lol La_Diosa. I'm actually one of very few people I know who prefers black olives to green. Call me crazy. And I suspect it's the fragrances in the conditioners that cause the chemical burn. Pantene conditioners are the only ones that do not cause this with me (with the exception of Restoratives).

lol Sakina: I hate when this thing eats my messages! I actually haven't used the shower cap overnight for quite sometime. Sometimes you just sleep weird...ya know?  

The nerve is less pinched today. I've been careful of it and done some stretching. It will probably be a few days before I can move normally again.

Healthwise, ah, who'm I kidding? Health is a joke these days. I really need to get on the ball if my far-away friend is coming out this winter. I'd be ashamed for *him* to see me like this!  

Last night, my sister came with me to the mall. Driving and looking around at things was tough with my neck all messed up, but we had fun. I returned those blasted faux croc skin sneakers...after ordering one size, returning them, reordering in a different size and still winding up disappointed. Oy...just wasn't meant to be, I guess. We also looked around at different jewelry stores for opals and lab created emeralds. The latter for my mother's Christmas present and the former for her friend who has a birthday on Halloween. And of course, we shopped a little bit for ourselves.    It's rare that we get to do anything together these days. I miss it a lot.  

On the romance front, things are...the same. *sigh* It's going well enough, I suppose, but those shadows of doubt are never far away.

Anywho, hair. Washed twice today...once with Suave Radiant Brunette shampoo (ugh!) and once with Pantene Ice Shine (ahh!). Treated for an hour with Pantene Intensive Moisturizing Mask, then rinsed and conditioned twice more. First with Pantene Ice Shine, then Smooth & Sleek. My hair felt a little bit weird afterwards, even with all of the conditioning. It was probably the Suave that did it. Grrrr....    It's also getting too cold to rinse with cold water all the time. That might be part of it, too.

While my treatment was setting, I washed all of my combs again as well as my makeup brushes (2 are new). A few days ago, I got all new makeup. I imagine I might actually start wearing some again now that I have time to put it on in the morning.    Nice new start.

Oh yes. I was able to braid today, though it took 2 or 3 tries and still came out terrible. *sigh* Practice doesn't always make perfect. Sometimes it just makes you completely insane. And angry...and insecure...from constantly feeling like a dismal failure. Yay!

What else...? My parents' kitchen remodel is pretty much finished. They need to order some small finishing trim pieces, but other than that, it looks awesome. Not my cup of tea in colour or style, but awesome nonetheless. It needed it!
   Also, we seem to have inadvertently taken in a stray cat. Or rather, he just moved in and made himself at home. He's a tabby - the brown, striped brindle variety, with greenish yellow eyes and very bad manners. heh He actually came from a neighbour's house where he was neglected. My mother took pity on him...started petting him and feeding him...now he's decided that our house is pretty comfortable. He's on the feral side and will attack and bite at random. None of us like him much, but we take care of him as far as he will allow.

Well, I reckon that's about it. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Hair: Today, I had the afternoon shift again, so I got to treat my hair this morning to my variation of Snowy's. I actually squeezed the water out first with my microfiber towel before putting the mess in my hair, and the results were much better this time. Also used my beak clip to put it up for an hour instead of a shower cap. No more greenhouse effect on my scalp.  
   Still using the Ice Shine & all is well...enough. I think I'll need to mix up a new oil solution soon.

Health: Went for another brisk-power walk last night. I have to say that that was the most difficult one yet! It felt like I was dragging a trailer behind me or something. The whole process just felt heavy & labouring. And it felt rushed for some reason.
   But with all of the sweating, washing & masquing I've been doing lately, my complexion is quite clear these days.    Granted, Aunt Flo is on her way, so that might not last long.

Life: I'm having what I call an "aggro day" today.    PMS has taken over with the usual bitter aggression & resentment, heightened by the ever-growing doubt surrounding my new would-be "relationship." The music I'm listening to is edgier & grittier, and I've been on a very anti-male kick, mentally tarring & feathering every stupid boy who's ever done me wrong (which makes me laugh). I'm in destroyer mode, and any guy who so much as looks at me wrong will realize his mistake very quickly. I am not to be trifled with today. Or ever.  
 
Had a dream last night.....first off, I'm amazed that I had a dream at all. Usually I don't sleep deeply enough to dream. But anyway, I had this weird dream that I was walking through a mall, being tempted by all sorts of sweets and junk. Gourmet pretzels, ice cream, candies of all sorts...it was all there, beckoning. I have to laugh. This is my 4th day junk food free.  

