Hair: Didn't need to treat today because I treated on Monday. Just washed twice, conditioned, detangled. Done. My hair dried before I could oil the ends, but I ended up oiling them anyway - dry. That didn't work very well. Even after waiting for the rest of my hair to dry and going through it with both my purse brush and a BBB, the ends were still very greasy. I had to wash my hands after creating the usual velour scruncie ballerina bun.    Must remember to only oil the ends when hair is wet.

Love: *swoon* That guy, man. He amazes me on a daily basis. No matter what kind of crap I'm dealing with or doling out, he's right there with me, helping me through it while seldom losing his cool. If there's a problem, he addresses it. If I'm worried about something (as I often am), he not only puts those worries to rest, but does so while reminding me how different and wonderful a person he is.
    I know it can't be easy to pair yourself with a divorced nutcase with so many issues as I have, but he handles it remarkably well. That poor guy puts up with an awful lot...more than anyone should have to. I have no idea how he does it, but the important thing is that he does.
    Every day, I thank God for bringing him into my life. God, I'm tearing up again...

Life: The weeks seem to be flying by. I'm not exactly sure what happens between the weekends...it just seems to be one after another. I imagine that I must work, shop, talk with my beau and take care of my hair each day, but I'll be danged if I can remember most of it lately. It seems like a blur...like a picture taken from the window of a moving car.    The only exception seems to be the late night conversations with *him.* Those I remember. Everything else... 
    Christmas is coming up faster than I can save up for it. heh Story of everyone's life, eh? My shopping list is never that big - I only have a few people on it, but it's still a tall order to fill. I'd still love to get a pair of sapphires for my mother. A ton of jasmine vanilla scented stuff from Bath & Body Works for my sister (her favourite). The list goes on. As for my beau, I'm reasonably stuck at the moment...but I'll think of something. The trick will be getting all these gifts together in time. We shall see.

Aside from that, nothing major to report. I do need to pick up some new makeup...and I'd like to go up into the Viejas mountains tonight. Hey, I said nothing major.    And that's actually quite the refreshing change.

Thanx, Juri. Yeah, things have certainly been happening in my life lately, but what else is new? Part of why I began keeping a hair journal was to see just how much drama would present itself that I could document. It's all in there, so you're welcome to read it whenever you find time...if it doesn't bore you to tears. 

Anyway...lately, on the days that I must work the morning shift, I usually get up just for a moment to turn off my alarm, then crawl back into bed. Sometimes I actually fall asleep for awhile.    Not a good habit to keep. But it's usually because I've stayed up so late the night before that I just don't want to get up. heh Also not a good habit to keep...if I wish to hang onto my job. 

This morning was no exception. I woke up late and got into the shower late. My hair was still heavy with yesterday's oil, so I thought it would be best to wash twice. I'm also trying to get rid of my Ice Shine shampoo as quickly as I'm using up the conditioner.
    The latter of which was still in my hair when my father came pounding on the bathroom door and yelling at me to get out of the shower. Not once, but twice. I had to work really fast at rinsing the conditioner out of my hair...he would have turned off the water to the entire house to get his point across. Every member of my family has done this to me before, and I know they wouldn't hesitate to do it again.    Whatever.
    When I returned to my room, I was again surprised by how late it was. I had only a few minutes to throw myself together before rushing off to work. I didn't have time to eat, so I hit Jamba Juice on the way.

What I also didn't have time to do was detangle my hair in the usual manner. I just let it dry, occasionally separating the wet strands with my fingers. They had dried by the time I was relieved for my morning break, so I used one of my Conair seamless combs and then studied my hair in the mirror, trying yet again to assess the damage.
    There's a lot of breakage right in the center. The top is fine, the bottom is reasonable, but everything in between has these short, frizzy ends and I've been wondering where the heck they came from. Whether it's new growth or breakage. How long it's been there and how it may have happened. And how it may be prevented in the future.
    What concerns me most is whether it's past or recent damage, and whether I'm currently perpetuating it. I honestly can't tell. I've had to hide the blowfryer because the temptation to make all of those frizzies lie flat was becoming too great.    I definitely don't want to harm the "good" hair that I have. 

