I've been woefully negligent in updating on here. The semester is done, though, and that means that I can spend more free time doing things of my choosing whilst not suffering from soul-crippling guilt.
For the mo, that means trolling Goodwill and "expressing myself" all over the furniture I pick up.
It all started with a $12 coffee table...
It was in pretty decent condition, i.e., not wobbly or unstable without any huge nicks or gashes. There was a fairly large water spot but nothing that wouldn't easily be fixed with some paint. 
Close-up of the water stain and the detailing.
Even though I don't plan on keeping it (nor do I have the room for it), I used a deep, royal blue as a base that would coordinate with the motif I've got going in my bedroom. 
I'm either going to paint or rob a bank.
Laying down the design presented a problem. I had originally planned on covering the back of the print-outs with white chalk then laying them on the tabletop and tracing the pattern with a marker but decided that I wanted to get it done quicker. So I tried just tracing it with black sharpie so that it would bleed through but that was inconsistent. Then I tried projecting it onto the table but it wasn't sharp enough. In the end, my first idea had been the best and since then I've used it on everything else. Could have been done a week sooner and with better results and less frustration had I not been so hasty and impatient. Story of my life. 
Halfway through. Only camera I had at the time was the one on my phone so the colors aren't super true but close enough.
In the end, I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I'm going to lay down a sealant over the top this weekend now that I have a proper one, but it's 99.9% finished and ready to be utilized.
Since then, I've purchased an end table and a few small frames to work on for others as well as a ginormous mirror and a birdcage that I'll be using myself. A coworker runs a successful boutique every three months and so now I'm in the beginning stages of setting up an LLC so I can maybe start making money on my trials and errors. I have a million ideas and they only multiple the more I do.
I missed being creative.
Goodwill hunting
BEES! EVERYWHERE BEES!
Back in January I got up at the unGodly hour of 4am so that I could shoot with a really incredible young photog named Johnny Alchemy (not his real name). He's starting a project that focuses on stereotypical girl obsessions - make-up, clothes and the one I shot, shoes. After we talked for a couple weeks prior he suggested we do a half-and-half, where we spend the first chunk of time shooting his idea and the second chunk shooting mine. I was really impressed of his way of making colors "pop" so I suggested we do something "punk/rock/grunge" where there would be a lot of bold colors to play with. 
For a straight male, he had a good eye for fashion. He picked out the wardrobe all on his own.
"Hey bee, this is my photoshoot. You are a bee, you don't even wear shoes.
Half of the jewelry is Johnny's. That is, all of the chains, safety pins, locks and spikes.
Looks like I tried to make it over the post and wound up injuring my lady parts.
A week after, Amy and I finally had the opportunity to check out Magma Railroad, an abandoned RR in Pinal County, AZ. It took awhile to find (because, duh, it's abandoned and unused) but in a quaint twist of fate, the lighting turned out to be fantastic even if we couldn't stay for very long. 
Modeling is hard work! We need naps in order to maintain an appropriate "sexiness-to-vanity" ratio.
Amy slipped roofies into my diet coke.
Momma Amy: She's not union, so she's cheap.
Excuse me, your purse is DELICIOUS
My new purse is the exact color of Tostito's Queso dip and just as nutritious.
Weighty-Updatey
A month later and the changes are numerous... and odd. 
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 119 lbs
Body Fat: 17.8%
Biceps: 11" (R); 11" (L)
Thighs: 19.25" (R); 19.5" (L)
Calves: 14.5" (R); 14.5" (L)
Hips: 36.5"
Waist: 25.5"
Bust: 29.5"
After several discussions with my trainer, John, about the best route to take to tone and firm up, I've seriously increased the intensity of the strength training I do on my own and he, in turn, has kicked up the boxing as well. I have doubled the focus on each muscle - previously, I was doing three sets of 15, focusing on one exercise for each muscle. Now I'm doing two for each muscle, meaning I'm getting six sets of 15 a piece, two different exercises. I'm trying to switch it up and do one machine and one free weight, because there are benefits to both. That's not so much fun when I'm working the lower body because I effing hate lunges but they are much more effective than the curling or leg press machines.
I know that some of the increase in poundage/size of the above from last month is, in part, from focusing more on weight training and less on cardio. However, it's discouraging to notice little things, like some of my pants not fitting the same. But this is the reason why I'm recording the details - because I want an accurate assesment so I can adapt and make changes as needed. This past month I did not change my diet in any positive ways and, in fact, did quite the opposite. In the 30+ days since I initially posted, I've become addicted to the blended Frosties at Wendy's and it's not an exaggeration to say I've probably had at least one a day the entire month of October. If you consider that at least twice a week I over-indulged on other things along with the Frosty, it's only going to harm my attempts. So while I don't think I've done any large or irreparable damage, I'm conscience of the reality and have made adjustments accordingly.
This past week, on John's insistance, I majorly decreased my carb intake and increased my protein. AND I've only had one Frosty the entire time, which is a triumph I am proud of. For the first time it hasn't been terribly difficult either and I chalk that up to the fact that I have seen the results and I don't want to jeopordize my progress.
One month down!
I'm a brunette!
I was a little afraid it would turn out too dark but it looks natural, surprisingly.
I guess it's probably more of a dark blonde than brown, really. It's probably pretty close to whatever the heck my natural color is at this point.
Weighty-Updatey
Now that John and I are boxing three times a week again (and I've started to drag my lazy ass back to the gym regularly), I've decided to document the up-and-coming changes in my body/ fitness level.
