What A Poser/Poseur

The best part about working in marketing/advertising in often the people. Actually, it might be the only good part. You tend to work with seriously talented people, who are good at a number of things - not just selling consumers crap they probably don't really need.*

*all opinions are my own.

Should I ever need ANYTHING in my life, I know someone who can do it. Do I need someone to illustrate me as a superhero? Check. Do I want someone to make wedding invitations? No, but if I did, I know someone. Do I need someone to paint me a zombie kettlebell? Yes, and I know just the gal to do it.

Illustrators, writers, painters, ceramics, photographers, crafters, printers, framers, bakers, decorators, web designers, fashionistas, you name it - this industry is FILLED with super talented, highly creative, generous people. And I'm lucky enough to be friends with them.

One of those people is my friend Ani who has a gift for great design. She is starting up her own longboard designing business and needed some willing models to show off her work. And since we got out early on Friday for the Labor Day weekend, a bunch of us headed over to one of the local beaches here and made a spectacle of ourselves.

Seriously, people thought we were professionals or something. It caused quite a scene.

Now, me and things with wheels or skates on the bottom don't agree - i.e. I'm deathly afraid of falling after having broken my arm as a kid - but I ended up getting some pretty decent shots. Also, I'm really, really not a skater, longboarder by ANY means, but it felt like Halloween and I got to pretend like I was all bad-ass.

I kept saying things like, "Make sure you get me catching wind. Catching wind. Is that what boarders say? Getting air? Touching the sky? No? Just make me look cool."

The jury is out on how cool I looked, but I'm excited to share some of the better ones with you guys:

Not sure why, but this is my favorite one. Maybe it's because my hair looks like I styled it, even though I totes didn't! And yes, my hair is what I'm focusing on. My expression is nervous, but again, I was still getting used to it.

Full-shot - I was TOTALLY catching wind here, right?!?

Longboarders TOTALLY pretend their board is a guitar, right? Right?

Me just being an idiot.

Just had a serious thought while riding and now I'm just sitting back to contemplate all of life's complexities.

And now I'm just thinking about life's complexities again, but turning the other way. Being a boarder is pretty spiritual. Dude.

So yeah, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.

And then today, there was this too:

Sooooo, I sorta started talking about this in my birthday post, but then didn't because honestly, I'm not sure what the heck is going on... I think I maybe I have a crush on my coworker and he may have a crush on me, which sounds so high school, even though it's not, but I'm just not sure if I want to make it real.

Like flirting is fun and all, but I just don't know. I know that when he heard I was going to the beach that day, he came, even though he originally said he couldn't. I know that he came out for drinks later and walked me to my car after, but he's been my friend for so long and I flirt with everyone, really.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted if anything develops. For the last few months, I've been very un-Maria-like, if you will, and just not pushing things or forcing issues or really caring all that much about outcomes like I used to. Whatever happens, happens.

I think that's something a longboarder would say. ;)