It's been left down this morning, but I don't suppose that it will stay that way. I'll likely put it up into the same ol' ballerina bun when I get home. Then I'll make lunch & log into AIM Express...even though I'm pretty sure that my guy won't be on.    It's a good thing, I suppose, because he's trying to find a job at the moment, and I really wish him well.
    My parents forbid me to use their computer, but I do anyway when they aren't home. What they don't know won't hurt them. I'm not doing anything wrong. That's just how it has to be until I have my own. My sister knows that I use it, and I'm just hoping against hope that she doesn't rat me out...this time.

Well, that's all she wrote. 'Til next time, folks.

Juri: Interesting? My entries? Nah...    hehehe Thanx, though.

Magz: You know, I tested it yesterday, and the damage does indeed fall where my scrunchie usually sits! It may be breakage from every time I take them out, which is terrible if that's the case! Who knew that velour could cause so much damage? Quel horreur...maybe I'll toss them!  

For the past few days, I've been braiding my hair rather than putting it up with those infernal velour scrunchies. Today, I even got a hair compliment from a co-worker, which is ironic because I haven't washed my hair yet today.  
   He remarked, "I like your hair braided like that!"    I thanked him and told him that my mother hates it when I braid my hair. "Does she?" he said. "I love long hair when it's braided like that." Then he went on to tell me that his daughter has waist length hair & usually wears it braided.

For me, it takes the stress off of the area where all of the breakage is, and it doesn't fall out when I power walk. So...looks like the braid stays. I just wish I was better at doing them.  

Yesterday, I washed twice with the very diluted remains of my Pantene Ice Shine shampoo, and finished off the bottle. Then used Pantene Deep Fortifying Treatment for an hour, and finally rinsed & chased with the Ice Shine conditioner. I still have a little bit of the latter left over, and should end up finishing off that bottle within the next few days. Didn't have time to detangle as usual yesterday, so I just separated the wet strands a bit with my fingers & let them air dry. Then I used my seamless Conair comb during my break, and just left my hair down.

As I mentioned, I haven't washed my hair yet today. And I'd like to pick up a bottle of ACV on the way home so I can clarify tomorrow. I've never used ACV before, but I'd like to give it a shot.
   For today, I think I'll just do a simple WCC with the little bottles of Biolage that I seem to have ended up with, and the Ice Shine conditioner.

On Saturday, while my hair was still a bit damp, I got a wild hair up my butt & decided that I would try to tame the frizzy, broken ends with the blowfryer!    I used the cool, low settings, and even ghetto rigged it so the cold shot button would always stay down (you have to hold it otherwise).
   Sadly, this did nothing for the frizzies...    but it gave me some gnarly little tangles...    and I ended up damaging my hair for nothing!    Lesson learned.

Also on Saturday, I made a depressing discovery. It seems that all of the Christmas ornaments that I'd been collecting over the last few years, including the gorgeous dark ones that I bought last year, are nowhere to be found.  
   I was certain that I'd brought them from the apartment that I shared with my ex-boyfriend when I left him, but they aren't at my current place anywhere - I've looked.
   This means that I will have to start my Christmas collection all over again. Thank goodness that I still had my mini tree (just all of its ornaments are gone).

Today is a delightfully dreary day...the sky is gray, the pavement is slick and the air is cold and heavy with drizzle. Totally my kind of day...and if fundage permits, I may head up to Disneyland this afternoon. There is no better time to go than mid-week, in the rain.    And I know that my dearest friend will be with me in spirit. I take him with me everywhere I go...and he me. That's just how we work.   Hopefully we'll be able to talk a bit while I'm there. Makes it almost like he really is here. *sigh*

Alright, enough of this folderol...mother will be in shortly. Peace out.

hehe thanx, La Diosa. 

Indeed I have begun my ornament collection anew, and I've already gathered quite a bit in a short time.
    My mini tree will be gold this year, I've decided. I hate gold, but since I've had to start collecting all new ornaments for it, I might as well start with the most readily available Christmas colour. I've also thought about making my own little tree skirts for it. Can't be that hard!

Yesterday, I did a WWCC, I guess, with Biolage Smoothing Therapy shampoo, Smoothing Therapy conditioner and Pantene Ice Shine conditioner. At first I was horrified by how slick the shampoo left my hair when I rinsed. I figured that it might be really greasy when it dried. As for the Biolage conditioner, bah! It is thin and weak like Suave and does the chemical burn thing on the back of my neck. 
    Detangled as usual with Pantene Detangle leave-in spray conditioner and my broken RS #45, then oiled the ends. When my hair dried, I discovered that the Biolage shampoo did not make my hair greasy at all and also that my oil spray didn't do squat for the ends. Must've been too diluted. On the whole, however, good results.

