This has been too much fun… Taking advantage of the goofy decor in the hotel suite, we were able to do a double corset shot with the head of William Shakespeare in the background.
This “self-portrait with 10-second timer” thing has proven to be a bit of a challenge, however… this one catches nursemyra doing a last minute rack adjustment…
We had better luck with the set photographed by the orange chaise lounge. Red leather corset purchased in Chicago, and my powder blue lace rig found in an East Village thrift store.
nursemyra has posted her photos from the Chicago session here. Love the one of her sitting across the lounge chair!
We had a blast. Our NYC tourguide, unbearable banishment, was an absolute delight! Meeting Shrink Rap and alone…with cats? Delicious! We giggled our way through Manhattan, fueled by margaritas!
And our local host in Chicago was none other than rassles! She is so much fun to hang out with, i’m just going to have to come back! Suspect that we could find all kinds of trouble under the right circumstances…
Due to an unexpected situation at home, i had to send a text message to Sam, friend of The Boy, while still in NYC last week.
Unfortunately, i didn’t have Sam’s phone number – and had to first contact Matt, another friend, to get the proper digits. This was being accomplished as i made my way to the airport, en route to Chicago.
daisyfae: Sam – it’s daisyfae. The Boy’s dad is on his way to town to spring him. Just bag up his stuff and put it on my front porch – before 2pm if possible. Thx.
Shortly after sending this, i received the following message in return:
Unknown Recipient: I believe this message was sent in error.
Bright lights, big city, and another chance to have a corset-themed slumber party with the lovely nursemyra! Girls on holiday… i can’t begin to tell you how much fun it is to do this with the mistress of Corset Friday!
Given the location for the photoshoot this morning, finding an appropriate backdrop proved to be a challenge. Our borrowed flat is something of a Buddhist retreat – and assuring that no spiritual icons accidently appeared amongst the corsetry was important…
There are other properties in the apartment, however, that appear to have no direct spiritual connection. Such as this lovely stuffed puffin. We have no idea why he is there, amongst the Buddahs. But he is adorable….
nursemyra also has her photos up here… We’ve had a rather entertaining morning, as these posts are both going up from the Mid-Manhattan branch of the New York Public Library!
Yes, we are silly old broads… But we are having a blast!
Last May, The Girl (aka “Danger Monkey”*) packed up for 6 weeks in London to get her certification to teach English as Foreign Language. With the local support of her “Shoulda Daddy“**, she successfully completed the course, and then set about planning her next adventure…
Most schools start in September, and she was operating under the assumption that she’d have plenty of time to seek employment, interview and plan for a big move out of the country.
When she got the offer to teach in Izmir, Turkey, however, it came with the requested start date of July. That gave her about a week to think about it, then two weeks to plan, pack and buy the damn one-way ticket.
Which she did…
So while i’m off farting around in the big city, my kid is unpacking three over-stuffed suitcases in a gorgeous city on the Mediterranean. And launching her life in another direction…
Could i have done this at 25? Maybe… but i was busy changing her nappies, watching her take her first steps, and being sleep deprived as a new mother. She was a seasoned traveler by the time she was 18, and has independently traveled the world since.
No worries.
Very proud of her…. and may have to pack up The Boy and see about making a family road trip over the winter holidays. Stay tuned. And check your local listings for episodes of “Locked Up Abroad” in January…
* She earned the name “Danger Monkey” after sailing around the world at 20 with “Semester at Sea” – where she managed to get booted out of a Turkish brothel in a fight, and visited the pyramids on camel back, after being adopted by a Bedouin family in Egypt. And then there was her solo trip to Morocco when she was 21… And that semester in Beirut the following year…
** Not to be confused with “Sugar Daddy”, Bob is the father she was supposed to have… they really should be genetically connected. i like to pretend that they are… although i know that biologically, it is impossible for conception to be delayed for 6 years or so. right?
This year, instead of lazing about on the Aegean, it’s off to the bright lights, big city! i have the amazing good fortune to be meeting up with the incredible, edible nursemyra for adventures in NYC and Chicago!
This blog was for personal therapy. Still is. Over time, i was astonished at the by-product of writing – personal connections that developed with others… through comments, e-mails… and the sharing of words across continents.
The lumpy, shy girl from the neighborhood grew up and learned to say “What the fuck, i’m in!” Caution? Whazzat? The adventures began when i decided to travel to Spain* to spend a week in the company of women i’d never met.
Since that time, i’ve had many blogger meet ups — and with only one unpleasant surprise along the way, i think it’s gone very well! Culminating in a successful holiday in Greece last summer with the lovely dolce, and nursemyra, i’m quite comfortable scooting off again with my lovely travel mate from down-under!
For what it’s worth, we’re both packing lingerie and cameras… a ‘double corset’ could happen. Or not. Because those photo shoots are a lot of work. And we’re feeling pretty lazy…
There will be books, and friends, and museums, and theater… and perhaps a few things more! i’ll be posting updates on my 30 day challenge here, but otherwise, i expect to only be out and about in the blogosphere sporadically.
Happy July, y’all!
—————
* Let alone, post photos of myself wearing only the barest essentials…
Watch this. Go ahead. i’ll wait. It’s about 3 1/2 minutes… C’mon, attention deficients! My internet-addled brain sat through it. Twice.
My friend bob challenged me, and a few other mates*, to try something new for 30 days. And report on it here. It starts tomorrow, so i’ll have to figure out something i can do while taking an extended vacation for a couple of weeks…
30 day challenge. Do something once a day for 30 days. Challenge. Hmmmm…
Give up sugar? No way. Booze = sugar. i ain’t crazy. Give up “white foods”? Meh… one could argue that potatoes are beige. Give up tormenting the emotionally unstable? Would probably serve me well, but what fun would that be?
