Snip, Snip, OH SNAP! Part Deux

For those who were readers of my blog back in the day...I am a chicken when it comes to haircuts (see Snip, Snip, Oh Snap!). For this reason, I was shocked at my decision to go ahead and let the hair go. All of it. Gone. Sayonara Hair!

I thought that I would feel mad regret, and spend the next 12 - 24 months choking down hair vitamins, and praying for new hairs. But surprisingly, this has not happened...yet. Admittedly there are some drawbacks to short hair, and I want to innumerate them for people who are considering the change:

1. It costs more money in the long term - Hair appointments are now every TWO weeks, when they used to be every 8 weeks. The cost of the appointment is less, but due to the increased frequency...$$$ is flying out the door. Also, there are more intermediate appointments. If you have a date, or you're going to an event that doesn't fall on your 2 week cycle, odds are you're going into the salon to spend additional dollah dollah bills.
2. It's a LOT of work - Believe me: you've never slept this "cute" before. Let me define this phrase for you. "Sleeping cute" is when you lay your head on the pillow in such a way that your hair NEVER touches the pillow. It's very difficult, especially once you fall asleep... In any case, I've been wrapping it up the way the hairdresser told me, and sleeping as cute as possible. However, in the morning: HAVOC. It takes some getting used to.
3. Versatility is DEAD- No more ponytails, no more combing over "in-need-of-a-relaxer" areas. You are at the mercy of the night. Did your "sleep cute" work or didn't it?
4. Fear that it will further derail your defunct love life- As mentioned in the original Snip, Snip, OH SNAP! I have been told that my butt and my hair are my best features. So, in letting one go completely, there is a fear that it's time to trade in my heels for a fanny pack, light blue sweats, and all-white Asics, because I'se be a spinster now. Irrational? Rational? Only time will tell.

However, there are some definite pros:

1. You learn acceptance - Since versatility is dead, there is only so much you can do. While I used to toil in the mirror for countless minutes, making myself late for work because I need my hair to "lay" just so...now I just run my fingers through it, put some mousse on the side burns and roll. Because that's ALL I CAN DO. Sometimes, I think I can do more...there is a price for such thoughts: a bad hair day. So it's a harsh lesson, but short hair grants you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change. It's like AA but without the alcohol addiction.
2. Spikes are now an option - Spikes are edgy. I'm not edgy. I'm actually very close to "nerd" but with spikes a new door is open. Once you've moussed it up, thrown on some sunglasses and an army-inspired jacket...you seem cool. It's great.
3. Forces you to step up everything else - Hair hides a multitude of sins. Now...I have to address those. I'll admit, I had let my ear piercings close up, I was a minimalist when it came to make-up, and I abhorred contact lenses. Now earrings, make-up and contact lenses are the staples of my "going out" look (my work look remains glasses, tinted moisturizer, and a random cardigan). And currently I'm thinking: I want to buy new clothes! Short hair makes you want to show off your femininity in other ways, and that creates fun shopping and makeover opportunities.
4. More compliments (so maybe the fear is irrational?) - I've been getting a lot of compliments on the new hairdo, even on days when I'm pretty sure I look like a raggamuffin (definition #2 is more concise). And my roommate routinely tells me I look hot. If she's not careful, that can materialize into a Girl Crush (j/k)

In general though, for ME, it was the right choice. How long will I keep this style? I don't know. But I'm proud to know I'm not somewhere crying my eyes out over lost tresses. Holla!

Our Friendship is Over! The Sequel

“Friendship. Two people choose each other through some mysterious mix of alchemine* circumstances. On the surface, the reason for our choice seems obvious: they share our interests , they make us laugh, but is there more to it than that? And do we ever stop to wonder: why this person and not another?” – Erica Strange

Note 1: I think she meant alchemistic. Alchemine isn’t a word.

 

So, if you haven't watched the first installment of our friendship is over, please do so before checking this one out. It can be found here. 

“Friendship. It begins when two people choose each other. But what happens when we outgrow the choice. When little by little, our paths diverge, our needs change, and one day we wake up and realize we need to choose something different." - Erica Strange

As  usual, part serious/part joke. 

