJPyHey53B5lqhjackiwO10P92kMz5k_9sIGDNY_VeCPtMcG4v6_3iGpg4Q62lqFB2grul5K0Wao2Kl8krjP3u-bNV2mC-5Fb8gYKH-pFoH/s400/rdn-azelaic-acid-suspension-10pct-30ml.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQOR3ZPtBTDYGuhHkQY7Nt6hp7_NG16M79HJPyHey53B5lqhjackiwO10P92kMz5k_9sIGDNY_VeCPtMcG4v6_3iGpg4Q62lqFB2grul5K0Wao2Kl8krjP3u-bNV2mC-5Fb8gYKH-pFoH/w200-h200/rdn-azelaic-acid-suspension-10pct-30ml.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lately, I've been trying to give my under-eyes some love and attention, so I've been using these two products: <a href="https://theordinary.deciem.com/ie/mas-rdn-caffeine-solution-5pct-egcg.html" target="_blank">The Ordinary Caffeine Solution</a> and <a href="https://www.boots.ie/cerave-eye-repair-cream-14ml-10258274?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhP2BBhDdARIsAJEzXlHOuHJuqM_u9l4nSrICYLWHKxFO7d6jc8vYp_Kc-7FrFoht9wHKN9IaAtx_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">CeraVe Reparative Eye Cream</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HdhI6exO9Ii9siHaRrCBlur_HDJABT7OUfDAxEi-a1vlZMSiGeJABtY70fLjP8jXyR7geqs84IbF6C6NIon8AAkFt6sJViTd4QIusCg5rDwKXkjty4DIhPpYT06G83BjXTxdkVYQnMTd/s400/rdn-caffeine-solution-5pct-egcg-30ml.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HdhI6exO9Ii9siHaRrCBlur_HDJABT7OUfDAxEi-a1vlZMSiGeJABtY70fLjP8jXyR7geqs84IbF6C6NIon8AAkFt6sJViTd4QIusCg5rDwKXkjty4DIhPpYT06G83BjXTxdkVYQnMTd/w200-h200/rdn-caffeine-solution-5pct-egcg-30ml.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqTbkv1zWKM_RkzBPxAiir3qNcDN39BlJLyICWpsfkA_LFeqwpGizbLcBwtWRihxcEBuNDbcNbUuHC3h19ANdxq7LrPC8HqA7e9U3cm-GXt9E-zu-abOgn8JndjNSKUBHtUsmFERQw5e2/s541/cerave.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqTbkv1zWKM_RkzBPxAiir3qNcDN39BlJLyICWpsfkA_LFeqwpGizbLcBwtWRihxcEBuNDbcNbUuHC3h19ANdxq7LrPC8HqA7e9U3cm-GXt9E-zu-abOgn8JndjNSKUBHtUsmFERQw5e2/w113-h200/cerave.jpg" width="113" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And finally, a few nights a week, I like to use a couple of oils. To combat wrinkles, I use <a href="https://theordinary.deciem.com/ie/mas-rdn-retinol-1pct-in-squalane.html" target="_blank">The Ordinary Retinol Serum</a> and then I like to use a roll-on rose hip oil around my mouth and eyes just to keep things soft and supple.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qYeHmdIGke5uIAGwQ7Cft02xufOG0y-WQxEuQtMl6TJhyuWqnzaRmlrEIrv8AeRdfhKkqG5aFHaiAD22pZCmw0kv6hWc45c4-YDiMDXM6zGsWTXrJ88F9KesTpNhsqHfN5XytwMQz8cK/s400/rdn-retinol-1pct-in-squalane-30ml.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qYeHmdIGke5uIAGwQ7Cft02xufOG0y-WQxEuQtMl6TJhyuWqnzaRmlrEIrv8AeRdfhKkqG5aFHaiAD22pZCmw0kv6hWc45c4-YDiMDXM6zGsWTXrJ88F9KesTpNhsqHfN5XytwMQz8cK/w200-h200/rdn-retinol-1pct-in-squalane-30ml.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmD7XjSe-1-9ACFw47xHRHhgyGd_vNldHgZTQ8SLDERKb64BpjTwjGCK0LagnbHQnPYyTLL6QVauG5Jd82Omh3SUBV5MdHk2DwEJJ3yLK5fYpaSyiAmBulYUHBQpS0msOPhz71T-j21TGq/s303/rosehip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="94" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmD7XjSe-1-9ACFw47xHRHhgyGd_vNldHgZTQ8SLDERKb64BpjTwjGCK0LagnbHQnPYyTLL6QVauG5Jd82Omh3SUBV5MdHk2DwEJJ3yLK5fYpaSyiAmBulYUHBQpS0msOPhz71T-j21TGq/w62-h200/rosehip.jpg" width="62" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before I close, I want to add one last product, which is somewhere between skincare and makeup. <a href="https://www.glossier.com/products/futuredew" target="_blank">Glossier's Futuredew</a> is an oil serum hybrid that gives my skin an amazing glow on days when I just want to look more polished. It's very subtle and I love the way it looks.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrTqYybmQy9dvHIhyphenhyphenphKshJ37GJvdZfm9G018waOH2iuCAhis3F5DKy_AzZmn3EzYiHDDNO0s8inpqWNvqzywSNS6sUu15LmmL-fWi_u7P1snBVyfkNAABwt3TI4ofxKq4S-C0RSYTtdH/s525/futuredew.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="436" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrTqYybmQy9dvHIhyphenhyphenphKshJ37GJvdZfm9G018waOH2iuCAhis3F5DKy_AzZmn3EzYiHDDNO0s8inpqWNvqzywSNS6sUu15LmmL-fWi_u7P1snBVyfkNAABwt3TI4ofxKq4S-C0RSYTtdH/w166-h200/futuredew.jpg" width="166" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What are your favourite skincare products? Is there something you think I should try? Tell me about it!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://acure.com/media/catalog/product/cache/c687aa7517cf01e65c009f6943c2b1e9/s/o/soothingcleansingcream.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div></div></div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-20754736004448740662020-09-22T02:14:00.003-07:002020-09-22T02:15:41.207-07:00Bedroom refresh: the big reveal!<p> Back in February, anticipating having to spend a lot more time in my bedroom, I posted <a href="http://thinkofmeoften.blogspot.com/2020/02/making-plans-for-bedroom-refresh.html" target="_blank">plans for a little bedroom spruce-up</a>. And for the past seven months or so, I've been slowly working away at it. The pandemic put a bit of a monkey wrench in my plans at the start, since IKEA was closed and they weren't delivering large items. And then building the cabinets, attaching the legs, securing everything to the wall, painting, organising the insides, and sealing the finish was a pretty long process. All worth it, I think! </p><p>First, the desk area:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_u_PVKp80nqatSk1-_l41ITh28EFYevmHnUxg5b2Jj8sB0Zg2EBWT4LfvBVvx39GWPRG9posbMTaOCd3w2ai52JQ-Ni9PasH7sq8Eg7BZmYgVA-q8mHtQw3GldONcDAmxsH4biLq3g9t5/s2048/AB2DC124-A518-4BB1-8D64-890B39449542.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_u_PVKp80nqatSk1-_l41ITh28EFYevmHnUxg5b2Jj8sB0Zg2EBWT4LfvBVvx39GWPRG9posbMTaOCd3w2ai52JQ-Ni9PasH7sq8Eg7BZmYgVA-q8mHtQw3GldONcDAmxsH4biLq3g9t5/s320/AB2DC124-A518-4BB1-8D64-890B39449542.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgLapPm-OtW9KbnTLUFaFIaolGylSuocfTqVNYtklbk1u8d4riDKrJ2P0NktPGGJQwhMexKZaRjSBQypumUqNPW31bMMZebFQflQmzBah95bSOo-g3HlIk0akB64CMmsYQ87oqj17vEpz/s2048/bedroom1.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgLapPm-OtW9KbnTLUFaFIaolGylSuocfTqVNYtklbk1u8d4riDKrJ2P0NktPGGJQwhMexKZaRjSBQypumUqNPW31bMMZebFQflQmzBah95bSOo-g3HlIk0akB64CMmsYQ87oqj17vEpz/s320/bedroom1.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I finally managed to get into an IKEA and buy the IVAR cabinets I needed. I bought legs online. Here's how it looks with the doors closed:</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtUEffJ9gGQvy_yBnP66asud74lTFfPcFdeEyiA8PQ-TIhSWcSjTieX8u6gNZFg6WCvNGmNPpn0JDlV55kVmHhbivfv32wmz46aUM-PnQQRVI_9XgxtRYcB7ftKlV_LTGe_gNy2hUKr0y/s2048/C3E55829-E975-46B9-9A5C-9623207EE16E.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtUEffJ9gGQvy_yBnP66asud74lTFfPcFdeEyiA8PQ-TIhSWcSjTieX8u6gNZFg6WCvNGmNPpn0JDlV55kVmHhbivfv32wmz46aUM-PnQQRVI_9XgxtRYcB7ftKlV_LTGe_gNy2hUKr0y/s320/C3E55829-E975-46B9-9A5C-9623207EE16E.jpeg" /></a> </td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr></tbody></table> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK8zPVHPIvsw0qxSxktH51jByL-VacjgdKZ9-Oyj7VXxHmLPWgJa6NMGVae2k8HpVLBFC9L7137QvL3foDo-UURYd5cgQIX1Bnfchid_dOuD18w2YzxGC3eJhCwpjfo3TsGwjRJEqNNQ_/s2048/bedroom2.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK8zPVHPIvsw0qxSxktH51jByL-VacjgdKZ9-Oyj7VXxHmLPWgJa6NMGVae2k8HpVLBFC9L7137QvL3foDo-UURYd5cgQIX1Bnfchid_dOuD18w2YzxGC3eJhCwpjfo3TsGwjRJEqNNQ_/s320/bedroom2.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Inside, I created a vanity area on the left and shoe storage on the right. I placed the extension lead where the TV, DVD player, Dyson, and vanity light plug in underneath so I could access all the plugs. I left one for my hairdryer, which is stored in that picnic basket up above :)</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFIfPrHtagv5qf-aPCg0o9skP7AQVjXbj6I5-0nW6ixW-JeujHp21UjpZdC55kW0MdmerbYDJ7X2B3FjGoD-BOCNMlFPLGAHpn8XEM6xsPY0EKFddcTUP71VJty9OVXxh-GodiK2fKhvs/s960/bedroom7.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFIfPrHtagv5qf-aPCg0o9skP7AQVjXbj6I5-0nW6ixW-JeujHp21UjpZdC55kW0MdmerbYDJ7X2B3FjGoD-BOCNMlFPLGAHpn8XEM6xsPY0EKFddcTUP71VJty9OVXxh-GodiK2fKhvs/s320/bedroom7.jpg" /></a> </td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanity<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj829obRe2FSElin6b16H82bjloOOuE_PRCo9PsHemojYljTSWbzH3O8iibNuRI1UVQokonF_b890JEeuP4h8LHjs8FGQREnmHnvRqXdB329ulH8NouWih8vTCb6Y4KbphsyJbjBGmVef0d/s960/bedroom8.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj829obRe2FSElin6b16H82bjloOOuE_PRCo9PsHemojYljTSWbzH3O8iibNuRI1UVQokonF_b890JEeuP4h8LHjs8FGQREnmHnvRqXdB329ulH8NouWih8vTCb6Y4KbphsyJbjBGmVef0d/s320/bedroom8.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidden Shoe Storage<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I did a slight whitewash treatment to the upper cabinets to get rid of the yellow tone of the pine wood and added copper knobs. As you can see, I painted the lower half of the wall to match the cabinets, and extended it around the corner and painted the laundry basket and stool to match (sadly, I couldn't paint the Dyson air purifier, or else I would have!).</div><div><br /></div><div>I decided to give the bland white wardrobe a bit of an update, and covered it in wallpaper to coordinate with the walls and cabinets. I used double stick tape layered over masking tape, so everything is completely reversible if I ever get sick of it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaRMad428tu5vh-iHBGXN4N2tzeDpknxd2Y_LxgFU3GdMPDuRMiVNi1mCUK9r6OFQHTrgO5KGIQHsquYXDSHKk0-MxV-FBX5Z1vaI8Gb15DDqzHiPZ-oV9wSvKuwQyLRW5wJFLPgENO53/s960/bedroom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaRMad428tu5vh-iHBGXN4N2tzeDpknxd2Y_LxgFU3GdMPDuRMiVNi1mCUK9r6OFQHTrgO5KGIQHsquYXDSHKk0-MxV-FBX5Z1vaI8Gb15DDqzHiPZ-oV9wSvKuwQyLRW5wJFLPgENO53/s320/bedroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And finally, the bed area got a makeover, though I did change my plans and decided that a shiplap wall would be expensive and time consuming, not to mention a two-man job. First, I bought myself a <a href="https://kavehome.com/en/en/headboards/natural-lalita-headboard-170-x-120-cm" target="_blank">new headboard</a>, which made a huge difference straight away. I painted behind the headboard a terracotta colour and then decided to top it with a little archway for the drawing up above. I thought I might run a little shelf across, but I might just keep it simple and leave it like this. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The old black Billy bookcases got covered in wallpaper to brighten them up a bit, and the base of the bed got covered in faux grasscloth peel and stick wallpaper. Voila!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UsvaZQc8WUoCsPCoFtJqfQNFguqhWmS9CA8wsBIPMHEjpK59J8bZc2eKjPA4PG5Lout3m3w6oH7qtq_kSSpAShYzuoFxsb56nqGSk2RDPq53o7-SzyCKSeirx5fePtsPylVwDe2OZVXG/s2048/78FC0135-FD05-4CAE-AD77-7E5BBEFB51A8.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UsvaZQc8WUoCsPCoFtJqfQNFguqhWmS9CA8wsBIPMHEjpK59J8bZc2eKjPA4PG5Lout3m3w6oH7qtq_kSSpAShYzuoFxsb56nqGSk2RDPq53o7-SzyCKSeirx5fePtsPylVwDe2OZVXG/s320/78FC0135-FD05-4CAE-AD77-7E5BBEFB51A8.jpeg" /></a> </td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzBCrzrpFU7skwnVmCAnN__IvGkgolkO7N12rh7RrJUYZBF2b06yP6d5-CS6DuH3uuNTMZro-hZ7mdIQj1ZHvaN8_xzmriCQxSpbqwbgszdYCChueOD3rn0vqEibIdrSQ6c-cAtHr5TvT/s2048/bedroom4.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzBCrzrpFU7skwnVmCAnN__IvGkgolkO7N12rh7RrJUYZBF2b06yP6d5-CS6DuH3uuNTMZro-hZ7mdIQj1ZHvaN8_xzmriCQxSpbqwbgszdYCChueOD3rn0vqEibIdrSQ6c-cAtHr5TvT/s320/bedroom4.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ0m2t_7NF9QBvDx6Bz33NEqsIgX3T1ZgIn1dDLN6aRBT3YXLzPKCGa_tng-9aGckbFmDIgAX_rnTqOAyRCf-mx-5ZfuwYp5S07h40TDjNtqkZCFEpZt6uz6OO69H13slDNdKThfs5Vwj/s2048/bedroom5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ0m2t_7NF9QBvDx6Bz33NEqsIgX3T1ZgIn1dDLN6aRBT3YXLzPKCGa_tng-9aGckbFmDIgAX_rnTqOAyRCf-mx-5ZfuwYp5S07h40TDjNtqkZCFEpZt6uz6OO69H13slDNdKThfs5Vwj/s320/bedroom5.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, there are still some details left, such as a new rug and a makeover for the other wardrobe. Overall, I'm very pleased with how it came out, and I was able to do some reorganising and clearing out at the same time, so this can truly be a peaceful space to spend my days...and nights!</div><br /><div><br /></div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-20714499756000631052020-07-24T09:16:00.000-07:002020-07-24T09:16:04.967-07:00How I lost weight (content warning: this post is about weight loss)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago about how I was attempting to lose weight. Now, I am a mere 300 grams shy of having lost 10 kilograms (i.e. 22 pounds or 1.5 stone) since the beginning of May (just over 11 weeks), which is a reasonable amount of time. In the past, I've tried all kinds of diets and programmes for both health and weight loss, including the Whole 30 diet, Weight Watchers, and plain old calorie counting. About seven years ago, I lost a stone on Weight Watchers, but I remember it being really hard and I was constantly referring to booklets and charts to find points, not to mention that my memory of it is just a constant feeling of being hungry.<br />
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Other times when I tried simple calorie counting, I just didn't lose weight and stopped trying. I heard that Weight Watchers had yet another new system and was interested, but then the pandemic happened and it's actually rather difficult to figure out how to do the online WW. That's when I decided to try something new.<br />
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I bought my first Fitbit five years ago because my siblings all had one and were competing for steps against one another, and I wanted in on the fun. Once I kicked all their butts, I stopped for a while, then started back up again, but lost the dang thing so I bought a new one in the same price range (the Inspire HR, about 100 euro) and was surprised to find that the new one did a lot more stuff than the old one!<br />
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Since I was already doing a lot of exercise, I knew that I would need to change my eating habits if I wanted to lose weight, or to be more precise, be smaller. But honestly I just didn't want to have to do a lot of mental work or futzing around. I decided to give into the marketing ads and try Fitbit Premium, especially since there was a free three-month trial.<br />
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I set a weight goal for myself, and then I told the Fitbit app how hard I wanted the weight loss process to be; the harder it is, the more weight you lose. The choices (with calorie deficits in parenthesis) were Easier (-250), Medium (-500), Kinda hard (-750), and Harder (-1,000). I went with 'Kinda hard' because I am only five feet, one inch tall and I think a 1,000 calorie daily deficit would be detrimental to my health, physical and mental.<br />
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Here's where it gets interesting. Obviously, you wear the Fitbit all day and it monitors your steps and heart rate. Based on your information, it calculates how many calories you are burning throughout the day. When you eat, you enter it into the app. Most foods are in their database, but you can add custom foods. The app constantly updates and tells you how many calories you have left to stay within your daily allotment, so you don't have to do any maths or think about it too much -- you just enter in what you ate. On more active days, you can eat more; if you are less active, you can eat less.<br />
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I can eat whatever I want as long as I have burned the calories. And I know this sounds like one of those weight loss ads, but for me it's really important. If I want to eat more, I just have to exercise more, and that can take many forms. For me, it's usually running, walking, or cycling. You'd be surprised how many calories you can burn in a short amount of time. I've literally wanted to eat something, looked at my Fitbit, and then walked around the block so I could have it.<br />
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Having said that, there are some foods that have really gotten me through, which I'll share with you:<br />
1. Slimbos or Slimbos-style buns. They are about 100 calories and I have one every morning for breakfast. They're also great in place of regular burger buns.<br />
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2. Eating a protein-heavy breakfast. I generally have two eggs and a Slimbo for breakfast at 8:30am every day and then I don't eat again until 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. As a person with dodgy blood sugar issues, those two eggs keep me from getting the shakes later on.<br />
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3. Feeding cravings with vegetables or fruit first, then deciding whether I really need the thing I'm craving. If I'm feeling like I need something, I might slice up a courgette and sautee it in some spray oil and garlic or eat a sliced tomato with pepper and salt, then evaluate whether I still need the thing my brain told me I wanted. Usually the answer is no. Basically, 80% of my diet consists of vegetables now.<br />
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4. Some fruits are surprisingly low in calories compared to others. I've been eating a lot of mangos, but some melons are crazy low in calories. I've never been a huge chocolate fan, so for me, if I'm craving something sweet, something fruity will usually do me. But having to enter in calories for my food has made me aware that, for example, 100g of fresh pineapple is about 100 calories, 100g of fresh mango is only 60, but 100g of gaia melon is only 25. If I'm cutting it tight at the end of the day and it's there, I'll go for the melon.<br />
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5. A little of something is usually enough. Before, I'd just eat past the point of full, regardless of what it was. Now, I've realised that a mini ice cream gets me over the craving hump as well as a full-sized one.<br />
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6. Alcohol not only makes me hungry, but as my inhibitions fall, so does my willpower. Over the past three months, nearly every day I've gone over my calorie budget involved alcohol, and not just the alcohol itself, but the fact that after a couple of drinks I want to eat everything in sight. Just something I have been trying to overcome and have no solution for, but consider yourself warned.<br />
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7. Speaking of alcohol, some are more caloric than others. I love the new hard seltzers that you can get now because they're only about 100 calories per can. But equally, I have found that I'm just as happy with gin and seltzer with lemon or lime and it's a lot cheaper. Being mindful of my calories has made me more mindful of my drinking, which, to be honest, I needed. Turns out, it doesn't solve life's problems and when I drink less, I enjoy it more when I do.<br />
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8. Shirataki noodles have been a great discovery! They are glassy noodles that you can get in the asian food shop and they are ridiculously low in calories. You can nearly bulk buy them because they keep for a long time, which is nice.<br />
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9. I used to be a 'full fat or gtfo' kind of person. But yes, now I eat low fat cheese slices and low fat Greek yogurt. It's not always a big difference, but sometimes it really is. Once I'm at my goal weight and not working with a 750 calorie deficit every day, I'll probably go back to full fat. Or maybe I won't.<br />
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And that's the thing. I've been amazed at how used to all of this I've become. Eating less food means I don't need to eat as much food. Often, I don't even use up my calories because at a certain point I can now ask myself WHY I want the thing and I know that if I just hold off, I will likely forget about it and then my brain moves on to something else. Or I just don't miss things I used to have all the time. For example, I used to put a tonne of butter on my toast. Now, I use either 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon per slice and I don't eat my toast wishing it had more butter on it. I just don't.<br />
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But the bottom line for me is the way that the Fitbit allows me to easily see my intake and output so that I can plan my food (or my exercise). And that makes me feel like I have complete control and that I can eat whatever I want if I'm organised about it.<br />