Hair went back into a braid for my power walk last night, though I did a terrible job with it. But whatever. It served its purpose & didn't stay in long.

Today saw another wash with the Biolage shampoo followed by Pantene Deep Fortifying Treatment for an hour...while I scrambled about the house trying to finish the last of my laundry. Didn't even have time to practice on my bass (my father gave me another lesson on it yesterday).
    After that, I rinsed out the treatment & followed it with Pantene Ice Shine conditioner, another rinse, Biolage conditioner and a final rinse. My hair looked & felt smooth, slick and aligned. Detangled as usual after squeezing the water out with my microfiber towel, then oiled the ends, this time with very greasy results.    It always varies - the water to oil ratio never seems exactly right.
    No braid today unless I decide to walk later this evening. And I just might. Last night's wasn't very satisfying, and I haven't lost any weight this week.    It might take more drastic measures.

My guy is also getting his hair cut today.    The longest layers are down to his shoulders at the moment, but he tells me that he'll likely lose half of the length. *sigh* Ah well. He's still a babe.    Hope everything goes well for him.

Didn't make it to Disneyland yesterday.    By the time I'd gotten home, had lunch & taken a shower, it was late in the afternoon. And then the sun came out, which killed it for me.    Maybe I'll go tomorrow. Or next week. Or the next time it rains.

Also ended up being an hour late for work thanx to my decision to finish the laundry today. Made my mother late for her nail apointment & my whole family displeased with me. *sigh* There just aren't enough hours in the day.

Liquid Gold: As planned, I began using Restoratives on Saturday. Pretty good, so far as I can tell. If there has been any chemical burn at all, it's very minor. I'm washing once and conditioning twice. It may be too early to tell yet whether my hair likes this more than it liked Ice Shine.
    I've been detangling with Pantene Detangle leave-in spray conditioner and my broken RS #45 as usual every day. And I try to oil as often as I can remember to. Lately, I've just been leaving my hair down. I braid it for my walks at night, but I'm afraid to put scrunchies in it now. It's starting to feel longish. I think that 23" is not all that far away, but I'm not measuring until the 1st.

What A Weekend: My father & sister's Christmas presents are taken care of. Still need to get the rest of my mother's, plus that fancy wrapping paper from Target. I got hit on by the jewelry clerk when I went to buy my father's present. It was really embarrassing!    He even had the nerve to ask my age! And instead of politely reminding him that true gentlemen never ask a lady her age...I answered!    He said that I looked to be about 18 or 19. *chuckle* While that may be a compliment to me, I'm not so sure that it says such good things for him...seing as he was quite a bit older and still flirting openly with me. 

Everything good that's happened has been overshadowed by the fact that my far-away friend & I spent the entire weekend fighting.    It's thrown me for a loop and I am no longer sure of anything. Well...I'm sure that I love him. Beyond that, I haven't a clue, and I find myself wondering (again) whether I'd be better off walking away. It would take a miracle to put us back together again. I've felt that way before and he's made everything alright...but this is different. My faith is dwindling. I want for everything to be as it was...but I'm not sure that can happen. *sigh* Perhaps a solitary life really is best for me.

Sweet Neglect: I need to practice with my bass, brush my teeth and wash my car. It's been far too long since I've done any of these things and it's bugging me. But I've either been too depressed or busy.

Silver Lining? This morning, I jumped on the scale and was amazed at the numbers. 119. That can't be right! I jumped on again....119. OMG, I'm in the teens!! I thought it would be much longer before that would happen. It must be those periodical bursts of jogging that I've been working into my walks. But how awesome! 
   
Also, only 3 work days this week! Woooooot! 4 day weekend!!!!  I've wanted to talk to *him* all day long so I could share my good fortune with him....but he hasn't been online & I'm afraid to call him. We'll see how tonight goes.

Speaking of tonight, it's another walk night. I'll try to put some extra effort into it this time because my junk food strike is long over & I've been taking advantage of that. 
    Egad, I can't believe it's almost time to go home! Tomorrow is another day. Wish me luck that it will find my guy & I in better favour with each other.

