Hope Dies Last

…trust without being given a reason to trust first.

…believe in the literal meaning of words flung together and whispered across naked skin.

…look for answers in the night; particularly when my eyes haven’t adjusted to the darkness yet.

…hope that I would be missed. Eventually.

…forget about the past.

…envy a life I would never want for myself.

…expect nothing. (Even a null expectation is an expectation.)

…compromise my wants and needs for a roaming hand on my bare thigh.

…like it.

…resist writing about all this fire inside me.

…think I had nothing to say.

Your turn. I should know better than to…?

“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.”

D.H Lawrence

I’m going to be still for awhile. But, I’ll be back.

…I’d start by flipping it the right way up; it’s been upside down for way too long.  (Better Off Ted was cancelled and Two and a Half Men is still on the air? Seriously?)

…it would be compulsory for talented, ambitious, hard workers to have actual, paying jobs.

…gentle, well intentioned, well timed honesty would be held to a higher esteem than comfortable, easy to handle lies.

…women that pretend to be dumb to get ahead would be locked up.

…men that pretend to want a relationship to get laid, would join them. (Y’all can procreate together.)

…we would travel by teleportation.

…the unattached would wear rings. (I think we are the ones that need to recognize each other far more than marrieds do.)

…there would be fines for those who do not reply to text messages, emails and phone calls. (I’d be über fair though. The statute of limitations on this would be one year.)

…pink shirts on straight men would be illegal; punishable by public mocking.

…witty, devilish, intelligent, sarcastic, responsible, available men would have NO CHOICE but to be insanely attracted to me.

What would you do if you ruled the world?

(Inspired by Stacy over at Chasing Paradise)

I’ve been carrying some baggage lately. I worked hard to get it because I spent the entire winter eating my weight in nuts and lollipops. As a result, I haven’t been in the mood to go shopping for Kyla Roma’s Six Months/Six Dresses challenge. But, I am still taking part because a) I’m not a quitter and b) I’ve got plenty of dresses already.

May’s Dress [Left]

I bought this dress two summer’s ago on sale from a small boutique in Athens. Since then, I’ve worn it a handful of times, most notably on my first date with my most recent ex. When I took it out to wear again at the end of May, all the memories came rushing back. This dress reminds me of all that potential I felt back then and I felt sad in it all day. (Hence the ridiculously solemn face in the picture) I chose to wear it again in June for a cocktail party and thankfully all the memories attached to it are beginning to fade.  Now, when I look at it it is not my First Date Dress but the dress that made a certain gentleman ask a certain bride-to-be about me. Now, it’s my Who is that Girl Dress.

June’s Dress [Right]

I bought this purple, silk dress on sale from Donna Karan three years ago. The first time I wore it was this past Friday to a wedding. So, it technically does count as a ‘new’ dress. (If I bend the rules slightly). While, I have always loved the colour purple I don’t wear it an awful lot because I don’t understand what colours match with it. The internet suggested gold or silver which I vetoed immediately because I thought it was boring and expected. Instead, I chose a blue-green peep toe. The wedding itself was beautiful. The food was exceptional (Mushroom risotto? Yum), the music was fun (We danced all night!) and the mood was merry. But it was the location that reminded me of the reason I love living in the southern suburbs of Athens: the ubiquitous, yet silent presence of that sea.

But back to my earlier, more important point. Do you name your dresses too?

I doubt this list needs an introduction. But secret single behaviours are those quirky, weird, embarrassing habits we all develop after living alone for some time. These are some of mine.

• Watch a time-wasting show (like One Tree Hill) and pluck the stray hairs on my legs. (I feel the same satisfaction as I did at my university graduation when I find and have to remove an ingrown).

• Eat Chinese takeout in bed while testing my celebrity knowledge on People.com

• Pretend to have a captivated audience when I cook.

• Channel Taylor Swift in her You Belong With Me video and do goofy dances in my bedroom (Hairbrush as microphone is a MUST)

• Rearrange something in one room of my house every week

• Without fail, check the progress of my eye wrinkles in the bathroom mirror after a shower. (Smile. Solemn face. Smile. Solemn Face. Smile. Solemn Face.)

• Secretly love, watch and cry during every movie set in a high school ever. (Do you have any favourites you can recommend?)

• Take obnoxious self-portraits on my Mac before going out.

• Facebook stalk until my hand is numb.

• Facebook stalk until I am convinced that every single person on earth is living a much better life than I am.

• Ask my cat questions. (For example, ‘Do you think he’s going to call? OK, fine. If you think he’s going to call, just sit there staring at me.’

What are your secret single behaviours?