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The thing that's made the biggest difference in terms of seeing changes in my body has been adhering to a strict exercise schedule. Monday to Friday at lunchtime, I exercise. That's my time for me that I carve out (unless something unusual is going on that day). I started doing strength training sometimes at lunch and then going for a run in the evenings after work, which means I can run for longer. But unless I'm sick, I exercise, and even if I'm sick, I'll usually at least be able for a walk. It has become habit and I'm enjoying how much better at it I'm getting. Over the past three months, I have gone from week 1 of the couch to 5k to being able to run nearly 7 kilometres without stopping. I can feel myself getting stronger. My mental health has vastly improved and I'm getting more fresh air and sunshine. It sounds really cliché but I do have so much more energy and when I'm tired, it feels like a physical tiredness, not a mental one like I used to have.<br />
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I will say this, though. I'm very privileged to have been able to purchase a good quality used treadmill when we moved into our house. Living in Ireland (especially when I was under strict quarantine) means it rains a lot and going outside to exercise is often not appealing. Gyms are expensive and for me they are a big time suck, having to pack the bag and futz with toiletries and lockers. Having a treadmill in my house means I can pop a film, podcast, tv programme, etc on my phone and take a run or walk at any hour of the day.<br />
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But you don't need a treadmill or really any equipment to exercise in your home. I regularly use youtube for strength training workouts, ballet classes, yoga, and cardio workouts in my living room for free. No equipment needed!<br />
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A lot of people limit carbs or go high protein, eliminate certain foods or drinks and all of that, but I am just too lazy for that shit and I like being able to eat whatever I want. I like that I can change the setting from 'Kinda hard' to 'Easy' any time. I like that I don't have to think about points or nutritional value or anything about the food -- just how many calories it has. And if I eat more than the app tells me I can once in a while, it is honestly not the end of the world. Before, when I overate, the guilt just piled up from the days and weeks before. Now, I don't panic and I just try to take a couple of extra walks in the following days. My total goal is two stone, and I'm 3/4 of the way there. These last few pounds are not going to melt off as easily as the first 20, but it's ok because I know that if I just do my best, I'll get there eventually.<br />
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I have no idea if this is at all helpful. I'm happy to answer any questions if there's anything anyone wants to know. </div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-11946631196560209252020-05-26T09:43:00.001-07:002020-07-24T01:48:39.860-07:00Thoughts on losing weight (Content warning)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Content warning: Weight loss, body shaming, etc.<br />
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Apart from my short stature (5'1"), my physical person has always been decidedly average, which is perfectly ok with me. I was never the prettiest, the fastest, the thinnest, or the most graceful person in school. I was both a tomboy who played in the dirt, ran around fields, woods and streams, caught frogs and other unfortunate reptiles and insects, and a girlie girl who danced ballet at least three days a week for ten years. I wasn't much for contact sports, but on any spring, summer, or autumn day you might have found me playing tennis in the condo complex we lived in, or racquetball with my dad, and when I wasn't playing tennis, I was swimming my heart out in the neighborhood pool, cycling around the complex, or rollerskating. In winter, I was an avid skier. Later, I took up running, made trails in the woods with a weed-wacker and a hatchet for fun, and my friends and I tried to learn volleyball (we sucked).<br />
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My point is, I was always a physically active person growing up. But at the same time, I always thought I was fat.<br />
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When I was about five years old, my mother was helping me get dressed and she stopped, in horror. "You have cellulite on your stomach!" she said.<br />
"What's cellulite?" I asked. She grabbed the layer of fat on my stomach, and I could see little dips in my skin.<br />
"That!" she said, appalled. I didn't know what it meant or why I had it. But I sure knew from that moment that I should be ashamed of it. And I was, sadly. This was the late 70s -- the era of thin and slim. Like a lot of girls, I remember trying to diet when my age was still in the single digits, reading women's magazines to get the inside scoop on shedding pounds.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnH4R5-QRGZ9bRkX0mr6G6kN3Tj9QTZGh5t4vForsSyjEyhY5BMv3xEzKEetOGnDal6b7cyomTeNUZ6DgUsoNldYi4qNfGBGPCF_vN0F9w6hGpatyaArQBK3Fw0AP69uu0djKO7Nz-UI7/s1600/ballet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1027" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnH4R5-QRGZ9bRkX0mr6G6kN3Tj9QTZGh5t4vForsSyjEyhY5BMv3xEzKEetOGnDal6b7cyomTeNUZ6DgUsoNldYi4qNfGBGPCF_vN0F9w6hGpatyaArQBK3Fw0AP69uu0djKO7Nz-UI7/s320/ballet.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was already dieting when this photo was taken.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love my mom and I know she herself has battled the same issues, as did her mother. She lives under the foot of patriarchy that oppresses all of us. When she brought me to nutritionist appointments to talk about how I could lose weight, I wanted to go. I wanted answers. I wanted the magical formula that would make me thin. Except...<br />
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I was thin. </div>
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The problem with an eating disorder mindset like the one my mother and the majority of women are raised on is that you are never thin enough. (Or, if you are thin enough, then the threat of regaining the weight is a constant threat, hovering over you at all times.) So for nearly five decades, I have lived with a constant, inescapable feeling that I cannot be happy with my appearance. Ever. Because there's always a few more pounds to lose. </div>
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Finding feminism taught me other ways of thinking about women's bodies. Punk taught me about alternative aesthetics. Riot Grrrls showed me that fat can be cool as fuck. It's been a very slow and gradual process, but I see so much beauty in bodies of all types. Genuinely.</div>
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Me? When I look in the mirror, all of that insight and inspiration instantly vanishes. Above a certain size, my self-confidence shuts down. I analyze every photo. I stop thinking of myself as a sexual being. I stop thinking anything positive about myself. If someone tells me I look nice, I cringe and I definitely don't believe them. I can only think of that unattainable body I'm not living in, the 'real' me that I could be if I weren't so shit. I look at photos taken when I was thinner and hate myself even more.<br />
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Add to that, in my late forties, my aging face, the sagging areas of my body that never sagged before. The fact that my metabolism has slowed. My hair isn't as thick and shiny as it was. I have melasma around my eyes. The list is long.<br />
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This is not a unique story. Lots of women reading this will probably be thinking, "Yep. Same. What's your point?" In a recent Zoom call, I told some school friends that I'd gained 30 pounds (over 2 stone/13.6 kilos) over the past couple of years. The announcement was met with a sad, awkward, pitiful silence until I added hopefully that I was trying to lose it.<br />
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I'm trying to untangle about three issues all at once, I think, so please bear with me.<br />
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Genetically speaking, I'm not prone to thinness. Culturally speaking, I was raised on large portions and convenient junk food. While my mom was taking me to the nutritionist, our presses were stuffed with sugared cereals, mac and cheese, sugar sodas, all manner of cakes, several varieties of crisps, double stuff oreos -- you name it. So for my entire life, I've had to wrestle with an extreme push and pull, fighting the starve and purge cycle and the control/shame cycle it comes with.<br />
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At a certain point, I said fuck that. I tried to be more relaxed about food and really ditch food guilt. If I'm going to eat, I decided, I refuse to tarnish the amazing experience of eating with shame. Who wants to look back on a party where you had a great time with friends and take away from a lovely event by thinking, "I was bad for eating so much cheese, though." Then your mind pushes the dancing, the chats, the feeling of connection to the back and the food guilt obscures those memories. Instead, I taught myself to say, "I had such a good time, and the cheese was so amazing, I couldn't stop eating it." I try to replace the shame with gratitude. I mean, how lucky that I can eat loads of cheese! What a fucking great thing! Once I took that power away from food, I stopped having as much of an emotional connection to it. I felt more free.<br />
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Losing food guilt has not made me feel better about my body, however. And not being a person who turns to food for comfort doesn't mean I don't consume more calories than I burn. But I really thought it would be easier to change how I felt about my body than it would be to lose weight.<br />
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Trying to juggle a job with a long commute, full-on pro-choice activism (and some other activism on the side), renovating a house on a tight budget (ie, not being able to hire builders) and coping with the illness and deaths of my in-laws took its toll on me, starting roughly in the summer of 2016. I barely made it through each milestone, but I survived. We moved into the house. We won the referendum. Eventually, I bowed out of activism. The fallout from my in-laws' deaths became more bearable. But I still struggled to process everything that happened. So I fell into a pattern of work, dinner, couch, bed. Near daily drinking. Lots of snacks. Hiding. Not feeling motivated to change. Thinking about everything I should have done differently. Wishing my life were different. Wishing I was different.<br />
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But if we want things to change, we have to do something differently. And eventually, I started the process of repairing myself. I got a new job working with really lovely people in a much better location and working from home three days a week (currently 5 days, of course). I started running again, in stops and starts (mostly due to illness). I started to want to reconnect with people again. I started to forgive myself for not being perfect. Gratitude started creeping back in. I started to feel gradually better, like I was emerging from a shell, even though I hadn't lost any weight.<br />
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If you think I'm going to say that I felt better about my body, you're wrong. I still looked in the mirror and shuddered. For a month, I went running five days a week and my jeans were just as tight. I weighed myself and that's when I realised that at some point in the course of four years, I'd put on over two stone.<br />
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It turns out that for me, it's easier to lose weight than accept and love my body the way it was. I hate saying that. I hate that it's true. Accepting myself at 160 pounds was an impossible burden that I could not carry. And I am well aware that 160 pounds at 5'1" is not huge.<br />
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After three weeks of using my fitbit to calculate my calorie intake/output, I've lost over half a stone (8 pounds/3.8kg). While I'm not starving myself, I am walking that fine line between having a plan and having an obsession. I find myself looking at the calorie tracker, watching to see if the available calories went up. I am never over, always under. I resist the urge to weigh myself more than once a week. I resist the urge to starve myself. Still, I resist the urge to eat cheese.<br />
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I have failed. Fat phobia won. All the programming of patriarchy and women's magazines and, you know, everything, was more powerful than my feminism, when it came to how I feel about my own body. Other people can be beautiful at any size, but not me. I'm not allowed. It would require a level of re-programming I'm not capable of when I look at myself. So here I am, trying to walk the line without falling over a precipice. I just hope that this time, I can find some point of satisfaction because my body (like everyone's) is aging and I want to experience what it's like to love my body while I can still use it. I don't want to look back on a life of self-hatred.</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-82435745292658202462020-04-08T14:37:00.003-07:002020-04-08T14:37:55.487-07:00I have a chronic case of the runs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm grateful to say that I had a happy and active 70s and 80s childhood, full of bike rides, rollerskating, swimming, tennis, skiing, and various other kid hijinx. I also fell in love with ballet from my first lesson at age three and danced up to four times a week for nearly a decade.<br />
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But running without stopping on purpose? No thank you. In fact, I didn't know I had asthma until I had to run a mile for the Presidential fitness test in junior high school. I remember crying as I finished the last lap around the track.<br />
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Then, one day a couple of years later I decided to just try again. Just to see. With no one watching, no one to see me fail, I managed to run exactly one mile. Well fuck, I thought, may as well join the track team. I loved being on the team, but I hated the meets. I dreaded them so much that I only went to two of them and I came in dead last both times. But running through the trails in the woods behind the school was idyllic. Perfect. Peaceful, yet exhilarating.<br />
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I have been an irregularly regular runner for over 30 years. Even though I'm not particularly great at it, I just enjoy the fact that I can do it. That no matter how long I go without doing it, it doesn't take long to get back in the swing.<br />
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Running isn't a great way to lose weight, for me, anyway. It's kind of crap for that, for whatever reason.<br />
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For the last ten years, however, I run for one reason and one reason only: to remind myself that I'm alive. Is it the only or even the best way to feel alive? Nah, of course not. I don't have any lack of gratitude for the fact that I'm relatively young and healthy. But having watched three people say their last good-byes in recent years, going for a run is my way of fully experiencing my body. Being able to run for 5 or 10k doesn't mean I have a long life ahead of me -- I'm not dumb. Anything can happen.<br />
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What I'm trying to say is narcissistic and also cliché. I'm not sure why I'm even writing this down. But I have noticed that over the past couple of weeks, running has been there for me, just as it always has been. Every time I run, I feel everything else melt away. I feel in control. I feel intense gratitude. Addictive gratitude. It's like my favourite song, 'Monument' by Mirah: "If you feel an emptiness, if you want to hide, think about the blood that's pumping, keeping you alive."<br />
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When I run, it's a huge 'fuck you' to every other problem in my life. A 'fuck you' to death. A 'fuck you' to age. A 'fuck you' to my future, when, I'm sure, at some stage, I'll have to give it up. But until then, I'm going to do it because I can.<br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-55182134762545311542020-03-28T11:13:00.003-07:002020-03-29T09:20:42.745-07:00Angela's TOP TEN home decor-related content creators<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get sick of watching regular TV shows and films. And spending so much time inside my house means I'm lookin' around, thinking about making some changes. Ok, so I'm like that pretty much all the time, even when the country isn't on lockdown. That's why I follow approximately ONE MILLION Youtube channels.<br />
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Don't have a house? No problem! You don't need a house of your own to enjoy home improvement content, first, because it is SO relaxing and SO gratifying to watch but secondly because a lot of the content is renter-friendly. Can we go to the hardware store for supplies right now? No. Can we order what we need online? Maybe. But does that have to keep us from dreaming of having a nicer space? HELL NO!<br />
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Right now, the amount of content out there is overwhelming, and who has time to weed through it all to get to the good stuff? Here's where I come in! I've done it so you don't have to!<br />
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1. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/danielkanter/" target="_blank">Daniel Kanter</a> aka <a href="https://manhattan-nest.com/" target="_blank">Manhattan Nest</a> (Instagram and blog, respectively)</h3>
I've been following Daniel since 2010 when he first started as a student, renting a small apartment in New York and then a second place in Brooklyn. The transformations he accomplished on a tight budget in a small space are impressively inventive. And then he reversed everything when he moved out! But then, THEN he bought a lovely fixer-upper in upstate New York. THEN he bought another fixer-upper down the street. And he does freelance projects also!<br />
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Recently Daniel started ramping up his Instagram activity and LET ME TELL YOU - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/danielkanter/" target="_blank">His Instagram stories</a> are everything: funny, interactive, informative, and so, so, soooooo gratifying. I know you'll love him as much as I do. But we warned: his Instastories are ADDICTIVE. You <b>will</b> be checking in every few hours to see how he's getting on. You <b>will</b> literally long to watch paint dry, and you'll love it. And for the dog lovers, he has two rescue dogs that feature prominently!<br />
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2. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVK2t-ttSjXHnGejDvVm1g" target="_blank">Dashner Design and Restoration Youtube channel</a></h3>
This.... guy -- I don't even know what his name is or what his face looks like -- has one of the most soothing, comforting voices of all time. Based in Minneapolis, he restores (mostly) mid-century furniture that he gets from secondhand shops. He also has an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dashner_design/" target="_blank">Instagram account</a>, but for me, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVK2t-ttSjXHnGejDvVm1g" target="_blank">Youtube channel</a> is where it's at. You'd think that watching someone strip finish off furniture narrated in a semi-monotone voice would be boring, but it's anything but! We watch his videos in an absolutely entranced state.<br />
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3. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrh9tOpAY2-Ev5pRssXq2Wg" target="_blank">Alexandra Gater's Youtube channel</a></h3>
This Toronto, Canada native is just a joy to watch. Her style might be on the feminine side for some people, but certainly, the projects she features on her channel are extremely adaptable to anyone's taste. Her channels is particularly helpful to anyone living in a small space, which, let's face it, is most of us! But really it's her cheery yet sincere demeanor and down-to-earth delivery that makes the channel enjoyable to watch. Sometimes Youtubers can be a little... hard to watch, especially (sorry!) people from North America. But Alexandra is a study in poise and charm!<br />
