Groooowww my hair
I wanna be wanna be wanna be Jim Morrison...
               -Radiohead, Anyone Can Play Guitar

So I had my first bass lesson last night. Woohoo! It wasn't quite as nerve-racking as I thought it would be. 

This morning, I finally got to treat my hair. It was my usual spin on the Snowy's Deep Moisture treatment, using Suave 2 Minute Recovery as the base conditioner. Left that in for an hour while I had breakfast, did laundry and practiced with my bass. Then I rinsed & chased with my usual Ice Shine conditioner (I washed twice this morning).
   
For whatever reason, I'm neglecting to oil the ends these days. Not on purpose, of course. I usually just forget or run out of time.    That will have to change, however, because I can feel my hair getting longer, and like last time, I want to drag out as many months between trims as possible. The ends must not dry out!

Recently, I've also been flirting with the idea of switching my S & C. There's a salon-only brand called Back To Basics that I'm curious about because all of their S & C's have different natural or fruit scents for each of their formulas. My aunt & uncle have the bamboo straightening formula in their shower and it smells heavenly! I'd love to give them a shot.

Last night was the 2nd night in a row that I power walked. This is the 3rd week that I've been power walking every other night & it has definitely gotten easier. With the exception of the steep hill, the walk has become almost too easy. It still takes about 40 minutes and I still get a good workout from it...but I wish there could be more hills. Between 10/8 and 10/23, I've lost 7 lbs. Not too shabby, but still have far to go.

In other news, I've started to get psyched about Halloween. Not totally psyched like I usually am, but better than not at all. This year has seemed a bit "off" for some reason & I haven't really been able to get into it. But now that I have pumpkins to carve and a role in my aunt & uncle's haunted house, it's easier to look forward to.

And as for the "new" romance, all is well. I wait on pins & needles for *him* to arrive this winter, going half mad in the process.

Reckon that's it for now.

Well that was a pretty lousy weekend.    Nothing really bad happened, per se, but nothing especially good happened either.

On Friday, my father came home from work with an iMac - one of the original turquoise & white ones with the CD-rom in the front - and put it in my room! He'd gotten it from a customer on his route who had 3 computers already & didn't need it. The customer had gotten it from his elderly next door neighbour who had just passed away.
    My father didn't need another computer either, but he knew that I did, and also that I'd had that very same type of iMac before. Plus, he knew that I'd get a kick out of the fact that it belonged to a dead lady. 
    Within an hour, I had cleaned 7 years of dust, dirt & grime off of every piece and had gotten it working. The problem is that being so old, it's nearly impossible to find software or accessories for it.    We even had one of my dad's tech friends come over to see what he could do for it...and sadly, there wasn't much. But I'm not giving up just yet.

Also on Friday, I was informed that our first horse, Sweet Pee, will most likely be put down sometime this week.    She's 18 years old and hasn't been faring well in recent years due to severe arthritis. Last night, I went with my parents out to the ranch to put a blanket on her (the cold makes her condition worse) and was surprised at how old she looked. It isn't fair. But if I've learned anything this year, it's that life isn't fair...and neither is death. The numbers just keep growing. So far this year, I've lost my grandmother, my dog, my car, my promotion, my boyfriend, very nearly lost my former husband and now my horse.    Thank goodness I lost my mind a long time ago, or else I might not be prepared for all of this.

Over the weekend, we were supposed to decorate the house for Halloween and get our 5 pumpkins carved. That didn't happen so much. We have very little up and the pumpkins still sit intact on the kitchen table...we'll carve them tonight. No choice.
    My far-away love isn't having much better luck with his Halloween endeavours, from what I understand. This is what I mean about this year being "off" for some reason. He & I are usually all about this time of year...and now it's turning around to kick both of us in the rear.    Man, I hope Christmas is better than this!
    I still have no idea what I'll be doing for my aunt & uncle's haunted house tomorrow night, though I'm leaning toward behind-the-scenes-type stuff. That would be easier because I don't have a costume, and I wear nothing but black anyway, which is required of a stagehand. 
    Also, the neighbours across the street already have their "Halloween lights" up. *eyeroll* Halloween lights. WTF is up with that?! Just because they're orange, yellow & purple makes them Halloween rather than Christmas?? Please! But anyway, this neighbour & my father like to compete with each other during the holidays to see who has the better display and who can get theirs up & running the fastest. So far, we're losing big-time.

So...hair. Today, I treated with a mix of EVOO, aloe vera gel, honey and the remains of my Pantene Deep Fortifying Treatment and Suave 2 Minute Recovery. Left that in for an hour, then rinsed & chased with the usual conditioner. Of course, I washed once & squeezed the water out of my hair before treating it. Detangled as usual, but didn't have time to oil the ends.

