Adventures of a Cosmetology Student!

March Update

2011-04-14T19:28:00.002-06:00

Went to go see the Nephrologist and my kidney functions are down slightly. He doesn't know why as nothing has changed other than the fact that I have a job now. Since working shouldn't affect my kidney, we're scratching our heads.

I have now been officially dubbed with Chronic Kidney Disease, not just Acute Kidney Disease. The doctor pretty much told me the kidneys are permanently damaged and a full recovery is probably not going to happen. Something I was pretty aware of already. So...if my kidneys don't get any worse (we're crossing our fingers), then I have Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease, which is considered Moderate.

I go back to see the Nephrologist again in June. If the kidney functions are down again, he wants to do a kidney biopsy to see what is going on and see how much scarring and damage was done to the kidneys. It won't do anything to fix them, but it might give us some insight into what happened. We'll see.

So that's the newest as to what's going on with the kidneys.

The new job is great and I'm soooooo happy to be working again. I'm back to doing Financial Aid at a college and love it. It's what I enjoy and I'm good at it. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started doing it again. I'm happy and laughing again. Something that hasn't been seen for a while.

Overall...everything seems to be fine. Yeah, I'm still tired from the kidneys, but a person can't let that stop them.

Progress

2011-01-29T23:26:00.002-07:00

I met with my kidney doctor and things are getting better. The kidneys are functioning at about 41% right now. They're not getting better as quickly as he'd like, but they're getting better. He says a normal time frame for the kidneys to heal is around 6 months and we're only in about 6 weeks, so he said not to expect drastic results. It will be like the story of the Turtle and the Hare. My recovery will be the Turtle. Slow and steady wins the race. Hopefully.

The doctor is hopeful and gives me hope of a full recovery, but at the same time, he's trying to prepare me for the fact that I might have permanent damage. If there is permanent damage done to the kidneys, lifestyle changes will need to be made. Nothing too drastic, just maintaining the diet and doing bloodwork more often to make sure the kidney function doesn't go down. Nothing much else they can do until the damage hits a point where the kidneys can't filter the toxins effectively and I'm not at that point right now and I'm still getting better.

The next checkup will be in March to see where things are and determine again what plan of attack we'll take from there, depending on if the kidneys continue to improve or if they remain at the functioning level they're currently at. So stay tuned!

Apologies

2011-01-05T09:11:00.002-07:00

Okay, I know I promised to keep you posted and I've been slacking on the job. BUT...things are going in a positive direction. Just not as fast as I want. I'm not a patient individual.

On December 22nd, I went and had more blood work done to see where everything stands and waited for the doctor to call. He stated it was so I would know before Christmas, but I didn't hear from him before Christmas. BTW, kudos to the phlebotomist who took the blood...I'm a hard stick in the first place and my time in the hospital blew most of my veins and they hadn't had time to recover by the time I went in. She got me on the first stick, which hardly ever happens...even in the best of circumstances. Anyway, back to your regularly programmed update. I called the Monday after Christmas, but the kidney doctor's office was closed, so I called again on Tuesday. The nurse explained that they were closed because of the holiday and replied that he usually gets back to the patient's within a day or two of having the test done(not sure what happened this time, because he promised to have my results to me before Christmas, but it didn't happen and I can't change that).

The kidney doctor called back within a few hours and said the results were better and that my kidneys were working at about 40% now. He said to give them a month this time before retesting, made sure the swelling went away (it comes and goes...I'm usually fine about 4 days a week and find myself swollen about 3, but nothing like the swelling I experienced right after coming off the dialysis) and wanted to see me in his clinic this time to make sure the medications I'm on are okay and formulate a longer-term plan of attack.

Yes, I'm still weak. Yes, he says that's perfectly normal. I've never eaten so healthy in my life, though I do miss some of my favorite foods. Most of the foods that were on the "do not eat" list were already foods that I mostly disliked anyway. Christmas Morning Breakfast was probably the hardest trial for me and I just should have fixed myself a breakfast different from everybody else.

You see, on Christmas, instead of having a Christmas Dinner, we have Christmas Breakfast. It's a family tradition and anybody who can make it comes over. It's a heart-attack's dream. There are cinnamon rolls, toast, bacon, sausage, ham, regular hashbrowns, hashbrowns with chives, eggs, usually at least 2 kinds of juices, and whatever additional treats my dad has dreamed up that year. It's a spread. The problem? A Kidney, otherwise known as Renal, Diet really doesn't want you to eat potatoes because of their extremely high potassium content. Hashbrown's are my favorite part of the breakfast. So I has a really small scoop. Bacon, sausage and ham all are to be eaten with caution due to the sodium content in them and can cause me to retain water and makes it hard for my kidneys to get rid of the sodium and can cause any number of complications. I had a small portion of ham (it seemed to be the least offensive of all of them, but probably was the worst offender of all), and a slice of low sodium bacon. I gorged myself on eggs. Probably had 3 helpings. Yeah, I should have just gone and fixed my normal breakfast, which is usually eggs and fruit, but I didn't want to make a big fuss about it. Stupid, I know. My bad.

Anyway. I've mostly been feeling pretty okay. Other than the weakness and fatigue, which I've been assured is completely normal and can last for quite some time. So although it's frustrating, I'm told I'm in a completely normal position.

Occasionally, my back will hurt, right where my kidneys are. It's becoming a little more constant now that it was before. It think that it's a sign of the kidneys kicking into gear. It's uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

I was planning on a trip to California (California Adventure and Disneyland for 12/30 and New Years Eve) to take my mind off my worries, forget about life for a while and see my cousin, who I'd been missing like crazy lately, but it was decided that Disneyland would be too much and plans were canceled. Big bummer. So I devour books instead. Feel free to throw out suggestions, they're always welcome! I've got a growing list, but don't mind adding to the list.

So, those are the updates. I will try to be a little more prompt in alerting you when I have some more news.

Health Drama

2010-12-09T11:38:00.002-07:00

Hopefully this will serve as a kind of update for everybody who needs or wants information on what has been happening with me lately. Yes, another health drama has happened. Yes, I am as well as can be expected right now. I will tell the story as best I can.

For the past 3-6 months, I have been experiencing pretty constant nausea and occasional vomiting. Went to see my GP about it, who couldn't really tell me much and referred me to a Gastroenterologist (I think that's the name, at least). I put it on the back burner because I don't have insurance and am unemployed.

Enter Sunday. I'm sick all day. I figure I have the flu. It's pretty miserable. Then as the day goes on it gets worse and I begin to get a little concerned, so I drag some respectable clothing on and trudge downstairs and tell my parents I think I need to go to an urgent care or hospital. My dad takes me to urgent care, where they tell me they can give me medication for nausea and make sure I can keep some fluids down, but cannot star an IV because they close at 9:00 and they don't start IV's after 8:00 because they take too long to finish and we arrived at 8:30. They took my vitals and were concerned with my blood pressure being so low. My blood pressure is pretty low anyway, but with the dehydration of being sick, it was lower than usual, so they embarked on a adventure to take it in 3 different situations to see if they could get a better blood pressure. They kept on getting errors on the last situation and while they were trying to get that last blood pressure, they gave me the nausea medication and drew bloodwork. When the results of the bloodwork came back, my kidney functions were way out of whack and showed that I was basically in Acute Renal Failure, otherwise known as Kidney Failure. Off they sent me to the Hospital.

The hospital admitted me to the ER, pumped me full of IV fluids and started running multiple tests and reran the bloodwork to make sure there wasn't an error. The results came back worse than at the urgent care facility. I was admitted to the hospital because my kidneys are kaput.

Three days later, no real answers exist and we may never know what caused my kidneys to go into renal failure. The doctors are scratching their heads. Right now, their theories are that my blood pressure was so low that the kidneys didn't get enough blood, causing them to shut down. Another is that medication could have contributed to the shutdown, but that theory is lower down on their list of possibilities. The main theory is that it was a completely random occurrence aggravated by dehydration. At least, that's my understanding.

There is no magic pill they can use to fix this. The only thing they can do is try dialysis to get the toxins out of my body and hope that my kidneys will start working again. The doctor's say my kidneys are functioning at approximately 2-3% of normal. So, I have a temporary dialysis catheter in my neck and will be undergoing dialysis 3 days a week until hopefully the kidneys are functioning again. The doctors are very optimistic that after I'm fully re-hydrated and my blood pressure gets to a more "normal" range, my kidneys will return to normal and so will I.

Thank you to everybody for their concern and thoughts and prayers. They have been wonderful and they've been a wonderful buoy during a struggle. Though this is a hurdle, it's not insurmountable and something we can definitely deal with.

I want everybody to know that I feel fine. I don't feel sick, other than the ever-present nausea, which isn't anything new. The dialysis isn't pulling fluid off me, which I understand is the draining part.

So, that's the 411 on what happened. I'll keep you updated as news comes along.

Nicholas Sparks...you suck.

2010-09-28T15:30:00.003-06:00

Yeah, this post has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It's simply a rant. Over Labor Day weekend, the parental units went out of town and I had the house to myself (well, I was dog-sitting, so as to-myself as it gets with two dogs). I decided to Redbox the weekend away. It's cheap, fun and I like my own company enough for two (lucky for my single self!).

Now, my loathing of Nicholas Sparks is probably only known to my cousin Ashlee (we had a big fight about it because she really likes him as an author and I loathe him) and probably my hairstylist because I had refused to see any of his movies past either Message in a Bottle or A Walk to Remember. Whichever came out later. I actually have nothing against him as an author. He is an amazing writer. It's his subject matter that I loathe. I'm a happy book reader. I don't like it when people don't end up together and happy ever after. Hey, if I'm not getting my happy ever after, the people in books may as well be, okay! Also probably the reason I adore romance...there isn't any romance in my real life...may as well read about it. But I digress.

I hate that there is angst, strife, hurt, and basically, real life in all his stories. When I read his books or watch his movies, my heart hurts. You know, your feel so badly for the people, your heart turns over in sympathy...I call that my heart hurts for them because literally, my heart hurts and I hate that feeling. So I had ordered a personal boycott on Nicholas Spark's movies that had recently come out, of which two I really wanted to see. I got blackmailed into seeing The Notebook and it only further reinforced my resolve.

But this Labor Day Weekend, my resolve wavered and fell. I rented Dear John and The Last Song from Redbox and watched them. Good? Yes. Great? Maybe. Did I hate it because it did everything that I loathed about Nicholas Sparks and his movies? You better believe it. So the boycott is back on. Nicholas Sparks is back to sucking simply because he makes me feel bad for people in a book or movie.

Dirty little secret: I did have to go buy The Last Song because even though it hurt, it didn't hurt as bad and I really did like it. Maybe he doesn't suck as bad as I'm trying to make him suck. Boycott remains in effect.

Getting up at 6 a.m. is for the birds

2010-08-05T17:56:00.002-06:00

I have a new temp job. I'm hoping it resolves into a permanent job because I like the work surprisingly enough. The only big bummer? I start work at 6 a.m.! And this isn't one of those roll into work in just anything jobs either! No, I have to be semi-professional and it would be preferable if I had makeup on and hair styled. I'm still working it out. Next week, the partners are going to be in the office (they live all over the west and mostly work from home offices), so we have to adhere to the dress code more strictly.

I think I'm going to shower at night and try to rewet and style my hair in the morning when I'm doing my makeup and brushing my teeth, etc..

On the up side, it is nice to get off work at 2:30 in the afternoon, but because I'm still getting used to getting up at 4 to get ready for work (takes me a while to get awake and get moving, people...sooooo not a morning person), I usually come home and crash for about a 3 hour nap. Yeah, it feels great, but I should probably get into a better sleep pattern, especially since I have plans to work out in those hours once we retrieve the treadmill from my sister's house.

I even have grand schemes to read after I'm off from work...nope. I've read a paragraph or two and I'm zonked. It's pretty comical, really. Hopefully I adjust before this assignment is over. Or hopefully they hire me on permanently.

Anyway, that's what's going on lately in my neck of the woods.

I did have a trip to Fresno that was loads of fun, but I've decided to keep that to myself. But it was fun and thanks to all the peoples involved in making it so much fun. I really needed it. And it turned into a very special weekend. Awww!

I Fought with the Rocks and the Rocks Won!

2010-07-04T10:11:00.008-06:00

Ever have those places you go just to chill and think? I do. Mine is a place called Saltair. It's a once grand relic from my grandmother's days during World War II just off the Great Salt Lake. Lately, it's in a decline and mostly hosts concerts (usually punk bands or harder rock from what I understand) and raves. During the days, families go out there and hike the distance to finally reach the water. For those of you who may not know the Great Salt Lake is called America's Dead Sea. It's so salty, you just bob in the water (provided you actually get to water deep enough to bob in...the Great Salt Lake is notoriously shallow).

This is a very pretty picture of the Great Salt Lake. I believe it is a picture from Saltair. This is a look similar to what I saw yesterday.

This is a view of the Great Saltair in finer days. I did not take these pictures because I didn't realize I was going to Saltair when I started driving, I just wanted to get out in the sun and enjoy the mild (80-ish degree) weather we were enjoying for the holiday weekend.

The lake levels are wayyyyyy down because of the drought we've been in and despite epic rain and snowfall, the levels are still down. I was smart and decided to travel with flip-flops, so walking in sand in flip-flops are not advisable in Great Salt Lake sand. They tend to have little gross puddles of sand flies and icky stinky goo. Since I didn't want to trek through that to actually reach the water, I just decided to climb some boulders that used to be in the lake, but now border the Saltair land.

It was beautiful. The wind was blowing, so it was actually a little brisk. No bugs of any sort. The sun was shining, the sky was blue. It was a perfect relaxation, enjoying the bounties of nature, thinking spot. I sat on my rock for a long time and enjoyed. It was heaven!

Then I decided to get off and drive home (Saltair is about a 30-ish minute drive from my home). I scooted to the edge and though I found a better way to get off than I did to get on. Wrong-o. I fell off the rocks. About 6 feet. I fought with the rocks and the rocks won. Big time. People saw, of course, which was embarrassing, but I was laughing too hard at myself. I told them I was okay and eventually (due to the laughing) got myself up and out.

I'm slightly damaged. I have scrapes on my right forearm and scrapes, swelling and (according to my mother) bruising on the left side of my face. Don't ask me how I accomplished that. I'm talented...that's all I know. I'm stiff and sore and think I might have strained some ribs on my back. Is that possible? My parents are just laughing when they watch me walk around the house. I have an evil plan to get dressed (sort of) and try to go walk and see if that loosens up my muscles a bit. It seemed to work yesterday when my muscles started to tighten up.

So, my commune with nature went well, my return to the modern world...not so well. Oh, well. Life will go on, I guess! And no, I will not include pictures of the abused face.

I have a job! (Temporarily)

2010-06-26T12:53:00.002-06:00

Miracle of miracles! I know, you're surprised! It's only temporary, but could work into permanent. I've only worked one day, but like it a lot. The people are super casual and very nice. It's through a temp agency, which I guess is the only way to go about getting a job in these times. The company is booming, so I hope to prove myself and be able to stay on permanently. They seem like an amazing company to work for. Bonus...I don't have to dress up to work there. First time in over 12 years. Only problem is that I don't have casual clothes to accomplish that. Bummer.

Keep your fingers, toes and anything else crossed for me and pray that this works out! Please let this work out!

Skin Issues

2010-05-31T18:02:00.002-06:00

Somebody please help! I need help with my eczema! It's getting to the point where I have to take Prednisone weekly if not more often to keep the eczema on my hands under control. I'm not putting anything out of the ordinary on them and the side effects of Prednisone are heinous. I hate it. The prescription steroid creams don't touch the flare-ups. I can usually keep the flare-ups on the rest of my body under control with lotion and/or coconut oil application, but it just doesn't work on my hands. I've tried cotton gloves, latex gloves, pretty much everything. Now the flare-ups on my body are starting to get out of control, too.

I have discovered that I am allergic to Jojoba Oil, so I recently purged myself of all (I hope) products that contain that product. I lotion up nightly, but that doesn't seem to help. I have a patch of eczema on my neck that people seem to think is a hickey. In my wildest dreams, people. And if it were a hickey, it would be hidden by cover-up. Seriously.

People swear by Eucerin, but I cannot abide the sticky feel of it and it never rubs in, just sits on the skin because of the Mineral Oil/Petrolatum/Lanolin. And it doesn't help. My skin reacts very well to lanolin, which I realize is a very rare thing for people with eczema, but whenever I spin sheep wool that still has lanolin in it, my hands never have a problem. I just don't do that and it makes my hands ache to spin as much as it takes to keep them the way they need.

I'm trying to go a natural approach with products that will actually penetrate the skin and help heal it from the inside out, so I'm looking for products that do not have Petrolatum/Mineral Oil. Does anybody have any solutions that they have found that worked to keep the flare-ups down? I hate taking the Prednisone as it makes me a hag, ravenous and a total insomniac for days. Oh, and the hormones go completely out of control. I can be a raving lunatic one moment and in tears the next. Not something I enjoy. HELP!

What the frizzle?!

2010-05-24T09:25:00.002-06:00

I thought Utah weather was all out of whack until I woke up this morning to witness it SNOWING! Snowing, people! On May 24th. What the heck is up with that? While I know this isn't the latest snow in history, it's gotta be darn close and I'm about done with the up and down swing with the weather. One day it's nice and sunny, then next, it's cold and rainy (or in this case, snowy).

Can't the weather make up it's mind?! No wonder my hair and skin has been going crazy. I have been making a concentrated effort to try and work on my poor abused eczema-ridden skin. It's showing slight signs of improvement, but the constant swings of the weather don't help. I'm extremely sensitive jojoba oil and don't like to use mineral oil and/or petrolatum if I don't have to because the latter don't really moisturize, they just coat the skin to prevent moisture loss. I don't have moisture in the first place, so loss is ridiculous. I also live in a VERY arid climate (except for the fluke weather system hovering over Utah lately), so regular "lotions" such as Lubriderm don't work because it has glycerin in it and all it does is pull what moisture I have in my skin out into the air.

So...with that all being said. Any suggestions on a lotion or cream that isn't too pricey that isn't scented since scents tend to make me want to vomit?

I know...I'm asking the world, but am hoping that someone might be able to help me. Because I'm at my wits end.

Walking Wounded

2010-05-18T18:23:00.005-06:00

Literally. I am the walking wounded. Who would have guessed that a routine fishing expedition into my moving boxes would turn into a run to urgent care and stitches? Background story, you ask? Okay.

I woke up this morning craving homemade Chex Mix. So I took myself hence to Walmart and purchased the makings and after hemming and hawing, got around to actually making it. I gathered the fixin's and couldn't find seasoned salt anywhere in the kitchen. I just knew I had some in my boxes downstairs, so I trekked down to the basement and was digging through my boxes from the kitchen and happened to knock a favored coffee mug off the monster rack the boxes are stored on (the coffee mugs were just sitting there because I was going to bring them upstairs, but then I realized I really didn't drink herbal tea enough to warrant space they would take up). It shattered and hit my right foot. I muttered some choice words (not cuss words) and checked to see if it cut my foot because it felt like it, but saw no blood, so I continued looking without moving my foot so I wouldn't cut the bottom with all the shards of ceramic all over the place. I took a moment to shift the remaining coffee mugs over to what I thought was a safe distance and continued looking for the seasoned salt and consequently knocked off another favored mug, at such a time I gave up looking and went to go up stairs. I turned around, took two steps and felt a certain wetness on the bottom of my pajama bottoms and realized that I had been cut. So I lifted the leg of my pants and hobbled up the stairs where I grabbed a rag and wrapped it around the wound before going to the couch to survey the damage.

The wound wasn't bad, but it was relatively deep and right where the foot flexes at the toes. What with all the recent doctors visits, I was determined I could take care of this, so I sent my mom on a scavenger hunt for butterfly bandages, super glue, alcohol, bandaids and such. No good. The cut wouldn't stop bleeding. And whenever I flexed my big toe, it got worse. So I called my doctor. They don't do urgent care of any sort. Off I go to an urgent care facility. But not before finding the all important seasoned salt. Where, you ask? In the wrong cupboard, of course. Where else? Duh!

I wrap my foot, take apart a tennis shoe to get to the urgent care because of course it's raining here. We get right in. The doctor takes a look, tells me that it would eventually heal, but since it's right at the flex-point would break open often and would take months to heal fully, so he's going to stitch it closed and put me in a post-op sandal. I get the honor of receiving a tetanus shot because it's been just over 10 years since my last shot and set free with my super-stylish sandal and a prescription for antibiotics. Who knows what kind of stuff was on those mugs in the basement, right? Example of my stylish sandal I get to wear for 2 days:

The stitches come out in 2 weeks. Oh, yeah. On top of that, I had my Echo stress test follow-up scheduled for tomorrow. Had to reschedule that for two weeks down the road, too.

What's that you ask? Did I finally get my Chex Mix? Why yes...I did. And it was delicious! Yum!

Resumes, Cover Letters and such

2010-05-17T18:45:00.003-06:00

As you probably know if you read my blog, I'm an unemployed bum and have been for quite some time. I've been sending out my resume, but haven't been getting a whole lot of responses, so I figured I would enlist the help of my Uncle, who was an Employment Specialist for our Church at one point. It didn't hurt that there was a very specific position that I wanted that I have previously held before, so I can make it very, very specific.

My problem? I suck at writing resumes and cover letters. I mean, I really suck. For the most part, I can bumble through the skills and experience part because...hey, you either have them or you don't, right? I mean, you can word them differently (which my Uncle totally helped me with, than you!), but the experience and skills are what they are. The objective is really all you have to catch their attention and it's really hard for me to do. My brain doesn't wrap around the concept of what an employer is looking for in an objective. Thankfully, I have people who have worked in the business of helping people get hired that are more than willing to look at it and help me out or I think I might be in serious trouble.

But the worst part is that I suck at writing a cover letter even more than I suck at writing an objective. I feel like I'm bragging too much about myself and the employer is going to snort and just chuck it in the garbage because there is just no way that I can possibly live up to what I'm claiming, even though everything I say in the letter is true. And I try to balance the professional distance with personality that gets me in the chair for an interview. This results in anxiety of the highest order for me. Really.

Again, luckily, I have a great team of family and friends on my side who are soooo patient and willing to help me. Especially when I do the exact opposite opposite of what they told me they wanted. So, to them...thank you. And now, I have a prettier resume, so hopefully I get more calls back for more jobs!

Does anybody else have this problem? Am I the only one who struggles with resumes and cover letters?

