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First Friday Five in a Long Time!
I haven’t written a Friday Five post in forever, so I thought it was about time I did one! I probably won’t be doing these weekly again, but I do want to try to update a little more often here about what I’ve been up to.
1. RuPaul’s Drag Race: my latest TV obsession is this incredible reality competition show. Yes, I’m super late to the party (the show premiered in 2009). But I’ve finally caught up on all seasons of the flagship US version as well as the US All Stars seasons. The drag queens’ talent blows me away time and time again. Drag queens inherently need to possess a wide variety of talents: costuming, hair, makeup, dancing, acting, comedy. It’s so impressive. And the show is such a great example of why LGBTQIA+ representation matters. I believe that everyone should watch this show so they can learn to have empathy for folks who may be different from them…while enjoying a REALLY entertaining ride. 😛
2. Blue Lagoon Limited Edition Set: after we returned from Iceland, Blue Lagoon skin care released a limited edition set that included a full sized tube of their Silica Mud Mask [affiliate link] along with a bowl handmade from volcanic lava harvested near the lagoon. Because I’ve been loving the mask, I decided to treat myself to the set. The beautiful bowl was hand thrown by the skin care brand’s art director, Igor Micevic. It’ll serve as a lovely after-the-fact souvenir from our trip!
3. Handmade Mug: speaking of pottery, I finally began making mugs in my class! It took me a long time to attempt to make them. Throwing pottery on the wheel is hard; I now have such an appreciation for well-crafted pottery (see bowl above). My brother had a milestone birthday this summer, so I decided to make a personalized mug for him. I painted the mug with blue slip, then carved out his first initial on both sides of the mug. Once the mug was bisque fired, I dipped it in a clear glaze. The blue turned out a little streaky, but overall I was pretty happy with the mug. It was more lightweight than the mugs I had made before this one! And I was extra thrilled that it made it to my brother in one piece in the mail.
4. Shenandoah National Park: last weekend, John did another triathlon in Luray, VA (and crushed it!). The town is really close to this national park, which we had not yet visited. So the morning of our drive home, we made a spontaneous decision to go a little out of our way and see some of Shenandoah before heading back to DC. We drove along a short section of Skyline Drive, stopping at several of the overlooks so we could take in the view on a really lovely morning. This gorgeous mountain vista was my favorite:
5. Reformer Pilates: I’ve mentioned Pilates class almost in passing here before, but I want to talk about it again. I’ve been taking classes at Club Pilates for almost two years now (with a monthly freeze here and there for a variety of reasons) and I’ve also taken some classes at a studio that I can walk to. This is actually my last month at Club Pilates. I do like the place, but I need to streamline my life over the next few months and the more local studio will be a little easier for me. I feel stronger and have actually seen improvement in my ability to do a lot of the moves in class. Pilates has been so good for me, both physically and mentally, and my body awareness is sharper as well. I would recommend it giving it a try if you’ve been considering it!
