Life as I Knew It

Best 270 S.A. rand I've ever spent.*

I had a five-hour layover in Johannesburg on my way back to the States, so I thought I'd do a little shopping at the duty-free shop to transition myself back into my life. After restocking my basics at Clinique (lip gloss, mascara, hand cream), I perused some of the other goodies. I was drawn to the Smashbox counter because (1) they package their stuff beautifully and (2) I seemed to recall someone---Artemisia, maybe?---writing glowingly about their eye primer. I don't wear much eye makeup in general---and never in summer---but I thought I'd give one of their foundation primers a try.

Love.

I tend to prefer minimal makeup, especially in the summer, but I still want to look put together and pretty. The Photo Finish Light foundation primer is the perfect middle ground: it's super light on my skin and I don't have to worry about blending, but it still somehow has these magical transformative powers that make my skin smoother, lighter, more even, less shiny.

Love.

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So by "transition myself back into my life," I apparently mean being as lazy and shallow as humanly possible. My transition process involves long days of laying in bed with my computer, catching up on gossip and Go Fug Yourself and television (Glee! Top Chef! Mythbusters!).**

I do occasionally rouse myself---to get treats (Chai Latte! Greek Yogurt! Utz Chips! Cheese!) or go on a shopping spree (DSW! Ann Taylor Loft!) or restock on glossy magazines (People! Elle! Vogue! Food & Wine!).

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I did manage to find a summer job. I'll be providing before and after daycare for kids attending a local summer camp. It's not a lot of hours---or pay---but I'll at least cover my basic expenses for the next couple of months. And I keep telling myself that the job will provide a good structure for my days: I work two hours in the morning and another two in the afternoon. In between, I can work on dissertation stuff (translation, coding, reading).

That's what I tell myself anyway.

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I'm trying to get myself back to running this summer, too, now that I'm once again in a place with decent surfaces and not too many hills and where I can run outside without feeling unsafe or self-conscious.

I've gone twice since getting back to the States, and I didn't lose as much fitness as I thought I had. I'm currently doing run/walk intervals for about 20-25 minutes; my goals is to run a 5K by the end of the summer.



*I didn't convert to dollars because, really, I don't want to know.
**Have I mentioned that Tory Belleci is my new imaginary boyfriend and future husband?