As planned, I used my new red Rainforest Flowers S & C this morning. Shampooed and conditioned twice each...and my hair still felt quite soft and smooth as the water cascaded down the length.
    The regular Herbal Essences leave-in conditioner was my only leave-in before detangling. I had to oil before the ends were really ready for it because I was running late, but everything worked out OK. The ends didn't suffer (one side did get a little over-oiled, but no biggie) and I made it to work on time. 

In a short amount of time, yet again, my hair was completely dry, so I took my BBB out of my purse and ran it through my hair. Followed with my Conair Velvet purse brush, just like yesterday. And again, my hair felt (and smelled) great! I put it up in a looped ponytail with a velvet scrunchie, and it has been that way ever since.
    Well, except when I took it down for a bit after washing my face, but even then, I was able to run my new Conair seamless comb through it no problem. No tangles!!! 
    I am shocked and pleased and possibly converted. Maybe there's something to gel formulas after all. 

I've been fighting the urge to measure my hair until the first of May. If my hair has grown at all this month, I don't want to ruin the surprise. Plus, a watched pot never boils. I would rather see all of this month's growth at one time, rather than agonizing over the slightest bit of growth every few days. Does anyone else think this way?

One thing I've noticed about Herbal Essences is that it seems to make my hair shinier than Pantene did. Or at least it looks that way today. Who would've thought?

Well, I don't want to ruin a good thing, so I'll try not to count my chickens before they hatch.    Ugh, my mother always used that expression!    My point is that I don't want to jinx anything. I'm just going to ride this wave for all it's worth and hope that I (or my hair) won't be spit back onto the sand. Er...obscure boogie boarding references....ugh! 

Yeah, so...life. Or the complete lack thereof.
    I've changed my avatar and text yet again. Oooooooh. 

Right now I'm doing just one load of laundry...MINE! HA!
    I haven't seen my boyfriend all day. *eye-freaking-roll* After staying up all night playing online poker with his friends, he finally went to bed at around 4 am. 
    I had to be up at 5:15, so I totally appreciated being woken up when he came in. Not.    In any case, the alarm went off right on schedule, but I didn't stop it. My boyfriend tried to (I think), but all he did was pull the alarm clock off of his dresser and wrestle with it, pushing every bloody button on its surface except the one that would stop the alarm. Freaking A, why are men so retarded when they're tired?! I swear, this is the 2nd guy I have known to do stuff like this!    Now that I think about it, it actually seems kinda funny, but at the time, I was like, OMG - are you kidding me?! 
    My boyfriend never replaced the alarm clock on his dresser, but instead dozed off again while still holding it next to him. Not wanting to get up yet, I laid there for about 10 minutes myself, until the alarm went off again.
    Same as before, he woke up and started furiously pressing buttons in an incoherent stupor before I finally just reached over him and turned the blasted thing off myself. Oy.
    With that, I was up as I have been ever since. Before I left for work was the last time I saw my beloved today. I tried calling him after I came home, but got no answer. *shrug* Alright.
    From the absence of his disc golf bag, I conclude that that is what he's been out doing. From the fact that he's been gone for over 6 hours, I conclude that disc golf isn't all. Perhaps he got some last-minute side work. *sarcastic laugh*

Anywho, whatever. That's about all I can say. He's a big boy whether or not he chooses to act like one, so I wash my hands of it and choose to focus on myself. Speaking of which, it's past 6:30...dinner time.    Chicken soup, anyone?

I've been reading through your past posts to catch up and wanted to give my late, but heartfelt condolences about your grandmother. I hope you and your family are doing well.

I also wanted to give my opinion. You can take this or leave it. I don't even know if it's my business. If it's not, tell me off and I won't mention it again: Your relationship with your boyfriend doesn't sound all that healthy. He doesn't seem to have his life together enough to be spoiling yours. You may want to consider giving him some space (physically at least) to consider where his priorities are and if he can get his life/attitude/personal priorities (who he wants to spend time with) etc. straightened out. This is only from what I've read in your posts. I may be in the wrong. That's your call. I just think that you could be doing so much better if you both had your space and he wasn't always ruining your day.

On a lighter note, good to hear your hair is growing daily closer to your goal. Keep it up and it will surprise you one day.
In all humility,
Meg

Today marks the halfway point in my exercise. Woohoo! This also means keeping the reps between 13 and 15. Hope I can do it!

Washed once with Rainforest Flowers Replenishing shampoo today, then left Pantene's Intensive Moisturizing Mask in for over an hour. After rinsing it out, I chased it with Rainforest Flowers Replenishing conditioner. Oh, it burned.    But that was probably because I washed twice yesterday. That tends to dry out my skin. 
    Today, I decided to try the new bottle of Herbal Essences leave-in conditioner that I had sitting under the bathroom sink. Big surprise: it's different!! Instead of a thin stream, it now actually sprays out! It smells the same, but now contains even less oil than before.    Dig that.
    Oiled the ends as usual today. I'm finally getting back into the habit of it.