Therefore, this will be considered the Before post.
Ignore the vacant, zombie-like stare
Haters to the left
Locked and loaded, baby
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 114 lbs
Body Fat: 16.8%
Biceps: 10.125" (R); 10.37" (L)
Thighs: 19.5" (R); 19.75" (L)
Calves: 14" (R); 13.87" (L)
Hips: 36"
Waist: 25.75"
Bust: 30.75"
I'm not looking to lose any more pounds - I've dropped thirty already since this time last year. In fact, I'd prefer to put some on in the form of muscle, specifically in my bum, back and arms. The only place I'd like to see a real drop is my inner thighs.
Also? I want my calves to cut glass.
We'll see where I'm at in a month! I'm excited!
Look'it mah her!
Alright, so I'm awfully proud of myself. I've never been good at working with my hair when it's long but now that I've decided to stick with it for the time being (READ: I don't have the money to be a snob and go to my normal salon, Rolf's), I'm trying to be more adventurous.
It's no secret that I heart the Gwen Stefani faux hawk. But previously on "michelle likes pie," I've been unable to mold my coif into anything other than the crazy bouffant with a short ponytail.
Well, no more!
I've been experimenting and while I'm going to make some modifications, I think I've been pretty creative and fun... 
The front; it leans slightly to the left because I was in a rush this morning...
The side; I'm looking forward to the tail getting longer
...and behold, the top:
Yeah yeah, it's not perfected and I'm gonna work with it, but it STAYS and it's DIFFERENT and I'm lucky I'm short because people will actually SEE it!
Oh, it's the little things in life....
I'm a crappy photographer
None of the pictures I took last night look great. I'm posting them anyway, but better ones will come from Tori & Amy's cameras. 
This WAS my tiramisu...
Mel & I
That woman in pink certainly enjoyed herself.
More pictures are at my Picasa account. As soon as everyone else uploads their's, I'll add more.
After a full year...
... my hair is FINALLY long enough to curl!
Those were taken after midnight when I'd gotten home from Big Bang, so you can see that they've gone a little limp but still... curls! Hurray!
They didn't survive the night, but I'm going to try it again when I go out with Mel later. My hair had been freshly washed and I had to make due with the products my sister had at her place, but I'm hoping with the right mixture of goos and gels, they'll survive even better.
Pictures
Hurray! Dabney posted the pictures from Saturday night! Take a gander at me in all my uncoordinated glory!
You can't see his face real well, but this is Matt and I. 
And this is a guy I don't remember the name of. He was a good dancer, though.
Good times. I can't wait to go again!
A poll
My hair is currently the longest it's been since senior year of high school. For the past eight years it's really never been below my chin, although I always attempted the feat - my impatience just got the better of me. Like, nineteen times.
I've been stingy with the money lately since I'm letting it grow and haven't gotten it trimmed since February. This annoys my mother (who gets hers done ever four weeks) so she's paying for me to get it cut and colored for my birthday the beginning of August.
So I have a decision to make. Let it keep growing or just chop it off?
Initially I just wanted the ability to pull it back in a ponytail without a bazillion and five bobby pins. Well, mission accomplished. But now I wouldn't mind something several inches past my shoulders where I can do waves and curls and crap that I haven't been able to accomplish as a pageboy.
The problem is now that I can put it in a ponytail, that's where it lives. I get lazy. Sure I could do waves and curls and crap, but will I? Not likely and certainly not on a regular, daily basis. I already get up at 5:30a; waves would require another hour and I'm just not that dedicated.
I'm not one of the nuts who gets emotionally attached to her hair. It grows back, after all. It may take awhile, but given enough time it'll get there. So a drastic change won't make me hyperventilate.
That being said, please help me decide. Consider this a democracy, keeping in mind I do get the right to veto any blatantly stupid opinions.
This is what I've kinda been aiming for the past nine months:
And this is what I'm thinking of, come August:
Maybe something in between? Another bob?
Vanilla Ice flat-top? Dreads? What?
Visit Numero Uno
I've never met anyone that I have this much fun with on every single level. It's weird and almost completely terrifying. I think with Jeremy I was comforted by the fact that we had some flaws - so many disconnects. It's almost uneasy to be with someone you fit together with perfectly. At least for me.
There's this constant need to be touching him - not sexually or inappropriately. Just being close. Holding hands in the car, touching arms under the table, calling me out of my room just to hug me... he's insanely and unreasonably cute.
Most of the time we spent runs together in one crazy clump - the only real activities we planned were a nice dinner at the Royal Palms' T. Cooks restaurant, pictures with Amy and church. Almost all three days were just random hours of undivided attention. I'd say, though, that we split our time equally between laughing and kissing. It was beyond wonderful.
New relationships aren't easy
Nothing else is capable of making sure you understand yourself, though, quite like the view from someone else's eyes, especially when it happens to matter a great deal what that someone thinks of you. You start to realize that your shortcomings might not be so easily overlooked and your quirks might not be quite so endearing. I wish I was a faster learner; I wish the first month didn't have to be marked with a lot of pain and miscommunication. This is where the rubber meets the road, folks.
At the same time, there is nothing quite like coming home to this:
There's never been a time in my life when I've been good at telling how I feel.
More often than not it's because I'm a friggin' pussy, too afraid of putting myself out there.
Then sometimes I think it's also because I honestly don't know what to say and everything I could possibly come up with falls short.
Yeah, I'm scared. But this is also one of those times when I'm not sure my vocabulary is wide enough to come up with the words my heart would require.
I love you, baby.
