Yesterday it was dark at six. Today it is dark by five. Tomorrow the sun will set at noon and I'll start to cry and my skin will turn translucent and I'll be forced to the tanning beds for fake sun and Vitamin D, and then I will die. Of cancer.
Every year I contemplate just not going along with it. How hard would that be to pull off do you think? It wouldn't be too much of a hassle, would it? We will be meeting at 7:00 (8:00 Natalie Time).
So, I almost cut my bangs.
This is another hallmark of November. November is always when I start to think it is time to cut my bangs. November is just such a drastic time!
I did not cut my bangs, because it is important to resist impulse decisions in November when you are in the throes of some emotional turmoil. Though I did pin my front hairs up and pretend that I was poetic (because girls with bangs are always poetic), and as I sighed dramatically and wondered if I could pull it off, I saw a spider that I am fairly certain was a hobo spider, only I'm not really sure it was because I don't actually know what a hobo spider looks like.
This is another hallmark of November. November is always when I start to think it is time to cut my bangs. November is just such a drastic time!
I did not cut my bangs, because it is important to resist impulse decisions in November when you are in the throes of some emotional turmoil. Though I did pin my front hairs up and pretend that I was poetic (because girls with bangs are always poetic), and as I sighed dramatically and wondered if I could pull it off, I saw a spider that I am fairly certain was a hobo spider, only I'm not really sure it was because I don't actually know what a hobo spider looks like.
When I think of November I like to think it is like the Friday afternoon of the calendar year. You're just about ready for the Christmas Holiday Weekend but you're still at work. October is the Thursday and it is all building up to Christmas Saturday Night and New Years Sunday Morning.
January, then, must be a Monday.
Sometimes January feels like the worst kind Monday in the world. The kind where you hardly got enough sleep and you never found the time to finish folding the laundry so you sort of stumble back to your real life unprepared. Other times January takes on the best aspects of Monday, the chance at a new, get-back-to-work, put-down-the-dessert kind of Monday.
I'm not sure why I'm mentally in January when November is barely here. It must have something to do with the fact that I am getting old.
January, then, must be a Monday.
Sometimes January feels like the worst kind Monday in the world. The kind where you hardly got enough sleep and you never found the time to finish folding the laundry so you sort of stumble back to your real life unprepared. Other times January takes on the best aspects of Monday, the chance at a new, get-back-to-work, put-down-the-dessert kind of Monday.
I'm not sure why I'm mentally in January when November is barely here. It must have something to do with the fact that I am getting old.
But I am still in the Tuesday of my life, I like to remind myself. By Wednesday I hope to have a bunch of kids to boss around and by Thursday I plan to have lots of plastic surgery. By the time Friday rolls around I will have toured the world and seen all that there is to be seen, so that in the Weekend of my life I will have time for grandkids, crossword puzzles, and hand-knitted socks for my husband. And won't that be nice?
Now, to go put some Halloween Candy in the freezer and hope I forget it's there.
I'm completely in agreement on the time change thing. I live in the Mountain time zone but to make my self feel better when I don't get out of bed until 9 or 10, I just pretend that I'm on Pacific time. Plus I only have clients in the Pacific time zone, so it's impossible to have a meeting before 9 am. How cool is that? I say you live on the Natalie time zone. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes I shoved a bag of Reese's in the very back of the freezer just an hour ago.
This is a gorgeous post. Beautifully written and wonderfully said. I too am a few years from thirty, and already freaking out about the impending doom that should hit with wrinkles and bags and grey hairs. But, also like you, I look really young, so I'm secretly hoping my body is actually still eighteen - that way when I do turn thirty my body will really only be in it's early twenties - surely that's the way it should work!
ReplyDeleteI live in the tropics so we don't have daylight savings... or winter for that matter... are you jealous yet?? :)
ReplyDeleteAlso that means I have no reason to hate February - especially cos that's when my birthday is - except that it tends to be hot. Anyway, that was a beautifully written post, and I'll definitely be back for more!
i just got back to LA from a weekend home is seattle, and i have to say, there is something to be said for the cold and the gray and the dark winters up there -- just so much cozier and more seasonal than the perpetual sunshine down here in lalaland. I'm being totally serious, by the way....so enjoy it!!