Chips are still down on the "relationship" front. I'm not sure why I even bother using that word...it's not like we have one anymore.    Things would be so much different if I were independently wealthy....er, I mean financially independent.  8)

So your hair is, what?  --Around 21 inches, right?  I think we're around the same length     ...and you wash your hair every day?  Washing every day doesn't hurt it--doesn't dry it out or anything?  The reason I ask is because I'm not sure I like this wash-every-other-day routine.  I mean it's okay but I've always been a wash-every-day kind of gal and it's been hard changing habit.  You're also tempting me to try Herbal Essence shampoo, girl!!!  Is this Rainforest Flowers s+c you've been talking about in the HE line??  Cause I'm thinking I may have to switch!!   

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That's right. It's about 21 ¼ inches right now, fine, thin and naturally straight...and yes, I wash every single day. Not just because my scalp/skin is naturally very oily, but also because I enjoy it. I love the fragrances & the feeling of being clean. Plus, with all that your hair encounters on a daily basis, I think it's gross not to.    Of course, that's just me.

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lol Well, I have to say...I used Herbal Essences' classic line for years before switching to Pantene about 6 years ago. I was a bona fide Pantene addict and bought just about every product that they made. I was totally hooked on their Daily Moisture Renewal line and used it since it was very first launched. hahaha This is starting to sound like a Pantene-aholics Anonymous meeting or something. 
    Anyway, something changed recently...be it my hair or the DMR formulas, I don't know. But I decided to go back and try Herbal Essences again, seeing as I could never be free from the lure of their fragrances!!   
    Lo and behold, I settled on the Rainforest Flowers Replenishing S & C...and it works like a charm! At least so far. I'm really glad for it, too, because it just generally works better for me in all areas. It's much less expensive than Pantene, it doesn't weigh my hair down with excessive cones and conditioners, the leave-in conditioner contains way less oil than any of Pantene's leave-in's...even the bottles are prettier.    I am just loving it so far.

No, it doesn't dry my hair out, but it does dry out the back of my neck a bit. Especially if I shampoo twice. But a dab of oil-free lotion & I'm good to go.
    Also, it helps if I oil just the tips of my hair every day to moisturize/protect/combat tangles. Being that I have very fine, thin hair, it tangles easily. I haven't had a problem with that with Herbal Essences lately...at least, so far. 

So yeah, HE all the way. It's working well for me. I'm hooked.  8)

Magz: I totally know what you mean! At least for the most part. I used to swear by Pantene and for a long while, it was the only thing that worked for me.
    My experiences were just the opposite, though: I found that Herbal Essences made my hair too light, and my hair was dependent on the cones & conditioners in Pantene. I came to rely on the "heaviness" of it. But over time, I guess things just got too heavy. My faithful DMR formulas built up on my scalp, rendering it extremely greasy. If I used it more than 3 days in a row, it would look like I hadn't washed my hair in a week.    I think that all of P & G's formulas underwent recent revisions.

Anyway, my Pantene items are shelved for the time being, as I'm happy with what I'm using now.   

Hey, Moonshine.  If I may, I suggest keeping a spare scrunchie in the glove box. 

Sorry you can't go to the festival.  The radio station I listen to is giving lots of tickets away.  I love live music, but (maybe this is my age showing) I'm not sure I'd be up for the physicality of it.

Any chance you can get yourself a pair of lifting gloves?  It will prevent blisters and is a big help when you go up in weight-it gets harder not to hold the weight so tight while maintaining your form which will tear up your skin.  Keep up the good work!

lol Moonshine...I like it. 

Sadly, I cannot keep anything in my car's glove box, as it is still soiled from many a coffee spill. Long story. 

Rent is due in 2 days and I have to overdraw my account in order to pay it.    Needless to say, I won't be spending $$ on anything for awhile! Ah well...another check will be coming soon. 'Tis the benefit of having 2 jobs.

The blisters on my hands are starting to fade and turn into light calluses, anyway. Ha. Just like with guitar.

Anywho...I did it!! Successfully finished week #3 of arm training!    Only 9 more days of this. I'm ready for it to be over...and yet, I'm not. Either my eyes deceive me, or there is definitely more definition to my arms now. I don't have the kind of muscles that bulk up or anything, but there are definitely little bumps where they are. Lines are clearer, arms are tighter.
    It's funny. When I first got the idea to do this, I thought to myself, well...in a month, you can have the same arms that you have now...or you can have better. So I chose to act and don't regret that decision at all. If I didn't do anything to reclaim my body after meds messed it up, that would have been letting the meds win. I shall not surrender!

