Nail pic! Woohoo! 😃

Nail pic!  Woohoo!  😃

So this may not look that spectacular, but I tried a new nail art technique and unlike my nail fail the other day it turned out great.  This is something that I've wanted to try for ages, but due to my packed schedule and never really feeling like I had time to "play," I just didn't get to it.  I guess I'll go ahead and clue you in:  The thing I wanted to try was gradient stamping!

The background image is stamped, but with 3 different polish colors (ranging from blue to green).  It's done like regular stamping, except that you put your chosen colors down in whatever pattern you want (as opposed to just one color covering the image), and then you scrape the excess polish off.  I found that I needed to use a light hand so I could mix the colors during the scrape.  Stamping polish notoriously dries fast (meaning that if you aren't quick you can't pick it up on your stamping head and even if you can, it might be too dry to stick to your nail), so you've gotta be quick.  I scraped over each of these backgrounds about 3 times to get a nice gradient.

I tried this over white because I wanted to be able to see just how good of a job I did (or didn't) do.  I'm not usually a fan of wearing white polish, but it's summer and these are bright, so that's ok.  I ALMOST decided to wear just the gradient, but by later in the afternoon I was like "Nah.  Where's the fun in that?"  🤣🤣🤣

It feels kind of like a cop-out that I chose to wear another unicorn so soon, but I feel like this background was screaming for her.  The plate was sitting on my table from being used previously and when I saw her little happy self - I just knew.  🦄🦄🦄  After that, it was easy enough to paint in some stars for color variety.

Anyway, that's my mani for the week.  I have no idea if / when I'll get to paint again, but I'm hoping that I will have time at least every weekend.  It is such a stress relief and I don't really have any other creative outlets at the moment, so I need this in my life.  💅💅💅😁😁

I always have my feelings at this tree.

I always have my feelings at this tree. Poor thing. He probably thinks I'm crazy.

Doctor appointment went ok...

Doctor appointment went ok. We're going to try to get me on a Humira trial at UAB. I have phone calls to make and paperwork to do. I hope it works out.

A few things:

A few things:

I've decided that I'm ok in my online class.  Getting started was scary, but now that I'm doing it I feel better.  I guess I just had to get in there and see what it was about.

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow.  I hope they will see me before I have to leave for Calculus.  I have been having dizziness / vertigo for about a week.  I also really need medication for my psoriatic inflammation.

On another health-related note:  I'm off Celexa.  I never meant to take it long-term, but for whatever reason it seemed to have been exacerbating my vertigo issues lately.  I cut it down to half for a while, but it got to where I couldn't even tolerate that.  I don't know what is happening, but emotionally I'm ok.  I just needed to get past the stress and sadness of last year.

I tried a new thing on my nails today.  I'm happy about it.  I'll post a picture tomorrow.  🙂

Happy beginning of the week, friends!  🙂

I've never had a fully online class before now...

I've never had a fully online class before now, and I've gotta say - I'm having anxiety about staying on top of everything.  It feels really not cool not seeing a teacher.  When I logged in yesterday and read all of the things I had to do I felt so overwhelmed.  I should probably not be shocked that I woke up at 5:20 this morning with my shoulders up under my ears and feeling like I'd been stabbed in the head.  😕

Adding to the theme of things not going so well - I've had a lot of issues with vertigo / the room spinning this week.  I haven't been doing anything weird, but I did have a swimmy head a while back and cut down on my Celexa to half a dose.  That seemed to help for a few weeks, but then all of the dizziness / motion sickness started.  I was so rushed yesterday that I forgot to take my half a Celexa and I felt less weird.  So I skipped it again today.  I'm wondering if it is just time to come off of it...

I'm not sure what I'm going to do regarding Celexa yet.  I'm going to the doctor on Monday to see if my PsA might have something to do with my dizziness.  The little bones in your ears can get inflamed, too, so that could definitely be a contributing factor (and I can tell that I'm flaring because my skin and bones hurt).  So it could be my PsA or I could be having a reaction to Celexa or it could just be something else altogether.  I have no idea, but I hate that things started to go wonky at the beginning of the semester.  I had all of those weeks off of school to feel bad.  😂😂😂

Anyway, I'm off to get some things printed for my Literature class.  Hopefully if I get my binder all set up and some things in order I will feel better about the whole deal.  I hope y'all are doing well.  I have so much homework already so if I'm absent on the interwebs - that is why.  Be well, friends.  ❤

It is my last first day at GSCC. So bittersweet.

It is my last first day at GSCC.  So bittersweet.

On the bright side Mr. Osborn (the Calculus teacher) has homework posted already.  Class isn't until 5.  😁😁😁  He never disappoints.  I am going to miss him so much.  😢  (⬅️  Not sarcasm, y'all.  He's quirky and crazy punctual in a way that I can only aspire to be.  I dig it.)

I wanted to share a big old nail fail with y'all.

So... I wanted to share a big old nail fail with y'all. I normally don't just rip off another person's nail art, but after seeing this quick Instagram tutorial I really wanted to try it. It looked pretty simple, but, well... It wasn't. Or either smooshy nails just aren't my jam. 🙁

Biggest upset is that I wasted a bunch of polish trying this. Nothing expensive or irreplaceable, though. I was probably just having a bad night. When I started (I was being super lazy, which is never the best way to start a project) I had my mat on a binder in my lap. 😳 Let's just say that an unstable surface with 4 - 5 bottles of open polish is not the best idea.

I knocked them all over several times. Thankfully none spilled, but they did roll through the wet decals I'd already made (a couple of which actually looked ok to me). 🙁 After finally deciding that lazy wasn't working for me I set up my nail table and kept going. I think by then I was already frustrated. Not the best way to continue trying to learn a new thing.

By the end of the night I had polish all over me from the elbows down - EXCEPT for on my nails. I cleaned myself and my polish bottles off with acetone, then picked one of the prettiest polishes I had and just put it on. Plain. In utter defeat. 😂😂😂

I may or may not try to do nail art to it tonight. We'll see. But if I do, it probably won't be this smooshy mess right now.