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4. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbbNO5jEyDipN8j2Ew2zqKA" target="_blank">Alexandra Gater's Make My Space Work Youtube channel</a></h3>
As someone who works from home, I was delighted to see Alexandra Gater's new channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbbNO5jEyDipN8j2Ew2zqKA" target="_blank">Make My Space Work</a>, where she makes over the workspaces of entrepreneurs in the Toronto area. They aren't always work-from-home spaces, but they're always fantastic with lots of great ideas that anyone can try in their own space.<br />
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5. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/HouzzTV" target="_blank">HouzzTV</a> </h3>
<a href="http://houzz.com/">Houzz.com</a> is a website where homeowners can connect with designers, vendors, and retail outlets on renovation projects. It's actually an amazing resource because you can find people in your own area, and use Houzz tools to collaboratively design spaces remotely. And I know this because of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/HouzzTV/videos" target="_blank">Houzz Youtube Channel</a>, which, while it exists as a marketing tool, is also great watching. Their videos are as professionally produced as any television show. And they've a neat series where celebrities do surprise makeovers for friends and family members. If you want to watch drastic, tear-down-walls renovations, check out HouzzTV. There are videos that feature cool homes that haven't been heavily renovated too.<br />
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6. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Lowes/playlists" target="_blank">The Lowes Youtube channel</a></h3>
Lowes is an American hardware store -- kind of like B&Q but bigger and, it must be said, much cooler. They actually sponsor a lot of great content creators, but their own Youtube channel is a bastion of great and useful videos. My hands-down favourite series is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Vzzle1L-Q&list=PLXRbmDDj3R951iyTR95-kktuNBu26viUG" target="_blank">The Weekender with Monica Mangin</a> -- the premise is that Monica and the homeowner(s), with the help of a carpenter, transform one space in a home in one weekend and five DIY projects (using products from Lowes, of course!). There are 4 fantastic Weekender series (it turns out series is both singular AND plural? who knew?).<br />
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Another Lowes series we really enjoyed was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZI-L4QgQkQ&list=PLXRbmDDj3R94gkzWx9ujXptUO09fwAz33" target="_blank">Our Little Warehome</a>, where a family in Panama City, Florida turn an 80-year-old warehouse into a residential home. But there are so many other great playlists in the Lowes channel, like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXRbmDDj3R95dwQ1a6X6BXbSnSRi5UNxX" target="_blank">Garden ideas</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXRbmDDj3R95AwWyvDbZADv3EieXwHyet" target="_blank">DIY Painting tutorials</a>, really cool tutorials on turning boring <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WiV2L-SJ0U&list=PLXRbmDDj3R97kZUdLmz1HKoqpxo9y_Enr" target="_blank">doors</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxAgtLw4PtE&list=PLXRbmDDj3R96DEGA5l29GmxEpGRVgt7IE" target="_blank">walls</a> into architectural features, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXRbmDDj3R94dvvvp5p9O0i_l9Wl5TrlB" target="_blank">kitchen idea videos</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXRbmDDj3R95Wbei5Te_aOnQxdDtqOe9s" target="_blank">bathroom ideas</a>, and lots more, especially for DIY how-tos.<br />
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7. <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/" target="_blank">Apartment Therapy website</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY04Nk2nZkUkT4hqf_7suZA/featured" target="_blank">Youtube channel</a></h3>
Apartment Therapy is great for everything from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvi7jU3Gmr4NOGDjCKdj53vX_WDksQnTa" target="_blank">IKEA hacks</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvi7jU3Gmr4MatW7aN1f6LU3p_4g3mKUp" target="_blank">house tours</a> (specifically cool stuff that people have done with very small spaces), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvi7jU3Gmr4M1WyHUdHgYJ_dIwh7NxWEa" target="_blank">house plant tips</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvi7jU3Gmr4Pr-6TZmFSeA80HDVOIhJ7p" target="_blank">organizing tips</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvi7jU3Gmr4Oxk-2F7TcLmF49tCswMJDZ" target="_blank">cooking tutorials</a>, and <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/design" target="_blank">design inspo of all kinds</a>.<br />
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8. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMrkate/videos" target="_blank">Mr. Kate Youtube channel</a></h3>
I guess you could say that I'm an old-school 'creative weirdo', which is what Kate, aka Mr. Kate, calls her followers. It's been pretty wild to watch the channel go from a fairly small operation to an interior decoration tour de force. Now joined by husband Joey (and often with new baby Moon in tow), the couple now do lots of different kinds of makeovers, from low budget to $$$. One of the things I love about Kate's approach is that she is always in for a bargain, uses loads of second-hand items, repurposes items inventively, and always adds an element of whimsy to the spaces she decorates. Kate and Joey can be a little on the schmoopy side, but jesus these days I think we could all do with seeing happy people doing things they enjoy together that make other people happy too. I really love when they re-do a follower's space -- it seems to always be on the channel's dime and they're great at choosing people in need, so the makeovers can often be emotional and cathartic. Yes, catharsis from a home decorating channel is <i>a thing</i>.<br />
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9. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/EngineerYourSpace" target="_blank">Engineer Your Space Youtube channel</a></h3>
Isabelle LaRue, the host of Engineer Your Space, is probably the most 'real' of all the home-focused channels I follow in the sense that she primarily features solutions she created for her own space, and the apartments she has featured are very ordinary, average apartments that many people will have experience with. Therefore, all of her ideas are renter-friendly, budget-friendly, maximise space, but they're really inventive! Some of them are nearly magical. But she gives step-by-step instructions that I think anyone could follow. Her style isn't to my taste, but the details of her projects are very customisable.<br />
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10. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtwzsvzRCfPddq2gPlgKW1w" target="_blank">Lone Fox Youtube channel</a></h3>
I have really warmed to Drew Scott, the Lone Fox host. When I first started watching the channel a while back, you could tell that he had some nerves during filming, and his projects don't always turn out as planned or how I would have done them, but I've loved watching him evolve over time and tackle projects in other people's spaces, with great results! Drew does a lot of upcycling, 'thrift flips' and hacks, which is perfect for people on a budget. He just seems like a really nice, humble person and I don't know, there's an underdog quality about him that just makes me want to root for him. But also, he's got nice ideas, too.<br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-5141966370479803672020-02-08T16:20:00.001-08:002020-09-22T01:21:10.468-07:00Making plans for a bedroom refresh!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Never one to be satisfied, I'm making plans for what the youtubers call a REFRESH of the bedroom!<br />
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Bit of a back story: Our house has two bedrooms -- the second bedroom functions as a library, office, and guess bedroom (via sleepsofa). It's a room for Mark's crap, which we clean up whenever guests come to stay. Some day I hope that we'll have decluttered enough to look decent 365 days of the year. But our bedroom is a pretty good size for a 1930s Dublin house, so that's where my desk lives. In the corner. The dark, dark corner.<br />
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As some of you know, I got a new job back in October, and come May when my probation is up, I'll be working from home two to three days a week. I have no interest in working in the chaos of the office, but I don't want to be stuck in the corner of my bedroom either! So that got me thinking...<br />
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Just out of interest (because it's bonkers), I'll share a photo of what our bedroom looked like after we stripped the wallpaper:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNEFgw2w_P4jeI29zi7nmSm6iNAhZqXFBUs8EOJyucsIBbAr7x_s9IsOArMrpMH-44YY9HEFgkfdYTnTlIdvb_4wmiKBLjtouawr5Tis7CYoTFImCMK_P83_3e6-DRejlJvj5T-DPXa7j/w2437-h639-no/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="2437" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNEFgw2w_P4jeI29zi7nmSm6iNAhZqXFBUs8EOJyucsIBbAr7x_s9IsOArMrpMH-44YY9HEFgkfdYTnTlIdvb_4wmiKBLjtouawr5Tis7CYoTFImCMK_P83_3e6-DRejlJvj5T-DPXa7j/w2437-h639-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
ANYHOO there will be three major elements to the bedroom refresh. First, the desk situation. Here's how it looks now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOyON5rrFmo4Vsz7AQHhWDPXI0UE_m0ixusIUdmLARNcdxSa0Z6XUO4CIHLXPhn3rr5P0pUyAjFndfHn_BB5ClMvMuTAZHjP8V09gLHPBYiIkVe1a0B_859dbJswBFOEA056kigxbRoG6/s1600/AB2DC124-A518-4BB1-8D64-890B39449542.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOyON5rrFmo4Vsz7AQHhWDPXI0UE_m0ixusIUdmLARNcdxSa0Z6XUO4CIHLXPhn3rr5P0pUyAjFndfHn_BB5ClMvMuTAZHjP8V09gLHPBYiIkVe1a0B_859dbJswBFOEA056kigxbRoG6/s320/AB2DC124-A518-4BB1-8D64-890B39449542.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
You can barely see my desk in that corner! And it gets quite cold under the desk, even when it's warm in the rest of the room. So I've decided to swap the desk and the wardrobe. But ALSO I want to replace my desk, which is currently a very small, white IKEA desk with two shelves above. Once the wardrobe is moved into the corner of the room, I'm going to put a slightly different configuration of this IKEA Svalnas desk/shelving situation next to the window:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tBhhU_CQYBK3o0ZPptGlrT-8GOjAobSMRRU7cRhzu3toEzNMiXUimFg4WTyVysd2gyfilgqxDnRx7AoQmCoBBgQBATztUtDv051IhdFaulKSJcT6vL1edZTOQ8FeS4RNr1MAFti0JEyN/s1600/Screenshot+2020-02-08+at+23.07.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="664" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tBhhU_CQYBK3o0ZPptGlrT-8GOjAobSMRRU7cRhzu3toEzNMiXUimFg4WTyVysd2gyfilgqxDnRx7AoQmCoBBgQBATztUtDv051IhdFaulKSJcT6vL1edZTOQ8FeS4RNr1MAFti0JEyN/s320/Screenshot+2020-02-08+at+23.07.39.png" width="183" /></a></div>
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The next area that I want to change up is the wall behind the bed. Here's how it looks now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCljaX0gaGLT4XXJM7G9aJXVpC2Q1EqU5qr7MiRP358pPyfqgtc4vtPmfbRhYBM2mfDHpSoCVK_s7AOMixY6UaGwa3DbjugeB5frv-wAgqBPOQHnAeJ4PJbgmJZL6FNFcGu0_AaxIM4RoU/s1600/78FC0135-FD05-4CAE-AD77-7E5BBEFB51A8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCljaX0gaGLT4XXJM7G9aJXVpC2Q1EqU5qr7MiRP358pPyfqgtc4vtPmfbRhYBM2mfDHpSoCVK_s7AOMixY6UaGwa3DbjugeB5frv-wAgqBPOQHnAeJ4PJbgmJZL6FNFcGu0_AaxIM4RoU/s320/78FC0135-FD05-4CAE-AD77-7E5BBEFB51A8.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
Lord give me strength that Mark has put that storage thing on the top of that bookcase, but ignore that -- it'll be going away, as will the pile of clothes ;)<br />
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As you can see, we have two tall black bookcases on either side of the bed. But the whole thing is kind of blah. So I'd like to do an accent shiplap wall and paint it black, sort of like in this video (except probably real shiplap instead of faux). Shiplap is generally a tongue-in-groove wood cladding. The end product will look a little like the wall in this video:<br />
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And then the third change is going to be very dramatic, I think. Because one of us (::cough::cough::not me::cough::) is a bit of a clothes hoarder, storage solutions are always needed. At the moment, I don't like how cluttered this wall is:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu45JKo2WGfu44nQx-5IbADjn4ZNP0IK0O-E5OwSiJT-fhX0pE2lPCvKuB21iB5lEh_pTgxwGTd3tLIyarH2RNcWD9dGIW7l0w39JDjEyNtmyHyOpgyrfMDQ5BcYSKrWWrcbhX1d4L_mf/s1600/C3E55829-E975-46B9-9A5C-9623207EE16E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu45JKo2WGfu44nQx-5IbADjn4ZNP0IK0O-E5OwSiJT-fhX0pE2lPCvKuB21iB5lEh_pTgxwGTd3tLIyarH2RNcWD9dGIW7l0w39JDjEyNtmyHyOpgyrfMDQ5BcYSKrWWrcbhX1d4L_mf/s320/C3E55829-E975-46B9-9A5C-9623207EE16E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
First of all, I'm not a particular follower of feng shui, but I have read <i>The Joy Luck Club</i>, so I do know that it's bad juju to have a mirror at the end of your bed, let alone two. Now that we have the mirrored cabinet in the bathroom, I don't really need a full length mirror anymore. And Mark needs more shoe storage. So I've decided to replace everything that's here with 4 Ivar cabinets, an unfinished pine product from IKEA.<br />
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The grey press here will go, and the mirror and everything that is in/on the press will go inside the lefthand two cabinets. On the right side, Mark will be able to store shoes and other items.<br />
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The Ivar looks like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojisWwTrns0FRk5fEtFHVLdMfVAshYGuHvN69R7Ovue6o4w9enP0zNhLurRjjIupTGw1UufJBODyXbFx8PfNzKbhBwAH2LobEh-WfmYNEeuSYyx3uWxwLFO71EUODWB31yqmnFELwJioy/s1600/Screenshot+2020-02-08+at+23.44.00.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojisWwTrns0FRk5fEtFHVLdMfVAshYGuHvN69R7Ovue6o4w9enP0zNhLurRjjIupTGw1UufJBODyXbFx8PfNzKbhBwAH2LobEh-WfmYNEeuSYyx3uWxwLFO71EUODWB31yqmnFELwJioy/s320/Screenshot+2020-02-08+at+23.44.00.png" width="311" /></a></div>
It can be wall mounted or stacked on legs. And the possibilities are endless when it comes to finishes -- it can be left natural or painted or even decoupaged or wallpapered! I've decided to do something a little different. Since I'll be installing four (two by two on legs), I have decided to put a natural finish on the top two cabinets and paint the bottom two. BUT I'm also going to paint that wall the same exact colour on the bottom of the wall, sort of like this effect, except probably not blue and there won't be other furniture involved:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSe0VjdChmGgBD7JCxL4b6Nxmm7ZyicDM7whXNgHZPLOACUtObG548DyMkJMotW7CevQXagzfn4kuBxgeESy0HGv-VCe6Jwnc1ldR1MdyRWIkueEiNvumqdKydfx7u8DImaHciCGTQdqUi/s1600/ivar+half+tone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSe0VjdChmGgBD7JCxL4b6Nxmm7ZyicDM7whXNgHZPLOACUtObG548DyMkJMotW7CevQXagzfn4kuBxgeESy0HGv-VCe6Jwnc1ldR1MdyRWIkueEiNvumqdKydfx7u8DImaHciCGTQdqUi/s320/ivar+half+tone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My makeup and jewellery, plus the mirror and the strip of lights will be tucked away inside a cabinet, getting rid of the chaos and clutter.<br />
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Other fun things I'll be getting are a new desk lamp, new trash bin, new desk chair, a rug, and I'm sure another couple of items as well :D Stay tuned for progress reports and plans!<br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-84896939778851289102020-02-08T12:07:00.000-08:002020-02-08T12:40:22.381-08:00Upstairs bathroom big reveal!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes. I started my bathroom renovation.... uh.... eons ago! And it's been finished for a couple of months at least, but the way the window and light are, decent photos required another light. Also, a clean bathroom. But today I finally managed to clean the bathroom, get out the light, and take a few shots.<br />
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Let's just recall where we started, back in 2016 when we stripped the wallpaper and the flooring:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTspBhLiW0aS4y8q_Nl4Bn-wWqeSEQJxh91SO_N9vzGBPZqKvEpOH8xf9Fr02BC_4_0omz6qVm7YgBPJl5erpnJ9NoIf1vVi4NyVPxIl20Q10-v5PmZjArtw1fh2BWVSiJxynXmdb2b9Ke/w1631-h639-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1631" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTspBhLiW0aS4y8q_Nl4Bn-wWqeSEQJxh91SO_N9vzGBPZqKvEpOH8xf9Fr02BC_4_0omz6qVm7YgBPJl5erpnJ9NoIf1vVi4NyVPxIl20Q10-v5PmZjArtw1fh2BWVSiJxynXmdb2b9Ke/w1631-h639-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pretty grim! And other than adding some lino and getting a new toilet, we didn't do much to it until these renovations. It became sort of a storage room, a place for crap to collect on its way to somewhere else.<br />
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Back in April last year, <a href="http://thinkofmeoften.blogspot.com/search/label/upstairsbathroom" target="_blank">I made SIX blog posts about my renovation plans</a>, which, in retrospect, may have been overkill. But lots of people were very helpful in the decision making process! And I feel like everyone felt personally invested in my bathroom.<br />
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Before I go into what I learned and some of the particulars, I'll just post the after photos!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuiLwmkRYnM3ua17Ud9qovwv1W2Rl3tpLVfQxGzDpwfaTUxRYHlBt-Ki35cHtw5n6tnks-J2tFsEwCo9YF_M_px8FxDn9MhzFRCCRzGHDeRi9ufoMD7H7AT5u6gQanZZc0kZWYVOJAVca/s1600/397F3527-208E-40FF-B777-C35FC7DF5558.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuiLwmkRYnM3ua17Ud9qovwv1W2Rl3tpLVfQxGzDpwfaTUxRYHlBt-Ki35cHtw5n6tnks-J2tFsEwCo9YF_M_px8FxDn9MhzFRCCRzGHDeRi9ufoMD7H7AT5u6gQanZZc0kZWYVOJAVca/s320/397F3527-208E-40FF-B777-C35FC7DF5558.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We already had the mirror</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1118" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioClp6oVF2Bfinr7rb9wxMzuI_1sDbkRbBf7PddZXZJnZJR6XgUoRVOJezaZXOF2W0Xv_o6WcPj87WcGig6GOnf63_ohQS18i8d3gz_wdZAZXaIJyQ4nueIhwYh3_AkL-Xph3cKsxQLMPi/s320/0E976F2A-3E0A-4716-805D-5F7E77721463_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="223" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty excited about the tissue holder and the marble accessories</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmnd5RpYImn5INvX9E41J670mgqgMhQqhQsS3hNyZz2MY8UmdibESPPiD667Y3BQiSsO3pqTjns-mXiJQC6NSFWyhPsacjKVGBo6BXIw6K5gLNGs8AAOvJiq7-HrdJY5suVy5t-QTUOl7/s1600/4ADE909C-2790-4826-8640-7FFA8BC1A703_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1109" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmnd5RpYImn5INvX9E41J670mgqgMhQqhQsS3hNyZz2MY8UmdibESPPiD667Y3BQiSsO3pqTjns-mXiJQC6NSFWyhPsacjKVGBo6BXIw6K5gLNGs8AAOvJiq7-HrdJY5suVy5t-QTUOl7/s320/4ADE909C-2790-4826-8640-7FFA8BC1A703_1_201_a.jpeg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The basket on the left holds toilet rolls and <br />
