Learning by un-doing
So I've been laboriously deconstructing all these thrift-shop clothes – getting them ready for later refashioning into new and improved outfits designed by moi – and I'm noticing something that shouldn't be surprising, but is: the more expensive label clothing really is better than the cheap stuff. The fabrics are better quality, the cuts and design are more thoughtful and intuitive, and the sewing and detail work make for a much better-fitting, more durable garment. Things like linings that really fit, darts, interfacing, etc. etc. ...
Taking things apart is a good way to learn how to put them back together.
In other news, I've been asked to do a followup waxing report, so here it is. The short version: waxing is not all it's cracked up to be. It's great for about the first week, but then the waiting begins – the prickly, scraggly, unbearably itchy waiting. Because you can't just wax whenever you want to. You have to wait until the hair is long enough to get caught in the wax. For me, this takes about three weeks, and the ratio of one good week to two increasingly uncomfortable weeks is just not good enough.
The other thing is, even the first week has one or two uncomfortable days in it, if like me you have super sensitive skin. Remember: you're applying melted wax to your skin, and ripping hundreds of hairs out by the roots, all at the same time. The very first time you do it is the most painful, because you're ripping out ALL of the hairs. But they're all in different stages of growth when they first get ripped out, so they don't all grow back at the same rate. After the first time, you'll be ripping out only maybe a third of the total number of hairs – the third that are long enough to wax. The others will be left behind, slightly prickly because they're still too short – or soon to become prickly, as soon as they emerge from the skin.
For the same reason, the regrowth after waxing is not as thick and luxurious as the regrowth after shaving. So even though it itches and feels rough if you run your hand over it, it isn't visible enough to be embarrassing. Still. The itching, for me, is a deal-breaker. No amount of smoothness is worth that kind of discomfort.
So it's back to shaving for me, or maybe I'll just let it all grow out again this fall. Truth be told I'm really pretty sick of dealing with it.
Finally, in lieu of a picture of the fabulous party shoes – which are proving to be kind of difficult to photograph, though I will continue to try – here's a rather arresting image of a sculpture I saw at the Ashby flea market over the weekend, after dropping Mr. A at the airport. You really must click to see the blown-up version – this lady is larger than life-size and BEYOND luscious. I would freak to see a piece of art like this in somebody's actual house. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Also: I have been practicing some classic Blue Oyster Cult tunes on my three-stringed ukulele and if I continue to improve at my current rate I may be ready to post another video on YouTube before the end of the decade.
Thus ends this fascinating installment of the Tinaramadrama™.
Taking things apart is a good way to learn how to put them back together.
In other news, I've been asked to do a followup waxing report, so here it is. The short version: waxing is not all it's cracked up to be. It's great for about the first week, but then the waiting begins – the prickly, scraggly, unbearably itchy waiting. Because you can't just wax whenever you want to. You have to wait until the hair is long enough to get caught in the wax. For me, this takes about three weeks, and the ratio of one good week to two increasingly uncomfortable weeks is just not good enough.
The other thing is, even the first week has one or two uncomfortable days in it, if like me you have super sensitive skin. Remember: you're applying melted wax to your skin, and ripping hundreds of hairs out by the roots, all at the same time. The very first time you do it is the most painful, because you're ripping out ALL of the hairs. But they're all in different stages of growth when they first get ripped out, so they don't all grow back at the same rate. After the first time, you'll be ripping out only maybe a third of the total number of hairs – the third that are long enough to wax. The others will be left behind, slightly prickly because they're still too short – or soon to become prickly, as soon as they emerge from the skin.
For the same reason, the regrowth after waxing is not as thick and luxurious as the regrowth after shaving. So even though it itches and feels rough if you run your hand over it, it isn't visible enough to be embarrassing. Still. The itching, for me, is a deal-breaker. No amount of smoothness is worth that kind of discomfort.
So it's back to shaving for me, or maybe I'll just let it all grow out again this fall. Truth be told I'm really pretty sick of dealing with it.
Finally, in lieu of a picture of the fabulous party shoes – which are proving to be kind of difficult to photograph, though I will continue to try – here's a rather arresting image of a sculpture I saw at the Ashby flea market over the weekend, after dropping Mr. A at the airport. You really must click to see the blown-up version – this lady is larger than life-size and BEYOND luscious. I would freak to see a piece of art like this in somebody's actual house. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Also: I have been practicing some classic Blue Oyster Cult tunes on my three-stringed ukulele and if I continue to improve at my current rate I may be ready to post another video on YouTube before the end of the decade.
Thus ends this fascinating installment of the Tinaramadrama™.
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