Break out the scissors...

I haven't had my hair cut or trimmed since I started growing it out in November 2007. Thanksgiving 2007, to be exact. Then bf pulled out the clippers with the 1/2 inch guard, and cut my hair for me. I had chopped it all off in September 2007, and at that point I felt like I just wanted to keep it short. Then, I realized my best friend was getting married in August 2008, and it would be good to have some hair to style. So, I started growing it out.

Fast forward to this month. I had to come to the realization that I'm NOT a person who can go for long periods of time without getting my ends trimmed. Reason? Hand in Fro disease. I love playing in my hair. I love doing different styles. I love twisting it and then untwisting it for a curly twist out. If I can go a week without doing something to my hair, that is a LONG time to me.

Hand in Fro disease means lots of manipulation. Manipulation can cause damage. While I was conditioning, deep conditioning, and using Ayurvedic products, my ends could not be saved. Not to mention, I had some old color hanging onto those ends. Color can dry out your hair as well.

Last night, I washed and deep conditioned my hair. I parted it into 4 sections, and put it in little mini-buns that I pinned with bobby pins. I let it dry overnight under my scarf. This afternoon, it was mostly dry, and I proceeded to flat iron. Usually I would blow dry and then flat iron, but I decided to save my hair some heat exposure. After flat ironing, I pulled out the trimmers.

Now, if you are going to trim at home, it's VERY IMPORTANT that you have a good set of trimming shears. You can't just be cutting your hair with scissors around the house. The other thing is, I'm not a hairdresser. I don't aim for perfection. I look for crispy ends and I chop them off. I cut about 1 inch from the back alone. I don't care if it's straight, either. I NEVER wear my hair straight. I just looks limp and lifeless when I do that. Since I wear it curly/textured, I'm not too much concerned about the cut being perfect. If you are concerned with that, you should let a professional handle it.

My hair feels 110% better. I gave it a light protein conditioner, and then put it back up in flat twists (I know, I flat ironed and then wet it - but, it just looks a mess when it's straight). The twists are holding so much better now that my crispy ends are gone.

I think that if I had been doing regular trims, I would have retained more length. So, I'm going to go with a trim every 12 weeks. If 12 weeks is not enough, I'll have to go back to my old schedule from when I first went natural - every 8 weeks.

Ladies, learn from my faux pas and be kind to your ends! Unless you have locs, or are wearing a bun every day (which is what we call a protective style), you are going to need to trim them regularly. Also know that with regular trims, you won't have to cut off as much hair each time. And finally, this is definitely a YMMV (your mileage may vary) situation - you may not feel comfy with trimming your own ends and that's fine - find a hairdresser you can trust, who knows the difference between a trim and a cut.

My Puff

I decided to post a couple of pics of my Afro puff that S23 referenced. It's been a while since I've worn my hair out in a 'fro or a puff. Mostly because detangling afterwards can be a hot mess. It's much easier to deal with a twist out, or to leave my hair in twists and wear a wrap.

This 'do originally started out as an Afro, but I didn't like the way the front looked, so I pulled it back into a puff. This was on Thursday. Yesterday I did actually wear the 'fro, but forgot to get some good pics of it. Next time!





It's time to get my ends trimmed. It might end up actually be in a hair CUT, since I've waited so long. I will post pics after I have it done.

Lazy Bones

There are so many things I could be doing today. I need to straighten and trim my hair. I need to stop by the Indian grocery store to see if the products I ordered have come in yet. I didn't work out yesterday, so I could be hitting the treadmill today. I have laundry that needs to be done. All kinds of things.

I don't feel like doing ANYTHING!

I will eventually stop watching Snapped, get up from this couch, and do something productive. But really, I wish I had someone to enjoy this day with. Not even a boyfriend, 'cause I have a bad track record with those. Just somebody to hang out with. Alas, not gonna happen.

I also want to go and see Shear Madness. I had made plans to attend with a co-worker tomorrow afternoon, but yesterday she changed her mind. I'm debating on if I will go and see it by myself. I just want to do something different, for a change. It sounds like it's going to be a fun show.

I wish I lived a smidgen closer to my sisters. Not that 4 and 5 hours are extraordinarily LONG distances...but when you only have a weekend, 5 hours is a good chunk of time to drive. If they were closer, I'd be there right now. My nieces and nephews always have a way of brightening auntie's day. They make me laugh. They love me, and they don't expect perfection. They are just happy to see auntie.

Days like this, I really wish I was still in Atlanta. Oh well. I will try to make some lemonade with my perceived lemons. :)

TGIF!

This was a short week for me (off Monday and Tuesday), but it felt like one of the longest weeks ever!

This morning I made two executive decisions:
1. The morning needed to include a grande hazelnut soy latte.
2. It's Mint Condition Friday - now playing: "Nothing Left To Say."

That's about it on the important decisions. I'm already drained. I cannot tolerate any stupid folks today. I'm riding with the train doors open all day. Kicking stupid folks off at a moment's notice!

