I don't know how often I'll update this, at least monthly, hopefully!
My current routine is wash and condition with Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal, followed by running infusium 23 through my hair and combing it out with my tangle tamer comb. I've never seen anything like it - I'd never even heard of it until my BF convinced me to buy one. It goes through knots like a hot knife through butter, and doesn't break hardly any hairs, even in the worst snarls.

Anyway, I went and got my hair trimmed today by my neighbor, who's been doing this for years. I know she only does trims, not any short fancy styles, so I was fairly ... well not confident, but not spazzing anyway.
Walked into her single chair salon, and was greeted by a picture of a woman with absolutely gorgeous dark brown tailbone length hair. It turns out she's been taking care of her sister in law's hair since she had it chin length. Needless to say, I was quite a bit reassured. I wasn't sure how much I wanted taken off, I knew, 2-3 inches, no more!  she held up a comb with inch marks on it. "this is three inches". Looking up close at how much hair that would take off, I started shaking.  Two inches would be more than sufficient.
It came out beautifully, if I do say so myself.  She cut it in the slightest of u shapes so it would look less pointy draped over my shoulders.
Then I returned home and washed/conditioned it, and it's currently air drying and soaking my computer chair.
Next time I go to Baton Rouge I'm planning on going to hong kong seafood market and getting a pair of fancy laquered chopsticks for my hair. It's not a set of Longlocks hairsticks, but for now it's going to have to do. Once I've bought the harp I'm currently saving for, I'll start saving for a pair.

Yea!  Another new journal!

Sounds like you may have found a great person to do your trims - lucky you!

Im glad you started a journal. You have very pretty hair. Where can i get that detangling comb from? It sounds wonderful.

Congrats on starting your hair journal, Kiraela. Look forward to reading more.  :)

Thanks for y'alls encouragement, comments, and compliments! I got my Krest Tangle Tamer at Sally Beauty supply, I'm not sure but I think you can get them at most drug stores like walgreens, CVS, etc. It's got curved teeth, facing each other set sort of apart... I'm not sure how to describe it, except with a picture http://www.chatelaine.com/english/images/issue/2006/04/20060207_163948_2840_02.jpg (that's not it but it's got the same teeth) and I don't know why it works, but it does. I'm not sure if they come in any colors other than a pretty dark teal. that's the only one I saw.
Yes, Mrs. Jo is a great lady... I can't believe how much difference a small chunk off the bottom makes! My entire hair looks so much silkier and shinier, and all around healthier. (that could be the new conditioner, too, but I'm sure that's not all it, I've used it before and it wasn't this good) I think it's a little shorter than I wished for, though. I'm now at 28'' almost exactly. So I think she took off 3'', rather than 2''... but it was, honestly worth it. that's another inch's worth of damage I don't have to worry about later. And I did say, 2 or 3 inches... :-/ at least it will grow better now, without splits travelling up the shaft.  I found one hair earlier when I tried dusting my hair for the first time, that had a split about 3/8 of an inch long! I didn't even know it could possibly split that far. :( but now, it's so much better looking and feeling, I'm happy as a clam!

Sometimes it is worth having more trimmed off when there is a lot of damage.  And remember - it will grow back!  Your hair sounds like it grows pretty fast, so you will regain that length pretty quickly.  Hang in there!

That's what I have to keep reminding myself. It feels so short now, though! I know that's rediculous, but I'm so used to the comb going throug my hair a certain way, and now it stops before it feels like it should. Does that make sense?  I guess it will take some getting used to.
And yep, I grow pretty fast... I think I've been averaging one inch a month, roughly.

lol It totally makes sense. I feel the same way when combing my hair after a trim. There's just this kind of blunt feeling when the comb stops short. It does take some getting used to.

One inch per month is phenomenal! I don't think that many ladies here grow that fast. You shouldn't be missing those last few inches long.  ;)

Hi Kiraela, I grow that fast also.  I know the feeling of missing something.  Next week it will feel better.  Soon enuf, you wont notice its gone at all  ;D.

Debr

Welcome to the wonderful world of journaling!!   8-)

WOO! In celebration of my new, healthier looking hair, (And to keep me from being bummed by the trim) I just tried the figure 8 bun! It looks great, even with a mechical pencil rather than a hairstick to keep it up. I am loving my hair right now.

And, hello everyone and thanks for taking the time to read!

yarg! I tried an "infinity bun" ... because of the loose messy ends, it looks rather like a "dead betta fish" bun(sort of like a stylized "jesus fish" with a big tail) it now "hairstyles named after fish (page 34)" in some trendy hairstyle magazine.  I was good today, didn't drink much cola at all(about 1/4 of a can)...did a bit of walking and wood carving today too. Made my own set of hairsticks out of a 1/4 inch red oak dowel(woo, 4 sticks for $0.55(is there a way to do a cents sign?)! they were originally 9'', but I decided that 7'' was more than sufficient. Now I'm considering how to decorate them. If I can get my hands on some black paint (i have an idea about that, btw) I think i'm going to paint them black and decorate the top end of each with green seed beads. Now, what should I do for the other pair, is the question? Black with red beads, blue beads, or something off the wall like white painted with purple? (or something completely different, I'm not sure yet.)My creative brain is going into overdrive...I'm not sure I can choose!

    One pair is 7', the other is 8''(for now, I am going to see whether that is too long). I think I'm going to do the 7s black and red, and the 8s, i'm not sure. white and green? black and green? green and blue? I'm sure I'll think of something, anyway. (suggestions are welcome, of course!)
    I've started on a schedule of shampooing every other day. I was going almost a week, trying to get my hair used to it, but alas. by day 3 it gets oily and funky, and just keeps getting worse. By day 6 I can almost use my own sebum as hairspray. The good news is, the daily moisture renewal has left my hair silkier than it's been in months. I'm just worried about the buildup of cones on my hair, so I'm going to start doing a white vinegar rinse(now that I know how), but, how often should I do them?

Pardon my naïveté, but what exactly is an infinity bun? I've heard of them before, but I don't think I've ever seen one.  :-?

To make the cent symbol ¢ just hold down the Alt key and press 0418 in the 10-key keypad.  ;)

Does the Daily Moisture Renewal shampoo not leave your roots greasy? I only ask because I used to be a total DMR nut - used almost every single product in the line - until last year when something in the shampoo formula changed and it started giving me the greasiest roots ever.  :P  I had to attend my grandmother's funeral last year looking like I hadn't washed my hair in weeks, and pretty much stopped using it altogether after that. I was really P.O.'ed that something I'd used and relied on for years would suddenly turn on me, but...such is life. You are lucky if it doesn't affect your hair that way.

IF you can do a Figure 8, the infinity bun is simple.. basically, do a figure 8 horizontally rather than vertically. I'm no good at describing how to do them, but Bikerbraid gave a good way to do it earlier, in another thread. Only, instead of flipping the top loop up, flip it sideways (it helps if the original ponytail to make the bun is slightly offset from center, otherwise the bun ends up halfway across one side of the head!). It produces the sideways 8, or infinity symbol. (or in my case, the fish symbol...)  the daily moisture renewal doesn't make my roots greasy, luckily.  I don't know what they did, maybe it was a temporary change, or something. Or maybe my hair just loves it. ¢! woo! thanks, Angel Spun.

I've decided to add danglies on the ends of my homemade hairsticks, kind of like the absolutely lovely Geishastix, as soon as the paint is dry. Finding a drill bit the perfect size was a bit of a pain, even in a blacksmithing/ornamental ironwork shop. It seems my guy and his father don't typically have need of a .070 drill bit...  :-/ I can't wait to take pictures of the sticks though!

And hey, I managed to do the Victorian! It's a lot simpler to do than it looks like it should be. and very pretty, even with unpainted, plain wooden sticks. I think it will look great with my soon to be finished 7'' sticks.

Quote:

¢! woo! thanks, Angel Spun.

lol You're welcome. I use Alt commands all the time.  ;)

And thanx for the infinity bun description. I might have to try that too!  :D  LMAO @ the "dead beta fish" bun. hehehe Egad...

Quote:

I'm going to start doing a white vinegar rinse(now that I know how), but, how often should I do them?

I (try) to do a vinegar rinse once a week.  I wash my hair every 3-4 days or so, depending on how long I can stand it.   ;D  I think it's another one of those "personal choice" things.  

Thanks, Trisha!

The 8'' pair is now down to 7''...I kept stabbing myself in the neck every time I turned my head to fast. That was just not going to work! I've got the first pair primed and they're just about ready to put the first coat of paint on. The dangles are done and waiting, and I figured out a seriously pretty way to attach them. :D

Well, not much to report in the hair front today. I was going to go every other day without shampooing, (yesterday being the last time) but I got bug repellent in my hair earlier,and it was sticking together and trying to eat my comb. I couldn't let it go like that so two washes in a row. Hopefully it will forgive me.
On the hairstick front, the first pair has its first coat of red and the second pair is primed and waiting for me to find green spraypaint. Oddly enough, the spray red is quite a bit shinier than expected.  I had originally planned on using red nail polish to do the ends, but I found out from a paint expert (at least he thinks he is)  that the laquer in nail polish will cause paint to blister and crack . I'm not sure of that, but I didn't want to risk it. Especially not with my first ever pair! Tomorrow, they get masking taped (to cover the red) and black sprayed. Then, they get danglies and photographed! WOO!

Your hairsticks sound pretty, Kiraela. Can't wait to see pix!  :)

I hope they will be, anyway. I'm using such a weird mix of paints (industrial primer, red spray enamel, and black satin finish paint meant for metal) that I'm not sure HOW it will end up! I'll know shortly, the black paint is almost dry and I can soon remove the tape!

I would have been better off taking BikerBraid's suggestion and going with the nail polish! Yikes. it looks horrible, and the black dried with so many burst air bubbles in it that i wouldn't trust in in my hair! going to sand down the bubbles and paint it all black to see if that helps. if not... well the other set has a coat of red on them already, i'll just toss the black and keep it as an all red piece. :(

Not to mention our truck's engine is currently being dissassembled in the front yard by a man who openly admits he has no clue what he's doing.

this has not been a good day so far.
but my hair is behaving well, so i've got something.....

A good hair day can make all your other cares go away   :)  *hugs*  Hang in there...

Thanks Trisha! A nice long deep conditioning session and sleeping late fixed my mood, at least. I wish fixing a truck was that simple!

And good news, the sticks ended up beautiful. I'll get pictures as soon as I can get this screwy kodak software to function.  :-/

WOO! finally. I got pictures up of my pretty sticks, and also a new hairstyle I tried... I don't know if any of you have ever done it, but it ends up b-e-a-yutiful! admittedly, it will be even better once my hair is longer, but.. what isn't?

First off, showing off the double-8 and the new Redsticks, (don't worry that's paint not blood on the ends there, although I did manage to stab myself with them earlier  :-?)

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/double8sticks.jpg

Then a close up of the Redsticks.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/RedSticks.jpg

Next off, the Homage To Spring pair in a two sticked 8.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/antennae.jpg

and a closeup of the Spring pair (named after the sunflower and dragonfly danglies)

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/homagetospring.jpg

I'm not sure if they're completely complete though. I might shorten the Spring danglies a bit. I do like the antennae look though....  :o :P ;)



Note: edited to correct links and add a sentence.

Those are really cool, Kiraela!  --I like the 'do, too.   8-)

thanks!

AArgh! I think my hair is shrinking.  :o :-? >:( ! It went from 28'' after my trim to 27 3/4'' today! I haven't done but one S&D, and I know for certain sure I've not nipped THAT many hairs!   :'(

And my poor kitty is in heat (I need to get her spayed badly)... and my guy's cat(demon?) is too. Together, they're driving me mad. They're walking around the house chirping... Voodou, my guy's cat has a deep throaty meow that is intensely grating. Emma, my baby has a weirdly high pitched squeeky voice... It sounds like a pair of tribbles wandering around.

Today has not been a good day, but if that's all I have to worry about then I'm still doing well.

Thanks for the info about the Krest Tange Tamer. I got one at Sallys and i love it.   You have lovely hair!!

Your hair sticks look really neat! I love the dragonfly dangle.

I really like your sticks, they're so pretty!  At 28" or 27 3/4" your hair is till beautiful, it's okay. :)

I used to have a cat that wasn't spayed and she seemed so miserable when she'd go into heat.   I hope you can get your cat spayed soon.

Argh!! I need to learn to measure better, I think....

a few hours before my trim on april 24, my hair was 31''.
a few hours after my trim, on april 24, my hair was 28''.
may 2, my hair was measuring in at 27 3/4''.
today, may 6, it is measuring in at  29 1/2''.

??????

I think today's is more accurate, because 1) I asked Ms. Jo to only take off about 2 inches, putting me at 29''.. and 2)because today my hair is the straightest it's been in ages. that means that in 2 weeks, I have gained half an inch.  WOO!

Of course, my hair was so badly misbehaving today (thick, poofy, dry, and rough feeling) that I had a 5 1/2'' pony tail.

I did my first CWC this morning - I don't know that I like them so far. Eventually (right after measuring actually) I got fed up and rinsed/conditioned it again, hoping to take down some of the poof. At least it's too wet to poof right now. That's something.

And I got another quarter inch dowel and I'm making 3 more pairs of sticks. This time I'm going with nail polish for the paint... So far I've got one set done. They're a very pretty dusty pink color (L.A. Nails' Antique Rose). I'm not much of a pink girl, unless it's a dirty pink... Maybe that's the tomboy in me. I was never happy with my barbies unless they had as many mud streaks as I did....   ;D  Anyway, if I can figure out how to do the pretty end things like Susan does, I might do that, otherwise they're going to stay plain, I think. One day I hope I'm that skilled.
Heck, one day I hope I can afford something of that quality.

well, all three sets of sticks are done, and I'm actually rather pleased with my experimentations... One set is dirty pink, one is clear polish/varnished, with a pink dot to cover the end grain, and one was covered in black polish, then the black polish was removed, and the wood happened to be stained a very pretty walnutty color with black streaks... which was then covered in clear and left as is. Oddly enough, pair #3 is my favorite. Anyway, My hair has been behaving perfectly, for the most part. I washed my hair, looked at the clock on the wall, and decided to leave my conditioner on for an hour (as NCIS, my all-time-favorite-show, was about to start). It has made my hair softer, silkier, and shinier than usual.
I've also made myself a satin pillowcase since my last post. I was given a satin nightie by a friend who was clearing out her clothes, which unfortunately could not fit me even if I were sawwed in half lengthwise. It (with modification) fit a pillow perfectly, though. I think that has been adding to the shine and lack of splits too. (Not to mention it is quite snazzy looking!)
I've also been increasing on my endurance with crunches - I went from barely able to do 25, to doing 50, in about 2 weeks. I've been eating healthier too. A salad with or for almost every meal, and smaller portions of everything. I've even finally cut out all carbonated drinks from my diet, now it's lightly sweetened iced tea. Honestly, I think it's much tastier anyway! Unfortunately it's been heating the house, with as much as I have to boil water! With myself, my gentleman and his father all chugging on tea, I have to make two or three pitchers a day  :-/ I guess it's worth it though.

Also, I've re-learned a lesson... tomato juice+open wound=pain. And that salad can be dangerous.
I've also been bitten twice by a devil-cat in the past few days. When voodou is in heat, she's sweet, and affectionate, and cuddly. As soon as her hormones recede........ *chomp* Honestly, if the government is really serious about removing troops from the middle east, they should consider replacing them with clones of this cat. I'd swear she was more dangerous than a guy with an M-16!

Anyway, that's all for now. Sorry for the rambly, long post.

Quote:

Honestly, if the government is really serious about removing troops from the middle east, they should consider replacing them with clones of this cat.

LOL  ;D

Congrats on all of the steps you've made toward better health. Funny how cutting out the unnecessary crap here and there can make such a difference, isn't it? My sweetheart has already lost 25 lbs. since the beginning of this year just by making a few simple reductions in diet. So keep at it and I know you'll feel much better about yourself.  :)

Slim-The-Kiraela-project: Oh, yes. Not only does cutting the crap out of my diet help me physically - before I started this campaign my belt was on the second to last hole (drilled specifically for that length) and now it needs new holes drilled - But it also helps me mentally. I've always had a confidence problem. Specifically, I never had any.  Being more in control of what I eat and do has, oddly enough, made me feel more in control of everything else as well. I know that I can do much more than I had thought, if I only set my mind to it.  I don't want to weigh myself yet... I know I would be discouraged if there's not a marked decrease.  I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and letting it work.  :)
Injuries: my thumb (that got sliced instead of a tomato) is infected.  :( I'm going to rinse it with saline and keep it bandaged, and hope that kills it(the infection, not the thumb  :P). I don't know what it is about this thumb, though. I've had to have stitches on it before from tomato accidents. You'd think I'd have learned the difference by now, right?

Life:Argh. I wish the move would hurry up and happen. My guy interviewed with a shop in BR today. Right now we're just waiting to hear back on how much they're willing to pay him. He's pretty much got it in his pocket, if the offer is enough. Now we've got to step up looking for an apartment. and saving up. Which means all my harp savings is going to have to go towards the deposit, but it will be worth it. If I can't have a horse, I'd rather have no grass or trees for miles.  Also, I think I'm becoming a harp dork. I've never even played one, but I've found myself listening to things and air-harping(like air guitar but with more class, LOL).  Anybody else been so obsessed with something like a hobby or instrument that you dream about it? Except my dreams always end with my harp dissapearing, or never arriving, and me searching and not finding it.

Anyway. Off to wash the hair and braid it. G'night journal.

Oooo - infected finger is not good.  I'd suggest rinsing it with hydrogen peroxide. That is more likely to "eat" the infection, then use an antibiotic on it.  Infections can be serious, you don't want it to get too bad.

I was talking to a friend who is a professional body piercer, and according to her, salt water is actually better at cleaning piercings than peroxide! I didn't know that, but I've seen it work often enough that I trust it now.
Oddly enough, I've had enough cuts and scrapes to notice that for some reason, if I use peroxide, I'm more likely to scar.  :-?
And I've definately been using a triple antibiotic . :). luckily, It wasn't a bad infection, and it's already healing well.  

Hair news: Not much to report, been letting it go unwashed the past few days, and keeping it in a figure 8 when I go out somewhere. It's not gotten as dry as it usually does with limited conditioning.

Other news: My harp quest might have just been solved! My stepfather called around 9 this morning. "what would you do for a harp?" me: "almost anything" "good! I just got you one!" after about five minutes of excited-teenage-girl-eeking, I found out that it's fairly large (couldn't give me an actual string number as he didn't count, and was, at the time, driving) but it will need new strings and probable re-finishing. Heck, even if it needed a new neck, I know people who would be more than glad to make one. The only problem is, of course, that stepfather (and harp) live in missouri, so shipping will likely be expensive.   So now I'm sitting (and bouncing) and waiting for him to get home, so my mom can take a picture of it and email me.

Whoa, what a cool stepdad!  :o

My father is making me buy a bass guitar from one of his friends for $300...and it wasn't even my idea to start playing it!  :-?

My stepdad and I have had our differences, but in all, he's a great guy. And I'm not just saying that because he bought me a harp ;)

That sucks about the bass, though Angel Spun. Do you even want to play, or is it being forced upon you?

Ah, yes harp. Finally got my pictures. It will indeed need refinishing, possible re-staining, and new strings, but I've had a darn good woodworker check over the photos in minute detail, and from what he can see, It's in good condition (no cracks, dents, structural damage, etc.) He and my guy are trying to figure out whether it was made by a furniture maker or an intstrument maker. It has details that would suggest both. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out whether it's a paraguayan harp, or a celtic. It has details of both of those, too. The pillar is paraguayan, and the basic style indicates that, but the neck and string attachment is definately celtic. *shrugs* It's an antique, made in mexico some time before 1950.. the previous owner knew that much, at least. It's got 37 strings, and stands 54'' tall without the foot tall legs. Which means, of course, that it is too big to ship UPS package service, and the freight calculator on the website was for some reason not working at all, so I have to wait until monday to see if it will come UPS, or motor freight.  Motorfreight could be $100 or more. Of course, We'd still be making out well on the deal, having bought the harp for all of $5.00. yes. five point zero zero dollars. Anybody who reads the Wheel of Time series would probably think, 'Ta'veren?' right away. At least, I did.  And if you don't/haven't read the wheel of time, and you enjoy a good story, you should.

Oh yes, this is my new baby.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/ResizeofRotationofIM000835.jpg

Edited to add a photo.

Ooooh....nice harp! It will need some work, but it should be gorgeous when you and the woodworkers are finished with it. I hope it sounds as nice as it looks.


Quote:

That sucks about the bass, though Angel Spun. Do you even want to play, or is it being forced upon you?

hehehe Well the $300 part sux at least. Learning to play was kind of a deal made between my father and I. A few months ago, he decided that he wanted to learn to play bass and the deal was that so long as he was learning, I was to learn right along with him. At first, I was a little apprehensive as my main passions are piano and guitar, but I knew that being able to play bass is a good thing to have in your arsenal as a musician, so I agreed.
   My father bought a nice bass for the 2 of us to share, along with some instructional materials for me...the problem was that my time was limited due to my work and he ended up taking the bass with him to gigs every weekend, so I was without one.  :(  Thus, he's buying another one from a friend...and he's already bought a lovely black pearl pick guard for it and everything, so I pretty much have no choice now. Ah well.  ;D

Wow!  Its really beautiful!!!  Are you going to teach yourself?  Good Luck!!

Well, once we move to Baton Rouge, I'm going to see what I can do about finding myself a teacher, but until then, Yep. I'm going to teach myself! It's a little bigger than I expected to start out with, but that doesn't bother me at all ;) the more strings the better! I can't wait to get it here and start working on it! I'm thinking I'm going to remove the varnish and stain the wood a darker color, maybe mahogany or possibly a dark green stain. I'm going to play around with the photos and see what I think would look good.
Ah, I see, Angel Spun... I hope you like the bass anyway, at least. I've always wanted to be able to play piano... And I can barely play guitar. Harp has always been my favorite instrument, and I've tried several times over my life to get one... but always we never had quite enough money. *shrugs* I guess if you dream long enough and pray to whatever you believe in long enough, dreams can come true!

*heh, interesting thought. I decided that I'd have long nails when I had a harp (I've been a nailbiter since before I had teeth).... I finally managed to grow my nails and have kept them long for two months now! maybe it was a reverse-fulfilling promise??

OOh, and my future mom-in-law gave me a pair of silver barrettes today. they've got a pretty floral design on the visible part. they're a little small, and "french" style, but I put them in so she could see how they look and they didn't pull or catch at my hair at all!

That's a super gorgeous harp--makes me want to learn to play!   :)  (p.s. I live in Missouri)

Cool! we moved there at the beginning of June of last year, I think 5 days after I graduated from high school. I was only there for a few months before I came down to visit my Guy here in Louisiana... and well... kinda stayed. What I saw of the state, I liked though.
And thanks, I like it too! I can't wait to get it here, fix it up, and learn to play!  

I was reading peoples' journals, and Roomtogrow had a marvelous idea of making a portrait of herself with long hair. Unfortunately, my drawing skills aren't good enough with people yet to accomplish that monumental task. Instead, I took a more digital route, and I'm quite pleased with how it came out. Actually, I can only hope my hair will be that pretty in however many years it takes to reach classic.

I've decided to post it here, to see what you ladies and gents think.

Now:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/harpercourte.jpg
Later:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/harperlongue-1.jpg

Oh, and I did my first ACV rinse today... I think my hair liked it. It still vaguely smells like the vinegar, which is making me crave salad.  :-? Ohh, hey, I just looked at the time and it's time for cooking. (and salad!)

My, what a graceful figure you'll be...with your long hair and long nails and your harp.  ;)

The scent of vinegar can last quite awhile, even after much rinsing. That's why I do a second wash afterwards. But if your hair can't take it, try applying conditioner after the vinegar rinse and letting water run through your hair for awhile so it can take as much of the vinegar smell with it as possible.

I conditioned it afterwards, but didn't rinse all that long because I kinda... ran out of hot water... I'm not very good at cold water tolerance. Cool water, I love. Past a certain point, I will shriek like a mouse and hide under a blanket / towel / radiator.

And yep, I can't wait. I don't know that I'll have THAT long of nails though... my current length is already starting to get agitating. I have scratches all up and down my fingers from braiding and clawing myself. :( who knew these cursed things were so unwieldy :-?  Anyway, my dream is to build harps, and I doubt nails would be that useful. A space to do so, however, would. So that may take a few years, unfortunately.  :(  

Meh, the ACV rinse has made my hair happy and shiny, and cleared up the thin layer of gunk building up on my scalp. I like what cones do to my hair, but I am seriously considering going cone free, because I also don't like the potential damage that the shiny, healthy look could be hiding(or causing!).  :-/

And if we don't get my guy's cat spayed soon, I think it might be damaging to my hair. I am [thisclose] to tearing my hair out!!! I can't stop her from peeing on everything and anything she can get her little paws on. I'd lock her in the bathroom for weeks at a time, but that would keep my kitty from the litterbox. Not to mention his cat has a habit of getting on top of the cabinets and jumping down onto people's heads. I swear, she is small, furry, black doom. DOOM I SAY!
sorry. this has me frustratered, as well as the fact that my harp will have to wait another week and a half before shipping.

You'll get used to your nails!  Its kind of funny, I have the opposite issue.  I was born with long nails-they had to be cut right after I came out.  If I just let them go without paying attention, I wind up really hurting myself getting dressed or accidentally hurting hubby!  Now that I'm learning guitar and ukulele I have to keep my nails short.  I have to address them about every 2 days or they have to be cut back almost to the quick.

I guess we'll both adjust, and then make beautiful music, eh??  ;D

Quote:

Instead, I took a more digital route, and I'm quite pleased with how it came out. Actually, I can only hope my hair will be that pretty in however many years it takes to reach classic.

Looks good ! How about knee length in a gently widening fan shape ?  ;) Can't get it exactly - widens too quickly but sorta like....
                                     
                                     O
                                   ^^^
                                  ^^^^
                                ^^^^^^
                               ^^^^^^^
                                    ,| |,
                                     

Quote:

Now that I'm learning guitar and ukulele I have to keep my nails short.

Hi Sakina

Are you eventually going to grow the nails on your picking hand for the guitar ?  :)

as soon as I can find a picture of me that I can work on, I think I shall try that, Cadie. That'd be pretty!

EEk, Sakina. I can't even find the nail clippers, half the time. Every other day, you say? I mostly gave up on guitar when they got so long I couldn't hold the strings down properly. When the BF lowers the action on my electric, I think I'll pick it back up. He doesn't understand why I can't do it properly. "Well Nat can play just fine and her nails are twice as long as yours!" *rolls eyes* well I'm just not that skilled, I suppose. In actuality, her hand position is even worse off than mine. anyway.  

But yep, we'll get it settled out, and as you said, make beautiful musics. What styles do you play? (rock, metal, classical, etc.)

And, yay. My stepdad was ebay browsing(his favorite hobby, I think) and ordered a CD with plans to build 29 string celtic harps. He's going to send it out as soon as he gets it in. I can't wait until I have a space to actually build one. It might be a few years, though. Right now we're looking at getting a small studio apartment in the middle of town. We're even going to have to get a climate controlled storage unit for all his stuff that won't fit in the appt. I say his because I can fit everything I own in the back of a ford taurus. So that leaves little room for woodwork :'(  I'm sure I'll figure something out. Maybe one of our friends will let me borrow space in their garage.  :-/

Anyway, spent most of the morning out doing yard work, mostly moving chunks of steel and the anvil to let my guy mow around them, so the hair was in a bun, covered by a scarf in a unique manner (tie one side around the hair line, and swirl the remaining ends up and over the bun) it was seriously hot though, so I ended up soaking the scarf to keep my head cool.

I may let my nails grow a bit longer for finger picking, however I have a very high natural arch to my nails so they turn into "claws" very quickly.  Right now I'm playing an a/e classical style guitar.  I have a steel string accoutstic-I had to have the action lowered on it 'cause I could hardly keep the strings down.  I have narrow fingers that are tapered on the ends.  Do you too, K?

I listen to anything but country.  I'm just trying to learn how to play the thing, so not really playing any styles yet.  I suppose I'll be playing mostly Hawaiian songs on my uke.  Oh, I love to play Christmas music on my guitar.  I love finger picking, too.  The lessons I'm taking now are teaching me how to play individual notes.  Someday, I'm going to compose music to accompany my yoga teaching.

