Egad, Lisabelle, that's awful!

Ok, screw the editor. I hate men! I really, really hate them!!    Argh!

Right, so last night went terribly with my distant...whatever he is. Or isn't.    I won't get into it too much, but I've had it. Too long have I sacrificed my health, affection and precious hours of sleep for someone who has never given as much back as I've given out. Another lesson learned, if you ever have to wonder whether you're wasting your time with someone, you probably are.

That said, I had a lovely hair day yesterday, despite not being able to oil the ends. Instead of braiding, I simply pinned the sides up a bit with barrettes that my mother had given me earlier this month. Yes, they were metal and didn't hold my hair very well, but I liked the style and would like to try it with different barrettes sometime.
   It worked because it allowed me to wear my hair down without getting in the way of the phone or my vision, etc. Surprisingly, my hair didn't tangle too badly either. Even without oil. Just hung there nice, soft and straight, pinned up at the sides. "Princess hair" I called it.  

Today, I was not so lucky. Meds interfered severely with my morning routine and I had to cut it down to the bare minimum. Just a standard wash and condition as I tried to resist vomiting.    After getting dressed very slowly, I simply laid down in my bed again, feeling awful, until it was time to leave for work. No detangling, no spraying no combing. I barely even separated the strands, which were dry by about the time I finished sorting and handing out commision checks.
   When my break arrived, I combed and braided. Done. Not thinking about it anymore.

Having spent the morning ill, I've not eaten anything all day and am starting to get hungry, which should be a good sign of sorts. But the nausea is still tapering off, and I'm wondering whether it would be safe to eat. Granted, if I don't, I'll soon go into hypoglycemic distress and make a bad problem even worse. *sigh* It doesn't help that I can smell sub sandwiches somewhere in the office.  

So, that's all for today. Too sick to do anything with my hair, bloody tired after only 4 hours' sleep and miserably conflicted in the heart. Looking forward to going home and crashing. No point in doing anything else.

Don't try to understand me
Because your words just aren't enough
                          -Michael Jackson, Give In To Me

I agree; you must take care of yourself first.  Whatever the outcome, I hope things get settled soon between you and The Distant One.  *hugs* 
Love ya.

Early Blessing: On Christmas Eve, I spontaneously decided to measure my hair and was rewarded with a pleasant surprise. The hair gods had given me an early Christmas present: 23"!!    I will be finishing this year strong after all.

Christmas Cheer: Christmas went very well, all things considered. Ahem. Meaning, of course, that Mr. Ho Ho Homeless was still indeed living with us.  
   On Christmas Eve, my parents and I...and homeless homeboy...went to have dinner with a couple and their family, who are all family friends. There was food of all sorts - turkey, beans, mashed potatoes, salad, etc. - there was wine, sparkling cider, sugar-free desserts all in abundance. The lady of the house had spent days beforehand cooking and baking her brains out. And it all paid off deliciously.
   My father's homeless friend knew the couple who owned the house, but no one else, and he liked the sugar-free cooking, considering he's diabetic.
   There was a gift exchange after dinner, and I got a gift certificate for See's candy shop.

Christmas morning, my father woke my sister & I up by pounding on our doors and bellowing to us in his mighty bass of a voice to wake up and come into the living room. hehe My sister had worked late the night before and she & I were quite tired. But we eventually stumbled groggily into the living room in our pj's and sat down with everyone else while my mother handed out presents from under our tree. There were tons of them...and I think I got the most "stuff" out of everyone.
   Homeless homeboy had a few presents to open from my parents, but he mainly just took pictures of the rest of us opening ours.

After a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast, and a phone call to my grandfather in WA to wish him a happy birthday, everyone retired for a nap. Everyone except me, that is, as I stayed up to do laundry, iron, take a shower and get ready for the rest of the day.
   Then it was off to my aunt & uncle's place for a simple "Mediterranian" dinner and then a walk down one of the heavily decorated streets in their neighbourhood. When we returned to my aunt & uncle's house, we exchanged presents. I spent my "free" time IM-ing and calling my far-away sweetheart who had received my gift to him - a ballotin of 36 Godiva chocolates (you're welcome, babe!  ). He'd never had Godiva before and had been waiting for me to call him so I could hear his reaction when he tried his very first piece. lol Unfortunately, he had to wait just a little longer because I got called into the dining room for dessert. hehe My sister had brought a few things from her restaurant, including a huge lemon bar and an entire pumpkin pie cheesecake.
   Homeless homeboy didn't really know my aunt, uncle or cousins and didn't have any presents to open, so he pretty much hung out, talked, ate and took pictures of the rest of us.