No Thanks-giving: Well our heathen holiday went off without a hitch. As for why I call it that, I'll get to that part later. My immediate family spent the entire day cooking, cleaning and preparing for my aunt, uncle & their children to come over for dinner and see our new kitchen/dining room. I made hors d'ouvres and finally learned how to make mashed potatoes. I'd also made pumpkin pies the night before.
    We had all the usual stuff: turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn pudding, salad, etc. My parents each made a different green bean dish and encouraged everyone to try both of them and see which one they liked better. I'm not sure whose recipe won.
    My sister & I both dressed up. She in the usual revealing sparkly top and low-rise jeans and I covered head to toe in black velvet. I wore the last top that my grandmother (rest her soul) had ever bought me. And I put on makeup and jewelry, the whole 9 yards...but the coolest part of the ensemble, I think, was my hair.
   
At the last minute, I decided that I wanted to wear it up, so I grabbed my Conair Velvet Touch brush and few bobby pins and went to work, dividing my hair into 2 sections. After pinning the top one temporarily out of the way, I twisted the bottom half of my hair into a bun and pinned it into place. Then I did the same with the top section, sliding it upward a bit to create volume at the crown. The 2 buns were nestled one on top of the other. On either side of them, I placed one of my black silk rose barrettes to form a sort of cluster. I had the gratuitous tendrils falling down at the sides & everything. The overall look was quite elegant & Victorian. Not bad for a 5 minute job and a spur-of-the-moment decision. 
    I even got a hair compliment from my mother, who said that that was the best updo she'd ever seen me make. 

So my relatives came over, my uncle carved the turkey, everyone made the rounds over the different dishes that were set up on the bar (the table was too small & too crowded for all of us plus food), then took our places at the table. For an awkward moment, we looked around at one another, wondering whether to say grace.
    Usually, when we have Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt & uncle's place, an elderly lady (and former nun) named Irene leads us in saying grace beforehand. But she wasn't there this year, seeing as it was our family's turn to host. My uncle said that he wasn't "burning for grace," and the rest of us were neutral.
    Finally, my sister spoke up and said, "We don't have much to be thankful for this year." She was right. And we dove into dinner without one word of righteous gratitude.

Later that evening, we had dessert (my pumpkin pies were a hit) and exchanged Christmas lists. All in all, a great Thanksgiving. 

All You Need Is Love: Over the 4 day weekend, my distant sweetheart & I finally mended fences. Ultimately, I decided to trust in what we had and what was established. For the only real answer to worry, doubt and uncertainty is faith. And the only answer to pain and sadness is love.
    We're both feeling much better now and cannot wait for his impending visit this winter.

He even called me yesterday, giddy with excitement from having just bought part of my Christmas present.    hehehe What a goofball. He says that he'll be sending it today.
    And that's great, but it puts me rather in a panic. I already know what I'm getting him for Christmas, but the problem is....his birthday is on the 7th, and I still have no idea what to get him!!    And I'm going to have to decide pretty fast if I'm going to send something in time. Yikes!

Living Like A True Longhair: On Sunday, I woke up rather late and then had to wait forever for my mother & sister to finish up in the bathroom.    In the process, I got caught up in watching Gone With The Wind on TV...and by the time it was over, it was 3:00 pm. A little late for a full shower, plus I was going walking later that night anyway, so what would be the point? I took a shower, but did not wash my hair. Just let coolish water from the faucet & showerhead cascade over it. I think this is called a water only wash...or something.
    Anyway, I braided my hair when it was dry for my walk that night, then dry oiled with EVOO before bed.
    Monday morning, I clarified in the usual way with Pantene Purity shampoo and an ACV rinse. Followed with Pantene Restoratives Breakage Defense conditioner, which I left in until the end of my shower. Both Sunday and Monday, I simply let my hair air dry, then combed through afterwards. No detangling, oiling or wet combing.

Today, I washed once with Pantene Restoratives Breakage Defense shampoo, then left the Restoratives Replenishing Mask in for over 2 hours before rinsing and chasing with the Breakage Defense conditioner. Ahhhh liquid gold bliss! 
    I detangled as usual today and oiled the ends when I got to work. During my break, I wove my hair into what looked like a successful braid...until I noticed the one tiny little strand that somehow got overlooked.    lol I'm not getting much better at this. But with all of this not washing, clarifying, oiling, treating and braiding, I'm beginning to feel like a true longhair...even if my hair isn't currently all that long.

Alright, I'm running out of room here. 'Til next time!