Random Musings

2010-05-04T21:42:00.002-06:00

I thought ahead and purchased my mom's Mother's Day present. I'm quite proud of myself. And I'm pretty sure I some of it will be used. She and my Dad pretty much buy what they want when they want it, so it's an ugly mess of trying to find Mother's and Father's Day gifts.

I have a skin yeast infection. That has turned into a skin yeast and bacterial infection. It's so bad that a topical solution won't help, so I'm taking pills to resolve it. Except I have the prescription "deodorant" to prevent it from seeping. NOT RECOMMENDED, PEOPLE! I almost cussed. Well, maybe I did because it stung sooooooo bad! I did do some Lamaze breathing for sure. It was awful. Upside? I have unlimited refills and once my body gets used to it, I only have to use it once every few days. Bonus! No more wasting money on Deodorant!

I received my missing items from Neal from Fresno. Poor guy has been super busy at work. He has charged me with trying to get Ashlee out here to see us. I told him that hell would sooner freeze over than Ashlee would come visit us.

Tomorrow, I'm going to go get my hair cut. The girl did such a good job last time, I'm going to let her have at it again and see what I walk away with. I like sassy hairstyles.

I hennaed my hair again. I just couldn't stay away from the red. I think I secretly should have been born a redhead and now just have to correct it manually for the rest of my life.

Vacation Recap

2010-04-12T07:55:00.003-06:00

I am back from Malibu/Fresno and it was so much fun! We got to camp for over a week, sit by a campfire every night (for some strange reason, I wasn't into the S'mores this time...so lame of me), go to the beach, see the waves on the beach at night (I missed the opportunity to see a sunset on the beach because I was sleeping...duh me), go shopping at thrift stores that reside in a ritzier part of town than I will probably ever see, eat some good home cooking and go to the Orange County Swap Meet. Fun was certainly had by this girl!

While it wasn't exactly relaxing due to the fact that there were a lot of kids camping this year and they were prone to get in trouble and we all had our eagle eyes out, my batteries are certainly recharged and I have a whole new outlook on life again.

There was kind of a revolving door in the camp because people were only staying a few days due to work and other commitments, but it was sooooo much fun meeting all those people. They were all so nice and happy and I found myself smiling more than I have in the past long while.

I had gone with a list of books I wanted to read, but didn't get much reading done (though more than Ashlee) because there was always a kid to keep track of, waterproofing of tents to be done (though I slept through most of that, I did help when I realized what was going on), dinner to be started, lunches to be made, breakfast to be cooked (I kind turned into the bacon girl while there if I woke up early enough) and more.

Naps were enjoyed by me and not so much for Ashlee, which I know she was really looking forward to.

I ended up doing 2 haircuts in camp for two semi-related little girls that turned out super-cute. I was supposed to cut and color my Aunt Gwen's hair, but that never happened...not quite sure why. I was also supposed to highlight another person's hair while I was in Fresno, but that never happened either. It would have been fun to be "back in the saddle."

An emergency burn and ensuing argument was had by burn victim to go to the emergency room. There is always one emergency per trip, I understand and it turned out to be bad, but okay.

I got to meet a family that is quite an inspiration and frankly changed my outlook and thought process permanently, I hope. Despite great challenges, they have banded together as a family and are making the best of a bad situation and everything else that seems to get thrown their way. Very moving and touching to someone looking in. They'll probably never read this, but someone will who knows who I'm talking about. Between this family and my extended family, my faith in my religion has been revived and strengthened. Much kudos because my family has been trying to do that for a very long time. Shows what living and leading by example and being in new circumstances can do.

I also went to go see Clash of the Titans...3D with Ashlee. I really liked it. Yeah, at times it was over the top and hokey, but come on...this is Greek mythology! Everything was over the top and extreme. Highly entertaining and quite informative, which I don't think the original Clash of the Titans movie had, even though I love that one, too.

My return trip was going to be a journey and I new it, but it turned out to be quite a journey! I had two layovers, one in Los Angeles for 4 hours and one in Las Vegas for what was supposed to be about 2 hours, but turned into more like 4 or 5. All told, my day from beginning flight to landing time in final destination turned out to be 13 hours. I could have driven home in that time, as my cousin Heidi pointed out, had I been able to drive.

All said and done, I'm very glad I went on this vacation, though technically, I couldn't afford it. It was very good for me and I got to see family much missed! It won't be so long next time and that's a threat and a promise!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-18T08:23:00.002-06:00

Beware...this is kind of a happiness countdown again...

No, I didn't do anything special. There is a bar just behind our house called the Leprechaun Inn and even at noon, the parking lot was overflowing. They do a very good business on St. Patrick's Day.

The only thing I did was go for my final appointment for my permanent makeup. Some of you may and may not know that I decided to get permanent makeup done. Due to an increasing amount of allergies to eye makeup and a huge increase in laziness, I decided to get permanent makeup done, especially full lips (since mine are originally the color of my skin almost). I had my eyebrows, eyeliner, lash enhancement and full lips done and haven't regretted it for a moment. I will post before and after pics soon. I was not smart enough to document the process as it went by as it happened in 3 treatment sessions. Needless to say, I'm extremely happy and will go to Malibu and not ever have to worry about my "makeup" coming off as I play in the ocean or wake up in the morning and stagger out of the tent still half asleep. Not that I ever really cared before, but it's nice to not to have to worry about doing your makeup all the time (though I love makeup and will still play...the stuff I had done was just a base and I can always build and play with it, which I love even more).

The countdown is on for Malibu and seeing the California Greens! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself! Whenever I think about the trip, little butterflies arrive in my stomach I'm so excited! This is going to be such a good trip and I'm glad I found a way to make it. Plus, spending some quality time on a beach (which I've only really seen in passing up 'til now) will be a novel and fun adventure. I'm a mountain girl through and through because I grew up with them, but I think I could very easily be transformed into a beach girl. There is something about the wildness and wind and the saltiness in the air that I like. Meh, I'll get to explore it more and maybe be able to put it into better words later.

My brother and sister-in-law celebrated St. Patrick's Day in true form, which I find so adorable I can't even contain it. They had a whole green day which started with green milk for their cereal, a hunt for four leaf clovers and a leprechaun (seriously, why didn't we do this when we were kids, huh?), a trip to Austin for the nephew, which included the good news that he is now on the kidney transplant list (I cannot donate because I'm too fat first, but also because I have the wrong blood type and my heart condition, otherwise, I'd be first in line for testing), playing at a green park, dinner of green pancakes and green eggs and ham and finished out the night for the two oldest with a green bath. This family is so cute I cannot put it into words. They make sure to make every day special and do the cutest things to make sure days are memorable, especially after having spent so much time in a hospital. Reminds me to enjoy the days, not just the special days.

In otherwise unnotable news, I have changed up some medication and it's amazing the difference I feel. I no longer feel like just laying in bed all day and sleeping. I don't feel like crying all the time. I don't find myself watching sad Lifetime movies all day long. Heck, I even feel like getting up and showering, which is a huge leap for me, trust me. It's amazing how a little change can make such a difference in how you view things. I'm happy again...after many months of my pity party. Yeah, it was a pity party and I still fall into it, but at least it's passing kind of like a storm. I highly encourage someone who is taking medication that just doesn't seem to cut it to ask the doctor to change it. It can make the difference in how you view everything and make a huge difference. Small changes, I tell you.

And lastly...I purchased a Kindle. It's an electronic book notepad that has wireless connectivity. I'm a huge reader and wasn't looking forward to lugging a suitcase full of books for the vacation and stumbled across this Kindle. The initial price is steep at about $260 (thank you tax returns), but the cost of books are so much cheaper than physical books and there are tons of classics that are free. I'm glad I purchased it. Best luxury purchase ever. Highly recommended.

Let's do it the Redneck way!

2010-03-15T10:02:00.007-06:00

So...what do you do when the weather takes an unexpected change from a balmy 54 degrees to freezing and rain mixed with heavy snow and your car needs new brakes and rotors and you're not willing to wait until the weather gets better? You do it the redneck way, of course! Observe. The following pictures display the redneck way. What is that strange white thing above the strange white car up on a jack, you ask? Why, it's a canopy that you usually see at farmers markets and/or swap meets. Why do we have one? Your guess is as good as mine. I think it's for family parties when the weather undoubtedly turns on us and there are just too many people to fit inside the house.

What's all this you're seeing, you ask? Well, there is a rougly 1,000 square foot garage that is full of tools, but no room to park a car to say...fix the brakes. There is an evaporative cooler that was supposed to replace our current one, but hasn't made it onto the roof yet. A white cadillac that is unregistered (I think it runs), a motor home that is unregistered (undecided if it still runs, it hasn't seen the road for years), a car that is unregistered and receiving TLC for new brakes and rotors (under said canopy), a truck that is registered and in working order, a house that though unfinished for years is in working order. The neighbors house which to my knowledge is completely finished and in working order and has a car parked in the garage. And another Cadillac which is registered and in working order. I think I covered everything.

I give you...the redneck way! And just for the record, I didn't do this, though I offered to help. My brother (the one borrowing it) and my father were the ones who fixed it.

Whoops!

2010-03-13T08:18:00.003-07:00

Bad news bears! All the brakes have to be replaced as well as the rotors on the back. The good news is that my dad is so handy, he's going to do it! The repair shop was going to charge $500 to do the work and my dad thinks it's highway robbery. Well, the parts turned out to be about $150 on their own.

I offered to help, but he prefers to do things on his own, so I let him go about his business. When it began to get dark outside, I went to check on him. He was having trouble getting the rotors off, saying somehow they're linked to the emergency brake. He had taken one side in the rear off and had moved to the other side to see if there was something magic. People, he had been working on getting the rotors off the rear for hours! He looked it up online and couldn't figure it out.

So me, being the helpful daughter I am, held the light for him because that's all I was pretty much allowed to do. After watching him logic his way through why the rotors wouldn't come off and how there seemed to be some magic answer he didn't have and muttering about how it seems to be connected to the parking brake, I finally asked him if the parking brake was on. He tells me no and I ask him if he's sure. He says he's sure, but sends me to go check...sure enough, the parking brake was on. Poor guy! Three to Four hours work trying to figure out why he couldn't just pull the rotors off and it turns out it's because his daughter actually uses the parking brake. He never does, so it didn't occur to him that it might be on.

We got the rotors off, but parts fell out of one side that has to do with the parking brake, so that's a riddle that has to be solved today. Hey, at least the front brakes will be a breeze now!

And the cutest part? He was out there for that long and I'm sure he was frustrated, but he just kept plugging at it, trying to figure out what the magic was! Then when we solved the riddle, he just finally removed the part and made some comment about how that was easy. My dad...you gotta love him!

There is such a thing as too comfortable!

2010-03-12T09:40:00.002-07:00

I did not take pictures because I was simply too disgusted with myself at letting my car get into the state it was in.

Yesterday, my parents came home and asked if my brother could borrow my car because he got in an accident and totaled his. It's unregistered, but insured, so I said if we can get it registered, then he can certainly borrow it since I'm not supposed to be driving. My dad, ever so gently suggested I clean it out before doing anything else with it and now I realize why. My car is a 2 door coupe. When I finished cleaning out just the inside, I had a 13 gallon garbage bag full of garbage. Not to mention random articles of clothing, hair clips, new windshield wipers, etc. (I am happy to report that I replaced the windshield wipers all by myself!)

I vacuumed out the car, which was probably worse than cleaning out the garbage (I HATE to vacuum), then sprayed some air freshener. I might get ambitious and take a baby wipe (no Armor All) and wipe the dust off the dashboard, etc..

Next is the trunk, which I admit is completely and utterly full. Not looking forward to that!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane!

2010-03-04T08:35:00.004-07:00

Yes, that's right...I'm leavin' on a jet plane and GETTING OUT OF UTAH! For 10 whole days! I'm so excited!

My cousin and her family and friends go the week before Easter to the Leo Carrillo State Park in/around (not sure) Malibu. Ready for a picture I found so you can be jealous? It probably won't look like this, but a girl can dream...

I really am excited about this trip, though it requires me being in a swimsuit, which I haven't done for about 8 years. Water and me are not great friends. But I don't much care about what I look like in a swimsuit because really there's nobody there to impress. It's all family and I've come to realize I am a big girl and I may as well embrace it until I'm ready to fix it.

The reason I'm so excited for this trip is because I get to see one of my favorite sides of the family! I love the Fresno Green's and being around them is always a good time to be had and I laugh like crazy. They're game freaks and it gets quite competitive, but it's a relaxing time when I can recharge my batteries. Plus, I never get to see them and they are just so different from my family. I cannot wait to attempt winning at Risk or Scrabble...I'm not very good so winning is always a victory for me!

Don't you worry...there will be pictures. Unflattering I'm sure, but we'll be having fun, so who cares? I leave 3-23 and will be enjoying every minute of being wireless! Correction. I leave on the 26th. I don't know where the 23rd came from. Duh.

2010-02-25T12:15:00.002-07:00

So, my cousin Ashlee tagged me to answer this list of questions. Truthfully, I had never seen such a list until I saw it on her blog, but who am I to stop the show? So, here you go...

4 shows i like to watch:
1. Ghost Hunters
2. Ghost Whisperer
3. Criminal Minds
4. Charmed

4 things i am passionate about:
1. Reading
2. Family
3. Spinning
4. History

4 words or phrases i say often:
1. Really? I mean, really. (said with sarcasm)
2. I wasn't sleeping, I was just in my bedroom.
3. "Can you take me ____?" Since I can't drive due to medical restrictions.
4. seriously!? (said with as much sarcasm as one can possibly muster) have to ditto this from Ashlee

4 things i have learned from the past:
1. i seriously lucked out in the parental department (ditto again from Ashlee).
2. If you can't laugh, then it's a sad, sad world.
3. Sometimes saying nothing is the best coarse of action out there. It prevents family feuds.

4. Smiling when you have a bad day can turn it into a good day...you tend to meet the most interesting people through this method.

4 places i would love to go:
1. The UK
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. Egypt

4 things i did yesterday:
1. Walked to the store
2. Watched the Olympics
3. Took a shower, oh divine!
4. Started reading a new book

4 things i am looking forward to:
1. Being able to drive again
2. Walking to the store and buying gumballs...I love those things!
3. Nephew coming home from the hospital now that Niece is home. She's like holding a football.
4. Getting rid of the knot in my neck

4 things i love about winter:
1. How quiet the snow makes everything right after it's fallen.
2. Fire's in the wood-burning stove
3. A Homemade meal that warms you from the inside out
4. Seeing the beautiful landscape when the snow falls only in the mountains and not in the valleys.

4 things on my wish list:
1. Books. I'm compiling quite a list.

2. Longer hair. I was stupid to whack it all off.

3. A trip to California for Easter

4. a husband (is there an outlet somewhere?) copied from Ashlee again.

4 people i tag:
1. anyone who wants to.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T13:14:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and I didn't do a single thing but read, suck down ginger ale and 7-up and watch a little Olympics. I must say, I'm quite interested in the Olympics, though downstairs (my parents TV) they're on during the entire waking hours and into the nighttime. Nothing else is played. Thank goodness I have my own TV in my room or I think I might shrivel up and die.

I must admit that I loathe Valentine's Day. I despise being alone, but this year wasn't so bad. My parents didn't even do anything for it. The night before Valentine's Day, my dad had been volunteering at the Salt Lake Olympic Oval for all those up-and-comings in Long-Track skating that did not go to the Olympics. My parents were some of the Volunteers for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and my Father is still very active in the skating activities and trials that happen here. Most of the skaters train in Salt Lake City and they've had the World Championships here numerous times. I'm quite impressed by these skaters, I must say. Anyway...my dad had been volunteering over at the Oval all day Saturday and called and asked if we (my mom and I) wanted to go out to dinner. I had been sorta nauseated all day and said no, but my mom got sick and my dad was planning on going out, so I went with him. I love those times. My dad really isn't a talker, but if you get him going, you can have a really good conversation with him. Granted, most of the conversation was about skating (we had watched Apollo Ohno, sorry if the spelling is wrong, get his silver medal before leaving to go eat), you know, long-track versus short-track, how busy he had been that day, etc.. That was a good Valentine's Day dinner for me, though that definitely isn't how it was meant.

I read through another book yesterday. Yes, I know...I need to get a different hobby, like maybe exercising or something, but since something has been making me sick the last little while, reading it is. This books was called I Was There by Hans Peter Richter. This book is no longer in print and I had to order it used. Though it's a very accurate portrayal of Nazi Germany from the German side, I have to say I found the book wanting. It was good for historical significance and the fact that it was a first-hand experience was interesting, but it ended so abruptly, I couldn't stand it. P.S., I did finish the Percy Jackson book 3...liked it. Nothing spectacular and life-changing, but definitely the happy book I needed.

This post made me happy today, too. I love my Fresno cousins...all of them, but Ashlee definitely holds a special place as a best friend, confidant and partner in crime on many occasions! She is also a very good partner in crime with my brother who now lives in Texas. One Thanksgiving, they were charged with making the rolls. They rolled out the dough, cut it into strips, then folded the strip over to make a folded roll. Usually, our rolls are different, but my mom relinquished hold on that duty for this particular Thanksgiving. Ashlee and Kim decided to leave "surprises" in some of the rolls for people. There was a wide array of "surprises" from a small floret or broccoli or cauliflower to a cheddar goldfish! Though I didn't actively participate, I was there during the fun prank and threw out some suggestions of some good surprises. It was hysterical when eating-time came and people broke open they rolls to butter them and found their "surprises." Good times! Anyway, that a brother-in-law would be so cute and caring is just too darling for words! Go Logan! Heidi surely can pick them. Maybe we should make her pick out a match for us, huh, Ash? Nah, I'm still holding out for that Castle and Highlander (inside joke people, sorry...no sharing...Ashlee will get it and she'll be the only one).

This post also made me happy. This is one of my closest siblings and I love their family and how tight they are. They have a son that has some very special needs due to medical issues, but they have never let that slow them down and they make sure to take time out and spend equal amounts of time with their other children. They are a very balanced family and you can't help but smile and be happy around them, regardless of the day you've had. It's always a treat to see them and we get to keep current in their lives through phone calls and their blog. The blog is definitely a treat for our entire family! I'm glad you all had such a great Valentine's Day and how you encourage the giving nature you both have instilled in Conner! Well done...and those cookies look divine. We got a cupcake delivery from someone, I don't know who, but the one I ate sure was good!

So overall, it was a good Valentine's Day weekend. How was yours?

Finishing the Book

2010-02-13T18:40:00.003-07:00

So, I finished The Book Thief. I still highly recommend it, but tears were shed toward the last 1/3 of the book and I was left with an ache in my heart for Holocaust victims, be them Jew or Gentile. I must say that I'm glad I read this book, but it leaves me aching for something happy and joyful (something my cousin Ashlee warned me to do when I asked her for Holocaust recommendations). So I'm moving on to book 3 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I like them. Book one has just been released as a movie by one of the directors of Harry Potter, I believe. Though it's no Harry Potter, it is engaging and fun to get an education in Greek mythology while reading. I must say that I preferred the Fablehaven series to this one, but it's distracting enough and happy enough to serve my purposes.

Feel free to chuck any book recommendations my way. I'm always on the look-out. My favorite romance writers are Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood, Kathleen Woodiwiss (first name might be wrong), Nora Roberts, Catherine Asaro (sci-fi romance), Johanna Lindsey and more, but those are the main listings. I cannot make my way through Harry Potter for some reason, but like the Percy Jackson Series and loved the Fablehaven series. I also really, really like the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Okay...I think that's it. For the temporary list, at least.

Happy Thoughts

2010-02-12T11:22:00.003-07:00

I realize that my posts have been somewhat depressing lately, so I'm going to do a happy thoughts post. Ready? I'll try to make this happen more often.

I like to cook. I'm by no means a chef and often take the shortcuts, but whenever I cook, people really like it. And I really enjoy cooking. I just don't do it very often because I hate the clean up. I cook like my father. I usually end up dirtying every dish in the kitchen plus every appliance we own. I don't know how I do it, but it is very much possible, trust me. The dishwasher is my very best friend and I have been known to do multiple loads of dishes, just to take care of my preparation dishes! I'm not talking 2. I'm talking...I think my record was 5 loads. Seriously! Five. I would never make it as a restaurant cook. But I love it.

Yesterday, my parents volunteer for our church and my mom always cooks a lunch/dinner because she's there for 8 hours and my dad is there for 4, but goes there directly after work, so it's like a 12+ hour day for him. She made what we call Chicken Enchilada Casserole. It's good, it's easy and it's one of my favorite meals. But she took it all with her. I decided that I wanted some real enchiladas and decided I was going to make it happen Sunshine Style. I make some Mexican Red Rice (my sister-in-law makes this and it's killer, so I tried to replicate it...no contest, she wins, I just can't compete, but it was good nonetheless), then drove (shhhh...it was less than a block) up to the store to buy tortillas, sour cream, cheese and a rotisserie chicken, because I'm lazy like that and just shredded the rotisserie chicken. I made what turned out to be a HUGE casserole dish of chicken enchiladas, ended up pouring the excess chicken mixture and Red Rice over the top, then covered it in cheese and baked it. Yum. I'm impressed with myself. I don't eat leftovers and this is definitely leftover worthy.

So yesterday, cooking made me very happy. And it carried over to today because I ate them for lunch today. Yum. That's all I have to say about that. It was simply delicious.

Next. I love to read. Anybody who knows me well knows that. I'm particularly addicted to romance novels, but not just any romance novels. I have special authors I favor and I own I think every book written by those authors. I read them over and over again. I really like historical romance (pirates and regency are favorite, but medieval are also favorites), but have taken a step away to focus on another passion of mine. The holocaust.

Did you know that a very well known book store, who shall remain nameless, only stocked 10, count them, 10, fiction books regarding the holocaust? Well, according to their database. The books I wanted to read were not in stock and I had to order them online. Luckily, my cousin, Ashlee shares my passion for reading, though in different genres for the most part and recommended a relatively new book for me called The Book Thief. It's Youth Lit, set during World War II, written by death. It's a little disjointed, but obviously, I think and write that way, so it's no problem for me. It's the story of a girl growing up in World War II Germany and so far it tells the side of Germans who are kind of caught into the Nazi world, but not really part of it. Highly recommended reading on my part. I'm only about half way through, but it really gives you a different point of view and helps you understand the struggle and strife of those caught up in the World War II without asking for it.

