music: Love Comes In Spurts - Richard Hell and the Voidoids
reading: Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged

Living in New England has done two things for me- it has made me less feminine, and it has made me more feminine.

Case in point: Going to EMS and spending $100 on two pairs of pants and a wicking shirt for hiking, then immediately going to Macy's and purchasing a new dress.

It seems silly, but I was pretty middle of the road before. Not very feminine, didn't really spend time on makeup and lipstick and all that jazz, didn't own tank tops, didn't own hardly any dress clothes, wasn't very girly at all.

I played baseball and worked a lot of labor jobs, but I wasn't too tomboyish. I hung out with mostly guys but a lot of the time was hyper-aware that I was the only girl around.

Since coming to New England, I have bought four dresses, a ridiculous number of high heels, a whole bag of makeup, and actually dress up for my job. I've gotten my hair done. I've started painting my nails. I own more kinds of chapstick and lip gloss than I can count (and they are all scattered in various purses, bags, jeans and coat pockets, etc.). I own Dolce sunglasses and a Coach purse. My watch is Anne Klein. I have a black pearl necklace and wear thick headbands and bracelets. I know where all of the outlet malls are from Kittery, Maine to Wrentham, Massachusetts.

Au contraire...

I have this see-everything, thrill seeker side that always gets the better of me. I've been climbing and exploring around New Hampshire and Massachusetts, not to mention my absolute favorite Rhode Island. I bought hiking boots. I played softball for my company (which was mostly all guys) and found I have a fondness for the Sam Adams' seasonal brews. I got a tattoo. I bought a new car, and instead of buying the boring sedans that I was encouraged to buy, I bought an Escape (because I knew I could haul around all my gear and roadtrip in it). I keep up with the local sports teams. I've been cliff jumping for the thrill, climbed around through waterfalls, and want to go skydiving.

New England is funny like that.