I think it’s time to admit that I’m a morning person. I’ve never been a night owl (you can ask my college roommates) and I wasn’t one of those teenagers that slept till noon (ala my sister). But the older I get it seems like no matter how late I stay up (and by late, I mean past 10 pm), I’m up by 6 am (or earlier). What about weekends and vacations, you ask? I’m always the first one up. It’s getting to the point where I’m confident I could wake up for work without an alarm.

And this weekend’s switch to daylight savings time is just terrible! Part of the allure of being a morning person is being able to enjoy sunshine and birds chirping while everyone else is still tucked away. I don’t give a hoot if it’s light at 9:30 at night if it means it’s pitch dark at 7 in the morning when I’m trying to be the morning person I am.

They say that the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. That cheese is tempting, but it’s staggering the things I can get done before 8 am.

So. Are you a night owl or a morning person? No judgement. Though if you comment after 8 pm I probably won’t respond until 6 the next morning.

Or, you know, hair that falls out of your head in your dreams.
via Etsy

We all know that dreams make for the most boring conversation. So I’m going to blog about mine instead.

I’ve been growing my hair out for three years this month. It started as a pixie cut, and after lots of vitamins and expensive shampoos, it’s almost to the middle of my back. I’ve had short hair almost all my life and when I did grow it out (to my shoulders, at the longest) I was known for chopping it all off on a whim, so I find it strange that I’ve gotten attached to having hair (although it is a pain in the ass — no one told me about the knots and hours of blow drying). My hair’s not especially pretty and it ends up in a ponytail most days (Pinterest braid tutorials be damned), but I no longer feel the desire to rush off to the salon and do something I might regret.

What’s even stranger is that I’ve recently started dreaming about hair. At first, I dreamt that I cut all my hair off and I’d wake up feeling for the back of my head to check if I really did it. But last night things took a turn for the worst when I dreamt that my hair started falling out. Great big clumps of it because I was putting it in a bun while wet and it was rotting off my head.

I bet Blake Lively doesn’t have these dreams.

In a moment of brilliance, I Googled what it meant to dream about hair. You know how people say you shouldn’t WebMD your symptoms unless you’re prepared to go through the three stages of grieving and then find out it was just gas? Same goes for Googling your dreams.

To dream of  hair…

To see hair in your dream signifies sexual virility, seduction, sensuality, vanity, and health. It is indicative of your attitudes. If your hair is knotted or tangled, then it is symbolic of uncertainty and confusion in your life. You may be unable to think straight. If you dream that you make a drastic change to your hairstyle, then it means that you are making a drastic, new approach to some issue in your waking life.  

To dream that you are cutting your hair suggests that you are experiencing a loss in strength. You may feel that someone is trying to censor you. Alternatively, you may be reshaping your thinking or ambitions and eliminating unwanted thoughts/habits.

To dream that you are combing, stroking or styling your hair suggests that you are taking on and evaluating a new idea, concept, outlook, or way of thinking. You may be putting your thoughts in order and getting your facts straight. A more literal interpretation suggests your concerns about your self-image and appearance.  

To dream that you have long hair indicates that you are thinking long and carefully before making some decision. You are concentrating on some plan or situation. To dream that you have short hair implies that you need to downsize your lifestyle. 

To dream that you are losing your hair denotes that you are concerned with the notion that you are getting older and losing your sex appeal and virility. You are preoccupied with aging and your appearance.  Losing your hair also signifies a lack of strength; you do not have the power to succeed in an undertaking. You may be feeling weak and vulnerable.

To dream that someone is smelling your hair indicates sexual curiosity and your need for some sensual stimulation.  You have a lot to learn about a relationship. The way yours or someone else’s hair smell may remind your of a particular person.

To dream that you are reaching for someone’s hair suggests that you are trying to connect with that person on a spiritual or intellectual level. It also refers to sympathy, protectiveness, and fraternal love.

To dream that the wind is blowing through your hair signifies freedom to express uninhibited feelings. You are “letting your hair down”.

To dream that your hair is white or turns white indicates that something important has just been made aware to you. It is a symbol of wisdom and insight. The dream may also be a metaphor suggesting that you are feeling “light-headed”.