Good luck finding that appartment!!

Nope, my fingers are short, stubby, and barely rounded. That's one of the reasons I put aside my guitar - I don't have the capability for the reach needed to do some of the chords. I like finger picking too, but my guy/guitar teacher is trying to make me use a pick for everything, and I simply don't have the coordination. My nails grow out straight and catch on everything unless I taper the edges almost to a sharp point. I actually trimmed them for the first time, ever, yesterday. Landmark occasion? for me anyway.
Yeah, I got sick of country fast when my mom married my stepdad. I didn't like it before then. Now, *shudders*. I'm not a big fan of hip-hop, rap, or anything like that either. Some is tolerable, but not my preference, anyway. I'm sort of weird in my preferences... Celtic music, industrial, and metal are my favorites. I love christmas music too, to the point that I have ben caught listening to trans-siberian orchestra in june.  
If you ever produce a CD of your yoga compositions, I officially request a signed copy! (and hey, if you would like harp accompaniment...) ;D  
And thanks! The appt might take a few months, though.

Yargh. I would like to go on record as saying that smoking is one of the filthiest, dangerousest habitses ever thought up. No offense to any smokers that read this, but.... what on earth are you thinking???? The only point of smoking is to feed a nicotene addiction caused by smoking. it's... a self defeating self-abuse cycle.

And I'm not just saying this because the satin pillowcase it took me three days to make now has a burn hole from my gentleman dropping a lit cigarette on it when he fell asleep while smoking. Luckily I was coming back from the bathroom at the time and could rescue it, and him from certain doom. The least he could have done is burn his OWN pillowcase.... >:( Almost all of the sheets have at least one charred hole. *shakes head* when we move, there is to be no smoking in the apartment. At all. And 'Civility-of-language' laws... I.E. If I wouldn't say it in front of my mother, I'd rather people didn't say it in front of me.  Hey, speaking of which, we're going to check out a nice studio apartment in the building we wanted next week. Wish us luck (we will need it)!  

Kiraela wrote on May 21^st, 2007 at 12:29pm:

Nope, my fingers are short, stubby, and barely rounded. That's one of the reasons I put aside my guitar - I don't have the capability for the reach needed to do some of the chords. I like finger picking too, but my guy/guitar teacher is trying to make me use a pick for everything, and I simply don't have the coordination. My nails grow out straight and catch on everything unless I taper the edges almost to a sharp point. I actually trimmed them for the first time, ever, yesterday. Landmark occasion? for me anyway. Yeah, I got sick of country fast when my mom married my stepdad. I didn't like it before then. Now, *shudders*. I'm not a big fan of hip-hop, rap, or anything like that either. Some is tolerable, but not my preference, anyway. I'm sort of weird in my preferences... Celtic music, industrial, and metal are my favorites. I love christmas music too, to the point that I have ben caught listening to trans-siberian orchestra in june.   If you ever produce a CD of your yoga compositions, I officially request a signed copy! (and hey, if you would like harp accompaniment...) ;D   And thanks! The appt might take a few months, though.

Hey, K, at first I thought I might be incapable of learning to play guitar.  Now I know its just really hard and really different from any other instrument I've played (including didjeridoo, sakuhachi, native american flute, harmonium, and varius drums) so its really trying my patience!!!  I don't much care for hip hop or rap either, although some songs are ok.  I'm not very familiar with industrial music-who do you suggest?  I love metal music, I think its what started the desire to learn guitar.  Currently I listen to a lot of chanting and then whatever else I'm in the mood for.  Hee hee-Trans-Siberian Orchestra-I'm guilty of that, too!

Weeelll, I think it may be a really long time (totally dragging my feet on this) before I get anything recorded.  However, I'd be happy to collaborate and of course you can have a signed copy.  That's sweet of you to ask!

Don't give up on guitar-it might make your harp playing better  ;D

Forgot to add: look for a glass nail file.  They're for natural nails and they don't leave the edges ragged like other files can.  I love mine, I actually keep a small one in my guitar case, purse, nail kit, bathroom...I find it makes a real difference!  If you can't find one where you are, let me know and I'll send you one.

Oh geeze...asking me to offer suggestions on music.... this could take a while ;) for now, I shall just list ones i know of on myspace, because the music is there to listen to freely, so you can decide if you like it. if you like metal, you'll probably like Industrial though. (for an easier list, just go to myspace.com/blackened_bloody_roses and check out the friends list... almost anything not harp is either female fronted metal or industrial)  anyway, for a quick list, >>
Fallz, Starlit, Collide, Riothead, Torrent Vaccine, Chemlab, Pgface, Ministry, and More Machine Than Man, to start off with. There's a ton more in mine and my guy's cd cases that I just can't think of at the moment. (and yes, I'm rather big on female fronted projects in all genres, simply because there aren't as many out there, but they're usually at least as good as the boys, if not better!)

And I am doing a little research on glass nail files, and what I've seen so far prompts this: *hug*thank you !!!! I am going to start looking hard for one of those.  And *grin* Sarajevo 12/24, off TSO's christmas eve and other stories, is one of my all time favorite songs. *nods* I've only ever met one other person who could successfully play a didjeridoo.

Hair: as usual, wierdly wavy due to dual french braids over night, and pouffy due to high humidity and brushing said waves. In my defense I wasn't quite awake yet.  ;) anyway, I ran out of conditioner, and right now money is... tight, so I can't get anymore for a few days.  :'( so no washings for me, I think. Perhaps I can scrounge up some more hotel conditioner (preferably some kind that doesn't leave my hair smelling like my grandmother). I tend to dislike hotel conditioners, unless they're pantene in a minibottle, but they are DEFINATELY better than nothing.  

Also, my guy is interviewing at another company as I type this. The first shop would be perfectly glad to hire him... at 9.00$ an hour. For the work he does, that's frankly... insulting. And he flat out told the owner, "look, I pay neighborhood kids more than that to rake leaves. Cut the joke, what's the real offer?" the joke of it is, there was no joke.  >:(

This new place only pays 80% rather than 100% of the health insurance, but at a minimum possible starting pay of 12$ an hour (more likely higher because P. can do curved iron stair rails (trust me, they're..... not.. easy...) I'm thinking that this is the better choice. (and the owners called HIM back asking him to come work for them.  ;D )  

And with going to check out that apartment tuesday(i think) things are definately looking up.

blog, hair journal, is there a line between the two?

He got the job! ;D! yes!! and theyr'e paying more than we'd expected - I probably won't need to get a job now! I probably still will, just to have my own income, but it's a relief that I don't have to. Unless gas prices keep rising, in which case i might have to get a SECOND theoretical job to pay for gas!

And today, I learned to make basic chain mail. I can do a box chain, a byzantine chain, or basic european mail. I'll take pictures when the euromail ... whatever it will be... is done.

Today has definately been a good day.

Congrats on your good day Kiraela! :)

Yay-rah for the BF's new job--congrats!  

Congrats to your bf, Kiraela.

You learned how to make chainmail? Goodness, that must be sooooo time consuming! It seems like an awful lot of work would go into that.

It's horribly time consuming until you understand the basic pattern and get good at it, then it's only regular time consuming, for me at least. I can tell my guy is cringing at how slow I am,  :-/ but then, he sold chain mail jewelry, clothing and armor for a couple of years as his only source of income. Then his designs were stolen by a company overseas and produced for less than half what he had to sell them for. *shrugs* It's happened several times with other tools and such he's built. I guess that's the nature of business.  He's been meaning to teach me since I moved down here, but couldn't find the box of rings and coils(that get cut into rings) until a few days ago.   So far I've made what appears to be a large metal bookmark.  :o

Today, I think I'm going to do a hot oil treatment on my hair. I found a tube in the bathroom cabinet a few weeks ago and never got around to using it.  I think my hair will appreciate it anyway. it's been dry and tangles easily lately. probably due to the running out of my conditioner, and using up whatever else I could find.

My chain mail... sheet, i guess still has no definate purpose, though it has grown so that I've run out of links and will have to have my guy cut me some more when he feels better. He was unloading steel from the truck and tripped over a... thing... (not sure what the heck it is) that was randomly left there by someone apparently wanting it fixed. his chest and arms have deep bruising from hitting a huge I-beam they often work on when it's nice out, and his left leg got tangled in the metal piece so that his father at first thought his leg was broken. Not to mention that the way he landed his lower back was bent backwards almost 70 degrees. Luckily we don't think he actually broke anything ( hairline fracture on the leg remains to be seen) but he's got new pains in both back and leg (though he can still walk mostly fine, although vaguely quasimodo-ish). The man who HATES doctors is planning on going to the ER (A&E for you brits) when it gets less crowded, later tonight. I'm getting a little worried.  I'll let you guys know what happens.


The good news, though, is I used a new conditioner for the first time and I think my hair appreciates it. Alberto VO5's honey and sweet almond oasis. My hair is well moisturized, soft and shiny. The only drawback is, I smell like dessert. Which makes me want sweet foods. So far I've gotten away by just sniffing my hair. It's also very calming.

Well, according to the x-rays there's nothing wrong with his leg other than pulled muscles and massive bruising, which is a relief. They completely ignored his complaints about his back hurting, however. I'm pretty sure it's because they figure, without insurance it's unlikely the bill will get paid so they will only deal with what might be broken and screw the rest.  >:(  
I guess it's a good thing, in a way though, because he's had problems with that area for years, and an X-ray might diagnose that problem too... which would end up a pre-existing problem when he gets the insurance from his new job. Which means no treatment from them. So if it weren't for the fact that he hurts, I'd say they did us a favor, in a way.  :-/

I'm just glad he's not seriously hurt.

I hope that your man feels better soon.  My you have had your worries.

wrote on May 28^th, 2007 at 7:23pm:

I hope that your man feels better soon.  My you have had your worries.

I hope so too. The ER doc gave him a script of painkillers and muscle relaxers, so he wouldn't be whimpering/yelping at every step... and now he is insisting that tomorrow, he goes back to work. I can't blame him, if he doesn't get this job out we don't get food, much less the apartment we're going to see this week, but... I wish he had a few more days. I will just stay by him so if he needs anything, I can get it for him, and hope that's enough.  At least the swelling has gone down considerably.

Fingers crossed for both of you. From personal experience knowing the lady love of your life is behind you to this degree is a multiple healer in itself and means more than anythng.

You'll make it  ;)

Thanks, Arcadian :)

I think this is more becoming a life journal than a hair journal, but at least it is, indeed something I will have to look back on years from now.

The nice little studio apartment we went to see today sort of... only half lived up to it's description... It was a little apartment indeed, though I don't know about nice. Honestly, my current bedroom is bigger than the entire apartment, kitchen, bathroom, "walk in closet" and all. To be able to walk into that closet one would have to be about 4 feet tall and anorexic. My guy could barely fit through the bathroom door at all, even turned sideways. Not to mention the wall color could best be described as "paint that was chosen to exactly match the color of twenty years of nicotene buildup", and the counters and fixtures were all "rotting lemon" yellow. Needless to say, we were NOT impressed!!!  

The good news is, when we pulled into the parking lot the first thing we noticed was the rather large moving van pulled up to the entrance to the courtyard. It seems that one of the one bedroom apartments was being vacated  ;D! They were nice enough to let us look around and it was absolutely. perfect.  Nice, recently remodeled, clean, everything was as I would have dreamed. And the walk in closet... really was! The best part is, there's a door to the building's fenced in back yard, and the apartment has a small patio we could bbq on. (And our friend's dog has the run of the entire yard, so I'll have a pup to play with!)  We called the owner of the place back and said we were... dissatisfied... with the size of the studio and was the one bedroom available? He had to check his records, and he will be getting back to us tomorrow. He claims there's someone interested that keeps waffling on wether she's got the money for it or not... P., my guy, seems to think she doesn't exist. We've both noticed that the owner is trying to guide us into renting a townhouse down the street... Honestly though, this apartment is the perfect size and best of all, IT HAS A BATHTUB!!!! Y'all may not hear from me for a few days if we do get it.  ;D  Anyway, I hope we get this apartment. It's a bit more than the studio, but the size and space difference is worth it.

Oooo...keeping my fingers crossed for ya!   8-)

I really hope you get the apartment that you want, it sounds nice! :D

Good news and bad news...  Good news, we went to Walmart for the first time in ... months I guess, so I could get my Pantene Ice shine S&C that I've been wanting for a while. I've used them once, and my hair was never prettier. Recently (the past few washings) I've been using April bath and shower(got it at dollar tree, probably a generic, I'm not sure) shampoo, and VO5 Oasis honey and sweet almond. They both work okay, but not great, and I've noticed my hair is greasy faster with the VO5. So I'm happy I got my proper stuff back.

Bad news. Didn't get the apartment. Apparently little miss waffles does exist and managed to scrape up the money :'( :'( >:( :'(  But We're going to cave in and see about this townhouse... If it's got enough storage and a patio or courtyard, we'll see if we can talk him down on the rent a bit. It's the same as the apt, but he says he won't pay utilities on the townhouse.  :( If we can get him down on rent, or get him to pay utilities, we MIGHT have a place. I'm not getting my hopes up this time though.

Good news! Oh, hey, in our preliminary packing, I found the computer disk I've been looking for! Over two years worth of my poems! The hard drive they were stored on crashed, So this formerly missing disk was the only copy of all my poetry. reading over them its' like a view into my own mind from years ago. Man I was weird.  ;D  

the landlord turned out to be a real ... dinkus so we didn't even put in the application for the townhouse. It was nice (more space than the house we have now!) but... not worth the price or the owner's attitude. We checked out a place yesterday, and are considering it, but by the time P. can put in the application (Friday) it will probably already be gone. He starts his new job today (which is why I'm up so early - early for me anyway) and I just have to hope that he will settle quickly into working for someone other than himself for the first time in 10 yrs, and that his back will hold up to the shop's pace.

 My hair's been behaving fairly well lately, although in the heat my normal style of "down" has gotten a bit more creative... either braids or buns or weird twisty pigtail things (it's complicated) but it's been responding so well to the pantene ice shine that i now wonder why I ever used anything else.  :-?

on a random note, has all popular music("vh1" approved) gone nuts?!?!   First off, did you know that they actually play music on "music television" (MTV)  ?? But... only before 7:30 am.  :o yeah. Flipped on VH1 because frankly, mtv plays nothing but hip hop and other things I refuse to deaden brain cells by listening to. Anyway, the lineup on vh1 was... weird. Paul McCartney playing a mandolin, followed by Bon Jovi playing a country song, followed by Maroon 5 doing their best at disco.  :o Loved paul with the beatles. love most of bon jovi. still have maroon 5's first cd... but come on people! I think I'll stick to my happy harp music and industrial metal, thanks.   Oh yes, if you like gothic rock, check out Kali Yuga ( find them at myspace.com)  

Sorry for the music blog. that just.. weirded me out.

FYI- Kali Yuga is, according to Hindu tradition, the time we are living in now (which began with the death of Krishna) until Vishnu reincarnates in human form (I think it will be his 10 human incarnation) which will destroy the present world and bring about the Golden Age of Truth.

I made the mistake of asking Riley* (the singer) why he named his band what he did... and got a much longer winded explanation, saying basically the same thing :P  That man loves to talk, I swear.

*the tattoed, peirced, old-school-goth-in-a-tophat librarian

k- thanks for your help in the pm. i tried to message you back, but kept getting errors, although i can send it to other people somehow.
anyway, i will try to post using photobucket because j-dog sent me the instructions you sent her earlier. :) thanks!

K, how is your man doing after his accident?  Is he all healed up yet?

JD

k-hope everything is ok with your man. did you get the apt. thing figured out?  btw, since i know we both like robert jordan's books. do you happen to like celtic music, horseback riding or british punk rock? just a shot in the dark for other common interests.  ;D

RTG, are you my twin sister/ clone???? I'm listening to Kim Robertson's a voice of the isles, as I type this, Have owned three horses (All of which were sold out from under my by my parents >:() And I've liked all the punk I've heard (Which admittedly isn't much) *cues twilight zone music*...  :P  Paul has finally healed up, but after two days on the new job he walked out and refused to go back. I don't blame him, after having spent a few minutes in the shop he was working at. It was, frankly, hell. He and I have decided that we're going to revamp his business and make it into something more and better than it's ever been before. Which of course, means we're staying here for at least another six or so months. Heh. We're also going to start saving for some property of our own, somewhere we can have a house, shop, and maybe a small stable. He pet a horse for the second time ever, a few days ago... ;D We were at one of his iron suppliers' place, and the owner happens to also own four horses. My first response was 'runs to fence and stares longingly'... The two mares came over to see if I had any treats, and Paul pet the black's nose. "hey, these aren't so bad!"

I'll introduce him to the concept of mucking once he's more hooked.  ;D :P

K- that's so great you got him to pet a horse! I finally got dear hubby to ride with me two years ago for the first time. He was very sore, but said it was "kinda fun." Then last year, he took me up to Wisconsin to a friends to ride all day for my birthday! It was great. I've never owned a horse, but used to work summers at stables in exchange for free rides :) .  This past year I took a road trip with a friend up north. We stopped at one stable to pet the horses out by the road, and this guy drove out in a pick up truck with a rifle! Then he saw we were two girls, and he said we could stay and pet them.  :)
As for punk, I really like the Clash and White Stripes. Those are good ones to start with.
Btw, I'd love to be your clone/sister because you have great hair! I finally posted my avatar, so you can see my color and texture is a little like yours-I just don't have the length yet.  *sigh* someday!

The long term plan you mentioned sounds great-owning a stable, house, and a shop. Or if it's too much money-just own the stable and live in it! Priorities, right?

Also, I'm deep into book two now-which is really good. These books are highly addictive.

K,

You made me laugh about the mucking part.  I would rather do that than poop scoop after my dogs or clean the kitty litter.  I think it is because the smell of horse...dung has a nostalgia for me.  As you know I live in the country but do not have horses but I had them when I was young.  At this time of year lots of farmers are fertilizing their fields with dung.  I drive by and take a deep breathe in.  My favorite is when I am driving into work (about 5:30 am) on the back roads and the horses are running along the fenceline and, if nobody is behind me, I slow down and drive along beside them.   My God, nothing is as magnificent and free as a horse running, tossing its head and 'dancing'.  It makes my day.

JD

Oh, Jdog, I know about the muck smell, and the dancing. When I lived at the end of a tiny dirt road in North Carolina, the school bus drove down and turned around in my yard, driving the full length of one side of the pasture to get to the turnaround. Every day my gelding Faran would wait for the bus at the far end of the field, and gallop alongside all the way to the end nearest where I got off the bus.  You know, sometimes I still dream that I walk outside, and he's somehow still mine, outside waiting for me. Those are the dreams I hate the most, simply because when I wake up they're not true. You fellow animal lovers probably know what I'm talking about when I say that in your life,there are a few special animals that come into your life, that are more precious to you than anything else. A perfect partner, who understands what you're thinking, where you want to go, or do, even before you do. Who is so in tune with you you almost don't have to ask for a lead change, or a fearless jump over a raging creek...  I trained him from the ground up. I was the second person ever to sit on his back. Two days after we got him home, I had my appendix out and had to take a week off of school. I was told, no riding!!! by the doctor. heh. He said nothing about standing out in a pasture for 8 or so hours, grooming and petting a horse. (after two days, when I toughed it out enough to stand upright without yelping, anyway)... Every moment I wasn't at school, doing homework, eating, or sleeping, I was with that horse. He was my only friend during that period of my life, and he was my best friend.
There was a move from a farm where we were paying for 157 acres, and getting use of 2 (the other 155 were also leased out to a hunter who flat out said, he would not care if it was a deer or a horse he shot, as long as it was meat), to a farm where we had a 10 acre pasture, and roughly 50 acres of trail to explore, and a few more companions (we were taking care of some people's horses for them), and it was one of the best times in my life.

After the house we were renting caught fire (we were at my great grandmother's funeral in Massachusets) (oh, it happened seven days after my 15th birthday, by the way), we had to board him at a stable 60 miles away. At 15, I wasn't exactly old enough to drive to see him, and no one cared to take me. We were paying for him to have a stall at night, and turnout during the day, along with feeding twice a day and grooming once. When I finally begged enough to get my stepfather to drive me out to the farm almost two months after we brought him there, he was thin, scarred up, covered in burrs, and frightened of everything, even me. It turns out that C. the owner, was leaving him in a pasture day and night with five agressive mares who stole his grain and chased him away from the hay, kicked the crap out of him, and regularly chased him into fences, bramble bushes, and once, into a tractor left in the field.  Unfortunately, my parents wouldn't do anything about it, because they didn't want to pay more, to bring him to a better stable closer to home. So they instead, simply refused to pay the bill. Which meant that I came home from school one day and was "informed" that C. had sold him to pay back boarding. And wouldn't tell my parents who she sold him to. Not that it would matter. they wouldn't have done anything had she given the name.

:'(

Kiraela wrote on Jun 21^st, 2007 at 11:55pm:

....there are a few special animals that come into your life, that are more precious to you than anything else. A perfect partner, who understands what you're thinking, where you want to go, or do, even before you do. Who is so in tune with you

So true. Still lost 11 years on....

Yet the enormous number of people including vets who haven't a clue where you're coming from. What is it with them ! Have they never known real trust ? Or don't know or recognise what it means even when it's right under their wretched noses ? I'm 6'4", about 220 lbs (little fat !) and the times I've wanted to ****** callous creeps half my size..... !!!!   >:(

It's the one thing where the heart has always ruled the head for me, which is what makes it so very difficult to hold back physically when you see animals suffering.

Oops !  My very first rant !  Apols....:)

Quote:

It's the one thing where the heart has always ruled the head for me, which is what makes it so very difficult to hold back physically when you see animals suffering.

   

I completely agree, Cadie. I've ended up with two cats, a dog, and a horse because I couldn't resist helping hurt animals. Both cats found homes, the dog escaped from a fenced in yard and was struck by a car ( and given an honored burial), and the horse.. well, Tanzanite was just too far gone. Even following a vets reccomendations to the letter, he was too undernourished and just, couldn't survive. Once again, he was given an honored burial near the oak tree he died under.  Luckily, Tanzi's former owner was thrown in jail for three years, not only due to animal abuse and neglect, but...that was one of the several charges.

What is amazing to me, is the resilience of animals' spirits.  For instance, my brother had just lost his dog, so for his birthday, Mom brought him to the animal shelter and let him pick out whichever he wanted. He absolutely fell in love with a gorgeous one year old Rottweiler, so mom filled out the application. Then she was informed that we'd have to wait until tuesday to see if we'd gotten her, because her old owner was on trial for animal abuse and we had to wait to see what the verdict was. Not that there was any question, as Jade (the rottie) had a chain link collar completely imbedded into her skin. When they got her into the shelter, it looked like a chain, growing out of her neck. They couldn't even see the collar any more. Well, tuesday, of course, we went and picked her up. After having been hurt by humans for so much of her life, it suprised me that this dog would be so very sweet. She wanted to be a lap dog. When a 145 lb dog wants to sit on your lap, you have very little choice in the matter. She had a litter of puppies (my brother forgot to bring her back in for her spaying :() and was so afraid to hurt them, that every time one would leave the blanket, she'd bark and whine until one of her humans brought it back over to her.  Not exactly a good guard dog, but the best family dog ever.

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What is amazing to me, is the resilience of animals' spirits.

Oh yes, but I think it's so very much more than that as well. Other than animals born with awkward temperaments and so on, what else can most animals or pets do, or what other options do they have when around humans except to trust ? And it's that that just makes me melt inside every time.

And why I have never been able to understand how people can abuse such deep trust either. Perhaps if one's an animal lover on this scale, one's own best friends in life are those who respond in exactly the same way ?

Indeed, like does call to like. I don't think I could ever find myself calling anyone who isn't animal friendly, 'friend'. That's one of the things that I admire about my boyfriend... even though his cat is rather..... ill tempered.... she is his child, and he won't give her up. At one point one of his ex girlfriends said, "it's me or the cat." guess which he picked?  thankfully, since I moved in, she has learned that not all females are abusive and mean (the woman he was with when he got Voodou would pick her up by her tail and bite her! >:() she has started to be far more cuddly, to me and P. at least. She still growls, but I'm starting to think that's her way of purring.

Acadia, wow, 6'4.  Ok, just so you don't hurt me, I thought I would tell you that I adore all animals and used to be a vet.   ;D

Kiraela, your story about your horse broke my heart.   :'(  As you said,  once in a while you meet a special animal.  Joey is mine.  I have 4 others that I love dearly, but Joey....well you get it.  There was also a horse for me named Rosie.  I am pleased to report that Rosie lived a good life and died peacefully in her pasture.  Sniff, sniff.

I can't believe that a grown woman would pick a cat up by the tail and bite it!!!!  Good God, what is our world coming to?

JD

wrote on Jun 23^rd, 2007 at 7:37am:

Acadia, wow, 6'4.  Ok, just so you don't hurt me, I thought I would tell you that I adore all animals and used to be a vet.   ;D

Lol !  ;D Oh obviously most vets love animals the way we do, especially when you hear some of the wonderful stories about them. I'm in the UK by the way and the stories of the vets who work both for themselves and the RSPCA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) really make you wonder how on earth they can ever earn a living. So often many of them give their time for free to those who can't afford their fees.

On the other hand I used to help out with the Blue Cross too for a while at one of their rescue centres.

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/site/home/home.asp

And some of the stories I heard from vet nurses about their own vets' surgeries were so hard to believe. Large practices who only think of squeezing in as many people as possible during the day to pay for everything, rather like owners of cheap second hand car salerooms. But the one story that has always stood out in my mind was an RSPCA nurse I met at the Centre long after she'd left a large vet practice because she couldn't take any more. She kept begging her boss who was the senior partner to clear out an old storeroom and make it into a small chapel or similar where owners could spend a while after they had lost their pet. She and two other women nurses even offered to help run it for free when off duty and so on, but all she ever got was "I'm too busy" and once "too expensive." I also learnt that at the time (about 1998/9) student vets weren't given any training in bereavement counselling at all. Perhaps it's changed since then I've no idea ?

And yet I've often thought that even when you're working at the thing you love the most in your life, one's true heartfelt labour of love, there must be times when like any job it must get on top of you……?  :-/ Even when you love animals to distraction ?

It's a such a tough job whichever way you look at it I think.

From the time I was little, I always wanted to be a vet. When I was about 14, though, I realized there was no way I could do it. I just... get so upset when any animal is sick or hurting. Which, I guess, is the reason I wanted to be a vet in the first place but.... I couldn't gain enough emotional clarity to work. I barely kept my calm when Faran had a large bite on his whithers, from my mother's freakishly large mule. I think, now that I'm a little older, I could maintain that clarity, but... I don't know. I just have so much admiration for anyone who can do that job and not go insane. *gives applause to joeydog*

Kiraela wrote on Jun 23^rd, 2007 at 12:04pm:

I just have so much admiration for anyone who can do that job and not go insane. *gives applause to joeydog*

Oh yes agreed all round !   :) :)

I've heard of student doctors who gave up because it was too much emotionally, so I would guess the same thing for student vets too ?

I wonder what it takes to succeed as a vet? What sort of emotional/ clarity of mind mix....? Whether it's easier for men than women ? Very interested to hear any thoughts you might have on all this fascinating topic joeydog :)

Cadie

Thank you ladies.  You are very kind.  

I will try to answer some of your questions, but frankly, one could write a literal novel about it.

I will start by telling you that vets and even techs (nurses) do kill themselves.  They literally euthanize themselves.  Clean, quick, painless...but you have to do it right...since if you just put a needle into yourself you would pass out before you could get a lethal dose in and you give yourself brain damage without succeeding.  There is a trick....but that is too morbid to get into.

Grief counselling was not offered to vets when I was in school.  I did a 2 year tech (nurse) course via correspondane when I went through.  That might have changed but I know that here in Canada,  the nurse is sent in to deal with that part of things in most cases.  No money in grief counselling...and I hate to say, but a lot of vets are like many doctors...out for the almighty dollar once the money bug hits (it does not start that way).  That is not all of them, but some do.