Another book I picked up because I'm unemployed is calls What Color is Your Parachute? 2010. It's kind of a self-help books for those searching the job market. My awesome uncle recommended it as reading and it's really helpful. Also a very good must-read in my mind. I'm also working my way slowly through that because I'm so caught up in the other book. I'm soooo not one of those people who can read multiple books at a time.

Books make me happy and luckily, I have lots and lots of them!

Though sometimes I complain about them, my nieces and nephews make me happy. They're just so much fun and so unafraid and uninhibited. I love that. One niece in particular (note: our family is not demonstrative in the least) I love just because she is such a lover. She is unafraid to just run up and hug you. I love that because it's so unexpected to me (again, not a hugger), but feels so good. I love that about her. Another nephew, who lives far away in Texas is just so much fun and has so much enthusiasm for everything. He can't help but make you happy and laugh. I love that about him and I love that my brother and sister-in-law encourage that in him. And I love to see my parents around them. They're so different than I usually see them. Isn't it interesting how that happens?

And I'll make a last statement, though it certainly isn't the last thing that makes me happy, but this post is already a novel. My siblings make me happy. They all make such an effort to be there for everybody and are genuinely concerned for each other and want to know how the other is doing. We may not talk to each other a lot, but we all know what is going on in each others lives. I am exceptionally close to 2 of my siblings and still pretty close with the other 2. I think most of it has to do with age. The 2 that I'm extremely close with are ones that are closest to me in age and that I have the most in common with. I did a lot with them as an adult, so we have a more vested interest. I love that even though we're not demonstrative, we all still care and know it about each other and keep up on what's going on with each other and share in little triumphs and band together in times of struggle.

Wait. One more. My parents. They are truly wonderful people. They have helped me more lately in times of struggle and strife and help me whenever I need a boost. They make sure I get out of my room and socialize occasionally. They are there for all of my siblings during times of celebration and times of struggle. They have really raise 5 wonderful children who care and love about each other.

And there you have it. My happy thoughts.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired!

2010-02-11T12:33:00.002-07:00

Yes, that's right. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. As those of you close to me may know, the past 2 months have been a huge roller coaster of medical drama. I had a seizure in December and can't drive, lost my job (approximately one week before I had my seizure), and had an allergic reaction to the medication they put me on in the ER.

I took the pills, thinking these were just side effects that would go away, dealing with them the best I could. I finally got in to see a cardiologist (I was required to see him 1-2 days after my ER visit and finally was able to see him 5 weeks after my ER visit), was told I have a heart problem (see previous post for details) and was told it most likely was not the cause of my seizure and was told to go see a neurologist.

Did I mention I don't have insurance and am unemployed? Yes, the whole time. Luckily, Intermountain Health Care is a non-profit organization that has financial assistance, right? Not so much. While the Emergency Room and Cardiologist and even my Primary Care doctor seems to not be a problem...I cannot find a neurologist that accepts this financial assistance program. I've called everybody I can think of. A patient advocacy program, a physician referral number, individual neurologists. The best thing I was told was that without insurance, I would have to have a down payment of at least $50 and escalating up to $200 depending on the doctor's office you talk to. When asked about the financial assistance program, they simply say they don't accept it. When talking to the financial assistance people, they assert that anybody who is in the Intermountain Health Care system should accept it. Really? Call around.

On top of that, I realized the side effects I were experiencing were not only not going away, but were getting worse (probably in conjunction the increase in dosage after the cardiologist visit) and called the doctor to see what could be done. I was given a "tough, but keep taking it because it's a matter of life or death" routine from the cardiologist and no response from my primary care doctor. Duh. I realize I can't stop taking the medication. All I'm asking for is maybe a change to something else? I'm nothing if not stubborn. I refuse to believe that I have to live a life with these side effects.

I should sideline this by stating that I called my sister-in-law, a physician's assistant, on Sunday to see if the things I was experiencing were normal and if I could do anything to help relieve the symptoms myself. She's great. We thought up one solution that sort of solved one issue, but not really. It's gross and I really don't want to get into it. It's bad enough to have to describe it to a doctor or his staff, let alone family and/or blog readers. It's just not good conversation. Sorry.

After a slight tiff with the staff member at the cardiologists office, she said she would talk to the doctor again and see if there is anything that can be done. I heard nothing by the end of business. Frustrated, I ranted to my parents. My dad, genius that he is, suggested that I call the pharmacist and see if it's really true that there isn't anything else for me to take. While it is true that the medication I'm currently taking is the best to be taking for rhythm problems, which is what I have, there are other options. Slightly vindicated, I seethed the night away and waited for a response from the doctor the next day.

I did receive a call back the following day telling me that the cardiologist had approved a medication change, but that I would have to gradually increase it and be seen by him again. Really? Are people really stupid enough that they have to add disclaimers that I need to be seen again after a change in medication?

Finally, I received a call back from my primary care doctor with a "solution" to the side effects I was experiencing (only after the cardiologist approved the med change...I don't know if there was collaboration going on there or not, but I'm slightly miffed at the lack of response by both), which was to take an antihistamine, which I already take and to take a Zantac. I was assured this would cover the gamut of side effects and surprisingly, it almost has. I'm still waiting for some of the side effects to go away, but it's taken care of most of them. Score one for the primary care doc. And I didn't even have to have any prescriptions, just OTC meds. Nice.

BUT. I'm still trying to find a neurologist and it looks like I'm gonna have to shill out the mulah because 2 doctors in all of Intermountain Health Care that are neurologists are taking new patients and neither of them accept financial assistance! AND...until we find out whether or not I'm epileptic, I cannot drive. Could my world get any smaller? Really?

I know it can be worse, but not being mobile really bugs and the bus system around Utah sucks rotten eggs. Not to mention that their prices are exorbitant.

Anybody know of anybody in Utah hiring? I'm searching and really am qualified despite health issues!

Finally! Cardiologist results!

2010-01-20T15:25:00.003-07:00

Please disregard all the labeling, it means nothing for this post.

The good news is that I have a totally rocking, healthy heart! No, it wasn't put in those words, but I was told that I have a very healthy heart. Good to know, since I have heart disease on boths sides and heart failure on one side of my family and I'm clinically obese.

The bad news is that my heart is...well...I guess broken could be an okay word for it. Remember the post I posted earlier regarding the Emergency Room diagnosis? That was a correct diagnosis, and it's not medication induced because it was still present at the stress test (which totally sucked by the way).

So the official diagnosis is Long Q-T Interval Syndrome. Basically, there is an electrical malfunction in my heart that causes it to take longer to expand and contract than normal hearts do. I hope that is a right description. It's too technical for me to put in good layman terms. And for any siblings out there reading, the doctor recommends that you get an ECG to make sure you don't have this issue as it is definitely genetic according to him.

But wait! It gets better! He's almost positive the seizure was not caused by this Q-T Syndrome. So I get to go see a Neurologist to see if I have a neurological disorder as well as all my other many issues. Will keep you posted on the neurologist results once I get in to see him.

Admitted

2010-01-14T18:23:00.002-07:00

I must admit it, I'm a paranormal freak. I love to watch me some Ghost Hunters on SYFY or (hysterically funny) Ghost Adventures. I've had some paranormal experiences of my own, so other people investigating it is especially fascinating to me. I must admit that I slightly freak out when they actually find stuff. It doesn't help that I'm usually watching it in the dark, alone in my bedroom at night. But that is not my point.

Is it just me or are there a bucketload of paranormal shows hitting the airwaves? Where Ghost Hunters used to be the only show I saw on TV, there is now Ghost Hunters (Still admittedly my favorite and I DVR them), Ghost Hunters Academy (teaching "students" how to investigate like said Ghost Hunters), Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Adventures, Psychic Kids, Celebrity Ghost Stories, Paranormal Cops and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. And is it just me or have the commercials on SYFY gotten careeeeeeeepy?! Yes, I'm a wuss, but I end up changing the channel or just waiting to watch any show even on the SYFY channel until after it's been recorded so I can fast-forward through the scary commercials. I mean, I know I'm getting old, but I'm only freaking 30 years old here! Commercials should not ook me out like this! And oh, I wait to watch Psychic Kids until the morning because some of the subject content keeps me awake at night. I'm not kidding. Am I just getting more sensitive to dark material, is it actually darker than I remember it being? Just some thoughts to myself.

I've never been a scary movie watcher because it messes with me too much. I went to go see the Blair Witch Project and didn't sleep for 2 days, how incredibly lame is that? My friends dragged me (Literally and figuratively) to Amityville Horror (Probably spelled wrong, who cares) and didn't turn the lights off at night for a week and didn't technically "watch" most of the movie. Am I just becoming more of a wuss when it comes to this kind of material? Or is it legitimately getting darker and more frightening? This inquiring mind really wants to know!

Blonde moments

2010-01-12T16:45:00.002-07:00

I admit it. I have blonde moments. Lots of them. Especially lately. My memory is completely shot and it's really bugging.

I can't remember conversations I've had with people. That's the most prevalent problem I've noticed, but there are others. Like the fact that I cannot hold a thought process for more than a minute or two. My conversations are so fragmented I'm surprised people can keep up. I think I might need to be medicated for it (kidding!).

The one that is really bugging me is that I've had my discharge papers from the Emergency Room for weeks. They've been in my line of vision every day. I finally picked them up because I needed to find out when my Cardiologist appointment was and realized there was an actual diagnosis on the discharge papers!

First, I am seriously bugged that I cannot remember things I've made arrangements for, like said doctors appointment (p.s. Jan 19th at 2:00 in case I forget again). BUT...I can remember obscure factoids that I really don't need to remember. I blame the seizure.

Second, the diagnosis: Prolonged Q-T Interval Syndrome. I don't know what exactly it is yet as the internet is a bit scary and cryptic. Luckily, I have a rockin' brother and sister-in-law who are doing some research on it for me. And I'm writing down lots of questions for the Cardiologist since my primary care doctor wasn't very forthcoming. A message has been left for my primary care doctor as to whether or not I can start an exercise regimen (seriously needed) with this issue outstanding. According to the Mayo Clinic information, it's a racing heart syndrome that can be triggered by sudden startles such as a loud noise or such. Will keep you posted.

So...can I use this diagnosis as an explanation for a faulty memory?

Walking Wounded...Barely

2010-01-01T20:22:00.007-07:00

I seriously cannot make this stuff up. We have another walking wounded in our family. This walking would would be of the furry variety, but somehow that makes it all the worse! Our temporary charge, Cougar (Kim and Leslie's dog), who is staying with our family until Kim and Leslie become permanent residents at another location after his recent graduation (happy late congrats on the graduation and baby, btw!) has become the walking wounded. We don't know what happened, we just know that somehow Cougar ended up with one huge (I mean, HUGE) gaping tear in his side measuring approximately 8 inches long. I have a theory of my own, but it only goes well if I explain some history, which will not be a surprise to some of my family and will be a huge shock to some other of my family. What can I say? I'm only human and as humans do, did something stupid and continued to do it as a twisted way of controlling my increasingly feeling out-of-control life.

Story line: I smoke. I have been a smoker for approximately...ohhh...5 months. It's not glamorous and I can't say I even particularly enjoy it, but I smoke. Of which, I have quickly decided to quit because, let's face it...it's gross...has made a recent cold of mine much worse and it's stinking and I constantly taste smoke. Yes, this is my glamorous life! Before my very glamorous seizure, I hadn't smoked for about 3 weeks and hadn't truly missed it, but decided that I did about the time I realized I probably wouldn't be able to drive for some extended amount of time. You see, I don't like feeling out of control, which has probably kept my life from spiraling ridiculously out of control up until now, which is why I refuse to drink, which I have tried in the recent months, much to my chagrin.

Anyhow. Now you have a history. I go out on "smoke breaks" while living in my parents house. Cougar is determined to be my best buddy, so hence, he has accompanied me on these infrequent excursions out onto the back patio where I bundle up and insisted on smoking a stinky cigarette that I was convinced was "healthier" because it didn't have any additives. What can I say? I'm a master of denial. Whenever I went out, Cougar went out. He likes to chase cars, so I would keep him in the back area of the house, where I noticed his increasing fascination with the bushes back by the swing set. He's too big to get behind them and I just figured there were some rats that fascinated him that he couldn't get at. No harm, no foul.

Apparently not. Today, I was crashed out in my room due to this worsening cold that has whipped my hide and I kept hearing the phone ring and nobody was answering. I dragged myself to the phone and returned my dad's repeated calls where he asked for an old raggedy t-shirt to be brought to him. He said something about Cougar and I surmised that somehow Cougar had become injured and was far enough gone that I figured the t-shirt was for my dad. So much for me being the hero and answering the phone for this urgent phone call. Note to self: do not answer the phone groggy, it's just a pain and we have to fix it later!

I can't drive, of course, so mom is the designated driver, but luckily she calls to get a further story and figures out that the t-shirt is for Cougar to tie over a drain because this apparent accident has ripped a clean 2-3 inches of skin around said 8 inch wound away from his ribs. This is when my mind cleared up and I asked if it could have been a rat (not fully comprehending 8 inches in my mind, obviously) or a feral cat because he had had such a fascination with the bushes for a few days and he wasn't far from the garage door when my dad heard what sounded like a short fight (maybe) and a resulting yelp of pain. The doctor says no rodent can do this and after seeing the damage, I agree. The doctor can only say that somehow, Cougar must have impaled himself on something, then ran away in pain to cause such damage. Cougar, my friends, is not a stupid dog (despite his continual efforts to become BFF's with me)...rather, I think a feral cat tore into him than the theory that he impaled himself on something.

So, we have another walking wounded in this family. And I am attaching pictures, some of which are just heart-rending. Some of which are gruesome. I gave you fair warning. I give you: the walking wounded.

Trip to the ER

2009-12-11T21:13:00.002-07:00

I had myself a nice little trip to the ER today. My sister had her babies (one boy, one girl) early and by Cesarean section and she's unable to drive for two weeks. She was released from the hospital today and her husband had to work, so I was the person to pick her up, gather all the stuff from her latest stint in the hospital on bed rest (Sorry, she delivered at 27 weeks. The babies are doing fine, but are in NICU since they were so small, under 3 pounds each and can't breath on their own yet), and take her to buy a breast pump (Is my life glamorous or what...keep reading it gets better), then take her home to her house across the valley from us. Not a problem. I'm unemployed.

So, I got the call to go pick her up at about 10:00 and the hospital was about 5 minutes from the house. I packed all her gear up in the car, then we went and saw the babies. Holy tiny! Their little stomachs were just pumpin' in and out with the speed of the ventilators. I believe my sister said 600 breaths per minute, I can't remember too clearly. Anyhow...we were on our way to Babies R' Us and she realized she left her purse and wallet in the car and in her hospital room respectively. We turned around and got the required items, went back to Babies R' Us and were on our way to her house. We got to her house and we carted in the various paraphernalia to the house. She asked me if I wanted to sit down for a while and I said sure. I folded her husbands suit jacket and put it on the piano and that's all I remember.

The next thing I know, she's telling me not to move and that I had had a seizure. Yes, that's right ladies and gents. I am officially in the broken toy pile! She had called 911 and the paramedics were there and were asking me all sorts of questions like what was my name, what my date of birth was, what month it was (pretty sure I answered this one wrong, it's hazy), what day it is (failed), who was President (answered this right after some hard concentration...I almost answered Bush, then Osama. No...Obama!) and some others. My sister was terrified (rightly so, I was out for a few minutes apparently and bonus, wet myself! That's the other glamorous part) and I could tell she was freaked out just by the sound of her voice. I was carted off to the hospital in the ambulance (not a good idea for those who get motion sickness and are strapped to a gurney) and duly put under observation. My parents were volunteering at the Olympic Oval for Long Track Speedskating and my sister had to call my dad to have my mom meet me at the hospital. Six long hours later, no new answers were apparent. It appears that the seizure was triggered by medication and I will now be going through withdrawals for the next few days because I get to go cold turkey for all of it. No biggie, I can do it. I was released from the hospital and am now home.

I am now required to go see a cardiologist, my primary care doctor and I'm on 2 blood pressure medications. What joy is mine. Oh, and I can't drive. Oh, and my parents are going out of town on Tuesday. Does the good news ever stop around here? The good news is that there are no neurological symptoms and it was most likely a freak happening. At least, I certainly hope so!

So...between the brother in Texas whose family has spent most of the past 2 years in a hospital with their middle child, my sister who was on bed rest for 5 weeks and the babies who are still in NICU, another brother who had a ruptured appendix and still has a hernia, and my stint to the ER, I think our family has officially had enough of hospitals (well, it would have been enough with just the Texas Beam's, but we have to push our luck, of course!) and it's not over yet! At least one family will have a stint in the hospital for the rest of the year (My sister's babies) and we never know what else will happen!

Keep throwing good thoughts our way, we certainly need them!

Unemployed and slightly disgusted

2009-11-24T19:24:00.004-07:00

Yes, that's right. I'm unemployed. Well, sort of. The job that I was working at has decided to terminate my "Assignment" with them (I was working through a temp agency) because I got sick too much. I wouldn't be sick if everybody and I mean everybody wouldn't come in sick to work! Case in point: One of the ladies I worked with had a cracked wisdom tooth. She had the tooth pulled and they told her she was out of absences (in the company handbook, there is no such thing as an excused absence), so she came in with a big gaping hole where the tooth was. And she talks on the phone all day. I'm still technically employed with the temp agency, but they don't have any positions right now.

I got the call from my temp agency (at about 8:00 PM) telling me not to go back in and that she would go down to pick up my personal belongings. I just asked her to have my friend who still works there to pick it up. I am my mothers daughter and had accrued quite a stash of food and other stuff like tylenol, aleve, hair stuff, makeup (for those emergecies, etc.). I'm happy to say that it looks like the person who cleaned out my desk (By 8:00 AM the next morning) took the drawer out and dumped it upside down into box. There were two boxes. I am also pleased to report that I cannot confirm or deny, but it looks like there are some things missing like a bag (We're talking Quart size plastic bag full) of Crystal Light Packets. You know, the kind you mix in a 16.9 oz bottle of water. I also cannot confirm or deny that there were two boxes of nutrigrain bars that each had 2 bars eaten out of them. The boxes are gone and I got 3 bars in the boxes. I can confirm that a sweatshirt of mine was almost confiscated because it was considered "Unclaimed." Uh, it was sitting on my desk...wouldn't you think it's my sweatshirt?! You do the math. Is this a rant? Yes. Do I feel better? Yes. Guess it's a good thing I wasn't offered a permanent position there.

Soooooo...if anybody knows anybody hiring....I'm available!

Blast it! Thwarted again!

2009-10-31T21:25:00.003-06:00

Yeah...remember that goal of mine to walk 2 miles a day? Hasn't happened. The treadmill was flanked by a piano that we are storing here for my sister and I couldn't get around it to plug it in. Plus, I've been taking it slow this week. This week was kind of a rough week with my fibromyalgia.

Today, lo and behold, my brother-in-law and his brother-in-law come by to pick up the piano. And take the treadmill, too. I whine to my father about how I was going to use that and he tells me to use the bike he bought (he purchased a recumbant bike). Yeah, but it doesn't burn as many calories and it's mind numbing! So, now I get to use the recumbant bicycle to exercise instead. I was going to just do yoga in there (works great for my fibromyalgia, btw, doesn't make me sore), but the bike takes up all the room in there. So ride the bike I will! Good thing I got myself 2 iPods (long story) to keep me entertained while I'm peddling away!

Oh, yeah. Fair warning to my fellow curlies: Until my hair grows out and I can wear it curly all the time again and until I get back into school, this blog is going to cover just about whatever I want to talk about, which lately, seems to be fibromyalgia, since mine is acting up. Sorry, Charlie! Keep checking and I'll let you know from time to time how the hair is doing and when I'm back in school!

For your information, I recently purchased some curly hair products from CURLS. I tried the trial size of CURLS Gel-les'c (the products I purchased can be found at www.curls.biz) and my hair seemed to like it, which it doesn't seem to like anything I have in my very extensive arsenal of products. So I ordered the Children's version of most of the products as they're cheaper and seem to be the same product. I bought the cream cleanser, coconut conditioner, hair tea, moisture spray and Gel-lec's (pronounced Jealousy...lame, I know). I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I think it's time for a protein boost. Might do that tomorrow followed by a DT. I've been neglecting my hair lately, gotta get on top of that!

So...bottom line. Exercise starts Monday. Recumbant bike for at least an hour. Maybe for the duration of a movie, depends on how out of shape I really am. I know I'm severely overweight, but I think I'm still pretty fit. Guess we'll find out!

Halloween

2009-10-31T20:43:00.005-06:00

I'd just like to state for the record that I really don't like Halloween. I think it's a lame holiday and usually just crash that night (hence me posting on here instead of being out at a party). This year, working for a new company, they celebrate Halloween. I mean, celebrate! We had a potluck lunch (soup was provided, chili and clam chowder, yum!), where everybody brought something (had way too much food, btw) and people dressed up. They were giving away prizes for most authentic and funniest costume.

So, I figured I'd dress up. I had an idea. I have a weird obsession with Marie Antoinette. I don't know why, but she fascinates me. And it doesn't help that I have a French woman in my office who tells me more about French history, it's great! Anyhow, I had an idea...my sister has a Marie Antoinette-esque dress that she bought when she was going to get married the first time (called it off and couldn't ever sell the dress). I text her and ask her if I can use it. She says it probably won't fit. I say I want to at least try on the dress. So her husband drops it by the house and I'm able to try it on. Yep, it doesn't fit, BUT it laces up the back. I have a nude tank top that I can wear that actually matches the gold embroidery and we can lace me up without zipping it up. Brilliant, right?

So I start searching for wigs. They're all sold out. Then I realize that my cousin had a Marie Antoinette wig from a Masquerade Ball from a couple years ago (maybe 2?). So I text her and ask her if she'll send me the wig. She did and I got it Wednesday. It's perfect, exactly what I wanted!

Since Halloween was on Saturday this year, we all dressed up on Friday. It was a pretty unproductive day and I lived to rue my choice of costume.

First of all, this is a wedding dress. It's heavy as all getout! It has a hooped skirt (which was interesting trying to get into my car and drive), and it's too long, since my sister is taller than me. It has a train that we tried to pin up with a couple safety pins. This did not last, so I ended up dragging the train around me and feeling like Scarlett O'Hara when I would get up to go anywhere, because I would grab one of the hoops and lift up the skirt of the dress to walk.