That’s…troubling. Especially since the dreams have been incessant. I can make the stretch and see where it pertains to my life but it’s not exactly the optimistic outlook I was hoping for.

Are you a dreamer? Do you give any significance to your dreams?

“It’s just another Hallmark holiday” they say. “You should show your love year-round” they say.

To which I say, “pfffftt.”

I’ve never had an exceptionally mind-blowing Valentine’s Day, but there’s something about all that candy and hearts and flowers that makes me all lovey-dovey. I ordered my cards weeks ago and have been hoarding stickers, glitter, and confetti ever since.

Do you embrace or shun Valentine’s Day? Try sending a lovey-dovey  letter on one of these adorable cards to get in the spirit…

1. I love you with all of my butt — $4 (Humping pigs not included.)
2. I so freaking love you — $3.79
3. You’re a fox — $4.50
4. You’re my favorite ex-boyfriend — $4
5. Gold hearts note set — $16 for 6
6. I love you very much — $6.75 for 6 assorted
7. Kissing dachshunds — $4.25
8. I finally found you — $6
9. I like you and naps — $5
10. I’m a sucker for you — $12.50 for 6

Twice in the past two weeks I’ve been referred to as a perfectionist. Both times I wanted to jump up and say “Hey, I’m sitting right here!” I mean, I can definitely think of worse things to be called, but no one ever calls someone a perfectionist and means it in a positive way, do they? Anytime you add -ist to a word it just reeks of being whatever it is to a fault, right? I’ve never once thought of myself as a perfectionist (and if I had to guess, neither has my mother). A people pleaser, maybe. Particular? Ok. Slightly OCD? Possibly. But a perfectionist? Not me — the girl that used to get yelled at on the way to school every day for not applying herself.

Has anyone ever said something about you in a very matter-of-fact way that made you think “Whoa, that’s me”?

It’s been awhile since we caught up. What’s new with you guys? What have I missed? Bring me up to speed.

I’m in kind of a rut lately. I hate bloggers who blog about blogging, but I’ve been having a real struggle with whether to continue blogging or not. I love it, but there’s something very unfulfilling about it. I miss having a close group of blogging friends who get it and the opportunities and experiences blogging as a hobby used to bring. I mean, I really got to do some cool shit because I was a blogger and now I feel like we’re a dime a dozen and I don’t know how to differentiate myself without having blogging take over my life.

Anyway, here’s what else has been going on…

Watching…Tiny Furniture. Which I didn’t get. At all. Herb & Dorothy. The most successful hoarders ever. Girls. I watched the entire first season on Sunday and developed a hardcore love for Adam.

Reading…The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis. Super intense, but beautifully written and easy to get caught up in the story.

Listening to…Confession. I’m not a music lover. I mean, I like music–Spotify is streaming right now–but I’m not out there actively discovering new music and being touched by lyrics. So, any suggestions?

Eating…A lot less. I’d like to lose some weight this year but I don’t want to be all uptight about it. So I quietly (we all know how I don’t like to talk about diets) bought a food scale and joined Weight Watchers. I’m eating the same things I’ve always eaten (including some ah-mazing ramen from East Side King in Austin), I’m just learning what the correct portion looks like. I’ve lost 9 pounds so far, which is great, but I’m not one of those people that looks any different after they’ve lost 9 pounds. Or 20. Being able to “carry your weight” is great on the way up, but can be discouraging on the way down. I usually don’t see a change in size until I’ve lost a good 25-30 pounds. (Can you tell I’ve done this before?)

Looking forward to…Booking a vacation. There was this NYT article from a few years back that talks about how the simple act of booking a vacation causes the most significant boost in happiness. It’s totally true. For the last year I’ve always had a little trips to look forward to and now, with no flights booked, I feel antsy. Here’s to hoping the tax man deposits a little something I can use to skip town.

Dreading…Work stuff. Not a complaint–you’ll almost never see my blog or tweet about work because I really do love my job–just some big projects that need tackled that I’m anxious to make work because expectations are high.