Chapter 327: Bombastic Love

Okay, so I just have to begin by saying that Britney Spears week is quickly turning out to be one of the best ideas that I have come up with in a very long time! It’s not necessarily to say that this is turning out to be one of the best weeks in the world – in fact, this week is passing by dreadfully, in terms of work and such – but it is turning out really well for me on a much more personal level. You see, as I discussed a bit in last night’s blog, I have been immersing myself in Britney’s music and images and such and, as crazy as it may seem, I am discovering that there is a LOT of inspiration to be taken from her. As in last night’s blog, I have kind of wound up taking a little bit of Britney’s lyrical advice in my life today. Last night, while I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep, I was listening to her third album, “Britney.” Much like my “album of the day” yesterday, “Oops!… I Did It Again,” this album also has a very clear theme of strength, but in a much different way than that album has. You see, the “Britney” album is all about breaking free from the labels and restrictions and such that people place on you – on songs like “I’m A Slave 4 U,” “Overprotected,” “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman,” “Let Me Be,” and “What It’s Like To Be Me,” Britney discusses the concepts of trying to be as true to ones self as possible and not allowing yourself to be ruled by the thoughts and opinions of others. This is very important stuff in life and stuff that I have been very focused on in recent times. This, however, is not the main lesson that I have taken from this record. You see, the record also has its share of really fun, spunky dance/pop songs, like “Boys,” “I Love Rock & Roll” and “Anticipating,” as well as a couple of really strong, “breaking free” breakup songs, like “Cinderella,” and “Lonely.” The songs that really stuck out to me on this record the most last night, though, were the love songs – “That’s Where You Take Me,” “When I Found You,” and, the one that has served to teach me the lesson of the day, “Bombastic Love.” I know what you must be thinking if you are not familiar with the song, “Who the fuck names a song ‘Bombastic Love’ and what kind of lesson can you learn from that BS?” Well, as this song played last night, I wasn’t paying all that much attention until the second verse came up. The lyrics of this second verse really resonated with me. The lyrics are simple, pop lyrics but they made a very profound statement to me that was very close to my heart at this point in time. She says, “Don’t know why I feel so insecure, I never understood what it’s good for, I’ve got to make sure that weakness doesn’t stop me again, I can’t sit and wait anymore.” These words struck me because they made me stop and realize that this is exactly what I have been doing in my life recently – I have been feeling insecure and letting weakness stop me from living life in the best way I can. It was as if Britney were telling me what I need to be doing in order to move forward in the most fantastic way I can – I have to let go of those insecurities, (I DON’T understand what they’re good for,) and stop sitting and waiting for the things I want. I need to stand up and make things happen for myself. No matter what it is I am speaking of, I am through with being reserved. I am done being quiet. I am done toning myself down. I am not a person who needs to be toned down – if nothing else, I am a person who needs to be amped up and that is exactly what I am going to do. Whether we are talking about going after a boy or going after my dreams, I am done sitting quietly and waiting for something to happen. I am ready to make things happen for myself.

It was with this sentiment in mind that I woke up this morning. I got more sleep last night than I had the night before and was feeling considerably better about the world than I did yesterday. I did all the normal morning routines and watched last night’s “Chelsea Lately,” over breakfast and coffee, then headed into the bathroom to do makeup for the day. I had a very clear vision of what I was going for this morning, although I wasn’t entirely certain that I had the products to pull it off properly. I did a little testing with some of the stuff I have last night and was pretty sure I could manage but I did begin working on the look this morning with a little bit of trepidation. Today’s classic Britney makeup look was from the video for the first single from the “Britney” album, “I’m A Slave 4 U.” This was a pretty over-the-top eye shadow look using a gorgeous teal/green color all over the lids, with a really strong, overstated black “outer v,” and a really bright, shimmery white highlight. Much like yesterday’s “Stronger” look, the rest of the face was pretty simple – another nude lip, although a slightly darker one than yesterday, and a lot of bronzer and shimmer powder to give the face a bit of a shine, like the sweaty shine that Britney and all of the dancers had in the video. In spite of my initial concerns, I absolutely loved the way that this look came out. I will admit, it was a tad more “drag” looking than I would normally go on a workday but I absolutely loved it and will definitely be keeping this look on reserve for some future night out. I was really happy with it and walked around all day feeling gorgeous! I am also really excited about tomorrow’s look, which I had a lot of trouble deciding upon. I knew that I definitely wanted to go with a look from one of the videos from the most recent album, “Circus,” but I wasn’t sure which one. It wasn’t really that there was such a plethora of great makeup looks to choose from so much as the fact that all of the looks from each of the videos were so similar to one another. There were slight variations between each one but, overall, they were very similar. I eventually decided, though, on a really gorgeous neutral smoky eye look from the video for the song “Womanizer.” I am really excited to see how this look turns out. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say about it tomorrow.

Work was weird today. There was a weird vibe throughout the building today and I am not sure why it was but it weirded me out for most of the day. I also felt really tired through most of the day, although nowhere near as tired as I was yesterday. I spent most of today bullshitting around with my cubicle neighbor, like I spend most days anymore. Even that, though, seemed to have a weird vibe to it. I don’t know how to explain any of what I am saying right now but, like I said, it was a weird vibe and I really didn’t like it. I also kind of got the feeling that there was some drama brewing in my department, although I’m not entirely certain of what it was or why it is happening. I don’t honestly care that much, if I’m being honest. I am just going to make it a point not to get involved. I had a slight bit of drama in the workplace recently, which was resolved pretty quickly and without too much drama, and that was plenty for me. I don’t need anything more. Fortunately, the day passed fairly quickly for me and I wasn’t overly exhausted when I got home. Tomorrow should be fine, as well, because I intend to get another good night’s sleep tonight. In fact, I should probably go ahead and get to that – it is 10 minutes to midnight already. Goodnight.