First Impressions

I am fairly conscientious about how I look. I don't mean that I'm vain, or overwhelmingly hung up on the prospect of looking good, per se. I'm not conscientious about the level of crappy my hair embodies on a given day or the relative woe of my wardrobe, but I'm conscious of how I look, as in how I think others see me.

I know with certainty that a positive attitude makes me more attractive. I know with certainty that when I feel fat, I look fat. And when I feel thin, even if I am fat, I look … well, fit.

The people who know me can figure out pretty easily that I’ve had a rough morning if I walk in with my hair pulled back and hairy legs sticking out from under my skirt. They do not consider me any less competent or pleasant because of my disheveled appearance. But what about the people who see me for the first time on an unfortunate morning?

First impressions stick with you, right? Do you remember the first impression you had of your spouse or your best friend? I remember that Bill made me laugh out loud, and I took another look. I first met Beth at a street fair and I thought: “holy shit, who is that tall blond talking to my boyfriend?”

Sometimes I see a stranger and think we could be friends. This happened just the other day. I saw someone who made a strong first impression, and I immediately knew that even if I could not make her my best friend, I had to at least blog about her. I needed to take her picture.

I could not rely on my usual tactic and surreptitiously take her picture by pretending to photograph something in front of her. You see, I was driving. And so was she. She was on a motor bike!

When I first saw her, I was right behind her and she had one foot on the ground to steady herself at the red light. By the time I had mentally befriended her and decided to steal her image, the light had changed and my new best friend the stranger was driving away from me! I had no choice but to stalk follow her, and I had to make sure to catch her at another red light so she would put her foot down again, it wasn’t the same without the shoe. Unfortunately, we did not share a destination. I had to pursue her make a bit of a detour to get the shot, but I got it.

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My new best friend looked cool enough just motoring along with her red oriental style dress and tricep tatts.....

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...but the shoes sealed our fate

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I think she saw me high five myself in her side mirror.

I hope I made a good impression!