People were awed. People told my I was insane (which I realized about the time I got in my car), but I was determined to win one of the awards! So I went to work with a sideline trip to a grocery store where people were awed and said my costume was awesome (I did not have the wig on as yet). My arm movements are restricted and I'm laced up a little tight (thank goodness I did not live back then and have to wear a corset!). This is going to be an interesting day at work.

Have you ever tried to sit in an office chair with a "Gone With the Wind" hoop skirt and 30 pounds of dress on? No? I have! It's nigh to impossible! Once I got in my seat, I pretty much stayed there. The safety pins on the train popped and started poking me in the derriere. We tried to fix it, but they just couldn't hold the weight of the material. So now I'm walking around with a train. I put on the wig as everybody starts to drop by and man, is it hot! I start to sweat, which makes my makeup start to wear off a bit, so I take off the wig until pictures.

Management comes around and takes pictures of everybody who dressed up. If I can get a copy of them, I'll try and post those, too!

Around 12, my mom arrives with my contribution to the potluck (cornbread muffins, in case anybody was wondering) and a change of wardrobe. So my friend unlaces me and I am now comfy-cozy in a pair of jeans and a button-down men's shirt and a hat (the wig totally ruined the hairdo).

The good news is I totally won one of the awards! A $25 gift card to Applebee's. When I texted my cousin to let her know what I won, she replied with "Well, let them eat cake," a famously quoted phrase that Marie Antoinette allegedly said to starving French people. There is huge controversy as to whether or not she actually said it, but I wasn't witty enough to actually think to say that when I got my prize!

So, to those who wanted to know how the costume turned out, I give you pictures. I was going to paint my lips, too, but they were all chapped and it just wasn't going to happen. The necklace is real, a gift from my grandmother. I thought it an appropriate accessory. I was going to wear all my rings, but forgot them. Oh, well.

Job, Hair and other boring happenings in life

2009-10-24T19:52:00.003-06:00

Yes, that's right. My life has been pretty boring. Mostly because by the time I'm finished with work, I'm so mentally exhausted I literally go home and crash out. Now, this job isn't hard, it just takes so much mental energy to remember all the rules and I'm dealing with 15+ different rules and regulations each day.

I do have a friend that is amazing and makes work so much more fun and we have a grand old time. Thanks to Julie for keeping me sane when I'm about to lose it!

Work is going great. I've had a few unavoidable absences, so they're giving me a probation before being hired on. That's fine. I deserve it. I need to prove that I can be at work and be productive. They deserve that proof. I've got pills to help me over most of the issues that prevented me from getting to work before, so I'll take my pills and get myself to work.

I've made some very interesting aquaitances at work. I wouldn't quite call them friends because we just go out on smoke breaks. Yes, I take smoke breaks with the smokers. Otherwise, I don't get breaks. And it turns out to be the most hilarious breaks ever in existence! I love my smoke break buddies, they're just too fun!

There is a lady at work who is from France. I love her. She is so funny! I wish I had more direct contact with her. She's across the way from me and every once in a while, she'll drop by just to chat. I love that about her. She's actually interested in me and my life and will genuinely talk to me for the few minutes until I have to get back to work. She's amazing, too! Love her!

Did I mention that I really like my job? It's exhausting, just because the fibromyalgia tires me and I sit all day looking at a computer. I don't get up a whole lot like I used to at old jobs, so I get stiff, then everybody asks me if I'm okay. I admit, this transition has been hard and days have been rough. I think I've come in to work without makeup more often that with. I need to get it together.

So I have a plan:

Exercise. Yup, the best help for Fibromyalgia is exercise. Imagine that! We have a treadmill at the house, have for years. Do I use it? No. Rumor is my sister is going to take it to walk on while she's pregnant, but it hasn't disappeared yet, so I'm going to use it. My goal? 2 miles every day. Yes, it's very little, I know. But I have to be very careful not to overdo. I will increase as I feel like I can handle what I've got.

Next, Hair. My hair has been a nightmare. It's still toasted from the bleach. So I went to my stylist that I met at the school I had been going to and asked her to do whatever she could to get as much damage off as possible. She tried a very sharp a-line, but it just wasn't working, so she cut it into a very trendy asymetrical very short bob. it's like a long pixie cut in back with my hair coming to a point just in front of my ears. Very cute and everybody says it looks cute. I can wear my hair curly again (thank the heavens!), but it's a little wild yet. I might try straightening it and seeing how it goes. I love the cut, though. My stylist (Chelsey at Landis Salon in Bountiful) did an amazing job. I'll try and style it tomorrow and post the pic. It's really fun and when I actually where makeup, it's edgy, which is very fun for me, since I've always been quite conservative.

Last. Boring happenings. Nothing much going on, except for work and trying to get my hair back to normal. I'm reading a pretty riveting book that got me hooked off a TV Series. I'm not even sure what channel it's on or if it's even aired in the US. I know it's filmed in New Zealand. The bad guy in the TV series is actually one of the elf lords from The Lord of The Rings movies. This book series is 12 books! Holy commitment! I'm on the third book. Turns out the TV series is not so much like the book. I'm hoping I'll find the connection in further books. For those of you interested, the TV series is called The Legend of the Seeker. And the book series I believe is called the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (I think). Very intriguing, but not for young adults.

So...Sorry for not posting more often, but after staring at a computer screen for 8 hours a day, the last thing I want to do is come home and look at a computer again! I'll try to be better about posting.

Slowly, but Surely

2009-09-08T18:52:00.002-06:00

I realized I am very remiss in my blog. Part of this is because bleaching the henna out of my hair killed my curls. I have been working at repairing my hair (as much as possible with all the damage I did to it). I have been using the Kinky Curly Midnight Miracle and must say it works pretty well. It does make your hair feel soft and it's nice to put it in at night and just rinse it out in the morning.

I've also been trying to keep protein in my hair at some points, knowing it'll help strengthen my hair and stop breakage. I found a PIMP protein treatment, though it's not CG approved and it comes in individual packages. It's called Malibu 2000 Miracle Repair Conditioner or something similar to that. It perks of the undamaged curls and gived the bleached ends a little more curl.

My PIMP new stylist, who is amazing and cheap agreed that I just need to get all the damaged ends cut off to get my hair back to the way it used to be. Duh. When I first bleached it and colored it, I ended up getting about 4-5" cut off. I let that grow until it was buggin', then I went and got it cut by my current stylist (who was a student at the place I used to go to school and just went to an Aveda Salon). We decided that we would cut off as much as possible without cutting above my chin in the front. So I ended up with a pretty steep a-line. The back portion has almost all the damaged parts cut off and curls great. It's just the front, where I had to leave it longer that still doesn't curl great. I'm back to wearing my hair curly and not straightening. The less damage I do to it, the better off I'll be.

True, the front looks a little scraggly toward the ends, but where the undamaged regrowth is, it's curling like it did before! I've taken to pulling the front half up in a clip so people don't see the scraggly and only see the curls in the back. Hooray! I think in 1-2 months more, I can get the rest of the damage cut off and I'll be a happy curly again!

In anticipation of this joyous event, I have been greedily eyeing all these products I want to try! The Curls line is enticing, as is the Curl Junkie line. I'm currently poor, so those hopes will remain a dream for a while longer. I mean, it's not like I don't have enough product right now! Only 4 shelves worth on a bookcase. Yes, I realize I have a problem. Do I care? Not a lick!

So that's what's up lately and hopefully more posts will be coming as my curls return!

Remiss in my duties and Birthday antics!

2009-08-01T20:49:00.003-06:00

I've been a bit remiss in my blogging duties probably because work is wiping me out and my hair was back in a ponytail or 100 bobby pin updos because I couldn't do anything with it. It's still a big fat mess from my bleaching fiasco and the roots were beginning to grow out, giving me a very unattractive tri-color stripe as the roots at the time of the bleaching kept the red tinge of the repigmentation we went through and the rest of the hair took on the blonde color I was going for.

Since I finally have a job again (hallelujah!) and have money again (Amen and a hallelujah!), I decided it was time to do a demi-permanent Paul Mitchell PM Shines treatment as a personal birthday present to myself. So I went to the beauty supply store and bought some stuff for a friend and a guy I work with and ended up blowing $150 in the store. Yeah...that's right. $150. I bought my demi-permanent dye in nutmeg (A light brown color with slight red undertones), the developer that goes with it (PM Shines has it's own special developer since it's a deposit only hair dye), found Hempz brand face wash and moisturizer, then I found the tanning lotions. So I bought two of those! Then I went home and found 3 bottle of tanning lotion staring back at me on the shelf. I think I have enough now!

I colored my hair last night and ended up with brown hair. Not light brown with slight red undertones. Like brunette. Silly me...I didn't account for my hair's extremely porous state since the bleach and it absorbed the color and went much darker than it should have.

So today, for my birthday, I treated myself to a haircut so I will stop wearing my hair in a pony tail and actually try to look attractive at work. The girl was fantastic and I'm definitely going to her again. She wanted to try to style my hair curly, but it just isn't curling again yet. I still have yet to cut off all the damage on the length. The back has almost all the bleached portion chopped off (thanks to a very layered stacked graduation in the back) and I'm not the proud owner of bangs (or fringe if you're in the hair business)! I haven't had bangs for probably 15 years.

I'm extremely happy with the haircut. I feel attractive again (always a bonus when you leave the salon feeling hot!) and even put on makeup to go to my nephew Bryson's birthday party. I even got a special cake because it was my birthday (I had to share space with one of my sister-in-law's sisters, but I like her, so it's cool). I told my nephew that since his party was on my birthday, he had to share half of his presents with me (He's turning 8, btw). He said he wouldn't share his presents because I had my own cake. I Guess that's considered a fair trade in his mind! We had good mexican food and I ate Carne Asada to my heart's content!

Earlier in the day, my dad asked for assistance in setting up his new "toy," a canopy. Don't worry, because the destructions were cryptic at best and we don't do destructions as a rule, so we were trying to figure out how things worked. I am proud to say that I figured it out! I am also proud to say that my dad was a smidge frustrated because I figured out the mechanics of what we were doing before he did. He's the visionary and if that fails, then logic trips in to save him. I'm the logic before visionary. I can't stand illogical people, they drive me batty!

My dad was also super sweet by taking myself and my mom out to "breakfast" (At 11:30 am, btw) at a local old-timer restaurant. I had 2 eggs, hashbrowns, 1/4 lb sausage patty and a scone. I ate everything but the scone. It was heavenly! That was my birthday present from my dad. His love language is by doing things for people. It's his way of showing he cares and it's so sweet to see. We talked about his side of the family and I realized that I come from the most jacked up, disfunctional family lineage ever!

So I'm now exhausted from my not super-busy but not planned on day. I was expecting to crash out and sleep the day away, my preferred method for spending my birthday (I hate my birthdays).

Oh! I can't forget...I also cut my mom's hair today. It looks great. I'm quite proud of myself. And while I was cutting my mom's hair, I got a call from my brother Kim. We're probably the closest siblings and he lives down in Texas. My phone was in my room and I was cutting my mom's hair, so it went to voicemail. On my voicemail was a message from my nephew Conner (I don't ever spell his name right, so it's probably wrong...sorry Conner!) Saying "Happy Birthday, Keri! I love you!" Of course, my brother was prompting in the background, but soooo sweet. Then my brother called my parents line and I talked to him. That was great. He's in the hospital with their younger boy. They thought he was doing better, but his heart stopped beating today, so if you're reading this novel...keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Another long stay in the hospital for the Texas Beams! At least they know everybody and are part of the "family" there. I wish they were closer!

All in all, a good birthday full of love and well wishes. I also received (right on time, of course) a birthday card covered with frogs from my loverly cousin Ashlee wishing me a happy birthday. Made my day! It's going in my cubicle at work!

First Day of Work

2009-07-09T06:57:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was my first day at my new job. We'll be training until the end of next week. I woke up so nauseated from anxiety I thought I might not be able to make it, but new I had to. So I took some Dramamine 24-hour (great for nausea people, Bonine is the same thing), an anxiety pill and lay in bed until I started to feel marginally better.

I had planned on showering, but dealing with the anxiety was my first priority and my hair wasn't greasy. So after laying in bed (luckily, I didn't have to be to work until 9:30 that day) until I felt somewhat better, I got up, washed with a washcloth and got dressed. I brushed my hair, which was still up in bobby pins from the zoo the day before and I left it that way. My makeup was still on from the day before, too (technically, I wear mineral makeup so I didn't wash my face the night before after an exhausting day at the zoo and then dinner at Golden Corral with about 30+ family members), so I just went to work.

I must say, I'm a little overwhelmed and woke up again this morning with nausea and anxiety, though not as bad. I was gonna shower again, but dealt instead with my nausea and anxiety first, then washed with a washcloth (makeup still working after 3 days!) and got dressed. Now, I'm off to put my hair up (still not greasy) and off to work!

I think I'll enjoy the job, though it's a little overwhelming right now. It's basically data entry, but there are so many rules and regulations to learn, it's a challenge. But hey...I did Financial Aid. If you can figure out the Federal Education Loan guidelines, you can learn anything, I say! I think this will be an excellent position for me and I'm liking it so far!

Meeting of the Curlies

2009-07-07T08:55:00.002-06:00

Yes, that's right. We had a meeting of the curlies! There are roughly 3 curlies involved in the Naturally Curly Forums that live in Utah. And lo and behold, we got a private message from another curly (who has personally been very helpful in my journey with curly hair) who was coming to visit Utah and wanted to meet up to have lunch! We're always psyched up when we meet up to go to lunch and swap products like the true junkies we are, so we were super psyched to be able to meet another one from out of town!

We dithered back and forth about where to eat to give Laurabeth33 the best Utah food experience and were having a hard time coming up with something that is intrinsically Utah. We finally agreed on a local but very famous (with musicians mostly, they have a wall full of musicians and celebrities that have been there that have signed the wall and left pictures). The restaurant is called The Red Iguana and it has pretty authentico Mexican, which I appreciate highly thanks to the many family parties at my brother's house whose wife is from Mexico. I looooooove authentic Mexican food, particularly Carne Asada. Yum. But I digress.

I was late (not usual for me, but I decided to take side streets instead of the freeway because my car has expired registration and has since December) and everybody was already seated by the time I got there. I was pooh-poohed because I had worn my hair straight, then I reminded them that my hair won't curl because of all the damage I did to it about 2 months ago, then they were very sympathetic.

Two husbands ended up coming along because of the place we were going and it was sooooo much fun! I love going out with friends and just being able to talk about anything! We exchanged products like the junkies we are. Laurabeth, who is a product tester came with so many trial sizes I felt guilty that she didn't end up getting anything else from us because she couldn't take it on the flight home!

Overall, good times were had and it was a great time for me to get out and about! I loved it! Thanks guys for getting me out of the house and into some good food and company! It was a blast!

Celebration Time!

2009-07-02T12:59:00.002-06:00

After almost a year of being unemployed, I've been hired by someone! It's through a temp agency, temp-to-hire, but I'm so excited about it! The company seems like an amazing company to work for and in a field I've never thought of. It's hard to explain what they do, but they're a liaison between vendors and industrial companies to make sure they have all the certification needed to work.

I went to the interview and left psyched, thinking they were pretty impressed with me in the interview. I waited until I got home to call the temp agency and let them know how the interview went and by then, the company had already called and said they wanted me to be one of the people to start on Wednesday. The bummer is that I'm going to miss out on some of the time with the Texas Beams when they're here, but I've got a job again finally! Woot! I'm so excited for this!

This makes a really rough week so much better!

Dogs are Stupid

2009-06-25T14:53:00.002-06:00

Okay, not really. Ours is really smart. He can pull a pork chop off a service dish without leaving evidence. No joke. Lately, my parents have been out of town, so the dog sleeps me with me. He has to touch you. For those of you who know m, in general I don't like to be touched for long periods of time. And I'm a restless sleeper. Apprarently, when I shifted position, Kujo didn't like it and kicked me. Numorous times throughougt the next few nights this happened until I kicked him out of my bed because I was mad. And to compound the fact, he's a wanderer in the night and likes to sleep under the covers, so he had to wake you up to let him under the covers. It's a good thing this freaking monster sleeps with my parents because this wouldn't go on for long!

And did it help that every time he went on his nighttime ventures, he stepped on my injured foot which wasn't splinted because doesn't need to be fore night. I learned early on to put an ACE bandange on it. Stupid Dog.

THEN, to top it off, today my dad calls and they're having an open house at his work. This has happened 3 times in my life and he's pretty much worked there my entire life. They do top secret work and are sworn to not reveal anything even if they see it on the sci-fi channel. Cool, huh? So I get to go! Then we realize there is only my car available with keys because my sister hid the keys to my parents car so I wouldn't drive it under the influence. Did I mention I accidentally hit a parked car? Good think it was a Kia with a rubber bumber, so we just have some black skids on our car. And yes...I did leave a note. We were expecting a shipment from Seattle (The parental road trip) to help finish packing up my Grandma's house that was a framed painting my brother brought back from Korea. It arrived. Kujo doesn't like strangers. I tried to grab him by the collar and he lunged to the side. Wanna guess which side? THE WRONG SIDE! So now I'm icing my foot again and sincerely wishing for a couple percocet's to knock me out. But I can't take anything because evidently even Aleve makes me slur like I'm drunk and my family thinks I have a substance abuse problem. I could only wish. I'm too excited to go see my dad's work, so I'll power through the pain, people! Just for love of DAD!

IT NEVER FAILS!

2009-06-24T15:58:00.001-06:00

Whenever my father goes out of town, the swamp cooler breaks. I'm afraid of heights and it really hasn't been too hot the past few days, so I've just been sucking it up, but today totally bites it. Especially with that totally fashionable air cast on my right foot! I'M HOT, PEOPLE, HOT!

Good News and Bad News!

2009-06-23T00:52:00.003-06:00

The good news is that the foot isn't broken! The bad news is that it's a level 2 strain in two different areas, which isn't good. I get the privilege of wearing an air walking cast for the next 3-6 weeks. I must say mine is cooler looking than the picture I found.

I get the luxury of wearing this wonderful cast for the next 6 weeks with tennis shoes. Anytime I have a "load bearing" situation, I have to put this cast on with tennis shoes. What a pain in the tush because I usually walk about the house in bare feet. Guess I'll have to adjust.

Can I just say this doctor was the ultimate best. He explained that was going on, felt for where the pain was and laughed with me when I lauched off the exam table at an unexpected momen of pain. He then went and relooked at the x-rays and told me the good news was that I hadn't broken my foot. Hallelujah! I love good doctors, they're the best and hard and all get out to find! Too bad he's a sports medicine doctor or I would totally change to him! He was so cute because he was so country...even wore a bolo tie. Awwwww!

I asked him about a massage and he advised against it because the foot needs time to heal before a massage. Bummer. I need to go find some Arnica. Anybody know where I can find this stuff?

The adventures continue

2009-06-19T18:26:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, my back started hurting, so I called my doctor on Thursday to make an appointment. She doesn't work on Thursdays in the office, so I got scheduled with another doctor who is the biggest hardass I've ever come across. My blood pressure was low when I went in, so he wouldn't give me any muscle relaxers to help with the back/ankle pain because they drop the blood pressure. Never mind that my blood pressure is normally borderline high "We have to treat you as you come in." were his words. He took a look at my ankle which is black and blue on all sides. Toes, black and blue...left side of ankle, black and blue spot, right side of ankle, black and blue the whole side. The ankle is still swollen but not twice the size of my good ankle anymore...thank goodness!

He then procedes to drill me about how I fell down the stairs, trying to get me to say I was dizzy and fell down the stairs because some of the medication I'm on has dizziness as a side effect. Too bad I hadn't taken ANY pills that night. He keep rew0rding the question like I'm stupid and might finally admit I was high on all the pills the doctor gave me and fell down the stairs. Wrong. Dumbass.

The doctor decides to bypass the back pain like it doesn't matter and decided to give me a slight upgrade in pain medication for my foot, which doesn't hurt (Not what I was asking for, but he thought I was) and said if it's not better in 2 days, I need to take prednisone for 4 days. Now, I went with my dad to the spine doctor who says he never prescribes oral steroids for inflamation and/or pain because it doesn't do any good. When I addressed that with the doctor, he treated me like I was stupid, said he had read all the literature and that he's the doctor and I should do what he says. Say what?! For those of you who know me...if there is medical proof that something doesn't work any better than a placebo...I'm not doing it. I don't care if you're a doctor or not.

So I was sent to the hospital for x-rays because he thinks my foot might be broken even though it doesn't hurt when I walk on it...only when I move it side to side and up and down. I still have yet to hear the results which were supposed to be in today. Great. Meanwhile, my back is killing me. I'm calling the doctor's office tomorrow to see if they have the results of the x-ray.

The only thing he was good for was giving me samples of migraine pills. Explain to me why it's okay to give me a bag full of migraine medication, but not listen to what is wrong with me?!

Biffed it hard

2009-06-15T21:03:00.002-06:00

Evidently, walking down the stairs early in the morning is hard! Recently, my dad had injured his back, so we'd been watching him and he's slowly recovering due to a cortisone shot in his back. He's still weak, but too stubborn to stop and recover.

I went and saw my doctor last Friday because I've been having insane anxiety. Well, she decided to try me out on a new fibromyalgia pill. So I'm tapering off my generic anti-depressant and stepping up on the new pill that isn't an anti-depressant but acts in similar ways. Last night, I woke up with a pretty bad anxiety attack and think I might have been hallucinating because I ended up waking up my parents saying something bad was in my bedroom. I've had nighttime visitors, but have always been able to tell them to go away without any problems. Not so last night. So they (my parents) humored me (and slightly ticked me off because I thought they were pooh-poohing me when this was real, dangit!) and I moved into the other bed in the computer room for the rest of the night. After a few hours, common sense returned and I moved back into my bedroom. About 6:00 this morning, I woke up starving and thirsty, so I decided to go downstairs. Dad was in the upstairs bathroom, which is a unique experience.

Well, the first step down, I slipped and fell all the way down the stairs. The dog fought his way free of the covers and came barking, then sniffed my head. My dad opened the bathroom door and asked if I hurt my back (Why my back, I'm not sure, but I guess it made sense to him). I thought for a minute or two that I had broken my ankle, but it's just good and damaged. It's swollen to about twice it's normal size and my knee is slightly damaged, too. This family is just one big walking disaster right now!

Recovery

2009-06-06T10:48:00.002-06:00

Slowly but surely, the hair is getting better. The elasticity is getting back to normal and it doesn't tangle as much when I brush it. Hooray!