We have a saying in my old field as a vet.  We used to say that Christmas and spring was time for house cleaning...in other words, we saw a lot of euthanasias at those times of year.  I think it had more to do with people trying to hold on to their pets through Xmas and until spring (since the winters here are harsh)...but they hold on too long and we get a flood just before those times of year come.  The second year I practiced, I euthanized 32 animals in 10 days...after the last one...that I knew needed to be euthed 10 days earlier and who a I spent hours with each day, I sat on the floor next to him (Copper) for about 10 minutes.  One of the vets saw I was missing (she was also a friend) came to find me and saw me there.  She knew something was wrong and started to come to me asking me if I was ok.  I told her to stop when she was about 10 feet away from me and to turn around and leave me alone for a few minutes.  I would have totally broken down had she offered my empathy.  When I told her the number of euths I had done, she told me that any I got for the next week, she would take for me.

I had to euth animals just because people no longer want them.  I remember a guy coming in and asking me to euth his beautiful healthy, 9 month old cat.  He said she had kittens and now he wanted one of the kittens.  I tried to get him to sign her over to the Humane Society but he claimed nobody would look after her as well as him so he wanted her euthed....can you imagine!!!!  Her name was Sassy.  Oh, just in case laws are different where you are, animals are considered property and we cannot refuse a requested euth.  Actually it makes sense...better I do it than the ower drowns them...I do it painlessly and with love.  With all of these types of euths, I told the pet and myself that what I was doing was far kinder than the other options...and once they had died I would whisper into the animal's ear (the nurses hated doing euths with me),  "Meet me at Rainbow Bridge, I will take you home."

My tricks for clarity you ask?  Well, I worked in 24 hour emergency hospitals.  That way I never got attached to an owner, never nearly killed an owner who was completely useless...and for those moments when I was sad or angry...2 minutes later a life or death situation would come in and for 20-45 minutes I had not time to think or feel about it.  My health stopped me from doing the shift work involved and I lasted about 9 months in a normal clinic between the boredom (after being used to the adrenal rushes) and the fact I had to deal with people who cared SOOOO much but I could not stop the cancer...or the people who cared so little they would not give the animal its insulin because it was too expensive...but would not euth the poor thing.  So, now I am a toxicologist...but I still treat my own animals.  I have a little deaf, white, diabetic kitty (Adam) who has certainly made me do emergency work over the few years I have not practiced.

Ya, it is hard.  I guess the key is that we rationalize that we are their best hope for life, or maybe their best choice for death.  You will laugh, I never cried at my job (although I saw many vets cry, male and female) and yet every Friday night I came home and watched the Humane Society show about the things horrible people did to there pets....and I bawled.  That was my release.  My family always asked why I watched it when it upset me so much....maybe because I needed the release.  And when I bawled, I grabbed my Joey and cried in his mane while he sat there and said "there, there Mom" while my other dog had a nervous break down and needed me to reassure her that all was well.  LOL.

At the end of it all...I lost animals that could not be saved for whatever reason...but I saved many...and 5 of them live with me and share my life.

I hope I have answered your questions...and I think now I will go cry in Joey's mane.

JD

wow, jdog, that's really tough! i'm reading this post with my cat on my lap. she's one of two cats we rescued from a no-kill shelter. we had both gone in expecting to get a kitten, but found two sweet adult cats that no one had adopted, so we decided to bring them into the family instead. i love my pets! i could never be a doctor or vet, but i def. respect those who can.

Wow, Joeydog.

Although I've always been an animal lover I NEVER wanted to be a vet although people had often suggested that I should.  I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with seeing suffering animals.  I never thought about all of the euthanizations.  I can't imagine euthanizing a healthy animal that could be a good pet for someone just because the current owner no longer wants the responsibility.  I watch the Humane Society show too and it makes me so angry the way people treat animals.  I really wish there were a way to make certain people unable to obtain pets, like the way there are screenings for adoptions, because some people just shouldn't have them.

You would think that they would think to provide some sort of counseling for health care workers wether you work with people or animals.  I remember times when my mom and my roomate (who were both nurses) would come home and just cry in my arms because they've had patients die on them.  It's really tough.  But I'm also torn because there are some health care people who are as cold as ice and that isn't good either.

wrote on Jun 24^th, 2007 at 10:50am:

Wow, Joeydog.  I really wish there were a way to make certain people unable to obtain pets, like the way there are screenings for adoptions, because some people just shouldn't have them. .

LD, here is a story for you.  We will have to go a long way to make laws about pets...they are considered possessions.  But you talk about adoption.   My husband is infertile.  We started the whole process for artificial inseminition ( well I had to do all the test including a 22 inch catheter put in my uterus....sorry guys, don't mean to offend anyone).  Oneof the other tests was a psych profile on both of us.  I am eligible to do this procedure for 12 months...despit the fact that my husband and I split.  We love each other ...but he feels entitled and I believe we work for what we get in life....LOL we are the same social class and all...just cannot agree on work or home ethics...

Anyway...I refuse to go ahead because I believe that a child should have both parents...at least to start...since we can not gaurentee (sp?) that the parents will stay together.  It is my life dream to have a child...but I cannot do it morally without a father there.

I am turning 39 in the next couple of months...and I cannot imagine getting involved with a man, finding him to be right and marrying him before my time for having children is up.  I mean, I cannot see dating for a year since hubby and I have split, and then I would not want to except a marriage proposal until I had dated for at least 2 years...and then the time for the wedding...so I would be at least 43!!  I know women do it...and if I can...I will....but than is if a guy I like shows up in the next year!!!

Now, don't get me wrong...I believe I will find the right man....but here is where I am going...if I meet him when I am 45 and cannot have kids...even if he agreed an adoption agency would refuse me.  Oh I can meet the rooming thing ( one room per kid), in my mortgaged house, I can pull up enough salary for them...and as you will know you do not have to be married to adopt...but I have a disease they do not like....

I have a kitty named Yoda.  He came to me at 5 days of age (eyes and ears still closed) to be euthed.  I convinced the owner to sign him over to me instead.  I fed this little persian EVERY 2 hours ( they don't cry for it like a baby and you just go when then cry), 24 hours a day.  Everyone said he would die.  He has been with me 8 years now.  I worked 16 hours a day when I took him in (in a clinic so he could come with me...lol, in my pocket).  He got his name because when I fed him his baby bottle his ears waggled like Yoda from Starwars.  Tell me I would not look after  child...but the adoption agency would say no.  Is that fair?

But just anyone can adopt an animal.

JD

JD

Replying in Joeydog's Journal

K, I owe you an apology.  I got into your journal so much that I said things I should not have addressed on YOUR journal.  I am sorry I did that.  

JD

Tis perfectly fine, Jdog. T'was a natural lead on from the discussion, so it all fit.  Sucks that some people feel the need to actually euth themselves...  :'(  May they find the peace they could not on this plane of existance, on the next.

As for hair, I tried a new variation on the chinese bun, tis braided and pretty. I didn't realize it looked the same until it was done and I looked at a picture. I'll put up a picture soon, though. My problem is, my ends have been feeling like straw lately, so I first, left my conditioner on for an hour (didn't help, made it worse!), then yesterday, did my regular routine, which made the upper third of my hair, nice and normal, the next third, weird, sticky and greasy, and bottom third, even dryer and rough.  Arg, I don't know what to do about this. would rubbing some aloe gel into the ends help?  Although, thinking about it, they started getting dry and rough after I used aloe gel to keep the ends into a bun.  I'm half tempted to go to the woman across the street and have her chop of the bottom inch, or maybe do it myself.

Poor little sis...I can empathize with the straw-like ends prob. That happens with my hair when I'm in dire need of a trim, so perhaps that may work for you also.

Does your conditioner contain silicones or other ingredients that might build up on your hair and dry it out? A clarifying wash and vinegar rinse can help with this.

Also, I recommend a good heavy oil treatment for overnight. EVOO works great...you can work it through the length of your hair (none on the scalp, of course) and concentrate it on the ends. Then just wrap your hair up in a sleeping cap, shower cap or a towel and wash your hair in the morning. It works for a few ladies here that I know of.

Good luck.  :)

K, I am so glad you said about doing something good for your hair and it feels worse (not that I want your hair to feel worse!!!).  Sometimes I find the same thing...can anyone tell us why that happens?

JD

maybe bad hair fairies?  ;)

EEP. Bad hair fairies would be.. bad. maybe they're riding in on the june bugs... one gets the eyes, the other gets the hair? I think I'm going to trim off about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch sometime this week, and see if that helps. I also need to find my hair scissors and do a search and destroy mission after my hair dries (shampoo, acv, condition twice) ... the ends being so dry and stiff has given me lots of split ends.  :'( maybe I'll just do my trim, rather than S&D... it will be faster and make sure I get them all, or at least more.  

My cat Emma has developed an odd habit.. whenever I sit at the computer chair, she comes over and taps me with a paw until I let her on my lap. I've gotten surprisingly good at typing around a large furry animal.
>> pretty kitty!
http://a701.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01389/00/75/1389695700_m.jpg

Aww, K. She's cute!  :)


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maybe they're riding in on the june bugs... one gets the eyes, the other gets the hair?

LOL  ;D  Quel horreur...

K, what a cute kitty.  Her markings are most unique.  It is amazing how we adapt around their needs, isn't it!!

Sorry you have to trim your hair.  So sad.   :'( :'(I wish I had hair your color.  I am ...well...pseudo blonde...since I am actually gray...but color my hair the color it was before I went gray.  My skin will not take hair your color :'(  Funny.  Most people want to be blonde...but most blondes do not.

JD.

oui, Angel, et merci! Emma dit merci aussi.

Actually, even that reddish isn't my natural color... Tis truly dark... I used to wish to be blonde... then I put on a blonde wig... *shudder* I admire people who can pull it off. I cannot. Not to mention the incedent where my hair was bleached beyond recognition :'( (the purple incedent) some of it actually managed blonde. I hated it. I wish I could figure out how to make it all my natural color, besides waiting. I'm not so good at waiting...  ;D  But I've never found a dye that is close enough, not to mention the chemicals... I don't want to go there again. And henna is so ... imprecise that i'm afraid to try.

And thanks, Jdog... I love my baby. I owned her mother, and grandmother too. heh. she was an april fools kitty... the rest of her litter was born march 31 between 7 and 10... she was born april 1, right around noon. It was like her mother was saying... "okay, four kittens. HAHA APRIL FOOLS! there's a fifth.  " not to mention, I always loved calicos. As soon as she was out (before she was even cleaned off), I declared her mine. Had to fight for eight weeks to keep her... when we moved from SC to MO, We had to bring most of the cats to the cat rescue in town... including her litter. I hid her in my closet, since I was the one putting the cat and her babies in the carrier, nobody noticed. When we got back, I brought her out. " told you I was keeping her!"

Yeah, we had something of an overcrowding problem with the cats... every time we brought a female to the vet to get her spayed, she was already pregnant.. and we could never find homes for all the kittens, so they stuck around. By the time we moved, we had wayyyy to many cats. I think we had 10 adults, and 15 kittens. I am a cat lover, but... that's excessive. Now my parents have one of the cats, and I have my emma, and paul's voodou. it's funny(in a completely unhumourous way), they kept blaming me for the pet problem... when we moved we had three dogs, and the two kittens. My parents made me get rid of my puppy, and brought mom's dog with him to the pound. Since I've moved (almost 10 months) they've already gotten two more puppies. *shakes head*

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oui, Angel, et merci! Emma dit merci aussi.

Je vous en prie, ma chere.  ;)

OMG!  I'm crying my eyes out, you guys!!  I can hardly see to type.

K, I hope your guys business is a huge success.

I'm so sorry about your horse.  Absolutly heartbreaking.

Cadie, I never imagined you at 6'4" with your gentle musings.  

JD, thanks for sharing your experience.  I cannot tollerate hearing about animal abuse.

I just realized that I'm posting without having read everything-I hope this isn't too confusing!  I had just finished reading JD's post about being a vet.

it's about to start storming, so I've got to make this brief...

I think my hair is masochistic... I've been treating it so gently... no combing while wet, braiding for sleep, using a nice leave in, keeping it up out of the sun... and it's getting so many split ends, and being rough and dry at the ends...

For the past two days, I've been using a brush again*ducks*, and last night I slept with it down... Today it's the silkiest, shiniest, softest perfectest it's been in months.  :-/

Maybe it's because I threatened to shave it off if it didn't behave.  ;D

* Also, good news : I've lost about an inch and a half on my waist, and about three pounds, in the past 36 hours. I actually had to punch a new hole in my belt to make it fit!
*The bad news: it's from dehydration and heat sickness. Honestly, Yeah, I want to lose weight... but at the expense of installing black painted ironwork on a stone balcony in 94 F heat with a humidity somewhere around 200%.. It's not worth it. I'd rather be chubby. Actually, my guy is back there now, doing the touch up painting on the railing... we were going to do it yesterday, but neither of us could take the heat. I'm still feeling sick, so he left me here. Actually I passed out in a corner of the room for about half an hour, in front of the fan so I could get somewhat cooler. Thank gods for the fact that the water was already on in that house... dousing my face and arms in freezing water was the only thing that kept me from the hospital, I think.

On other news, I want a dog so badly... I miss my Maxx and Bear-Bear so very badly. Bear I had to give to the shelter when I moved down here, because my family refused to keep him. Maxx my parents still have (and will until he dies, I'm sure), but as they're in missouri, It's hard. Paul says we can't have a dog though, since we don't know whether or not we'll be staying here for more than 6 months, and if we do move, we may not even be able to keep both cats.  It sucks, though, because I was looking at the pet finder ads for dogs in my area... and I fell in love with a beautiful, sweet German Shepherd boy that looks just like the dog I grew up with. I should have known not to look. *shakes head* I never learn. It's even worse because he's in a kill shelter, and probably has less than a week.

You truly need to be careful.  My cousin's husband used to do welding, until he was in a metal shed during the heat of the day.  I don't remember if he was hospitalized or not.  If I remember, he escaped it by the skin of his teeth as you did.  But what the doctor did tell him was that he had been sensitized, and that future heat exposure like that would kill him.  He had to give up welding, or at least welding of that kind.  

Kiraela wrote on Jun 30^th, 2007 at 3:10pm:

The bad news: it's from dehydration and heat sickness.... but neither of us could take the heat. I'm still feeling sick, so he left me here. Actually I passed out in a corner of the room for about half an hour, in front of the fan so I could get somewhat cooler. Thank gods for the fact that the water was already on in that house... dousing my face and arms in freezing water was the only thing that kept me from the hospital, I think.

Have you heard of neck coolers or ever tried them ?

• http://coolerbars.com/
  
  http://www.p2designs.com/ShipCooler.htm

Hope this helps ?  :)

Cadie

I dont' think I've ever heard of/ payed attention to mention of neck coolers.. anything that will keep a repeat of yesterday from occuring would be most useful! even when I'm not out in the heat, I know Paul is.

Then seriously you at least have to try them especially as they so cheap to buy or make ! All  the US and British armies are issued with them as compulsory kit in the war zones. The idea is to cool the two carotid arteries on either side of the neck which supply the brain....

An Australian website....

http://pages.prodigy.net/volksware/volksware/cobber.htm

Ugh, little sis.  :(
Living in desert climate, I'm no stranger to dehydration and heat exhaustion myself, unfortunately. I know how much it sux. *shoots the sun*
Staying hydrated is very important, as is finding shade when you start to overheat. Since you don't have a/c, keep many fans running throughout your apartment. I wished that I had one in every room of my old apartment. Not only did we not have a/c at all, but we lived on the 2nd story!  :P
   Also, cold things are your friends. Eating things like ice cream, popcicles, frozen fruits & veggies, etc. helps a lot. Ice water works great also...juices, teas and sodas, not so much.
   It was wise of you to moisten your skin and sit in front of a fan. Jumping into a cold shower also helps.

As for your hair, I wouldn't worry so much. I use a brush on rare occasion as well and I sleep with my hair down every night. I think that sleeping in a braid every night would do way more harm than good to my hair. But I also have satin bedding. Have you tried sleep caps?

well, here, we have a window AC for the bedroom that keeps the rest of the apt. cool... it was the house we were working on, unfortunately. no power inside, so no A/C. I thank Paul's dad for suggesting the fan... otherwise it would have ended much worse. I was in a shady part of the room leading to the balcony, but... that doesn't do much good when it's cooler outside than in (except for the sun beating down)  
One of Paul's friends had come out to help us install the balcony, and about 2 hours of sun later, went off to get us each a large bottle of powerade. that helped quite a bit.

And yes, as soon as we got home, I took a nice long cold shower:D Once I was almost shivering, it was cold enough!

Yeah, I'm also starting to think that braiding is breaking my hair... when I get up in the morning, it's got short hairs sticking out and frizzing everywhere. I have a satin pillow case, at least, though I've never thought about a sleep cap. Another thing I've noticed is I have less range of comfortable positions to sleep in when my hair is braided... I tend to toss and turn, and the braid is an uncomfortable lump.

I almost had to be hospitalized for heat exhaustion- I NEVER want to experience that again.  Absolutly one of the worst nights of my life.

I stopped sleeping with my hair braided as I was getting lots of breaks, too.  At first I thought waking up without tangles was great, and then I noticed all the breakage.  I use a silk pillowcased and am much happier sleeping with it loose, even if its hot.

this has been a pretty bad few days for me, it seems. First, I had a massive headache, dizziness, and weakness,(low blood sugar that I didn't pay attention too until I was feeling sick), then, the next day, heat exhaustion... now, Paul's cat has gone back to her former viscious ways, and due to deep puncture wounds(well cleaned!) my left hand is out of action for a few days. Good thing I can type with onnly one hand fairly well. Comes from petting the Nice cat.I wonder if I'l ever make a decent housecat out of her... as it stands, If friends come over, she must be locked up, and... gods forbid we ever had a child with this cat around.

Sakina, I slept with my hair loose for most of my life... if you pile the hair above your head on your pillow, it keeps it off your neck, and makes it less likely to be lain on... I've woken up with small chunks of hair pulled out from getting caught under my shoulder when I flop around. another good thing about loose hair... sometimes the braid waves and my natural ones... don't get along... and I have a "poodle day".*poof!!!*

well, unfortunately, even with cleaning and a thick coating of triple antibiotic ointment, the cat bite has still managed to get slightly infected :(  I've cleaned it out again, and peroxided it(the yelp from that woke up my father in law in the other part of the house) but unfortunately, due to the location of the two holes, it's impractical at best to bandage, although I can barely move my middle or ring finger due to swollen-ness and pain, so practicality isn't as much of an issue right now. For full disclosure, I have included a picture of my attacker. She doesn't like cameras much... that's the nicest I could get her to look. It is an accurate depiction of her personality though >:(
The good news is, my sweet kitty is laying on my lap comfforting me. *loves my kitty*    *is unimpressed with paul's kitty*
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/voodou.jpg

Ugh. Dæmon cat!
Hope the bites heal soon, little sis.

....Bad kitty! :(  Hope you feel better soon! 8-)

yes, very bad, evil feral kitty. She was raised indoors all her life, but you'd never know it from the way she acts. She's currently being locked in the bathroom. You know, if a dog were that much of a habitual biter, and that viscious, any sane person would have it euthanized, but as it's his kitty... *rolls eyes* he has thick calluses from ironwork, so he thinks her biting is cute, except when she punches through the calluses and draws blood on him. And due to the swelling and pain, my entire hand was fairly useless... Ibuprofen is a wonder drug. swelling goes down, pain is lessened, hand is useful... I can finally brush my hair again. ( leftie... incompetent with my right hand when it comes to my hair) I cleaned out the bites again and I'm taking an antibiotic for a week to make sure I don't get any wonky infections, and to make sure and kill what managed to grow already... I have no need of massive systemic infections due to cat stupidity. I was noticing though, a milimeter down, and she would have likely broken my middle knuckle.. two to the right, and she'd have punctured the tendon... much farther to the left and she'd have gotten the big arse vein/artery thing in the back of my hand. I guess when you are trying to tame wild predators, you have to expect to be bitten at least once or twice, I guess.

PLEASE be careful with that bite, and if it's not better soon go see a doctor.

I almost lost the use of my left hand due to a cat bite when I was a vet tech.  A big black kitty was very unhappy about me cutting his claws while the vet held him, he got free and chomped down on my left ring finger - HARD.  (reminder to all vet techs out there - you're the specialist in HOLDING the animal, not the vet!  You hold, the vet treats!   ;) )

He got me right next to the joint capsule, which got infected.  I ended up on IV antibiotics, because the infection was causing the joint to seize.  And I learned (from the hand specialist and physical therapist I ended up going to) that if you lose the use of you ring finger, you lose your pinkie and most of your middle finger as well.   :o  

ooh, ouch, poor berkanna! I hope you're fine now? Luckily, it seems to be getting better -  the punctures are healing, and i've been cleaning it once every hour or two with peroxide, and keeping neosporin over it, and now even without any Ibuprofen today(like a dingbat, I forgot when I woke up) I've got fairly good range of motion, although it still hurts. But then... It's a pair of puncture wounds about 1/4 inch deep... It's going to hurt! :-/  

What's odd, last night I was watching TV, and Voodou(the black devil) jumped up on my lap. I think she might have been appologizing. Weird arse cat.

berkanna wrote on Jul 2^nd, 2007 at 9:19am:

PLEASE be careful with that bite, and if it's not better soon go see a doctor.

Berkanna is right about the bite.  It can cause a lot of problems.  Cats have a LOT of bacteria in their mouths and bites from them can result in problems such as Berkanna indicated.  Worse yet, if any infection from that bite gets into the blood stream, it could get worse than that and cause sepsis.  That could kill you.  Also, make sure your tetnus shot is up to date.

Berkanna, let me tell you, once I was holding a dog for a fellow vet for taking blood.  The dog tried to move but I did not let it.  She thought it was going to move and so compensated for a movement that never happened.  She ran the needle up through the vein of the dog, into the front of my thumb and out the nail side.  When one works with animals, there are always risks.  Even the nicest of animals can surprise you. Once I was examining an animal when the vet tech put her hand on the dogs back.  The dog turned instantly and bit me.  I got 18 stitches along the bone under the eye and and 7 along the crease of my eyelid.  I was lucky I did not sustain any injury to the eye itself.  Plastic surgery a year later fixed the whole problem.   The poor dog showed definate distress as soon as it had bitten me.  After getting the stitches I examined the dog because I was sure something must have happened to make it hurt me.  Turned out it had a disc problem and the tech put her hand right on the hurting part.  The dog felt incredible pain and protected itself.

You see, I knew this dog really well.  I had known Joker for 10 years.  He stayed with me whenever the owner was out of town and had even lived with me for 6 months when the owner was too sick to care for him.  Joker would never have hurt me intentionally.  

K, watch out for your hubbies kitty.  She has a mean little look.  AND TAKE CARE OF THAT BITE! ;)

k- maybe you will turn into cat woman, like what happened to peter parker when bitten by spider :)
ok, so aside from revealing what a total nerd i am in this post, hope you are feeling better soon and look after the bite!

I know about animals snapping from pain! When I was living in maine, one of our dogs got loose and met up with a porcupine(sp?). I had to hold him while mom pulled out the spines(didn't have money for the vet, who wasn't a very good example of the breed anyway) even with a rope around his mouth to keep it mostly closed( had to get in to pull a few of the spines, poor baby) he tried to snap at me and mom once or twice.. I'm pretty sure he wasn't actually trying to connect though... this dog had pretty much perfect aim ( could bite a speeding fly right out of the air(until the time he caught a bee))


Heh... RTG, my first comment after getting over the shock of a large black thing attached to my hand... *in a mournful voice* "I'm gonna become a were-cat:(. " *grin* "Hey, I wonder if I'll get a tail?!" Then the pain set in... and there was much yelping.
And I've been watching for signs of blood poisoning and serious infection.. I think it's a little infected, sadly... need more cleaning and neosporin-ing. *does that then gets back to typing* I am also taking an antibiotic to make sure. * does not want to die*.

Funny animal antics: this morning when I let Voodou out of the bathroom, she noticed her food bowl was empty, and the bin storing it was too... she walked over, knocked the bin over, hissed, and glared at me. At least the cat knows what she wants. :-?

Also, yesterday, morning Emma noticed I was injured, sniffed it gently, then attacked Voodou. My sweet baby, who doesn't like hurting anything less annoying than fleas. I love that cat.

K...my kitty is helping me type so forgive typos.  Lol, okay adam says ";lgha;ogh;ga".  Ok, now down to serious stuff...  unless a doc prescribed the antibiotic for this cause....GET OFF IT.  Antibiotic resistance plus the fact that the antibiotic may not be good for killing the strain of bacteria you have been exposed to are 2 reasons.  Sorry, kitty REALLY wants attention, gotta run.

JD

I thought about it, and I agree with you joeydog.. I hadn't thought about the possibility of making antibiotic resistant bacteria... I only took 2, hopefully that didn't harm anything. Anyway, the wounds are almost healed and the infection has cleared up.

Also, last night I we went shopping and I got a nice boar bristle brush. I used it the first time this morning to smooth out my hair and I'm quite pleased with how it worked. I had originally intended to buy a new hair toy, but didn't see any I liked much(I was looking for one particular style that they were out of), So I got the brush instead.  

Hi K,

Sorry if I sounded like I was lecturing.  It was not my intention.  I am sure that the 2 tablets did not do any harm. And I am so glad to hear that your hand is better.   ;D ;D ;D

Congrats on the brush.  I have had no luck with a good boar brush yet.  My hair is fine so you would think it would be easy, but I never find one that gets through my hair...except my antique one (see journal) which I am trying not to use.  I wish I could test them before  buying  them.  I have 3 waiting to be chucked... :'(  On the happy side, I have 2 (one for home and one for purse) combs by Ric the Combmaker!!

Well,mine didn't go all the way through my hair either, it was fairly effective near the scalp, and down to about my chin, but at about chin length, it seemed to not work quite as well. still far better than my synthetic bristle brush did, though.

And hey, the non dye damaged hair has finally reached chin length! Heh, thinking about it, it's almost as if the BBB was like, screw this, that hair's too damaged for me to even try, i"ll just stick to working on healthy hair.

Quote:

I wish I could test them before  buying  them.  I have 3 waiting to be chucked...   On the happy side, I have 2 (one for home and one for purse) combs by Ric the Combmaker!!

hehe Jdog.  ;D  I'm in the same boat. I probably have 2 or 3 that I could stand to lose, but I can't bear to part with my Conair Velvet Touch brushes, though. I may return to them one of these days.

BBB's aren't meant to penetrate hair. They just kind of skim the top. They're meant for smoothing, not detangling. You should look for one with very soft 100% boar bristles. The cheaper ones will have acrylic bristles mixed in and can be harsh on hair.

in response to the BBB talk-i have one too now and i like it for smoothing and giving shine. i detangle with a wide tooth comb, or my fingers if wet. i have a plastic comb, but may be looking into a wooden one soon.

rtg, might i suggest Ric the Cmbmaker.  

Well, I'm thinking about going across the street and having Ms. Jo trim my hair again... I can't make the ends manageable! I'm going to try a last ditch effort tonight(EVOO) and if that doesn't work, I'm going to start my two week wait. *always a big fan of the "wait two weeks to decide major things"(except "band-aid or stitches" type descisions, of course!) school of thought.  

Odd dream last night... I was kidnapped by the people from "what not to wear" and forced to be on the show at gun point... they shredded all my favorite clothes and forced me to wear pink blouses with color co-ordinating pink paisley mini skirts. That rather annoyed me. What was worse though, was when the hair stylist demanded I let them cut my hair into a trendy bob-like-object. When he came near me with scissors I started screaming and flailing like some wild bobcat. When he still didn't get the point, I grabbed his sissors and stabbed him :(.. Then I took the credit card they give their victims to go buy new clothes, and bought medieval reproduction dresses with it.

Also, I wish my guy were more trainable. Laundry goes in the basket. or in a pile next to the basket. Not in the middle of the floor. Expecially when it's so soaked in sweat that if we had wood floors, I'd have to worry about the shirt-shaped equivalent of cup rings.   :(

Good luck on the guy training thing.  My mother watched me training my dog once.  I would say, "Go lay down," then take her to her pillow at the end of the couch and get her to lay on it.  Mother asked why I was teaching her a sentence.  I told because that was what my husband said to her, and I could either train the man or train the dog.  She said, "Train the dog.  It's easier."

LMAO, it is true, training a dog is much easier than a man. ;D  I still have my dogs...the hubby is questionable...as in he is not living here right now...he is living with his mommy.  She screwed him up, she can have him until he learns...which I doubt he will.  My dogs are well trained after 15 years...but I think I could train a puppy faster than the hubby who went through 2 bankrupcies while we were together (5 years).  Thank God I did the prenupt and own the house, car, etc...all on my own.