the one on the right is for dirty linen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp3xBiwNzD6NAV7aQ4hbltDTRWzzwl4FPXUgsp60lykUOEdWFp6diOgSQchXwDLaYfzg8xfQkhZm_3vZtN0PVG4JHUHgGBM7IYonZQzFXV8iw8oz6UovkQglK8plajjms2T_4d9ARJzOj/s1600/050EE5DA-EC35-4E6E-AA6E-0D32638AD53E_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp3xBiwNzD6NAV7aQ4hbltDTRWzzwl4FPXUgsp60lykUOEdWFp6diOgSQchXwDLaYfzg8xfQkhZm_3vZtN0PVG4JHUHgGBM7IYonZQzFXV8iw8oz6UovkQglK8plajjms2T_4d9ARJzOj/s320/050EE5DA-EC35-4E6E-AA6E-0D32638AD53E_1_201_a.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I decided to paint the radiator and I'm glad I did</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qRX_QaBVy430q0JXyyRxl2TfVYoxP0N8fJKP511jL9iRK6NDLIlrr03XX0Q-8a4o_qwwlBjEGa-LyFrXgJY-7CIK8Fwy1P8XdQcldtF4UzNKVDmL1Kw6CYmIY4SaPj6ZaTChTH9CzH4D/s1600/5925E555-0917-4728-A17C-BE3442104CAA_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qRX_QaBVy430q0JXyyRxl2TfVYoxP0N8fJKP511jL9iRK6NDLIlrr03XX0Q-8a4o_qwwlBjEGa-LyFrXgJY-7CIK8Fwy1P8XdQcldtF4UzNKVDmL1Kw6CYmIY4SaPj6ZaTChTH9CzH4D/s320/5925E555-0917-4728-A17C-BE3442104CAA_1_201_a.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brass shelves came from IKEA</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a4pWjsVKKhVpsWUoVCVqJ4ywkQ9NmjZEyOTtobyqtILd01JbZI5iHx0-r6015vL_WFLcEIhVFmu0Jei0uM8BUcTIZPi6HQDpcAGH6hpdMUiKBmmX-y8LOb80nnnqFFD0FL5Dfr0JAPZP/s1600/9735E77B-FDB6-465C-90A2-6767650E6990_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a4pWjsVKKhVpsWUoVCVqJ4ywkQ9NmjZEyOTtobyqtILd01JbZI5iHx0-r6015vL_WFLcEIhVFmu0Jei0uM8BUcTIZPi6HQDpcAGH6hpdMUiKBmmX-y8LOb80nnnqFFD0FL5Dfr0JAPZP/s320/9735E77B-FDB6-465C-90A2-6767650E6990_1_201_a.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how the sinks came out, especially the taps</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiw4ATxHMsEohZzsin48C3cmf8TtLlFqGSZvx7wiPlP_3R4lpvnOkiLbGlIj-gd32ucWB255kVitCrkp6VSxdrEW7pJvR30yfaTQud7KjP6qX6uOeRdW0My8F-p3KdEMHOjNv1UZjLr5ad/s1600/9F20E5DD-DDC7-4BAF-9878-BBFEC91862E6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiw4ATxHMsEohZzsin48C3cmf8TtLlFqGSZvx7wiPlP_3R4lpvnOkiLbGlIj-gd32ucWB255kVitCrkp6VSxdrEW7pJvR30yfaTQud7KjP6qX6uOeRdW0My8F-p3KdEMHOjNv1UZjLr5ad/s320/9F20E5DD-DDC7-4BAF-9878-BBFEC91862E6.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm overjoyed at how the faux pane shower door looks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35eAkZHEjJXHgIrKnCIC4ZI8yYFTg4xXsosZLcwIF_a3BegTAFROaC0Js6d9dW7aMvSeKu41D9HPcYrSOkX6i4U3XF4wMiecM72sTZ8mPnBQHkpgd-4qyiib7rrB8ebrEFtVgNv8uHp3T/s1600/C272610B-A2E4-4474-8F92-7ADF37395FF4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35eAkZHEjJXHgIrKnCIC4ZI8yYFTg4xXsosZLcwIF_a3BegTAFROaC0Js6d9dW7aMvSeKu41D9HPcYrSOkX6i4U3XF4wMiecM72sTZ8mPnBQHkpgd-4qyiib7rrB8ebrEFtVgNv8uHp3T/s320/C272610B-A2E4-4474-8F92-7ADF37395FF4.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the cabinet is a double shaver outlet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DHbN3TVK-KhaLrK3TAyFm9ht4D67p7hn1Ag1k1m-NvQ8Qv7Xu4dHi4ed5JKL-8gdZUpqZcB0cN2LuAe5YhBhcbW4WohZYZANqDY8RJmP0BIQ_Kz2iwjzHPmPmifKBihL-wGUnbl_TUm_/s1600/36A338E5-C2CA-469E-A0C8-F902ABD6AD10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DHbN3TVK-KhaLrK3TAyFm9ht4D67p7hn1Ag1k1m-NvQ8Qv7Xu4dHi4ed5JKL-8gdZUpqZcB0cN2LuAe5YhBhcbW4WohZYZANqDY8RJmP0BIQ_Kz2iwjzHPmPmifKBihL-wGUnbl_TUm_/s320/36A338E5-C2CA-469E-A0C8-F902ABD6AD10.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorgeous brass hooks (4 of them) came from an antique wardrobe that I renovated last year</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRg9Q3iN9IYLCChZIOs-gnW8_s3PIGLHQCaA2n5K7veDNSZ47J3D5HP0Ow_jDNyCQQZ0YxlCkVTpJ9maaaqyFl5nfpKx5qmePorP5WH3j_jlDC5OOeMK8UxE-zHCttl0XQM1JZvHXiLbbl/s1600/B5925776-5485-4E8F-99ED-2D888EED65C6_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRg9Q3iN9IYLCChZIOs-gnW8_s3PIGLHQCaA2n5K7veDNSZ47J3D5HP0Ow_jDNyCQQZ0YxlCkVTpJ9maaaqyFl5nfpKx5qmePorP5WH3j_jlDC5OOeMK8UxE-zHCttl0XQM1JZvHXiLbbl/s320/B5925776-5485-4E8F-99ED-2D888EED65C6_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having two sinks still feels ultra luxe. And this sideboard has tonnes of storage</td></tr>
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While I like to think of myself as good with the ole DIY, we clearly needed to hire a builder for a good bit of this renovation. A lovely builder, Linas, was recommended to us. He and his colleague did an amazing, amazing job with the plumbing and tiling, ESPECIALLY since this was clearly not a standard job - I bought nearly everything off the internet without a clue what the heck I was doing. This did lead to some foibles, which I'll talk about at the end. </div>
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The dresser is a particular point of pride -- stripping the white paint off without ruining it was a labour of love, particularly since I have little to no previous experience with stripping furniture. I was confident but not certain that there would be lovely wood underneath the white paint. I have to apologise because I had a heck of a time getting a good photo with the window. But the wood is lovely! The builders cut the holes for the sink and installed them. They did an amazing, amazing job. </div>
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The yellow and white Mexican tiles drove Linas just a little bit nuts because they aren't all the same, neither in size nor thickness. I'm not sure he believed me when I told him I didn't want it to look perfect, and that he could just wing it with their placement. </div>
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The black floor tiles are so perfectly done, especially considering how crap the floor was. They even matched the floor tiles to the bath surround tiles. </div>
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Once Linas and his associate were finished with the plumbing and tiling, it was on me to do everything else, which included wallpapering, putting up the wall panels, painting the ceiling, putting up the hooks, towel rails, shelves, toilet roll holder, toilet brush holder, tissue holder, put together and paint the mirrored cabinet, remove and strip the door hardware, and paint the door, wall panels, and trim. It took me ages to get it all done! The walls are like chalk in some places, so I had to be fairly inventive to get everything up and secure (thank god for Sugru!).</div>
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Mark kindly painted the ceiling, which we did before we wallpapered. The walls are uneven in ways I didn't think possible, but I wanted the panels and trim to be at least somewhat level, so putting them up was... annoying. I chose a dark, daaaaark green paint for the wall panels and trim. Speaking of annoying, THE WALLPAPER! I miscalculated that situation and had to order more. Twice. And I still had to mismatch the pattern in TWO of the corners. But - no regrets! (Well, I do, but let's pretend I don't.) The decorator's varnish that I put overtop keeps it from being ruined by the moisture, but it also gave it a bit of a sheen so that it almost looks mural-like. I definitely did not try to make the walls even before I put up the wallpaper, so there are lumps and bumps, and I kind of like the imperfections. My whole idea behind this bathroom was that I wanted it to look like it belongs in an old house. I think I achieved that! </div>
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Now, for the other fuck ups. The bath tub tap that I bought on ebay from China was apparently for a more high-pressure water system, so it took Linas hours to install it instead of the 20 minutes it should have taken, but he made it work in the end! </div>
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I also bought a black metal ceiling pendant fixture, which turned out to be unusable because the original fixture didn't have a ground wire. So I ended up having to spray paint a plastic fixture and transfer the wire to it. Of course, then once I did that I realised that I didn't check whether the bulb bit fit into the glass shade we wanted to use. It's hard to see, even in person, but it doesn't sink into the shade how it should. One of these days, I'm hoping to get the glass cut. But for now, it's fine.</div>
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But the biggest mistake I made was the electric shower. DID YOU KNOW that there are electric showers that hook up to the mains? I DIDN'T EITHER. So, when the shower was finally up and running we realised that it's a bit temperamental compared to one that hooks up to the tank. If someone flushes, turns on the tap, or uses the dishwasher, the water either shuts off or goes cold, or both! So that's not ideal. When we have the money and the attic is cleared out more than it is now, we plan on swapping out the shower for one that can hook up to the tank. For now, we just have to take precautions. </div>
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I made another expensive mistake when ordering the floor tiles. I wanted the largest black hexagon tiles I could possibly get. There were a few local places that had medium sized ones, but I had my heart set on something really big. But the ones I ordered from a place in Galway were confusingly labeled in an emailed photo, so when they arrived, they turned out to be basically a size that I could have gotten here in Dublin much, much cheaper. So that was a huge bummer that really burned me up until the tiles were in and I decided that the ones I bought actually look great. All's well that ends well. (As you may know, I do not believe that 'everything happens for a reason'.)</div>
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I also did kind of a crap job painting the yellow cabinet, so the paint is chipping off in places, but I'll fix that at some point in the future. For the moment, I feel very, very happy every time I walk into this room and it was definitely worth all of the effort. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey! </div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-79712763520907613282019-12-01T05:03:00.002-08:002019-12-01T05:03:33.725-08:00Ethical Shopping for Clothes: Are you ready?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A couple of weeks ago I was travelling with friends. We were hungry and wanted to get a quick bite to eat. Doing our bit for the planet, we walked out of a couple places that served food in styrofoam, in search of a more biodegradable option. In this day and age, I think we can all agree that styrofoam is a no-no.<br />
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But when it comes to shopping for clothes, I think it's a little easier to ignore our principles in favour of buying that shiny new thing that feels soft and looks so cool. But often, it's the clothing equivalent of the styrofoam container.<br />
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The statistics of how much clothing ends up in landfill are actually STAGGERING. When you buy that cheap top that looks adorable and chic in the shop but isn't going to last the year because it's made of textiles that are going to look pilly, misshapen, and falling apart at the seams, you probably won't, in good conscience, be able to donate it to charity when it starts to look like crap. So it ends up in the bin where it won't break down. Like styrofoam.<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />There are two considerations when it comes to clothes: ethics and sustainability. Often, a brand or a line within a brand is 'sustainable' but isn't ethically made. In other words, it might be made of an organic or recycled textile, but it's manufactured by people working in awful conditions. And in some cases, it could be the other way around (though far less often). <a href="https://cleanclothes.org/fashions-problems" target="_blank">Read more about the different considerations around the fashion industry from the Clean Clothes Campaign</a>: poverty wages, unsafe working conditions, lack of job security, workers rights violations, union busting, lack of supply chain transparency, waste and pollution, fake claims of ethics and sustainability, gender discrimination, and exploitation of migrants. It's a pretty big list when you think about what goes into even a simple piece of clothing.<br />
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Obviously, buying second-hand clothes is a great option, but these days it's harder and harder to find cool, good quality stuff in charity shops because they're filled with disposable clothes that don't cost much less than buying new disposable clothes. And to be honest, I used to be a thrift shop junky and now there just aren't enough antihistamines or hours in a day for me to want to do the work of finding the charity shop gems.<br />
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I've been trying to weed out the low quality garments in my wardrobe and gradually replace them with pieces that I feel great about wearing in every aspect: style, quality, textile, and manufacture. Sometimes it means spending a little more, but often it just means waiting for a sale! I put myself on the mailing lists of my favourite brands, and then hit up the Clearance Sales.<br />
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Admittedly, shopping ethical brands is easier in larger countries like the United States, where there has been an explosion of ethical and sustainable fashion. Shopping ethically from Ireland often means paying for shipping and not being able to try things on in a shop before buying. But once you become familiar with a certain brand, you will have a better idea of their fit and can make more educated decisions about sizing.<br />
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Here are my top tips for buying more ethical clothing:<br />
1. <b>Avoid acrylic and inspect the textile</b>. This is actually SO HARD because acrylic is in so many lovely wool products. I can't tell you how often I fall in love with a jumper only to look at the fiber content and see that it contains acrylic or nylon. Acrylic just doesn't last. It gets super pilly and will start to look ratty after just one wash. For this reason, I try to go for 100% wool or cotton, or a wool/cotton blend.<br />
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Rayon, Viscose, Lyocell, and Modal are usually safe bets, however. These are manufactured textiles that come from natural sources and will stand up to wash and wear as long as you follow the washing instructions carefully.<br />
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Remember that even if a super inexpensive garment is 100% cotton, it may still be cheaply made and not wear very well. Give it a thorough inspection before buying.<br />
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2. <b>Don't take a 'Sustainable' label at face value</b>. Lots of big retailers like H&M, Marks & Spencers, and Zara have sustainable lines. But often, as I mentioned, they aren't made ethically. For example, r<a href="http://stories.publiceye.ch/respect-by-zara/?fbclid=IwAR2XO-y5GUQVwSGY2mWXF2_hBlbvuyralZsXEhBG-clb7cZHJgos0dEGrfw" target="_blank">esearchers recently decided to follow the supply chain of a Zara hoodie</a> that was part of a Sustainable line and discovered that it was being made in Turkey by workers whose pay would need to be nearly doubled in order for it to be a living wage.<br />
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3. <b>Take the time to research</b>. It's definitely a pain. Even in Ireland in shops like Kilkenny Design that claim to only sell "Irish design" -- when you actually look at the tags, you'll find that very few pieces, if any, are made in Ireland. But this is the beauty of the internet! If you go to a company's website and they aren't promoting the conditions under which their clothes are made, that is one red flag. But there are tonnes of watchdog sites that will tell you if a company is worth giving your money to. You can follow the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cleanclothescampaign/" target="_blank">Clean Clothes Campaign on facebook</a> for the latest news on ethics violations of big brands. <a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/" target="_blank">The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre</a> has a company index so you can see every article they have about a particular brand's human rights violations. <a href="https://www.publiceye.ch/en/" target="_blank">The Public Eye</a> is a Swiss organisation that researches all kinds of shady dealings and is definitely another one to follow.<br />
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Companies like Everlane have tonnes of information about where and how their clothes are made, which is amazing. For example, on their website you can <a href="https://www.everlane.com/denim-guide" target="_blank">read about how their denim is made</a> and see photographs of the factory.<br />
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4. <b>Follow groups who curate ethical and sustainable brands</b>. There are lots of people doing research out there, so you don't have to. In fact, all you have to do is google 'ethical brands' and you'll find list after list of places to buy beautiful and ethical clothes. Websites like <a href="https://goodonyou.eco/" target="_blank">Good on You</a>, <a href="https://www.thegoodtrade.com/" target="_blank">The Good Trade</a>, and <a href="https://theminimalistvegan.com/sustainable-clothing-brands/" target="_blank">The Minimalist Vegan</a> are just a couple of ones to follow. <a href="https://www.pinterest.ie/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> is another fantastic resource! And of course, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy</a> is filled with handmade and ethical items.<br />
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Here is a list of brands I buy regularly and have been very happy with. Tell me about ethical brands you love to support!<br />
<a href="https://www.wearethought.com/" target="_blank">Thought Clothing</a><br />
<a href="https://www.seasaltcornwall.co.uk/" target="_blank">Seasalt Cornwall</a><br />
<a href="https://www.everlane.com/" target="_blank">Everlane</a> (from the US, so customs charges may apply, but I think they're worth it)<br />
<a href="https://finisterre.com/" target="_blank">Finisterre</a><br />
<a href="https://www.beaumontorganic.com/" target="_blank">Beaumont Organic</a><br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-26138121703887115782019-07-25T05:27:00.002-07:002020-02-08T10:18:50.220-08:00I need your help with the very last bathroom reno decision <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends!<br />
<br />
Well, I'm happy to say that the upstairs bathroom renovations have gone mostly to plan, and we're in the home stretch of putting it all together. I can't wait to show you how it looks! Everything has been decided and ordered, and will be installed in the next couple of weeks...everything but one item.<br />
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There's a small space (about 55cm) between the door and the tub where I want to put a tall storage cabinet. This cabinet will conceal the shaver outlet, so it needs to have a door, at least at the top half (and not a glass door!). I have been trolling the websites for something used/vintage, and haven't found anything suitable. Buying something new is my only option, but at this stage to say I'm on a budget is an understatement!<br />
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Here's a reminder of the bathroom wallpaper and wall tile in the bath surround:<br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp2LNDHGwvTUIP96yR8M3zewHIEdepCJm_jrw543KhRxnvPe10GT5U1lA42dwEv5HwWvIBLgYMeL0Pt2Tu_05Vo_mwOsMviQ0kqueNmuk2qj-yTC7kK9PmUGPKuWhJlZp2qlv3OG-xOFx/s320/herendira-yellow.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG64XEL0dXcuLBeIKwjP3mNCYWns7hVz_R26fXmEK8XDVSIW67PYkjT9HuYG5J4SxCMSr5LkLk6m-uP1WjnqLbtNzCncl3VUSUbbUa-GOM_EXLzkgHfS9Al5QoFiA19SxD1YWMBMfIDp7h/s320/Option+2.png" /><br />
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As you can see, the wallpaper is quite dark, and the wall panelling below the wallpaper is a very, very dark green. The ceiling, however is a cheerful coral pink colour!<br />
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So for the storage cabinet, I wanted to go with something on the lighter side, but NOT WHITE. The tub, basins, and toilet are white, of course, but I just don't think white is going to look good for the cabinet. This means that if I want it a certain colour, like the yellow of the tile, I'm going to have to paint it myself. Also, I like the idea of a mirrored door, as the cabinet will face the only window, so in theory, a mirror would reflect the light.<br />
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Another option is to simply go with black or nearly black, which is more readily available.<br />
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Here's the issue I'm having: the cabinet I think would look good (if painted yellow) is 200 euro. I feel like that's a lot for something I'm going to have to put labour into. Here it is, the Hemnes cabinet (left):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizcknHEUDz7mmFKXyOjK6SoUJfXEzVPzkorkMC6Q-LaA2eR2HJ2c_WAj45F1r-rZ11mYDaZMslyA2YkLfp-eaPeGeSauYuK-1LfyY44Sm0sdKFIBpb9H6rLTWHHXIR0VkwcfqOeCDJceS/s1600/hemnes.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="194" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizcknHEUDz7mmFKXyOjK6SoUJfXEzVPzkorkMC6Q-LaA2eR2HJ2c_WAj45F1r-rZ11mYDaZMslyA2YkLfp-eaPeGeSauYuK-1LfyY44Sm0sdKFIBpb9H6rLTWHHXIR0VkwcfqOeCDJceS/s320/hemnes.png" width="104" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">200 euro Hemnes</td></tr>
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I think this one is very similar in style to the dresser I converted for the double sinks. It's simple, but not as cheap looking as some of the others.<br />
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For example, this cabinet is 70 euro cheaper (once you buy legs), which is significant. but it just doesn't look nearly as nice to me:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eR9f722HGeMQnMQXmTfCPR_RUFYBRigxK5DrSTvX784Gxdkx-pd7SRaT9QM1t3hCgnautUhQa5_vMuCp4aoMjFeVZQ6wNK0BS4EwWn7CpzUTzt1PEa5ESLWJEbU1T-bW6LTm2taddaB5/s1600/silveran.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="206" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eR9f722HGeMQnMQXmTfCPR_RUFYBRigxK5DrSTvX784Gxdkx-pd7SRaT9QM1t3hCgnautUhQa5_vMuCp4aoMjFeVZQ6wNK0BS4EwWn7CpzUTzt1PEa5ESLWJEbU1T-bW6LTm2taddaB5/s320/silveran.png" width="109" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">130 euro Silveran</td></tr>
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So if I want to avoid painting, I am considering dark options. For example, this mirrored cabinet is even cheaper, coming in at about 100 euro with legs:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3aQ9DhLIRUkDy-REN4T-y2GMNVloJjtBKVen-PeVxCN0l3wliAFDQFp3hcfZX1uq8wizfVyJ5cVMCkkBDaVgblgxxWkBKFLb0PgosaUpH9tUBr-M1UgXa75ZozB-rS7mtNo_llRKw4UY/s1600/Lillangen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="235" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3aQ9DhLIRUkDy-REN4T-y2GMNVloJjtBKVen-PeVxCN0l3wliAFDQFp3hcfZX1uq8wizfVyJ5cVMCkkBDaVgblgxxWkBKFLb0PgosaUpH9tUBr-M1UgXa75ZozB-rS7mtNo_llRKw4UY/s320/Lillangen.png" width="124" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">100 euro Lillangen</td></tr>
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But I kind of... hate it? And the trim around the door is chrome, which I'm not into.<br />
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This leads me to wonder whether I should just forget about having a mirrored door. The Lillangen without the mirror would probably be inoffensive with a different handle and nice legs (and ditch those hooks at the top). It's still 100 euro, but I think it looks nicer:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-NMXICg5kQl2doOYam1_kxBCowvKrjOkUffqszIfcxL_fMZQ-b3HYgSSuY2lcwshHRRvJ0zpphnjqeTTvYU2A9dl2j0Jb6nW06Wzyg2rsrF0GNxirOCkMr7jBEshEokXUKJRi1mrVg0l/s1600/Lillangen+brown.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="169" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-NMXICg5kQl2doOYam1_kxBCowvKrjOkUffqszIfcxL_fMZQ-b3HYgSSuY2lcwshHRRvJ0zpphnjqeTTvYU2A9dl2j0Jb6nW06Wzyg2rsrF0GNxirOCkMr7jBEshEokXUKJRi1mrVg0l/s320/Lillangen+brown.png" width="91" /></a></div>
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If I go dark and non-mirrored, there are other inexpensive options, but honestly they aren't much better than this. </div>
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What do you think? Should I just pay more and do the labour to get the thing I want? Or should I compromise?</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-6205356517892353272019-07-15T05:07:00.000-07:002019-07-15T05:20:43.592-07:00Why I Quit My 15 Year-long Messageboard Habit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Back when I met my partner in 2004, in the days before Facebook was known to the general public, in the days of Friendster, MySpace, and Livejournal, he told me about the messageboard called Honeypump. At the time, I was working in a very boring office job with nothing to do for most of the day. I did so much online shopping during that time, I memorised my credit card number.<br />
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I registered on the Honeypump messageboard with the avatar 'Appletree' and it's the only name I've ever used. There are probably more than a few people out in there in the world who only know me as Appletree. A handful of people on the board, most of whom were based in Boston or had a Boston connection, used their real names, but most people used handles. Sometimes people would change names and you'd have to figure out who they were.<br />
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Some of the people on the board knew each other, some were strangers to nearly everyone, and some people started off as strangers but started to meet other board members in real life. I had just broken up with my boyfriend of three years and before that had gotten divorced -- in both cases I'd found myself needing to find a new friend group. So the timing was great -- I met a bunch of very nice people from the messageboard and they became my 'real life' social circle.<br />
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At the same time, the board was chock full of drama. Some of the drama originated from theoretical or political arguments, and some of it arose from real scenarios of conflicts that spilled over onto the internet. And I wasn't immune to either of these scenarios. As it was still the early days of the internet, and most of us were on the young side (though, in my early 30s, I was old enough to know better), so I think there was a learning curve in terms of healthy ways to conduct ourselves in this nameless, faceless space. But the drama made it a great way to stave off loneliness and to kill time in a cubicle.<br />
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When I moved to Brooklyn, I found a local messageboard called 'Williamsboard,' and that became my new online hangout. As I'd done in Boston, I went to board hangouts and became friends with some of the posters. I'll admit that it got a bit addictive at that time for me. I wasn't in a great place emotionally, and I felt overwhelmed by my school work and the financial pressures of living in New York. So I spent a lot of time on the board when I should have been doing assignments. But when I got myself on the 'top 20 posters list', I felt a weird sense of pride. Looking back, I see how messed up my priorities were and how bad it was for my mental health to escape into a world of jokes and pithy quips as a means to escaping a life where I didn't feel I was measuring up.<br />
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Honeypump ended, and another board called Lemmingtrail replaced it. Lemmingtrail went down, and that was replaced with another board, and again, and again. Each time, less and less people followed. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat had long replaced the internet messageboard. And I think by then, most of the messageboard veterans didn't have much use for that sort of thing anymore.<br />
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I found myself, nearly 15 years on, still posting. Sure, not with the same zeal or need as in the early days, but I remained a consistent 'regular poster' on the latest iteration of the board, which by now consisted of about half people I knew in 'real life' and a handful of people I only knew from the board. It's a funny grey area to be around people in an online space for over a decade. You aren't friends. You don't even know their real names. But they know things about you, and you know things about them. In this latest version of the board, because it was so small, I found myself sharing a lot of personal feelings and getting good advice. I hope I was able to contribute helpfully to others needing someone to talk to. But I also posted about my home renovations, clothes, shitting, exercising, and dumb stock photos I came across at work. It was a lovely outlet to have during the day when I needed a breather from my job.<br />
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All along, none of the boards I posted to were particularly diverse. I'd guess about 70 to 80% dudes, all cis gender. Only a very few of us were queer. Only a couple of people were not white. Nearly everyone had gone to college. In other words, a hot bed of privilege, myself included.<br />
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As a woman, I obviously move through a male-dominated world. If I didn't come to terms with that, as most women do, I'd be roaming the streets, ranting and raving like a lunatic, because it can make you crazy sometimes. I think the most frustrating part of being a woman is that when you do finally find the courage to speak out and ask men to be more compassionate people, they usually respond by being less so. I am 46 years old and I have seen this play out more times than I can count. I'd say it's human nature, and maybe it is, but it's definitely a male quality. And I don't #notallmen me because I firmly believe that any 'decent' man will act horribly under certain circumstances.<br />
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This is a very long-winded way of describing what made me quit, despite the pangs of sadness I feel over the decision. And I want to write about it here because this is my space, where I have complete control. I want to write about it because the conversation is still happening without me. And I want to write about it because writing is how I make sense of things.<br />
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One of the threads on the board was about movies we'd seen -- old or new -- for people to post their opinions of films they'd just watched. Someone posted that they'd seen 'Hannah Gadsby: Nanette', a Netflix special that came out back in June 2018. It got a huge amount of attention for Gadsby's groundbreaking social commentary. I'll just copy and paste the synopsis of the show here: <i>"Gadsby uses the piece to deconstruct the nature of comedy and asks the "straight white male" to undergo the same tension that marginalized people go through every day. She does this by explaining her experience as a lesbian and gender non-conforming woman. She explains that some are brought up to hate themselves, while others are brought up with the licence to hate others. Her realisation is that the self-deprecating humour common to standup comedy is doubly painful for marginalised people, because it is joining the chorus of people who insult and belittle them already. This leads her to conclude that she can no longer do standup comedy, and structures the piece around claiming she is giving up comedy. She has since stated that she is not doing so after all due to the surprising response to her show."</i><br />
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When it came out, I remember being impressed at how important the show was to so many people I knew or followed online. Gadsby had articulated something essential.<br />
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I was really excited to watch it! I put it on one Friday night after a long week and, predictably, fell asleep. I kept meaning to go back and watch the part I missed (ie, most of it). My partner, who didn't fall asleep, wasn't that impressed. "I don't get how it was so revolutionary," he said, "It was all stuff that was like, duh, of course -- I thought everyone knew that." I told him no, I don't think most people do.<br />
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Fast forward to this thread on the board. A single, brief post, stood out to me, which said, simply, "Nanette was so bad."<br />
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Ok, so, I had two separate-but-related reactions. First, one of my big pet peeves is when people say, "[X] Sucks", or "[X] is awful", thus dismissing it as if they are the arbiter of taste and it's so obvious that it needs no further explanation and implying that if you like [X], then you don't know what you're talking about, because it's awful. My pet peeve has been dismissed numerous times on the messageboard with the (condescending) explanation that if someone says something sucks, it's <i>obviously </i>their opinion (duh!). And, apparently, my opinion that actually it is precisely that it isn't presented as opinion, but FACT, is invalid. My being bothered by it sucks, if you will.<br />
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It's not that I saw <i>Nanette </i>and thought it was so amazing that I wouldn't have anyone cast aspersions on it. As I mentioned, I didn't see most of it. But I knew how important it was, and that simple statement of dismissal and disdain represented something really significant to me: extreme privilege.<br />
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Here, in <i>Nanette </i>we have a queer, gender non-conforming rape survivor creating art (yes, a standup special that turns the concept of standup comedy on its head and challenges the patriarchy is definitely art) engineered to challenge straight white male power, not just in comedy, but just generally, and here's a straight white male saying, ugh so bad. I think that needs to be examined. I think we need to stop and linger on that a minute. I think we need to unpack what that means.<br />
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For me, it's not a mere difference of opinion. I don't mind if this guy didn't like <i>Nanette</i>. You didn't like it? Fine. Articulate why. Engage with it. Treat it like it at least matters, if not to you, then someone. Because it should matter! But it shouldn't only matter to women and queers. It should matter to the straight white guys in our lives who want a better world for people who aren't straight white guys. I'd have more respect for a scathing critique of Nanette than a mere "so bad". "So bad" means, to me, "I am so comfortable in my privilege that I care more that the 'comedy' special wasn't funny than about the fact that this person risked their entire career, exposed their own trauma, told their truth, and spoke out against their oppression. It wasn't funny and so it was <i>bad</i>. End of story, nothing more to say."<br />
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I decided to comment and to try and unpack my response to his two word review, which was to immediately thing <i>hmmm I guess he's not an ally</i>. And that's about where I think most of the dudes on the board stopped reading. My point can be summed up like this:<br />
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<b>Maybe if the performance you're critiquing was created by a marginalised person and is about their experience of oppression, how about considering not dismissing it so heartlessly? How about acknowledging that you didn't like it while maintaining its value?</b> It's not hard. They think I am being pedantic but there actually is a big, big difference between "I didn't enjoy it" and "It was so bad."<br />
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And so the conversation still continues that when I said words to the effect of, "When I read what you wrote, I thought you aren't a good ally" that I was both accusing him of not being an ally and saying he was homophobic. I said neither of those things. I was sharing my reaction, which is to say, "Your saying that makes you sound, to me, like you aren't an ally." And P.S. You don't have to be a homophobe to be a shit ally.<br />
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An ally is "a person or organisation that cooperates with or helps another in a particular activity". If you're an ally to a marginalised group, you are, to some degree, helping them in their fight against oppression. If you aren't <i>helping</i>, then you aren't an ally, <i>no matter how great your opinions are</i>.<br />
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So here's what happened. Dudes read what I wrote, put words in there and intentions in there that I didn't have. Other dudes read the interpretations and superimposed them onto my words, and then their interpretations became my words, no matter how many times I instructed them back to what I actually said. My voice became drowned. Finally I said whatever, let's move on. I didn't want to put the kind of energy it takes to get a bunch of dudes on a messageboard to change their opinions about something because I'm not sure it's ever happened in the history of internet messageboards.<br />
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(As an aside, if your comment starts off with a disclaimer that you know you sound like an Male Rights Activist, maybe consider not sounding like a Male Rights Activist.)<br />
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So I accepted that most of these people were never going to get my actual point and would rather slap each other on the back than to ask me clarifying questions about my point of view with the aim of greater understanding and... yep... being better allies. They'd no intention or desire to be better allies. Only self-assurance that they're super cool guys with great opinions that I can take or leave and if I was bent out of shape, it was my fault. The irony is that I don't give a shit what anyone thinks of Nanette. I incorrectly assumed (very funny now, in retrospect) that the person would be like, "Jeez, I didn't realise that saying what I said made me sound like I wasn't an ally. Maybe I'll avoid saying things that make me sound like I'm not an ally, because I am an ally and I want to come off as one because I love my LGBTQ friends." Nah. As I've seen over and over and over again, when you ask a straight, cis white man to change their way of thinking, they dig their heels in nearly every time.<br />
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Pushing on, I continued to post about the funny stock photos at work and other similarly banal topics. I figured I could put the situation behind me. But then that's when I was confronted with another reality: I was being mocked. My posts, which had been wildly misinterpreted, were still on their minds. Because god forbid we should move on when a man has been called homophobic! And told he can't have OPINIONS! How can she just keep posting here when she's policed our speech in such a heartless fashion! We can't say anything is bad anymore without this woman telling us we're having opinions wrong!<br />
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With a heavy heart, I quit the board. I'm quite sad over it. I'm not sure I've ever quit such a long-formed habit in my life. Logging onto the board had been a daily ritual. I already miss it. But I had to decide that my relationship with men has changed. Putting myself in the firing line isn't worth it anymore. Being where I'm devalued isn't worth it anymore. I can't purposely place myself in a space where I'm not respected and where my thoughts are treated like ammunition to distort and throw back in my face. They acted like I was trying to police them, but it was me who was policed.<br />
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It's wild! To ask someone to just merely consider another point of view and then to be treated like this idea, so altruistic, is the actual problem. After everything that's happened in human history! It's actually fascinating. And depressing.<br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-65953019970440163142019-07-15T02:17:00.002-07:002019-07-15T02:17:54.274-07:00Makeup thoughts, part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My last post was really the bare-bones basics for someone who wants to wear a little makeup, but doesn't want to go full glam. Now I want to dig a little deeper! I'd like to talk about other ways to use makeup -- I didn't talk about concealer, contouring, highlighter, makeup removal, or more creative and dramatic ways to approach the eyes. So, let's do it!<br />
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One thing to keep in mind when you watch tutorials on Youtube and Instagram is that these people are doing makeup to look good on camera or in a photo. In real life, they often look very, very different and not in a good way. And you've probably seen these kinds of makeup jobs in person, too, where it's like yiiiikes what is going on there? My point is that <b>just because an influencer is flogging a product or technique and it looks great on them, it might not be great for you</b>.<br />
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Before I buy a product, I'll usually do a search for the product name and review, and usually you'll find more than a few people who have made videos about their experiences with it. (Note: avoid "unboxing" videos because usually they're just literally the person taking the thing out of the box, putting some on their hand, and telling you about the consistency and smell.) Of course, just because some of the reviews are negative, doesn't mean the product isn't for you. For example, the person might have a different skin type than you or live in a much different climate. There's a Youtuber I like who has oily skin and lives in Florida so I take that into account when buying for my dry skin in a cold and wet climate.<br />