Downer: My hair will not curl. I hate to straighten my hair. It's a pain and it's short in the back, so it's hard to get the hair to lay right in the back because the growth pattern back there goes sideways.

I tried to wear my hair curly this week to no avail. It turned out to be just a fuzzy kinda kinked look. It's (the hair) trying to curl, but I think I broke the curl structure in the hair by using so much bleach. I've been avoiding straightening my hair because it takes forever to dry due to the porosity and the hair wouldn't comb.

Today, my parents and I were planning on driving up to my brother's house to witness my niece's baptism (I'm LDS or Mormon, whichever you recognize...it's the same religion), so I got up and showered. I'm using silicones in my Redken Extreme line products I purchased to try and repair the damage I've done, so I mixed some shampoo with conditioner in a hair color applicator bottle and mixed it, then applied it to my scalp and scrubbed. This seems to help my hair keep the moisture it desperately needs while allowing me to get the silicones out of my hair. Anyway, back on task. I got in the shower, washed, put some Redken Extreme CAT Reconstructor and let it sit while I shaved one leg. After rinsing that out, I applied some Biolage Conditioning Balm with some KBB Nectar mixed in and let it sit while I shaved the other leg and washed my body. I rinsed, applied some Redken Extreme Anti-Snap leave-in and put it up in a towel (I knew it had to be straightened, so I was trying to get as much water out as I could). I left it up in the towel turban, then switched the sides of the towel and put it up in the towel turban again while I got dressed.

After taking it out of the towel turban, I put some Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Balm, combed it through, then began to dry it. I'm kind of a freak of nature when it comes to straightening my hair. I like to dry it upside down with the nozzle just blowing the hair everywhere until it's slightly damp, then I start to use the round brushes or paddle brush, depending on how long my hair is. Right now it's a round brush. To my surprise, the hair would actually do what I wanted and dried smooth (and pretty fast) and doesn't look fuzzy on the ends anymore. The best part is that it actually moves now! Before, it was in such bad shape that when I straightened it, it just stayed put and wouldn't move in the breeze or when I moved my head. I hate that. Hair should move. Period.

So, I'm starting to think this can work until my hair grows out into curls again. Hallelujah, I say!

Sorry for the boringness (I know that probably isn't a word, but I liked it anyway), but maybe it'll give someone else some hope if they did what I did to my hair.

So, ta-ta for now!

Hair Repair Journey

2009-05-31T12:25:00.002-06:00

As you may remember from a couple posts ago, I completely and utterly obliterated my hair's healthy status by trying to bleach out henna. For those of you who don't know, henna is a vegetable dye that is beyond permanent. It took me 4 bleach sessions to get most of it out. Then I recolored. Bad news. My hair wouldn't dry, felt spongy (like cotton candy to the person who ultimately cut inches off in a bid to get it workable) and stretched for miles (okay inches). Hair that is healthy and has the right moisture/protein balance is supposed to stretch (I believe) 20% then return to normal. My hair, I'm not kidding, stretched 5 inches. I'm not even sure my hair is 5 inches long anymore!

I have to straighten, but that was another subject on another post, so we won't rehash my woes of destroying my curls along with my hair.

My sister has two friends who are cosmetologists and I figured I would talk to them to see what I might be able to do to rehabilitate my hair and/or return my curls to a semblance of their former glory. They recommended Joico KPak Reconstructor. I had already tried it. Little to no change. Then they suggested a reconstructor in a little glass vial from a beauty supply (I looked at the ingredients and didn't see any protein, but it promised to have it). It was obviously written in a different language first and had a poor translator. I instructed readers to apply the liquid (really thin like water, but kind of chemical smelling) to the double ends (took me a while, so I'll save you the pain...they meant split ends) first and friction (rub) the liquid in, then start applying up the hair. I did and just let it dry on my hair, though I think technically you're supposed to leave on for like 20 minutes then rinse out. When I next washed my hair, it was feeling better, but still not great.

So then I turned to my beloved people from www.naturallycurly.com. Seriously, I don't know why I bother elsewhere, though I admit the cosmetology consult was probably a good idea in theory. Too bad my hair is beyond the restorative properties of mainstream beauty lines. I posted a question on how to try and repair the hair until it grows out, stop the breakage and stop the horrendous dry time as well as the stretch factor. Wonderful people! I love you! It was suggested (I believe by RedCelticCurls) that I try the Aphogee protein treatment from Sally's.

There are a few of these treatments. There is the 2 minute protein treatment, and what I call the long-term protein treatment. I jumped. I purchased two packets of the treatment with following moisture treatment, washed my hair, conditioned, towel dried, then applied the protein treatment. The instructions tell you to use heat (I had my trusty soft bonnet dryer handy next to the computer) and warn you that your hair will dry hard. I sat with my soft bonnet on for approximately 45 minutes because I was so absorbed in what I was doing. My hair might have been dry at 30, I can't remember.

Taking the bonnet off was a challenge because my hair really was rock hard. Like someone had put epoxy glue in my hair. Usually when the hair is hard, you can work with the hair and break it up a little...not this stuff! I was afraid if I manipulated the hair, it would break off, that's how hard this stuff dried!

I'm a lazy person by nature lately, so I dinked around the house with my helmut head before heading up to shower, rinse off the helmut, etc. I got in the shower and spent a good 10 minutes working the treatment out of my hair. I used a mixture of a slight bit of shampoo and conditioner to "cleanse" the extra protein hardness out of my hair, then followed with the moisture treatment attached in the packet. I must say...I'm none too impressed with it. I would have preferred my Biolage Conditioning Balm. I washed, shaved my legs, rinsed, then rinsed out my hair. I squoze (probably not a word, but who cares?) out the excess water, put my hair up in a towel to soak up the extra water and dried off. I got dressed, took down my hair, applied some Redken Extreme Anti-Snap leave-in and combed through, then left it to air dry again.

It's still a long way from being okay, but the body seems to be coming back and hopefully in time the curls will, too. I gave up the protein for the next shower session in lieu of Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner mixed with some Biolage Conditioning Balm. Again, I let it air dry because I'm not going anywhere and don't have anybody to impress. The ends are still frizzy and like cotton candy, but it's on it's way. Hopefully after a few more treatments and lots of TLC, the hair might recover a might!

I hate my doctor's medical assistant

2009-05-26T17:51:00.004-06:00

Hate. I hate her. I loved her 2 old ones. One quit to stay at home and one got a job somewhere else. This new one is a joke. My doctor only gives me usually 1 refill on my prescriptions (except the usual birth control, anti-depressants and diabetic meds), so I have to call and have them call in a prescription to the pharmacy. This duty is to be completed within 24 hours, per their own voicemail message. My average with this new girl is roughly 1 week. I kid you not. I even plan ahead and call a week before I need anything and the timeframe keeps getting longer!

So...my hate has evolved to pure loathing and disgust. I've been sick (again) and was sick for about 2 weeks. I have my suspicion that I might have had swine flu because I worked closely with an instructor who was responsible for shutting down a high school and an elementary school when he was diagnosed. I was so sick, I couldn't even call in to let them know I wouldn't be in. If you miss Monday's, you have to have a doctor's note to come back to class. I left a message Wednesday asking for a letter from the doctor saying I was ill and can return to school. I left another message on Thursday. Didn't ever hear anything. Today, I put in another call asking for the same thing. Nothing.

I think I'm going to have to throw a fit. It seems like that's the only time I can get a response from her.

Bit the Bullet

2009-05-06T22:52:00.002-06:00

I finally bit the bullet and had the hair cut. A comb wouldn't go through it, I couldn't straighten it, I couldn't wear it curly...it was a mess. So I made an appointment. It was so bad, the instructor had to end up cutting it. She called the ends "cotton candy." Nice. Makes me feel nice. The back is cut into an a-line with the nape being about 1/2" long and the front just touches my chin, when straightened. It's gonna be a fun few months, since the instructor told me this was going to be a hard haircut for me because of the curl. Great. Fantastic. At least the color looks okay now. The ends were the part making it all look bad. I think. We'll see.

In other good news, tomorrow is the last day of class this week and I don't get to deal with insane people! I had a real quack tonight and ended up in a hair color war with the mentor I was assigned to because we were both trying to color the same head of hair. NOT EASY! I'm kinda smudged. She's worse. I'm sure it was horrible for her, she has OCD in the way she does things and I do them the way I've been taught. Hard mix. I learned a lot, though!

Tomorrow, I think I'm working on a mannequin and learning how to do weaves. Hello iPod!

It's Bad...

2009-05-04T22:43:00.004-06:00

Very, very, very, very, very bad. The color is splotchy and my curls are non-existent. I can't straighten because I have a very choppy hair cut. My curls resemble a bad 80's era perm that 1/2 fell out. Yeah, it's bad. I really was in tears today.

Here I am, trying to go back to school, where you need to look good all the time and here I am looking like a bag lady who let an infant style her hair!. I decided I had nothing to lose after coloring so many times that I poured liquid protein on my hair to try and make the color uptake more uniform, then reapplied the color mixture with a little difference in mixing and I left it off my roots. I am now the proud owner of spongy, damaged, non-curling hair that has a wonderful shade of green caste to it, even though I used NO products that stated ash in them.

The good news is that I brainstormed with my first instructor at class and she made a suggestion that will fix the green caste, and help improve the condition of my hair! Hallelujah! She also said she could cut my hair, trying to salvage something of a style out of it from the damage, but she can't do anything until after memorial day. Three weeks with this hair? Can I do it?!

Say goodbye to my hennahead!

2009-05-03T23:23:00.000-06:00

That's right. I am no longer a hennahead. One day, I got a bug in my ear in was just tired of my red hair and wanted my natural hair color back. Ummm...wow. What a process. I knew the henna was going to be hard to remove, but I didn't know the odyssey I was in for!

I made my way over to the local beauty supply store and talked to one of the sales people. She advised me that since they didn't have a vegetable stripper in stock (the easiest way to strip the henna), she recommended mixing bleach with equal amounts of developer and shampoo. I did it. It was okay. My head was a little tender, but I ended up with white roots and flourescent orange ends. I made my way back up to the beauty supply store and purchased a tub of lightener/bleach and made my way back home to do it again. This time I tried not to let it touch my scalp, but it did. I left it in as long as I could and rinsed it out. The roots were very white and my ends were now flourescent orange!

Enter's sister: I asked her to come help me bleach my ends so the color would take. I put in bleach + 40 volume developer. For those of you who don't know...40 volume developer is the big guns. She applied it, we let it sit and I rinsed it out. The ends were now an orange creamsicle color. I decided I had fried my hair enough (and my scalp) that I just needed to get the color on so I could go back to classes on Monday (Remember, I had to take a hiatus for medical issues).

Since I had to bleach my hair so much to get as much henna out as I could, I had to repigment my hair before putting on my color. Basically, it's restoring the natural bleaching process (i.e. when you bleach your hair goes from red to orange to yellow, so I had to go from yellow-orange to red to dark blonde). We applied the repigment. My scalp was objecting to more developer on my head, but I cowboyed up. After processing for 10 minutes, they (my mom was now involved because my sister decided she wanted to be blonde again from being a dark blonde. The day before, I had bleached from her demarcation line to the ends. The next day, I had put some bleach on her roots and put a stronger bleach on her ends before we got to my hair) had to wipe off the color. They were trying so hard to be gentle but it was basically torture. My scalp hurt so bad and my head was so tender that no matter what they did, it hurt. I was pretty much in tears when they decided they'd cleaned it enough. Then they had to put the actual color on. My mom on one side, my sister on the other. By then end of that ordeal, I was shaking and my lower lip was trembling and I was just about in tears. Blissfully, it ended.

After my processing time, I rinsed, shampooed and conditioned with a really rich conditioner. The roots are very dark. Presumably from their inability to get all the repigment color effectively off my scalp. The ends look pretty good. I won't know for sure until some of it washes out, but dang. I'm not sure it was worth this torture! I have little sores all over my head! Once I get a chance to take a picture, I promise I'll post.

So now I'm finally back to my natural color...sorta. It looks good and my poor hair needs a couple good protein and moisture treatments. When my hair was wet after rinsing it out, I did the stretch strand test. I'm not kidding...my hair stretched 3 inches, then bounced back to it's original length (I think). Sad to go from such healthy hair to damaged. It could be worse, but it's still a shock!

Sunshine gets a haircut

2009-04-15T21:01:00.002-06:00

This happens on a semi-regular basis, but this time is different. My hair was really starting to bug me. I always does when it gets longer than my shoulders. Plus I think I look better with a 'do about chin length. I have a round face. Very round. Not as round as it used to be...say...3 weeks ago, but still round.

The difference this time is that I asked my sister to do my cut for me. I like choppier cuts because it helps define the curls a little bit more, so I wanted a semi-inexperienced cutter (is that awful to say? She did a good job!). I gave her instructions and walker her through how to do a semi-complicated cut, when necessary, demonstrated on my mannequin head and I'm quite pleased with the results! I haven't worn it curly yet, but it's almost exactly what I asked for. There are some straggly curls that stick out, but I want to give it a few days to recover before snipping.

So, good job, sis! Your very first woman's haircut! Impressive.

Sorry, no pictures. Again, corrupt camera card.

First retry at Co-Washing

2009-04-14T16:15:00.003-06:00

So yeah, I'm slightly (Or totally) obsessed with my hair. Today, I decided to shower (a big move for me, I hate to shower because my skin freaks out for days) and begin my trial of full CG. I conditioner washed my hair with Garnier Fructis's silicone free Extra Body conditioner or something to that effect. I scrubbed pretty hard because it had been so long (6 days, gross I know) since my last shower (In my defense, I did absolutely nothing during that time). After co-washing, I added my KBB hair milk as my conditioner, let it set while I washed my body, then rinsed out. I used a bit of Jessicurl Too Shea! Conditioner, the let my hair drip while I lotioned up and dried, etc. I was gonna just let it air dry without products, which I've been doing lately, but just couldn't resist a product assist.

So I scrunched in some re:coil and plopped in my brand spankin' new (Well, newly cut at least) sheet triangles. I had a plan in mind...don't you worry. These olllllllddddd sheets are probably as old as I am and you can see completely through them. I cut them into large triangles and planned on using my soft bonnet dryer (think 1950's). With the thin fabric I could dry my hair in the plop mostly, then let it down and still dry it with the bonnet while I surfed the internet, posted on nc.com, etc..

I plopped for a while and when the fabric was soaked (not hard to do with how thin it was) and when I was starting to get cold, I set up my soft bonnet dryer on the bed in the computer room and secured it to my head. I let it go until the air no longer felt cold on my head, then pulled out the plop and continued the drying with the bonnet. I do have results pictures, but the camera memory card is somehow corrupt and I got the blue screen from death. Trust me when I say it didn't look half bad! There's frizz from manipulation (for air flow) and rubbing against the sheet, but I have pretty good lookin' waves. Not as good as if I had used my full compliment of products, but not bad either. It's still slightly wet toward the roots, but I'm not going anywhere, so it doesn't matter.

So the first co-wash seems to be a success! No oily, greasy roots, better curls (My hair actually curled in the shower, an almost unheard of event as of late) and the experiment with my soft bonnet dryer wasn't half bad either!

So sorry if you're family and you had to read (again) about my hair obsession, but you should be used to it by now, right? Right. Deal.

Happy Easter, Everybody!

2009-04-12T20:56:00.002-06:00

Sorry, I don't have any photos. I forgot to run upstairs and grab the digital camera. Today was pretty lame. I'm a heathen. For the first time since I was born, I didn't go to church on Easter. I meant to, honest! I'm just soooooooo smart and took a sleeping pill. I woke up at 1:00 pm. Great.

Anyhow, my brother Kris, his wife Rosy and their two kids came over. The Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma's is legendary. Grandma is super generous with both candy, nuts and money. The two kids each made a haul of a bowl of candy (I'm talking small mixing bowls people) and approximately $30 each in cash, between change, $1, and $2. I tell ya, kids just aren't as impressed with $2 bills as I used to be. We used to get one of these every year from a grandma and save and save and save it because they were soooooo rare. Then when I finally spent it, I was so disappointed by the reaction of the cashier...nothing.

Bryson, the one nephew had nasal surgery in Friday. He had some very swollen nodules since he was a baby and they found out when they went to go take him to the orthodontist that since he's never been able to breath out of his nose, his jaw is growing down instead of out. So they took him in to surgery to remove the nodes/nodules/glands (I'm not really sure what they went in to remove), but ended up taking out his adenoids, too. Now the poor guy has gauze packed into this nose, has to have nose drops, take antibiotics (He hates any kind of medicine, it makes him gag) and refuses to take pain medication (prescription). He says he's not in pain, but I think it's more of a medicine taking deal than him really not being in pain.

So we had to take the Easter Egg Hunt a little easy because he wasn't supposed to run. That stuck for about 2 minutes, then they were running all over my parents yard. They each ended up with approximately 60 eggs and I already told you their haul. Gravy, who knew a 1/3 acre lot could have so many places to hide 120+ eggs?

After the hunt and watching them open all the eggs, dinner was almost ready and the smell made me nauseous, very, very nauseous. So I excused myself upstairs took some nausea medicine (I do not have the same problem as Bryson!), OTC Meclizine. It's actually what's in the long-acting Dramamine, but since I've had nausea problems for oh...the past year...the doc just said to purchase it from the Pharmacy and I can get 100 pills for $5 instead of 8 pills for $7 (the Dramamine). So, you know, a note to the wise...Though be aware, it makes you a little drowsy. I crashed and burned for 3 hours after I took this stuff.

Well, that's how our Easter happened! A Happy Easter to you and I hope it was a safe one!

Giving it another go!

2009-04-07T15:01:00.002-06:00

So, I hennaed my roots last night, overnight, and was rinsing it out this morning. Lately, I have had the flakiest and itchiest scalp ever. I know it's not dandruff, just dry, since the rest of my skin feels the same way. It doesn't help that this diet has forbidden the use of any "nourishing" oils. Not in cooking, not in face cream, not in lotions. I have broken the rules for my hair, but haven't been rubbing it into my scalp as I'm trying to adhere to the spirit of the law, if not the letter of it. No wonder the scalp has been so dry! I've been using shampoo, of course, making it worse because I never was able to get co-washing to work for me.

Well, today, while bent over the tub rinsing out the mud from my hair, I decided to try using what was left of my Suave Tangerine whatever conditioner. I had been using it as a shave cream. I grabbed it, squirted some onto my hand, worked it into my fingers and slid my fingers very carefully to my scalp through the upside-down hair. I rubbed and rubbed, then took another dollop and worked it into each section of hair upside down. I must say...this seemed like a good co-wash.

And since my scalp is dry and itchy, henna makes my hair dryer and the season's are changing to super-dry instead of mildly dry, I decided that I would give co-washing another try. Keep in mind that last week, I bought a whole bunch of "good for your shampoos/body washes" because my skin had been acting up so bad. Guess I'll have a little more for body wash, huh? I trekked off (literally, trekked, as in walked...I don't walk anywhere, usually, but the store was less than a block away. We live in the neighborhood behind it.) to the Kmart and browsed the selections. I was a little disappointed by the selection, but finally found what I was looking for.

I ended up purchasing 4. Yes, 4! conditioners! I purchased Suave Juicy Green Apple, Cherry Blossom something (that took some looking), the new GF Body Boost that is silicone free. I love the smell of GF as a whole, but the other conditioners I bought as well. Then, lastly, I bought VO5 Blackberry Tea something conditioner.

So...wish me luck on my journey. This may end badly like it did before, but I think I might have the hang of how to do it now. Maybe my poor hair will become less dry, my scalp less dry and itchy, and my curls a little tighter. Here's hopin'!

I survived!

2009-04-06T10:27:00.003-06:00

Well, I survived the weekend. The Saturday night dinner wasn't really a problem because we went to Red Lobster. I ordered a steak with broccoli. I just cut off a portion of the steak and ate it and brought home the rest, which I ate Sunday for Lunch and Dinner. It was goooooooddddd!

Sunday was my self-restraint-strained-to-the-max day. I ended up helping my dad cook the breakfast, as usual. I ended up cooking the bacon while my dad cooked the sausages, both link and patties. Then I started to cook hashbrowns, but had to leave for a bit, so my brother took that over. I also cooked the scrambled eggs. So as a recap, we had bacon, link sausage, patty sausage, bratwurst, regular hashbrowns, hashbrowns with chives, scrambled eggs, fried eggs (for those who wanted them), Cinnamon burst toast, strawberries and pineapple. And to drink we had Crystal Light White Grape and Strawberry Banana. Every year, we always forget to buy juices. I don't get it.

I ended up eating a few scrambled eggs and strawberries for breakfast, but all day those dang hashbrowns and sausages and bacon were calling my name. They are still doing that right now. They just smell so good in the fridge! So far I've been strong, if not exactly following the diet to the letter, pretty dang close to it! Today I had gained .2 pounds. I just want to have a gorge day today where I eat it all, get it out of my system and start again tomorrow. Must remain strong...

Old is creeping up on me

2009-04-03T21:19:00.002-06:00

The other day, I had to finally bite the bullet and buy some reading glasses. It all started with not being able to see clearly the screen of the computer and it made my eyes burn after a little while. Then I realized whenever I read (All the time) I would wake up the next morning with a raging migraine. I found some cheap-o reading glasses and all is well in the world. Now I just have to remember to put them on. As I type, they're sitting in my bedroom.

This milestone makes me feel so old! I shouldn't have to have reading glasses yet! I shouldn't! But I guess this is one more pill I have to swallow and smile while wearing them. At least they don't make me motion sick like they used to.

Catchin' up

2009-04-03T21:01:00.002-06:00

So, the diet is going well. I'm getting a little into a rebellion phase where I just want a piece of pizza or a bowl of spaghetti (I have some sneaky plans that involve zucchini as noodles for my vegetable), or even a grilled cheese sandwich! I cleaned my room because my brother's family is coming down for General Conference and my room is the only room with a queen size bed. AKA I give up my bedroom (which is always cluttered with stuff, clothes, books, makeup, medication, shoes) and I found 1/4 bag of peanut butter M&M's and 1/2 bag Skittle and 1/2 bag of Cookies 'n Cream kisses. Man, it was definitely hard to throw them away. It's especially hard to cook for just one person. I've tried cooking enough for the 3 of us, but nobody will eat my food. It really does taste good, I promise! And this weekend is going to be a trial from hell. I'll explain.

