So in addition to all the amazing things I learned at Alt, I also was able to take an amazing chunk of time to myself. Sounds selfish, right? Maybe, but there is something about having a bit of time to just yourself to do things that just you are interested in. I've taken trips solo before since diplo-baby of course, but those are work related and not quite the same thing. And I took the weekend to do Me Ra Koh's Confidence workshop but since it was in DC, I trekked back home at night so not quite the same thing. Alt was 5 days of uninterrupted time for just me, no obligations.
If you know me, you know a a/ love a good hotel, b/ adore great service and c/ have listed turndown as one of my greatest luxuries that I enjoy in life. The Grand America in Salt Lake City delivered on all three of those without skipping a beat, and upgraded me to a suite to boot. WA WA WEE WAH! While I adore my home, I'm also one of those that adores the hotel life (n.b. hotel life, not roach motel life, though believe it or not, I have stayed in my fair share of those).
For anyone out there that is or has been a consultant, you're probably prone to a bit of hotel life yourself - it never goes away. There is something about the blank canvas of a hotel room - no nagging errands to do, no piles of mail I'm supposed to sort through, no missing hot water faucet that I'm supposed to replace. At home, despite my best efforts, there's always part of life that creeps in on the way that I would ideally like to live because, well, at home I share that space with all the things and people in my life and I just don't get to everything - and I'm okay with that.
But in a hotel I have a fresh clean space that I relish, I have an edited wardrobe, I have an edited everything...I lay out everything just so, I put my jewelry out, I choose my outfits ahead of time, I put everything on display...just how I would want it in my "ideal" life. And its stays exactly like that for five days. There is someone to make the bed, someone to take out the trash, everything is a quick phone call away... But at the end of the five days you can bet that I was missing all the little bits of chaos that make my house my home.
I am so jealous you were able to go to Alt. And, of course, happy for you!
ReplyDeleteLooking at your pictures, I got curious about your everyday beauty regimen. I assume you don't have too much time for fussy make-up and such, but you still need to look put together for work. Any chance you would be willing to share your favorite products, what works best, etc?
thanks, petya! Definitely would be willing to share in a future post but at a high level, i don't necessarily have the best routine, just one that I've pared down and found that works for me. I'll do a post on it in the next week or two!
ReplyDeleteAlt was an absolute dream wasn't it? I cannot get over the inspiration and positive energy. Wish I had met you but I'm happy to have found your fabulous blog. So, the layout is super easy to do in picnik.com in their collage section. But, they just announced that they are closing down in April. I'm devastated because it's such a great and easy to use photo editing tool. Anyway, now I need to learn photoshop I supposed. Thanks for coming by to say hi.
ReplyDeleteThat last paragraph is so totally true. I love setting out my edited wardrobe, makeup on a new sink, shoes in the closet, computer on the desk. The blank slate (and tiny shampoo bottles) of hotel rooms is the best.
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