Category Archives: Uncategorized

Belated Anniversary Celebration

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When EXACTLY did I meet Tejas?

I met him at a Thursday Meet and Greet in March of 2015.

The EXACT date?

March 19, 2015.

That’s our anniversary folks.

Occasionally, people will ask me why I paired up with such an odd friend.

A man 10 years my senior.

The answer is simply that he helped me out, found me a place to live at Burning Man, and took responsibility for the success of my first burn upon himself.

If that isn’t friendship, I don’t know what is.

Maybe you need to know how bonded you become to your neighbors during a burn.

Maybe you need to know the robustness of friendships forged on the playa.

To truly understand my loyalty, you would need to understand Burning Man.

So I think my burner friends get what I mean when I say that if shit comes down the pipeline, he’s one of the people I want in my corner.

I think we should all celebrate the anniversaries of meeting people who are important in our lives, be they lovers OR friends.

Maybe we should think about celebrating our FRIENDVERSARY, after all they’ve lasted longer than many of the relationships we’ve had.

And so I celebrate my friend.

Steadfast.

Supportive.

And always up for a good time. . .

Tejas!

A diet I don’t hate

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I’ve officially been on my diet for over a week.

In the first week I dropped 10.2 pounds and 4 inches.

That’s a lot of water weight and the equivalent of a little over a gallon of milk (which weighs approximately 8.6 pounds).

I’ve been exercising regularly and I must admit I’m feeling better than I have in a long time.

I’m energetic and I’m productive.

I don’t lay around my bedroom, watching movies like I used to.

I’m up and at it, making presents for friends (like a quilt), hiking in the hills, playing piano (learning Hey Jude) and practicing my Swedish (vad gör du).

I’ve even started going through my drawers and eliminating things that no longer serve a purpose in my life.

Like panties that are too large.

Or too small.

I eliminated a bunch of g-strings because whoah, do I have junk in my trunk.

No one needs to see that on display!

LOL, I’m more of a boyshort kinda gal anyway.

Pretty soon, I get to look forward to buying new clothes to fit my new body and I’m SO looking forward to that!

I literally can’t wait to reach a standard size and have regular clothes fit me.

It has occurred to me, now that I’m eating to recharge my body and not to entertain myself, that I was killing myself slowly with food.

Well not anymore.

I’ve learned portion size and how to eat small frequent meals that are healthy and nutritious to ward off hunger and stay hydrated.

The one thing I’m REALLY pleased about is that I’m not ever really hungry.

I HATE being hungry and I’m so relieved that on this plan I seldom experience hunger the way I have in the past.

No wonder everyone hates diets.

But this is no simple diet.

It’s a lifestyle reorganization plan.

And it’s working splendidly.

 

P.S. I plan to celebrate my journey with new boudoir photos.  Nothing like a non-food reward to motivate me and keep me engaged!

Tranquil Ocean

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I may have gotten a little excited about the 50% off Spoonflower fat quarter fabrics.

Just a little.

I bought 26 fat quarters to make my niece Bella a custom quilt yesterday.

Today, I bought 18 fat quarters to make a custom quilt for my nephew Calvin.

First, I found this OUTSTANDING window pane quilt pattern made with Kate Spain Terrain fabrics.

The exceptional fabrics make the quilt really stand out.

It’s probably a quilt I can knock out in one or two weekends of work, I think so it’s what I call an “easy” quilt project.

Unlike the current project I am working on which will take 50 – 100 hours of work (all for my kid who wanted it).

Spruced Goose Quilt

And just because I like lining up all my fabrics in a row and looking at them in one glance, here are the Spoonflower fabrics I selected for a watercolor underwater themed quilt for my nephew (who is REALLY into seahorses):

If I’m shinin’ everybody gonna shine. . .

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For Halloween, I want to make a Lizzo-inspired costume

I mean OBVIOUSLY as a white chick, there’s nothing I can do about my skin tone.

But her ICONIC STYLE?

Definitely right up my alley.

This dress from the BETs is quite inspirational and I LOVE THE IDEA of getting dressed up in a wedding gown style and emulating not just Lizzo but also Madonna and Britney Spears.

I found something similar on Fashion Nova, not exactly the skirt and bustier combo I was looking for, but CLOSE:

Of course, I need to accessorize with a white lacy veil, square black sunglasses, white sneakers and FLUTE:

And there you have it – a Lizzo-inspired Halloween costume.

If I’m shinin’ everybody gonna shine. . .

Oktoberfest

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Last year, my friend Nadine and I hosted Oktoberfest at the local bar on Thursday afternoon Happy Hour at Burning Man.

It was a total riot!

We played German music and served ice cold (well, compared to PLAYA temperatures) German beer to thirsty guests.

We had such a good time, we decided to do it AGAIN!

Nadine took care of the beer and bought several pony kegs of light and dark German beer for us to serve.

I took care of the music.

I was careful to download SEVERAL Oktoberfest playlists from Spotify, since last year’s fiasco of a super short playlist of German oompa music played on repeat until my head was pounding  from horns and drums.

This year I used “Oktoberfest Hits 2019” by Megaparty, and BOY! was it a hit!!!

It included very basic Oktoberfest music along with a bunch of German pop music (like Johnny Däpp).

Honestly, you should listen to Johnny Däpp.

The whole song sounds like an homage to Johnny Depp.

Which, if you think about it, is a very good thing.

Of course we went through beer like water and before we knew it, we were back to serving COCKTAILS to guests who stayed to enjoy the music.