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<b>🔳 Concealer can be your friend, but it can also be your enemy</b>, especially if you are a woman of a certain age, like me. If you've ever watched a young Youtuber give a makeup tutorial, they will often slather on concealer in big triangles under their eyes, blend it in, and then set it with powder. If you have any fine lines or wrinkles under your eyes, let me tell you this will not look good in five minutes as the makeup settles into your lines. (I've posted a video below that shows how to avoid that.)<br />
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So there are three products that come in handy when you have something you'd like to cover up or minimise, like redness around the nose, under-eye darkness or discolouration, or a spot: colour <u>corrector</u>, <u>concealer</u>, and <u>setting powder</u>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSlPKaOdpK2dqxZerIkcwrqy-R92WJgl8aDZQlU_aoCO20gNZQctdTDhPEWWlXvWLQbztrjQhqlcU_068qArSfph3RBjIOxUPrKFO3UUg-LLmnms4CTjyJn8nt5jbo7tvuhf3SS1jEXlf/s1600/corrector.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="356" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSlPKaOdpK2dqxZerIkcwrqy-R92WJgl8aDZQlU_aoCO20gNZQctdTDhPEWWlXvWLQbztrjQhqlcU_068qArSfph3RBjIOxUPrKFO3UUg-LLmnms4CTjyJn8nt5jbo7tvuhf3SS1jEXlf/s200/corrector.png" width="196" /></a><b>Step 1: Colour corrector.</b> First let me say that you don't always need to use colour corrector, but it can really help. How you use colour corrector is going to depend mostly on what you're covering and what your skin tone is. They also come in pots, sticks, tubes, and more. The basic idea is that you apply the opposite colour of what you're covering. Colour correcting sets will have a variety of colours for this purpose, like this one from Anastasia Beverly Hills:<br />
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There are loaaaads of youtube tutorials on colour corrector, but the best thing is to find one made by someone with a skin type and tone similar to your own. Here are a couple selections:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uWP6vCFpShE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uWP6vCFpShE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AgmmQlvR6R0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AgmmQlvR6R0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TIPdrBfOjL0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TIPdrBfOjL0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EJqy_fRuwuo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EJqy_fRuwuo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b>Step 2: Concealer. </b>You want to put a bit of concealer over the thing you colour corrected. The concealer should match your skin as closely as possible in that area at that time. (You might be lighter or darker depending on how much sun or self-tanner you've been exposed to lately.) </div>
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<b>Step 3: Setting powder.</b> Just a smidge will do! Lightly dust the spot you covered up with translucent powder. Some people think you need to put foundation over concealer, but you really really don't.</div>
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Here are some other tutorials for covering specific areas/issues:</div>
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An overall no-foundation look using concealer:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XLB4uirWAYA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XLB4uirWAYA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
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How to cover up a spot:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UoEYpj_BUrE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UoEYpj_BUrE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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How to prevent concealer from creasing:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S-bhj_yh8qk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S-bhj_yh8qk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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How to conceal dark circles under the eyes:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lH-76zluqQU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lH-76zluqQU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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If you're going for full face coverage, here's a deep dive into how to use concealer with foundation:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u6_7D0l1DR4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u6_7D0l1DR4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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🔳 <b>Contouring can be fun!</b> Done properly, contour and highlighting can really make your cheekbones stand out, define your jawline, and it can even change the perceived shape of your nose! Done incorrectly, you can look like you've got painted stripes on your face. The key is to build thin layers so you don't apply too much and then blend, blend, blend.</div>
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Usually contour/highlighting products are powders, but they can come in creamy consistencies, or you can also contour with darker shades of foundation or tinted moisturiser. There are also different takes on where to apply the products -- for example, you'll see guides that tell you to apply them in different areas according to your face shape. But really, this is the basic concept:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgDxF9DWXejUtfqG3XX3b8LcLIQmh_PO0sM8bI_gj9Cw4kNYko2pPd82a2tPn9NuAJ_P6L9J4-WIWhgbc-xYOL7Q0OFiV0VvkNxWjv1MSY7m5O2lQBiLqP8B9_apFDp1_XZNVDLDOJyVs/s1600/rimmel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgDxF9DWXejUtfqG3XX3b8LcLIQmh_PO0sM8bI_gj9Cw4kNYko2pPd82a2tPn9NuAJ_P6L9J4-WIWhgbc-xYOL7Q0OFiV0VvkNxWjv1MSY7m5O2lQBiLqP8B9_apFDp1_XZNVDLDOJyVs/s320/rimmel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I absolutely love the finished look in this tutorial. Shonagh Scott has created contours by simply using different shades of tinted moisturiser and the result is extremely natural and sun-kissed:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1_W6mOPIu-U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1_W6mOPIu-U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Here is a tutorial for a subtle look if you wear foundation:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yO_Qprux5C4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yO_Qprux5C4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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This tutorial uses only different shades of concealer to contour and highlight:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IT-hIpatfng/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IT-hIpatfng?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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If you're a little older, these might be the tutorials for you. The first is with cream products:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LsHp-GMmMZM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LsHp-GMmMZM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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And this one is with powder products:</div>
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And finally, there's a cool invention called 'setting spray' for keeping it all in place! It kind of reminds me of being in art class when we used to spray a finished drawing to keep the charcoal from going all over the place. Or hairspray, I suppose.</div>
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I have an allergy which keeps me from using setting spray myself, but there are<a href="https://www.businessinsider.nl/best-makeup-setting-spray/?international=true&r=US" target="_blank"> loads of options at many price points</a>. Some of them give you a 'dewy glow' and some of them have some SPF, while some are made for oily or dry skin. But if you find that your makeup doesn't stay put, especially in summer, give setting spray a go!</div>
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I didn't talk about everything I wanted to in this post, but sure I'll leave it here for now. And maybe tell me which products you're using so I can try them!</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-52067940703111688642019-06-07T04:54:00.000-07:002019-06-07T04:54:03.645-07:00Greywood Arts, final thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I wanted to do a post about yesterday, but the day conspired against me.<br />
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I woke up late-ish but managed to sit down to work by 10:41am, still in the sweats I slept in. I wasn't warm, but the content must have been hard on my nerves because I could feel lines of sweat dripping down from my armpits. The next thing I knew, it was half past four and I hadn't even taken a break for lunch. But instead of eating, I went for a run because the weather was gorgeous and I thought a run would help me unwind from the hours of difficult writing.<br />
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And it was a brilliant run. I ran a longer distance than the run earlier in the week, but somehow it seemed to go by more quickly. I showered, changed, and planned to go for dinner with Mary and Yoni in a couple of hours. Mary gave me a handful of peanuts and I munched on a few corn cakes to tide me over.<br />
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But within ten minutes of sitting back at the computer, I felt a strange sensation, as if my hands weren't attached to my body. I stopped typing and realised that I was having the outer body sensation that signals an oncoming migraine. Oh no! Yup. I got up and walked around, trying to figure out whether I was right. The visuals hadn't started yet, but all the other signs were there.<br />
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Luckily the others decided to go to dinner an hour early. I took a boat load of nurofen and hoped for the best. The visuals started on cue about 15 minutes later, but I powered through them as well as the foggy brain and trouble finding words or stringing sentences together! Eventually I felt mostly normal.<br />
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We got Colm's number and sent him a text to meet us at the pub. The four of us enjoyed our last night together, telling stories and making each other laugh. I wish we could have had a little bit longer here, in this oasis. Today, I'll head back to Dublin, Mary goes to Cork, and Yoni will stay on in Greywood for a couple of weeks more. But the good news is that both of them are stopping in Dublin before they leave Ireland, so I don't have to say proper good-byes today! My bus will arrive to bring me to Cork in about a half hour, and then I'll return to regular life.<br />
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In terms of results - I have over 34,500 words of my book complete. It's maybe about half of what I was going for, but actually I think I'm about 2/3 finished. That's something I feel really proud of. I know it won't be long before I'm done. I worked my way through the tough bits that had been the real hurdles, so from here on out I have a very clear vision of my process. I am actually looking forward to the process, whereas before I thought mostly about the product.<br />
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So, all in all I know I wrung the experience as best as I possibly could and made the most of my time here and I return to Dublin with a feeling of great satisfaction.</div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-62710320955835503342019-06-05T17:29:00.002-07:002019-06-05T17:29:55.347-07:00Writing Week Day 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm actually beside myself with exhaustion so I will try to be brief.<br />
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Last night I had trouble getting to sleep because one of the other residents had said "a woman" (aka a ghost) had briefly visited her room and I was a bit terrified to turn out the light. But it was fine.<br />
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Woke up at about half nine, showered, ate a bit of toast, and then went straight into it for about half ten. I worked without a break until nearly six o'clock, not even lunch. It was amazing. I'm up to almost 30,000 words now.<br />
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There was to be an event on a 7pm, so I cooked myself some spaghetti and ate it as quickly as I could. The event was an art share that started with a facilitated conversation between the Irish author Orla McAlinden and the artist Mary Coss. I'd say about ten people showed up, which was perfect. Their conversation was really compelling, and I found Orla's story about writing her first book really motivating. She was a veterinarian, and when her father died, she started writing stories using his voice as the inspiration. But seeing as she couldn't publish the stories (some of the featured characters still being alive), she decided to write other stories. And now her second book has just been published.<br />
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After the talk, Yoni played three of the movements on piano from the project he's working on. It was absolutely lovely. Although I have often heard him play since I've been here, it's been all stops and starts, and impossible to hear any sort of arrangement. So it was amazing to hear the results of all those stops and starts!<br />
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Finally, Jess asked if I wanted to share a bit of what I'm working on. I read a section of my book that talked about not having enough courage when it came time to help my dad use the urinal. I had picked out a second bit, but I chickened out reading that one. But the feedback on what I did read was incredible. I do think I'm really onto something. I can feel that my story will really resonate with so many people, even though at the moment sometimes I worry that it's pedestrian.<br />
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One thing I'm realising through this process: I used to describe this book as a book about my father. And as I write, I'm realising that my father's actual, healthy, real personality is actually virtually absent. Cancer erased so much of his essence. The story is about me. I never thought of it as a story about me before, but it definitely is. As it should be. The only one qualified to tell my father's story is him. I mean, it makes sense. Writing is largely a narcissistic endeavour. But I want to tell my story so that other people who have been or will go through this experience can read it and see themselves.<br />
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One woman at the event spoke up and said that only a couple of days ago, she'd been to her parents' house to care for her mother and father, who had both been in a fall (one fell atop the other). And she said that the passage from my book that I read was almost exactly what happened to her. "You need to write this book," she said, emphatically. Later, I got into a conversation with another woman who was talking about another point I was talking about relating to being assertive and advocating for your loved one. She told me that I could probably get funding from patient advocacy groups.<br />
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I didn't realise it, but I think I really needed the encouragement. I'm just over halfway done with what I planned to do. I may not finish it all before I leave here, but if I don't, I'm 1000% certain I'll finish very soon upon my return. I know that I can finish, I will finish, and I will find my audience, too. </div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-77929684921269723042019-06-04T16:49:00.005-07:002019-06-04T16:49:49.338-07:00Writing Week Day 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh my goodness. What a time I've had just now. But wait - let me start at the beginning.<br />
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I didn't sleep as well last night as the night before -- probably because I got my period and also I had a couple of glasses of wine and I should know by now that wine (even a glass or two) negatively affects my sleep. But even still, I slept better than normal, so this is in no way a complaint.<br />
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I made myself a little omelet and some toast and then it was straight into it. I sat down to work and basically worked from about 10-something to 5-something. I didn't even break for lunch. I now have 18,500 words down. Some of the parts I worked on today felt a bit tedious. And a lot of the story isn't literary -- it's difficult to be literary when you're talking about the minutiae of death. So much of the story is like, I bought him a steak and he only had three bites. But I want to include that bit because it's a true representation of what happens when you're desperately trying to keep someone alive.<br />
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I was thinking about that bit in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - you know, the hardest section of the book, where the priest is giving that long sermon about hell. It's so fucking long and boring that by the end of it, you really start to feel like you are actually in hell. Well I guess the thing about what I'm writing is that I want to really convey how tedious and relentless it is to be obsessed with another person's food intake. I don't want to gloss over the long-winded, desperate planning that goes into finding the perfect food that they're going to gobble right up, and look at you, and say, "That was delicious, I'll have approximately 500 more, and then once I eat these, I promise I'll have the will to live and we'll all be so happy, and p.s. I'm never going to die. Thank you for buying me this shake." Because this is the fantasy land that carers live in and I want to be true to that life.<br />
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So anyways, Mary, the amazing sculptural artist here, is doing a really neato project that entails recording women's stories and she asked to interview me. So I stopped working and went up to be interviewed. The mic stopped recording a half hour in, so I went for a walk while she sorted out the technical difficulties. My MdDS has definitely come back, although mildly, and I decided that I should probably walk for the sake of my vestibular system. While I was walking (and being rained on), I chatted to my sister Tina. We had a lovely chat. Then I returned so Mary could re-record me. There were still some technical issues, but we left it because by then it was 8:30pm and our stomachs were growling.<br />
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Next door there's a thatched roof restaurant with tourist prices, but we had 10% off coupons and it appears to be the only half-decent restaurant in the village. Yoni joined us, and as usual we updated each other on our projects. We talked about vegetarianism, our artistic goals for our time here, and various other very interesting subjects. When it became clear that the restaurant side of the establishment was closing, we moved over to the bar, where a man named Callum was already drinking. Mary introduced us. Callum helps Jess and Hugh with bits and pieces here in the house, and that's how he and Mary were already acquainted. He introduced himself to me and Yoni, but already seemed to know a bit about each of us.<br />
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We then proceeded to have one of the most hilarious and entertaining conversations that I have ever had. Callum has lived here in Killeagh for 40 years. Previous to that, he was living in Dublin for a couple of years, and then previous to that he was born and reared in Derry (the county, not the city). He wore an Easter Lily pin that he said someone stuck on that particular shirt several years ago, and has never come off since.<br />
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Do you ever just laugh and laugh and laugh so much that you realise you can't remember when you last laughed that much? That's how this conversation went. All four of us were in absolute stitches. And it worked perfectly -- each person added a funny element to the conversation and it definitely would not have been as entertaining if even one of us hadn't been there. First we talked about this house being haunted. Then we moved onto ghost stories, crazy artists who stayed in the house, stories about the house's previous tenants, the church conductor, flying in planes, and more. It was one of those times when I felt completely in the moment, listening intently, translating Callum's accent for the other two, telling jokes and stories, and thinking this is fucking amazing. This makes life worth living. This is what I want to recreate when I write, or at the very least put a name to.<br />
