meet me on my vast veranda

sometime over the last year and a half, i grew up. i went from the studious tomboy in a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers (with no make-up, of course) to a young woman in tailored clothes and heels. i actually wash, dry, and style my hair daily and take the time to apply make-up. i guess most people hit this phase when they were, oh, around 13, but when i was 13 i was more interested in running faster than the boys at soccer practice than impressing them off the field. incase you're wondering, guys aren't impressed when you can run faster than them. well, not impressed in a 'man, i'd like to take her on a date' kind of way, more impressed in the 'wow, that girl is fast and makes me feel like a 13 year-old going through puberty. she sucks.' kind of way.

my transition into femininity has been a gradual one, though. first came the heels (i've always, by the way, been a shoe fanatic. even in my tomboy days, i always wore cool, funky retro sneakers), then the tailored, stylish clothes. at some point i purchased expensive make-up and began getting massages and facials. i carry purses that match my outfits (most of the time) and usually have a compact and lipstick handy. until about a month ago though, one look at my hands with their ratty fingernails and cuticles would give it all away - this chick doesn't have her act together at all. i've been a nailbiter all my life. add to that a fondness for biting cuticles, and my hands have always been a body part i prefer to keep hidden. well, as i said, that was all until about a month ago - WHEN I COLD TURKEY STOPPED BITING MY NAILS (and cuticles)! i supposed i was inspired by murrye (yet again) who came to dc with her beautiful hands and kept pulling out her cuticle cream exclaiming that her nails were wretched (which one look down at mine proved they were not). now, with my own burt's bees cuticle cream in tow, my nails and hands are smashing! and i didn't even need a new year's resolution to do it!

we both go down together . the decemberists