An utterly narcissistic entry

I just got a haircut tonight, and I have no plans, no one to see it but the doorman. So, before it gets all mussed by rain and frizzed by humidity (I have Jewish hair), I thought I'd document the "salon blowout" look, as SELF would term it.

On a more serious. intellectual note (for you mom and dad), this blogging thing, far from making my life feel more isolated and solo, is actually making life feel richer for me for a number of reasons. First, there is the simple pleasure of writing every day, which is something I have never been able to do--it has been years since I've done my own writing in a regular way. To me, diaries have always seemed too annoyingly self-conscious. I'm already thinking my thoughts, I KNOW what I'm thinking so why write it down? Whereas blogging is about talking to other people, whether one, ten or two hundred. I like writing for an audience; it makes it feel more like a job, except without the pressure for perfectionism. The medium of the blog has helped me give myself permission to be imperfect, which I know sounds kind of cheesy, but it's been incredibly freeing creatively. The other wonderful thing is that I've started documenting much more with photography and it's really fun--people seem to like my photos and it's not a way I ever expressed myself before. So it's nice to be flexing a new creative muscle. But mostly, it's because the blog makes me frame my life in a positive way (because I don't want to be whiney and morose and negative for an audience) and by framing it that way, it suddenly becomes that way. Classic cognitive therapy. I feel as though I'm looking at everything more closely because I know that I am going to document it, so I have to remember, plus figure out the more hopeful take on it. And then I FEEL more hopeful.

Plus, it's so wonderful to have an almost daily account of my Rome trip, with photos and commentary. It allows me to hold on to the joy of my trip longer. And I feel as if it helps the people I'm close to, far and near, feel more connected to me, which makes me feel more connected to them. So, thanks for reading, whoever you are!

Ciao,
Paola