If kisses were leaves, I would give you a forest

There's a deep connection with the woods that began in early childhood. My parents frequently took me camping, and my sister and I spent a lot of summer weekends on the lake, sleeping in tents and chatting by bonfires on chilly evenings. It's an integral part of my childhood, and my love for this environment became even more intense in adulthood. It was in the forest that I lost my virginity, in a huge lake house sheltered by enormous trees with the enchanting, musty scent of campfires rolling through the open air and hills. I spent three days there, nestled by the fireplace in the arms of my first love, and I'm grateful that my transition into a sexual being was such a positive one emotionally, with a person I trusted and loved deeply, and not some drunk high school boy pulling my panties off in a closet at a wild party. After that, my boyfriend and I frequently visited local Civil War battlefields in my hometown of Manassas, Virginia in the middle of the night. We would spread a blanket on the hard ground, listen to the brittle leaves crunch beneath our weight, and lie there for hours chatting, making out and gazing at the night sky. To this day, I still love wandering through the forest in solitude or with a romantic partner, and find delight in the scent of campfire smoke which so deeply permeates clothing after a woodsy outdoor adventure.

Some of you commented on my new avatar, which comes from a recent photo shoot I did as a birthday gift for myself. I created a woodland fairy theme, but mother nature didn't cooperate on this day. We had below zero temperatures, with winds gusting over 30 knots! You can imagine the burning sensation on my totally exposed neck and arms, but it didn't bother me. The problem was that the photographer's hands kept getting numb, making it difficult to shoot. We got a few good frames, which I'll share with you.

Comments to the post are disabled for my mental sanity. I love these images, and don't wish to be criticized over every detail of my appearance  - "you're too thick", "your make-up is bad", "your smile is fake", "you have wrinkles!", "the editing is bad!"...the list of anticipated insults is endless. It's a favorite hobby of all Internet users, and especially LJ users, to dissect and critique the appearance of women, and I don't wish to deal with it today. If you don't like, don't look. I post the images for those who asked about them. Hope you enjoy! :)( Read more... )

Resting bitch face

Today I was reminded of a unique phenomenon we call "resting bitch face" in English. I'm not sure if this expression is used in Russian, but it refers to people (mostly women) who always have an angry, annoyed or irritated expression on their face. The expression does not always correlate with the emotions of the particular moment, and there have been some psychological and physiological studies to determine whether resting bitch face is genetically inherent, or whether it's a true reflection of a person's mood or personality. There has been no conclusive answer. :) Normally, I'm a very cheerful, smiley person but lately it seems I probably have this resting bitch face expression too often. Do you know women, or men, who always have this look of displeasure or irritation on their face? There are several female celebrities who have notably been diagnosed as having resting bitch face - Kristen Stewart, Anna Kendrick, Victoria Beckham. Just look at photos of them online, and you will see it's true! Personally, I could never date or constantly be around someone who always looks like a sour puss! :)) A nice smile is immediately inviting, while a look like this screams "stay away!"