Some of you may be asking "What the heck is General Conference?" Well, I'm LDS as is my whole family. Our church bi-annually holds what is called General Conference. It's held in a huge conference center in Utah, but it's televised nation wide. We were lucky enough when we were kids to just be able to stay home and watch it because we live in Utah. People outside Utah were not so lucky in the past and had to go to their churches. Anyway, I digress. Years ago, my dad started a tradition of taking the boys out to get ice cream after the General Priesthood session. Think of it like a men's pow-wow, whipping them back into shape. This eventually evolved to dinner and eventually the girls were invited. Now that everybody but me are married, the spouses and the males over the age of 12 all go. Yes, It's a big crowd. This time, there will probably be 11 people. Usually, if we have all the kids (as in my siblings) and their kids of age, there would be 15-16. We have a nice dinner, talk about what was discussed, then hike it home. So, finding something to go along with my diet guidelines is going to be a challenge.

2 out of my 4 siblings live in the Greater Salt Lake Area, so they just drive home and drive back over the next morning. I have one sibling who lives in College Station, TX and they recreate the activities there because it's become such a tradition. I have one brother who lives in Logan, UT, which is about 90 miles away...something like that. They're the ones who end up crashing at Grandma and Grandpa's. The kids love it because they don't get to spend a lot of time with our side of the family.

Anyway, the next morning, Sunday morning, my dad creates this huge feast. I usually end up helping because the other siblings don't arrive until right before breakfast is supposed to happen. When I say huge...I mean huge. We're talking (remember, this is usually for 15 people and we can't seem to whittle down the food, which is okay because we munch on the food all day) 3-4 lbs of bacon 3 lbs of patty sausage 3 lbs of link sausage, 1 lbs of grilled ham, hashbrowns, eggs, cinnamon rolls, toast, orange cranberry biscuits, juices...the works! Now, tell me, how am I supposed to maintain a diet when we're eating succulent food like that?!

Basically, I'm planning on gaining some weight in the next day or so. They say it takes 3 days to recover from a slip-up in the diet. Great.

Picky Picky

2009-04-02T11:38:00.002-06:00

For those of you who might remember, this is Mikey from the Life cereal Commercial. I loved those commercials and was devastated when the went off the air.

Anyhow, I'm like the picky kids in the commercial. I am an extremely picky eater. I don't like yogurt, pudding, jello. I also loath honey dew, cantaloupes and watermelon. Oh, and peas...let's not forget peas! It's a texture thing. Those little grape leave wrapped Greek food? I threw it up. Raw tomatoes (even the smell) are the bane of my existence, thought I can eat them cooked. I generally don't like casseroles because all the food is mixed together. When I dish up, I separate my food and eat it one by one. The other foods cannot touch and I circle my plate clockwise. This amuses my friends and family to no end because I'm the only one who does this. The other siblings, mix their foods together and/or pile them on the fork/spoon before shoveling it into their mouth.

So, along come this supposedly miraculous weight loss diet. I'm down with it, but figured out already that this was going to be a challenge of monotony for me. I looked that the allowed food list and most of them I hate (well, at least I know I hate them raw. Most of the time I can't get past the memory of it raw that I can't even try it in anything else).

But I'm proud of myself! I went shopping and actually bought vegetables I hate. This includes Cabbage, cucumbers, green and red peppers (eh, I can take them or leave them. Raw, they're too squeaky), spinach (great in a salad, but I can only dress my salad in balsamic vinegar, gross), radishes (my my dad ate in 2 days), zucchini, mushrooms, chard (it looked gross, so we'll try again later, asparagus (I don't like this on it's own...ewww), 1/2 cup eggplant (texture and the looks ooks me out) and tomatoes.

I will, at some point during this diet, try each an every one of these vegetables I don't know. Who knows, I could widen my horizons!

Venturing out into territories unkown.

2009-04-02T11:08:00.003-06:00

First, an update on the diet. It's going well. Sure, I'd like myself a hamburger, but for the most part, I'm happy with the food. The weight isn't coming off as fast as I'd like, but I think it's because I'm not drinking a lot of water. I despise water sometimes. In an effort to try and inspire me, I bought a couple cases of my favorite water. Fiji ( love the bottle most, square. It's just so unexpected!) and Smart Water. It just tasted sweeter to me..

So, here are the results from day 6 and 7.
Day 6 (04/01/2009, no practical jokes, thankfully): 229 lbs or 104.09 kgs
Day 7 (04/02/2009): 227.4 lbs or 103.36 kgs

So that means, since my highest weight measurement (even if I was gorging, hey, I'm trying to make myself feel good, okay)? And the total is...10.7 lbs! Hooray! If we technically start day one, the total is 5.8. Still not too shabby. I'm happy for right now. I'm gonna see what I can do to accelerate that a bit.

Weight loss stats

2009-03-31T07:10:00.002-06:00

This is kinda weirding me out because I don't reveal my weight to ANYBODY. Maybe my size, but never my weight, but just for the sake of someone out there who might need some enouragement, here you go. Remember Days 1-3 are considered innefective injections as the hormone has to build in in your system.

Day1 (03/27/09): Weight 233.3 lbs or 106.05 kgms
Day 2 (03/28/09):This was my most shocking day. Weight 238.1 lbs or 108.23 kgms
Day 3 (03/29/09): Weight 237.2 lbs or 107.82 kgms. Though I started the regular diet this day, you don't see the results until day 4. I know...lamo!
Day 4 (03/30/09): Weight 231.8 lbs or 105.36 kgms
Day 5 (03/31/090: Weight 229.6 lbs or 104.36 kgms

For me, I weigh myself in the morning, then inject myself at night before I go to bed. It seems to be working okay for me right now. Guess We'll See.

And the hunger sets in

2009-03-30T16:28:00.003-06:00

Okay, not really hunger, but the craving to eat, even if you're technically really not hungry. I found this cute picture and thought it was apt.

Do you think that might work? I'd give it a try. Right now I'm chugging down water and that helps to cut some of the hunger cravings.

Today was my first day on the actual 500 calorie diet. For the first 3 days, you're supposed to gorge yourself. I didn't quite manage that, but did eat a lot more than I usually do. People who have done it tell me that if you didn't eat enough during the loading days, you tend to get hungry during the diet days. Oh, well. I have some Hoodia pills I can take.

On the up side, the diet isn't as restrictive as I thought it would be. I thought I was only restricted to apples, grapefruit and strawberries for my fruits. Turnes out I can eat apples, oranges, strawberries, grapefruit, fresh peaches, fresh plums, cherries and dried apricots.

My real worry was the veggies because I'm a really picky eater. I thought I could only eat spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage. I hate cooked spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, raw tomatoes, fennel cucumbers and would rather not eat asparagus. Good news! According to my booklet, not the internet, I can have Broccoli, Celery, Fennel, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Green or Red Peppers, Spinach, Green Beans, Cauliflower, Radishes, Zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, lettuce, chard, asparagus, eggplant and tomatoes. Much better! I adore broccoli, Green and Red Bell Peppers, Green Beans, Cauliflower and eggplant (sometimes).

The way the diet goes is you generally do not eat breakfast, only drink coffee (I don't drink coffee), tea (sometimes herbal) or water. You can only have 1 tbsp of milk per day and can only sweeten the drink with either stevia (A wonderful, wonderful products) or saccharin. You can also have up to 1 tsp of agave nectar for cooking if needed.

So I had some water for breakfast and was starting to get hungry at about 11:oo, not relishing what I could eat. I looked at the cookbook included with my instruction booklet and found some really good recipes! I decided to make fajitas and they were yummy! I even made my own fajita seasoning! It was great just as it was, even without tortillas. I also had some slightly questionable apples. We buy the pre-sliced organic apples that come in individual bags with the right serving. Well, if you don't eat them quick enough, they start to spoil. Some of my slices were like that, but it didn't matter because I was full.

Tonight, I think I'm going to make oven fried chicken. No oil, just chicken coated in seasonings and some crushed up crackers and backed. Yummy. And probably some broccoli and cauliflower and maybe a plum. Yum!

Anyway, so far, so good! Tomorrow, I might be brave and post my weight loss...if there is any!

Embarking on a Diet

2009-03-28T01:29:00.005-06:00

I've been overweight my whole adult life and most of my adolescent life. Since I turned 12 years old, I don't think I've ever been smaller than a size 14. When I was 23-ish I had a life changing event (diagnosed with fibromyalgia and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and lost over 70 pounds, taking me down to a size 14 again. Slowly, over the space of 6 years, the weight has come back. Part of that is due to a lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle. Part of that is a side effect of taking the prednisone for my eczema. Now, I'm back to the weight I was when I lost it all and I hate it. Though I could stay this way, it's not healthy and it causes more health problems for me.

One of my fellow student/friends mentioned a new diet she had gone on to lose her baby weight. I consulted my doctor and she gave me a few precautions, but said she thought it would be a good idea if diet and exercise weren't working well for me, which they weren't. It's called the hCG diet. This is a pregnancy hormone that they render from pregnant women's urine. Gross, I know. The theory is that this hormone saturates your blood with your stored fat and helps you reduce the unused fat in your body.

This diet consists of (for me) 30 days of injections. For the first 3 injections, while the hormone is building up in your blood, you do what is called loading. You gorge yourself with food. Literally. They advise you to force-feed yourself the most fattening, highly caloric food you can to saturate your blood with food. Then after the 3rd injection, you go down to a 500 calorie, high protein, low carb diet. You don't add any fat to the diet and can only have 1 tbsp of milk and the juice of one lemon. You can add all the seasoning you want as long as it doesn't have added sugar, including vinegar. Yes, select fruits and select veggies are part of this diet.

One of the instructors at the school started this diet while I was still enrolled and I found out today he's lost 17 pounds. Very promising. This diet continues for 3 days after the injections, to allow the hormone to be removed from the body, then you resume eating normally with no starches and no sugar for 3 weeks afterward. Then you can begin slowly adding the starches and sugar back in moderation, monitoring your weight closely. If you gain more than 2 pounds after your weight stabilizes, you remove whatever you added or reduce it until you're back to your baseline weight.

I'm excited to start this! I think this just might be what helps me drop the pounds, get my weight back into line and help me become more active, so I don't need a "diet aid" when I try to lose more weight. Wish me luck!

I'm a Twilight Freak

2009-03-28T01:10:00.003-06:00

Yes, that's right. I'm a Twilight fan. I actually read the whole series earlier this year and loved it. Though the books were quite wordy for my tastes (I thought it could have been covered in 1-2 books, personally, but hey...I'm not an author), I loved the writing style and witty passages that made me laugh when I was the only one in the room. I loved the vision of the author in her imagined world of the vampires. I love that she made them more human and less animal. I love that she has an awkward heroine. I love the diverse experiences and knowledge that I inadvertently gained by reading these books.

I love reading romance novels anyway. I don't have any romance in my life, so I figure I can live vicariously through books and boy, did this one deliver. I found myself slightly frustrated as I was reading, wishing Edward would just break down, but secretly egging him on to stay strong.

So when the movie came out, I had to see it. I love the movie and it's been on my TV constantly for the past week it's been out. Things are obviously different from the way I saw them in my head, but I think the director did an awesome job. Though I hated Rosalie in the book, I loved her small part in the movie. Emmett cracked me up to no end in the movie, he's just like a little kid, excited at every aspect of life. Alice looked a little different than I pictured her (I envisioned a pixie cut, not the longer style they sported), but visually her overall character was dead on. Jasper was a slight disappointment. I wish they had portraid his "power" more and had shown him a little more relaxed. While I though him awkward with the other characters in the movie, when they showed outtakes, he fit in so much better as he acted more relaxed. Yeah, I realize he's struggling with his thirst, but I never envisioned him so stiff. I imagined Esme different, but loved the character in the movie. And Carlisle...wow. He's better than I imagined in my head. One of my favorite lines from the movie is when they're playing baseball and Bella calls Rosalie out and Carlisle taunts her by saying "Nice kitty." Hilarious!

Perhaps my biggest struggle with the movie was Edward. I love Rob Pattinson as Edward and don't think they could have cast it any better. But at times I see him in the movie and think, "He's just not that attractive." Then he smiles or cracks a joke or just relaxes slightly and I can see the hotness factor. And yes, I probably will see the new movie he's in, even if it is a scary movie. I don't do scary movies. My mind works overtime with those kinds of things. Probably why I love the Romance genre so much.

I have 20+ movies on my iPod, but this is the only movie I've watched since it came out. I was the same way with Pride and Prejudice and Another Cinderella Story (hold the mocking, please). So yes, I am a Twilight Freak. I'm okay with it.

Brainstorming

2009-03-20T13:33:00.002-06:00

So...Girl with Curl made a valid comment on my last post. She asked whether a second opinion might be warranted and I figured I'd combine this post with the brainstorming session I had with my parents last night.

I don't think a second opinion would change the outcome for me. I'll explain. This problem of getting staph infections in my fingers is kind of a compounding problem. I've been taking prednisone to supress my immune system to keep the eczema flairs down. With my immune system supressed, I can't fight off infections, therefore allowing the staph infection a head start and my body can't fight it off like a normal body could. Besides...the side effects of prednisone usage are horrible. Among the worst I experience is: hair loss by the handfuls (I've lost probably 1/3 my hair mass in the past 2 years of taking this stuff intermittently. My cousin, who was on this stuff at very high dosages and for an extended time period took approximately 5 years to recover her hair mass), insane insomnia, depression associated with said insomnia, intense increase in appetite (I'm already...oh...about 100 lbs overweight...I don't need any assistance in that arena) and big-time illness after I go off it...like go to the hospital illness. I've learned that my body kinda goes into an adrenal shutdown after taking the prednisone, so I now take big quantities of herbal supplements to keep my body from doing that, but it's only so effective. Other long-term side effects are bone density loss, increased hormonal imbalances, adrenal issues (already seen some of that), and more. It's not a pretty drug.

So my parents and I were brainstorming last night because my dad has finally seen how much I enjoy what I'm doing. He made a suggestion that I simply wear gloves whenever I am doing hair. I mentioned that I can't feel the hair like I need to and gloves tend to pull on the guests hair. My dad is nothing if not logical and sometimes, I want to strangle him for it. Last night, I could have kissed him (we're soooo not that kind of family). He made the valid point that surgeons do very intricate work with gloves on and manage to compensate with the feel. He simply suggested that I purchase some lightweight gloves and see if that would solve the problem. He agreed that I need to follow doctors orders and take a leave of absence for a bit to get the eczema under control and see when I go back if I can do everything with just gloves on. Hey, it's worth a try. Especially because I believe that part of my flare-ups are due to the sulfates and silicones in the products we use. If I provide a barrier, that might solve the problem.

In other news, tomorrow, I'm supposed to cut my brother-in-law's hair and my sister's hair. Guess we can give the glove-test a try with family members. My sister has a really hard head, so she can tell me if it's pulling on her hair more than usual and my brother-in-law's hair is short, so it'll help be know if I can have a good feel with gloves on. I guess we'll see.

At least I have some options, which is better than just feeling like I have to give up on my dreams.

Down and out...

2009-03-19T17:51:00.002-06:00

I'm frustrated and a little bit down. I went to go see the doctor for the 2nd time since starting school about the eczema on my fingers. My eczema on my hands has been out of control since I started and she told me today that I need to take a leave from school to determine if it's school that's making my hands so bad or the change in the seasons. We argued (I'm nothing if not stubborn) about me staying in until after the seasons are finished changing because I want this so bad, but this is time #2 that I've had a staph infection in my fingers. Not cleanly for haircutting and not good for me, either. I've been taking prednisone, a horrible if wondrous drug to keep my fingers under control and it still isn't doing the trick. And it has too many side effects to keep taking it like I have been.

So, this blog will change slightly into more of a life and/or hair accounting until I'm able to return to school. If I'm able to return to school. Yeah, I'm frustrated. Yeah, I'm mad. Doesn't do me any good, so I'm just gonna go be frustrated and mad for a while on my own.

Men's Cutting

2009-03-17T09:51:00.002-06:00

This week, we have our floor tests for men's haircutting. Too bad we've only had about 3 hours instruction on it, if that. It feels a might daunting, I must admit, but the instructors will be there every step of the way to help us, which is a relief. Plus, I'm cutting my brothers hair. He can't exactly explode if I make a mistake, right?

The rest of the night was spent in our lunchroom on product knowledge. We covered the Color Care line, which is a great line. They also gave us a sample of the Super Strong leave-in or something to that effect. Too bad it has silicones in it, because it's supposed to be protein rich and my hair loves protein. Oh, well...I'll go ahead and give it the old college try. After all, it was free...

2009-03-11T22:18:00.002-06:00

I got my test results tonight and I passed. My evil plan is working and I get to move on to the next stage of classes, which is protege. We mirror a student who is further along in the program for 2 weeks, then we're on our own.

We might be going out Saturday night to celebrate getting past the "hardest" part of school! Notes to follow, I'm sure.

Tonight, we witnessed a manicure and a pedicure and a mini melt-down from one of the younger students. She wanted the pedicure and another classmate suggested that since she had had her eyebrows (I think) waxed, that maybe she should let another classmate do the pedicure. A full-on fit ensued including the one wanting the pedicure calling the responsible one "mom." Grow up, people. Grow up. And she "got even" anyway by going and having something else waxed during the pedicure. Lame. I'll be glad when she's out on the floor and I can distance myself from her.

Tomorrow, we have our celebration with a movie night, pizza and potluck. It feels like a huge hurdle we've reached here and we are ready to move on!

Written Test Ovah!

2009-03-11T12:07:00.002-06:00

I don't know if I passed or not. I'll find out tonight. Why is it that everything you know immediately flies out of your head when you're taking a test?! Seriously! I couldn't even remember the color wheel. I had to come back to it.

Did you know there are 19 steps to doing a perm? 19!!!!!! And I had to list them all in order! I think I got that right.

I have blisters on my toes from the floor test (yeah, I was dumb and wore heels). I lanced the liquid last night and took the skin off one of the toes...BIG mistake. I'm hobbling all over the house sans shoes. Imagine what it'll be like with shoes tonight.

Floor Test Ovah!

2009-03-09T22:38:00.002-06:00

I finished my floor test tonight. I'm pretty sure I passed. Thank goodness! I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow. I also get to make up my written test tomorrow. Can you see me jumping for joy?

I asked my sister to come and be my female model. We had to do 16 foils, 8 weave and 8 slice foils (trust me, I know most of this is greek to you). Then we had to pull those out and resection the hair and do color applications. I figured my sister would be an okay model because her hair was about to her chest. Wrongo, people! It probably hits her bra-strap! And it's THICK! I think I ended up putting 1/3 of a gallon of conditioner on her hair for the color applications. My sister made the hilarious comment that we should have weighed her before doing the color applications and after!

After getting through the color applications, I was to rinse her hair and roll 6 perm rods. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and still didn't get all the conditioner out of her hair! I rolled the rods (which were a pain because she has layered and thinned hair), did the pretend application, took them out and finally washed her. We were judged on the head massage. She said I did a good job and I have some fierce competition as her stylist does a fabu job with the head massage. We rinsed, conditioned and then I had to dry her hair.

I finally got it dry, then completed my barrel rolls and spiral rolls (or whatever they're called on the side) and was given permission to use the smoothing iron on her hair. By that time I was soaked in sweat (seriously, I was) and even with half-assing the job, she loved it. Or at least she said she loved it.

So...the floor test is over. I'm happy, shaking from the cold because I stripped off all my clothes and am sitting in damp underwear writing this, and my feet hurt.

Day over! Whew!

Totally un-hair related...

2009-03-09T11:04:00.002-06:00

My nephew is famous! Well, at least in the Austin area. Well, one of my nephews.

My youngest nephew (so far) was born with some prett significant health problems and my brother and sister-in-law have ended up spending the better part of a year in a childrens hospital. They've staid at the Ronald McDonald House (Bless whoever came up with that idea!) during the time and tried to manage my older nephew (the now famous one).

The older nephew, Conner, is hell on wheels. He is always on the go, so excited to do everything, see everything, has a memory like nobody I've ever seen and everybody at the hospital absolutely loves him. His enthusiasm is infectious and you can't help but smile when you're around him.

During Halloween (poor family has spent pretty much every holiday at the hospital this year), he was Superman and was flying around the hospital ward, cracking everybody up. He was so cute, someone at the Ronald McDonald House took a picture of him.

Well, every year, the Ronald McDonald House has a ball for fundraising and my brother's family was kind of chosen to attend and be in the video promoting the fundraising. Rather than explain it, I'll just link you so you can read the story. This brought tears to my eyes. The whole blog is quite inspirational, so if you decide to, please feel free to read the whole thing. I think you'll get an idea what an amazing family I come from, even though I complain sometimes about them. This is my closest brother (In age and emotional attachment), so it's especially poignant for me how well they land on their feet with no family around. Thank goodness for family friends they've made down where they life (2 hours away), church members and the fabulous hospital staff.

The staff at the hospital has been wonderful and have really gone the extra mile for my family. So, as they say in their post...whenever you're at McDonald's and see the little change slot for the RMHC, chuck your change in there...it really makes a difference in many people's life's but especially my families life. I did stay there when I went down there to help and the rooms are amazing. Just like a home away from home. And there are numerous was to contribute if you're inspired to do so!

Sick...Sick...SICK!!!!!

2009-03-05T21:11:00.003-07:00

Yes, that's right. I have been sick...all week! Well, truth be told, I've been sick for longer, but it finally came to a head when I figured out what was wrong with me. I have a freakish body and no doctor can ever find out what's wrong when I tell them my symptoms. So I've taken to searching the internet and going back to the doctor and asking them if this is the problem.

Warning...this will contain a rant. I have been sick for the better part of a year with one thing or another. I have fibromyalgia, which is enough of a challenge to get up and do stuff every day when your body hurts all the time. Then I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, so my reproductive system is all out of whack and I periodically have ruptured cysts, always on the left lower quadrant, so they think it's appendicitis. I've been in the emergency room 6 times this year. Twice with abdominal pain, which turned out to be a hernia from chucking so hard. It took them 6 weeks to find it. Then because I had been on serious pain medication for that long, when the surgery happened and I didn't hurt anymore, I went through withdrawals and was let go from my job because I was missing too much work and didn't have any leave. I can't blame them. There were only two of us in the department and my coworker needed help. Then this hellish economy happened.

No problem, right? Just collect unemployment. Great. No job offers. I have a sick nephew who was in the hospital for months. My mom and I went down to Texas for a few weeks to help them. Then my Grandma decided she didn't want to live anymore and I drove up to go help out up there. The night before, I developed a really uncomfortable pain in my lower back. My dad was driving with me, luckily because it turned out to be a kidney stone. Ended up in the Emergency Room with the pain from the stone. They originally told me it couldn't be a stone because of the location of the pain. Many useless painkillers later, a CT scan and an x-ray revealed...ta-dah! A kidney stone. So they sent me home with more painkillers and other things to help me pass the stone.

