IPL session and emotional response

It was off to Avalon Laser Clinic in Bromley tonight for my next bought of IPL. I haven't been since May and Sarah was pretty impressed with how things were looking after such a long break. Usually I have my IPL done while wearing headphones to distract myself from the noise of the machine and to try and help me relax more but I decided to do it without today.

It was actually a very quick session. Most areas I hardly notice anything during the treatment and it's only the stubborn goatee area now which causes any real discomfort.

As has happened in the past I got quite emotional during the treatment. Today was more obvious than before. I've spent the past few months more in 'boy' mode and it didn't really feel right, it was like something was missing. Having my treatment tonight reminded me why I was having it at all. It became very clear to me that it was time to ditch 'boy' mode and head back into the comfort of girl mode to actually feel properly comfortable about who I am.

I think there will be a few changes coming on very shortly. They might be subtle but they'll be obvious to me LOL

Awake, IPL, Wicca Moon coursework, Supergirl and New York Rangers take Game 7

Despite being awake at silly o'clock in the morning and doing Reiki sessions I actually managed to get up for work with no trouble. This was a novelty but was definitely down to the positive energy that was flowing.

Work was work, an OK day with nothing untoward to report. Everything muddling along nicely.

After work it was off to The Avalon Laser Clinic for my next round of IPL. It was a little ouchy this time a everything was turned up a notch. It still went pretty smoothly though with my meditation technique once again proving to be a successful way to push through it.

Once we got home Toni went into crochet mode while I wrote up a load of my Wicca Moon School Of Witchery coursework. I had a nice sense of accomplishment after that :)
Another addition to the coming soon list of TV shows is CBS's Supergirl. It's hard to get a full feel for it based on this trailer but it might be OK.


The day finished off with some NHL ice hockey goodness. The New York Rangers have fought their way back from a 3 - 1 series deficit against the Washington Capitals and the series is tied 3 - 3. Tonight it's Game Seven! Do or die time. A win tonight and it would be on to the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay Lightning, a loss and the season would be over.......

First period started slowly with the Capitals starting to show their physical edge. It was going to be a game of strength v speed. Sloppy play from the Rangers had me running a tad nervous. A stupid penalty had the Rangers on the back foot and on the penalty kill. Having successfully killed off the Rangers then went on the power play. Don't pass, shoot! Rangers power play units continue to disappoint. Ovenchicken put the Capitals 0 - 1 up at 12:50 due to some poor play from the Rangers. Another Rangers penalty kill was successfull with a failed Rick Nash shorthanded attempt. Rangers were then back on the power play again *sigh*. First period ended with the Rangers 0 - 1 down. Shots on goal were NYR 10 and WSH 15.

Rangers had 1:34 of power play heading into the second period. Nothing doing on that one despite a couple of chances but it wasn't long before they were on the power play again. I hate the sound of the goal post! Capitals obviously adopted a new strategy after that. Go on the penalty kill and the Rangers won't score as another power play chance arrived for the Rangers. This time though the Rangers made it 1 - 1 as Kevin Hayes converted at 06:22! Phew! It seems that Too Many Men is not  a penalty in a Game 7 as the Capitals get away with murder! After a bit of end to end play the Rangers found themselves back on the penalty kill again. Thankfully they got the job done. For the final two minutes the Capitals got quite intense. Second period ended tied 1 - 1, not where I wanted to be. Shots on goal were NYR 15 (25) and WSH 7 (22).

With the game tied at 1 - 1 the third period was going to come down to a battle of the wills. Which team wanted it more? So here we go.......

It was a cagey start to the third but the Capitals started to push forward. Five minutes in and both teams were going end to end but the Capitals looked more dangerous. I had expected more intensity from the Rangers in this period but maybe they were saving it LOL. I guess neither team wanted to make that first mistake so there was a lot of long plays. A non-call on Boyle (probably a clean hit) had the Rangers start to try and up the pressure. Ten minutes in and the game was still tied 1 - 1. Kevin Hayes lost a tooth/teeth and still the game rumbled on. I'm hoping the NHL do a good review of the officiating that has taken place during the play offs as it has been shocking at times. Five minutes left and the stalemate continued. With two minutes remaining I was definitely reaching for the oxygen. Third period ended still tied at 1 - 1. Shots on goal were NYR 9 (34) and WSH 6 (28). Into overtime we went.......

Have to pinch this quote from Twitter: "Being a fan of this team is like being punished for something you don't quite remember doing." - @FoReyRays

Heading into the first overtime period the Rangers were 3 - 0 on overtime wins with the Capitals 1 - 2. Never mind the stats, play hockey! Both teams came out with a bit of a jump in their step with the stakes so high now. The Capitals went into overdrive and really piled on the pressure. There was a quick return by the Rangers before the Capitals were back on the attack again. I was actually feeling physically sick after about ten minutes and had to keep my breathing under control. Both teams were really going for it. The dream was kept alive at 11:24 as Derek Stepan banged one passed Holtby to win 2 - 1. Game ended with the Rangers winning 2 - 1. Shots on goal were NYR 5 (39) and WSH 8 (39).

Bring on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday! 

Moving desks, IPL round two and a nice meal

Well today we moved desks. Still on the same floor but a general shuffle around to get us into "functional" groupings (ie development, product, support etc). Have to say I am not a big fan of where I ended up. Sadly nor were most other people. Remains to be seen if this will be a positive thing long term as a lot of team dynamics have now been stifled and/or killed off. Watch this space LOL.

After work it was off to Avalon Laser Clinic in Bromley for IPL round two. As i had trouble relaxing last time I tried a different approach and had loud music on while it was doing which at least helped me react slightly differently. It was still pretty ouchy but it was a lot faster this time round as I dealt with it better even though the intensity had been upped for this session. There were some pretty impressive results after round one so I can't wait to see what happens after round two. Once again it all got pretty emotional and there were more waves of tears but all in a good way.

After being zapped Toni and I went to Ziyafet for a meal. It was nice to get out just the two of us for five minutes. They had some adorable little candle holders on the tables:

Food was delicious as ever. We got home and then pretty much crashed out as we were both knackered.

IPL and floods of emotional tears

Well today was the day that I started my IPL treatment at Avalon Laser Clinc. I'll have to admit I was a little nervous now that the actual day was here. Overall it was OK though. Toni was with me and that helped me get through the session. I'll be honest, it was pretty uncomfortable and I had trouble relaxing which didn't help matters. I did try but wasn't very good at it, will  have to practice.....

IPL isn't like having a tattoo which is a different sort of sensation altogether and very easy to manage. The problem with IPL is the noise that the machine makes before the flash comes which just made me anticipate what was coming next. Sara was very patient with me and it was all over very quickly. Next time I might try having my headphones in and some noisy music blasting out to try and distract me from the sound of the machine.

Having it done was quite exhilarating and I got quite emotional on the way home as tears flooded out. This is another step in my transformation into who I want to be and it was such a relief to know that I am moving on with my journey. I can't wait for the day that having to shave on a daily basis becomes a thing of the past. The discomfort of the treatment was so worth it knowing how good the benefits will be. I'll be back again

I do have to take a brief moment to say a BIG THANK YOU to Toni for making all this possible!