In particular, there was a couple who dressed up in traditional German costumes and who danced the whole afternoon away listening to the music.

I was pleased to bring a little German beer and music to them, they seemed to genuinely miss their home country.

And in the end, I got a lovely postcard from one half of the couple, thanking Nadine and I for “serving real German beer” and playing an amazing playlist of songs for them to enjoy.

My magic moment on the playa?

Watching them dance their asses off to “Sweet Caroline” by Weisenrocker.

Check it out on Spotify!

An Open Letter to the Love of My Life

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Hey handsome,

I know you’re out there somewhere.  Maybe we’ve even crossed paths already and I just don’t know it yet.

It occurred to me the other day that I’m 40 years old and have been single for the last decade.

I see two possible explanations for this. One – I’m so messed up no one wants me. Or two – I’m so extraordinary it will take an extraordinary man to match me.

Since I know it’s not option one, I choose to go with option 2 – I’m extraordinary. I’ve done some amazing things – volunteered, joined the Junior League, flown airplanes, driven race cars, skydive, kayaked with whales, ran with bulls, rafted the American, took boudoir photos, and so much more.

And I’ve had a lot of fun doing these things. But I can’t wait until we connect and can do them together.

I hope you encourage me to always live outside my comfort zone. And I hope I encourage you to always strive for personal growth.

What a team we will make.

I’m not sitting on my ass waiting for the stars to align for us. I know you wouldn’t like that. But I do think of you fondly and often, and I can’t wait for the day we start our life together.

Love,

Me

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It’s Official!

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Well, it’s official!

I fly into Florida on April 21st and I return to the Bay Area on the 28th.

In that week, I’ll get to hang out with The Swede and his goalie daughter.

As I’ve been perusing my closet, I’ve come across things I’m NOT going to wear in Florida.

A bikini, of any kind.

Not even high-waisted.

If MY kids roll their eyes when I’m wearing one, I should spare The Swede’s daughter the awkwardness.

A harness.

Ok, this is odd, but I did come across a harness I wore under a bathing suit to give it that dominatrix feel.

Not gonna need that in Florida.

Also?

The tan lines!

Another thing I’m not bringing with me?

Any kind of muumuu.

But I do have a rainbow colored kaftan which I love so I MIGHT have to break this rule.

But only because this is a special kaftan and it makes me happy to wear it.

Also, it takes up almost no space in my luggage.

And space is a consideration.

What I am going to bring?

Sunblock.

And lots of it.

I’m going to BATHE in it three times a day.

This hat

I bought a hat worthy of a diva to shade me from the sun.

And finally, one thing I will be bringing on my trip to Florida. . .

. . .

Damn near the most perfect wedge sandal I’ve laid eyes on.

Perfect with every dress I bring.

The Ballerina vs the Amazon

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When I was a little girl, my parents enrolled me in the Academy of Dance and I learned ballet. I studied for almost 10 years and just made it to toe shoes. But somewhere around year 8, it became apparent that I was not going to make it as a ballerina.

For one, I shot up for 5’8” tall. Also, I tipped the scales at 140 pounds, I grew a booty, and I sported a DD rack.

It was obvious I’d be no ballerina.

Ever since discovering I wasn’t going to be a petite woman men wanted to protect, I’ve been obsessed with being the opposite – an Amazon.

I wear sky high heels to put me over 6 feet tall. I like to look down on the tops of men’s heads. I like it when they’re eye level with my cleavage.

I even took up Scottish heavy athletics for a while.

I think there’s something sexy about a tall, strong woman who can take care of herself.

As it turns out, I’m not a classic Amazon either. I’m not 6+ feet tall. And my body is more like one of Renoir’s bather paintings than an Amazon woman. I’m not the muscular sex pot I wish I was.

But I’m learning to love my body and appreciate that it’s strong in all the ways I need it to be strong.

I’ve birthed 3 babies in record time. I’ve survived surgeries and heartbreaks. I’ve run two half-marathons.

In many ways, I am the Amazon I aspire to be.

But I’m also a little bit ballerina…. I can still do the splits.

Home

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MichelleIn the upcoming two weeks, I will be away at Burning Man and unable to blog.

Have no fear, though.

You can get your regular fix of unblunder anyway because I am scheduling blog posts to come out every day while I’m away.

Burning Man blog posts!

That’s right!

You can read (or re-read) the best and brightest of my Burning Man experiences in 2015, 2016, and 2017 while I make memories at Burning Man 2018.

I’m also posting seven of my Burning Man Essentials posts – just because I want to encourage all of you to attend Burning Man, live the dream, and change your outlook on life.

And there’s no better way to do that than by showing you what you need to get in order to live in an alpine desert for a week with a Leave No Trace philosophy.

Try to imagine, if you will, pulling off a two lane road onto a dust road PACKED full of cars, RVs and PEOPLE.

Everyone is hopping in and out of their cars, saying hello to each other, passing out cold beers, and is celebrating the return to the playa.

Even though the lines are LONG and SLOW, there’s little complaining (that happens later).

Everyone just gets out and embraces their fellow burners and talks about the adventure to come.

And that’s BEFORE you even get INSIDE the venue!

When I return from the burn, I go straight into my son’s head surgery, so I will be away from the blog for a few extra days.

You can expect Burning Man 2018 blog posts to start showing up on Wednesday, September 12th.

I hope you miss me, but enjoy the posts I’ve selected while I’m gone.

I’ll leave you with a little video from Burning Man in 2011 titled “Home” which always makes me nostalgic for the playa: