I decided last night in my car on my way to get take out Mexican that I need to broaden my comfort zone. I have a rather small comfort zone, that I've pushed once or twice in my life, but I've never made a consistent effort to make it bigger. This blog is one of my sad attempts. For me, music and books have always been two of the things that I have used most to define myself.
So on the way to get Mexican last night I decided that I needed to begin listening to music that I never have before, pop, for example. I hate pop; I'm an oldies and classics kind of girl. I've always rocked out to Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin, Cheap Trick, and anything else that 107.3 in Tampa plays, not Katy Perry, Lady Gage, or Gym Class Heroes. But there is a time and place for everything and as I'm not getting any younger I decided to listen to what the young crowd is listening to these days before I no longer belong to it, and so I discovered 100.7 which plays an accumulation of pop songs by the above listed artists and several others. I began listening to it last night in the car and then I turned it on at the gym this morning and had a solid hour and a half of Rihanna, LMFAO, and David Guetta. Mostly artists that I hadn't heard of and all artists that I was certain I didn't like...and then I surprised myself.
I still can't put my finger on what it is that I like about The One that Got Away by Katy Perry, but damn it's catchy and I can't get it out of my head. The same thing goes for Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes even though I don't like rap and don't really care for the middle bit, the chorus is addictive! After trying to get these songs out of my head all afternoon, I finally surrendered my opinion that pop and new music are so terrible that they should not be classified as "music." I flew the white flag when I logged into ITunes and spent the last remaining dollars of the gift card that I got last Christmas on The One that Got Away and Stereo Hearts. I'm still pinching myself as I write this while listening to Katy Perry, but you know, this blog is about changing and where better to start than with the things that I've always defined myself most by.
As for books, I've resigned to reading something other than my usual English major, non-fiction, and sailing genres. I'm currently reading two delightful books - A Guide to Elegance by Madame Dariaux and Falling for Me: How I Hung Curtains, Learned to Cook, Traveled to Seville, and Fell in Love by Anna David. Elegance has taught me so much about what to wear and when as well as good manners, behaviors, and an extensive list of gestures that an elegant woman would never make like scratching one's head (I need to work on that one). I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and I'm sad to say that I've almost finished it.
Falling For Me is Anna David's memoir about living by the principals laid down in Helen Gurley Brown's 1960's sensation, Sex and the Single Girl. I have yet to read S&SG, but it's next on my list. David went through a similar phase to the one that I'm in now during which she deeply questioned who she was and whether she was happy as that person, only she did it in her early thirties rather than her late twenties. I had to order it on Barnes and Noble's website as no one seems to carry it in store, but it came on Friday and I've had my head in it ever since. I'm trying to make it last longer than the usual day or two that a book this size would. I'm only on page 72, but so far I've found much understanding, appreciation, and celebration in David's memoir as it reflects so much of my experience in its pages.
These books don't cover sailing hardware, tacking, or a Hemingway skeletal writing style but I love them as though they included all of these things. Madame Dariaux and Anna David have reminded me both of where I'm coming from and where I'm going. I'm fortunate to have stumbled upon both of these books as they're pushing me out of my comfort zone and into a challenging place where I'm not only learning to be what I've always wanted to be, but where I'm also learning how to trust myself again. My only regret is that I didn't discover these books, especially Falling for Me, sooner but you know, these are not books that you discover, they are books that discover you and help you find yourself.
So that's my progress for the week - I bought a book that let's me see a little further down my current path than I've traveled myself, and I've completely changed my opinion of what good music is. My mind feels so open right now that I think I feel a breeze between my ears and it's nice, really nice. I never realized how much of a sheltered life I've lived (I've done it to myself) and going through all of this changing is more like an awakening than just trying to improve myself. I have some tough moments but on the whole I'm already so much happier than I've ever been! Taking a risk on being happy has been so much better than being certain that I'm miserable. My boyfriend and I actually had a big conversation tonight about getting outside of our comfort zones and doing things that are more exciting like renting jet skis when summer arrives again or maybe even taking a trip to New York or Key West or even just visiting some of our old stomping grounds around here like Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Bar Louie, or Mad Dogs and Englishmen. It looks like comfort zones will be expanding in the near future, and I can't wait!