Work: Was nuts today. As usual. The phone was ringing off the hook, the outgoing mail box was overflowing, and every idiot in town called up, asking for something different.
   At the moment, I'm not sure how much longer I'll remain with this company. I like the environment...volatile & unsure as it may be, but it doesn't suit my financial needs. No part time position can. Especially not in SoCal...please! So, I fear I'll be looking elsewhere. But change is good. We hope.

Well, anyway, that about covers it. No, wait..... blah blah blah hair blah blah angst, violence & depression, blah blah blah music blah blah @#$%!!!!!!  Ok, now I'm done.  

Faith, you're driving me away
You do it every day
You don't mean it but it hurts like hell

My brain says I'm receiving pain
A lack of oxygen
From my life support, my iron lung
                  -Radiohead, My Iron Lung

Day 6 of the junk food strike. I'm almost there! I might have to be wary of that sorbet on Sunday, though. A few days ago, I chipped a molar & now there's a hole in the back of it!    It's easy for little things to get stuck in there, and I must now be verrry careful about what I eat. Certainly don't want it to get worse. I was going to make a dentist appointment when I got into work this afternoon, but ended up forgetting the number.    I haven't been to the dentist in almost 10 years, so this should be really fun.  

Before this happened, I'd been planning to get my very own laptop and then return to school for the spring semester. But those plans have been dashed, yet again, as I need to devote all of my earnings to my car and my dental work. *sigh* God only knows where I'm going to come up with the scratch to get my far-away love into Disneyland when he arrives. Why, oh why couldn't my customer service position have been better?! It would certainly have made things easier now. But no...that isn't my luck.

This morning, I woke up consumed by depression and didn't bother to get up for about an hour. Just laid there and cried. Finally got up just before 9:00 and jumped into the shower. Today I used my sister's Pantene Smooth & Sleek S & C instead of my usual Ice Shine. I'm not really sure why, and I regretted it insantly because I knew that Ice Shine is really superior. Not only in formulation, but for my hair specifically. Ah well.
   After getting out, I threw some things in the dryer while getting dressed, then detangled in the usual way...with Pantene Light Spray Conditioner and my broken RS #45. Then, as mother requested, I did the dishes and cleaned up in the kitchen a bit. Had to laugh to myself a little...because I spent the entire morning in low-rise jeans & a cami top. Instant teenager, right? hehe
   Didn't have time to oil the ends of my hair, as I was too busy rushing around to get ready. I ended up having to iron one of the Victorian blouses that I'd thrown in the dryer and starching the lace at the neckline to make it stand up properly. lol Only a goth would have such a problem. The blasted thing still didn't look right after I put it on, but I can't fix it. It is what it is.

Ended up being late to work, but mother didn't mind. And now a co-worker has just given me a bagel & cream cheese. I'm hesitant to eat it because of my chipped tooth.  

Last night was another walking night, and this time it was actually much easier. No more trailer-pulling.    My feet are worn out, but I hope the walk continues to get easier. That means I'm getting in better shape.  

*sigh* Still not sure what to do about this new love drama. *He* knows that I get depressed a lot, but I don't think *he* knows that *he's* actually the cause of it. I'm debating whether it matters enough to bring it up. I don't want to ruin what we have by spilling all of my trivial hurts and doubts at him, but I don't want to suffer in silence either.
   Problem is, he says and does a lot of little things light heartedly that hurt me way more than he realizes. In fact, I don't think he realizes that they hurt at all. At least not until I bring it up, which I feel lame for doing. *sigh* This is part of why I'm generally not attracted to younger men. They just don't have a very good grasp on relationships just yet. They don't know which behaviours are acceptable and which are not. They still don't know how to treat a lady. And the sad thing is...there aren't any men that do anymore. None that I've met, at least. The idea of a "gentleman" is just that. An idea. It's something that women dream of and that some guys aspire to, but never achieve. Gentlemen no longer exist....if they ever really did to begin with.

Alright, enough ranting (for today). Hope everyone has a great weekend & a happy Friday the 13th!!  

((((((((Trisha))))))))))) God bless you, chica. You fill this old heart with naive hope.    I still think the gentleman ideal is an illusion, though. Things aren't always what they seem.