In hair news, yesterday, I washed once with the usual Rainforest Flowers, then followed with Pantene's Intensive Moisturizing Mask for an hour. After rinsing it out, I chased it with Rainforest Flowers conditioner as usual. Then detangled & oiled the ends...a little too heavily. Had to put my hair up in a velour scrunchie bun.
    When I took it down before bed, it smelled so weird! Not like Rainforest Flowers at all! 

We had a going away party/potluck for the District Manager at job #1 yesterday. He doesn't actually leave until next Friday, but I'm going to miss that guy just the same.    He has a great, laid-back managerial style that works better for all of us. He realizes that he can't be everywhere at once, and if there's a problem, he lets you come to him.
    His replacement is the exact opposite. The micro-manager who hangs over everyone's shoulder, critiquing their every move. At least, this is what I have heard. He has worked at our location before and earned quite a reputation in the process. But I'm not one to judge. I don't know the guy & haven't really seen him in action yet.
    Plus, I'm not worried about it. I celebrate 1 year with Airgas on Tuesday. Woohoo! I'm not sure how much longer I will stay there. I need full-time work (or at least full-time pay  ).

One of the fillers in the Industrial department died at 8:30 on Thursday night. He was not yet 60 years old. Apparently, he had been battling pneumonia for 2 weeks, and also had emphysema. That right there is an argument for not smoking. I want to share this story with my boyfriend when he returns.

Also, payroll screwed up again and a lot of people who got live checks on Friday had their checks bounce. This happened in February also.        I was one of those lucky few...and rent is due on the 1st. Yay!
    Fortunately, they issued good checks to us yesterday. The bank didn't even put a hold on mine. So now I can almost make rent. 

About halfway through my shift, one of the Industrial guys came up and just started chatting with the Cylinder Control Specialist and myself. Working with 90% men is so much fun! I swear, it's like being put up for sale in a meat market for every drooling idiot to ogle. 
    Don't get me wrong, I love my co-workers. But no one is entirely discreet when they're "interested." Even on a purely physical level. Especially men.
    Usually, I make small talk brief because my phone could ring at any time. When that happens, people usually just walk away. But this guy actually hung around in my office, waited for me to finish the call and engaged me again in meaningless chatter. It was awkward. And he's certainly not the first guy to do this. Ugh! 

I know how they "see" me...the cute little receptionist who's relatively new to the company and can't be any more than 19 years old. HA! The male "mentality" - I can't stand it! I've wanted to goth it up more at work. The naive part of me wants to believe that less people would be "interested" if they knew I was goth. Of course, I also know that this might only make things worse. You think I was born yesterday?
    I make no apologies for what I merely observe. If someone wants to interpret it as male-bashing and be offended by it, let 'em. But no one would be offended by it if they weren't guilty of something...eh??

Anywho, I have no idea what to do with my hair today. To treat or not to treat? I can't wait to measure on the 1st. For weeks, I've been wondering how much (if any) growth I've gotten lately, with the weather warming up and all. heh With the exception of the past several days, which have been very cloudy and cool. I love that kind of weather...but I also want my hair to grow.

Peace!

Woohoo! It's measuring day!    I wonder if my hair will be dry before I have to leave for work. It would be a bummer to have to go all day and night working with my hair down before I had the chance to measure. Perhaps I'll stand outside for awhile...even though it's overcast. 

My boyfriend is due back in the late afternoon or evening. I can't wait to see him, and I know the feeling is mutual.    I just hope to God that he didn't do anything stupid/illegal. Last night, a friend of mine said, "Just try to trust him." His words keep echoing in my mind.

According to plan, I washed today with my diluted Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal 2 in 1. Surprise: no greasy roots! The last time I used it, I had the "greasy roots" feeling after just 1 washing.
    After that, I put Pantene's Intensive Restoration Treatment in, capped, and I now have less than half of an hour before I can rinse it out.
    When I do, I'll simply follow with my new Suave Lavender & Lilac conditioner & call it good.

I hope I'll have time to actually put on some makeup today. That'd be nice. I haven't worn any in the longest time.    Maybe my hair will dry completely while I'm doing that.

In other news: Only a week left with my arm training. I am sooo glad that I chose to do this! My arms are indeed looking better than they did at this time last month, and I'm up to 18 reps now!    So much for atrophy! Now, if I can only get the rest of my body to comply.

I now have 2 Jessica McClintock orders in the works. What a rush! I've never bought anything from a real designer before...well, unless you count bebe, but that's more of a high-dollar chain, I suppose.    Weeeeeeee!! Expensive Victorian spoils!! 

Alright, it's just about time to rinse. Catch y'all on the flip side.