This post ended up being much longer than anticipated. I guess Katy and I just got a little carried away. It's been fun. The post about a nightly facial routine will be coming shortly. Oh, and if anyone has anything specific that you'd like to learn about just leave it in the comments and I'll see what I can do to accommodate. One of the purposes of this blog is to help others, after all. I hope you guys had a great weekend. I did! See you next time. (Still rocking out to Katy.) :)
So on the way to get Mexican last night I decided that I needed to begin listening to music that I never have before, pop, for example. I hate pop; I'm an oldies and classics kind of girl. I've always rocked out to Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin, Cheap Trick, and anything else that 107.3 in Tampa plays, not Katy Perry, Lady Gage, or Gym Class Heroes. But there is a time and place for everything and as I'm not getting any younger I decided to listen to what the young crowd is listening to these days before I no longer belong to it, and so I discovered 100.7 which plays an accumulation of pop songs by the above listed artists and several others. I began listening to it last night in the car and then I turned it on at the gym this morning and had a solid hour and a half of Rihanna, LMFAO, and David Guetta. Mostly artists that I hadn't heard of and all artists that I was certain I didn't like...and then I surprised myself.
I still can't put my finger on what it is that I like about The One that Got Away by Katy Perry, but damn it's catchy and I can't get it out of my head. The same thing goes for Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes even though I don't like rap and don't really care for the middle bit, the chorus is addictive! After trying to get these songs out of my head all afternoon, I finally surrendered my opinion that pop and new music are so terrible that they should not be classified as "music." I flew the white flag when I logged into ITunes and spent the last remaining dollars of the gift card that I got last Christmas on The One that Got Away and Stereo Hearts. I'm still pinching myself as I write this while listening to Katy Perry, but you know, this blog is about changing and where better to start than with the things that I've always defined myself most by.
As for books, I've resigned to reading something other than my usual English major, non-fiction, and sailing genres. I'm currently reading two delightful books - A Guide to Elegance by Madame Dariaux and Falling for Me: How I Hung Curtains, Learned to Cook, Traveled to Seville, and Fell in Love by Anna David. Elegance has taught me so much about what to wear and when as well as good manners, behaviors, and an extensive list of gestures that an elegant woman would never make like scratching one's head (I need to work on that one). I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and I'm sad to say that I've almost finished it.
Falling For Me is Anna David's memoir about living by the principals laid down in Helen Gurley Brown's 1960's sensation, Sex and the Single Girl. I have yet to read S&SG, but it's next on my list. David went through a similar phase to the one that I'm in now during which she deeply questioned who she was and whether she was happy as that person, only she did it in her early thirties rather than her late twenties. I had to order it on Barnes and Noble's website as no one seems to carry it in store, but it came on Friday and I've had my head in it ever since. I'm trying to make it last longer than the usual day or two that a book this size would. I'm only on page 72, but so far I've found much understanding, appreciation, and celebration in David's memoir as it reflects so much of my experience in its pages.
These books don't cover sailing hardware, tacking, or a Hemingway skeletal writing style but I love them as though they included all of these things. Madame Dariaux and Anna David have reminded me both of where I'm coming from and where I'm going. I'm fortunate to have stumbled upon both of these books as they're pushing me out of my comfort zone and into a challenging place where I'm not only learning to be what I've always wanted to be, but where I'm also learning how to trust myself again. My only regret is that I didn't discover these books, especially Falling for Me, sooner but you know, these are not books that you discover, they are books that discover you and help you find yourself.
So that's my progress for the week - I bought a book that let's me see a little further down my current path than I've traveled myself, and I've completely changed my opinion of what good music is. My mind feels so open right now that I think I feel a breeze between my ears and it's nice, really nice. I never realized how much of a sheltered life I've lived (I've done it to myself) and going through all of this changing is more like an awakening than just trying to improve myself. I have some tough moments but on the whole I'm already so much happier than I've ever been! Taking a risk on being happy has been so much better than being certain that I'm miserable. My boyfriend and I actually had a big conversation tonight about getting outside of our comfort zones and doing things that are more exciting like renting jet skis when summer arrives again or maybe even taking a trip to New York or Key West or even just visiting some of our old stomping grounds around here like Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Bar Louie, or Mad Dogs and Englishmen. It looks like comfort zones will be expanding in the near future, and I can't wait!
This post ended up being much longer than anticipated. I guess Katy and I just got a little carried away. It's been fun. The post about a nightly facial routine will be coming shortly. Oh, and if anyone has anything specific that you'd like to learn about just leave it in the comments and I'll see what I can do to accommodate. One of the purposes of this blog is to help others, after all. I hope you guys had a great weekend. I did! See you next time. (Still rocking out to Katy.) :)
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