Welcome. In a few days I am preparing for an enormous life change: leaving Northern California, home of my halcyon recent undergraduate days, bastion of light and love and the slow-food movement, and my very happy recently ended four-year relationship — and for what? A cramped studio apartment in Boston, MA, and an attempt to live the starving artist dream.
If you’d asked me six months ago, I never would have conceived of trading year-round farmers’ markets and what I thought was a marriage-bound relationship for the cold, humid unknown. But my life felt stagnant, so one day nearly out of the blue I ate my last organic mango, hired a realtor, gave the boyf the boot. All very not-me. And maybe I’ll live to regret it.
But until that day, I’ve decided to capitalize on this crazy wave of acting like a completely different person. I’ve been happy enough all these years, but I’m starting to think that just happy enough isn’t friggin’ happy enough. After so many years of having friends, family, advisors and colleagues telling me what I am and am not, and being circumscribed by my own idea of What Kind Of Girl I Am, I decided: fuck it. I’m not doing everything totally wrong, that’s true, but maybe there are things that would make me happier.
Hence, the Not That Kind Of Girl project: over the next 365, starting from my move to Boston, I’m going to try being some kind of girl I always assumed I wasn’t. Some small things (trying sushi for the first time, despite my icthyophobia, or getting up and dancing on a bar), and some pretty major (raw food diet while reupholstering a couch, anyone?)
Over the next 365 days, from August 21, 2009 – August 21, 2010, I commit to doing 250 insane, macabre, gauche, selfless, whatever COMPLETELY NOT ME things and documenting how or even whether they change my idea of just what kind of girl I am, anyway.
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Some thoughts on whether or not you’ll regret the decisions you made (to uproot your life, cut lose the bf, etc.) I’m guessing I’ve got a few years on you, so if there’s any wisdom I can impart, it’s this: no matter what choices you make in life, you will have regrets.
But I’ve found that my greatest regrets are reserved not for things I’ve done in life, but for things I have never done, or never even tried. I think you’re lucky to have the perspective so young that you need to push yourself outside whatever boundaries you’ve perceived as your box. We can’t really know who we are, or even who we want to be, without doing this.
Good luck!
*Gasp!* How exciting! I’m mourning your last bite of organic mango with you for sure, but extremely excited for you about trying sushi for the first time! I love it!
What a fantastic idea for a project!! I love, love the city of Boston! It’s been years since I have been there, but I hope you enjoy your time there. The winters here in the north east are BRUTAL, so I hope you’ve got lots of warm clothes and Starbucks!
I am so happy you found my blog, enabling me to find yours. What an awesome project!
oh my god… just stalked this page… Aug 21 TOO! Why did I think Aug 23…?
You’d think we were in cahoots.
Maybe we should be.
This is too awesome. And probably not a coincidence. There is no such thing.
so a delayed welcome to boston and a high five for this seriously amazing blog. it’s a great concept and i’m super excited to do some back reading. =)
Wow, what an inspiration you are! I can’t think of a single person who shouldn’t take a page from your book. I just stumbled upon you today and will be following your journey. We all have to find our own way from girl to woman… it’s that in between stage that makes life tough. I applaud your willingness and determination to take the unbeaten path and share your steps with us.
I look forward to reading what I haven’t so far and to your future posts!
~kaydee~
I applaud you for having the courage to take the leap. This is amazing! Thank you for stumbling upon my blog that led me to see yours. I am excited to see the rest of your adventures! ÜÜ
Man you’re so awesome!!
I’m looking forward to reading your blog to see what kind of crazy shit you do!
I’m going to live vicariously through your adventures. =)
“After ten minutes of ferocious contemplation, the invisible hairs above my lip had been replaced by a huge flaming patch of angry red skin. Um, beautiful?”
LOL. Actually I’m REALLY glad you wrote about this b/c (a) now I can try it myself (prolly on lip region) and (b) I was SO CURIOUS about threading. Oh, and I suppose the most important is (c) YOU ARE FREAKING HILARIOUS.
This blog makes me SO HAPPY.
It’s such a wonderful idea, thanks so much for sharing. I shall live vicariously through your anecdotes until I trick myself (somehow) into being just as brave. Thanks!
Hello! This looks like a very fun read so I’ll be sure to come back and visit when I’m not being an old man and wanting to go to bed already.
Super cool idea … and something I find interesting but could probably never do.
Vicarious life, yeah!