Kiraela: "Interesting?" It was fantastic. Let's just leave it at that.    And Ice Shine definitely rox. Oh yes, and here's that Eddie Izzard bit that I was talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IzDbNFDdP4

Lisabelle: Quote:

Quite true. It always happens when you're just doing something that you would normally do in life...like going to the store or visiting your sister at work. 

Everybody: Thanx for the sympathy. Uncle Mike is at peace now, free from everything that ailed him.

Hair: The weekends always call for the usual CWC/Silkening crème/air dry/braid routine. I've also learned that I don't need to wash twice, even if I postpone a shower until noon. A simple CWC takes care of all the scariness.
    Yesterday, my mother said that the ends of my hair look really thin and that I need about 1½ - 2" cut off!    I told her that I was getting a trim next month, and her response was, "Good. It needs it." She said some other things too, though I don't feel like printing them. But I remembered K saying that he loved my hair, and that comforted me. Kind of softened the blow of my mother's words in a way.

Other Stuff: So yesterday was generally cool. Met a buddy of mine at Disneyland...went on rides, had dinner (at a Denny's across the street), battled the immense crowds...I even got a present for K.    Didn't leave until after midnight and it was almost 3 am when I came home. I basically washed up and crashed.
    This afternoon, I went with my parents to the State University for my sister's "professionalism ceremony." Wow...    We all had lunch afterwards at Mimi's. I had a jazz salad, a buttermilk spice muffin and an Arnold Palmer. And my sis let me take the bleu cheese and a few avocado slices from her salad.
    With the coming of a new week, I have decided to try and devote myself to a week-long health kick. Ab exercises every day, power walks every night and absolutely no junk! No cookies, no ice cream, no Starbucks - nothing like that! I might still have popcorn though. It's like a religion for me. lol

So there it is. Another week? Bring it on.

Sorry for the loss of your great uncle, Angel.  I, too, am behind in journal entries.  *hugs* 

Trisha: Dun dun dunnnnn...Goth Goddess to the rescue. hehe You may be onto something there. But I guess we all need super powers sometimes...

Kiraela: Awesome? Yes indeed. I certainly am not complaining! No guy has ever showered me this way before. Even my sister is starting to get jealous.  
   That rather sucks about Paul's hands. Perhaps you should start making him wear gloves to bed. lol 300 thread count is nice, but I like either 1,000 thread count Egyptian cotton or a sateen blend. The latter is definitely kinder to hair! But nothing is better than silk or satin - I made the switch almost a year ago and have definitely noticed a difference in my hair's behaviour in the morning.

Hair: I did indeed end up doing the double bun/black rose updo last night. Had to redo the top bun several times before I finally got it to look right. My hair seemed to fight me the whole way, but with enough pins, hairspray and strategically placed black rose barrettes, it eventually looked somewhat like I wanted it to.
   Of course, the updo came down at the end of the night and the buns had created nice, voluminous (and quite temporary) waves.
   This morning was another CWC with Suave coconut conditioner and Pantene Ice Shine S&C. One thing I noticed immediately about Suave's Tropical Coconut conditioner is that it is much thicker than the Daily Clarifying. As yet, I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not. But it seems to be working for now, so what the heck?
   Silkening crème, air dry, braid as usual. Tonight, I'll do a heavy EVOO treatment.

Other: K took me to Little Italy last night for dinner at a place called Filippi's Pizza Grotto. I'm not really a pizza fan, but this was really good. Totally vegetarian too.    The eggplant parmisiana and cheese ravioli weren't bad either. K ordered and we split everything. And he offered to get me a bottle of olive oil for my hair from the front part of the restaurant, which is actually an Italian grocery. hehe I politely refused.
   We walked around and window shopped for awhile afterwards, and I realized that I like hanging out downtown because it makes me feel like less of a freak somehow. Like I don't stand out as much as I do in rural east county. Downtown, the sight of a goth couple walking hand in hand down the street is nothing to bat an eye at. In my little town, it could stop traffic...or at least get a few stares.  
   After that, we went back to K's house and watched The Mists Of Avalon, which I'd never seen before. K mostly slept through it. All in all, an awesome night. We're definitely growing closer.  

No power walk last night, needless to say, so I'll just walk an extra night. No big deal. I did keep up with the junk food strike though, and even talked about it with K a little bit. He seems quite interested in my dieting/exercising habits. And last night, he smiled approvingly when I told him that I refuse to eat anything that has to be boiled alive. tee hee  In any case, my routine only took a minor hit and I shouldn't suffer too much for it. I've actually thought about just staying on the junk food strike the majority of the time and only power walking on the nights that I don't see K.

What else...? The blouse that I ordered from Newport News like 3 weeks ago finally arrived yesterday. It's classic corporate goth - equally appropriate for the office or the club.
   On a fashion note, I got a closer look at a lot of K's clothes and jewelry last night and busted up laughing...only because so much of what he owns is identical to things that I either currently own or previously have owned. We seem to be literally cut from the same cloth. Pretty ironic for a bartender and a girl who never drinks alcohol, eh?

lol Trish. I hope so. 

