It's hotter today, and I'm feeling pretty off, nauseous and stomach-achey. Dora and I had a brief amble around the loop road in our neighborhood, which is shady and wooded --- which also means full of squirrels, which were a continual source of excited levitation as we went along. Still working on these essays and hoping to finish at least the sentence I began yesterday by the end of the day today. And I have to write a couple of introductory essays for next week's Cowboy Poetry Week at the Sun.
Washed my hair last night, because I felt so sweaty and gross and dog-haired by the end of the day, and slept on it wet. I didn't bother with any kind of styling, obviously (or maybe not obviously, but it would have been kind of a waste of time and energy if I had), and it's just sort of there today, but that's all right. It feels soft and clean, and I can always wet it and add gel later if I feel led to do so. I slept in my dark-blue short-sleeved bamboo swing dress, mostly because it wouldn't get as soaked as a cotton sleep dress --- this epiphany brought home to me by my having in fact put on a cotton t-shirt dress to sleep in, and having my front, where my wet hair was touching it, all soaked within five minutes. That's no way to sleep, thought I, and changed --- absolutely for the better. My bamboo dress did not feel soaked and clammy, and I'm still wearing it now, because it's the easiest thing.
I did not go for contrast in my shoe. I was not really going for anything, except the shortest possible walk with the dog.
I am considering how much I like my bamboo dresses for everyday wear. Part of me feels a little twingey for not wearing my Maggie dress more right now --- but dang, I invested in that dress. I don't want it to fade, or spring holes, or get pilled or stained, before I have to wear it in situations when I really want to look and feel my best. Yes, yes, I know these dresses are made to be worn, but I just feel a lot more at ease, day to day, in dresses I can readily replace when they wear out. I am loving how cool and dry and easy these cheap little dresses continue to be. It's a real temptation to buy more of them, because I wear them so much, but then I have this closet full of other clothes that I need to wear . . .
Next week, MAYBE, I'll challenge myself to at least one day of a skirt and t-shirt. AND/OR at least one day when I wear a button shirt as part of my outfit. AND/OR one shorts day. That might be good: not a solid week of one out-of-the-box thing, but a rule (maybe this will be my July rule) that I can only wear a swing dress three times a week, and the other four days I have to wear something else. OR vice versa. Maybe four days of swing dresses and three "others" would be more doable.
Yeah, why not do that for July, just to shake things up a little? Today is July 1, so I could just have my weeks run Friday to Friday. Today I'm wearing a swing dress, so that's 1/4 of my "swing" slots down.
I think I'll call this the July 4/3 Challenge. Four swing dresses to three other kinds of outfit, every week in July. That will push me to branch out a little more, and a little more regularly, in my wardrobe. Writing about it, I can at least sound alive, awake, alert, and enthusiastic, even though that's not how I really feel about anything at the moment.
An Accurate Depiction:
Aaaaand back to work. "In these lucid and penetrating essays, Andrew Frisardi . . . [does what??????]"
LATER:
Finished all of the things, including the sentence whose subject was Andrew Frisardi. I'm feeling a good bit better, so we're going to go to First Friday Mass this evening, then hang out at the brew pub with some pizza from the local wood-fired place. I'll change and put my Maggie on, since I haven't worn her in a while.
Again, I'll allow myself four days a week to wear a swing dress, but three days a week, I have to wear something else. This does include other dresses, but also skirts and tops, tops and shorts, jeans, etc (though it's awfully hot for jeans, so maybe just "etc.").