I've had long hair for most of my life. My mom made me cut it from waist-length to chin-length when I was 12, but I immediately started growing it right back out. By the time I was 14, it was back to my waist. Since then, I've kept it between the middle of my back and my hips, preferring it slightly past the middle of my back.
Last week, I decided it was time for a trim since I hadn't gotten it cut in a while. I debated cutting it shorter than normal, and I finally settled on right around my shoulder blades. I did some research and realized that I had enough to donate it to one of those organizations that makes wigs for people. I called around to a few salons, and none of them participated, so I decided to cut my hair myself.
This was my first mistake. There's a reason I'm in law school and not cosmetology school. I shouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors. I planned on cutting off 8 inches, the minimum needed for donation. I measured wrong and ended up with 12 inches. My hair was uneven and just past shoulder length.
Enter my second mistake: excessive frugality. I usually go to Supercuts or Great Clips to get my hair cut. I can get a cut and shampoo for $15-20. Well, I decided that I didn't want to spend that much, so I called the local beauty college. They were running a special for $5. I had gone to the beauty college before for other services and I was pleased, so I figured I would give it a try.
I went in and asked just to have it evened out, but to keep my hair as long as possible. The student began clipping away. She clipped, and clipped, and kept clipping. I reminded her that I didn't want a lot cut off. She was dividing it into sections and trying to give me layers. When I told her I didn't want layers, she mumbled something about school rules. Then she tried to give me bangs. I grew my bangs out when I was 12 and my mom finally wasn't making me have them anymore. I've never looked back.
To make a long story even longer, I managed to get out of there without layers or bangs, but I lost another 3 inches of hair. It now barely touches the tops of my shoulders when it has been straightened. I shudder to think how short it's going to be when I let it go curly again. Now I'll have to figure out how to fix my hair. I can't put it up in a bun or a braid anymore, and those were two of my favorite styles. I have it in a headband to keep it out of my face, but I'm quickly running out of ideas.
At least it will grow back.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Grand Plans for Christmas Break
A few days ago, I just finished finals for the semester, and I'm experiencing a mixture of emotions as a result. Suffice it to say I'm relieved/concerned/tired/drained/relieved/penitent/relieved. I have a month off from school, so I have some grand plans.
1. Clean my apartment from top to bottom. Housekeeping has kind of slipped the past few weeks, and I find myself staring at/tripping over barely controlled chaos. Truth be told, it will probably only stay tidy for a week or so, but I can try. (Curse the Second Law of Thermodynamics...)
2. Get caught up on reading for fun. I've already started this one. On Friday, I read Anthem by Ayn Rand. I liked it better than The Fountainhead, but not as well as Atlas Shrugged. I plan on reading, in no particular order, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Steven Dubner, and Restoring the Lost Constitution by Randy Barnett.
3. Write. I guess by doing this blog post, I've gotten started at this one as well.
4. Go job hunting. I'm tired of temping. I need stability and I want to use my training. If you know of any lawyers who are looking for a paralegal, I'm looking for a job.
5. Practice the recorder. I've been letting my music slip by the wayside. I was talking with the orchestra last night at intermission, and I think I'm going to play with them next year. Soprano choral singers are a dime a dozen, but I would be the only tenor recorder in the orchestra. (I would play the music of the second oboe, which would work great because there is only one oboe now.)
So, this is my list of plans. What will probably happen is that I'll sleep in, stay in my pajamas until noon, and snuggle up with my cat to watch television re-runs. I can dream big, though.
1. Clean my apartment from top to bottom. Housekeeping has kind of slipped the past few weeks, and I find myself staring at/tripping over barely controlled chaos. Truth be told, it will probably only stay tidy for a week or so, but I can try. (Curse the Second Law of Thermodynamics...)
2. Get caught up on reading for fun. I've already started this one. On Friday, I read Anthem by Ayn Rand. I liked it better than The Fountainhead, but not as well as Atlas Shrugged. I plan on reading, in no particular order, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Steven Dubner, and Restoring the Lost Constitution by Randy Barnett.
3. Write. I guess by doing this blog post, I've gotten started at this one as well.
4. Go job hunting. I'm tired of temping. I need stability and I want to use my training. If you know of any lawyers who are looking for a paralegal, I'm looking for a job.
5. Practice the recorder. I've been letting my music slip by the wayside. I was talking with the orchestra last night at intermission, and I think I'm going to play with them next year. Soprano choral singers are a dime a dozen, but I would be the only tenor recorder in the orchestra. (I would play the music of the second oboe, which would work great because there is only one oboe now.)