My knees were really hurting last night at the skating rink. I know I'm not 20, but I'm not 50, either. I think it's time for a trip to the ortho. I just don't want to hear the words "surgery" and "your insurance is not paying for this." Ugh!

RB has been noticeably M.I.A. Last night at the rink, he made it a point to mention that he was "giving me space." Thanks - but I was going to take it anyway, whether you were giving it or not. You're not my man! Then he asked me what I did on Monday. I told him, "nothing" (read: none of your business). He said, "you probably went on a date or something." To which I answered with pure, unadulterated SIDE. EYE. He said, "why did you look at me like that?" My cell phone vibrated (text from my sister), and he was saved from his cussing.

Let's see...not too much else going on. Just sitting here counting down to 5:00 p.m.! Debating on whether or not I will work out, given the knee situation. I'll see how I feel at 5:00. Might be a "cardio-only" day. I love lifting weights, and the way it helps to shape my legs, but I might have to give up the lunges in favor of healthy knees.

Did I mention that KC has been on my brain way too much this week? I need him to go away. I wore my 'fro out the last time we hung out. That usually helps me weed out the suspect/superficial people. The ones that need a woman with long, straight hair hanging down her back. You know the type. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a Natural Naz.i and I don't walk around with my fist in a black glove, hoisted into the air. Angela Davis by no means. But, guys are attracted by the visual - so I need to make sure they understand what visual they are getting. So far, he doesn't seem overly-concerned with how I look on the outside, so that's cool points for him. Now that I think about it, he's seen me looking rough and sweaty after 4 hours of skating...I'm going to have to weed him out differently. LOL!

Cleaning Up Other Folks' Mess

Maybe I need to learn how to take a "stress leave" like my infamous co-worker. Apparently she takes one every year. Go figure! If I took a stress leave every year, would I still have a job? Probably not. I frankly don't understand why she still does. Maybe she has some dirt on upper management?

We just got an email that we are going to get some more of this chick's work to clean up, because she had new claims that she never completed investigation on. The only good news, is that another office has agreed to help us out with new intake, so at least we are not going to get slammed with those.

Allegedly, she's coming back in June. We'll see. I'll try to refrain from punching her straight in the jaw when she does return. Frankly, I'd rather see her submit a resignation, so we can get someone on our team who really wants to do some work. Anybody need a job?

I'm so tired of lazy people! Color me verklempt!

To Be Continued, Part 3

So, I hung out with KC yesterday. I had wine, he had Mich Ultra (he's got diabetes and has to be careful what he drinks), and we watched Seven Pounds. Man, that movie starts off slowly. Once it finally got rolling, I did enjoy it. He is one of those people who try to guess what happens. But at least he was smart enough not to spit out all his theories. I hate that.

I'm not even going to go into all the details. I'm just going to say that he's really messing up my plans. This thing may be doomed to failure before it gets started. We shall see.

That's it folks, short and sweet. Except that he's off again today (a rarity for him), so we're going to hang out again tonight. Right now, I need to stop daydreaming, and go get my tires rotated.

Peace out!

Yeah, so...

I got back from the soccer tournament in time to take a quick nap, and then head to the rink. I was tired, but I made myself go, because I knew I would have fun.

Of course, when I got there, the first person I ran into was Roll Bounce, in the parking lot. I was trying to time it so that he'd already be in there skating. I forgot the traffic would be lighter, since folks are out of town for the holiday. I pulled up as he was about to walk in. He stopped and waited for me.

The first part of the night is generally slow jams/old school music, which I love. I skated with RB during that time, and I figured that would hold him for a while. The whole time I was scanning the crowd for Kansas City. I didn't think he was coming, but I tried to keep hope alive.

KC always sneaks in like a thief in the night. I never see him come in. He just materializes, skating around the outside of the rink. I see him with that signature hat he always has on, and that smooth skating, and it makes me smile. We got to skate all three slow songs tonight, because RB got caught up with teaching some newbies how to skate backwards.

If you remember in the first "To Be Continued" post (here), I said I liked my little skating rink relationship with KC. It was cool. We skated. We went our separate ways. I got to see his dimples the next week, if he showed up. No complications whatsoever.

Yeah, well...that got messed up tonight. KC asked for my number. If you saw his dimples, you'd know why I couldn't bring myself to say no. He was just so smooth with it. No corny lines.

KC: (Skates up behind me and puts his arm around my waist) "I've been meaning to ask you this for about 4 months now."
Me: "Really? What's up?" (Dunce! I was totally clueless about what was coming next. I thought he was going to ask me to clarify if I was dating RB, lol)
KC: "Can I call you some time?"
Me: "Yeah! Sure!"

Sigh.

Yep. I didn't even try to fight it. I changed out of my skates, walked over and gave him the number. LOL! At worst, he'll just be boring or a mess outside of the rink, and then I'll be over my little crush. At best...we'll just have to see.

He sent me a text when I was driving home, so that I'd have his number in my phone (how did he know that I don't answer numbers I don't recognize? lol). Now, it's a waiting game.

Definitely "to be continued."