We're having a Santa Ana right now, which always wreaks terrible havoc on my skin. So now I'm dry & scaly AND hopelessly broken out at the same bloody time!!    I also managed to put on a pound or 2 last week & haven't been taking very good care of myself in general, so I feel fat & miserable...and no telling when or if it will get better.    Ah well. I'd shoot myself were it not for sweet music and my musical sweetheart. 

Maybe tomorrow I'll feel a different way
I get so numb sometimes that I just feel the pain
                  -Bon Jovi, As My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms

lol @ Halloween Kicked My Butt Corner.

It actually ended up going pretty well. I finished carving my 2nd pumpkin after returning home from work in the afternoon. Then I set all of our beautiful jack-o-lanterns along the planter in our front yard & lit them up. Then I spread spiderwebs over the bushes and red apple in the yard while my father worked on the front entry and sound effects.
    After that, I got myself ready & headed out to my aunt & uncle's for the haunted house. I ended up being a "stagehand" after all, perched on the roof, dropping a dummy from a tree onto the unsuspecting victims that passed below. A lot of them totally freaked out. It was fun. 
    When people stopped coming through, we closed down & went into the house for pizza. There were a lot of people there - many of them were local college kids whom my uncle had hired as actors.

It was a little past 9:45 when I finally headed home, and it didn't take long before I was very tired. Still, I stayed up longer than intended to talk with my beloved, who vowed that his next Halloween would be "the bomb." hehe

When the morning came, I was gripped with nervousness. This would be my first visit to the dentist in almost 10 years.    I actually woke up about 40 minutes before my alarm went off, but didn't bother to get up for at least another hour. *sigh*
    After showering & getting ready, I drove out to the familiar little office that I'd gone to so many times as an older kid. My old dentist retired about 3 years ago, and there are 2 new dentists in his place, whom I'd never met before. Perhaps my apprehension was verified when after an hour of X-rays, scraping, tugging, popping & polishing, I was told that I had gingivitis and may need a root canal.    *faint*
    Since then, I've been literally worried sick. Everything I've read & heard about root canals makes me physically ill. I've been hoping & praying with all my might that such extreme measures won't need to be taken.
    When I told my mother about this, she scoffed that it was a ridiculous idea and openly doubts that particular dentist's credibility. So now I'm not only worried but torn. I could seek a 2nd opinion (which would be quite expensive) or go through with whatever my current dentist recommends (which will be even more expensive). Mother thinks that I'm being taken advantage of, and I have always trusted her judgments on dentistry because of her experience in the field. *sigh* I wish I knew what to do...

Anyway, hair has been left down with minimal care for days. But today it must stay that way for measuring purposes. I'll do that when I get home from work this evening.

So now I need guidance...and hope and prayers. My big, scary appointment is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I've been asking God to help me avoid the dreaded root canal.

As if that weren't bad enough, my parents have decided that Sweet Pee will be put down tomorrow. She would surely not survive the winter, and can barely move without being heavily medicated. *sigh!*

These things have been weighing heavily on my mind, making me ill. In a way, I wish that time could just stop today. To all who read this, please pray for me.

Thanx, Trisha.

*sigh* So today is the big day.

Our horse was released to heaven early this morning. Terrible-sad that she had to go, but now she is forever free from earthly pain. I asked God to watch over her until we see her again.

Last night, I measured my hair at exactly 22½" on the dot. I guess that I really am a freak of nature - my hair seems to grow faster during the colder months.    
   So if all goes well, I should finish off the year at about 23," which is pretty close to where I was before the trim.

Today was another simple wash & condition day. Still using Pantene Ice Shine. Still using Pantene Detangle & my broken RS #45 to detangle. But this morning, I actually oiled!    Hair is in the usual ballerina bun, secured with a dark blue velour scrunchie.

Traffic on the way to work was horrendous this morning. It literally took an hour just to get out of the city that I live in (which usually takes about 10 minutes with regular morning traffic). Cars were nearly stopped the entire way out, and I kept having visions of honking the horn furiously or driving on the shoulder or off-roading just to pass them.    lol I'd never actually do that...
   Ended up being almost a half hour late to work, which always looks good on record.  