So, Friday. Payday. Let me rewind...

This morning, I rose early despite going to bed rather late last night, but it was absolutely necessary. I gathered my "shower stuff," dragged it into the bathroom, jumped on the scale (still 7.4 lbs. overweight), combed out my hair and was in the shower just after 7 am.
    Washed all of my hair with Ice Shine shampoo and left it up in my shower cap while washing everything else. Then the hair came down again. I rinsed it smooth, squeezed out the water with my microfiber towel and applied Pantene's Pro-V Nourishing Moisture Replenishing Mask, which I have officially decided is my new favourite treatment. Left it in for an hour exactly before rinsing and chasing with Ice Shine conditioner. Magnifique!

In a kind of frenzy, I tended laundry, texted my sweetheart and threw myself together before having to leave for work early. God only knows how I managed to get all of that done and make it to the office before my aunt had arrived there to pick my mother up. The two of them are off on a scrapbooking excursion for the weekend and left at 10 am, so I had to come into work early.

But...it's Friday. Payday. I've said that already...so now we're up to speed. My hair has Silkening crème in the length and is still damp. I'm not sure if I'll braid it while I'm still at work or just leave it down and do an S&D when I get home. Been putting those off for far too long!

As for tonight, I must hit the bank immediately after work, run home and deliver my mother's paycheck since she's away, then devote myself to laundry. I'll walk after dinner, of course and maybe finish the rest of The Mists Of Avalon, since K let me borrow the DVD so I could see what I missed a few days ago. Busy day, busy night. Beats the alternative, I guess.

So this Sunday, my father's band returns for their annual gig at Bates Nut Farm. Music, a pumpkin patch, country stores, animals, kettle corn, craft booths...and how interesting that it should fall on the day that my junk food strike will be over. hehe    I only wish that K could go with me. He has to work that day, but I'll still hold out a little bit of hope.

Also, I got to talk with my aunt today while she was here to pick my mother up and I will be housesitting at her place for 10 days in November.

That's about it for today. Now excuse me while I update a few lists and rock out to Def Leppard...

Indeed, Curlgirl. Indeed.  

So, today...all of southern California is burning. Again.
Actually, it's been burning since yesterday. K and I noticed thick smoke in the air as we were coming home from Bates Nut Farm. It's a very typical scenario for my area of SoCal at this time of the year. Santa Ana weather, high winds, lasting drought, plenty of dry foliage...perfect conditions for firestorms to thrive and spread. Of course, I live in the eastern valley region, which is technically desert country.

As of now, there are 8 different fires in the area. About 250,000 people in San Diego have been evacuated. One man and 2 horses have perished. The fires collectively range from Malibu to Mexico.
   My house is fine and will remain so, but my family is on alert at the ranch, farther east, where we keep our hoses just in case they need to evacuate or help other families/ranches on the outer reaches of east county evacuate. I had to come into work early to relieve my mother so she could go and pull horse trailers, should the need arise. If chaos does come our way, we're prepared. It's certainly not the first time that we've been threatened by fire.
    Many employees of my company are absent today due to the fires. Many are evacuees of the affected areas, so my thoughts and prayers are with them.

Aside from that, Bates was pretty fun yesterday, aside from the sun, heat, high winds and dust storms.    My mother and sister couldn't make it, so it was just K and I that went up to watch my father's band play. We also ate a lot, shopped in the dry goods store, browsed the craft booths and strolled through the pumpkin patch. We ended up taking 2 pumpkins home for Halloween. K had never been to Bates before and I worried that it might be a bit provincial and boring for his tastes, but he actually seemed to enjoy it.

On the romance front, K and I are always getting to know each other better. He seems to be growing more comfortable around me, and I can see beyond his generosity and chivalrous gestures to the cynical and witty jokester beneath. No objections, really, so long as his level of respect for me doesn't falter. And he is undoubtedly beginning to see the fragile mess that I am inside as well. God willing, it won't turn him away...but I won't be surprised if it does.

In any case, he is taking me to see The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D at the local Imax theatre on Wednesday. I've never been there before, but how could it not be a fabulous time? Seriously.  

As for my hair, well, my main concern at the moment is protecting it from the elements. Drying out, smelling of smoke, etc. I will keep it braided as usual, which will definitely help in the high winds, though the idea is to stay indoors as much as possible. The air is of poor quality and ash may soon rain from the sky. So my hair will have the same protection as my lungs, skin, eyes, etc.
   Today was the usual routine. CWC, Silkening crème, air dry. I'll braid during my break here at work.

Health wise, I made a spur of the moment decision to end my junk food strike a day early. Blame it on PMS and the Godiva boutique within my sight at the time. lol I did get to share some of the booty with K when I got home. Er...the chocolate booty - don't get any ideas!    I'm not sure if he'd ever had Godiva before.
   Anyway, the nocturnal power walks have been postponed until the air is of proper quality again. I might work on my arms and abs inside in the mean time.
   After work, I'll have to run to the store and pick up a few things to survive Mother Nature's wrath, both internal and external.

Anyway, that's what's up at the moment. Now I must get back to the radio news reports.