My Life as a Band Wife

Last week, I somehow managed to catch my second cold in the last month and half. My yoga therapist says it isn’t surprising, with the air changing the way that it has been - a lot of people have been getting sick.

Please excuse the general shittiness of this photo.

That being said, yesterday just about the only place you could find me was in bed. I was reading the latest issue of Real Simple when I found the stat above. As you all know, I have a ridiculous commute that is conducive to me doing nothing but cooking and spending time with Jay when I get home from work. It is crazy to me that because of traffic, my commute is 45 minutes longer than the average commute.

I have to tell you, it’s worth it to me. I love living in the suburbs, near my family, in a place where I can sit on the porch in the morning with my coffee or tea, listening to the birds and looking out at the trees. Serenity, my friends, when the rest of my life is relatively high-stress and high-speed.

Yesterday I wrote about how I’ve been reading a lot. Here are four articles I’ve read that I thought you may enjoy:

How To Be A Terrible Boyfriend: Ryan O’Connell has a comical, albeit honest, way of describing the type of relationship we have all had at one time or another. Or maybe you’re still in it? “Crush their spirit slowly,” O’Connell writes. “Not all at once. Just subtly until you’ve been together long enough and can get away with all kinds of disgusting behavior.” If this piece isn’t enough for you, check out my post with 5 signs your band guy (or boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse) is a dirtbag.

Young People Expect Marriages To Last, Study Says: The recent Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults found that 84 percent of young people, single or married, between the ages of 18 and 29, expect to have a marriage that lasts a lifetime. Even though as much as 50 percent of marriages fail. “I think even though many young people have seen their parents divorce, and they’re all aware of the 50 percent divorce rate, they still go into it very determined to have a successful marriage, and very hopeful of reaching that soulmate ideal,” said Clark University research professor of psychology Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Last October I wrote a post responding to an article in which Susan Pease Gadoua explained why she believes marriage should be handled more like a business deal. As a student of Iris Krasnow and a believer in marriage, I rejected this notion. Perhaps the majority today’s youth sees marriage as a commitment, something you truly research (both the institution and your partner) before jumping in?  

Generation Read: Millennials Buy More Books Than Everybody Else: In this piece from Good Editor Liz Dwyer, we learn that the generation of people born between 1979 and 1989, known as millennials, buy more books than any other generation. Millennials, often characterized by being tech-obsessed, social media junkie, job jumping men and women (girls and boys?) are the ones who are doing the most reading and jumping on the ebook bandwagon. Take that, crotchety baby boomers!

And the week wouldn’t be complete without this Bitch Slap from Erica Napoletano on why she won’t ride your elephant and let you waste her time by taking her in circles while you try to figure your shit out.

Have you been riding an elephant?

One time I wrote a post about what my life/schedule is like. Remember that? This is my morning, editorialized in photos. Unless you knew me in high school and college, you probably don’t know that I have a true affinity for the beauty industry. I worked in salons and spent a few months at Sephora (before going back to the salon). I love doing makeup and I love learning about hair products, styles and techniques. This is the highlight of my busy morning, which is coupled with a cup of green or dandelion root tea.

My least favorite part of my day is the commute — although I have to admit it wasn’t that bad today. I pass the time with talk radio and audio books.