That is quite the dream K.  It certainly tops the one I had last night which I thought was pretty drastic.  I will not bore you.

JD

Quote:

Odd dream last night... I was kidnapped by the people from "what not to wear" and forced to be on the show at gun point... they shredded all my favorite clothes and forced me to wear pink blouses with color co-ordinating pink paisley mini skirts. That rather annoyed me. What was worse though, was when the hair stylist demanded I let them cut my hair into a trendy bob-like-object. When he came near me with scissors I started screaming and flailing like some wild bobcat. When he still didn't get the point, I grabbed his sissors and stabbed him  :(.. Then I took the credit card they give their victims to go buy new clothes, and bought medieval reproduction dresses with it.

LMAO!! Oh, Kiraela...you kill me.  ;D
My family wants to nominate me for that show.  :o

As for guys, they're hardwired to throw their clothes all over the place. Clean, dirty, wet, sandy, it doesn't matter. That's just something they never grow out of, unfortunately. It's a bane of living with one. Better to either get used to it or find separate houses.  ::)
   But as far as boy training in general, well...everybody has a teacher. Be it a parent, a friend, a partner, a school teacher, a boss, etc. Everyone has someone who opens up their eyes and makes them realize things that they never saw before. You could be that person for him.

Quote:

As for guys, they're hardwired to throw their clothes all over the place. Clean, dirty, wet, sandy, it doesn't matter. That's just something they never grow out of, unfortunately.

Not if you have to do it yourself !!  ;)

Quote:

Expecially when it's so soaked in sweat that if we had wood floors, I'd have to worry about the shirt-shaped equivalent of cup rings.

You're a natural at these one liners !! More please I creased up !! ;D ;D I'm gonna have to apply the cup rings analogy to other daily hassles too !! Any offers ?  :D

I think guys are hard wired to be pigs in general! I get to deal with motor oil and grease eveywhere, coke cans in strange places and coffee cups tittering dangerously on the edge of tables. And yes, clothes all over the floor. My bunnie was easier to train! ::)

Yep I've seen plenty too and they've been beyond belief, but with the greatest of respect ahem !  ;) most definitely not this guy thanks ! Lol ;D

HEH Lisabelle.. grease, metal shavings cropping up in weird places(like my toes :(), cans, plates under the sheets(!) tools on my kitchen counters, tables, floor, chairs... Once there was a cordless drill on the stove. I'm still not sure quite why.  One problem with Paul's iron shop being attached to the back of the house... random things making their way inside. I've had a hobart welding machine on my kitchen table for two weeks now. There's an air conditioner spread across most of my living room(thankfully not carpeted)  
I love him to death... but sheesh.

ouch, K you are making me wonder if my man was so bad (but we are not apart just because he is a slob).  The worst I had was pliers in with my kitchen stuff in the drawers!!  Kitchen table and I would kill!!!

JD

K-i'm very familiar with the common  "man condition" of items in strange places around the house too. between hubby and the cats, have found cat toys in my boots, chopsticks on the balcony, sci-fi novels strewn about and clothes everywhere, and comic books, tolkien books, and misc. tools. without the "nice" reminders i give to him and lots of times just picking it up myself- it looks like a comic book convention just happend at our house most days :)
fortunately i grew up with many brothers- so have previous experience navigating this terrain.

hehe..  Actually, I wouldn't mind "ComiCon chic" as much as "blacksmith shop exploded in my living room".. I'd be too distracted by the books to get any cleaning done though!

hey k- a while back you mentioned a hair mask you use. do you make it or buy it?

LOL I have no idea how all of you put up with that. I would either confine all of their clutter to one room or make them find a place of their own. Of course, that's just the uncompromising divorcée in me.  ;D

ya K, tell us about the hair mask!!

JD

I don't actually know what a hair mask is :( I think tis a case of mistaken Identity  :-/    

the closest thing I can think of is letting conditioner sit in my hair for an hour or two. (pantene of some sort)


Ah yes, hair news. Walmart was out of the Ice Shine conditioner in anything smaller than the 7$ keg... (smaller bottle fits better in the shower) So I got the walmart generic-pantene Daily Moisture renewal... (Some of you may be thinking, why don't you just go back after they've restocked? Simple. Paul refuses to go to walmart more than once a month. A month without conditioner?! Enough said, yes? ;))
I think that is what my hair has been begging for. It's soft and nice enough that I left it down today, kept from my face with a scarf. Even the ends aren't as dry and icky as usual. Still not perfect, but... eh. I'm trying to avoid mr. Scissors McSnippy until the meeting is unavoidable.

Pantene makes a pretty good hair mask, if your hair likes a fair amount of cones. It's called the Pro-V Nourishing Moisture Replenishing Mask.

If you're looking for something natural or cone-free, I'm afraid you're on your own. I haven't tried anything in those departments.

So how's the generic Daily Moisture Renewal impersonation working out, K?

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how it's working. For the first few hours after my hair dried, it was soft, and silky and manageable... then it seemed to get posessed, and become one large matted mess. I'm not sure what's up with that.

Actually K, after reading couple of things on here about Pantene and trying it...I have found that for my hair...AG is cheaper and does 1000X better for my hair. Yes you buy a 375 ml bottle for $5.00 and use twice as much or you can but a one Litre bottte for $23 and I use less than one half what I use for Pantene... so a bottle lasts me a year in the litre size.  Maybe our hair is different...Dunno.  I used to like Pantene before the AG, but having gone back to Pantene, I find AG cheaper and better for my hair.  Also, after reading the label...I found AG was better in terms of what is in it.  Pantene uses everything unhealthly to make your hair look good...AG uses some bad things...but not nearly as much.

JD

Quote:

Posted by: Kiraela Posted on: Yesterday at 4:10pm ... then it seemed to get posessed, and become one large matted mess

(Trisha blows the dust off her handy-dandy internet-obtained ordination certificate, and waves her hands over the length of Kiraela's tresses)
Out, evil spirit, OUT!!  

AG?  I've never heard of it.. I'll have to look it up. Unfortunately though, if it's not something I can find in the local Walmart, or at worst, Sally beauty supply.. I don't think I'll be able to aquire it. At this point, I really have no money of my own, so I'm pretty much reliant on what Paul will buy, and he thinks spending much more than a bottle of pantene costs, on shampoo or conditioner, is pointless.  >:(

*hee, thanks Trish! I think it might even be working!*

Okay, I think it's too hot today. I've been doing laundry all day, which entails leaving from my door, walking around the house to the other side with a full load of laundry and the huge thing of laundry soap, and going into Paul's father's half of the house... making sure that both doors stay locked at all times, of course... fun trying to juggle four hands' worth of objects with my two... but every time I open the door to our half of the house, at least one dragonfly, usually two or three, come flying in the door. I'm starting to think the dragonflies are coming in to get out of the heat.  :-? :o  Of course, now that means there's dead dragonfly parts littering the floor - two cats practicing hunting skills.


In other news, I'm thinking that next time I go to the store I'm going to try a different brand of product... maybe herbal essences.. maybe tresemme... I don't know what yet. All I know is that my hair started rebelling against Pantene, and it's not taking to Imatat-ene much better. Worse, in fact... which is... bad. "hiding-my-hair-in-a-scarf" bad. Almost to the point of being "Leave-in-a-french-braid-for-three-days-because-I-don't-want-to-deal-with-it" bad. I don't want to have to do that to my precious locks. Tonight I'm going to do a last ditch EVOO treatment...  if that doesn't work, it may be scissors time.

lol @ Trish exorcising K's hair.  ;D

And isn't laundry sooo much fun when cohabitating? I know all about carrying bottles, boxes and baskets back and forth between my place and the machines. Even better when you've maneuvered around children and other obstacles, run up and down flights of stairs, dodged people that you don't want to see only to get there and find that the machines are already in use. Then you have to just drag your stuff back and wait. lol Hate that...  :P

Scissors,Kiraela?!?!?!   :o :onooooooo,not yet!!!!!  Have you tried to clarify yet? ACV?  Maybe also just a deep conditioner left on for a few hours???  There's got to be an answer to your "hide your hair before something crawls in it and wants to die" :-/ :P  Let us know if your solution of EVOO works tonight,ok?

Tried an ACV, thinking about adding EVOO to my honey and sweet almond conditioner, wrapping it in a scarf, and leaving that on for a few hours while I go out to the shop (same heat, less damage as a blow dryer!), and don't worry, I don't mean much... something between 1/4 and 1". Only if nothing else works... but I think it's dye damage finally showing on the ends... So it's going to have to come off eventually :'( (they don't have an emoticon for "horror" so that one will have to do) (and... curlgirl... I've been having junebugs land in my hair for days... I think I was too late hiding it!)


hehe... yeah, I have my choice of slogging through knee deep mud puddles (southern louisiana + Summer = swamp), or fighting my way over a pile of scrap steel and around the two forges, the anvil, and various junk in the yard. Not to mention the grass which hasn't been ... trimmed... since before my hair was...(april 24!)  At least there's only 3 steps to each door... and no chance of anybody else using the washer while the menfolks are off at an install. After my incident the other day with the near heat stroke... I'm pretty much not allowed on installations anymore. (not that I mind, seriously! more time for K. time, more time for pretty harp music... and ... cleaning. yeah... cleaning. :()

K,

I will save you the touble of looking for AG.  It is only at hair salons.  Good luck finding something you like...and let me know if you do.

JD

About AG, that sucks. Maybe I will convince paul to spend on something better than "imitantene"

erk, my back hurts. Paul and I had to help our friend move furniture around (she's pretty much confined to bed... the same friend who is cleaning out her stuff in preparation for dying) but one of the pieces was too heavy for me to move... but me being the irishwoman I am... I was too stubborn to let go or admit I couldn't do it, so I pulled a muscle or twelve in my back. Taken ibuprofen and aspirin for it... it's helpin enough that I can bend my back some without sounding like a frightened chihuahua(yelp yelp yelp!)

Good news though... I love my friends... Eva, owner of southern pride stairs, had some left over wood( a LOT of leftover wood, actually) from doing stair treads and decided to "donate" it to Paul's father a few years ago. It's been in the way ever since... today, I found out it's solid plank brazilian cherry. Now, anybody familiar with harps knows cherry is a dern fine wood for such. It just so happens I have recently come into ownership of a set of plans for building a medium size harp( exactly the size I want, in fact).... Anybody see where I'm going with this? *rubs hands gleefully* Paul has convinced me to make a full scale model... um, prototype, I guess you'd say, out of either oak or pine... Probably pine because it is cheap, but I'd prefer oak for strength. If it comes down to it, I will work on this project in the back yard, in the sun if need be, and darn well GROW a heat tolerance.( or take frequent A/C breaks and have a fan or seven on me)

Now all I need is to have Eva come out and give me some basic power tool lessons. I know she'll be willing, as she's already evinced interest in the instrument making business (she made herself a dulcimer a few years ago).... * is excited, but cannot bounce because my back hurts, which is frustrating because I bounce like a deranged border collie when I'm excited*

Sounds exciting Kiraela!  Good luck with the  building of your harp!  I know it'll look as good as you make it sound!  If I could build a piano as you build your harp,then we'd be in business!!!!  I think that's so cool......building a harp!

Hope your back is feeling better,too!  When you're feeling up to it and want to try Vipakarani(Legs Up the Wall pose) let me know and I'll give you details.  It will help release your back and hips and be totally relaxing.  I use to teach this pose to a pregnant yoga student of mine.  She found it very beneficial for her back and hips. :)

K,

Building a harp.  That is impressive.  I know about power tools...but a) I am too far away, and b) I dunno about that kind of precision.

I am sending you a pm.

Hope your back feels better soon.  Take care.

JD

it will take a few weeks to get the tools I'll need (must wait for the next major stair rail to be finished, get the money, and go to harbor freight tools, to buy my new "toys")
Although I'm not going to buy a bandsaw just yet... I'll stick to the "things I need that are less than 100.00$ each" category, and borrow Paul's uncle Steve's shop for the rest.

I'm leaning towards making the first model out of Luon plywood, as it is strong and has no open voids, so it should conduct sound well. Frankly, we have about 50 times as much luon in the shop as cherry, it's easier to work, we already have it(so no putting money out on oak!)... and if i screw up horribly, we haven't lost too much and I can start over.
I got your PMs Joeydog, and replied...

Kiraela,
I pm'd you on the pose info.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I had a pair of pretty long hair sightings today.
Yesterday when I said I wasn't going out on Installations anymore.. well, Technically that is true, but apparently I'm still needed for my touch up painting skills. *shrugs* as long as I have a pair of 1 quart bottles full of water, and a nice breeze, I am okay, I guess.  
Anyway, on to the hair! The first one was in a gas station this morning... a girl waiting in line had waist length black hair (it looked natural, even!) I complimented her on how pretty, long and shiny it was, and she responded "thanks! Everyone in my family has long hair! My mom's a few inches longer than mine, and my aunt is down to here*motions to tailbone*"  That must be an incredible sight, when they're all together!

The second was in Harbor Freight Tools, while we waited for the balcony's paint to dry so we could put it back in place(it seems that one side of one of the balcony panels... didn't get sprayed ( air spray gun, like a typical auto painter would use, provides a perfect finish)
Anyway, one of the guys working there had hair the same color as mine is naturally, in a pony tail that reached about halfway between BSL and Waist. I have problems talking to strange males, so I didn't say anything  :-/

Paul was there to buy a hammer drill.. thing. Me, I was there to scout out the prices on some of the tools I'll need for my harp. *is well on her way to becoming a powertool junkie*

Of course, we had to leave because my blood sugar was getting too low and I had to find food before I collapsed.
I've never been diagnosed as Hypoglycemic, but I'm pretty sure that's my problem. If I'm not very careful about what and when I eat, and make sure I get enough carbs/sugar, I get shaky, sick to my stomach, and if I don't do something about it, I've passed out in class before(teachers with their"no eating in class" rule, punishable by detention or suspention)

Of course, the side effect of eating an order of fries, a cheeseburger, and a large chocolate malt( love sonic's malts)... a drastic upswing in sugar(and a HYPER kiraela)
I am still balancing myself out hours later... this sucks royally. Normally I don't get that bad that fast.

And I never got around to doing the EVOO on my hair last night... Too busy discussing the skills I'll need to learn to make harps...  :-/

didn't get to do an evoo again tonight. As I was typing my last entry, I started to get nauseous and shaky again... by the time I managed to get some toast and a couple of sips of powerade in me... I was starting to get tunnel vision, and had to lay down for a while. I seriously don't know what's wrong with me... I've been getting nauseous a lot lately and having blood sugar problems more than normal. I don't know if it's the fact that I've not been eating regularly or that I've been eating out more than usual *ducks to avoid the pans thrown at my head*.

And everyone who finds out that I'm sick comments that " at least bridget's new kid will have someone to play with!"  >:( Why is it that just because a female isn't feeling well and is nauseous for a day or two, everyone automatically assumes pregnancy?! I could have a case of food poisoning for all anyone knows (don't trust McDonalds,  by the way... funky food).

Geez,I hope you feel better soon!!!  Maybe the heat is messing with you? :-/

K,

You poor things.  I hope you feel better soon.  Pls keep us up to date.  BTW, I have sent you a PM.

JD

I'm hoping it's just the heat... I woke up feeling sick again, so I took some anti- nausea medication so I was capable to make breakfast. I don't want Paul to suffer just because I'm not feeling well... And the poor man should NOT be allowed near the kitchen (at least in the morning!)... He's even worse at cooking than I was before I moved here (Quite impressive, really!) Luckily it's working fairly well.

Aww, so cute that you look after your man so well.  I tried to do stuff for my hubby but he figured that not eating cooked meals (but chips were ok) at all was best...and by the way, as the daughter of a Cordon Bleu, it is not because I cannot cook.

I take care of him as best I can, and he does the same for me. It works out quite nicely.

I've still been feeling sick today, so I spent most of the day lying down. I managed not to.. lose.. my lunch today though, so that's an improvement.

Made a new hair toy out of an old bracelet... very pretty, will post pictures when I feel up to fiddling with the camera. As a matter of fact, I'm going to go lay down again soon.

I look forward to the pics...but right now...look after you.  I hope you feel much better soon.

Umm, not to belabour the point, but have you done a preg test?

JD

most unfortunately, as the nausea has kept up for 3 days now, and I've had some other unusual symptoms,  that is on the shopping list for today. I'm... kind of torn about what I hope the results will be, honestly. At the same time both fearful and excited. Is that odd? Of course, IF I am, it may be too recent to show up yet on a test, too. *grimace* the only type of test I hate.. the type where I don't know the answers.

I can't even rely on the fact that I had... the females' curse... recently... my aforementioned friend bridget was nice and regular until she was 4 months along. She went to the doctor for the test and ... they found a nice strong heartbeat.

of course, just thinking about it, and not KNOWING... makes my stomach do bellyflops even worse.

Bleah.

K,

Aww.  Stress for K.  I wish I had some great words here.  I think all woman fear a positive but get excited about it too.  I have never been blessed with children...one of my regrets...but I have gone though the testing part. God will not give you anything you cannot handle, either way.  If it is time, it will be positive, and if it is not...you are young yet.

Umm, I do know there is one test that gives results up to 4 days before the curse.  I dunno the name though.  

Keeping you in my thoughts.  Hang in there.

JD

you know, that part has always confused me a bit... the test measures hormone levels present in the urine, the most accurate ones testing correctly at 2-3 weeks.

my question " tests accurately up to four days before your missed period" ... what if you only have implantation say, 1 week beforeyou miss? are they saying they could potentially test the level of hormone present at 3-5 days? I don't buy it.

Ah, Ok, this I can field.  

Women only ovulate for a couple of days and it is pretty much aroung the midde of 'the month', with a day or two of variance for each woman.  Even for implantation, you have to go to the clinic everyday for a blood test so they can check that the hormone levels are right for implanation which is then done for 2 consecutive days.  In fact, you can even buy urine based fertility kits at the pharmacy if you are trying without science helping. Therefore, when you find miss, you have actually been pregnant for near 2 weeks (give or take a day or so depending on the woman).

I know about implantation (or in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination) because my husband was sterile and so we were supposed to start the process about 3 days after he left.  I had spent 6 months doing the prelude test, etc...but obviously, without a husband and with my health problems, having a child (as desperately as I wanted one) would have been selfish of me.  I can still go for the procedure for up to a year after the testing...as in this coming Xmas, but nothing is going to change for me so it will not happen :'(

Does that help?

JD

that does answer another question I had as well... IF I am, when It would have occured. We've been so busy lately, working such godawful hours, that we've only been able to take time for ourselves two or three times in the past month... I can now say that indeed, one of those times was in the critical period.

I'll know tomorrow if it's positive...(morning is the best time to test, apparently) If it's negative, we shall wait two weeks and test again, as it may still be too early to tell.

The good news, Nilla wafer cookies are good at preventing nausea.

That is wise K.  Hang in there.

JD

If you're still feeling nausea, try placing a bowl of hot water by the bed and putting a couple of drops of spearmint essential oil in it.  Spearmint oil is safe whether you're pregnant or not.

Cool, I have not heard of that Sakina...I will remember it next time I feel ill.

JD

Well, I guess it's only fair of me to report the results. Apparently it is K. only for the time being, not K+1.  (in other words, negative) Which is a good thing, I suppose, We're nowhere near prepared to have children just yet. I can't help feeling a little down about it though, and it still doesn't explain the everpresent nausea, tiredness, etc.

Hair: Godawful. I haven't taken the time to wash it since I started feeling so sick, so it's greasy, grimy, and has been braided for two days. I guess letting the natural oils soak in is good for it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's icky looking. The ends are feeling softer though, so I guess that's the one upside to this. Well, that and I've lost about two pounds.  :-/ something about only digesting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, half a cheeseburger, and about half of a small meal, in four days... Well, that and half a box of nilla wafers. *is getting sick of nilla wafers* I'm feeling the smidgiest bit better (er... tiniest) today, though, so here's hoping food and I get along better soon!

Aww Sweetie.  Big HUGS for you.  Your time will come...I am sure of it.

I hope you figure out what is wrong with you soon.  Are you planning on seeing a doc?  Might be a good idea if you can't eat and are so drained.

Hang in there and take care.

JD

I'm finally starting to feel a little better, actually. Not anything near 100%.. maybe 57.34%... but that's far better than I was. I dislike doctors unless there's no getting around it (massive blood loss, broken bones, coma, etc)

Oddly enough, I've discovered something else that helps... Root Beer.  :-? I was thirsty, wanted something other than water, but all we had was root beer. had a small cup, and it appears to be settling my stomach down better than anything else.

wow k, that will teach me not to skip reading your journal for a few days...all kinds of excitement on here when i checked back in today! i've been in a similar situation, where i wanted the test to be negative and then was sad it was negative. i think you kind of get yourself thinking about having a baby in the back of your mind and adjust to it and want to, even if you otherwise think it's not the right time. then you take the test and feel disappointed. hope you are feeling better soon.

K, 2 things come to mind when you say that.  1) the fizziness helped you...although they usually say that FLAT gingerale is the best and 2) could you be hypoglycemic (blood sugar too low)?

JD

Quote:

Posted on: Jul 12th, 2007, 8:44pm Of course, we had to leave because my blood sugar was getting too low and I had to find food before I collapsed.I've never been diagnosed as Hypoglycemic, but I'm pretty sure that's my problem. If I'm not very careful about what and when I eat, and make sure I get enough carbs/sugar, I get shaky, sick to my stomach, and if I don't do something about it, I've passed out in class before(teachers with their"no eating in class" rule, punishable by detention or suspention)

I didn't think about it at the time, but that could have been part of the problem this whole time... nausea from low sugar keeping me from eating, which kept my sugar just below safe levels, which kept me nauseous, etc. When I started sipping on root beer(which was completely flat, by the way! it sat in a can, partially opened, for about four hours before I remembered it was there and took a sip.) I started feeling a little better.

Too bad I didn't have a can of root beer a few days earlier...... :'( >:(

K, looking at the quote you put there, I am not diagnosed with hypoglycemia, nor is my mother or my sister...but we cannot skip meals without feeling ill.  Sometimes we fall beneath the curve...but it is not to say that the effects of not eating regular and good meals is not the cause.  I am glad the root beer helped you...maybe try eating anything you can stomach to see if it helps?

JD

Finally, I feel like myself again! Still a little tumultuous-tummied, but FAR less than I was.

Finally got around to washing my hair (after something along the lines of 6 days*shudder*)  last night, since I was feeling better. I don't know what it was, the constant braidedness, or the greasy oily yick, but this morning, my hair was shinier, silkier, and softer than ever. The ends feel NORMAL again! maybe better than normal.   ;D  Maybe it was the fact that I didn't rinse the daily moisture renewal conditioner all the way out, left it in for about 45 min while I went out to the shop to help Paul, then came in and re-conditioned with my Suave Oasis honey and sweet almond. I think next time I wash I'm going to use the honey and sweet almond alone... if it works as well again, I'm going to use that alone(for the most part at least, I have a bottle of AG Deep conditioner on its way (Thanks Joeydog!*hug*)... after all, the suave oasis line is a dollar at dollar tree (normal sized bottle too, not the dinky "trial sizes"), and if it's working, why mess with it? I still love the Ice Shine shampoo, but... I don't know if it's worth going out of my way to get, if i'm not using the conditioner as well. I'm sure I'll find something, eventually.  :-/

BTW, dehydratration can cause all of the symptoms you had.  Look in your local health food store for Alacer brand Electro Mix.  Its packets of electrolytes that you mix with water.  It doesn't have any of the crap that Gatorade has in it-no color and no sugar.  It has a subtle lemon/lime flavor.  Its made by the same company that makes Emer'gen-C.

Glad to hear you're feeling better!

K, glad you are feeling better.  Sakina has a good point.  I will have to find about the electrolyte mix myself since the running may result in me needing it and I can't stand gatorade...which has too many calories in it and too much sodium unless I was running a marathon.

JD

Glad you are feeling better,Kiraela! :)

Thanks, all! I've never been fond of any of the electrolyte (-ade) drinks, but lately when I've been outside for very long, like when I'm out on installs, I've been drinking powerade. Powerade is one of those weird drinks that tastes really funky and watery unless you are dehydrated and actually need it, at which point it becomes almost pleasant.

and now, some photos!


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/July_17.jpg
Current (as of yesterday) length


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/prettybraidedbun.jpg
A pretty braided bun


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/longerhalfup.jpg
not a great shot, but a picture of the new hairtoy/slide I made out of a bracelet a friend gave me


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Resizeof100_1145.jpg
Some pretty scenery from about two miles away.


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Resizeof100_1146.jpg
Why you don't go swimming in murky water in louisiana

your hair looks great k! so pretty and shiny.
no comment on the crocodile--yikes!

Your hair looks lovely, K.

Glad to hear that you're feeling better.

And just FYI, nausea is not a symptom of hypoglycemia. It sounds like you may have experienced serious dehydration, UV poisoning or a stomach flu.

Sorry Angel, I have to disagree.  Headaches and nausea are very much symptoms of hypoglycemia.  Google it.  It makes no sense but it is.  Other symptons incude dizziness and lightheadness.  Turst me, with 2 hypoglycemics in my family, I should know.  Plus it is my job to know that when my hypoglycemic animals are throwing up (remember my vet thing) they need more food.


K, the pics are great.  Your hair looks great...and I am glad that I don't have the problems you do in water here in the north (where we freeze in the winter...maybe I should rethink this)

JD

Alligators are fairly common down here(there was a small (3-4 ft?) living in the culvert beneath my neighbor across the street's driveway, but it seems to have dissapeared. |Thanks on the comments about my hair! I had a good picture of the natural color coming in, but.. it kind of got deleted. When the batteries are recharged for the camera i'll try again to get a good view of the color. Basically, see all the dark brown intermingled with the light? that dark is fairly close. Although sheesh, in the length picture, it seems like the hair growing in is deep black. after I find my scissors again, it's S&D time.

Ok, sorry K, but your journal is my medium for answering a question I have.   S & D.  It sounds good.  My hair is barely long enough.   Here is my question though...I saw in a magazine that you should take strips of hair, curl them in a tight twist and cut what ever sticks out.  This makes no sense to me....here is my logic.  First of all, if I do that, every time I do that, the hairs that I have cut will just show up higher in the strands, and secondly, we know that our hair has different lengths because new strands are constantly growing.  I get cutting off the split end, but I suspect that what I read (and is written above) is...bs.  Someone tell me if I am making sense or am just not getting it.

Oh. BTW, K you are welcome about the conditioner.  Maybe I will start a Pay It Forward thread since you alluded to it.

JD

The thread sounds good to me, Jdog... I wonder how long it's been going on, underground, here, or if it started with whatever lovely lady sent you the snood. *ponders*

I'm not sure of official methods, With my hair as long as it is, I just brush it out reallywell and drape one little section at a time over my shoulder and snip any obvious splits. Then I shift it around and rebrush, and snip any more ends that show up. That way I don't cut any ends that are not split, or even worse,any 'virgin' ends.

I LOVE your braided bun!  All the colors and the shine!  Very kewl!

:D Thanks!  It's still got the tiger effect, but... I'm learning to like it. (my current theory: "i'm a calico just like my kitty")

I'm starting to get a really good view of my natural color coming in... and kicking myself(hard) for ever dying it. I always liked the look of dark brunette hair with red tints. I never realized that's actually what I have... I remember my hair being a dull, muddy mousy dark brown when I was younger... But this color actually looks good on me. I finally match my eyebrows again! well.. i match to my chin, anyway. after that it's the odd auburn color.

Kiraela wrote on Jul 19^th, 2007 at 2:14pm:

I remember my hair being a dull, muddy mousy dark brown when I was younger...

It is quite likely it WAS dull, making it appear more muddy, mousy brown.  The hair products you used back then may have been hiding your true, beautiful color.  I know that is true for me. :)

hey  i think that happened to me too! i used to dye my hair (before long locks taught me otherwise of course) and now i see my natural hair color is very pretty so what was i thinking? but maybe it was hidden underneath all the cones and processing. also, i eat much better now than i did then, which is probably part of it.
as for you being a calico, i think it looks great. your hair is so shiny and getting very long!