So now, all that remains is for me to finish up at the office, find a suitable lunch, then rush home to brush my teeth before going to get drilled.    Everyone seems pretty convinced that I won't need a root canal...but the dentist will make the ultimate call. It shouldn't need it, but if it does, then so be it, I guess. I've certainly survived worse.
   My mother suggested having a temporary filling put on and left for about a week or 2, just to see if the nerve flares up. This kind of option had never even crossed my mind, so I'll certainly bring it up during the visit. I have about 4 other cavities & crevices that need to be filled or sealed off, and I haven't been looking forward to spending the rest of the day numb & sedated.  

But it's not the worst that could happen, I guess. I've been fluctuating between deathly afraid and ok with it. Come what may, I'll get through it. My guy is still coming out this winter and we'll still have great fun. The holidays will come and go, and life as we know it will continue. After all, it's just a tooth, right? Not that big of a deal... *faint*

Rest peacefully, Sweet Pee. I'll love you always.

Thanx, everybody, for the support. Sweet Pee is no doubt running around painlessly with Billy, Big Jim and even her twin sister up there in horse heaven...and probably making the angels give her the star treatment. hehe
   My immediate family is putting a shadow box together with some of her things in it...such as her purple halter, a few of the countless ribbons that she earned in shows and a lock of her tail. Everyone has been very supportive, saying that we did the right thing.
   Oh yes, and in case anyone's wondering about the spelling of her name, the reason that there are 2 e's at the end, rather than an 'ea' is because her full name is Sweet Pee Chex, partially named after her grandfather, Pee Wee Chex, who was a racing quarter horse. God, I am tearing up writing this...    Anyway, no doubt she is with him as well.

As for the dental drama, it went surprisingly well. No root canal needed!!!    They ended up just doing 2 fillings and 3 sealants. The fillings were made with white porcelain and blend flawlessly with my natural teeth. I was not sedated, and actually asked for a 2nd shot of novocaine. The procedure was far faster than I expected and the work was beautifully done. Given the circumstances, I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
   When it was over, I went straight to the mall in true chick fashion, ending an otherwise crappy day with some much-needed shopping therapy!    It was weird walking around with half of my mouth numb, but within a few hours, it had worn off and I could smile and eat normally. I have since gotten used to my new bite and am learning to chew with both sides of my mouth again. hehe
   In 6 months, I will return for a cleaning and for additional sealants. After that, I'll be getting the ZOOM whitening treatment, as seen on TV.    Like Nancy, I don't have dental insurance either (it's overrated anyway), but I had reached an emergency point where something had to be done, whether I could afford it or not. What I really couldn't afford was to procrastinate any longer. And I know that I made the right decision.

On the hair front, I used up the very last of my treatment conditioners over the weekend, and then decided that after my Ice Shine was gone, that I did want to return to Restoratives. Friday was payday, so I decided to go a little crazy at Target.    Especially when I noticed that they were having a 30% off clearance on bottles of Pantene Restoratives. These were "value packs" which consisted of a normal sized 8.5 oz. bottle of shampoo or conditioner, with a little trial size bottle of the same shampoo or conditioner attached. What's ironic is that these "value packs" were clearancing for less than the regular bottles - without the samples attached! Major score!!!    So I ended up with 2 regular sized bottles of shampoo, 3 regular sized bottles of conditioner, 2 trial size shampoos & 2 trial size conditioners.
   I also picked up a new tub of Restoratives Time Renewal Replenishing Mask and a new bottle of the Deep Fortifying Treatment (for while I'm still using Ice Shine).

While I was shopping, I also noticed that my favourite bodywash was selling in a value pack as well, so I grabbed one...along with 2 new facewashes.    As if that weren't enough, the CHRISTMAS displays were up!!!    So I ended up buying an armload of gorgeous new ornaments to add to the growing collection that I already have. I also bought an ornament for my parents - a little brown lantern that lights up. My father loved that.  

Also, on Sunday, I washed all of my combs & brushes by hand in the kitchen sink so they could be clean and ready for my "hair rebirth" of sorts.    hehehe What a cute icon!!

Anyway, I don't know whether it's the impending holidays or my stroke of good fortune, but instead of the usual frantic drama, I've been struck with a feeling of gratitude and contentment. I'm thankful that my dentist appointment went well, thankful that the work was done so beautifully and very thankful that I didn't need a root canal!! I'm thankful that I can afford to give my hair the best care possible while it grows out - my own little gift to me. I'm thankful to be living with my immediate family in East County, rather than trapped in the ghetto with Bozo & Krusty the Clowns. And I'm thankful for the enduring love of my far-away sweetheart, which thrives in spite of the 2,000+ miles between us. Yes, this year, it appears that I have much to be thankful for.
   Things could have turned out far worse than they have, so I know that a Great Someone is looking out for me, and above all else, I am grateful to Him.