My days and nights are full of fun and adventure, work provides sustenance to pay for fun and adventure, and both of the progeny are in good places** at the moment. What i lack is Purpose. Growth. Forward momentum. Utility.
Don’t get me wrong – this whole “farting around” thing is a blast! i still have four weeks of scheduled vacation ahead in this calendar year! Doing my first ‘zipline tour’ this week. Have tackled new SCUBA certifications this year, and will be trying those out within a couple of months…
Living life as a pinball has drawbacks, though. What i’ve lost? Among other things, my ability to drill into a subject, execute research from many angles, and formulate my own opinion. Critical thinking requires data. Extracting knowledge from that requires thought.
Reading. Not scanning but reading. It’s different.
Sure, i spend hours every day reading. But it’s beeps and squeaks on the internet. Blogs. Short ‘flyover’ news blurbs. Headlines. “Call and response” e-mail traffic at work, covering diverse subjects.
i have lost my ability to sit down and read for any length of time. Unless my ass is in an airplane seat… but even then, i’m prone to sleep. Often snoozing before the plane has pushed back from the gate.
Speaking of sleep, there’s another thing i sort of suck at… My friend, AB, has been studying the effects of sleep on human cellular repair/regeneration. She has repeatedly emphasized to me the importance of sleep on general health and longevity.
My sleep schedule is pretty bad. In bed around midnight, asleep maybe 30 minutes later, and i start swatting the snooze alarm somewhere around 0600. Less than six hours sleep/night? Probably not enough.
So what to attempt for 30 days? With the admonishment “Simple = Sustainable” rattling around in my head, it shall be this:
My 30 Day Challenge: Read a book (e- or paper) for at least 30 continuous minutes/day. Go to bed at least 30 minutes earlier*** than i usually would. Can combine this with 30 minutes of reading at bedtime, but not required…
30 Days to a More Focused, Better Rested daisyfae…
Will do the updates here. Let the accountability begin!
——————-
* Let me know if you want to play. He would like to get the game up to 30 people
** In general? Not in my basement…
*** Weekends, i sometimes stay up later, but get up at 0730 when the sun shines in my face… at least this time of year.
Remember The Telephone Game? You probably played it when you were a kid… Stand in a line, and the first person whispers a phrase to the next. The words are repeated down the line, until the last person then says the phrase out loud.
Everyone is amazed when the first guy says “What I said was….”.
Hilarity ensues. Laughing at how twisted words become as they travel from mouth, through brain, to ears…
It also applies in the realm of parental communication. When The Boy was about four years old, he was enthusiastically jabbing The Girl with a fork at the dinner table. i said “Stop jabbing your sister with the fork, or i will put you in time out.”
The Boy nodded, and immediately turned to his sister and resumed jabbing. She howled with indignation, making damn sure i noticed.
daisyfae [grabbing The Boy’s arm to cease the carnage]: What did i say?
The Boy [tearfully]: You’re going to put me in time out.
We tried again. i said “Stop jabbing your sister with the fork, or i will put you in time out.” But this time? i asked him to echo my words back to me.
daisyfae: What did i say?
The Boy [pouting]: You’re going to put me in time out.
Eventually we got there, no blood was spilled in the broccoli that night, and i learned an effective communication mechanism for important messages: Ask them to repeat it back to me.
Turns out, this is also a useful communication method with whiney-assed men with PhD’s in theoretical physics.
daisyfae: i made the decision to install the new x-ray spectrometer in the lab in the other building. You will still be able to get your work in the queue, but as part of the long-term plan, it better serves the entire branch. Do you understand?
Whiney-assed PhD: You’re taking away my equipment and I can’t get my stuff x-rayed. [storms off to write pointed e-mail]
The implications outside the workplace, however, are far less entertaining…
What was said: “I am not interested in an exclusive relationship.”
What was meant: “I am not interested in an exclusive relationship.”
What was heard: “I am not interested in an exclusive relationship because I haven’t met the right person yet…”
What was said in response to this statement: “I understand. I don’t want an exclusive relationship either.”
What was meant: “That’s because you haven’t gotten to know me yet! Let me in, and I can change your mind!”
What was heard: “I understand. I don’t want an exclusive relationship either.”
Is it condescending to ask a companion “What did i just say?” when delivering an important message? Or is it better to run, not walk, to the nearest exit at the first signs of crazy?
“I’m sorry. There really is nothing more we can do.”
“So this is it, eh? i guess i shouldn’t be surprised. We knew. It’s inevitable. Just didn’t think it would be this soon…”
“She’ll keep going for a while… probably through the end of summer.”
“That gives me time to prepare. To harvest the parts that might still be useful…”
So it goes. The ’95 Camry is ready to go into Automotive Hospice. Keep her hydrated, and comfortable. A couple more drives, in the steamy summer heat without operational air conditioning.
To repair the oil leak would require pulling the engine and transmission, and my highly reputable mechanic simply refused to do it… He’s been keeping my fleet of shitmobiles operational for 30 years. i trust him…
So long, friend. You served The Boy well for three years. Even with only three valves functioning, i was able to get two more years out of you. We’ll pull the stereo system – including the sub-woofer in the trunk as big as my first apartment. And i’ll run out that last full tank of gas*…
Let’s enjoy these last few days…
* The stereo system is worth more than the car. In fact, i think the tank of gas may be worth more than the car…
Trailer Park Refugee 