The pics ae beautiful Kiraela!  

thanks everyone!!*biggrouphug*

you know, it was odd. I was just standing by the forge watching the steel heat to red hot, and was struck by the insatiable desire to run back inside and grab a stick and some marshmallow peeps( my parents gave me some for easter, and well... they're still here)

then, though, i realized that the fire was so hot that it would probably just vaporize the marshmallow instantly :o and of course, got the mental image of myself standing there with a slightly burnt stick and a confused as heck expression. "hey, where my peeps go?!"

this proves that I am odder than previously believed.


and hey, today I was given a new pair of jewelry boxes and some antique bronze items from a friend of mine. Also my hair is behaving perfectly, and well life is good today  ;D

Umm, blonde here, what are peeps?

peeps are freakishly colored, sugar coated marshmallow chickens. They also come in Bunny. http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/
they're one of those things that you'll either love instantly... or hate with a passion. I have never liked peeps(my cousin actually had a website devoted to the many ways to kill a peep) .. but I have found that if you roast peeps like regular marshmallows, not only do you get gooey marshmalloey goodness, but a nice caramelized candy coating. Also it's an excuse to stab the crap out of flourescent purple candy chickens.

HEHE, at the peeps website... one of the 'fun facts'...   "Peeps have become gourmet favorites as fondues, creme brulee ingredients and cappuccino toppings!"  I'm sorry but if there's a CHICKEN floating in my cappuccino, we're going to have words. HARSH words.

sorry. peeps make me rant.

Okay, could not open link.  I am really hoping this  chicken and bunny marshmellows (sp?)?  Oh please tell me that.  

JD

lmao K  ;D

http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitormagazine/images/may_2005/ideasthatwork/peep_medium.jpg
Eeeeevilllllll!!!  :o

Yep, it's chicken and bunny shaped marshmallows. (did you try copy/pasting the link?)

And LOL angel! The purple ones are evillest, followed by yellow, followed by all other colors.
"evil villain, purple. evil villain's evil advisor, yellow. minions, other."

lol K...I didn't realize that there was a "pecking order" in Peep colours. OMG, "pecking" order.... ba dum TSSHHHHH!  ::)

*cues the Darth Vader music*
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/SmileyMags/Easter/Peeps/Peep43.jpg
Dun dun dun dun da dun dun da dunnnn....  :P

My sister loooves Peeps. And she loves bunnies...not just the Peep Bunnies but like actual living, breathing rabbits. And her favourite colour is purple, so every year, around Easter, I usually get her a little pack of purple Bunnies.
Personally, I can't stand them.
Have you ever heard of Circus Peanuts?

Circus Peanuts - yes!  My sister and I would fight over a bag of circus peanuts.   ;D

I think I was given a bag of circus peanuts(spongy peanut shaped... things? right?) yeah. i was given a bag once. I took a tiny nibble and fed the rest to my mom's mule. My horse looked at me like I was nuts for trying to feed them to him. :( He was weird. Would rather eat dog food than sugar. Plastic car parts were his favorite, as my landlord discovered. hehe.
windsheild fluid sprayer thingie:                              30$.
parts to fix the fence(again!)                                    50$.
the look on the landlord's face when he comes out and sees your horse chewing on his Humvee...                                                        PRICELESS.

And now I have darth music stuck in my head.
:-?

well, did more unpacking for my friend, and some how managed to make my right ankle hurt. I'm not sure if I have a minor sprain, or what. It hurts worse when any pressure is applied to the joint on the side of my ankle(I rolled up my pantleg to keep that from touching it), and it hurts for about 3 inches above where that joint sits.  :-/ no more helping her unpack this week, I guess.

I have noticed something disturbing to me today. My singing voice appears to have.. gone. died... dissapeared. I don't know if I've simply not been practicing enough, but I need to recover it. For many years(from age 11, roughly, on) My voice has been the one identifying bit that made me, me. Through everything I have been through, everywhere I've seen... Singing kept me pulled together. Learning to put my emotions into song brought me back from the brink of doing something even stupider and more harmful that I did. ... And now it seems it's left me. I was singing along to a CD, one that I could previously sing every song as if it were me on the CD instead (I'm a good mimic, amongst other things)... but today it wasn't even close. I'm.. I'm scared. What if it's gone irrepararably... I dont' think I've done anything that would ruin my voice, but... what if I have? I've been off for a while, and today just brought it home.

All I can hope is that with regular practice, and doing basic exercises again, I'll regain what is rightfully mine. Otherwise I've lost the major part of who I am.  :'(

Okay, I have a masters degree in voice, so trust me here.  DO NOT FORCE YOUR VOICE TO DO ANYTHING!  Believe me, I understand the terror you are experiencing.  I once strained my voice and it didn't come back for ONE MONTH.  I felt that fear.  I understand what it means for your voice to be your identity as well.  It will come back.  There are several things that might have caused it, and several things you can do.  

First, exhaustion is a cause of laryngitis.  I know you didn't say there was something wrong with your speaking voice, but I have noticed that things show up in my singing voice first.  So getting enough rest is step one.

Allergies, or any kind of drainage, can cause swelling of the cords which will also affect your singing voice.  The thing you do not want to do is strain a cord that is already having a problem.  So while practicing is a good idea, it won't help if you haven't been asking your voice to do anything unusual.  You will only create a greater problem.

Hydration is key.  Sometimes I find myself having a problem if I have been drinking too many sodas.  Many of the vocalists at the university carried gallon jugs of water.  So make sure you drink lots of water and avoid caffeine.

I would only start back with my exercises only when my voice was functioning normally.  Then start slow.  Vocal cords are quite delicate, and you don't want nodes.  

My favorite remedy when I am having vocal trouble is hot mint tea with honey and lemon.  I don't know why, but there is something about that combination that just seems to speed the healing process.

I hope this helps.  

I was going to comment that I think vocal exercises are a great idea because I go through the same thing when I haven't sung in awhile.  I used to sing all throughout my school years in chorus and had often found myself in singing groups with friends.  Now that I no longer use my singing voice regularly, I typically have to do vocal exercises to get it back on track but then I read this...


Quote:

Vocal cords are quite delicate, and you don't want nodes.

:o

Um okay, now I'm slightly frightened.  How would one know if they had nodes? :-/

TT, I think you've given me my answer... I'm not big on water, usually I'll either drink tea or some sort of soda... Lately it's been soda more often than not. I've never had problems with allergies, but then again, Louisiana's got a lot of plants and things that I've never even heard of, much less seen. Maybe taking Claritin would help? Not to mention, on Paul's crazy arse schedule, I'm never sure if I'm going to have 4 or 12 hours sleep in a given night. I try to sleep whenever I get a chance though... *is catlike in her ability to sleep anywhere and everywhere* I'm thinking it can't be exhaustion as much as possible allergies(now that I think about it my nose has been stuffier than usual), probable dehydration, and most likely, disuse. * wanders off to make a cup of tea and go back to sleep for an hour*

I certainly did not mean to scare anybody.  If your voice is just rusty (mine certainly is; I haven't done any serious singing in two years) then doing exercises is certainly a good idea.  The impression I got from Kiraela was that her voice had vanished without explanation.  That implied some sort of pathology to me.  In that case, exercises would hurt, not help.  

Nodes will do different things depending on where they are.  They are the equivalent of vocal calluses; small, knobby, whitish growths on the cords.  Folds, I should say, since that is really what they are.  Nodes can result from chronic abuse or a single traumatic event, although typically from the first and not the second.  You will get a breathiness in the tone and your voice just doesn't work properly.  I googled "vocal nodes symptoms" and found some good stuff, including some causes I hadn't remembered (like alcohol) and some I didn't know (hibiscus is a dessicant, so hibiscus tea won't help.)  Some people like their nodes, as they give them a distinctive sound.  

The only REAL way to tell if you have nodes is to go to a laryngologist, who will stick a camera down your throat and ask you to speak or sing.  This test was VERY expensive back in the nineties and I would be surprised if insurance covered it.  

From what you said, La Diosa, it doesn't sound like you have nodes or are doing anything to cause them.  Relax.   :)

Kiraela, antihistamines are a catch-22.  On the one hand, they prevent the drainage irritating the cords.  On the other, they do this by drying you out.  If you are not experiencing significant symptoms, I wouldn't bother with them.

Quote:

You will get a breathiness in the tone and your voice just doesn't work properly

That.. that is exactly a description of what's wrong. It's like certain notes just... don't come out. it's pretty much the same couple of notes every time (didn't figure out which two or three), ... it's like there's a raspy sound rather than the actual tone, I can make it come out but I have to push(if that makes sense)... And I'm pretty sure pushing it is BAD.

and of course, I have not got the money to go to a doctor :( So that recourse is out of the question.

I wonder if living with smokers all my life could have anything to do with it? Before I moved in with Paul, at least my bedroom was a smoke free zone... Now well... not so much.

What part of your range are you losing?  If it's the upper, no problem, you're just out of shape.  If it's on your break (the part of the voice where you shift from chest register to head register, typically B or C1) you might still just be out of shape or you might have a problem.  If it's in the middle of your chest or head registers, then you might have a problem.    If the last one is true, read the rest of this.  If the first one is true, just start practicing and doing your exercises.  If the second one is true, I can't say which it might be without hearing you.  Maybe you can find a good vocal teacher and see what they think.  Since the doctor is out of the question (Understand that one, believe me!) then here is what I recommend.

First of all, you are absolutely right, pushing is BAD!  What is happening is that the folds don't want to come together, and you are forcing them to do so through the increase in volume.  Second, living with the smokers certainly doesn't help, but I don't think it caused your problem.  It just might be interfering with the resolution.  

Do you have acid reflux?  I went to the doctor about my voice about three years ago and she said that I have acid reflux at night, which was preventing my folds from healing from an episode of abuse.  Treating the acid reflux will help the voice heal.

Can you think of an incident of yelling, at a sports event or maybe when you dropped a can on your toe?  A huge fight you had with someone, or a time you got really excited or scared?  The reason I am asking is because you want to avoid that behavior in the future, if possible.  (Yes, when you drop the can on your toe, from now on you will calmly say, "Oh dear" rather than yelling "*%&#!")      

Some conditions, such as polyps, can mimic nodes.  They are all resolved with rest.  So rest your voice as much as you can.  I would say no singing of any kind for at least a month.

Now I understand that is like asking you to temporarily remove your toes, but if you have a problem it is necessary.  Just tell yourself that you've got forty more years of your life (in my case; you've probably got more) and this is one month of not singing out of the next forty years.

Now of course, you probably have just a temporary condition due to allergies or something else.  Since I am not a doctor and haven't seen you, I can't say.  And I certainly don't mean to scare you.  But I know that resting your voice can't hurt you, and that not resting it can.  So rest it, drink water, treat your acid reflux if you have it, and try singing again in a month.

 
 

It's in the upper range, thankfully - my low range is actually better than usual. Maybe I'm mutating into an alto? Is that even possible?

The last time I can remember screaming, yelling, etc. was about 3 1/2 years ago... I've never been a loud person... I 've never been one to scream about much of anything... quiet rage, rather than yelling at anyone... and heh... I once cut my thumb to the bone washing dishes... looked at the wound, and said, "well that's not good" before wrapping it in a clean dish towel and going to get stitches.
  Actually that's been my biggest struggle.. The first time I talked to the choir director / voice teacher at my friend's church(about 4 years ago), he commented that it doesn't do any good to have a good voice, if no one five feet away can hear me! :o  Of course, since I've moved 3 times since then, I can't go to Alex for advice anymore.

I don't have any sort of acid reflux problem, at least none that I know of.

It's upper range of my voice, so I should be fine practicing, right? Otherwise all of my favorite CDs are going to have to be temporarily retired. I hear a song I know and can't help singing along... of course, I know every word to every song in my "favorites" cd case...

I still think we are talking a mild laryngitis.  "Itis" just means inflammation, and I think part of your vocal folds are inflammed.  Probably due to allergies, since you mentioned you have recently moved and noticed your nose is stuffier than usual.  It isn't severe, so you don't notice a difference with your speaking voice or even all of your singing voice.  I have had episodes of laryngitis where I lost only my middle range, but not the upper or lower.

I still would recommend drinking lots of water, both to flush the allergens and hydrate the voice, and I would take the singing VERY SLOWLY.  Do not push, do not strain.  I would work on sustaining exercises rather than range exercises.  For example, ah-eh-ee-oh-oo-mah-meh-mee-moh-moo-lah-leh-lee-loh-loo all sung on one pitch and in one breath.  Start at least a fifth below your trouble spots and ease in to them.  At the first sign of trouble, stop.

And really, I still would not sing AT ALL for at least one week, all the while drinking that water!  Let me know what happens.

Oh that's right, you don't like water.  Hmmm.  Non-hibiscus, non-caffeinated tea okay?   

Actually decaff sweet tea is what I've been drinking! Accidentally got the decaff box instead of the regular, but it's just as good and doesn't make me hyper. I've started taking claritin and was shocked... hey, I can breathe again! I will take your advice and not sing for a week... That's going to be hard. *hides the celtic knot cd case* As long as I get my voice back, it will be worth it.

OTher: Joeydog, the DEEP condtitioner is in the post office waiting for me, but the postmaster was out for lunch so ... it will be later today or tomorrow before I get it. *odd note, there are some crazy people around here... At the post office, there was a woman all sorts of peeved because she couldn't get... whatever it was... and somehow decided to blame Hillary Clinton for the fact that the postmaster went to lunch.  :-?

Ah,. yes. got a hair compliment from the chief of police today.  ;D  Of course, this is such a small town that he's also the owner of the only towing company, mechanic's shop, and junk yard.

I'm also starting to think that I should take paul's dad up on the offer to teach me 'lost wax' casting, and make a pewter brooch in the shape of one of those nametags: "hi, my name is:..." LOL When I was younger, I was 'steven's little sister'... now I'm 'ms. paul', or 'paul's girlfriend'... I can only imagine that when I have kids I will become known as "kidX's mom"  *sigh*

Let me know what you think of the Deep K.  Sorry, just too tired to say anything more.

JD

It's always something.  Going into the same profession as my mother has been both a blessing and not so much a blessing.  On the one hand, she can call up all sorts of contacts and say, "My daughter and her husband are looking for jobs."  On the other, I am STILL "Virginia's daughter" at 42!  

youch.  All I know is, I hate it when anyone references my brother in describing me... I just hope that people realize I'm not ANYTHING like him. My parents even seem to forget that at times... hmm, steve's calling asking for money again, probably K. will need some too. I hate that they think I need money from them... but then again, on the other hand I get free money.  :-/

On another note, i wish I were on whatever army base it is in CO right now... *wants to smack her brother with a rolling pin* less than two weeks after getting married, he was caught cheating on my sister in law(the mother of his two children) when he dissapeared during a party he was throwing AT HIS OWN HOUSE. Sorry for the rant, I'm just a little... peeved... >:( with him right now.

Didn't get a ride to the post office today, so no DEEP conditioner. Tomorrow we're going to New Orleans to pick up some parts... I'll see if I can get Paul to take me by the PO. on the way home. Fun thing is.... the starter in our truck has been... hit or miss... since it was installed 5 mo ago. The past few days it's been having to be push started any time it moves. It's going to be fun in the city tomorrow............ :-/

Well, we didn't turn off the truck anywhere in NO, yesterday... left it running with me in it outside the iron supplier, and that was it... we drove through the french quarter, paul showed me where we WOULD have stopped to eat if it weren't raining and the truck would start, and pointed out a couple of friends' apartments (along with a REALLY nice couple of shops I wish I had an extra 500$ or so to spend at...), ST. Louis cathedral and Jackson square(and some VERY peeved mules pulling mule carts(rain, remember?)) and then we turned around and headed home. I don't know why, but when we were in the quarter... I felt like I'd come home. As if that's where I'm supposed to be and why on earth am I not? I wonder if it has that feeling to everyone who goes there. Of course, most people who are in the quarter either ALREADY live there, or are so drunk they can't feel much of anything except the concrete against their faces. Well, I guess I'm being unfair... that's mostly only during Mardi Gras... and weekends... And they don't typically go more than two or three streets in before it gets confusing.  ::)

My mother gets that feeling in the French Quarter.  I, on the other hand, do not, and did not understand what she meant until I went to Vienna.  Then it was as if something deep in my soul said, "Yes.  This is home."

I have always wondered if it was because I had been staying in the Austrian mountains, which bothered me a lot.  I am not from the mountainous part of Texas, and the lack of horizons coupled with the tall buildings and narrow streets in Graz made me feel claustrophobic.  Vienna is in a flatter part of Austria and the streets are wider.  So I have always wanted to go back and see if Vienna spoke to me like it did before.  

I had a similar feeling when I went to Saudi Arabia.  Not "this is home" but "you are meant to be right here, right now."  Those feelings are weird when you get them.  But kind of cool, too.  

Tried the AG DEEP conditioner that Joeydog sent me last night...  I was a little unsure while it was drying... It seemed a little coarse and just... odd.. but when I woke up this morning and combed it out... well. Frankly my hair hasn't been this nice since it was black (over a year ago)
*is very happy now*

Oh K , I am so happy you liked it!!!  But if you honestly didn't, tell us...different hair different needs...and all that.  I would not be offended!!!  What works for me might not for you...but if you really are happy...I am so pleased I could put you onto something that really worked for you!!!  Did you do as the label said or the wrap up and leave on for 1 hour as I do?

Giddy you wrote about something I suggested..simple minds, simple things and all.

JD

I really do love it. As a matter of fact, I'd reccomend it for anyone who has dry, thick hair like mine. I sort of combined the two.. instead of leaving it on for five minutes, I left it on through the entire time of my shower  (about 45 min, I'm a fishie ;D) but nest time, probably a week from the first time, I'm going to leave it on for the hour. I wonder though, would a washtowel work for a wrap? I don't have any plastic wrap to cover it with, and don't want to wrap my head in aluminum foil.

We listed a few items on ebay night before last - a box style chainmail necklace and a guitar pedal. I'm hoping they sell well.

oh yes, I forgot to add... my right top wisdom tooth started growing in about a month ago, no problems, no pain(besides the obvious 'tooth cutting through gums" pain) but last night, the left top decided to start in... only this one HURTS. It seems to be growing directly into the tooth next to it... it's pressing on the molar and  :'( ow. if it doesn't stop hurting by thursday, I'm calling an oral surgeon. Unfortunately the molar next to it has a cavity all the way across the gumline, so it may need yanking too.
I guess I'm paying for my mother's fear of dentists... the only reason I went last august was an exposed nerve and me threatening to remove it if I didn't get an appt.

And you know, I don't know why people are so afraid of root canals... It hurts several hecks of a lot* worse before than after, that's for sure.  


*as opposed to a heck of a lot, yes.

not much new to report, really. I've started noticing that my 'imatantene' DMR conditioner is only really effective with the Suave honey and almond... and vice versa. I think if i combined them into one bottle I'd have a good conditioner. I want to go back to real pantene but I'm not sure what I should try next. Next time I go to walmart I shall browse. Of course that may be 2012... so.... ::)

Anyway, it seems like this week has been the week of new members, eh? Welcome to LL, Y'all, if you read this. *waves*

HARP PROJECT: It's funny how one thing can lead to another, eh? Paul is working on a stair rail, out of iron, of course, since that's all he works in. But he needed a wooden part, to bend steel to match, so we had to go to baton rouge to a company called Spirals to get it ( competetor, and long time enemy) now, paul was not happy about this... as I said, he and Spirals' owner have NEVER gotten along. But they're the only person for over a hundred miles that sells this piece. So him grumbling all the way, off to Baton Rouge we go. Well, it turns out the owner has had some sort of personality transplant, or something. Nice as can be.. we get to talking about wood and my harp project, and the owner offers to let me dig through his scrap pile and see if there's anything I can use. Now, by scrap pile I mean, "any sort of board or plank that's not quite wide or long enough for a stair tread"... all of these are nice, HIGH quality hardwoods. It was like a kid in a candy store, I tell you. An entire room full of planks of just the right sizes, calling my name, in cherry, oak, mahogany, walnut, etc. I was nice, I only took enough for the first of the three harps I'm building(white oak), but you have no idea how tempting it was to ask paul to go home, put the steel we'd gotten earlier away, and come back with an empty truck bed! really the only thing stopping me is that we don't have enough space to store it. That and the wood will still be there. *is in heaven* free harp wood for as long as good business relations remain. That just made my plan to make a business out of this one day, much more possible. Not to mention, the owner was complaining about the fact that whenever he gets shipped mahogany from africa, at least one board per load is actually bubinga, an african rosewood, and useless to him. Of course, it's one of the highest quality harp woods available. I mentioned that... his response " eh, tell me how much you need and I'll cut it off for you." *me almost faints* 100-200$ wood, for free?  I have a new hero.

Sorry for that, Just updating you guys on how thats' going... still working on getting a GOOD set of plans.. the ones my parents got me, well. suck. They're enough to read about how a harp is made, but not nearly enough to do so yourself. As soon as Paul gets this next job installed, I'm going to get the plans. And then, It begins!

As for other things: Hair is poofy do to rain, so it's bunned up out of my way. voice: getting back to normal. dreams: odd. Since there's been discussion of inscences on other journals, I thought I'd mention mine : Vanilla or Dragonsblood. I only recently was introduced to the dragonsblood - a friend brought it over as a peace offering. It's odd, reminds me of my childhood for no apparent reason, and continues to perfume the air for days after it's gone out... expecially around the computer for some reason (in a different room than the inscence holder) So right now it's nice and pretty smelling around here.

Oh, changed my signature to my new motto...

Ok,now I'll have to try the Dragonsblood!!!  Give some Japanese incense a try,you won't be disappointed!  Nippon Kodo puts out really nice stuff.  If you go to www.joeva.com tell Joe, Kelly from Brooklyn sent you!  The Hume no Hume line is great,also the Cafe Time and FM line(cafe especially is really good ;) )  just thought I'd drop a line!

ooh, I shall have to try some of those! Just from a glance on the main page, Joeva's got some things I must have. Unfortunately I have to be really careful about what inscences I burn, what perfumes and scented, well, everythings I use... Paul's seriously allergic to some scents... Not sure what, which is a problem. Sandalwood is one trigger, as well as Tide laundry soap, pretty much any fabric softener... I was given a very expensive perfume for christmas, but I had to give it away because he took one whiff and had to go searching for an inhaler.

Hey, good news, both of my ebay listings sold... one for twice as much as we expected!

Hey great,what did you sell?  I started 2 auctions off at 99cents and they sold for 5 and change and 6 and change.  The other one was for $15.  I've got 2 more coming due in a day.
Too bad about the allergies and the perfume :(  I hope you find something that both of you can enjoy.  You might want to ask Joe at Joeva for an opinion about what is more tolerable and maybe the low smoke incense will work.  I'm burning Cafe right now before I actually get to drink my first cup and it smells great!

We sold a box style chainmail necklace and a death metal guitar pedal. The pedal went for twice as much as we'd listed it for... we werent' even sure it was going to get bid on! Good luck on your auction! Pretty soon we're going to list a belt in the same style as the necklace. :) I'm hoping that sells too.

fingers crossed for ya!  hope it sells :)

    Man, is it hot today. 96F, with a humidity around 80%... And this is the day the air conditioner decides to NOT WORK. I think I'm melting....  :-/ WEll, not really, but...close. You know it's bad when the cold water is too warm to be refreshing. And this is well water, not even city water, where the pipes are often close to the ground. No... this is water that should be freezing all year round. *sigh* it's a good thing I've been making 6 trays of ice a day for the past few... I've used up half of it already. LOL, one good thing about Paul's demon kitty.. she swishes her tail constantly... which means if you sit at just the right spot... INSTANT FAN! And of course, today's laundry day, so I have to go outside every 80 minutes. * is one miserable pup.  
    Speaking of pups, I can't quite figure out why the entire outside of our house smells like wet dogs.... We don't own any dogs... there aren't any strays.... and there's no water nearby for a stray to get wet in anyway.  :-?
     Oh, got my first snake sighting of the year... :( Well, it was more of a glimpse than a sighting... it went one way, I went the other way, both of us thinking "please don't eat me", I'm sure. Unfortunately, it was a very dark grey color... exactly the color of a water moccasin... And they're both common down here, and very poisonous. I think I shall stay quite far from mr snake.

I haven't really had a problem with water mocassins (sp?) unless I was in a creek bed or something.  I vividly remember playing frisbee in the park with my friends, and our frisbee went over the side of the creek.  We looked over the edge, and it had landed on a nest of about five water mocassins curled up and sleeping in the sun.  Didn't seem to bother them much, having a frisbee land on top of their bodies, but needless to say, we did NOT play anymore frisbee that day.  

The thing that makes the mocassins dangerous, aside from being poisonous, is they are aggressive.  Sorry to scare you, but unlike many snakes they will NOT slink off thinking "please don't eat me."  They will say "MY FRISBEE!"  But they do like the water, and you won't find them very far from it.  

Another name for a water mocassin is a cotton-mouth.  The inside of their mouths is pure white, like cotton.  Something to remember, if you get close enough to look down one's throat...

Which, after 41 years of living in Texas, and a childhood spent in a creek, I have never done.

Betcha two to one that Mr. Snake will be more than happy to open his mouth for you to see how white it is if you are unfortunate to get close enough :o :(

OOH, yeah. I told paul about my sighting of mr snake, which is where I learned it was probably either a water moccasin, or a blue racer. He did mention the name Cottonmouth too... As a child growing up in alabama... I was well warned about the dangers of cottonmouths... Especially since my favorite place to play was by the streams in the park. Unfortunately, the area under the house pretty much stays flooded... it rains at least every other day. This is, of course, the area where people who build houses which AREN'T on at least foot tall umm. house stilts.... are told they're idiots.  

Speaking of idiots... Laundry is dangerous. well, closet bars that are about three inches too tall for me are dangerous. I was stretching on tiptoes to hang some skirts... ankle didnt' appreciate that abuse... rolled out from under me and went pop. which made my knee go pop. which made me fall into a wall and make a strange high pitched EEEEEE noise.
So now I'm in an ankle brace, and sincerely glad of the tubular nature of our house... there's barely anywhere where there's not a wall or chair within reach.

Oh yes, I had found a temporary cure for my lack of AC.. the broken one on the floor works, as long as you manually spin the fan to get it started. It worked, then the blasted cat unplugged it. re plug, re spin fan... needless to say I now have a bandaided finger and a non working airconditioner. this has not been a good day.
I did find my brush though, which has been missing for a week. does NOT make up for other things though.

ooohhh,feel better soon!  I'd have a nice little talk with that cat!  I'm sure "Mr.Scissors" would love to be introduced!!lol  only kidding,but I think that cat decided to make you feel more miserable by unplugging that a/c.

I'm sure that was, indeed, her plan... probably jealous that my kitty was sitting on my lap, right in front of the AC... and she wasn't. My left ankle is feeling better, but now my right one is hurting again from bearing more than it's usual weight... I've been getting random aches and pains from it for the past two weeks, never anything severe, just enough to be annoying.

arg. Got all the way through my post and the computer froze. It was a long one too. grr.

Anyway, it's been a while since I posted. Sorry about that. To catch up, nothing new really has happened. :D
I did use the deep conditioner Joeydog sent me again, and I absolutely love it even more than I had the first time. It's so soft and silky that after my hair dried I found myself sitting there after combing it out... just petting my own head because it was so soft. Paul stared at me funny.  ::)
Anyway, My parents are likely coming to visit this week.. they'll know tuesday whether they're renting the car wednesday and coming down. You'd think there would be better planning involved with travelling 12 hours with two dogs, but no. They called and found out what hotels/motels are nearby, and checked to find one that was pet friendly first, at least. A good thing, since my stepdad's eskimo puppy would look like a walking marshmallow to Paul's cat. Then again, my cat eats cottonballs whenever she can get her paws on them, so I'm not sure which one would be attacking poor puppy first. I think Emma would be happy to see Maxx again, though. He was the only dog she ever liked. If they can find room in the rentacar, they're going to bring down the bigarse harp :D

I'm rather panicking at the moment though... frankly the house isn't exactly in neat, tidy and such conditon. It's been in the midst of remodelling since.. oh about 3 years ago. When Paul's ex left, he gave up on renovating. Since I moved down here he's been too busy working in the shop and let me tell you, I've tried putting in wall, plastering, etc. It looked worse than before. Not to mention, there's things I can't do, like installing kitchen sinks. I mean, if the plumbing was there I could, but... I'm no good at splicing piping. Yes, I admit it, we have no kitchen sink. *hangs head in shame* It does make for more counter space, though :D. well, it would if there were actual counters. Our kitchen... well, isn't. His father's half of the house was the side with the kitchen... and when they built the wall across the hallway, that was one thing that never got put in over here. that's one of the reasons we were/are going to switch sides of the house. So I can have a real kitchen, rather than a stove, table and microwave in the livingroom.