*sigh* Still haven't talked to *him* about "the thing" yet. I'll admit that I'm just too chick-chick-chicken! Bwooook! Confrontation just isn't part of my nature. It makes me ill.
    Otherwise, *he* & I have been great lately! Just as I fear that lovers' spark is dying out, he brings it back tenfold. Whew! Is it hot in here? This winter certainly will be...    hehe Anyway, we're both looking forward to his visit for more than the obvious reasons. If all goes well, it should be a welcome break for both of us from the petty problems and mundane patterns of the daily monotony that we call life. A bit of fun and feeling and colour. A little magic. Is that too much to ask?

Anyway, so...hair. Today, I washed once with Pantene Ice Shine shampoo, then left the Deep Fortifying Treatment in for an hour with a beak clip. Didn't squeeze the water out of my hair first because I left my microfiber towel in my room. But anyway, finished with a few more rinses & conditionings, then detangled as usual.
    I haven't oiled in about 3 days because my oil bottle is still filled up with starch from a few days ago. I still have to wash it out...perhaps send its components through the dishwasher, then make up a new oil solution.
    But my hair seems to be doing alright. It's not behaving abnormally or unfavourably, so all is well. Just waiting for it to GROW!!!!

Now, the brass tax. hehe I did make it a full week without any junk food.    The combination of that and walking every other day have made me 4 lbs. lighter in just one week. Actually, since 10/8/06, I have lost 4½ lbs.
    On Sunday, I ended the junk food strike...at the Godiva boutique. lol It's been cloudy & drizzly here for several days, so I didn't think that the Häagen Dazs sorbet would really work. But I did redeem my certificate for the 5 free chocolates at Godiva & even bought a white chocolate raspberry Chocilixir, which was amazing!!    I wish I could have shared all of the chocolaty goodness with my guy. He might be as much of a chocaholic as I am. 
   It would be a good idea, if I'm going to indulge, to do so only on Sundays. Not only will it help on the weight-loss front, but I must be careful about what I eat until I get my tooth fixed.

Also, on Friday night, my father bought a bass guitar. He wants both of us to learn to play so there never has to be a shortage of bassists for his band. I agreed to learn not for that, but because it's just a good thing for any musician to have in their arsenal.

Anyway, that's about it. Work is frightfully busy at the moment & my break is coming up in a few minutes. I'll see you all a little later...

((((((((Lisabelle))))))))) Thanx, hon. I need all the luck I can get!

The boy is beginning to catch onto the subtle hints I've been dropping. Problem is, he has no idea what I'm talking about. It all happened so long ago that he doesn't even remember what he said. Guess I should've made a bigger deal of it at the time. Made him apologize rather than laughing it off on the outside. *sigh*  If I have the guts to bring it up, he might remember. I know he would apologize if he knew how much it had hurt me...but, God, I feel like such a big baby.    I've often wondered if I should just let it go and count it as a lesson learned for not addressing it at the time. Only problem with that theory is...it still hurts. I'm a sissy la la, what can I say? 

Today was a simple hair day, yet again. Washed & conditioned once each with Pantene Ice Shine. Detangled with Pantene Detangle LSC & my broken RS #45. Done. No oiling, no styling, no nothing. I still need to clean out my oil bottle.

GAWD! People are so <bleep>ing rude on the phone, it's ridiculous. *ahem*

Anyway, I finally scheduled an dentist appointment for the 1st of November. Hope it doesn't cost too much to do what all needs to be done. Having my wisdom teeth removed is a $1500 surgery. Where I'm going to come up with that, I have no idea, but procrastinating is no longer an option.

Today is my 2nd day of the week without junk food. I think I'm going to keep this pattern up for awhile. Especially until I get my molar fixed.
    Last night, I walked again. The heavy, laboured feeling is gone and I am light on my feet. Funny what a difference a mere 4 lbs. can make.
    The pinched nerve in my neck has finally healed...but Aunt Flo is in town. She's trying to break down the door & I'm trying to keep her out...at least until I get home.    The dreaded cramps have already set in, though, so I know it won't be long before the redheaded beast storms in with full force. Mercy. 
   
At least I have my dearest friend to talk to. God knows *he's* been my rock, holding me in the eye of the storm while the rest of the world falls to pieces all around. He'll make me feel better through this, like with everything else. *sigh* I love that kid. And I hope to God that he feels the same.

Well, I suppose I'll get to combing my hair out now that I have time. Perhaps put it up in the dreaded looped ponytail thing. Aaah!    hehe Peace, peoples.

lol No problem at all, Trisha.   *hugzzz*

Generally, I like what they offer, just more often in the fall & winter when all of the luxe fabrics & more elegant styles come out to play. But it's all about just having an eye & knowing where to look, I suppose.

Glad to help...let us know what you get!