After that, we went home and retired for the night. I was finally able to call my dearest friend again, and he was finally able to have his official introduction to Godiva. hehehe

Satiny Goodness: I got a lot of satin for Christmas, which my hair completely appreciates as well as the rest of me.    My parents gave me all new bedding for my room. A comforter, pillow shams, curtains, the works! All in a gorgeous burgundy satin and velvet, with off white lace trim. It looks like something that could easily have adorned the bedchamber of Queen Victoria herself. Very royal. They also gave me gold satin sheets.    Ahhhhh! Quite the contrast from my ex-boyfriend's eeevil flannel ones that destroyed my hair last year.
   My cousins gave me black satin pj's, too. So my hair can be completely protected next year while I revel in the sheer luxury of it all.

Let Down: As for my distant lover, I'm afraid that he won't be able to make it out for NYE as we'd hoped.    It just isn't in the budget for either of us. *sigh* So it will have to wait, or rather, keep waiting. Probably until the next time my aunt & uncle ask me to housesit for them. God only knows when that will be.
   Also sux because I was so hoping that my hair would reach 23" by the time he came out. My hair fulfilled its obligation despite the odds against it. I wish that my guy could have done the same. *sigh* But I shan't hold it against him. Not at this point, at least.  

Ice And Snow: Over the 4-day weekend, I finally used up the last of my Breakage Defense S&C. So it was off to Target to restock. I got Pantene Ice Shine S&C, a bottle of DMR (Winter Rescue) conditioner to use as a 2nd conditioner and another bottle of Fortifying Treatment. Also picked up a new facewash and a bottle of Ivory bodywash in the Fresh Snow fragrance. Ahh...

Today, I clarified using Pantene Purity shampoo, ACV, Pantene DMR and Ice Shine conditioners. No leave-in's or anything, as usual on a clarifying day. Just let it air dry. I'll finally get to comb it out when I get my break at 3:00. Didn't bring a hairtie or anything, so it will just have to be left down, I guess.

So it seems that my hair gets a rebirth along with the rest of me. No telling what next year will bring for me or my hair, but we'll both have great stuff to get us through.

Once again, I've followed up a stripped down effort with an all-out treatment day. 
    Today, I washed twice with Ice Shine shampoo, then left the last of my Deep Fortifying Treatment in for an hour under a shower cap. After rinsing that out, I chased it with Ice Shine and Daily Moisture Renewal conditioners. Detangled as usual, then oiled the ends when I got to work. Now it is braided and behaving itself.

After waking up this morning to an empty house (always nice), and before getting into the shower, I cleaned a few things. One being the washing machine - I ran a little bit of antibacterial dish soap and a lot of bleach through it to sterilize the inside, another being the dryer - 30 minutes on high heat while empty to kill whatever was festering in there, and another being the bathtub. All this because my father wishes to "reform" a homeless friend just out of rehab. 

I was finally able to put my first load of laundry into a clean washer after having breakfast. Then it was off to a clean shower. Ahh...
    While my hair treatment was in, I washed another load of laundry (including the towels that homeless homeboy had been using) and then cleaned all of my seamless combs in the kitchen sink. I also went through all of my storage boxes, pulled out a pair of bathsheets and washed them so I would have my own towels to use from now on. Never again will I have to worry about which towel homeless homeboy has used.
    So, I was busy this morning and ended up being late for work - ugh! - again.

But all's well now. Less than an hour and a half to go before yet another long weekend. Woohoo! I just hope to get home before someone has the chance to tamper with the laundry that I left in the dryer. *ahem*

As far as NYE, it looks like I won't be doing much of anything, sadly. My plans have been dashed and I don't especially feel like driving home in the wee hours of the morning. Especially if I'm coming from all the way up in Anaheim. I think I'll just make my resolutions and kick it at home by myself. Maybe watch a movie or something. Would be nice to do that without interruption. It's impossible not to be interrupted when anyone else is home. It will also be nice not to have the pressure of putting on makeup and looking decent enough to be seen in public. My complexion has been terrible of late and I don't wish to be seen at all if it can be avoided.
    So, it's pretty sad that I won't be ringing in '07 at Disneyland with my new guy, but I guess staying in isn't so bad either. I'll save my first kiss of the New Year for when he finally does arrive.

So this is my last entry for 2006, and I'll finally be able to put Measure For Measure, and all of the drama within, to rest. 2007 should find this Angel gratefully reborn. Looking forward to another year of adventure...and of course, growing long, healthy hair. 

Happy New Year, everyone!