So you can see why I'm worried about my mother visiting.  I need to go get more valerian root.

lol k, you'll do great with having your family in town. although i can see how you'd want a full kitchen! mine is very old (we are in an old apt. building) but it all works so  i love it!
p.s. what is the deep conditioner you've been doing? Is it something you make or buy?

it's called DEEP, by AG. >> http://www.cutndry.com/ag_hair_care_conditioners.htm

It's really wonderful.

Ooh, looks nice but a bit pricey. Thanks for sending me the link though!

RTG, it is a bit pricey...but it is not a daily conditioner...I use it when my hair is getting colored or when my hair is misbehaving...and it does wonders.

JD

well i'll keep in in mind for a nice hair treat.  ;D

Well, I saw my first real, honest to godess, wild alligator today! We were driving back from a town called Vacherie, down the river, and for about 15 miles, there's a canal/ditch thing next to the road... I was staring off into the water, admiring the reflections of the trees, and well, there's MR. Alligator, floating in the water. At first I thought it was a log, but logs don't have nostrils and eyeballs, and don't typically have moving parts. Makes me nervous for the guys fishing not 100 yards downstream...

Anyway, on the other side of the river, I noticed something... we traveled down one particular road that had.. oddly tilted roadsigns. All the speed limit signs saying "45", were at a 45 degree angle, or at least, not more than 5 degrees in either direction.. when it was a deep curve, and the speed dropped down to 25... the sign was tilted quite a bit more severely, to what I'd estimate to be a ... 25 degree angle.  :-?  :o I'm not sure if nature has a sense of humor over on the other side of the river, or whether some sort of west bank prankster had a good idea and ran with it, but it made me giggle. I wish I'd had the camera...

hehehe K...sounds like someone took the 45° and 25° curves a bit literally.  ;D

And did you know that vacherie translates to dirty trick?

I didn't know this, but somehow it doesn't surprise me... You'd have to know the people, I think...  :P traditional cajuns are not exactly gentle people...

WEll, the parents decided not to come after all, which is good because the house is in no condition for visitors, but I'm still a little dissapointed in that I won't get to see them... They say they'll be coming up in the next two months, anyway.

on other news, I think I should just give up my idea of ever owning a harp... At least, until I can save enough to buy one for myself... which is a funny thought, since.. A) I don't have a job, what little money i get comes from my parents sending me a little something every now and then, and B), what little money i do get is spent immediately, on food, bills, etc. And it's not even food, bills, etc. it's... stuff I can't even think of. Not for me, certainly, but I have no idea where it all goes. Not in my wallet, that's for sure.  I found a good hiding place to store money in, I think I'm going to have to start saving the old fashioned italian wife way (empty jar in a wall).. which is sad. But at every turn, it seems like there's something or someone standing between me and a harp. Nature seems to have a cruel sense of humor, sometimes.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, a picture of my first attempt, successful I might add, of a sock bun. I stuck some silk flowers on wires and added them for a bit of decoration. I love blue roses... To me they're the symbol of impossible dreams... Breeders have been trying for hundreds of years to breed natural blue roses... the closest they've come is a sort of violet. It can't be done... the only way to have a blue rose is by dying it, or genetic engineering... so a natural blue rose, is in itself, an impossible dream for these breeders.


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/sockbnwithfourflowers.jpg

Blue roses traditionally mean impossible love.

That is one cool bun. How did you make it?

Oh I like that!  Say did you use a sock bun or bun base?

nice!! I like it! :)

sock bun...


basically, angel, I snipped the toes off of a pair of Paul's old socks (clean!!) rolled one up, starting at the ex-toe, and when it got to the end, up by the "top" of the sock, I started rolling on the other sock, until I basically had a "sock doughnut" .. put my hair in a ponytail and slipped it through the donut, so that it's like a really odd, sock colored scrunchie. Then, I basically tilted my head forward enough so that the hair spread out around the ring(with a little manual help so that it covered the entire sock)and secured in place with an ouchless ponytail holder (didn't even need to double it, just... slip it over the ring and you're done!) with a little re-arranging of the loose hair, the basic style is done! And for the roses, I pretty much twisted some jewelry wire, stuck it through the hole in a silk flower, and voila! blue rose hairpins!


(and yea, that's pretty much what I meant by impossible dream.. the dream of a true, pure love that will last forever and always, and be so happy together, and never fight because you WUFF each other... blah blah... *hack-gag*) I should post my poem along those lines... it's really dark and dismal... I like it.

Beautiful bun!  I love the blue roses too!

Thanks! :D

lol @ "ex-toe" and "sock colored scrunchie." Your language cracks me up sometimes.  ;D
Definitely a good use for old socks though.

I'd love to read your poem if you ever feel like posting it.  :)

Well, in my language's defense, it is descriptive!  :P
Anyway, as a warning, it's not all that good, and pretty long, so I don't expect anybody to actually read it.

BLUE ROSES

She raises her eyes to the one she loves and she sighs.
“How can I think to raise a hand
And dare try to touch such perfection?”
So she stays silent.
She never tells her shining ray of light and hope
How much she loves him.
Because he never knew he was her light
He lived with a heart shrouded in darkness.
He loved the quiet girl but he dared not speak to tell her
For he feared her heart was barred to him.
And thus instead he let the darkness in his heart spread
Until it closed over his mind and his life
He died in a haze of blood and tears
Carved into each hand, two words. “Impossible Dream.”
Clutched in one hand was a blue rose.
In the other, a photograph of her.
Affixed to his chest and stained with his blood was a note:
“I’m sorry you couldn’t love me.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be enough for you.
Like the blue rose which nature cannot create,
My love for you was an impossible dream.”
On the day of his funeral, she placed a black rose on his chest.
She kissed his cold blue lips
And as a tear fell from her eye,
She screamed, “ I always loved you!
I’m sorry I never told you
But you seemed so perfect that I was scared.”
She whispered, “Please forgive me, darling.”
And  “I’ll be home soon.”
From that day forward she was changed.
No longer the sweet girl she once had been
She drove everyone away who had loved her.
She covered her once pale body with tattoos,
A trellis of blue roses climbing her soul.
She was filled with grief and guilt.
She blamed his death on herself.
She hated herself and everyone else.
Until the day she let her dark heart go.
The grief that had slowly poisoned her soul
Won the fight to end her life.
She died in a haze of tears,
Covered in blood and blue roses.
Her life was like an impossible dream.
It couldn’t last without hope.

WOW.  That is an awesome poem.  Very powerful.  I'm almost speechless.

I was speechless and typeless(sp)when I read it!  That's why I didn't respond.  What a deep powerful poem!  Excellent job!

:'(  Beautifully written.

Quite sad.  :(

K,

The poem was great...and long does not equal not worth reading!!

I love your bun.  Lord I wish I had some creativity to try well, in my case, anything at all!!!

JD

Hi all, I'm glad those of you who commented liked it :) I like to write poems, though most aren't really that good. I have a disk with as of yesterday, 200 saved on it! I have the same files backed up on my BF's hard drive (they're saved in bundles of 20)... I've also got two tables of contents, one by number(for easy finding of certain poems) and one alphabetized so I can make sure and not reuse the same name.
<warning, self exposition. dark waters ahead>
     Many come from a deep, dark time in my life where my pen was quite literally, one of the few things keeping me alive. I will now admit to you something not many people really know... I am one of those people who finds mental pain easier to deal with if I can draw it out into the physical realm... Yes, that does indeed mean I used to cut myself to relieve emotional pressure. I'm not proud of it, I'm not advocating it, by any means, but... this is who I was. Am, I suppose, for although I don't give in to the urges anymore, they'll always be there. And frankly, letting off steam slowly like that, kept me from going in one big cataclysmic explosion that would have ended with no Kiraela here to talk to you today.
    Many of my poems talk about this, in veiled terms, or even right out in the open. It's funny how, for years, nobody understood what I was talking about in them... Thinking that blood, scars, wounds... they were all metaphorical. *shrugs* they weren't.  I hope you guys don't think less of me for who I am, what I was... But then, I won't blame you if you do.
</self exposition>

I'm thinking, I should go through and post a poem every couple of days, what do you think?


(now, to make this NOT the most depressing post ever, a notice that there will soon be pictures over in the show off your locks section. Yay, hair photos.)

I'm very glad you're here with us, Kiraela.  *hugs*  I'm humbled you feel safe enough with us to tell us about your past.  And I would love to read more of your poetry, so post away.  

ditto :)

Thanks :) It seems like you guys are part friends, part family, you know? *grouphug*

Did another deep treatment day before yesterday, and I think my hair is finally getting used to all this pampering, although it was impossible to keep it up yesterday. Have you ever had the feeling that your hair was like, "nope, I'm too pretty today to put up."...? yeah. I had one of those days yesterday.

I've been quite bored lately, which has led to irritation with everything around me, which has led to being upset/depressed... I don't handle negative emotions well.  Not to mention it's been colder than usual for the past couple of days, which has thrown my mind into it's fall/winter cycle early. LOVELY. To make up for it I've been sleeping more, but there's only so many hours one can sleep in a row, you know?

anyway, for the most part, I'm doing well though.

Not so sound trite, but ditto Trisha and Curlgirl64. I've only had one episode where I wanted to cut myself and didn't particularly care if I nicked an artery (didn't do it though because there wasn't anything in the dorm room sharper than a butter knife), but I think I can understand at least a little of what you were/are(?) feeling.

I hope you post more poems in the future. I think you're very brave for sharing something so personal. I know I'd be too self-conscious to put my writing on the internet or just share it with anyone in general.

Okay, since you asked for it...... ;D yor semi-weekly dose of Kiraelian poetry! This is one of the first songs I ever wrote, waayyy back when I was 15... </irony>   Anyway, it's still one of my favorite things to sing when I'm just playing around.


FLY

Lifting you up and helping you soar
Letting you fly away
Standing here below
Watching you fly away

I’m happy, oh so proud
That you went so far
And yet always
I wish you’d help me to fly as well

Maybe one day
You’ll give me a hand
Help me to find my wings
Pull me up to the cliff
And let me fly with you
Away to the stars
… or maybe not

I watch you fly
And I want to join you
But I’m not sure how to follow
Not wanting to steal your wind
I just want to find my wings

So I stand here below
And watch you fly away
And I leap from the cliff
As I’ve watched you do
But it seems my wings
Have not grown

And also, to show the color change from dyed to not dyed...

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/colorgradiation.jpg

Rather obvious, eh?

Whoa, good poem. *claps*

Hehehe, that's not so bad. Ive been there too, but with black and orangey-brown hair. For the most part (to me), the condition, not the color, is more important.

Amen to that. I walked around for a year with 2-tone hair that was light brown on top and dark on the bottom. Growing out colour is so much fun, isn't it?  :P  There's no such thing as doing it gracefully or looking classy in the process. You just have to grin and bear it.
   Regular trims and lots of conditioning are key. Oh, and watch the ends to ensure that any damage isn't slowly creeping up the hair shaft and destroying it.

luckily for my hair, the colors in real life are a bit more similar than in photos, so it looks less drastic... It's sort of almost kind of hard to tell.... Well, from a distance. :D

reading Juri's post about the clothes she wants... I got to thinking about my own wishlist. Yes. I actually have a folder in the bookmarks entitled "wishlist" with links to things I want... I don't know if I'll ever have the extra money to buy any of these things, or the skill/money to make them.. It's SOO FRUSTRATING. I know what I want to wear, how I want to look... And it's constantly denied me. I've been thinking about it... It seems everything I want with more than a casual, passing, Hmm... is somehow, someway, refused me. If I am casually interested, and it's either cheap, or only slightly expensive... It's showered on me. But gods forbid I decide I truly want something. No go.

I don't know what puppies I kicked in a former life, but you'd THINK my punishment would be over by now. right? No such luck.

Anyway, as a look into the deep, dark clothing desires of the K. ... here's a couple of links from my wishlist. It's sort of eclectic, I know. Peasant, lady, vampire... all of the above?

http://www.sofisstitches.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=104
(I like this site, because they show the different color options!)(I want this one in rouge, with a matching or a blue inset)

http://www.mwart.com/xq/ASP.productlg/pid.2922/qx/scarlet-dream-gown.htm

http://www.sofisstitches.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=109pretty much any of the colors, really.

http://www.museumreplicas.com/museumreplicas/detail.aspx?ID=95

http://www.museumreplicas.com/museumreplicas/detail.aspx?ID=120

and.. since I don't have a job, or any likelyhood of getting/needing one.. It's not like I'd need anything work appropriate, so I could actually WEAR THEM. Regularly, even. Actually, if I had my way, and finances, of course, it would be my daily wear.

Edited to add another link or two, and to add this snarl : And of course, since I have little extra money, the people from "sofi's stitches"(see above) are going to be at the LA ren fest (http://www.larf.org/) this year. GRRRRRR.  guess who's going to start begging people for money? *raises hand*

Edited again to fix links.

K, your natural hair color looks to match mine, a medium to dark brown.   :)  Also, I love your taste in clothing!

:D thanks!

K,  I have been very behind with journals.  I has read one poem before and just read your latest.  They are beautiful.  Please keep them coming!!!  You were 15 when you wrote the last one you say...wow...you are too cool

I see slashing came up while I was gone.  I never thought I would see that converstion outside of the hospital.  I too was/am a slasher.  When asked why I do it, the best I can tell someone that it is a pain I can control, unlike the 'cancer' in my soul that mental illness causes.  I carved help in my arm with a scalpel 6 years ago.  Having spent 6 months trying to admit myself to hospital...they finally let me in at that point.  The scar is faint having used a scalpel...but it runs from my elbow to my shoulder and each letter is at least 2 inches in size.  I am fortunate.  You can only read what the scar says if you know what it says...until then it just looks like a scar.  

I think this is the first time I have really called myself a slasher.  I knew I cut and all...but the first time I was in hospital I saw a young girl who had scars (about 3 mm wide and at least 2 inches long) over every part of her body...and I do mean every part.  Being in a mental hospital is not like a regular hospital.  We shower in a shower area that is like a gym shower...no curtains and 10 showers totally open.  There is no privacy there.  Nurses even watch you when you pee or poo.  Well, I should correct that.  A new hospital was just built and there you do have 4 showers per floor (2 for men and 2 for women) that you can be alone in and do your business in alone.  The nurses can watch if needed but now those of us that are not considered a high risk can have privacy.

Ugh, I could tell you a lot about the hospital and how terrible it is...but that would have to be in my own journal.

K, have you thought about an UV light?  They help with the hard winters of darkness we have.  I have 2, one here and one at work.  Hard to believe that as of tomorrow I have to use them until the end of March.  They are not cheap (ugly as heck and about $400 each) but they do help.  I feel your wow with the winter coming.  

Hang in there and remember...you are not alone...many people have mental health issues...very few will fess up to it though so those of us who have it can feel very alone and outcast.  I think of it as a cancer of the soul...and like all cancers it is painful and life threatening if not treated.  Like cancer, there is no cure.  Unlike cancer, there is a lot of help...just no understanding from most of the world.

Take care and know that about 3/5 of us that read this have some level of mental illness...whether it is admitted or not.

JD

btw, just looked at the dresses you posted.  Gawd they are nice...and not that expensive if they are of good quality.  

JD

*hugs JD* Thanks. That's all I have to say. Thanks.

my scars are almost all on my upper arms - I think of it as, if I hadn't cut there, it would have been farther down and deeper, so it was the best of my options.  Quite a few of them have faded to the point that they're invisible, at one point, my left arm looked like crosshatchings. Now, only the deepest, most extreme show, except for one that was on the inside of my arm, but kept getting broken open and stretched whenever I moved my arm... Oddly enough that's one of the shallowest, least severe original wounds, and the one scar that catches people's attention.
It's funny, I've been known to come up with off the wall stories about how I recieved them, when dealing with nosy people who I frankly, don't want to know my history.
"bears." "well, I learned that feeding goats cheese is a bad Idea, anyway." "that's why you're not supposed to feed them after midnight..."
I managed to convince my mother not to hospitalize me, mainly because I told her of my own free will, and had gotten it under control before I did so. It was a close call, though, and I'm quite thankful I managed it. I can't imagine how such an environment would IMPROVE someone's mental health... I know for me, any sort of imprisonment, or seeming of such, would cause so much anxiety and depression that I'd end up having to be heavily sedated.
unfortunately, I don't have the money for a UV light, but on the flip side, Louisiana, at least my part, is almost tropical for 9 months of the year, so there's plenty of strong sunlight until sometime around november. I noticed last year that I didn't get as bad as usual, and it didn't last as long. I think this is the one place, besides florida, that I'm ... healthier, I guess. Then again, you're in canada, right? I can't imagine trying to stay sane through those winters... I lived two winters in Maine, and It was... not fun. even as a kid, when I was "normal" it was bad.
*well, I guess I had more to say on that, after all, eh?
As for the clothes, they're QUITE pretty :D but I'm going to look at the Sofi's Stitches items at the Ren Faire this fall, and see what I think.. Plus it will be easier to get Paul to buy me something, if he sees me in the cute little Irish Dress, with the pleading puppy eyes... hehehehe. he's really quite easy to work with, once I figured out how.
AANYWAY.......
As for hair things, I got CUTE new leather hair slide from the LHL swap spot, it's perfect for a simple ponytail, or a tucked under braid, so I assume it'll be good for a half up bun, or my patented "Kiraela's pretzel bun" I'll post pictures of it and instructions when I find the camera. I'll also put up a photo or two of the pretty hair slide. It's black leather with a pair of flowers, and quite like the one I had a few years ago, that was caught in the house fire. GRR@ old landlord, :D at Chloe, of LHL, for giving me this one. I'm truly loving this... I didn't realize just how much I missed mine until I put this one in my hair. Of course, It took me two weeks to get it, not due to the post office, but due to the fact that every day "we need to go to the post office".. "okay hon"... seven hours later, the PO has closed, me: GRRR. next day, same crap.
Frankly, it's enough to make a girl need some valerian root.
Anyway, though, I did an evoo a few days ago. I'm quite sure I put about a million times too much in, but it came out well. it took three shampooings to remove most of the oil, but... well, that's the price of experimentation, right? My hair's silky enough that it made up for it.
oooohh, long hair sighting. I'm also going to post this in the "brushes with long hair" section, but... I have to say, I yesterday, I had a new record for "longest, prettiest hair I've ever seen in real life"... we were at the bank cashing a check from a customer, well, paul was inside, I was babysitting the truck.  Anyway, this woman in a red shirt and black slacks came out, with her SUPERLONG hair waving behind her. It was in a half up, and natural color, with grey streaks over a light brown/red color... I wasn't sure how long it actually was, although waving in the wind, it came down past her knees. Paul was behind her in line and told me it was ankle length, and healthy as can be. WOW. Whoever she is, I wish her luck and happiness.
Actually, when I saw her I was quite tempted to run after her and thank her for having such long pretty hair, but then I figured she'd probably think I was nuts. It would almost have been worth it, except that the bank is in a less than good part of town, and we can't shut the truck off... walking home would suck.
Oh yeah, I've got an ebay listing up, for another chain mail necklace, this time under my own account! my first (hopeful ) sale! it's under "kiraela" as the seller name (yeah, i know, original, right?) but we ended up fighting with paypal, ebay, the bank, for half the day trying to get it all set up...  I ended up giving up on my own paypal account, for now, and am using Paul's until the bank, paypal, and ebay can all get their heads out of their arses... :D anyway, yeah, I've discovered a slight hitch in my "get a state ID" plan.. I ranted about it else where so I won't do so again. At least i can list things on ebay freely, under my own name, now. I guess that's a good thing. I hope to get the chain belt up in a few days. first: pics!
also : I've managed to use every single character I'm allowed, including this.

K, you are very welcome.  I am glad I had some words that could help you.

Have you looked at Lady McSnoods dresses?  Ya, I know that will not help you with Paul...but they are so pretty.  

Glad your hair is doing well.  


I have to tell you, this weekend was a real think tank for me with the family here...you and Gad came into my mind quite a lot.  When I have time I will expand on that in my journal...but thanks to both of you I had some positive thinking.  It will take me at least 2 days to get to my journal...but I will.

JD

I've decided that I shall post one poem a week, probably on monday, until I run out of ones I consider acceptable to the general public... I'm not posting all 200, certainly! most aren't good enough, but I think I have enough for a year, maybe.
No, I havent looked Lady MacSnood's dresses yet, I shall go do that now.. more pretties I can't get, I'm sure, but... eh. Still worth a look.



DREAM LIFE

Are we the dreamers or are we the dream?
Are we creators… or created?
When we dream do we die,
Or do we come alive?

What if life is a dream
And our dreams are real life?
Are we living a dream,
Or dreaming of the truth?

When we dream are we really awake?
When we die, do we come alive?
In living, are we dead?
In waking, do we sleep?

Where is the end?
Where is the beginning?
Is there a middle,
Or is it a circle?

Are our realities our dreams
And by dreams intertwining
Thus is the “real world” made?

I tried something new today... Suave's "radiant brunette" S&C... I figured they're 2$ each at the dollar general, so if they sucked, I could get something else...

I have to say though, my hair has never been happier. it's smooth, it's shiny, it's soft all the way down to the ends... frankly, I have sexy hair today. You know how sometimes your hair falls in just that way that makes you look in the mirror and say "darn I look good."? yeah. that hair. I actually wore a certain dress today, just because the back is low cut, so I can feel my hair on my skin. All is well with the world today.

Funny, I talked to my parents earlier... My stepdad asked, "so whats' with this long hair thing, all of a sudden?" mom, in the background:"she's always loved long hair" stepdad: Yeah, but it's like an obsession."

Am I obsessed with my hair? Maybe. Sometimes it's hard to tell where love and obsession meet, where the line is... if you've crossed the line, and are heading into unknown territory. So maybe I might be obsessed.

I'm okay with that.

Sometimes I think people mistake loving care for obsession.  But if our long hair IS an obsession, count me in...   :)

There are a whole lot of other less beautiful things to be obsessed with!  Hair is a very good thing,don't let anyone tell ya different!!

I agree with Curly!!!

I am pleased you wore that dress just so you could feel your hair on your back!!!

JD

I love your poems Kiraela, you're VERY talented!

I also have a wishlist folder in my favorites. ::)  I love the dresses, especially the black countess dress *drool*, but just out of curiosity...where would you wear them?

I agree with Curlgirl as well, enjoy those "sexy hair days", they're the best! :D

Thanks! another poem goes up tonight... tis monday!

well, I'd wear it to the grocery store, to the bank, at home, at friends', around town, the post office... everywhere I'd go during my day. I'm not exactly one who follows modern styles anyway ;P... My theory on skirts: If I don't have to lift it to step up stairs safely, it's too short.

As an example of the oddness of K.: My favorite dress, which I wear at least twice a week(depending on how often I decide to do laundry, of course)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/BoxChainBelt.jpg

(btw, a copy of that belt is for sale on ebay(hint hint) :P)

Anyway, inspired by a thread on LHC, I took pictures of some of my "longhair" art... I think I'll post a couple here, and find out what you guys think.

Anna Gaelige
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/hair%20art/AnnaGaelige.jpg

Erianwen
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/hair%20art/Erianwen.jpg


High Lady Zithnomar
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/hair%20art/HighLadyZithnomar.jpg

FROZEN JULY

Clouds of mud
Choke a sky
Darkened with soot
And oncoming eternal night.

Puddles of sludge
Toxic rivers
Advancing slowly,
Oozing towards the sea.

Dark red sun
Hangs angrily in the sky
Glaring down at the travesty
A beautiful world gone wrong

Acid eaten stone
Stands mute testament
To gods that never were…
Or just ceased to care.

I see a vision of a world
That should not be, but will.
For though the vision is seen by all,
No one heeds its warning.

World of death,
Nuclear wintertime
Is it Christmas yet?

No… just a frozen July.

Wonderful (the poem and the art)!   [smiley=thumbup.gif]

Well, I've used the suave brunette thingies a three times now... I'm not sure if I like them or not, honestly. My hair seems to be getting oily a day earlier, and it has an odd smell.. I'm not sure if I find it pleasant, or unpleasant. it's just... strange.  :-/  I have been seriously considering dying my hair again  *ducks the thrown objects, waits to make sure that was it, and continues* back to my natural color, or as close as I can get. Now that I've got about 10-11" to judge by... I think I could get a close match, and quite frankly... I am sick of this two tone, blondesque, almost but not quite red, almost but not quite natural, color... I'm starting to hate it. I seriously wish I'd never died my hair. ever. I guess all I can do is grow it out, cut off the dye, and move on with virgin hair... I've been 1/4 tempted(not quite half tempted... but tempted none the less) to just... chop off the dye. right now. above shoulder length. I know it would devastate me though... so it shall not happen... but seriously, this calico thing? it sucks. I mean, it doesn't look bad, but it's frustrating, because it's not me.

I dyed my hair every so often, to change who I was... I didn't know it at the time, but looking back that's the pattern. make new friends, make new identity, change hair color. lose friends, make new identity, change hair color. get bored with who I was, or simply sick of being fake. change hair color. create new identity.

but I've realized who I really am. What is M. deep inside... and what is not. I am finally happy with who I am... and I don't need to hide it anymore. This residual dye... it feels like I'm still wearing part of a mask... like something that was glued on, and is still sticking in places... enough that it won't come off.. so my true self can't yet be revealed.



http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/kiraela.jpg
photo taken a few days ago.
Pardon the mask...

I totally feel you on the dye thing, K. When I was around your age, I was in the exact same boat. Walking around with 2-tone hair, wanting desperately to grow out a colour that wasn't the least bit natural to me. Only, I actually took that leap and cut all of the coloured hair off...once my natural roots reached 6" in length, that is. It was dreadfully short and kind of layery and piecy, but at least I was free from the fake colour.

You're actually lucky that your natural colour is darker than the artificial - you could dye your hair back to its natural colour (if you chose) without having to strip it with harsh chemicals. I had the opposite problem - the colour that I dyed it was much darker than my natural, so the only option was to grow it out and cut it off. The idea of stripping and re-dying the darker parts didn't really appeal to me.

But I definitely know the feeling of "Aaaaah! Fakeness! Get it off!"  :P  I don't suppose it's any consolation to know that 7 years after the fact, my hair is still nowhere near as long as it was before the awful colouring incident.  :(

Quote:

but I've realized who I really am. What is M. deep inside... and what is not. I am finally happy with who I am... and I don't need to hide it anymore.

Yeah baby--you GO GIRL!!   8-)
I'm usually against the use of hair dye.  But in your case, where you're doing it to return to your roots, so to speak, I'm all for it.

PS I didn't have any luck with the Suave Brunette line either.   [smiley=thumbdown.gif]

Last night was... interesting, to say the least.  I've been stressed a lot lately... which I've been, for the most part, ignoring. Last night it decided to come up full force, the past month's worth of stress, anxiety, etc... and manifested in the worst migraine I've ever had, coupled with a mild panic attack(if such things are ever mild!).... at one point, I had a warm cloth folded four times, placed over my eyes(making a blindfold), with a pillow over said cloth but away from my mouth/nose, with all the lights off in the house, it was roughly midnight, and i was still freaking out about it being too bright and hurting my head. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep last night, and my head still hurts, although it's roughly 90% gone. I was clawing at my skin(itchy, feeling like it had bugs all over it, and just... weird feeling) so badly that I now have several bandaided raw patches... I'm not entirely sure... But I think I might want to go see a doctor about this stress/anxiety problem... Another couple headaches like that and I ...frankly don't know what I'll do. probably hide under a pillow for the rest of my life.

Go see a doctor--DO NOT delay.   :-[  *hugs*

I seriously second that!!!

I believe you should see a doctor too.  

I love your dress.  I would love to wear things like that in public, but apparently I'm a bit of a conformist and would be  too self conscience about it.  