ReplyDeleteIn Arizona, there is no switching of clocks for daylight savings time...maybe you will live there someday and it will almost be like Natalie time.
ReplyDeleteAnd I just turned thirty...and somehow it isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Glad you didn't cut.
ReplyDeleteWith or without bangs, child, you are such a poet. It is my pleasure to have found you and to read you. You rock that Tuesday, a'ight?
ReplyDeletehello.
ReplyDeletejust thought i'd let you know that i absolutely adore your blog. and i think you are gorgeous.
happy november. :)
My mother is still surprised at how she looks when she sees herself in the mirror. "Who is that little, wrinkled, white haired lady?" She's 64 years old. She says she doesn't FEEL like she should have the white hair and wrinkles--but what can you do?
ReplyDeleteThere have been some years where I have deliberately not turned my clocks back. Left them the same for years. It's harder to do once married, though, and clocks are shared. My grandmother was the same way. Clocks were never changed. Unfortunately, despite our stubborness, it still was starting to get dark at 3:30 (Northern British Columbia). Sigh.
Another lovely post. I so enjoy reading you each day! Have a marvelous Monday!
I lovelove your description of November as Friday, etc. This so definitely explains why I hate January! Because it's Monday! Next time someone calls me out on my January hatred, I am just going to say "It's Monday, DUH!"
ReplyDeleteThanks.
I love the picture of you and your bangs. I think they would look good. Don't do it impulsively though!
ReplyDeleteBangs remind us of that totally artistic poet type because someone out there (who happened to be a poet) rocked their bangs, that trend setter. You can create your own image! I do understand the desire to cut (I cut my bangs last year and they are STILL growing out), plus bangs are such a fall/winter trend.
ReplyDeleteDo what you want, but I think you look better with out them. Being poetic comes from inside your head, not what grows out of it.
Great Post :-)
yeah ;) canon ;*** ;D
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, as usual! I hated turning 30! ANd now, at the ripe old age of 31, I have learned to deal with it to a degree simply because, I am often thought to be a mere teenager. When out with my kids, people often assume I am just the babysitter... or that I am a teen that has made some irresposible choices... that sucks. But, when we're 60... think about how good we'll look!!! I know, it doesn't help. 'Cause it doesn't help me... but you are beautiful, no matter how old (or young) you are!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind November. Maybe it's because I have each and every Friday off, so November is like my Thursday, and I like Thursday because it's my Friday. (Still with me? 3 day weekends make life a lot happier.) Or maybe it's because I'm taking the entire week of Thanksgiving off, so I'll be home for, like, 8 or 9 whole days to get the hell outta Dodge. My self-indulged super-long Thanksgiving holiday week (that includes 2 weekends) is only 18 days away. I can do 18 days, no sweat.
ReplyDeleteAs for January, I completely agree; January IS a Monday. One big loooooooonnnnnnngggggg Monday, I've said so for years. Plus, as a fellow "Idahoan" winter lasts entirely too long, And they don't plow the roads; what's with that anyway? Down in Zion (aka Utah) they're up all night plowing if need be. Oh well...I guess I'm not in Zion any more.
PS I'll be 30 in 2.5 years. How does time zip on by so quickly again?
Move to Arizona... they don't have DST down there.
ReplyDeleteNice blog! You really thought about the whole month and days of the week thing didn't you. And I kinda see what your getting at. Mondays are quite aweful as is January most of the time! Its a really good comparison!
ReplyDeleteCome see my blog!
Daisymay
I woke up this morning was amazed at how bright it was for 7:20am outside. The only good thing about all of this is that perhaps with my bedroom curtains open in the morning, I may be able to wake up on time to get the kids ready to school to spare.
ReplyDeleteI think I am the only person on the planet who loves the time change. I know that it gets dark at 6:00pm. But for some reason, I feel like I get to spend so much more time with my family when the nights starts that early. Silly I know.
ReplyDeleteyou totally nailed it on the whole days of the week thing. which reminds me of elem. school: wearing days of the week undies. lets not get caught wearing our fridays all of november, though.
ReplyDeleteyou should consider moving to mesa. again... right? i know nothing of this time change you speak of, but it does sound quite miserable.
and yes. i do that, too. except i accidentally find it too soon and i have to try and forget about it again, or hide it in the way way back under frozen peas or something i never use. yep.
