JD, Trish and LD: Thanx, you guys. I do appreciate the sympathy. Somewhat surprisingly, however, it hasn't been all that tough. I'd been emotionally detaching from it all for awhile, so in my mind and in my heart, I had already moved on. All that remained was a formality, which I addressed as gracefully and honestly as possible.
   That's not to say that it's all been entirely without discomfort. Little things do get me down, but not for more than a few seconds at a time. As each of you said, I'll be fine. Certainly there will be more deserving best friends/suitors.  

And thanx for the recommendation, LD. I have never known the Color Stay line to make black, but I guess it may be possible someday, right? I'm already a fan of Revlon's Dark Pleasures line.  

Hair: The usual routine today. CWC, Silkening crème, air dry, braid. I need to do another S&D...I know that I say that all the time and never get around to it.  

Other: I am now on track, alternating between ab workouts and power walking every other night. And I seem to be having LA withdrawal. Other than that, nothing new to report.

Thanx, dudes! 

The avatar change is quarterly/seasonal, though I have been known to do so on a whim. I suppose it could coincide with a new chapter in my life, but that wasn't my reason for it.
    I have, however, removed a quote from my signature that had been borrowed from Mr. Clueless and will likely be replaced with something else next year. That was directly related to recent life changes/new chapters/etc.

Hair: Yesterday, I finally did an S&D on a small strand from the right side of my head. This is by far the more damaged side - even the smallest strands look hopeless and intimidating at first. But after about an hour of snipping, they start to actually resemble hair again...rather than Easter basket grass or whatever. 

Last night finally saw a much needed heavy EVOO treatment. This morning, I washed it all out with Pantene Full & Thick shampoo, then treated for an hour with the last of my Pantene Moisturizing Essential Hydrating Rinse. It never seemed to do much for my hair, so I'm glad to be free of it...as with other things. *ahem*
    Anyway, after an hour, I rinsed and conditioned with Pantene Restoratives Breakage Defense conditioner. Decisions, decisions...I love Restoratives, but I also love Ice Shine. And if I'm using Ice Shine shampoo, am I obligated to its matching conditioner or should I use DMR? It's rather sad the amount of trivial thoughts that pass through my head. 

Other: While my conditioning treatment was working its mediocre magic, I got to drool a little bit in front of the TV, as the Fuse channel was re-airing their Blaqk Audio interview on The Sauce from yesterday. Ohhh, Davey...so gorgeous! *swoon*   
   
Yeah, anyway...shoot, what else was I going to mention? Oh right, payday! Payday = minor shopping spree, so we'll see what all I gather this time. After work, I'm jumping into crazed goth shopper mode and terrorizing the "upper crust" at my favourite mall, which happens to be the swankiest one in town. The Godiva boutique is most definitely on the list, since I have a buy one, get one free coupon. 

After that, a power walk and a new, sparkly black manicure are absolutely required.

Alright, less than half an hour left here, then it's off to the bank and then to my dad's work to give him a ride home. Wonder what sort of musical "atrocities" I'll expose him to on the way. 

Lisabelle: hehe Black kitties! Everywhere! My first and only cat was a black & white with a regal personality (no doubt from her Siamese breeding). Even 7 years after her death, I can still say that she's the best friend I've ever had. Shoot, I'm crying now.

Kiraela: Sorry, but I've read about your bf's cat and I'm afraid that she wouldn't last long in my keep. 
And lol @ "Gutter Glitter Barbie"    hehe Maybe I'll save that look and the wild eyeshadow for when/if I'm ever in a glam rock trash mode. lol Let's hope that never happens...
Sorry also for your sister's, erm, choice in careers. Hopefully she is setting a better example for her children these days.

Hair: Last night, I did a heavy EVOO under a sleep cap because I knew that I'd be washing all of my hair the next day.
    This morning was a clarifying routine, and I am now out of white vinegar. Why oh why did I forget that when I was at the grocery store last night? Now I have to go back. *sigh* Might as well pick up some blackberries or something while I'm there.
    For the sake of my skin, I may have to stop doing the overnight oil treatments. I'll continue using EVOO regularly until my current bottle is empty, then evaluate what effects it might be having on my skin. If the oil is passing through my sleep cap and still ending up on my pillowcase, I'll...whoa!

Everybody's movin', eeeverybody's groovin, baby... *boogies*

lol Sorry...Love Shack is on the radio.    Slave to the music, ya know.    Anyway, if there's any chance that oil from my hair is still ending up on my skin, I'll stop doing overnight EVOO's altogether and save any oiling for during the day, if at all.