Just the other day, I wore a wrinkled dress to Home Depot (because I didn't feel up to steaming it) and I felt that everyone was staring and judging me. ::)  I obliously haven't gotten to the point where I can express myself though my clothing without the fear of what others may think.  :'(

When I lived in my last apartment, I would throw on all kinds of things,  including bellydance attire which I'm sure others, had they seen, would've thought I had a mental disorder for wearing.  I'd dress any way I fancied to retrieve my mail, which was a 10 minute walk through the community, but I'd only go out when I knew most of the tennants would be at work and not around.   I felt so very Mary Kate and it was actually quite liberating.  I only wish that one day I get the  backbone enough to wear whatever it is I want regardless of who may see me.

I wondered why you never dyed your hair back to your normal color to get rid of the two tone.  I figured you would be concerned about the harsh dyes but it shouldn't take much to even it up and you'd only have to do it once and be done with it.  

Also, another great poem.  I used to write poety as a teen but they're actually quite laughable compared to yours, have you ever thought about getting yours published?

Oh, and I love the pic of the girl in the blue dress!

I'm sorry you were so miserable, K!  I get severe headaches and migranes, one thing that helps me is to sleep or lie down sitting up.  Pile up lots of pillows so its like you're sitting up.  Also, sometimes I use a travel neck pillow and find that the pain will go away when I use it so I can sleep.

Feel better!!!

Umm, yeah, don't ignore the stress.  Find at least one small thing that you really enjoy that is relaxing to you and do it daily so the stress doesn't build up and make you ill.

Yikes, I haven't updated this thing in forever! sorry... I've still not been feeling well, although at least now I've got medicine to take, so I'm not just ... suffering. *hooray!*
 I think that a good deal of my problems have been with the computer... I've noticed that if I sit at it with my hair up, I end up with a headache faster than usual. hair down, I still get a headache but it's not as soon, away from the computer, I get them, but they're not as severe by any means...I think it's the position i've been sitting in...

Anyway, my hair's doing well, although it had a slight rebellion against the suave brunette stuff. after washing it a few times, it ended up feeling... gummy, almost. like it was stuck together and gross. A quick clarifying wash later, and everything was back to normal. I used up the last of the conditioner as of today(still got 3/4 of the shampoo left!) so I am going back to pantene Ice shine when I get to the store.

I was unsure of my proper hairtype, so I took a photo of my hair after having let it dry naturally, no touching, no combing, no nothing...

I'm a 2B!! I thought I was 2a at best, but the waves don't lie. It's just that when I brush/comb, they stretch out.

I forgot to post a poem last monday, sorry...

here.

HOUSE OF CARDS



Soon this house of cards
Will come crashing down on me
The breath that’s been holding
Will let go with a burst
And my future will lie
In a pile on the floor

Already I can see it quiver
The first few cards are falling
There goes another and another
Until all I am, all my inner chambers
Are broken open and made bare
My inner hopes and secrets
In a pile on the floor

What can I do now?
There’s nothing left of the old me
I could try to rebuild
I have to rebuild
But… what goes where?
And why are there pieces that no longer fit?

What can I do with these left over bits?
I don’t want to leave pieces of me
In a pile on the floor
But they no longer fit.
What am I to do?

Nice to see you again, Kiraela! I was wondering what happened to you. I'm glad you went to the doctor, but it sucks that you get headaches from being in a certain position.

Thank you for sharing another great poem with us!

I like getting the poems out there, even if they're not that good, it's nice to get my inner thoughts, memories, ect heard.

I've had an interesting couple of days. *giggle*
First: tuesday, went to a seminar on how to take a band on tour and not get screwwed, given by Martin Atkins, of pigface, PiL, Damage Manual, etc. basically he's been a touring musician for 30 years, owner of one of the only major industrial labels(invisible inc.)... and an all around cool dude.  It's basically to publicize his book on the same topic(book, boulder of paper, weight lifting object... it's all the same, really...(aka big book)) After the seminar was over, there was a drawing for various sound equipment things. Mark, our friend who works for presonus(the company giving away the loot) held the sign in sheet, while Martin poked at it with a pen to pick the first winner. (imagine this in a heavy east london accent, if you will) "Michae... Michael... Fitz... What the bloody F###? Kiraela at yahoo... you've won a lesson in bloody F'ing handwriting!"  

teehee.....

actually I won a "faderport", which is completely useless. However, as soon as the drawing was over, Paul went to ask mark what it was, and mark's first comment was"well, it's.. umm.. you can sell it on ebay for about a hundred bucks!" then he offered to switch it out for the interface that we really need... same price, and Paul's been bugging mark to try and get him one cheap for oh, since they were first made...  So I'm not saying the drawing was rigged, but... *suspicion**implication*... but I am getting the interface I want, so I win!

anyway, I got to meet and talk to Martin for a bit. well, squeak, anyway. And I bought a copy of the book, which ended up signed "to the girl with bad penmanship"...  It's pathetic how much that amuses the crap out of me....

Also I finally got to hear my friend Brad's fmusic(Torrent Vaccine), besides the four songs on the myspace... and now I desperately want him to bloody well finish the CD so I can get a copy.  

Also, the guy bartender was cute as heck... he's an old friend of paul's, so p. just thought it was funny that I was like, "preettyyyyy...." since the guy's boyfriend was also there. The female bartender had hair somewhere between hip and tailbone length! I'm not sure if it was naturally black, or she just looked good with it dyed, but... anyway, it was gorgeous.

I saw the woman with the ankle length hair here in town, again, although it seems to have been trimmed a few inches since then. I got a chance to compliment her, and she was pleased that somebody took the time to tell her how great it looked.

there's an odd thing around here, called a "free store"(oxymoron? possibly) which is basically, a woman collects used clothes and gives them away out of a metal building next to her house, every thursday. I donated a couple of things that no longer fit, and while I was there, I browsed a bit and came back with a couple of tops. oddly enough, the only things in my size were silk. *is not complaining*
Including a dark blue silk brocade blouse which fits perfectly, and I don't think I've taken it off since I got back.

Oh, and Riley, the other musician friend I mentioned a long time ago, at the time with dude-bsl hair, is now nearly to waist, and growing out his beard... it's apparently getting towards time for him to start stage performances again.

Speaking of which, I need to start practicing with my guitar again(and keyboard, and vocals... *rolls eyes*)

Oh, and the bartender with the pretty hair complimented mine!

it's odd, how you can go to a store for one thing, and end up with a hundred items, none of which are what you originally wanted...

I asked to go to hong kong seafood market, while we were in BR today, since we had to pass right by it. I wanted to see if they had any fancy, lacquered chopsticks I could use as hairsticks. No go... instead, I ended up with a sack of bamboo sticks for 3$...i'm now the proud owner of 90 pairs of chopsticks (there were 91 pairs, but I tested the breaking strength on one set... impressively strong for something so thin, and very bendy)

I also got a set of woodworking tools at another store... I'm going to have fun for the next few weeks...

Paul also got what appears to be squid jerky... I can't wait to try that one.. I like calamari. (Is an odd teenager, yes. likes spinach, broccoli, squid, does not care for chocolate(except when the word malt is included in the item description!)... finds most pizzas icky, etc.)

We also came home with two types of soy sauce, teriyaki sauce(the good stuff you can only get there, at least around here), kung pow, hoisin, and vegetarian stir fry sauces,  sesame oil, and another bottle of what is simply known as "seasoning" (one of my favorite ingredients in most any sort of meat/veggie combo meal!) since I'm almost out...

I also had a moment when I stood, staring in awe at the tea selection. *drool* I ended up getting a 3-4 cup tea pot made for loose teas, and tins of green tea, and jasmine tea.

I've discovered somethings about myself today. 1. I adore the smell of jasmine. 2. jasmine tea sweetened with a spot of honey is worth starting wars over. 3. I must learn the traditional tea ceremony now. *makes a note to call riley and let him know I've got J. tea... (also makes a note to clean before calling, because he'll be here in less time than it takes to blink, and demanding a cup!) One thing about having a friend who's an archeologist, librarian, and all around obsessive knowledge collector... if I want to know something, ask him. He will know. Or he will know within a day. Or there is nothing to be known. Anyway, where was I.  oh yes. 4. I should not be trusted with unlimited budgets near specialty teas. I was good though, I only got two tins.


Basically, Jasmine tea= WIN! I drank an entire pot, and make a sort of "awwwww :(" noise when it was empty.


and to make sure this isn't COMPLETELY off topic, I got Ice Shine S&C  at the dollar general! they never carried it before, so I am happy!  even more importantly, my hair will be happy...  

Well, I knew this day would come, but it doesn't make it any easier... My hair, expecially around the face, has started breaking off at the dye-line. It's almost getting to the point where it looks like I am growing out bangs. It feels like it... The same inability to put the strands up, constantly getting in the way, and worse, tangling with my headphones and glasses.  I guess this is a lesson in paying for mistakes, sometimes for years.


Good news, though, I tought myself to eat with chopsticks! I didnt' even fling anything like last time I tried. Also: eating peas with sticks is ... a pain in the arse.

also, chopstick knowledge is useful for polite dining in wilderness situations! Say you're lost in a bigarse forest, starving, and manage to catch food with a rock... but you don't want to use your hands to eat... hey look. a pair of twigs! problem solved!
*is in a random mood*

lol I taught myself how to use chopsticks once...and then forgot!  :-[  Stay in practice!

Sorry to hear about the breakage. My hair's been that way for about a year now as damage from previous years & stress grows out.  :(  Sux. I feel for ya, kiddo.

You know, It's quite amazing to me that my right foot hasn't simply... detatched itself and run off from all the abuse I put the poor thing through. almost every time I twist an ankle, it's the right one...

Basically, I was raking a path through the leaves to get to the truck, when the rake slipped... One large gash, a blood trail through the house, and three gauze pads later, and I think the bleeding's stopped... I had to think about it for a minute, since I didn't remember when the last time I had a tetanus shot. Apparently it was right around the time I had my appendix out, so I am still good.

Oddly, that was my first thought... in that moment of sheer clarity between "wound" and "OW BLOODY f@#$"... "I wonder when my last tetanus vaccination was..."

what sucks almost as bad? I just mopped yesterday.

Poor paul, he must think I'm such a sissy. When he was younger and less... law abiding... he ran a gang and regularly stitched up bullet wounds, slashes, stabs, etc... so what is to me massive blood loss, is to him.. nothing particularly to worry about.  Whereas I'm freaking the heck out. I can handle blood. (Obviously), but pain, blood that WON'T STOP, my own sheer stupidity(raking with slip on shoes) and somebody POKING it, trying to clean out bits of leaf, dirt, rust, ect. from a deep arse gash in my toes,  That I cannot handle very well.

Then again,when I needed stitches on my thumb a few years ago, I had to be sedated to allow that to be cleaned.
I don't handle medical work being done on me very well....



Current mood: Pain. :'(

Ouch! :o  That sounds pretty gruesome, and painful to me.  I get pretty freaked out when I get hurt as well, don't worry about anyone thinking you're a sissy. ;)  Hope you heal up soon!

(((hugs)))  I hope your foot is feeling better soon! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/bouquet.gif

Aw,hugs to you K!  Feel better soon!  

Hugs from me as well! Take it easy until you finish healing.

OWIE!   :o  Sounds like it's a good thing Paul was, er, less than law abiding in his past!?    ;D  Feel better soon.

Oh, Kiraela, I love reading your journal. LMAO! You are killing me with your comedic wit here...

Hope your foot gets better soon. I know what you mean about accidents always happening on one side. For awhile, it seemed like the only ankle or knee that I sprained was my right.  :P

Thanks for your well wishes, everybody! *hugs*  Angel: eh, I just call it as I see it :P (growing up, my brother was always the witty, amusing one. I'm just... weird... and it sorta comes out on it's own)


Foot: the injured toe is swollen, painful, and is making it difficult to walk (too much pressure/movement of the foot from arch down causes much ow)... It doesn't appear to be infected, simply healing angrily. I've been peroxiding it regularly.

Unfortunately, a few days ago I'd agreed to go with my friend to her doctor's appt... she needs somebody to go get a wheelchair and make sure everything is set before she leaves the car... and no one else was available, so I kept my commitment and went anyway. I tried wearing a shoe... much screaming and blood stoppage later, I figured wrapping my entire foot in an ace bandage(padding!) and several socks would have to do...  Needless to say, I was in bad shape when I got home... took a nap, and woke up to the (evil demon)cat peeing on the bed. Of course, later I cleaned the litterbox (I do so every day, it's not like she's peeing elsewhere to protest a dirty box... she's just a B#%ch), and went to stand up using the towel rack as an assist(sore foot not taking weight, and all) and ended up with the ceramic bar-holder breaking free from the wall and whacking me in the head. I'm really starting to think that wrapping myself in bubble wrap (with air holes, or at least nose-straws) might be a good idea.

Several tylenol, Ibuprofen, and another nice nap (and some yummy kung pow beef stir-fry) later, And I'm feeling better.

It's sad though, I've come to the realization that it's a very good thing that everybody who meets Emma-kitty adores her... If paul tried to make me choose between him and my baby, I'm pretty sure I'd be trying to find transport back to missouri! I'm not sure but I think I might love my cat almost too much. Then again, I'm pretty sure that given half a chance, at least two avowwed cat haters (one of which has previously killed at least one cat( >:() would take her home and treat her like a princess.


Speaking of which: http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/emmasleeping.jpg

can we say awww?  I came home from grocery shopping and emma didn't come running to greet me like she usually does... I was concerned so went looking for her. Turns out the silly thing was too busy napping. Right now she's curled up under the sheet with her head on my pillow... I seriously don't think she 100% realizes she's a cat.

Ow!  Please be careful (((hugs))) I always manage to brake my right pinkie toe at least once a year.  Last year I broke a toe on my left foot #$^%!   Cute pic! :D

What a precious picture of your kitty!  :-*

Awww.  :)

The only time our cat is cute is when he's asleep.  >:(  :P

Oh my goodness...your Emma looks exactly like my Tootie-bug!!   :o  

You know, it's funny how in just over a year, your tastes can change so much... For instance, I was going through my CD collection the past few days, and some of the CDS, I pop in the player, listen to maybe one or two tracks... take out and look at like," why on earth did I like you??"  I'm not one for getting rid of CDS (I still have Ace of Base, for cats'sake!) But some of the Cds, maybe even ones I was "eh -_-" on, I listen to... and repeat... and repeat again... and oddly enough, I haven't yet put in my copy of Evanescence's Fallen... It's been a while since I've listened to it. You now, I almost feel bad about that... That CD is a connection to my past in so many ways... I first heard it while at my (VA) best friend's house in virginia... It became part of our weekly sleepover ritual to listen to it at least two or three times in amongst everything else going into the CD player... If I remember correctly, my SC best friend and I also played the heck out of the CD... It's what originally brought me closer to paul... In fact, one song is what got me to trust him as more than a friend(long story, don't ask) ....

It almost hurts sometimes, to listen to it, because of the memories it brings up... I don't know, maybe I'm attaching too much significance to what is, in effect, a round piece of plastic imprinted with the makings of audio waves... *shrugs*

I finally washed my hair with the Ice shine S&C I bought a few weeks ago.. Frankly, I've been doing a no wash trial out of sheer laziness... Couldn't be bothered to take the time to wash the hair, so up in a bun for a quick shower...

let me tell you... after three-four days without washing, my hair's a little oily. after a week(I used to go a week fairly often) it's still gathering oil... getting a little gross looking.
After two weeks, it keeps the shape of the ponytail after I take the band out. Not as in, loosely pulled back waves... more like, glued together gunky mass. It gets worse than that as it goes along... My hair never evens out... it just keeps makin' gunk.

No thank you, I'll stick with my cleaning products. *shudder*


*trisha, I'd love to see a picture of... "tootie-bug(?! :P)"

I've been following Galadriel's simple dress experiment with interest, and I think I am going to start my own slightly different version. Rather than dresses like hers, I would like to do traditional irish leine(chemise) and simplified irish/celtic dresses. I've found patterns I'd like to attempt, all I need is to actually acquire them and fabric. Well, and sewing skills, although I figure that will come with practice. I've already accustomed myself to only wearing skirts/dresses (except my jammie pants, and only one pair of those are comfortable, so I don't wear pajama pants but once/twice a week), so the transition will not be very difficult. I may keep some of my more gothy wardrobe items for when Paul and I go out to shows, although actually, I could make a red leine, and I know I'll have at least one black overdress, so that might work just as well! other than that, it will be nice to get rid of all the T-shirts, unworn pants, rarely worn "closet" items ( some of my tighter skirts, fancy shirts, ect...) ... I suspect it will be freeing, and the clothing I'll be wearing will be actually comfortable and .. I can't think of the word... flattering, maybe?

To that end, next time I go to wal-mart, I'm buying this :http://www.smartcart.com/1sew/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=3623sim pattern, and I've just purchased my first chemise through Ebay ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180164363828&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D180164363828%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1 ), since the Leine pattern I want is fairly expensive. (the underskirt/blouse that comes with the pattern doesn't appear to be what I'm looking for, So I'll likely go with this: http://www.sewingcentral.com/cgi-bin/Web_store/web_store.cgi?page=pay015.html&cart_id=4242630_17816 , or something similar. I'm really looking forward to this, although it might take me a while to implement. (although if Paul enjoys regular meals, he won't make it take too long... (yes, I will hold threat of cook-striking until he takes me to wal-mart if I have to)...

On another note, I think Angel Spun and I, despite completely different hair types, may in fact, be hair (fraternal)twins... Mine has never been so happy as when it's being treated with Pantene Ice Shine.  
Although, don't you just hate it when one day, you do an absolutely beautiful style, and then go to repeat it the next day and you can't get it to look better than "craptacular"...
Rope buns do that to me all the time. yesterday it was fantabulous. today... I couldn't even get it to hold.. I ended up going to a slightly modified regular braided bun that looks great, so I guess I can't complain (too much :P)

Kiraela wrote on Oct 7^th, 2007 at 2:34pm:

I've been following Galadriel's simple dress experiment with interest, and I think I am going to start my own slightly different version. Rather than dresses like hers, I would like to do traditional irish leine(chemise) and simplified irish/celtic dresses. I've found patterns I'd like to attempt, all I need is to actually acquire them and fabric. Well, and sewing skills, although I figure that will come with practice. I've already accustomed myself to only wearing skirts/dresses (except my jammie pants, and only one pair of those are comfortable, so I don't wear pajama pants but once/twice a week), so the transition will not be very difficult. I may keep some of my more gothy wardrobe items for when Paul and I go out to shows, although actually, I could make a red leine, and I know I'll have at least one black overdress, so that might work just as well! other than that, it will be nice to get rid of all the T-shirts, unworn pants, rarely worn "closet" items ( some of my tighter skirts, fancy shirts, ect...) ... I suspect it will be freeing, and the clothing I'll be wearing will be actually comfortable and .. I can't think of the word... flattering, maybe?

Sometimes I wish more ladies were more willing to wear dresses and skirts, especially the long haired ladies 8-)

I think it is ok if they wore pants, sweat pants and shorts but it seems like most women these days prefer pants and might wear a skirt or dress to something special like a wedding or special occasion.

But, from what I understand it was around the 1950's when more women started wearing pants and it became more acceptable in society (in the U.S. anyway).

But, my opinion is that a lady should wear what she is most comfortable in kind of like I prefer to wear blue jeans unless it is too hot and then I will wear shorts ::)

Jerry

Quote:

On another note, I think Angel Spun and I, despite completely different hair types, may in fact, be hair (fraternal)twins... Mine has never been so happy as when it's being treated with Pantene Ice Shine.   Although, don't you just hate it when one day, you do an absolutely beautiful style, and then go to repeat it the next day and you can't get it to look better than "craptacular"...

hehehe  ;D  Fraternal hair twins...I like that. And Ice Shine rox!
   
As for the styling woes, I seldom venture away from the standard braid or side part, so it doesn't get too crazy. I usually stick to fairly simple styles, and if they come out looking...er, "craptacular", I just fix them or redo them until I can deem them "acceptable."  ::)

Kiraela wrote on Oct 4^th, 2007 at 4:48am:

Thanks for your well wishes, everybody! *hugs*  Angel: eh, I just call it as I see it :P (growing up, my brother was always the witty, amusing one. I'm just... weird... and it sorta comes out on it's own) Foot: the injured toe is swollen, painful, and is making it difficult to walk (too much pressure/movement of the foot from arch down causes much ow)... It doesn't appear to be infected, simply healing angrily. I've been peroxiding it regularly. Unfortunately, a few days ago I'd agreed to go with my friend to her doctor's appt... she needs somebody to go get a wheelchair and make sure everything is set before she leaves the car... and no one else was available, so I kept my commitment and went anyway. I tried wearing a shoe... much screaming and blood stoppage later, I figured wrapping my entire foot in an ace bandage(padding!) and several socks would have to do...  Needless to say, I was in bad shape when I got home... took a nap, and woke up to the (evil demon)cat peeing on the bed. Of course, later I cleaned the litterbox (I do so every day, it's not like she's peeing elsewhere to protest a dirty box... she's just a B#%ch), and went to stand up using the towel rack as an assist(sore foot not taking weight, and all) and ended up with the ceramic bar-holder breaking free from the wall and whacking me in the head. I'm really starting to think that wrapping myself in bubble wrap (with air holes, or at least nose-straws) might be a good idea. Several tylenol, Ibuprofen, and another nice nap (and some yummy kung pow beef stir-fry) later, And I'm feeling better. It's sad though, I've come to the realization that it's a very good thing that everybody who meets Emma-kitty adores her... If paul tried to make me choose between him and my baby, I'm pretty sure I'd be trying to find transport back to missouri! I'm not sure but I think I might love my cat almost too much. Then again, I'm pretty sure that given half a chance, at least two avowwed cat haters (one of which has previously killed at least one cat( >:() would take her home and treat her like a princess. Speaking of which: http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/emmasleeping.jpg can we say awww?  I came home from grocery shopping and emma didn't come running to greet me like she usually does... I was concerned so went looking for her. Turns out the silly thing was too busy napping. Right now she's curled up under the sheet with her head on my pillow... I seriously don't think she 100% realizes she's a cat.

Hey Kiraela!  I don't think I've ever left a comment in your journal, but I saw this post and I had to comment!  Your fur-baby is soooo cute!  *coos*  Okay, I can handle myself.  Sort of.  LOL!

Thanks, Novus Femina! I think she's adorable too... except when she walks around the house yelling for no apparent reason, like right now. *twitch* she's been doing it almost nonstop for two days, and she's not even in heat. just... bored I think. then again, she's the kitty equivalent of a teenager, so she's probably just pushing mommy to see how far she can go before I snap.

Anyway, Angel, yeah I typically try something three or four times... when it doesn't work after that I give up. I have never managed a successful side part. I can do figure 8 buns, complicated braided buns, sock buns... braids of various sorts... a simple side part? neh-eh. no go. The hair parts in the middle... it will not go any other way. (I once (with shoulder length hair) ended up with a sort of floppy shark fin thing going on, when I tried parting on the left... the hair went over the top of my head and all, but there was a 1/2- 1 1/2'' gap between the extra hair from the left, and the hair that naturally falls to the right, even after brushing it down and wetting it.

Okay, I know it wasn't funny to experience, and my husband tells me I am one of those sick people that laugh at AFV, but your post made me giggle (in a completely sympathetic sort of way.)  Don't days just go like that sometimes?

This is another song, one of the first I wrote. It's rather a creepy lullaby when sung properly.


NIGHTMARES

Up from the sea they come every night
Glacial hides, sea-foam manes, and hearts of ice
Can you feel their power and majesty
Calling you?

You know to touch is doom
Destined to become
A bringer of dreams
Nightmares and terrors
You’ll see them all
Not one heart will you comfort
Not one child will you soothe

Up from the sea they come every night
Captivating our minds and our hearts
Can you feel their danger and beauty
Calling you?

You run out in the surf
Reaching for the future
And bringers of dreams
Nightmares and terrors,
You’ll see them all
But also will you see
Daydreams and visions
Wishes and hopes
All that you gave up
All you’ll never have.

I almost wish my voice weren't so craptacular when recorded... I'd find someone to put music behind these things. (IDK why, it's annoying as heck, maybe it's just the fact I've only ever used the cheapo stick-mics that come with computers... never Paul's condenser mic... but then, we can't find the power cord for the pre-amp, and it's a pain in the ass to get all the adaptors lined up properly to plug it into the computer (he really needs to custom-make one for that).. yeah, the future-studio needs a bit of work)

Kiraela wrote on Oct 8^th, 2007 at 11:18am:

Thanks, Novus Femina! I think she's adorable too... except when she walks around the house yelling for no apparent reason, like right now. *twitch* she's been doing it almost nonstop for two days, and she's not even in heat. just... bored I think. then again, she's the kitty equivalent of a teenager, so she's probably just pushing mommy to see how far she can go before I snap. Anyway, Angel, yeah I typically try something three or four times... when it doesn't work after that I give up. I have never managed a successful side part. I can do figure 8 buns, complicated braided buns, sock buns... braids of various sorts... a simple side part? neh-eh. no go. The hair parts in the middle... it will not go any other way.

Hehehehe.. maybe she's still getting used to her home, and calling out for friends!  Our cat, Farley has been acting particularly needy lately, climbing up in your lap, demanding cuddles, greeting us at the door, etc.  I petted him for a good ten minutes this morning, and he was still hollering at me.  Maybe there's something in the fall air?  Hehehehe...

Have you ever tried parting your hair when it's wet and letting it dry with a side part, Kiraela?  I can only manage to get clean parts (side or in the middle) by making them when my hair's wet.  Other than that.. pfft, I kinda have to let it do it's thing....  

Well, she's been here since just past new years, so I HOPE she's not still getting used to it. I think she's bored and wants something to do... I opened the windows into the back yard, and now each cat has a windowsill, sitting in the breeze and watching squirrels and ironworkers. It may storm soon(which is why I opened the windows, I love pre-storm breezes...) so I might have to close the windows (my sewing machine is right underneath one, and I don't want that to get wet~! I've got work to do.)

I've not tried that, my hair is hard to deal with when wet(tangles horribly no matte what i do)

I pretty much let it do it's thing, which happens to be a middle part(well, middle to a teensy bit left of middle) part.

Quote:

Anyway, Angel, yeah I typically try something three or four times... when it doesn't work after that I give up. I have never managed a successful side part. I can do figure 8 buns, complicated braided buns, sock buns... braids of various sorts... a simple side part? neh-eh. no go. The hair parts in the middle... it will not go any other way. (I once (with shoulder length hair) ended up with a sort of floppy shark fin thing going on, when I tried parting on the left... the hair went over the top of my head and all, but there was a 1/2- 1 1/2'' gap between the extra hair from the left, and the hair that naturally falls to the right, even after brushing it down and wetting it.

You get a lot more adventurous with styles than I dare to.  ;D  My hair parts naturally on the left side, so it takes zero effort on my part. I love the look of elaborate braids, but such would be terribly delicate work with my hair...it's all I can do to keep these sinewy little webs from breaking with a single braid! Sux...   :-/

kiraela, the hair and dress styles sound cool. your cat is very cute!  and if you actually do start sewing these patterns, you will be my hero, because i've always wanted to try that...but haven't learned yet.

oh, I am going to start sewing more.. the question is, when? We've got to have time late at night to go to walmart (parking lot is empty, and both Paul and I have... problems... with large crowds, although his is more severe...) so I can browse fabrics and get the pattern, unless it's more than the online price+shipping... Of course, that means that paul has to be feeling okay, and not too tired, so we have to have just finished a job and gotten paid ( not worked that day, so not tired, and also not painful, and also have money)... I'm hoping after they install the stair rail that Paul and AJ(see below) are building. I'm pretty well going to have to start from scratch on supplies though.. I own one working sewing machine (plus various feet and spare needles), two spools of black thread, one spool of white thread, and a spool of hot pink. (dont' ask, it came with the defunct sewing machine)

Yep, I've got a cabinet machine from '56 or so, that doesn't entirely work, not to mention the pin that holds the thead spool snapped off... although the table does make a very good place for my machine... the top folds out flat, and the door opens to keep all my stuff on...I like it very much, although even if the machine did, in fact, work, I'd use my fairly new(early 2000s) Brother sewing machine, both for the fact that it was a gift from my mother, and the fact that it's frankly, got a metric arse-ton of functions. It does things I don't know the names of, much less see any practical use for(although I'm sure I will, in time... LOL :-/)

When My friend and I were at the Goodwill store the other day, I found a satin... top... thingie... (no clue what the heck to call it) that is turning into quite a nice bodice, although I need proper lacing cord(bright red boot laces don't quite work very well)...  so I'm getting QUITE good at button holes (to strengthen the hole, I went over each hole three times... fourteen button holes per edge... with two lacings-areas... so four edges...  *gets out calculator* that's approximately 170 button holes.... *shudder*  It works nicely though... None of the button holes have shredded, which with as tight as I laced it to check, that's impressive (i'm pretty sure a single pass would have torn out) although for actual wear, I'm not going to have it near that tight (I have neither the figure, nor the interest, for proper corsetting)  I imagine the bodice will look fantabulous with my new chemise and a dark red skirt... *can't wait to find out*

also, recently, I've made a small custom pillowcase for a weird shaped pillow, for my friend(the sick one, with which i went goodwill shopping, henceforth known as D for simplicity)... I'm slowly figuring out this machine and I think I am gathering enough skill to sew something wearable, if not impressive.