Keep the bangs, be a rebel. You are the queen of your November and it will not boss you around. Turning 36 tomorrow, I'm not sure how that translates in the Natalie exchange but I do know that for whatever reason, it seems so much bigger than 35.
ReplyDeleteI like the Fall back. I'm still all for the extra hour of sleep and not driving to work in the dark in the morning.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I woke up and looked in the mirror and realized I was 40 but inside I'm still 17. What happened? All the fabulous face creams in the world will not stop the clock. I have found that out...DEPRESSING!
You booger. About to be thirty- in three *years*?! It was traumatizing enough for me to hit that landmark myself this summer, let alone to hear someone three years younger stating factually that she is old! I shall now be a grouch for the rest of the day.
ReplyDelete; ) I hope you know I'm teasing. Great post, I'm so glad I've found your blog!
http://excerpts-kristin.blogspot.com/
I love your blog! I look forward to reading it every day. You are a great writer.
ReplyDelete1)you have posted pics of your mom, you have great genes, don't worry about aging- you will be beautiful at any age!
ReplyDelete2)I think the pic with bangs looks great- but they are higher maintenance and when you're bored with them it will take forever to grow them out(I go through this struggle all the time- currently I'm contemplating copying my 3yr olds bob but I think it would look ridiculous on me while it is adorable on her but then she's 3 and I'm 38!)
Hope you have a wonderful November!
I tell ya, Nat, you sure are something else. Terrific post. Never pictured the year, or my life, as divided into a week before. Too cool. I guess that puts me at Wednesday close to midnight.
ReplyDeleteHang in.
No fall back or spring forward in Honduras. I don't miss it! It does make calling back to the states a little confusing, like, what time is it there again??
ReplyDeleteI feel like I've lived through an entire month of Mondays. Thanks for a beautiful analogy!
ReplyDeleteI love February! I'm probably biased since it's my birthday month and all. :)
ReplyDeleteI also don't mind it getting dark earlier. Most of my favorite childhood memories revolve around the fall and Christmas and just being in the crisp fall air and it getting dark early and sitting around the (gas) fireplace as a family.
you are SO funny (exaggerate that "so") I've been reading your blogs for the past week or so and have to admit, I've had a few belly laughs. Time change and wrinkles. Good topic. Too bad we can't change time so we don't get wrinkles. I however am turning the big 30 next week!! NEXT WEEK! I've noticed the wrinkles in my hands the most. They look like my mom's 60 year old hands. So much for aspiring to be a hand model. At least I still look 18. Actually I sort-of want to look like an adult so I get more perks. Well, whether or not I'm ready...it's coming!!!! Nat the Fat Rat...you'll have to keep me young...at least for three more years.
ReplyDeleteI love November. With October being such a traumatising month, November is the beginning of CELEBRATIONS! My birthday begins November 1 - the planning of the party (btw, I'll be 33 in 17 days, and I'm still okay. Next year I'll be a wreck, tho!), the treats at work, all that fun. Then comes Thanksgiving, and I am soooo thankful for my family & friends & the Lord & all the blessings He's given me.
ReplyDeleteNext we have December, and Secret Santa at work and planning the lunch for the reveal of that. Planning presents (this year I'm making photo albums for everyone) is a blast! Then, we get the week off btwn Christmas & New Year's at work, so it's like a week-long party with family, and rest from all the activities as well.
I love November because it means beginning to me. : )
Oh, yes, and sorry for the 2nd comment, but not really because I had to say - The picture with bangs is so cute! Either way, you really do have great hair. I go through the same bangs/no bangs issues. Right now I have none, but I look at pictures with bangs & think, Maybe I should go back. : )
ReplyDeleteWell... I'm a touch older and I still like falling back annually. However, it's the springing forward that I'm not a fan of. But I understand what you're getting at. I too, about a year ago or so, attempted ignoring the change of time. It didn't work out well.
ReplyDeleteOh and by the way, February – which is short like me – has fewer days to tease you and make you anticipate February for next year and the next and the next and so on...
November, on the other hand, is not so much of a tease. To me, its more of a sleepy month. But, kind of rest before you get to December.
