You know, I never had to worry about the freshman 15. I stayed home for college and my mommy continued to cook most of my meals. However, I seem to have replaced that dreaded experience with the conference 10 - the opposite of freshman 15. Instead of fretting over gaining...I'm obsessing over losing those 10 pounds that I've been ignoring for the last, oh, eleven months. Several of the playfriends have started a crash diet. So far I'm pretty pleased. We'll see if I have enough time to lose those 10.But I think this highlights an interesting point about my life. I have an alter ego...my conference ego. This woman wears stylish clothes, kick ass shoes and - gasp - make-up. She does not exist in a ponytail, five year old blue jeans and a Sea World t-shirt complete with jumping Shamu. Do you know, I buy more clothes for this one week of my life than I probably have the rest of the year combined.
But it's the only time I get to play grown-up. I get to leave the kids at home (wouldn't mind if DH were along for the fun though!) and bring out my heels, rhinestones and curling iron. Somehow I don't think those things have a place here down on the farm. I can just see the goats eating the jewels off my fabulous shoes. Someone would die!
I have my conference wardrobe planned - most days have at least two outfits. I will probably spend an average of 90 minutes in front of the mirror throughout the day (must change jewelry, make-up and hairstyle to match new clothing). While at home I roll out of bed as late as possible, stealing those last nine minutes from the snooze on my alarm and forsaking make-up in exchange for another nine. I pick the closest thing out of the closet...because it was probably the last thing hung up when DH did wash and I know it a.) is clean and b.) fits.
If this happened more than seven days out of every year I might contemplate the possibility that I was schizophrenic. Instead, I just think I enjoy being around other people who get me. I enjoy dressing up, feeling pretty and confident. And Lord knows Eeyore just doesn't appreciate high fashion.
What's your favorite thing about national conference? If you aren't a writer (or won't be attending) do you have a time/place in your life where you act like a completely different person?
Instigator
16 comments:
Most workdays I feel dressed up because of my job, some days a little more than others if I have an event going on. On the weekends, kinda slob if you would. When I am running errands, knocking around the house I am NOT dressed up, just laid back, in other words no makeup. I love girly stuff, my toenails are usually painted (throughout the year), hair is usually fixed, nice enough clothes, girly stuff! I hope you have a great time at the conference.
robertsonreads
I know I should say my favorite part is learning new things about writing. However, my favorite part is seeing all the friends I only get to see once a year. This year I'm going to get to see someone I haven't seen since 2004, and another I haven't seen since 2005 so I'm especially excited about that.
And yeah, I get all obsessive about clothes for conference too. Even joined in on the crash diet (though I'm a day behind everyone else). But I've lost 2.8 pounds since Tuesday. Squeeeee!
I have to say this blog is bringing a tear to my eye. Farm animals even on the approach of conference...sigh
By the way, keep rubbing it in, the inmates are about to run the asylum in a little over a week :)
ATTENTION PLAYGROUND MONITOR! This is your Mother speaking. Those 2.8 lbs. lost since tuesday are only water weight. They will come right back to bite you in the butt when you quit your so called crash diet. You should know better! Crash diets are damaging to your health. This advice applies to all of your playground friends too. Scolding over...have fun in SF...and don't eat too many banquet desserts.
ATTENTION PM'S MOM! It's not really a crash diet. You eat all the food groups. It just mixes them up into odd combinations in order to kick your metabolism, which as you know is a problem in post-menopausal women. Yesterday I had bread and protein and veggies and fruit. And 8 glasses of water. And today I'll have bacon and eggs and turkey and tuna and salad greens. I thought long and hard before I started this and decided to give it a whirl.
End of talking back. I'll try not to eat too many banquet desserts.
PM
But when they do, it will be AFTER conference. I can deal with that.
First of all, any info about that diet would be greatly appreciated!
I have not worked for a few months and have loved it. But, I will be joining the work force again next week and I am sure they will require me to wear shoes!
I had planned (hoped) I would be going to SF this year and bought a couple of nice dresses on clearance last fall. Looks like those dresses will have to wait but I'll have one more year to find a few more bargains. : )
I like the conference because of all the people I get to see. The excitement of the NaCon is palpable, with people scurrying around, all gussied up, trading war stories, laughing our heads off.
On the other hand, I've learned to give myself a lot of down time. The body needs it. The mind needs it even more.
I love showing off my shoes. Like Instigator, I don't get to show them off here on the farm. The cows and llamas just don't care, and though I admit I have taken the dogs for a walk with sequins on my feet, I don't like getting my sequins dusty. Clothes? Eh. I'm not a clothes horse. I'd be happy (and far more comfortable) in jeans and a work shirt.
Hey, y'all, I'm doing the diet too! I've lost 5 pounds in two days! This is probably the healthiest diet I've ever seen, because you're eating regular food, and food you like. More fruits and vegetables, yes, but meat too. The main thing is eating small amounts every two, two and a half hours. I'm doing the 10-day extreme version of the 11-day diet, because I'm leaving before y'all are and I don't have enough time to do the 11-day diet. I'm timing it so the free days are my travel day, and the two days of the board meeting, so I don't have to worry about it. I'm hoping that, as the diet uses normal food, I'll even be able to at least partially stick to it while I'm in SF.
I meant to add, the 10-day diet is in the "Beyond Calories" section on the website.
Sherry, it's Diet 4 Dummies.
Wait a minute, there's a DIET and NO ONE told me?!?!?!?!? Where is the love, people!?
I wouldn't mind losing another 5 lbs before conference, but the clothes are fitting and the GH/RITA dress fits and looks awesome with my new sparkly shoes. Loooove my sparkly shoes. I'll be leaving a glitter trail probably, but they are too awesome not to wear.
I absolutely love meeting up with friends (I met people last year I'd only known online for a very long time) and getting dressed up. Yes, I love to dress up and I LOVE my stilettos. Don't get to wear much of that while sitting at my computer day in and day out.
The website is dietaccess.com.
You pay a fee to access it, but once you do, you can generate as many two week diets as you want. The only downside are the weird combos and the occasional "all fruit" or "all veggie" days, which don't thrill me much.
Losing 4 lbs in 3 days thrills me plenty, though
BTW - email me if you are interested and I'll let you use my account to put together a menu and see if you'd like to try it.
Hey, Thanks everybody! I can use all the help I can get. It seems to be 'For Dummies' week for me. (LOL) I pulled out my Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies again this week for a refresher course.
Just think, with all that sparkle and glitter going on and the dieting you girls will be the best looking chapter at the conference!
Um...yeah, I'd say I go into a slightly different mode for conference considering it's 11:30 and I'm still in my pajamas and just finished my line edits. ;)
Though I'm not going to conference either, I joined the diet bandwagon. It is supposed to be great for slow metabolisms, which I certainly suffer from. I've lost 3.5 pounds in 4 days. The last time I lost 3 pounds, it took me 12 weeks!
I definitely obsess about clothes and shoes around conference time, something I don't do the rest of the year. I like to look nice, but that desire goes into hyper mode when I imagine meeting people I've never met or haven't seen in a couple of years. Vain, I know, but at least I'm honest. :)
I also tend to dress up at our monthly meetings. Make-up, jewelry, etc. It is just a chance to present myself a certain way, besides whatever I threw on that morning to sit in front of the computer and wrangle children all day.
Angel
I have to be a different person around my husband's family. There all a bunch of straightlace conservatives who think I'm going to hell because I have a beer once in a while. To hear them talk, I'm a serial killer.
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