Then...between myself and my doctor (thank goodness she listens to me when I bring something up!) determined that the prednisone I take in pulses to keep my finger eczema under control was sending my body into an adrenal fatigue, which caused another bout of sickness and pain. So I hopped on the bandwagon full of nutritional supplements to help the adrenal glands recover.

Now...I have a bacterial infection, pain in my lower abdomen (which luckily she didn't send me for ultrasounds or anything because I've had 7...count them...7 CT scans THIS YEAR! And I don't have insurance right now due to my jobless state) because she was pretty sure it was a cyst on my ovary. Fabulous. I was sent home with painkillers (thankfully not heavy narcotic ones, but I'm about to hop on board if it doesn't go away soon!), and birth control. Then when the pain didn't subside and I noticed other symptoms I won't mention because they're gross...I figured out it's a bacterial infection. Great, she called me in a prescription. My fingers broke out and I ended up getting a staph infection because of the open sores on my fingers.

Seriously...will I ever be well again?! Because I've had about enough!

Anyway. That's why there have been no posts this week about school, because I haven't been! But I have my floor test on Monday. Wish me luck!

At least life isn't as bad as my poor brother and sister-in-law down in Texas dealing with their poor son, who has been in the hospital for probably 3/4 of his life and he's a year old. Prospects aren't good, so if you could send some thoughts and prayers out to them, that would be great!

BTW...don't you just LOVE it when hormones rage out of control?! That is probably the source of this whole post. Because goodness knows...I'm usually not this negative and/or boohooey! Forgive the moment and your regularly scheduled post will resume on Monday!

Haircutting

2009-02-25T22:58:00.002-07:00

The past 2 weeks have been haircutting week. My poor instructor kept on having to remind my fellow classmates that we're learning to cut hair, not do haircuts. We're just getting the basics down. Let me just state that these really are not pleasing to the eye. But they have been fun as we've been able to whack off all our nasty mannequin hair.

Yesterday, we did mens cuts on one of our mannequin heads. They showed us how to to a scissor-over-comb cut and a clipper-over-comb cut. They do not allow us to use clipper guards while we are in school. That's cool. I liked my clipper-over-comb experience more, though. Just so you guys are aware...evidently steps are becoming a big thing in mens haircuts again. The guys are all over using what is called a tattoo clipper, basically a set of clippers with only 3-4 cutting teeth in them to give you steps or designs in your head a la Vanilla Ice. Fantastic.

Next week is our written test. Exactly one week from today. I just about had a heart attack when she told us that today. Next week, we also have makeup week where we get our makeup kits. I'm very excited for that! Then Mar 9th, we have our floor test where we go over all the theory we've done. Like color applications with conditioner, rolling 9 perm rods., washing, conditioning and styling the hair. I have asked my sister to be my model, but I'm slightly afraid because she has super-thick, coarse hair. Note to self: remind sister she'd be my model and that it's next Monday.

On a completely related and yet unrelated subject, my hands are in total revolt. My eczema has become full-fledged nightmare mode right now. I look like a leper and some of my fingertips keep on splitting and bleeding. Great for me to do a haircut, right? Nobody will notice some blood in their hair, right?

War Wounds

2009-02-20T10:39:00.003-07:00

I would have taken a picture, but I figured it would be nicer not to.

I've managed to make it through 7 weeks without any major battle wounds from class. I've made it through allergic reactions to the silicones in the conditioners (imagine that my eczema flare-ups were caused by silicones...huh), breaking a foot (not school related), perms, curling iron usage, hair dryer instruction and more without a mishap. Last night, that streak ended.

Like I posted last week, we started to learn how to do haircuts this week. Notice I said how to do a haircut, not doing haircuts? The haircut basics are ugly in real life. Monday was a review and going over how to hold our scissors. We were warned over and over that these blades are sharp. Still, people were a little blase about it. I was cautious because me and sharp objects don't get along. I know...smart profession to pick up. I have previous war wounds from every time my parents purchased a new knife. All on the same finger. Stitches were involved.

I made it through night one without any mishaps. Night two, I was sick, so I didn't make it in. Last night was night three of cutting. I made it almost the whole night, too! Right close to the end, I was going to make a cut when my thumb slipped out of the grip. I went to grab it sloppily and accidentally dragged the blade across my index finger. It scared me, so I immediately pulled the blade away. I thought it was just a scratch and it wasn't really bleeding, so I went back to cutting. We were warned. I played with the cut for a bit and it still wasn't bleeding (the blades cut so clean and so deep, you don't feel it and it doesn't start bleeding right away). Then I looked down and it was starting to bleed some more. I put a band-aid on it and finished up the cutting for the night. I went home and was prepared to take the band-aid off and go to bed. It's still bleeding. I took a look at the cut and realized it was pretty deep. Like deep enough I should have probably had stitches. It's still bleeding this morning.

So...yes...the blades are sharp. An accidental "scrape" gives me a slice that should've probably had stitches. I now have a healthier regard for my scissors. And another war wound adds to the character of the much maligned finger. Heaven forbid I ever get arrested and fingerprinted...That finger has some seriously unique patterns thanks to knives and now scissors.

Confession Time

2009-02-14T10:01:00.003-07:00

Yes, it's time for me to confess. At the beginning of this blog, I touted that I only wash my hair every two weeks and don't use products containing silicones. That is no longer true. Blame it on my access to too many products that I just have to try! Some are working, some are bombing, as per usual, I guess.

But I am still using henna to color my hair. It'd been approximately 7-8 weeks since I colored, so it was desperately needed! I don't think it would normally take me so long (yes long. I usually have to touch-up the root about every 2-3 weeks because the regrowth is so ugly), except I hate the smell of the stinking (pun intended) product! I had been toying with stripping it from my hair lately, but decided it wasn't worth the damage and resultant color fixing needed to make it look okay again. Plus, I think a time or two, I used henna that contained metallic dyes, so I don't know if that would lift with the stripper or not. And everybody in class is totally jealous of my hair color. Not that I understand it, but if they love it, then maybe I should love it for a little longer...at least until the metallic dye has been cut off of my hair. That should be...oh...6-12 months, I think. Can that be considered a little longer?

Showdown at the OK Corral

2009-02-13T19:10:00.006-07:00

Last night in class, we had...hmmmm...shall we say...a confrontation?

Lately, one of my classmates seems to have missed a lot of class. We're assured it's not so, so I have to trust that they know better than I. Some of the other classmates have expressed frustration about some people getting away with not being here more than others.

We received a talking to earlier in the week about worrying about our own selves and that some people have extenuating circumstances in which exceptions are made.

Guess that talk didn't take. There was a confrontation between a classmate "missing class" and another classmate. They had a heated discussion, which our instructor heard the end of and she lost it. We all got a very scary, very unnerving talking to. I could feel an anxiety attack creeping up on me and was freaking out because I didn't have any pills with me. Good thing it went away...sort of.

I couldn't help but think that it was like returning to high school. Our median age is roughly 25. The "missing classmate" in question is 18, the "complaining (The classmate wasn't the only one murmuring about it, they were just the only one who had their confidant go to the girl and tell them what they said) classmate" is married with 3 children. I would guess their age to be somewhere near 40.

Yes, people are going to be frustrated. Yes, it's not going to seem fair. Is it really worth it to talk smack (I had actually listened to another classmate mention their frustration over it, but they voiced their opinion that it was between the "missing classmate" and the school, I agreed and that was the end of it)? I mean, it's not like I have a whole lot of room to talk, since I've missed 3 days myself. And I tell you what...there are days when I don't feel good and I don't want to go to class. I know I could get it worked out with the school. But I've seen how hard it is to catch up, so I at least make an attempt to get to school. So far, I've been able to stick it through the night.

I don't know how this will end up, but it was definitely a tense night inside the classroom. Outside, a few of us were able to kind of talk about it and resolve it in our own ways and the instructor was able to laugh about it later. I think the scariest part was seeing our poor instructor trying to calm herself down. Names were named, which I don't exactly agree with, but then again, I don't need to.

Note to self: Keep head down and do your work. Don't piss off the instructor. And keep your thoughts to yourself.

I'm so excited...And I just can't hide it!

2009-02-11T22:29:00.002-07:00

Next week, people. Next week. We begin cutting weeks (there are 2 weeks of it). I am sooooo excited to cut my nasty, scraggly haired mannequin!

Today we reviewed chemical relaxer procedures, then went over blow drying. You would think that drying a head of hair would be easy. Noooooo. There is a specific technique our school uses. Yeah, it gets the hair really smooth (well, as smooth as a nasty mannequin head can get), but it is a pain in the butt. So, this is day 2 of blow-drying. Yesterday we learned how to blow dry with a paddle brush, a denman (they call it some funky number but it's essentially a denman brush), or a regular plastic brush. Today, we did round brushing. Holy pains, people! No wonder so many stylists dry the clients hair and straighten it! Round brushing is my new hate project, I'm telling you!

After we got our mannequins dry, we went on break to let the smoke/haze clear from the room. Then we got started on the smoothing iron (read: flat iron). This was actually fun. Yeah, they have a special technique. Yeah, it gives really great smooth hair. Yeah, I'm intrigued. Not enough to do it to myself much. I did get asked today whether or not I've ever used a flat iron. And a surprised reaction when I said I only started going curly a year ago. I am intimately familiar with smoothing/flat irons! Mine is currently gathering dust.

Then we moved on to curling irons. This is what mine looks like. This might be my new hate passion. We have to be able to do barrel rolls and side rolls for our state board or something. Let me tell you that I think I might be without skin by the time I master this curling iron!

The barrel rolls I can't even explain because it's so complicated. It's times like this when I wish I had 4 hands. You have to spin the curling iron while clamping and unclamping the clampie thingie (I know, technical) and wrap the hair around it until eventually the end of the hair is caught in the clampie thingie, then hold it for a bit, then clamp and unclamp the clampie thingie until it's no longer got hair inside the clampie thingie and pull the barrel out. Got all that? Good, at least none of us do!

And that, my dear people, was the end of the night. After dealing with scraggly, nasty hair and trying to style it with a blow dryer, smoothing iron and curling iron, I'm read to whack this nasty things hair off! Do you think they designed it that way? By the time you can actually cut it, you're so sick of the gross hair that you're doing cartwheels and spirit fingers just to have the chance to have scissors around it?

Procrastination

2009-02-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Things at school have been pretty boring. We're launching on our fundraising season, so Thursday night...all night...we sat first in the pow-wow room and watched a video about the charities we would be supporting this year. Then we went out to the front desk and participated in a conference call that we really couldn't hear because the phone wouldn't turn up very loud. Raging fun. I am excited for the fundraising because they're having some fun stuff like a car wash, a 5k (sooooo not participating, but I'll cheer), a fashion show, Princess Days, Casual for a Cause (we can pay between $2-$3 a day to dress in jeans), and much more I can't remember. It'll certainly be fun to do these activities and be able to earn hours, too.

The other activities we've been doing have been perms. Perms, perms and more perms. They are a major pain in my patoot. Major! Makes me glad I'm a natural curly and I don't have to worry about getting perms anymore like when I was little. And it's even more frustrating because it takes me so long to do the activity! I'm sooooooo glad we're done with them...until they're on my activity sheet to complete, that is. Sure, I'll practice at home, since I went and bought all the stuff to practice with, but I really loath it.

Now we're on to more fun stuff, like learning how to use our styling equipment. Tonight I think we're working with our hair dryers, smoothing iron and curling irons. Much more fun to my way of thinking, right?

So, now that we've covered what I'm learning...in comes the reason for my title. I am a huge procrastinator and have been majorly procrastinating touching up my henna. I've got roots that are about 1/2" long and it looks awful! I really need to touch up the roots, then do an all-over refresh because the ends are getting a might orange for my liking. Where I used to be able to go 3 months without getting my chemical color redone and the roots didn't show that bad, I have to touch up my henna every 2 weeks or so. It's been 6-7 weeks. So maybe I have 1" of regrowth. I've been toying with getting a vegetable stripper to pull all the henna out of my hair, but I'm so afraid of the damage that would do, that I just can't bring myself to do it. Then I have to maintain a chemical color and even though it would technically be cheap because I can have it done at school, it's still a hassle to do.

What are your thoughts? Opinions? Should I keep the henna and just deal with the high maintenance upkeep or go back to chemical coloring?

Good Gravy, Miss Maisy!

2009-02-04T22:24:00.002-07:00

The new haircut with the new "scary" gel was a big hit in class. I had 2 people tell me they don't wear their hair curly because they can't get it to look as good as mine. BTW, I got 2nd day hair today out of the "scary" gel. I sprayed it with some sea-salt spray to refresh some flattened curls since I had been laying in bed most of the day (woke up with bad vertigo) and pulled it half-up with a flexi-8.

So...I had a convo with the 2 people and offered to bring samples of some of my stuff for them to try and see if they like it when they wear it curly. I keep referring them to nc.com, but they haven't made it there, yet.

I had a bad run-in with some semi-permanent color in trying to keep my root from showing so badly. There is a girl in school who has blue highlights. In order to keep it from fading, she adds the semi-permanent hair color to her conditioner. I asked my instructor if I could do the same to keep the demarcation line from showing so much and she said yes. Well, I went, I purchased and it got all over my hands and a few drops on my legs because I had to snip off the end and it was pressurized from being transported somewhere with a lower elevation. I now have a pink finger. And pink splotches on my left leg.

Haircut

2009-02-03T23:10:00.005-07:00

I ended up restyling my hair before class with some of the products I had purchased that day, one of them being a frightening acrylic gel that requires shampoo to remove. In the instructions are the words "No second chances."

But it ended up looking fabulous, so I took pictures after class was over, so I give you before and after haircut pictures:

Before:

After:

Ever have one of these days?!

2009-02-03T15:10:00.002-07:00

Ever had one of these days?! I am soooooooooooo there right now! Got my hair cut yesterday, had a crappy hair day all through class because I didn't get to diffuse it before class started. Then today, I was volunteering for my church from 8:00 AM 'til 12:00 PM, then had a job interview at 1:00 PM. My hair looked like crap from the get-go, then I had the privilege (Well, I always have the privilege, but today it bugged me) of putting on a hair net. Way to flatten already flat curls! So I left a little early, came home and tried to fix it. I sprayed it with a mixture of aloe vera gel, water and LA Looks Sports Gel mixed with some Jessicurl Confident Coils. No, I'm not linking any of them. Google if you want to find them. The curls came back, better than I ever hoped for, but there was no volume on top. NONE!

Then I came up with the bril idea to use spray wax to create some volume. And to add insult to injury, I used duckbill clips parallel to my nose to try and creat volume. Now I just have a wild and frizzy mess I had to tame a bit with a pair of bobby pins on one side. So for now, the only new haircut pics you get are of me chucking my mannequin pinhead!

But the upside is that I like the cut. It's funky, but fun.

Perming...

2009-02-03T14:56:00.001-07:00

Tonight, we learned how to wrap a perm. My mannequin head is a pinhead. That's all I have to say. Oh, and we're doing perms the rest of this week.

Warning! Warning!

2009-01-31T10:26:00.002-07:00

Oh, the stupid things you learn in cosmetology school! Since the days have been pretty boring as to what exactly we're doing (going over different color applications) and I can't repeat some of the conversations going on in the classroom as I'm trying to keep this kid-friendly (not that a kid would really read this), I have decided to share some of the truly useless (or useful, if you do use these things) factoids on some products.

First: Buying Salon Brand products in the grocery store. BEWARE! You think you're getting a stealing deal and it's so convenient...BUT there is such a thing called diversion. What happens is somehow the bottles are sold to some disreputable schmuck who will usually empty the real products and either fill them with less quality products that are REALLY bad for your hair (for the shampoos) or *gasp* lotion (for the conditioners). There have been lab tests done from the products on the shelf and probably 80% of the time, they're not the real product. Beware.

Second and last: Did you know you could technically perform a perm with Pantene Pro-V shampoo? It's true. If you roll the rods, apply the Pantene Pro-V shampoo (I think it's the shampoo, it's something in that product line), let it sit like a normal perm until desired curl formation is achieved, then neutralize it like a normal perm...it'll perm the hair. Scary, huh? THAT is what we're putting on our hair, people! Well, not me, because I've always hated Pantene.

But wait...another I've heard about but have no evidence for: If you use Prell shampoo, you might want to stop. I used to subscribe to a beauty e-zine that was e-mailed to me on a daily basis. Basically, Prell touts super-shiny hair if you use their product. When the editor of this e-zine was in beauty school, many years ago (won't say how many), they conducted an experiment. They took a lock of hair that had been cut off that day, put it in a puddle of Prell shampoo and left it overnight. The next morning, the hair had been completely dissolved. If it does that overnight, think of the damage it's doing to your hair while it's on only a few minutes! The reason it makes your hair so shiny is because it is literally stripping everything imaginable from your hair. Please, Please, PLEASE don't use Prell daily. Maybe once a month, year, lifetime to remove build-up, if it's like lacquer and won't come off any other way.

*End Rant*

Whew!

2009-01-28T22:17:00.003-07:00

Not much to report today. We went over some procedural protocol when meeting with a client. Pretty basic stuff I had already learned by listening to some of the CD's they had provided to us.

But the big news is...I kinda found out what my haircut is going to be like! She says it's going to be short enough that I probably won't be able to pull it back into a ponytail. Probably a good thing as my hair has been pulled back every day this week. Except maybe Monday. I think I straightened Monday. She say's it's going to be madly layered with shorter layers and longer layers and it's going to be an A-line cut. That's all she'll give me.

In other news...I really want to get another tattoo (Ash, stop reading!). I can't find anybody to design it for me, though because it's kind of an obscure idea. I want a tattoo of The Three Fates. Not the nasty hag-like ones that traditional Greek mythology portrays, but winsome ones. I want it to go down my spine. I want one woman (I probably want them all hooded, just because then I don't have to deal with too much detail with the faces) spinning, maybe with a drop spindle. That represents the first Fate spinning the thread of your life. I'll show what the drop spindle looks like below. Then a line of thread waving down to another woman who is measuring the thread made. That represents the second Fate measuring how long your life is. Then another thread waving to the third Fate, who is holding a pair of scissors to cut the thread. This represents them choosing when your life will end.

Soooooooo...if anybody wants to design a tattoo for me, I cannot pay, but would much appreciate it if you're doodling to draw me a tattoo that can go down my spine. Any takers?!

Here is the original idea of the Three Fates:

Here is a picture of what a drop spindle looks like:

Also, please NO NUDES! I want these ladies clothed. And I want it tasteful. I don't want impressionistic or distorted. I want them to look like real people.

Thank you to anybody who takes on this challenge. I promise pictures if I ever get a drawing I like and get the tat done!

I love my instructors

2009-01-27T22:11:00.003-07:00

Have I mentioned this lately? I love them! Love, love, love them! They both love curly hair.

A while ago, we were supposed to create a poster board called our dream board, full of things we want in out lives, not just hair related. I put up things like I want a house with land, a chef, to eventually get married (maybe), learn how to spin flax and remain close to my family. The usual suspects for me. Then I also put that I was to become a certified curly hair specialist. What a round that sent off around the room! Both of my instructors congratulated me on that dream and said it would take me many places, but didn't know there were places you could certify in cutting curly hair.

They both love to cut curly hair and love it period. They always make examples of myself and the other girl in the class with curly hair. They even tried to talk her out of relaxing it. I think she might have listened. I also happened to pass on the nc.com website and revealed a lot about my hair styling routine. Like the fact that I only shampoo every 2 weeks. The instructors said that was great if I can get away with it. I also revealed that I cleanse with conditioner in between like you would use a shampoo. They were fascinated! Tonight was a fabulous night!

Oh, yeah...maybe on to the learning. We learned how to bleach virgin hair (again, using conditioner) and how to bleach a regrowth. This was much easier and made perfect sense to me.

Yesterday, we were going over hair color formulations and I made a comment about henna and some of the girls in the class were shocked to find out this color wasn't my natural color. Okay, first, I have roots that are about 1/2" long. I would think it's pretty obvious it's not my natural color. Second, it's flaming orange red! How often do you really see that? And third, we've made numerous comments in class not to bleach my hair because nothing will happen because it has henna on it! Seriously, people...seriously.

Coloring

2009-01-26T22:47:00.003-07:00

We began going over the chemistry of coloring hair today.

This was my brain before class...

This was my brain after class.

I got the information in theory, they just kept chucking curveballs at us and it kinda made my head spin. And it didn't help that I had a guy in my class who says he's being coloring hair for quite some time and kept on giving the wrong answers. I had to reason my way out of the wrong answers every time! I was about to do drop-kick him in the eyebrows! Okay, I really do love him, but seriously...

Still no word on when the haircut is going to happen or if it is going to happen.

It's about freaking time!

2009-01-22T22:20:00.003-07:00

Oh, yeah, baby! Today, we finally learned "how" to do weaves. They won't let us play with real hair color yet, so we had to use conditioner. Talk about sucking eggs! We learned how to do what they call the diagonal slice. It's used for a more obvious hair color. It was a challenge to get the foils to stay where they needed to be because the conditioner was too slick. Then we learned the horizontal weave. That's for the more natural look. By then I had mastered the "SunshineGrrl method" of making my foils stay in place, but still wasn't 100% successful. When it was over, we pulled out the foils full of conditioner and just brushed out the hair of our mannequins. They need all the conditioning they can get...

In other news...I'm going to get my hair cut. I signed up for a no-cut challenge and I should have known better. Once my hair gets to a certain length, it just goes blah. I'm there. So, I talked my instructor into cutting my hair and she's planning on making it curly friendly. She's going to cut it wet, but then style it curly and catch any stickie-outies.

In sadder news, the other girl in my class with kinky hair is going in on Saturday to get her hair relaxed. Sadness! Just give me time...I'll get her to embrace her curls. I have to admit, they are a mess right now, but I think it's just because she's going in 1,000 directions all at once and is so exhausted she can't function.