December is more of a grand finale before you start all over again in January. Well, that's what it is to me, anyway.
In conclusion, this was thought provoking and entertaining. Thanks!
Totally dig the bangs. Very Audrey Hepburn. I finally ramped up the courage to cut bangs about a year ago, but you really have to be committed. It is one of those things that you should do in your 30s because all of the sudden everyone comments on how young you look. Yes, I feel like a slug with the time adjustment. Went to bed at 9:30 and woke at 6:30 still exhausted. Yuck! As for aging, I knew the moment I found a pure white eyelash at age 16 that I would someday go pure white like my Grandma. I don't have one single grey hair on my head, but everytime I see a glittering, multi-faceted white hair, I stop to admire it. I may be the only woman alive who does this, but at age 35, I just can't bring myself to undo the coolest highlights ever, straight from God! :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, so the bang picture is freaking cute, but PROMISE ME THIS, Natalie! Do NOT under ANY circumstances cut your own bangs. Especially after 10:00 pm. With your sewing scissors. And then try and "texturize" them. Because you, like me, will look retarded. Honestly, just go to the nearest salon and have a professional do it for you. My bangs look like I CHEWED them OFF!!! And I only had one more day to wait til the weekend, when I could have driven five freaking minutes down the road and had someone at Great Clips trim them for me. But, noooo...of course I couldn't wait and had to trim them myself! And now I have bangs that come only halfway down my very high forehead and nowhere NEAR my eyebrows. And because it was my own dang fault, I get no sympathy from my better half, who has made me swear out loud that I will no longer cut my own hair for any reason ever. So...don't do what I did. Seize the day if you wish (you look fab and VERY poetic--far more so than me), but DON'T DO IT YOURSELF!!!
ReplyDeletep.s. For the commitment shy, a longish sideswept bang is always a good way to test the waters, so to speak.
p.p.s. November is a seriously dreary yet poetic month. Time to break out your cozy sweaters and some Emily Dickenson, methinks!
Oh, yeah--and I just discovered the other day that my left hand now has freckles on it. As in, old-person-hands freckles. Karl swears they must have come from my long walks pushing Camryn's stroller, but I swear they're there because I'm getting old!!! Can you get liver spots at the age of 27?!? Well, whatever the reason for them being there, I'm DOUSING myself in SPF 30 from now on. And let's not EVEN get into the laugh lines I have under my eyes.
ReplyDeleteNat your post was so cool. Feb is nice too, only time England gets real, winter, a few days of snow, public transport and roads grind to a halt, still dark; proper winter. Plus sadly birthday month too. Oh, move to Singapore then you will find 1 hour variation in daylight from 21st Dec - 21st June and never too hot or cold - or I think you enjoy it where you are.
ReplyDeleteThe Tuesday of your life? I like that. I think I'm stuck in the Monday of my life
ReplyDeleteWHAT!? I love February!!! (Maybe it's because it's the month of my birthday)...I'm offended! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha - I love the Tuesday of your life comment :) V true!
ReplyDeleteNow I will forever be worried about whether or not I am in the Tuesday or Wednesday of my life and at what point exactly I will be at the Thursday/Friday of my life. :)
ReplyDeleteLove it!
Andrea
http://alittlebitrocknroll.blogspot.com
I agree about daylight savings time. It's silliness. Or probably a government conspiracy. Really, there's no point to it except they tell us we have to, so we do. Hmmm. Anywho, about thirty. Yes, thirty is a milestone. But I see 40 looming just two years away. And 40 seems very ominous in a way that makes me all wistful and yearning for 30. So, I don't want to just say, "enjoy 30 'cause it only get worse," but well, it does. Still, 40 is better than dying young. It worked for Jesus and Mozart, but I'm not willing to try that myself.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder why blogs like yours don't make blogs of note... but then yours did and it was no surprise.
Also, please cut bangs.
Love all your Posts, At 27 it hit me too by the time 30 came I was fine dealt with it at 27. This year however I have an irrational fear,My mom died at age 51 of a decease that I do not have nor can I ever get but......... I will be 51 on January 26th. I am learning that fear will make a body ill and am dealing with my irrational thoughts. I will be an old lady some day serving in a temple talking in hushed tones and joyful.
ReplyDelete