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So it's later than I'd like it to be, and I'll go to bed now. But first I want to say something.<br />
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You don't have to have the perfect job to live the life that you want to live. You can live a great life in other ways. I used to think that if I didn't have certain things, then I was a failure. Now I see that as long as I can feel joy or feel that joy is possible, I will never be a failure. </div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-37145589843261580932019-06-03T15:04:00.002-07:002019-06-03T15:04:32.282-07:00Writing Week Day 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Before I talk about Day 2, I have some more things to say about Day 1!<br />
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After I wrote yesterday's blog post, I went out for pints with the other two artists here this week. The first is a young composer named Yoni, who is one of the most interesting people I've ever met. He grew up in Jerusalem and Montreal, but has lived in India and New York and is especially well travelled for his age. He speaks Hebrew, Russian, English, and French (and maybe a bit of Romanian and Albanian, if memory serves?). When he said he was from Jerusalem rather than Israel, I immediately picked up on the tension - I do something similar when I am anticipating a certain reaction to where I'm from. I kind of ... bend the location a little. So in other words, I didn't write him off or confront him when I learned he was from Israel. I knew from the second I met him that he was a nice person, and it would have taken a lot for me to think otherwise. ANYHOO - let's just say he mentioned having a Palestinian friend and after two days I am unwavering in my conviction that he's someone who will make the world a better place.<br />
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The other artist is Mary, an artist from Seattle, Washington. The projects she was talking about sounded super impressive and also extremely cool and interesting. Right away, from the second she introduced herself to me, I felt like I knew her. She's 64 but honestly I was kind of shocked because she has an extremely youthful affect. And she is so beautifully open and curious. You know how sometimes people get to a certain age and they act like people younger than them don't have anything interesting to say? Well Mary had lots of questions for me and Yoni, and then shared her insights, and the conversation just flowed in a lovely trajectory.<br />
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But here's what I wanted to tell you about. So we were talking about the US -- I haven't been there for over three years, so when I talk to someone who lives there I usually have a lot of questions. Yoni was saying that apart from a visit to New York, he hadn't been to the rest of the US except for a wedding in Florida. I was just about to launch into a speech about how much I hate Florida, when I asked him what part of Florida the wedding was. He said it was on the coast, south of Orlando. "Melbourne?" he said, "On the beach..."<br />
"Melbourne Beach??" I asked. He said yes, the wedding was in Melbourne Beach. That's where my grandparents lived for like 25 years. Then, he said, "But I actually stayed in a nearby town - I think it was called Palm Bay." I was absolutely stunned. Palm Bay is the town where my father was living when he died. And his death in Palm Bay was what I came here to write about. What are the odds that I'd meet a guy from Jerusalem in Ireland who had been to Palm Bay and Melbourne Beach? There's even a whole section of my book where I talk about going to Melbourne Beach with my siblings. What the heck!!<br />
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So I had an absolutely blissful night's sleep on the amazing bed with this amazing pillow and this amazingly quiet room. Honestly the entire trip was nearly worth the one night of sleep that I got, it was that good. I fixed myself some breakfast, had a bit of a chat with Mary, and sat down to work. I made some decent headway, until I hit about 10,000 words and decided it would be a good time to go for a run. Laced up, I headed to these wood trails around the corner. It took a little figuring out, and I still didn't do the route that I planned, but holy smokes. First of all, I left my phone in the house. I wanted to be really present. It was amazing. The woods have some of the most gorgeous trees I've ever seen and rhododendron trees, which I did not know could even grow that high. Some of them were over two storeys tall. And the smell of dirt! It reminded me of New Hampshire and the many, many hours I spent in the woods around our house, just exploring. And I didn't do too bad with the running, either - there were some long stretches of uphill terrain, but I just did what I could do and walked when I felt like it. But mostly I ran the whole way! As I was running, I ran some things about the day's writing over in my head. I let my mind go wherever I wanted it to.<br />
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And I also decided that this week is, hands down, the greatest gift I have ever given myself. And the best part is that I can totally do it again, as many times as I want!<br />
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Running feels life affirming in the most literal way. And it's something I wrote about in this book, but I want to expand on it a bit when I get to that part. Running is not something I particularly excel at, but it is something that I always go back to, again and again, when I want to feel happiness. It's a form of meditation for me. I don't care if I can't run the longest or the fastest. I just like to run and feel my body living and working while I can. Running definitely kept me sane when my father was sick and afterwards.<br />
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When I came back from my run, I made a little cheese and tomato sandwich, took a shower, and sat down to work for another two and a half hours. So far, I have nearly 13,000 words of my draft finished. The panic of whether I will accomplish my goals is starting to dissipate. I feel confident that if the next three and a half days go as well as the last day and a half have gone, I will leave here with a full first draft of my book. I don't know whether anyone else will think it's any good, but if I'm happy with how it comes out, it won't really matter. At my age, dreams of being some famous writer fell away a long time ago.<br />
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I went to dinner tonight with Mary and Yoni -- the restaurant next door closed early because of the bank holiday, so we went to a Chinese place. Chinese places are kind of a crap shoot in Ireland. Mary was gutsy and ordered squid. Yoni and I got vegetarian dishes. I was slightly amazed that we all enjoyed our food. All three of us were glowing from the buzz of productive days. I'm happy. I'm just so happy. I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self that happiness is possible and one day you'll feel true joy. I wish I could go back in time and tell my grieving self that no, you won't always feel suffocated with sadness and loss. But they're two sides of a coin, aren't they? And you can't have a rich life without those coins. xoxo</div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-36596135757865313492019-06-02T11:49:00.002-07:002019-06-02T11:50:02.925-07:00Writing Week Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I started my journey to Greywood Arts in Killeagh, Co. Cork, before 8am. I treated myself to a cab, which dropped me at Heuston Station with nearly 30 minutes to spare before my train to Cork City (leg 1 of my journey). Traveling without Mark makes me feel like a tourist without his Irish accent to validate my existence in this country. Once in my seat, I decided to get straight to work. I began to read the printout of journal entries, and started making notes and highlighting each section with different colours, based on whether I thought they were good to use, could be used with significant editing, or whether they needed to go. I noted where I needed to add details, and where I might talk about different developments along the way. I was a little paranoid that I'd somehow miss the stop at Mallow and forget to switch trains, so I stopped reading two stops ahead of Mallow. I made the switch without a bother, and before I knew it, I was in Cork.<br />
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I had an hour to kill in Cork, which was good because I wanted to pick up some conditioner and shampoo, which I did. But I nearly got on the wrong bus because there are two number 40 Expressway buses leaving the same bus station at roughly the same time, except one goes to Waterford and one goes to Tralee. I tried to get on the Tralee one because I didn't see the Waterford one -- I had even put my suitcase in the boot. But luckily the bus driver (who was much more confused than he should have been, all things considered) told me I needed the bus to Waterford, not Tralee. So I grabbed my suitcase and booked it to the opposite end of the platform area, only to bump into a guy who was standing next to the Waterford bus, trying to figure out how the heck he was supposed to get to Tralee. I told him about the other 40 bus, and he took off running. I think he literally got to the bus a second before it pulled out.<br />
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The bus ride was unremarkable. I ate a falafel wrap and a cookie. I thanked my lucky stars for technology as I tracked the bus location on my phone because the bus driver was not announcing the stops. I got off the bus, grabbed my suitcase, looked up, and there was the sign for Greywood. Jessica (a fellow US ex-pat from Connecticut) showed me around the place and omg Mark would be so jealous if he could see it. I have my very own room for writing that overlooks trees and a river. My bedroom is so lovely, too. Killeagh (pronounced Kill-AH, if anyone is wondering) village is also very cute.<br />
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I chatted with Jessica for a while and then I got to work. I finished reading my print-out, which was hard in bits because of the subject matter, obviously. I realised that it's been years since I re-read it all and some of it I don't even remember writing. Some of it I had forgotten had happened! And some of my descriptions of how I was feeling and what I was doing still resonated so strongly that I have to thank myself for having written so much down as it was happening.<br />
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But now that I've gone through everything and made these notes, it all feels much more manageable. I just have to sort out this beginning bit (aka the part that has been the stumbling block for the past 9 years - no big deal) and then I think I'll be flying.<br />
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There's just one kind of big problem. I think that the long train and bus ride has caused my Mal de Débarquement Syndrome to return. This is an issue I had after a trip to Italy in late 2017 that lasted for nearly 5 months where I felt like I was on a boat constantly. After working for a couple of hours at the table, I had to admit that the sensation of floating was creeping in. So I went and took a short walk and then I came back and made some dinner, after which I felt much better -- pretty much normal. But then it seems that when I sit back down and try to work, it comes back. Very frustrating. So I'm going to stop for the night, maybe go for a pint, get a good night's sleep, and then tomorrow morning I'll go for a run and maybe do some vestibular exercises. Think good thoughts for me. xo</div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-92121905654516861102019-04-29T05:35:00.001-07:002019-05-02T06:23:04.910-07:00Random post about makeup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I actually don't wear much makeup. Most days lately I'll wear 3 products: mascara, blush, and some eyebrow gel mayyyybe with some tinted lip balm. HOWEVER, I do love makeup, I watch a lot of tutorials, and I like to keep abreast of makeup trends and such.<br />
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Recently a friend of mine asked about a sort of makeup for beginners - she doesn't really wear much makeup herself and she was looking for tips on products to buy and how to apply. I have been saying for months that I'd put something together, so here it is!<br />
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So this post is for the non-makeup wearer or the person who doesn't want to spend a lot of time doing makeup. These are the essentials.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBYSfPuSlWvD1GAaF0pWvi7FgGLlToxzki65gXF8SbNW9vi-Kf0btvFLM314KQL8JfJMiJGJG3_joqdegECkNDWlBbZksJdNA5abD_u-c3MV94wp3O3spRqmNE6qOU07OmCsq-9gjMS_G/s1600/brushes1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="530" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBYSfPuSlWvD1GAaF0pWvi7FgGLlToxzki65gXF8SbNW9vi-Kf0btvFLM314KQL8JfJMiJGJG3_joqdegECkNDWlBbZksJdNA5abD_u-c3MV94wp3O3spRqmNE6qOU07OmCsq-9gjMS_G/s200/brushes1.png" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #a64d79;">1.</span> <b>Brushes.</b> In the old days eye makeup came with a little spongey applicator and blush came with a little brush. Nowadays you need to buy your own tools. And boy you can spend a lot of money on brushes! Personally, I invested in this <a href="https://www.zoevacosmetics.com/europe3/209/complete-eye-set" target="_blank">Zoeva eye brush set</a> for 74 euro and bought brushes for other parts of my face separately. However, <a href="https://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Makeup-Application-Tools/Make-Up-Brush-Sets/c/pt_make_up_make_up_brush_sets?q=%3AbestBiz%3Abrand%3A417007&text=&minSel=4.0&maxSel=30.0&minSlider=4.0&maxSlider=30.0&resultsForPage=20&brand417007=on" target="_blank">Real Techniques brushes</a> are readily available in most Irish chemists, and honestly they are very good. <a href="https://www.boots.ie/real-techniques-enhanced-eye-set-10228012p" target="_blank">This is a good set for the eyes to start with.</a> You don't want to go too cheap and make sure whatever you get is nice and soft.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QsHrarpqdZzyCBDBWVzQHn4-6u8Pliq0HEaRphUlEB60DScQEVyhU-RuDea8UaJ9HSj7zxdC2zeGkzB0ltLIGrHThzgz2jZ_hZCKmPRV-af4dlT33ygyAJvkLUpN-VPPgo51H8ziHgW6/s1600/brushes2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="523" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QsHrarpqdZzyCBDBWVzQHn4-6u8Pliq0HEaRphUlEB60DScQEVyhU-RuDea8UaJ9HSj7zxdC2zeGkzB0ltLIGrHThzgz2jZ_hZCKmPRV-af4dlT33ygyAJvkLUpN-VPPgo51H8ziHgW6/s200/brushes2.png" width="200" /></a>For the face, I find that I mostly just use a blush brush and a powder brush, but it's good to have some others on hand, such as a brush for a little contour or in specific spots like under the eyes or for applying concealer. <a href="https://www.boots.ie/real-techniques-flawless-base-set-10228025" target="_blank">This set from Real Techniques</a> should do the trick.<br />
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Here's a youtube video on brushes for beginners:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R-_6rnGvK6w/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R-_6rnGvK6w?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">2.</span> <b>An eyelash curler.</b> This is a must. It will instantly make your eyes look bigger and make you look more awake. I recently bought an expensive one and didn't think it was any better than the drugstore one I had before. <a href="https://www.boots.ie/tweezerman-great-grip-eyelash-curler-10049158" target="_blank">This one from Tweezerman</a> gets really good reviews. I will say that really cheap ones (like the ones in Penneys) will do in a pinch but I wouldn't buy one for regular use.<br />
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Now... onto the actual makeup!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyf8QrAzbY3EpUqPEyYFeVIrurGG4CO96LWYJd7RBarjKK-8Hai7oWPrOR8CMqm95BnKSWGN8VcxmXLUMDbz8-hdFyTMm-YiuhNQNBsxgzmphuVnDH4xpwMc5hvWiTLxDtYeZrw37zhhL/s1600/nyx+lid+ling.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="405" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyf8QrAzbY3EpUqPEyYFeVIrurGG4CO96LWYJd7RBarjKK-8Hai7oWPrOR8CMqm95BnKSWGN8VcxmXLUMDbz8-hdFyTMm-YiuhNQNBsxgzmphuVnDH4xpwMc5hvWiTLxDtYeZrw37zhhL/s200/nyx+lid+ling.png" width="195" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;">3.</span><b> Get a decent eye shadow palette.</b> You don't have to spend a lot of money, but also don't just buy any old palette because there is huge variation of quality. If you're reading reviews of an eye shadow, you want to know that it's what the beauty gurus call 'pigmented.' In other words, you don't need to use much for the colour to show up. If you're someone who doesn't wear a lot of makeup and who wants to keep it simple, go for a neutral palette that has mostly matte shades. Something like <a href="https://www.nyxcosmetics.com/lid-lingerie-shadow-palette/NYX_406.html?cgid=palettes" target="_blank">NYX's Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette</a>, which only costs a tenner. My go-to is an old Urban Decay Basics palette <a href="https://www.debenhams.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10052_10001_123932036899_-1" target="_blank">kind of like this one, which sells for 32 euro</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdfYeduHr2I-0NfAGEYAJ27ZxernYeWKI7Hko0ZEB3eOHIgA-XtFF0tJRpkBjI4b-fqWBS5LqAHUSW_s9srXt-0uhepZQPHDic1dW0Jm5JgM8HxDuqn5F-yPjhsarWL74UwkYHehBgS0G/s1600/naked2basics.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="536" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdfYeduHr2I-0NfAGEYAJ27ZxernYeWKI7Hko0ZEB3eOHIgA-XtFF0tJRpkBjI4b-fqWBS5LqAHUSW_s9srXt-0uhepZQPHDic1dW0Jm5JgM8HxDuqn5F-yPjhsarWL74UwkYHehBgS0G/s200/naked2basics.png" width="200" /></a><br />
When it comes to application, you can keep it really simple! But, here's the thing...<br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">4.</span> <b>Ya gotta prime!</b> In this modern age, primers are a fantastic invention. For the eyes, there are loads of options and I've been known to use a frosted primer and call it a day! But usually primers aren't tinted or else they have only a hint of colour. I use a product from <a href="https://www.brownthomas.com/beauty/make-up/eyes/eyeshadow/pro-longwear-paint-pot/123079652.html?channable=e20979.Nzd4MTgzMnhtcHg4&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2IrmBRCJARIsAJZDdxB1HUbJqZ-JmJVAgTCJP8kHKCJHmKppIp2dByThOffyySIY_h9Q-ZMaArV4EALw_wcB" target="_blank">MAC called Pro Longwear Paint Pot in the shade 'Painterly'</a>. It's a little on the pricey side at 22 euro, but it lasts forever. It's like a cream that just conceals the veins and discolouration in my eyelids. As I get older, my eyelids have become more uneven in tone, so I like to just even it all out with something thicker. But basically any old eye primer will do.<br />
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So, back to number 3 - there are obviously a million tutorials out there. Maybe more than a million? But for the basics you don't even need to watch them. My first advice is to use glittery, foiled, or shimmery shadows very, very sparingly, especially if you're a little older, and especially for daytime. If you've only got five minutes, really just one shade of shadow is all you need. Be sure to blend it out so there are no harsh lines at the edges.<br />