Also, I may have hit an obstacle with Pantene Restoratives: the dry rash is reappearing on the back of my neck.    This is a reaction that my skin has with many conditioners (anyone who followed my hair blog last year might remember the myriad of times that I had to deal with this while experimenting with different products) and I'm pretty sure it's caused by strong fragrances. Again, I'll use up my current supply and assess the possible damage...but it might mean that a permanent switch to Ice Shine is in order (which I wouldn't have a problem with at all).

Other: WHYYY, GOD, MUST PEOPLE BE SO STUPID?!?!

Another CWC today. Didn't have time for Silkening crème, so I just let it air dry. I'll comb and braid during my break.
   Most of the morning was spent rushing around between eating, doing laundry and having a shower and much needed shave. So I didn't get to do a conditioning treatment or updo or anything special. But I'll do a heavy EVOO treatment tonight to make up for it.

So only 17 more days of September. Before too long I'll be picking out pumpkins and pulling all of my black velvet and lace out of the closet. I even browsed the early Halloween section at Wal*Mart last night. *shudder* Yeah, I know...but Target doesn't have their stuff out yet.  
   Hopefully, it won't be too long before they start putting out all of the lovely holiday table décor. I need a placemat and table runner to match the bedding in my room.
   Just thinking of all of that holiday stuff in general makes me giddy and anxious. Good anxious. I can't help but wonder what sort of booty I'll make off with this year. Accessories, decorations, ornaments...clothes...jewelry...shoes! hehehe Easy does it, Angel.

In other news, Blaqk Audio will be in San Diego on the 26th, but it looks as if I'll be missing the show.    And I'd been so looking forward to it...

Oh yes, and surprisingly, no one yelled at me for making soup last night. However, this morning, I was ordered to do the dishes and clean the kitchen sink.    Whatever.

Thanx, Trish. 

Hair: The usual WTC for Friday. Today, I got to break in the Pantene Fortifying treatment that's been sitting in my armoire. Left that in for an hour after washing, then rinsed out and followed with Restoratives Breakage Defense conditioner. And I was absolutely right about the latter burning the back of my neck. I noticed that familiar chemical burn-y sensation beyond any doubt when I used it this morning. So, needless to say, I won't be buying Restoratives again. *sigh* So ends another Pantene partnership.
    Buuuuuut...it's alright. All of the hair stuff that I'm currently using is nearly gone, so I'll need to pick up something new after work. And how does one commonly treat burning sensations? hehehe Ice them.    I think I'll pick up another jar of the Nourishing mask as well, so I can compare it with the Fortifying treatment and see which works better. heh For all I know, they're probably the same product in different packaging, but...whatever. 

Also, I'm not seeing the advantage of overnight EVOO treatments. I do them once or twice a week, but they don't seem to do much of anything for my hair. And I don't think that I can justify the breakouts and lack of sleep suffered because of them. This may well be another thing that I give up once the bottle is empty.
    Part of the whole hair growing experience is learning what works for your hair and what doesn't. Oil doesn't seem to do anything for me. At least not anything good. Perhaps there is an alternative for freaks of nature like myself. Maybe a little more leave-in conditioner applied to the ends of my hair would work better?    We'll find out when the last of my EVOO is gone.

Other: After several weeks of trying to grow my nails out, I spazzed and started scratching everything in sight. The feeling of having nails "too long" annoys me beyond belief, so this morning, I cut them all to the quick. Guess I'm just not cut out to have long, glamorous Marilyn Monroe nails...which is fine considering that I'm an artist/musician/typist and am always doing something with my hands. It's a mystery to me how women like Dolly Parton and Charo can play guitar with superlong nails. I'm pretty sure that my bass strings would shred mine in an instant. Just as well.

Weight is back on the slow decline. Very slow. But better than nothing, I suppose. Still power walking and ab training, alternating so that I'm doing something every night. Been debating a week-long vegetarian diet, just to see if I could get away with it. What I need is another week without junk.

Ordered a couple of new tops from Newport News. Their fall selections haven't been jaw-dropping, but there are a few nice pieces. Hoping that winter will be more interesting. Ahh, yes...winter. Most delicate and dazzling of all seasons...I can't wait for it to arrive. It won't be fall yet for another 9 days and I'm already psyched for winter. But that's where my heart is permanently. It's also when my hair grows fastest. 

Anyway, another half hour earning a meager existence before I'm free for 2 days to appreciate said existence. Maybe I'll pick up the bass guitar that I've been neglecting for a month... 

Bon week-end, tout le monde.