So, this is my list of plans. What will probably happen is that I'll sleep in, stay in my pajamas until noon, and snuggle up with my cat to watch television re-runs. I can dream big, though.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
How the Cat Stole Christmas
I love decorating for Christmas. When I was growing up, my parents always had an artificial tree. The year I moved out, they got a new tree, so they gave me their old one, which was about 10 years old. I used it the first year and contemplated giving it away after that because it was starting to show its age. Being a poor grad student, however, I decided to make it last for another year. So, I used it last year with no problems. I once again thought about giving it away, but I decided to make it last for yet another year.
I live in a small apartment with 4 other people, 2 cats, and a chihuahua, so storage space is a bit limited. I store my tree at my parents' house in the off-season. On Thursday, after Thanksgiving dinner, I loaded the tree into my car and headed home. I set the tree up that night, and I realized that I should have given it away last year. It looked sad and worn. When I wasn't looking, my roommate's kitten, Pumpkin, managed to climb up into the tree, bend the branches, and knock other branches out of place. I removed him and began to string up the lights. He climbed back up and we played this game for over an hour.
I finally got the tree put together with the lights strung up, and then I went to bed. I didn't get around to putting up ornaments until Sunday, and Pumpkin pretty much left them alone. I finished putting up the ornaments on Monday night. Yesterday morning, one of my roommates (not Pumpkin's owner) said that Pumpkin had climbed up into the tree, knocked the ornaments down, and batted them around on the floor like cat toys. Later in the day, I saw him do the same thing, and he even broke one of my ornaments. (Fortunately, it was a cheap one that I didn't care much about.) He kept knocking branches down, and I was so frustrated that I took the tree down and put the furniture back where it belonged.
I called my mom and asked if I could borrow her little display tree that she used back in the day when she sold Christmas ornaments at craft fairs. She said yes. I now have a tiny 1 1/2 foot tree sitting on an end table with 6 ornaments and a string of lights. Pumpkin started batting at that one, too, but then I stuck some peppermint leaves in the tree and he hasn't touched it since. I just wish I had known about that little trick before I took the big tree down.
Oh, and I gave the big tree to the thrift store last night. Hopefully it will brighten someone else's Christmas.
I live in a small apartment with 4 other people, 2 cats, and a chihuahua, so storage space is a bit limited. I store my tree at my parents' house in the off-season. On Thursday, after Thanksgiving dinner, I loaded the tree into my car and headed home. I set the tree up that night, and I realized that I should have given it away last year. It looked sad and worn. When I wasn't looking, my roommate's kitten, Pumpkin, managed to climb up into the tree, bend the branches, and knock other branches out of place. I removed him and began to string up the lights. He climbed back up and we played this game for over an hour.
I finally got the tree put together with the lights strung up, and then I went to bed. I didn't get around to putting up ornaments until Sunday, and Pumpkin pretty much left them alone. I finished putting up the ornaments on Monday night. Yesterday morning, one of my roommates (not Pumpkin's owner) said that Pumpkin had climbed up into the tree, knocked the ornaments down, and batted them around on the floor like cat toys. Later in the day, I saw him do the same thing, and he even broke one of my ornaments. (Fortunately, it was a cheap one that I didn't care much about.) He kept knocking branches down, and I was so frustrated that I took the tree down and put the furniture back where it belonged.
I called my mom and asked if I could borrow her little display tree that she used back in the day when she sold Christmas ornaments at craft fairs. She said yes. I now have a tiny 1 1/2 foot tree sitting on an end table with 6 ornaments and a string of lights. Pumpkin started batting at that one, too, but then I stuck some peppermint leaves in the tree and he hasn't touched it since. I just wish I had known about that little trick before I took the big tree down.
Oh, and I gave the big tree to the thrift store last night. Hopefully it will brighten someone else's Christmas.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Karaoke
Last week was my sister's birthday, and we went out as a family to a hibachi grill. (The kind where the chef plays with your food at the table.) The chef wasn't as entertaining as some are, but he was a better cook than most, so the food was excellent. It was karaoke night, so Jen and I decided to sing.
Background: I was in the opera in college and I've taken years of voice lessons and I sing semi-professionally, although I sing less frequently now because of school and work demands.
There is a dearth of pop music written for sopranos, but I decided to sing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. I was pretty bad, to be honest. (Although, I was better than most people. I had the advantage of being sober.) My timing was off, and I was apparently hard to hear, even with the microphone. I had fun anyway, and that's what counts. Jen sang Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves, and she was great. She could give Cher a run for her money.
Background: I was in the opera in college and I've taken years of voice lessons and I sing semi-professionally, although I sing less frequently now because of school and work demands.
There is a dearth of pop music written for sopranos, but I decided to sing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. I was pretty bad, to be honest. (Although, I was better than most people. I had the advantage of being sober.) My timing was off, and I was apparently hard to hear, even with the microphone. I had fun anyway, and that's what counts. Jen sang Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves, and she was great. She could give Cher a run for her money.
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