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I found this fantastic graphic for knowing where to put which shades where:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDTt04avotBVxSvKtVI87NFhsPIeDPcVyZjD6SbX36F1juwbNyzxENCbA_ZSQSrsAD6cwSAgD-U-scGSvg-z-AeVSd242Cju-5Dtorxg-CBsOujy0nHShubnBnZgixnShaIZROC5fEQUi/s1600/tutorial+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="560" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDTt04avotBVxSvKtVI87NFhsPIeDPcVyZjD6SbX36F1juwbNyzxENCbA_ZSQSrsAD6cwSAgD-U-scGSvg-z-AeVSd242Cju-5Dtorxg-CBsOujy0nHShubnBnZgixnShaIZROC5fEQUi/s320/tutorial+graphic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">5.</span> <b>Mascara is really all you need.</b> A few years ago, my friend Emma told me that Bobbi Brown had the best mascara. So I bought some. And she was right! But I wanted to see if I could find something even better and also a tubing mascara that worked just as well. What is tubing mascara, you ask? According to <a href="https://www.beautyheaven.com.au/makeup/mascara-eye-liner/what-is-tubing-mascara" target="_blank">Beauty Haven</a>, "Regular mascara coats pigment on your lashes, whereas tubing mascara contains flexible polymers that actually wrap themselves around each of your lashes, ensuring that each lash has 360-degree coverage." And let me tell you. Good tubing mascara does. not. smudge. If you're like me and you have oily eyelids and you find yourself having to wipe off mascara smudging throughout the day, then consider tubing mascara. I have tried at least 10 different mascaras that people have claimed to be tubing mascaras, and let me tell you people are wrong a lot of the time. However a couple of tubing mascaras that are the real deal are the<a href="https://www.boots.ie/no7-stay-perfect-mascara-10156448" target="_blank"> No 7 Stay Perfect Mascara (in Boots)</a> for 18 euro and the<a href="https://www.arnotts.ie/estee-lauder/double-wear-zero-smudge-lengthening-mascara/106101627SW.html?cgid=root&dwvar_106101627SW_color=Black#q=Double%2BWear%2BZero-Smudge&lang=en_IE&start=1" target="_blank"> Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara</a> for 27 euro. These will give you a pretty natural look so if it's high drama you're after, stick with a non-tubing mascara.<br />
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But for regular mascaras, I've been to the moon and back and haven't found anything better than <a href="https://www.brownthomas.com/brands/bobbi-brown/make-up/eyes/eye-opening-masara/41x1830xeett01.html?cgid=bobbi-brown-make-up-eyes&dwvar_41x1830xeett01_color=Black#start=1" target="_blank">Bobbi Brown's Eye Opening Mascara</a> for 29.50 euro. Other ones I tried were either really clumpy or else didn't give me the length I was after.<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">6.</span><b> Don't forget your brows.</b> If you're new to makeup, it can be a bit jarring the first time you put makeup on your eyebrows, especially if your eyebrows are light in colour or density. However, it can really make a big difference to your overall look and you don't have to go full BROW -- just a little bit of product can go a long way. I have extremely slim and light brows, so most days I use a brow gel to just make my eyebrows stand out a bit more. There are some great brow gels out there, but the two I currently use are <a href="https://www.boots.ie/nyx-professional-makeup-tinted-brow-mascara-10209035" target="_blank">NYX tinted brow mascara</a> for 8 euro and <a href="https://www.glossier.com/products/boy-brow" target="_blank">Glossier Boy Brow</a> for 15 euro, which is a little more sheer. When I have extra time, I'll fill them in properly with either a pencil or a brow powder. I switch up the brow pencils with inexpensive brands, and the powder is just a cheap one from Wet and Wild. But there are a gazillion different brow products from microbladers to different kind of pencils and gels, etc. <a href="https://www.beautybay.com/l/?q=anastasia&f_filter_brand=Anastasia+Beverly+Hills&f_filter_product_type=Brow+Brushes&f_filter_product_type=Eyebrow+Colour+%26+Shaping" target="_blank">Anastasia brow products</a> have a great reputation.<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">7.</span> <b>The face: the options can be overwhelming!</b> I consider makeup for the face completely optional. Firstly, because I was blessed with pretty decent skin, but also because I do not like the sensation of having makeup on my face. For one thing, I blow my nose a LOT so a fair bit of makeup inevitably comes off from my nose and around my nose, including around my mouth. I also don't like worrying about makeup coming off on my clothes, or settling into my wrinkles or wearing off unevenly. HOWEVER, for special events I will wear a full face and I definitely look more polished when I do.<br />
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Having said that, there are products that can give you a little polish without being old timey full coverage foundation. These are tinted moisturisers, BB creams (a little heavier than a tinted moisturiser), CC creams (the CC stands for Colour Correcting), and even DD creams, which is supposedly like a BB/CC cream combo. There are also tinted primers that some people use over a moisturiser. And some of the above offer different options like SPF and anti-oxidants. And all of the above are available in a wide range of price points from drugstore/chemists to luxury department store and speciality brands. It's best to read the reviews before taking the plunge, even for the cheaper products. I often like to wear <a href="https://www.lookfantastic.com/benefit-the-porefessional-primer-22ml/10552666.html" target="_blank">Benefit's Porefessional</a>, which basically sort of blurs your skin and makes it look slightly airbrushed. <a href="https://www.lookfantastic.com/nyx-professional-makeup-nofilter-blurring-primer/11567567.html" target="_blank">NYX makes a less expensive dupe</a> also. You can't even feel them on your skin.<br />
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If the idea of foundation puts you off (sometimes I feel like I'm painting my skin when I put it on), I really love the face products from Bare Minerals. You put on a clear gel primer, and then two types of powders that convert to a creamy consistency when you brush them on. It's very 'buildable', meaning you can put just a touch on, or you can really pack it on for a lot of coverage. You can get <a href="https://www.lookfantastic.com/bareminerals-get-started-kit-fairly-light/11643471.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=EUR&shippingcountry=IE&shoppingpid=15MAKEUP&thg_ppc_campaign=71700000049794463&adtype=pla&product_id=11643471&gclid=CjwKCAjwwZrmBRA7EiwA4iMzBCmydzh7ippAJcUJiGGcFejeiD6ahyR69ML2aUrf3KlKGig_K7NcLxoC844QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">a starter kit that gives you the primer and powers</a>, plus a brush for 24 euro. Here's a tutorial:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Axk49ElTjJk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Axk49ElTjJk?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="320"></iframe>You can't go wrong with a bit of blush on the apples of your cheeks -- there are of course bronzers and highlighters up the wazoo, but for the beginner I think we needn't even discuss them. Concealer is also maybe a topic for another day.<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">8.</span> <b>Attention to the lips will transform your face, but beware!</b> I love the <b><i>idea </i></b>of lip colour. I'm always buying lovely lip products with the goal of being a person who wears lipstick. But the truth is, I can't stand the feeling and I am constantly rubbing it off when I blow my nose. So I usually throw on a tinted lip balm and call it a day.<br />
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If you want to try something more bold, be honest with yourself about what looks good on you and what actually will stay put. Sometimes we want to be someone who has those perfect matte red lips, but actually it ends up smudging and fading, or on our teeth, and then you look in the mirror an hour after application and it looks like the morning after. So my advice is to prime your lips, use a long-wearing product like a liquid lip with good reviews, and for the love of god use a lip liner if you want it to stay put! They come in clear now so you don't have to worry about hoochie mama lips. I really like the Beauty Youtuber Sharon Farrell, and she's got a good tutorial on how to apply lip colour:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cDSzT_JoW4w/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cDSzT_JoW4w?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
I really like the tinted lip balms from Lush, which they tragically don't make anymore and <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.ie/born-lippytm-pot-lip-balm-strawberry.html" target="_blank">Body Shop</a> (surprisingly, I'm not into the Burt's Bees ones that are for sale literally everywhere). I'm on the hunt for a new one.<br />
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And lastly, if you really want to wear makeup but don't want to look like you're wearing makeup, give the Glossier products a go. Most of them are sheer and very subtle. I love their aesthetic and they've <a href="https://www.glossier.com/category/sets" target="_blank">nice little starter sets</a>.<br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-32380325604015497992019-04-24T07:10:00.002-07:002020-02-08T10:16:57.960-08:00Upstairs Bathroom Renovation, part 5: decisions were made<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As we get closer to starting work on our bathroom, I am happy to report that I have BOUGHT SOME THINGS. And some of them have arrived! It's all very exciting. I also changed my mind on something I thought I was sure about, which goes to show you need to be flexible sometimes.<br />
Here's a visual for you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uXLT9q5s6PdMfiAwphmQ88IG3CHXi3GemtMYUhL0FbLuLj18Oow8Ifd-wdkO5HFrla2VrhLI7unfIDwTJv3RUgE9aIFbLs3-moKoEaAwfQRdCHwveeTPY7e991quiDBa9gOWHO0WpJLD/s1600/bathroomboard1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uXLT9q5s6PdMfiAwphmQ88IG3CHXi3GemtMYUhL0FbLuLj18Oow8Ifd-wdkO5HFrla2VrhLI7unfIDwTJv3RUgE9aIFbLs3-moKoEaAwfQRdCHwveeTPY7e991quiDBa9gOWHO0WpJLD/s640/bathroomboard1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was pretty overwhelmed with the electric shower options, to be honest. You can spend as little as 80 euro on an electric shower and as much as 400. And almost every shower at every price point had a good handful of negative reviews, which didn't help my decision. I hadn't intended to get a black one, but as it happens the one I wanted was available in black, so why not? It was the Triton Pello. The tub and basins are ordered- they're pretty basic so I'll leave them for later.</div>
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The bath and basin taps arrived from ebay, and they look exactly as I hoped! And when the wallpaper samples arrived, I put them up on the wall. There were some I really loved, but in the end it was this dark floral that really captured us. However, I quickly realised that my marble wasn't going to look nice next to it. I had gotten a sample, and when I held it up next to the wallpaper, it was too cool-toned. Then I remembered this amazing Mexican tile I'd gotten a sample of a couple of years ago from a place in London. And sure enough, it goes perfectly with the orangey yellows in the floral. We both loved it. So that was that decision made.</div>
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I'm still very committed to the large black hexagons for the floors, though. It was a real pain to find the size I was looking for, but I finally found a place in Cork who sells them and will ship them to me. I must have sent messages to every tile place in Ireland!</div>
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I'm not sure which colour to paint the lower part of the walls, but I've a bit of time to decide. I extracted a couple of samples that might be nice -- there are so many rich colours to choose from that I don't think we can go wrong.</div>
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This weekend I managed to strip almost all the paint off of the dresser for the double sinks. I need to remove a bit more varnish, sand it down, and re-stain it, but the really messy bit is done now. I'll post before and after photos when I'm done. </div>
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But it's really happening! Getting ready in the morning is going to be so much more enjoyable when it's done.</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8715375047734985778.post-48582533621702650812019-04-09T03:49:00.000-07:002020-02-08T10:18:22.639-08:00Upstairs Bathroom Renovation, part 4: the fun bit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm happy to report that we have found someone to do the plumbing, electrical work, and the tiling. He was recommended by a friend and his estimate was exactly what I thought was reasonable. But now that means I need to get all the bits and pieces so that we can do the work! (I say 'we' because actually I'm doing a lot of bits and bobs, like the faux wainscoting, putting up the wallpaper, hanging the curtain rails, etc etc.<br />
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But getting the stuff means making decisions! Decisions I've been pondering for over two years! And can you believe - I've decided? Mostly...<br />
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First of all, the floor tiles. I've decided to go with a large, black, matte hexagonal floor tile and black grout. Kind of like these, (but with black grout, like in the one on the right):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MQ0dHvAgpYTvMsEBVjVamH1jupqQII0YwtSIuv7o9Fu0e0No3-rnC5pAqNRa0y_vp6Xwu_bufY2V5qzwvBlaiyk2MTcTcHovDYxUqLxGBbxREqUrSmeNteqIRWPqwmxxNd_fs9R8lF0T/s1600/black+hex.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="365" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MQ0dHvAgpYTvMsEBVjVamH1jupqQII0YwtSIuv7o9Fu0e0No3-rnC5pAqNRa0y_vp6Xwu_bufY2V5qzwvBlaiyk2MTcTcHovDYxUqLxGBbxREqUrSmeNteqIRWPqwmxxNd_fs9R8lF0T/s200/black+hex.png" width="145" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifne50IGTF0Y7ab4UP6CAO4WIEs4ZoDV9S0FsmU23lEPoqiuxV95Z3XB3Fhw4bDrARQztXpBzydeiRB9MRH6Er2Wf4yXhi4KnJRkCx37LAM4gdBy7Om_5m6ajMf5X8j6UE5bnpoaWxUfDq/s1600/black+hex2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="424" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifne50IGTF0Y7ab4UP6CAO4WIEs4ZoDV9S0FsmU23lEPoqiuxV95Z3XB3Fhw4bDrARQztXpBzydeiRB9MRH6Er2Wf4yXhi4KnJRkCx37LAM4gdBy7Om_5m6ajMf5X8j6UE5bnpoaWxUfDq/s320/black+hex2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the tub surround, I'm going with a smaller marble hexagon shaped tile, but with a spin! I'm going to go for GOLD GROUT. Now, there are glitter additives you can get for grout, but I think I'm actually going to paint the grout and seal it. OR - I might go with the gold glitter additive AND paint it gold, then seal it. There are epoxy products that I am also going to look into. It will have the grout effect of the photo on the left with the tiles on the right:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q9XDMJsBHaOyMhjvlUovpaRloVapPdxP8P76Nl8nSThN6wSkMKu2XcViteJLfk-JXiEWUJUZ9ZWVxKbjine06Uq90KNSjbF534fbjdoPkjYJ-mPazWvXM_Gl7iuJJggX9HZbYZWcl60m/s1600/gold+grout.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="464" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q9XDMJsBHaOyMhjvlUovpaRloVapPdxP8P76Nl8nSThN6wSkMKu2XcViteJLfk-JXiEWUJUZ9ZWVxKbjine06Uq90KNSjbF534fbjdoPkjYJ-mPazWvXM_Gl7iuJJggX9HZbYZWcl60m/s320/gold+grout.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHgRAjlmvzDr_gGjMjMdOHy0TX9aD2FS134c4pMjhQa3Ott8QKBd5TOmFE4JGR0IsAYNIZPdRloZL5GGKfSCv06tr5nSFmv_bPTtwjyoJ5BdqJCuZkyqh0vOANEW46hOJo3ParjHgn_g6/s1600/marble+tiles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="361" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHgRAjlmvzDr_gGjMjMdOHy0TX9aD2FS134c4pMjhQa3Ott8QKBd5TOmFE4JGR0IsAYNIZPdRloZL5GGKfSCv06tr5nSFmv_bPTtwjyoJ5BdqJCuZkyqh0vOANEW46hOJo3ParjHgn_g6/s320/marble+tiles.png" width="171" /></a></div>
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The rest of the room, which will feature a solid colour for the bottom 120cm of the wall and wallpaper from 120cm to the ceiling, has yet to be decided but I have seriously narrowed it down! </div>
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Here are my top contenders for wallpaper:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtmrly0tjBtho1krwLECmlSg5eCxgduMb8rHaKh_daeQV3CaQNdo1JgJ35hWadem0sWh_JWuYJuf4AEI-zog1TEiAMJ1lG8-q46WzkS9ghR4GokG0A4ae0qp2wr2uEmaMZgd3PMxXd26j/s1600/Option+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="493" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtmrly0tjBtho1krwLECmlSg5eCxgduMb8rHaKh_daeQV3CaQNdo1JgJ35hWadem0sWh_JWuYJuf4AEI-zog1TEiAMJ1lG8-q46WzkS9ghR4GokG0A4ae0qp2wr2uEmaMZgd3PMxXd26j/s320/Option+1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Option 1</td></tr>
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I love the variety of colours in Option 1, and it's bright and vibrant, but still has a touch of black to tie in with the black floors and fixtures.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPVMRl2fvWLC51GyH7i15nH1PIVtnhMu1W6pzXXz7RBFoVNo1LNNrq7q3pzgy_2nRxFhu0W3k_z5wEs47BBVU0ZKNXdZWPwYlY0yMVs1RTy-ASE4ux0u2psxsyhWKPbKKdqFPQp9yZLmI/s1600/Option+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPVMRl2fvWLC51GyH7i15nH1PIVtnhMu1W6pzXXz7RBFoVNo1LNNrq7q3pzgy_2nRxFhu0W3k_z5wEs47BBVU0ZKNXdZWPwYlY0yMVs1RTy-ASE4ux0u2psxsyhWKPbKKdqFPQp9yZLmI/s320/Option+2.png" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Option 2</td></tr>
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Right now, I am just in LOVE with Option 2. Some say it's too dark, but I'm not afraid of dark. I think it would look amazing above either a dark burgundy or a dark green colour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqwakHXQ4Vqc-mbna5nYC3Mfjm0iN5anhmBvK0X28UlI4ipiJ0HsFJtupN9pN_x98X23SIc15djCFWIpSmcm0i9redaj_FDS_nH8LhI8Ek55xZXgu0KS9hxiWN3QfkF14mKqSHj_bJLET/s1600/Option+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="495" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqwakHXQ4Vqc-mbna5nYC3Mfjm0iN5anhmBvK0X28UlI4ipiJ0HsFJtupN9pN_x98X23SIc15djCFWIpSmcm0i9redaj_FDS_nH8LhI8Ek55xZXgu0KS9hxiWN3QfkF14mKqSHj_bJLET/s320/Option+3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Option 3</td></tr>
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I'm always a fan of pink and green together, and I think it would look look great next to the marble. I also like how there is both green and a blue-green in the pattern.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6NaIv-HTKVvWKNULSqSZuUpoNmI2ptJqXsT_uLVxyO_9wo8f0GV6TeJF6ti2aSS1rRzJaqDc5RT-0OLGDRQpi6UvVRfZ5Ow_rM7AdwcbE_XF5tGZAIvycBE6MxxhphdDA9Y7J-lvO6wa/s1600/Option+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6NaIv-HTKVvWKNULSqSZuUpoNmI2ptJqXsT_uLVxyO_9wo8f0GV6TeJF6ti2aSS1rRzJaqDc5RT-0OLGDRQpi6UvVRfZ5Ow_rM7AdwcbE_XF5tGZAIvycBE6MxxhphdDA9Y7J-lvO6wa/s320/Option+4.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Option 4</td></tr>
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I like Option 4, but unless it's amazing in person, I can't imagine it beating out all of the other options. Still, I was curious enough to order a sample.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJIGaCBtPEwCW87v6jSrPMlP2NRD8Ay1mZvPVBbp1Aa-BZ5ZTtRyntZOWpyoSLpx-4cDvjAOAtofonmDeUhFBd_ZJ73kNNewXHGzc9ClAbiHwRUc8wjzvwMyDC_hx6z7HdpLrwKB2bKl8/s1600/Option+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="491" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJIGaCBtPEwCW87v6jSrPMlP2NRD8Ay1mZvPVBbp1Aa-BZ5ZTtRyntZOWpyoSLpx-4cDvjAOAtofonmDeUhFBd_ZJ73kNNewXHGzc9ClAbiHwRUc8wjzvwMyDC_hx6z7HdpLrwKB2bKl8/s320/Option+5.png" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Option 5</td></tr>
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I like this for a lot of the same reasons I like Option 3. I like the colours, the pattern, and the brightness of it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HQLm6OSaqQ8NyQopkjuv2QQv8Ju59SeQIMFJrMNy42-trtydAAXoKgtCgpriiUOyoSTBU8pDAFSd348qrdk5hq-cBto2oasjeif56MPO3DUV9yuyrwTu5jg-a2rdLVC4SKIIGqvjTXfk/s1600/Option+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HQLm6OSaqQ8NyQopkjuv2QQv8Ju59SeQIMFJrMNy42-trtydAAXoKgtCgpriiUOyoSTBU8pDAFSd348qrdk5hq-cBto2oasjeif56MPO3DUV9yuyrwTu5jg-a2rdLVC4SKIIGqvjTXfk/s320/Option+6.png" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Option 6</td></tr>
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This is obviously the same as Option 4, but with a white background.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ifCe36j30x-PoNHbQZa2OzlS3xt3N6RuK2RU8m_OzgMhRmKYA-ftZjsfkz4LyLpS2J3NbFuxPa8-MVtkKN-ktAXtYLsanOAtw64e3YFvL-XUaQrpbrUx9Xg1vW5jPqjgD3FhOogMbnD9/s1600/Option+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ifCe36j30x-PoNHbQZa2OzlS3xt3N6RuK2RU8m_OzgMhRmKYA-ftZjsfkz4LyLpS2J3NbFuxPa8-MVtkKN-ktAXtYLsanOAtw64e3YFvL-XUaQrpbrUx9Xg1vW5jPqjgD3FhOogMbnD9/s320/Option+7.png" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Option 7</td></tr>
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Option 7 is a bit of a wild card, and would be an entirely different vibe altogether, but I love art deco and I was curious about this one. I imagine it will be a bit too busy in the end.<br />
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What do you think? What's your favourite? Or are there other options you think I should consider?<br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05685607101782412986noreply@blogger.com0