To be Old: Ungrateful/Grateful

You know what I found out today: I am super ungrateful. I knew this, but I knew it was real when I almost let ill-will and yesterday's bad day taint a really good thing that happened today.  And even though my mind swirls with negative thoughts (still), there is one awesome good thing that I want to hold on to, and that I declare WINNER OF THOUGHTS today:

A couple of months ago, I was sitting in the waiting area of my doctor's office, and wrote this down in my phone:

I find myself jealous of old people. Sagging skin and age-spotted hands gripping a Kindle (go figure) or a Sunkist. With movements that are a slow motion version of 20 years ago. I wonder if they sit here thinking the reverse of what I'm thinking: "what is that young girl doing here?" I know why they're here: they are old.  But what communion does a 20-something have with these men and women in their 70s, 80s, maybe even their 90's. They have begun to break down. Parts have begun to cough and sputter, and the well oiled machine, that is the body, needs tune-ups more often than in the past...and I've joined them! My eyes get a little misty at just that thought, but then I wonder: will I join them?! Will I ever get to be old? Some people are afraid of getting old. Wrinkles. Incontinence. Surely those things suck majorly...but man, I just want the chance to get there. 

I almost cried reading that on my Blackberry. I really sat there, thinking these things, being the only young person in that office.I was clearly super negative that day, and subsequently felt much better, more positive, more delivered. But on that day, I felt like garbage. But then today, I had another doctor's appointment during my lunch break. And it was great! It was flat out great! At the end of the appointment, instead of the doctor ordering another round of blood tests, and instead of the doctor telling me to come back in 1 month, and instead of her giving me yet another scary diagnosis for me to go home and cry about she said:


"Everything's great! You look great! I love your haircut, by the way! So, how about you come back in say a year?" 

A YEAR?! I get to come back in a year! Like a normal person. Nothing is wrong with me. All tests clear. And for that, I am extremely thankful. Thank you Jesus. Thank you friends who supported me through the hard times. Thanks mom! Thanks everyone!  

It's that Time of Year: LENT! (part 1)

Disclaimer: Even though I made the image up top, the size of the words, font, ordering, spacing or any other details about the actual letters don't mean anything. These "sacrifices" were ones I've heard this week, and those I've poached from websites citing things to give up for Lent.

Well, it's that time of year again. I won't lie to you, I've never actually given anything up for Lent, since I'm not Catholic. I've always thought of Lent as a Catholic construct with absolutely no root in scripture. Yes, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before his crucifixion, but why does that mean I can't have a protein-filled slab of meat of Fridays? Who came up with that? Fish Fridays! Rude. What if I honestly don't like fish? Then I guess, for me, it's Soy Friday.

In any case, I've been thinking a little bit about what I might give up for Lent:

1. Give up meat
2. Fast
3. No Dexter

Blah, blah, blah. It all seemed so lame. Especially because WHY am I doing this? Why does one specific time of year, more than any other, require that I try to strengthen my relationship with Christ? Shouldn't I be doing that every day? All very legit points, but at the same time, Lent can be a springboard. It's like the New Year's of Christianity. It's a time where we resolve to do better by God, and we start thinking about what we should sacrifice in our attempt to do this.

So what to give up? There are the cliche few that EVERYONE gives up: chocolate, facebook, etc., etc. But how do those sacrifices get you closer to God? What, of God, will we replace the chocolate and facebook with? How does God view chocolate and facebook? Are they sins? Are they vices? Idols? The whole thing is very confusing to me.

This morning while I was praying and reading the scriptures, I stumbled upon what my Lenten sacrifice should be:

Psalms 51:16 - 17

There it is. God is not pleased with our external sacrifice. Back in the day, they might have sacrificed a few more bulls, or killed a few birds and sprinkled the blood on some stones. IDK. But what this scripture is saying is: God has no need of those things. And this is in a time when burnt offerings and sacrifices were definitely in play. But even then...that's not what God wanted. I don't want to deter anyone's Lent plans, but I think...God doesn't want your chocolate. Nor does He want the password to your Facebook account. What he really wants is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart.

How do we go about giving that to Him? Thoughts?