13 Things Thursday: 13

The 13th edition of 13 Things Thursday!

I just realized that this is the 13th edition of 13 Things Thursday, so this feels like a special milestone. :) I’ll always continue to write whatever I’m thinking about, but if there’s something you want to hear, let me know in the comments!

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1. I recently went back and numbered all of my 13 Things Thursday posts, which is how I realized that this is the 13th one I’ve written. I’ve really enjoyed mixing this format in with the longer essays. This light, yet structured format helps me stay more consistent with writing. If I feel like I have to write something unique and profound every time, I will have unfinished posts in draft for months on end without ever publishing.

2. I’ve written before about how I feel like we’re in the middle of a paradigm shift, and I’m getting to a point where I’ve really had it with the systems we’ve created. I said some version of this to my mom in a recent conversation: “Is this really the best we humans could come up with? That most people have to toil away for 40+ hours per week just to be able to meet basic needs? Why couldn’t we come up with something healthier and more efficient than this? We’re meant to enjoy life, be in community, and frolic in the fields and shit!” Anyone else?

3. My mom also reminded me during that conversation about how I used to hate being outside when I was a kid. I preferred to be in a climate-controlled environment reading books or playing with Barbies, Polly Pockets, or Super Nintendo. She’d always tell me to get outside and “blow the stink off,” which lasted all of 10-15 minutes. I did eventually develop an appreciation for nature and the outdoors, but it took a while.

4. I was recently able to take a short trip to Florida to visit my grandparents with my parents, aunt, and cousin. It’s so nice to be able to spend quality time and catch up when I get the chance. I’m thankful that I can be my full, weird self with my family. Not only do they not judge me, but the weirdness is an inherited trait. :)

5. While in Florida, I got to play around with my aunt’s Shark FlexStyle (a less expensive Dyson AirWrap dupe), and I really liked it! If you want to downsize your hair tools and accessories or have something more compact for travel, it’s a great all-in-one option that can even replace your hair dryer because of the way the wand swivels. So of course, I went down the research rabbit hole to find comparisons between the FlexStyle and the Dyson. Many people achieved similar results with both tools, but I found a couple major complaints with the FlexStyle which made me pause and look into other options:
   ~ Most of the controls are at the bottom of the wand, which can be awkward if you need to turn it off or switch settings, since you’re typically holding it in the middle when styling. While I imagine this is something one could get used to over time, I have found myself fumbling with this feature, too.
   ~ Similar to the first model of the Dyson, you have to switch the barrels to curl in different directions. The new Dyson now has one barrel that you can twist at the top to switch the direction of the airflow. While I don’t find switching the barrel to be too inconvenient, it is something to consider if you like to switch up the direction of your curls often.

   ~ Some complained about noise and high heat. I don’t think the noise is too bad, but I really love the powerful airflow!

6. When looking on Amazon’s Spring Sale to see if I could find a deal on the FlexStyle, I found even more dupes than I expected. Of course, many of them are cheap, but have questionable quality. So I decided to do some more digging, because of course I did. There some very promising dupes, like the Luxx Air Pro 2 or the Stylo Air MultiStyler by New Body Beauty. I even found a couple that are more similar to the new Dyson’s features: L’Brise Paris Model 2 MultiStyler and the Curlee 6-in-1 Styling Tool. The controls are in the middle, they have a single barrel that can change airflow direction, and there are multiple attachments to achieve any kind of look you want. I ordered the L’Brise Model 2 and will report back, but in the meantime I’m trying to create similar results with things I already have. Which leads to my next point…

7. I’ve been experimenting with more low-maintenance ways to do my hair that isn’t just wearing my hair straight. Since the pandemic, my hair styles have been pretty…uninspired. The Sleepy Tie gives me great volume and a slight wave or preserves an existing blowout, but I wanted to try again at creating tighter overnight, heatless waves that last all day. So I pulled out my Mane Label Sway curling ribbon (you can also use a bathrobe belt, a claw clip, and a couple hair ties) and tried Melissa Urban’s mermaid waves technique. Even though I’m a little out of practice, the technique is really forgiving, and the results were amazing! I didn’t use any product in my hair, and the waves lasted all day. I think this may be a new go-to for a quick, easy hair style where I can just wake up and go.

   

   Left is heatless overnight mermaid waves, right is a blowout with the FlexStyle. I like both for different reasons/occasions. Which do you prefer?

8. March Madness is underway, and I decided to do something different this year: using tarot for my bracket picks. Obviously this is pretty subjective and open to my own interpretation of the cards and their meaning, but I thought it would be a fun experiment since I don’t follow college basketball at all except for this time of year. I created two brackets: Lauren’s Cards and Lauren’s Brain. So far my brain bracket has a better percentage of correct picks, but my cards did predict Oakland upsetting Kentucky in the first round. So there’s that. :)

9. Story Time: I had a recent period of physical and emotional exhaustion that culminated in a meltdown over exploding salad dressing. I ran a jar of homemade chipotle honey vinaigrette under warm water to liquify the olive oil and help it emulsify after storing it in the refrigerator. I didn’t hold down the cap properly, so of course it popped open while shaking. It went all over my hair, the floor, the counter, and ruined my purse that was sitting nearby. It was obviously frustrating, but not something that would usually rattle me as much as it did. But of course, it wasn’t really about the salad dressing. I’m not sure what my point is in sharing this except to say that if you’ve also had a meltdown over a stupid thing that had nothing to do with the stupid thing itself…you’re not alone.

10. After the exploding salad dressing incident, I was reminded that we’re in eclipse season, which can feel very chaotic and emotionally volatile. So, this was right on brand. It felt like that moment in Mean Girls where Karen claims she can predict the weather with her boobs, and she’s like, “There’s a 30% chance that it’s already raining.” I’m in the moment having my experience, but when I look at the astrology, it’s like a mirror reflecting what I already know.

    

    How I feel during eclipse season

11. On that topic, that’s a pretty good analogy for how I think of astrology: like a weather forecast. There’s a lot of people out there fear-mongering about astrology, which results in people getting freaked out and feeling out of control. These power dynamics never sat well with me, so I’m here to remind you that astrology is just information, and you always have free will. Just like you would bring an umbrella in case in rains, you can double check your travel plans or laugh off technical issues during Mercury retrograde and carry on with your day.

12. On that same thread, I saw a recent post by Emma Dunwoody (@the_human_design_coach on IG) speaking with Bruce Lipton about esoteric astrology. He said that esoteric astrologers do an assessment of consciousness before reading someone’s chart. Why? The more conscious someone is, the harder they are to predict because they know they can change the outcome. I thought this was fascinating and a reminder of the power we have to change our reality, which is both freeing and confronting. Of course, there are very real factors outside of our control, like systems, environments, past trauma, or other people’s actions that are part of our stories and influence our choices. Being aware of our automatic responses and limiting beliefs and actively choosing to do something different is not easy, but it’s real-life magic when it happens. This is why I view tarot, human design, and astrology as tools for reflection, awareness, empowerment, and grace. You can take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. They have no power over you, because you are the magic.

13. My dear friend Atika, a newly certified CorePower Yoga teacher (Yay!), invited me to my first ever hot yoga class after my rough week. I usually hate being hot, which is probably why it took me so long to try it. It turns out that sweating out all the stuck energy was exactly what I needed. I still prefer moderate temperature yoga, but sometimes it’s good to get out of your comfort zone.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, friends. What’s going on with you all? How is eclipse season treating you? Leave me a comment and let me know! :)