Temporarily Out Of Commission

2009-01-21T23:00:00.002-07:00

I know I haven't posted every day about my classes. That's because I've been out of commission with a cold that I got from my classmates. It made the rounds, I tell you. So, I ended up missing two days because I was sick and one day when I broke my ankle/foot/whatever. In "CORE" training, you can only miss 3 days total before you have to begin again. So I had a discussion with my instructor who was almost in tears because she was so afraid that I would have to start over. That was really touching. We made a pact that I wouldn't miss any more class, come hell or high water. I like class too much to miss it. If I'm sick and I think I'm contagious, I guess I'll go buy some medical masks so I don't pass it to others.

On an up note, I talked my instructor into cutting my hair. She's all over doing a cut that looks great curly, which I love. Right now, it's just in that in between stage where I really can't do a lot with it and it just isn't flattering when it's this long. Being able to pull it up in fancy hair do-dads are great, but it just doesn't look right with my face shape. So we're going to fix that!

Today, we went over color. I am amazed and overwhelmed with information. We went over the structure of the hair, how it interacts, the reaction of alkaline products versus acidic products. It was a super-fun, interesting, engaging night, but overwhelming just the same. Thank goodness PM has made it relatively easy to do color.

So, yeah. Nothing too exciting, just getting a little more intense now.

Fabulous News!

2009-01-19T19:04:00.002-07:00

Well, ladies and gents, I have been asked to be part of a blog group called The Daily Curl! I guess they were looking for more members and one of the posters on Naturally Curly thought of me. ME! So...after going through an interview of sorts, I was in! Now, not only do I get to post about my experiences in cosmetology school, I also get to post about one of my other passions...curly hair! Could life get any better? I submit that it cannot! Thank you Jillipoo! And thank you Jaime for giving me a chance at this. I hope I don't let either or any of you down!

Slight Change of Plans

2009-01-17T11:47:00.002-07:00

Since I'm so obsessive about curly hair and all the products and techniques and jazz...I may occassionally interject hair observations into this blog. If you like the idea...great! If not...too bad, skip past them. This may or may not include product reviews, new routines I've found that I love, teaching curlies in my class how to treat their hair right, ranting about societies stereotyping of curlies, the overwhelming compulsion to chuck hair products at people who have tragic hair and the list goes on.

Hope at least some of you will enjoy it!

I'm so lame...

2009-01-17T11:17:00.006-07:00

So today, I have nothing to do and I actually remembered to bring my mannequin head home to practice on. I'm supposed to be practicing braids, and french twists. So what do I decide to do with my boredom? I decided to see if my mannequin head had curly hair! So, I rinsed her hair, applied conditioner (PM Detangler if you're curious. It had dimethicone in it), rinsed again and lo and behold...she had wavy hair. I towel dried her hair and put her on the stand and forgot about her for a bit. When I remembered, I turned around and without product she had some waves and even some spirals!

And me, being the me I am...decided to take it a step further. So I rewet, scrunched out the excess water, then popped her back on the stand. I applied some product that is in my arsenal, but doesn't work for me (PM Extra Body Sculpting Foam), scrunched it in with the head facing down like I scrunch in my products. Then, since there was a significant amount of frizz (did I mention this is some seriously damaged hair?), I mixed up a concoction of water, Fruit of The Earth Aloe Vera Gel, LA Looks Absolute Styling Sport Gel and a smidge of Jessicurl Rockin' Ringlets to encourage more curl. I also tried plopping, but it's not so successful on her. The frizz seems to have significantly reduced. And...here are some before pics. I'll post more after once she's air-dried and I've scrunched out the crunch.

The Frontal Shot. This head is surprisingly feminine. I think my other one looks like a man. And yes, those are clips in her hair. I'm using them to put some volume in her hair.

The side shot. I tweeked the color a little bit so you can see the curls better.

And...the back shot. I may be a little vain, but I think it looks like my hair from the back. I also tweeked the color on this one so you could see the curls better. Hold on, lemme see if I can find a pic of the back of my head.

Okay, maybe not quite.

Styling

2009-01-16T10:21:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, we did a grand mixture of stuff. We started out the night doing inverted french braids, which were surprisingly easy. Then we moved to corn rows. I thought my head would explode. Those things are hard! And it didn't help that my mannequin head's hair all pushes forward. I ended up doing the braid on the crown of the head toward the forehead. Then finally, we finished with french twist. Those are surprisingly more difficult than I thought, but not too difficult.

I'm going to vere slightly off subject here because it's my prerogative. There is one instructor who wanders in all the time. He's so funny. One day last week, he was observing while we were doing french braids and the such and somehow I mentioned that my hair won't stay in a french braid. He assured me that it would. Well, I had my hair in a fake-it-til-you-make-it updo, so it probably looked longer than it is and I told him that. He insisted he could make a french braid stick. I whatevered and moved on to my next task.

So lately, he's been dropping by and (this is where I think I'm getting a little full of myself) he always seems to stop by me and just stand there. And he seems to be fascinated by my hair. Granted, it's bright red...and curly-ish, so that's usually a source for some fascination with some people even though I don't get it. Yesterday, I had my hair in another updo and I must admit, it looked pretty pimp. He came by and had been helping me with the corn rows, then just dropped by later. Somehow (conversations with him are random) we got on the subject that I haven't had a haircut since April (turns out it's more like June-July, maybe later, but it's still been a while) and he was slightly flabbergasted. Then I mentioned that it doesn't show since I wear my hair curly and don't have to worry about damage. He graciously agreed, then asked me exactly how long my hair is. I told him it was about an inch or two past my shoulders and he seemed surprised and said, "Oh, so it's pretty short." 'Scuse me...this is the longest my hair has ever been! I kept my sarcastic retort to myself and agreed because it is technically pretty short. Guess he expected it to be longer from the faux updos!

Anyhoo...my point is...I can't tell if he's flirting (could be gay, I can't tell. It would be a crying shame if he were) or just wants to get his hands on my hair. I must admit, I have a half-crush on him. What makes it even more fun is that he's totally not what I go for normally.

So, the rest of the night was spent trying to duplicate a hairstyle we picked out. Because my head was so nasty, I decided to go wet it, condition it and dry it so the hair would fall backward instead of forward. Then I had to dry it. It took me so long to dry it that I didn't get a chance to actually try my style. Bummer. But I brought one of my heads home so I can practice everything this weekend.

Soooo excited!

2009-01-15T11:49:00.002-07:00

Since we have to wear all black to school, I've been going slightly batty. I am a colorful person and wearing all black slightly depresses me. But I have found a solution! I just went and bought a bucketload (seriously) of colored makeup! This is going to be so much fun! As I experiment, if I end up with a really good makeup day...we'll just call them face days, just because I can...I'll have to document them with you. MAYBE with destructions on how I did it, though that might be a bit difficult, since I do a little here, then a little there to fix, then again on the other side to make it look more like the other side. I'm hopeless.

OH...I'm so excited. I have peach, blue, teal, lime green, orangish, avocado green, navy blue, powder blue, olive green...the list goes on.

Oh happy day!

Dear Lord, kill me now!

2009-01-14T23:14:00.002-07:00

Tonight, we did shampoo sets. We had some ghetto mannequin (not mine) heads that had the worst cuts known to man(nequin). I know I'm just a beginner, but I can usually make hair do what I want. Trying to wrap this severely uneven hair around plastic tubes was tortuous! And it didn't help that they had you put what they call GOOP (GOOP, people!) in the hair to make it easier to wrap. The consistency of this stuff was snot. I know, some of us on nc.com joke around about one hair product called Kinky Curly Curling Custard being snotlike...this GOOP (also known as setting lotion) takes the cake, people. Hands down. And if you put too much in the hair and combed it, it fell out of the hair like sheets of slime. I have to admit...it was slightly difficult to keep from gagging around this stuff.

So, after I wrapped as much as I could of my mannequin head in curlers, we put them under the dryers. By then it was too late to do anything else, so later, we're going to learn how to style it into the old-lady helmet by backcombing, so it'll last for an entire week.

Thank goodness, I'm in a night class and actual shampoo sets are few and far between. Kinda makes going longer almost worth it!

Didn't go to school last night

2009-01-14T14:46:00.002-07:00

I'm pretty sure I'm damaged in some shape or form. To the effect that I didn't go to class last night. Maybe from our pimp team building activity, since I stretched further than any human with my short legs should be forced to stetch. And it didn't help that I slipped on the ice outside the school (my bad for parking on an ice mountain), and slipped on some ice in my driveway. I'm too broke to go see a doctor, so I had a friend who is a nurse check it. She says most likely it's either broken bones in the foot (won't go see a doctor if that's the case because they said one more break and they were going to have to pin it), or a crack in the ankle. I think I'll choose to believe the crack in the ankle theory. I have a walking boot left over from the last times I broke the bones in my foot, so she just said to wear it in the boot for 6 weeks and if it still isn't getting better, go to a clinic that will allow me to make payments.

But I will be attending class tonight, regardless of the soreness, achiness, or whatever else seems to ail me right now.

Team Building Exercises. I HATES them!

2009-01-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Today, we had the team building exercises. First, there were 5 people chosen out of my class to be part of a fictional committe to plan a party. Guess who got picked. Yours truly. Fabulous. Then we all got a piece of paper that stated what role we had inside the group. One was irresponsible, one was a good leader, one was a slut (seriously), one was stupid ideas and one was the comic. We were not allowed to see our own label and after a round of questions, we had to guess what role we were labeled as. BTW, we were not given a list, it was just taped to our chests. Turns out I was the comic. I don't know if that was on purpose or just by happenstance. Either way...creepy.

Then we had our team building activity with another class. We were each given a book and had to get across the room without touching the floor, always had to be touching somebody and couldn't speak or laugh. Not only that, but they could change the rules. People were being blindfolded, tied together, and one girl even had both her legs tied together. I was one of the lucky ones to be blindfolded. Turns out after they blindfolded me, there was no rule saying I had to keep it on. Great, nice to know after the fact! One poor guy got sent back like 5 times! Oh, yeah. And there were anchors that couldn't move, so we had to go around them. And there were some students who had to wait for another to pass them before they could complete the exercise.

Number one problem was the personal space. I normally don't like touching people and like my own personal space. That wasn't going to work today. I ended up hugging, holding hands tightly and even full-body contact with people. Awkward! But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Guess this class will burst my personal bubble, huh?

And oh, yeah. I totally got slapped on the butt by one of my fellow students. Relax...it was a female. It's nice to know they like me enough to be playful like that and I don't take offense...it's just unexpected. I love that I mostly get along with everybody in the class. Didn't expect that!

Oh. My. Gosh.

2009-01-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a broken female. I don't know how I got to the ripe old age of 29 without knowing how to braid hair, but I have. I feel like I should turn in my woman's card right now.

If you can't guess, we practiced braiding tonight. The braids we learned were completely awesome, but geez! They were complicated! And the way they showed us how to do them was so confuzzling. First of all, the mannequin hair is just nasty. We found all sorts of random tidbits in the hair, from fuzz to actual thread. Thank goodness none of them had lice or other nastiness! My poor mannequin's hair was all sticking forward. I couldn't get it to lay back off her (I use the term loosely) face.

It was a fun, if slightly frustrating night. We learned how to do a cable braid (4 strands), bamboo braid (I can't even explain it, but it looks awesome), and I think a french braid. I seriously thought my brain would explode. I'm so damaged. But hey, at least I can retain my woman's card now that I officially know how to braid. It might not look good and I probably couldn't actually do it on a human head because the human would be curled in a ball in excrutiating pain, but at least I officially know, huh?

On the upside, I got permission to bring in my own products for days when we're doing each other's hair, which will not be very often according to my instructor.

Oh, yeah. We also got an introduction to PM products. It's a freaking good thing that my thoughts cannot be broadcasted. I'm pretty sure I would have been kicked out of school. Even though PM has amazing hair products and I'm slowly being brainwashed into wanting to use them, I couldn't help but almost snort at their propaganda. "Infused with lightweight silicones to help improve the condition of your hair" my ass. And pretty much all their Deep Conditioners have massive amounts of protein. That's fabu for the average bleached, damaged head of hair, but what about the people in life who need moisture, dang it?! Dry hair needs love, too...*sniff*

The Product Hunt

2009-01-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Last night, I talked to my instructor and told her I have a sensitivity to sulfate shampoo and silicones and asked her if it would be possible for me to bring my own products in to use instead of theirs. She suggested products that might be silicone free (Yeah, right), and was looking at them and didn't really even know what to look for, so handed the bottle to me to look through the ingredients. How can a company produce a graduate that is supposed to push products when they don't even know what's in them?

After determining the one product she thought might be silicone free had silicones in it, she went and talked to the head of the night school program to see if he knew of any products that might fall into my guidelines. They even trekked over to the store (in the school) and looked at all the bottles of shampoo and conditioners, including the new PM Pet products (Seriously, it's exactly like it sounds. Paul Mitchell products for pets). Lo and behold...nothing is sulfate free or silicone free, including the pet products.

It was suggested that I contact JPMS (the John Paul Mitchell System) by e-mail and ask them if they had any products that were silicone and sulfate free. I got home last night and hopped on their website and looked for the Contact Us part on the site. I found it, but no e-mail address. I Googled it, no dice. So, this morning, I called the number. This is one difficult company to get ahold of a live person. I had to leave a message and they're supposed to get back to me. So I'm temporarily on hold in my search to stay sulfate and silicone free while in school.

I have a feeling eventually they'll relent and allow me to bring my own products in to use, but I think I have to jump through the hoops to show due process. Guess we'll see, huh?

Edited to Add:
I heard back from JPMS. The prognosis is bad. While their shampoos are silicone free, they all have some kind of sulfate and not the coco-betaine or whatever kind. All of the conditioners have silicones in them, which would explain why all of the shampoos have sulfates in them. Bummer.

Oh, the horror!

2009-01-08T03:17:00.001-07:00

Last night, as you know, was mini-scalp massage, shampoo, condition and blow-dry. Anticipating this activity, I did not wash my hair, just sprayed with FOTE (Fruit of the Eart Aloe Vera Gel), JMO (John Masters Organics) Orange and Silk Protein Gel mixed with hot water. I was trying to impart some moisture before it was lost. A losing battle, I now know!

We received our kits and book bags last night. We weren't anticipating receiving them until the end of next week because they were ordered late. So we went through the kits, made sure we had everything we needed. This includes a detangling comb, metal rat tail comb, regular rat tail comb, regular combs, taper comb, 6 round brushes (3 thermal and 3 boar bristle), one paddle brush, one scalp brush (but it's so hard, I would be terrified of using it on a scalp for fear of removing all the scalp while brushing), one denman looking brush and one regular brush. It also came with a mirror, clips, hair dryer with nozzel concentrator (what the heazy with not getting a diffuser, huh?!), 3/4" curling iron, flat iron, clipper set, mannequin scissors, regular haircutting shears, thinning shears and thinning blade, haircutting cape, chemical cape and an apron. Phew! You get all that?! Wait, there's more! I got two mannequin heads with a tripod stand. Yes, it is my pleasure to tote these around during my time at school.

Ladies. Have you ever gone into a hairstylist for a color, cut, DT, anything and mentioned to them that your hair is super-damaged? Trust me now when I say we've seen worse. The mannequin heads are nasty. Not only do they look drag-esque, but the hair has been super-processed to make it clean. It's grossness. On the upside? We get to decorate them however we want! Helloooooooo Sharpie collection! I'm thinking maybe drag queen. I wonder if I could pull off putting convincing freckles on them? Hmmmm...

Anyhoo...back on track. After ensuring that all our stuff was in our kits, they took them back. Took them BACK! They say to ensure that we don't lose anything, but I have my suspicions. We did get to keep our mannequin tripod and the heads. And our bookbag. We'll get our kit back in bits and pieces.

Then we moved on to the mini scalp massage, shampoo, condition and blow dry. I must admit this was scary to me. As I said, most of these girls seem to have straight hair. What are they going to do with me? We got our demonstrations, then we set to work. I was the first "guest." My partner grabbed a bit of scalp treatment (they were out of the usual tea tree oil) and did a fantastic job on the massage. Next was the shampoo. I had broached the subject with my instructor about me being sensitive to sulfates and silicones, but I'll get to that in another post as it's loooonnnngggg. She washed me, then applied conditioner, then rinsed...all with cool water as the hot water supply had been depleted by students on the floor. Great for the hair cuticle. NOT great for the guest!

We walked back to the classroom where she began to dry my hair. I think this girl has some experience in drying hair because I was quite impressed with her technique. However. The dryers they gave us get really hot and she was using a round boar bristle brush with a metal barrel. She was so intent on getting the hair taught and straightened well, which I appreciate. But the end result is that I think I might have a few heat blisters on my head. She didn't aim the airflow down the hairshaft. Just aimed it through the hair and into the metal barrel of the brush. She made a comment or two about how hot the barrel got. You would think she would have translated that to how hot the dryer might be on my hair/scalp! I bit the bullet and didn't say anything like, "Son of a biscuit woman, you trying to fry eggs on my scalp?! That dryer is hot!" Or, "That is going to leave a bald spot from the 2nd degree burns I just received there." Okay, it really wasn't that bad and I'm too lazy to really come up with something pithy. Maybe later.

It took her all of my allotted time and hers to get my hair dried to her satisfaction, but the end result was actually pretty fabulous. The more time goes by, the more people are enamored of my hair. Last night it was the depth of color and how shiny it was. Even without heat protectant products in it. Yes, my hair will scream for the next little while. After class tonight, I think I'll slather on a DT, just to placate the hair gods. I mean, I need my hair to look really good at my Grandmother's memorial service...

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, but this is all I could get. Hope it shows up! And here are the results:
Apologies for the mega-flash. You can see how well she did.
The color doesn't show up so well...

The back. Again, the color doesn't show up too well.
I think this one makes it looke like the ends are black. I assure you, they are not!

Maybe this one is the one where the ends look black...again, they're not.
I like this because it shows the depth of the color.

Here's your cheeser smile for the camera. At the beginning of the night, my face wasn't so shiny and the freckles were hidden better.

Stay tuned for tales of the sulfate and silicone free search...

Day 2

2009-01-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Day two was much better than day 1. It was slightly hectic as my locker to lock all my stuff in was occupied already and it was snowing again. No matter. I made it and that's all that matters.

Day 2, we learned how we think. We did a "personality test" to determine whether we were Stringers or Groupers. Stringers, simply put, love order and a structured learning environment. They are list makers, plan every detail, etc. Groupers are very general. They like to learn a little bit of everything and can easily get distracted by other more interesting subject matter. They plan things in a broader aspect and usually do it all in their head instead of on paper. Anybody wanna hazard a guess as to what I am? I am a Grouper.

We did an exercise where the Groupers (5 of us) formed a group and the Stringers (2 groups of 4-5) formed groups and we had to plan a vacation. We had to figure out where we were going, how we were getting there, what we were going to do and what we needed to bring. Not unexpectedly, the Stringers made detailed lists and chose one location and chose many activities. Us poor Groupers...we chose 3 countries, 3 modes of getting to them, alcohol (I don't drink, but apparently my classmates are a bunch of lushes) and one other activity was planned for each location. And it was all listed in pictures. Guess we really are broad-spectrum thinkers, huh?

After that, we paired off and learned how to drape a guest (client). We learned how to use those funky haircut papers that looks like crepe paper. Ew. Then we learned how to drape using 1 towel, then 2 towels. Then that was pretty much the end of the night.

My partner lately (for the past 2 days, we end up sitting together) and I were talking with out instructor and sharing funny stories about our fathers, who all seem to be the same way (they fiddle and love to jimmy-rig things together to make them work). And we're products of our fathers, which make us good candidates for the school because you usually have to creatively solve something. We've had that as life experience, so we're right where we need to be.

Oh! And it is officially out that I henna my hair. My instructor cornered me during break and asked me if my hair color was natural (our colors are similar). I replied that it wasn't and she expressed relief as she would have to beat me down if it was. What a compliment...she likes my hair color. BUT. She asked what colors I use. So I revealed that I use henna. I expected a cringe and a lecture, but she was surprisingly cool and just told me to remind anybody who tried to lighten my hair that bleach doesn't work on me.

Day 3 promises to be interesting. We're learning how to shampoo, condition, scalp massage and blow dry. The scalp massage is done with tea tree oil and some carrier oil. They asked if anybody is allergic to peanuts. Guess who is? Me. Fantabulous. I'm already a problem maker. So, we're going to make an adjustment for me. Also, I don't use sulfate shampoos very often on my hair, so a fellow poster on nc.com suggested I just set my standards right now and bring my own hair products in to use and just say that I'm sensitive to sulfate shampoos and silicones. Brilliant! So, I'll further my problem-maker status tonight. The hair dryer portion kinda terrifies me as without product, my hair turns into a triangle of frizzy poof. Wish me luck!

Positive friends are wonderful!

2009-01-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

Feeling out of my element with this new school dynamic in my life, I decided to post on my favorite hair board (Yes, hair board! You wonder why I'm going to cosmetology school now?), www.naturallycurly.com, about how I was feeling. There was a wonderful outpouring of encouragement and positive feedback. That was probably the sweetest thing I've experienced in a while, since my family was not so supportive until I actually started. Thank you all! Your words mean more than you probably know.

Everybody was utterly wonderful and supportive with my post and made me feel better about my decision and suggested I start this blog, which is why it's in existence now. So, here you go, peeps! I'll try to keep it updated, but sometimes life happens. I'll probably have more to write about in the next 10 weeks because that's part of the Core learning that teaches you everything you need to know.

In the Beginning

2009-01-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

So...my first day in school was Jan 5th. I was supposed to start last March, but work prohibited me from starting. Then I got sick, then I had to be out of town, trying to take care of my Grandmother. Life always seemed to get in the way. It seemed like it was going to do it again when my Grandmother passed away and the family scheduled the memorial service for the Saturday after I started classes. Luckily, it turned out that they're flying me up Friday night and I come back Sunday night, so I will not miss any class. And trust me, I do not want to miss this class.

I am attending Paul Mitchell: The School. PM has an excellent reputation, plus I've met the owners and know them to be one of the most wonderful, friendly people alive. The atmosphere is so much fun. The people there are amazing!

The first day of school was a little nerve-wracking. It was snowing, I didn't know where I was going, I'm terrified of new situations, hate change and don't know what people will think of my hair philosophies. I went to class and we had to go over the legal mumbo-jumbo required by the state and that took up pretty much the whole night. My instructor is a total crack-up and I can tell already we're gonna have good times in the class. We have 4 men in out class and roughly 12 women. The first night, the men were sitting on one side of our little "U" shaped desks, pretty much like a snowball dance. I hated those things. Accursed dances.

It was still snowing and the school wanted to let everybody go so they could get home safely before the roads became icy or worse.

Thus ended my first day in class.