I braided my hair for sleep last night, and got a random whim and checked out how it looks from behind... GEEZE. I had no idea my braids looked that long. Past BSL, and the longest ends actually pass my natural waist (about 2-3" below BSL(tiny torso+high waist))!  I'm close to getting the waist length braid I wanted, although it doesn't feel long yet(once again, high waist...) although it's getting long enough that the pony tail holder on the end gets trapped beneath me when I lay on my side, and feels like I'm sleeping on a rock, so I've taken to holding the tail to keep it from doing that. It's almost become another ... thing... like my stuffed tiger.

Also, as of saturday(I think it was) we've got a guy working with Paul again. Not quite employee, not quite partner... Paul's calling him an "associate"... which fits as well as anything. Although it's odd, with the last guy we had working with Paul, one often had to go drag him out of his house, fight with his wife about allowing him to work (she wants money, but not to have him leave, even though she severely dislikes him.. 'tis odd)... etc.. basically it was a pain in the arse.

With AJ, he calls before he leaves in the morning to give me time to wake Paul up before he gets here! Rather than having to push our guy to make him work, both paul and I are pretty much having to run to keep up!  The good news is, for the past few days, I've been going to bed at an almost decent hour  (midnight, approximately) and getting up early. you know, like HUMANS do.... I'm still adjusting to this morning thing again, though... I'm having to drink a coffee/energy drink to wake up (Monster Java is like what starbucks would be, if they added red bull, and made their coffee... decent tasting... basically it rocks)

Oh, yes, my stepdad and I got into a conversation the other day about hair, and he's growing his out now! YAY! also, he's a lurker here... I'm trying to get him to register and say hello, but.. anyway, everybody say hi to Mike (Rastilyn, most likely if he does register) *waves* hi Mike!

Big hello to Kiraela's stepdad! Hi, Mike!  *waves*

Hi, Mike!

Walmart is scary no matter what time of day it is, in my opinion.. hehehehe.  I always end up in the sporting goods section for some reason... *raises eyebrow at the sweetheart*

LOL @ N.F... Paul doesn't typically have that problem, although get him in auto parts, painting stuff, etc... and i may need to find a spot to sit....

He told me to tell you guys hi!

also, here's the braid I was talking about..
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/100_1821.jpg

the red line is my natural waist, and the blue line is a NORMAL shaped person's waist, roughly belly button.

Yay for almost waist length braid!

I love your braid Kiraela!  Not only is it long but it remains thick the whole way down, great job! :D

Hi, Mike!

Nice braid, Kiraela! I like the way the colors in your hair weave together.

Thanks, La Diosa! This was actually the second braid photo attempt... the first braid, for whatever reason, did some wonky tapering down near the end, and was shorter, too.  :-?  @Juri, it's taken me a while to get used to the uneven coloration, but honestly, now I sort of like it. Proof that even accidents can grow on you...

I sometimes get random moments where I think about things oddly... like the fact that I've come up with an explanation for part of the reason I love sleep so much... I've always loved it when someone will sit down and read me stories (Acquired when I was young, I'd assume)... My dreams are always so very vivid... I have heard that some people dream in black and white... I don't. I think there are more colors in my dreams than in real life... like my brain is making up stuff as it goes. but I also almost always remember my dreams (I still remember at least one from when I was 12 or so...) .... Basically, it's like every night, for however many hour's I'm asleep, My brain is telling me stories of adventures, magic, life, etc. I do dangerous, exciting things in my dreams that I'd never do in real life... So yeah, maybe I do like sleeping. Is it any wonder?

Oddly enough, I even almost like the (few and far between) nightmares, because I always have a sense that it's not real, so I can sort of enjoy it as a personalized horror movie. Then again, I can also feel pain in dreams, so... it's not quite as amusing.


< / randomness >  

hi ya , well i did it ...i joined . now im just trying to sort things out on here trying to see how everything works. hi ya peoples. ::)[font=Courier][/font]

YAY! HI mike! (ought to go say hi on the newbie board... http://www.longlocks.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=newmems )

Also, it seems I shall have to give you a tutorial on HTML when I've got time.. (basically, select the text you want colored, fonted, whatever, before clicking on the button for what you want... )

Hello again!

Found an interesting gothy band on myspace, which set me to fiddling with it... It's now been dressed up for the darkening season... :D (prettiness ahoy : www.Myspace.com/blackened_bloody_roses )

I did all the imagery myself, with a camera and a bit of editing.

speaking of which, I've developed a liking for taking pictures of twilight. odd? Possibly. Pretty? definately. The background is a modified photo of the trees in my backyard this evening. It almost looks like it should be some sort of fancy brocade or embroidery or something....


Oh, and as for hair. Half up, simple but gorgeous... Honestly, I've always adored the look of seriously long, dark brunette half ups... it's a strange thing, but pretty...

Also, as for the white hair count, I've now got what appear to be two white hairs, and a red hair.  Just one, and it looks almost as if I managed to henna one single strand... it's that bright. *shakes head* odd I tell you...

then again, that's me today.
odd.

Okay, I'm a few hours late with this one...


CHAOS CHILD

Fear me.
Welcome me not into your life.
My touch is doom to you and all you love.
I am the destroyer.
I am Chaos' child.
All you are will crumble to dust at my touch.
My gaze has brought strong men to their knees.
They beg me, "no more. please, no more."
I am the eye that sees your hopes and passions.
I am the hand that tips your house of cards.
I am the Chaos Child.
I am the Destroyer.
If you do not run from me you'll feel my power.
Every step I take is another life ruined.
Your tears will fall if you so much as feel my breath.
Fear me.
I am the Chaos Child.
I am the Destroyer.

I like it!  Well done,K!

Thanks! it came from a darker place, but... then again, they say misery is the best source of beauty, right?
Actually, it's been a long struggle in my own mind, to convince myself that I'm NOT the source of everyone's problems... that I'm not to blame for everything. I've always shouldered far too much guilt for things that I've had nothing to do with... tis a fault I'm not sure I'll ever really overcome...

Much like my overuse of the "..." symbol.

Thanks largely(read: completely)  to my mom and stepdad, I'm now awaiting the arrival of two patterns ( http://www.smartcart.com/1sew/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=4091mcc and http://www.smartcart.com/1sew/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=3623sim)  and the fabric to make my first dress and chemise! WOO! happy me.  

I'm going with a dark navy flannel for the dress, and a light seafoam green opaque gauze for the chemise... if the colors are AT ALL like what they were on screen, it should look completely stunning when finished. also, I'm a big fan of natural materials ( man made fibers just feel... wrong somehow.. to me) so the fact that I got all 100% cotton material makes me happy. Also, I talked to mom on the phone for probably 3 or 4 hours... both of us on the 'net, looking for the perfect fabric. "ooh, how about this one?"" pretty, but what about the one next to it?" "ooh.. wait, tis a knit. nevermind... a similar one three rows down that's wool!"  you get the idea? LOL... I haven't had as much fun in months!

Good news, Mom is looking for a job down here... when her current contract is up I think they'll be heading down! I never really appreciated what cool parents I had until I wasn't living under their roof anymore, and got away from that typical "oppressed teenager" attitude. Now that I'm living on my own, it would be cool to have mom around to go shopping with... mike to teach me more cooking... stuff....  ect..

also: hair=braided as usual.

I made an observation today, that I'd like to share with you all.

One of things I like about Louisiana... is that it is so filled with freaks, oddballs, whackjobs, and nutcases, that my own particular brand of abnormality goes completely unremarked upon.

This is also one of the things I hate about it.

go figure.

How funny that you should mention that about Louisiana, little sis. I had a similar realization last night about the area that I live in.

Well, the first of my patterns(the irish dress) came in today! yay!!! It's pathetic how excited I am, but... I don't get out much :P

The chemise pattern is on backorder... I ought to get it about the same time the box of fabric comes in. Speaking of fabric, the chemise I ordered off ebay arrived too. It's going to need a few washings to soften up the material, but its already comfy as heck, and very cute. I think it was made using the same pattern I'm awaiting, so it ought to blend right in with my other garb.

Also, I managed to get myself a nice size wedge of 7 year parmesan cheese, a rather large piece of smoked mozzarella, and a bigarse container of crumbled feta(with calamata olives, dried tomatoes, and basil( :o ))... for a girl who loves "fancy cheese"... this is heaven. Hooray for well stocked cheese racks. I wanted to get one of everything... but didn't have the spare 100$ or so to spend.  :-/ There's always next time, since that's the only store this side of baton rouge that stocks Paul's dad's favorite wine. Really, the only one he'll drink if he has a choice, so I'm sure we'll be going back before too long.


Hair was in a medievalesque style, with the temple areas braided and pulled into a single braid at the back. it suits my face shape better than most styles, and works with the overall style I'm working towards.

*does a happy dance*

Lessee, today is the first time I can remember that my hair was sebum-y, but still felt okay, not tangly and awful.  I think that's a good thing.

I got the Echoes of Eternity album The Forgotten Goddess recently... I recommend it to anyone who likes metal, female fronted metal, or just plain good music. They'll be relatively nearby on my birthday, but IDK if I want to go all the way to houston for a concert, expecially since it's a whirlwind tour and they won't be able to hang around after the show and meet & greet.  Meh. I'll probably just blast the album with the studio quality monitors and subwoofer cranked to 11. If the band across the street can practice at earsplitting volume (btw, the band across the street is getting pretty good, although the bassist might want to consider making sure his bass is IN TUNE once in a while...  ::)) I figure I can get away with it just once, right?

Also, I just realized... the ren faire starts in a little less than two weeks. While I'm pretty sure we're not going opening weekend, that still means I have less time than I thought to complete my first dress. I'm hoping against hope that the fabric will be here by wednesday, although it could be monday before it gets here. ( :'() I'm anxious to begin, frankly. Although if it comes down to it, I'd rather go in my purchased chemise, modified bodice, and one of my random skirts, than have haste ruin a potentially good dress.

By the end of the week, we may have both fixed Paul's dad's truck, and bought a fairly old gmc jimmy... The guy working with paul, Aja, wants 200$ for it to get insurance on his truck, and currently, it's gone from baton rouge to here pretty much every day for several weeks, so it obviously runs fairly well. even better? it STARTS. (OMG!!) and STOPS!!! and..... STARTS AGAIN!!!!!  Sorry... it's been a while since we've had a vehicle that does that...

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but there are three trucks here. one does not start, but will run and stop. one, starts and runs, but won't turn off. the third, neither starts, stops, nor runs. It does, however, have an alarm that cannot be turned off, that activates any time the battery is connected.

And hey, if we get the jimmy, P. has no excuse not to take me to the fabric store anymore... MUAHAHAHA. </evil genius>

Sorry, I've been trying to be cheerful today. For the most part, it's not working... I've been a more irritable B*tch than usual.... I guess that's how I deal with anxiety, depression, and all the other emotions flooding me. stress, it comes down to. (yoda, talk like, I do.)  

luckily for you guys, I can edit and re-edit what I type before letting you hear it... poor paul doesn't get that same luxury. it doesn't seem to bother him that much... then again, what is horribly snarky and mean, for me... is probably light sarcasm from anyone else, and barely noticeable. I think I'm just too bloody nice.

ALSO: for your amusement, my monday poetry.

CLOUDS OF MUD

A black sky
Choked with grit,
Unbreathably thick.
Pale wan sun
Tries mightily
To peer through
Clouds of mud.
Machines rule this world.
Buildings tear open the sky.
If you are a human alone
Beware, beware!
Technology’s age,
Humanity’s cage.
Captured in wires,
Cords, plugs, motors...
Technology’s age,
Humanity’s cage.
One without tech
Is one without life.
Inhuman world...
Machine world.
Watch out,
Beware, beware!
Technology’s age,
Humanity’s cage,
It’s all the rage!
A geek is a mage.
Beware, beware!
Unlivable world,
We’ll just find more.
Beware, beware!
Ruin our hopes,
Kill your own children.
Humanity’s cage,
Technology age,
Advice not so sage...
Build up, who cares?
ruin this world,
We’ll just find more.
Like a plague
Humanity spreads.
Humanity enslaved
Conquers new realms
For our masters,
Dear masters.
Technology’s age,
Humanity’s cage.
Progress has it’s price.
Destroy the old,
Build up the new
Upon the ashes
Of our former ways.
Technology’s age,
Humanity’s cage.
We serve our masters well.
No complaints,
No thoughts of our own.
Beware, beware!
We’re being used!
Insidious creatures
Rule our world.
Insidious creatures
Destroying our world,
Spreading like plague.
Wildfire is far kinder.
In ashes grows life,
In acid touched soil
There is nothing.
Burning rain,
Unbreathable air,
Unlivable world …

we’ll just find more…

I so love your poems and this one is no exception.  As someone who love's nature, I can totally relate to it.


Quote:

Well, the first of my patterns(the irish dress) came in today! yay!!! It's pathetic how excited I am, but... I don't get out much

 I'm the same way.  everyday I get so excited around 1:00 because that's when our mail comes and usually I have some internet order being delivered.  My excuse is also the fact that I don't get out much...and the fact that I don't have any other vices! ;D

As for your anxiety, are you taking anything?  I take a low dose of Paxil and it really helps.  I can also be moody at times and my husband is so grateful that it works for that too. ;D

Have fun finding a dress for the Ren Fest!  I'd love to go to one but am afriad because I feel I wouldn't fit in.:(

I've taken most anti-depressants before... paxil, prozac, wellbutrin, lexapro... *rolls eyes* not a single one worked, they all made me more depressed. As for antianxiety meds, like valium and xanax, nope. I know people who have them prescribed, but... that doesn't help me much, you know?  

I think you'd be fine at a ren faire. I know in most areas, it's more about having fun than anything else. If you're in street clothes, you won't be gawked at any more than in your daily life. If you choose to dress up, well, expect to be looked at a bit (wow, did you see that gorgeous woman in the <whatever type of costume>? where did she get it?) ... but if anyone says anything untoward or problematic... either ignore them, or give as good as you get, depending on what you think is best.


Also, the weather here... it is defective. yesterday, it was 83F. today, it is 57F.  Fifty freaking seven degrees.

wrote on Oct 23^rd, 2007 at 12:54am:

Have fun finding a dress for the Ren Fest!  I'd love to go to one but am afriad because I feel I wouldn't fit in.:(

I wouldn't worry about fitting in - at the Ren Fests I been at, you see just about everything.  Some people are in period costumes, many are in street clothes.  Some are in clothing that can't be categorized.  ;D  I'm not one to dress in costume - but I love to see what everyone else is wearing.

Ah, Ren faires.  ::)  Not to worry - so long as you have money, you'll fit in just fine. Although, if you do decide to dress the part, please make sure that your costume is period! Buttons, zippers, polyester and the like may indeed garner a few scoffs from the hardcore attendees.

Our weather is "dysfunctional" too, little sis. It's typically about 87° during the day and then 57° at night. Only it's dry as a bone and currently very smoky.  :P

I love Ren fests. ;)  I don't think you would have a problem either!  I wish we still had ours. :-[

I was bored last night, so for a sleep braid, I made a four strand braid. It looked pretty good  :)

I also found out that my brother's got his orders, he's shipping out to Iraq in december.  :-/ Not good.

:( I know how you feel,K!  I've been there emotionally with a cousin who did 2 tours in Afghanastan.  Hang in there,he'll be ok!

Aw, craaap! Sorry about your brother, K. *hugz* War is an ageless evil.  :(

I'm sorry about your brother too.  I hope he stays safe and that this whole thing will be over soon.

We knew it was likely when he joined up.. I just hope he stays safe. He's got a wife and kids to come home to, although for now it seems that my nephew is being passed back and forth between my mom, and SIL's mom. I don't want to get into it, but he may not go back to his mother.

I've always been opposed to the war... it's something that was needless, and we had no business going into Iraq... although I do admit that b#stard saddam needed to be deposed, we had no business sticking our nose into it. So many people died for king george II's oil ambitions. *shakes head* I just hope my big brother doesn't end up another of the casualties of greed.

I was napping while waiting for the dryer to finish, and there was a knock at the door... Startled awake, I didn't have my glasses on, and rushing to get the door, I slipped on a teeshirt that I hadn't seen(matched the floor tiles) and went down on my left ankle, which was bent funny. I can not currently bend it hardly at all side to side, and maybe an inch of toe movement up and down. with four ibuprofen and about 500 mg of tylenol in me, I can ALMOST touch the ankle. I also wrapped the ankle with an ace bandage, within 2-3 minutes of falling (the bandage was in the clean laundry basket right next to me) I wrapped it really loosely, but within 15 min, it'd swollen so much that the bandage was almost too tight. I think I might have done something rather bad to it. Of course my dumbarse tried to put weight on it, and there was a weird feeling of... separation.. I guess. it felt like my toe was sliding forward when I tried to put weight on the heel.  :-/ I'm just glad I've still got health insurance. Around here, if I went to the Emergency room, It'd be splinted, wrapped, and I'd be told to make an appt. with the bone and joint clinic.. so I'd rather just make an appt with them and cut out the added expense of the ER. So I get to go get xrays tomorrow~ yay?

ouch!!!!!  I hope everything turns(no pun intended)out ok with your ankle!  If you can elevate it higher than your heart when you are lying down it should help bring down the swelling.  Feel better!

of course, me being me, I just spent the last three hours in wal-mart's fabric section::), trying not to run over anyone or thing in the rolly-cart. Don't know the proper name...  Electric wheeliebasket?

I did make sure that my leg was elevated, and protected from running into things. I also think I managed to make friends with the fabric section's manager... we were talking about injuries, sewing techniques, and ren faires while she was helping me find everything. I ended up not only getting everything on my list... but also another pattern(a cloak) and the fleece to make it. It ought to be warm and toasty when I'm done. I think actually, that I'm going to make it first, since it seems simpler than the others, and I'll have it for both warmth(it's been freakishly cold lately... almost like the middle of fall!) and for the faire costume. It's a navy fleece to match the dress (less thread to buy.. hehe), fairly heavy, but soft as heck. It'd make a nice blanket, too. I'm tempted to go back sometimes soon and get a proper lining fabric, maybe even the same color as I got for the bodice of the dress, which is a rich hunter green flannel, of the same type as I have waiting at the post office. I saw the identical blue flannel at the store, too, but it was over a dollar more than I paid. The green was on sale. I am actually kicking myself for not getting some more green for a cloak lining, but I was being rushed, so I didn't think of it until just now. Well, they'll have it later, I hope. so tomorrow morning, I sit in my rolling chair to sweep the floor and mop it, iron out my pattern while I wait for it to dry, and get to cutting. (floor is for layout purposes)

all in all, it hasn't been a horrible day. Surprising, really.

I did get complimented on my hairsticks, too, while I was there. A pretty young girl with past waist hair asked where I got them. I told her I made them, and explained how... she ran off yelling something that sounded like "mama I need to go to lowes and get a stick!"  Hee..

(I think electric shopping cart is the term you were looking for.)

:-/ Sorry to hear of your fall.  I hope you are keeping ice on it and elevating it.  Remember RICE - Rest Ice Compression Elevation.  Rest means to keep your weight off it!  I hope everything is OK.  After my escapade with my ankle - I don't wish anything like that on anyone!

(((hugs))) I hope your feeling better soon! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/bouquet.gif

Ooo, honey, so sorry to hear about your ankle.  Ouchie.  Did you have a doctor look at it?  

Yeesh, your ankle problem sounds quite similar to a bad sprain that I suffered a few years ago. I hopped around on one foot for weeks.  :P
 
Hope it gets better soon and becomes nothing more than a sucky memory.

Well, it turns out it's not broken, just badly sprained. Thank goddess... I have fractured my ankle before, and I really don't want to spend two months on crutches again. My armpits are already bruised from a day and a half!

Unfortunately the pain medicine I'm taking is making me dizzy and kinda nauseous... but I can't NOT take it, since I would end up making wounded animal noises and possibly yelping. Eating helps the nausea, but it's hard to eat when one is going "foodsmell=ick!" Ah, well, such is the price of reduced pain.

I spent my morning asleep with my ankle on top of a folded up afghan, and the afternoon, I was sitting on the floor cutting and ironing pattern pieces for my first project, a cloak. I couldn't find the ironing board, so I had paul bring me a piece of particle board and the staple gun... one former teeshirt later, and I've got a floor level ironing board! After supper I crawled around on the floor pinning pattern pieces to the fleece. I managed to get them all going the right direction, with enough room left over to make a couple of fuzzy scarfs!  Tomorrow, I am going to be back on the floor, this time cutting the pieces out.

I've decided that for now, at least, the cape part of the cloak will remain unlined, but as for the hood... I have a piece of black satin just begging me "make a comfy hairsafe hood lining with me!"... It's the perfect size, so... how can I resist when a piece of black satin speaks?  The satin came from what was supposed to be a curtain (way back before I moved in) that Paul's step mom accidentally cut the wrong way, so it wouldnt' fit in the window. However, it is making a quite nice satin headscarf, and a future hood lining.

all in all, other than pain, I've had a fairly good day.

OOh, I also finally got my own cell phone!!! I was surprised at how simple and easy it is to remember. fast, simple, and a freaking lot of sevens. LOL. Goodnight, all.

glad it's not broken!!  Sounds like you're busy(hopefully to keep your mind off the pain!)  Would love to see a pic when you're done with the cloak!  How much yardage is needed,btw?  I've got 5 yards of 5 different colors,unfortunately they are 1 yard a piece! :(  

the one I'm doing requires 6 yards of 60", or 7.5 yards of 45" (this is, of course, for the LARGE size(I admit it, I'm a tubby-butt), smaller sizes require less fabric). It's this pattern here:
http://www.smartcart.com/1sew/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=5794SIM  I think there are cloak patterns that use less fabric, they're just not as full. I'm one for voluminous, swirly cloaks.
What I'm making is a combination of the body of cloak A (the brown one with the capelets) and a modified version of hood C(where she's got it pulled up) I like a fuller than usual hood, so I added another inch or so to the hood pattern when cutting. HEE.. mom would be so proud. I don't think she's ever seen a pattern that she didn't think, "that could be so much better if 'x' were different..." of course, she's usually right.

As of later today, Paul is finally getting rid of that demonic B!tch of a cat. On a related note, I feel rather like a pincushion, and am currently sporting a whopping 21 new scratches and holes today! Also, we need more band-aids. I'm just glad I caught her before she could get to M., the friend of ours with HIV.  She'd smashed the cage, which was in the bathroom, and when I went to go use the loo, she escaped. one flying leap later, and I was being mauled by a minipanther. "M.! get outside!" and held on long enough for him to do so. Paul chased her down and put her in the other kennel cage, and we're awaiting the animal shelter opening this afternoon. I can't say I'm entirely pleased, since he does love his cat, but... I don't want to be a pincushion anymore. I don't want to deal with everything smelling like cat pee. My cat doesn't pee outside the box unless it's not been scooped or changed for almost a week. His cat... if there's a clump she's not using it. sometimes even if it's freshly cleaned.  she just.... doesn't care. also, my ankle hurts again, twisted it leaping. one does what one has to, though.

well, it turns out the animal shelter isn't open on saturday afternoons anymore... so we have to wait until monday morning. Paul's been dithering and waffling about whether or not to get rid of voodou for months, but today, I think her actions smacked some sense into him. He had the frightening thought(and told me), "what if voodou'd attacked M. and then K.(me)? It'd make junkies sharing needles look like sitting on opposite sides of the room and ignoring each other!"  I think he's scared that one day it will happen.. and with that cat.. it's a definate possibility. I know they're going to euthanize her as soon as we leave her at the animal shelter, but the only other option would be to just... let her loose. and while she might be happier that way, it's a felony, and she'd be eaten by coyotes within a matter of days anyway. It's just kindest to let her slip off this plane of existance peacefully, rather than let her fight for her life. I hate that he's having to give up his cat, but... he brought up an interesting point today. "what would happen if/when we had kids? She would be able to hurt or kill a newborn easily, and so fast we wouldn't be able to stop her." he's even worried that Emma would accidentally hurt a baby by trying to snuggle up to it, and accidentally suffocating the kid. I explained that we had emma when I was babysitting my 1 month old niece last summer, and Emma avoided her almost completely (with the occasional approach-sniff-mini human! run away! thrown in). of course, the fact that he was the one who brought up the idea of emma and babies was like, " :-?" is he planning something I don't know about?  No, he says, just a thought. Me personally? I figure we'll be ready for kids around the time my hair is thigh or knee length. He measures time by events ("oh, such and such happened two weeks after new years '99", or "yeah, that was right around the time I brought G. to harold's studio to meet <insert famous musician here> )... I measure time by hair length.

Speaking of which, I got my student ID from 11th grade in the mail the other day.I think it might be useful in getting my social security card. Anyway, though, I can't believe how short and horrible my hair was. It was the shortest I'd had it since I was 6 or 7... a dumb bob that sloped downwards towards the back.. the shortest sections were above my chin! I almost can't believe how long my hair's grown since then. in three years, it's gone from above chin, to about 2-3 inches from my hips!

Also: I've not washed my hair in over a week, and it definately shows. I've been keeping it braided, just because the grease-bucket look doesn't work. at all. The oilyness has gone so far down the strand that the top few inches of a ponytail is sorta stiff and icky.  :-/

I actually feel bad that you all have to give up the cat, but better safe than sorry. At least she'll go peacefully.:(  

*cautiously peeks out from a black fog of electronic music and Maruchan Instant Lunches*

Honey, I hate to tell you this, but I am not at all sorry to see a cat like Voodou go. I am probably one of the biggest cat fans on earth and I would have euthanized her a long time ago. Or better yet, not picked her up in the first place. Of course, I understand that she was not your choice.

Hopefully Paul will get used to having a cat that isn't psycho so he will know better what to avoid the next time he chooses one. I don't care what kind of animal you have - if it's a danger to people and to other animals, it needs to go. Preferably before it procreates.

And sorry to hear about all of the difficulties you've been having just obtaining a SS card. Man, and I thought just renewing them was enough of a hassle!  :P  Hope it all smooths out for you soon, little sis.

*returns to the black fog*

I agree with La Diosa.  I knew someone who had a very nasty dog, of which, eveyone was afraid of including me.  This beast bit my hubby, tryed to bit me and terroized me to the point were I would have a panic attack at the thought of him.   It is sad when animals go like that, your doing the best thing for Voodou.

Now that he's had a couple of days to think about it, he's waffling again! what do I have to do, let her attack me again on a day that the shelter's open? that way he won't have time to think and second guess it. When he got voodou, she was only 5-6 weeks old, and a cute adorable kitten. it was the fact that she has a dominant personality anyway, combined with the fact that his last girlfriend abused her, combined with the fact that the idiotic junkie he used to employ (cheap labor  ::) you get what you pay for) liked to play "see how far we can push the cat before it attacks... see if we can get it to attack sooner"... I can understand why she's agressively violent. she thinks all humans are trying to hurt her, and she'll be d@mned if she'll let them do it without a fight. However, just because I understand her motivation, doesn't mean I want to bloody well live with her.

Kiraela wrote on Oct 29^th, 2007 at 6:44pm:

what do I have to do, let her attack me again on a day that the shelter's open?

Sorry but that made me laugh.;D  

I know how tough it is to give up a pet so I'm sure thats what the waffling is about but, I think he's going to do the right thing.  It's too dangerous of a situation having a cat like that around when there is a strong possibility that she can bite or scratch someone with HIV and perhaps pass that on to someone else.

Not only that, but... quite a few of our friends have kids. This cat could seriously hurt or possibly even kill a small child easily... she's already sent a grown woman to the hospital for umpteen stitches... voodou very nearly slashed an artery in Nat's wrist.

I don't know what he's going to decide, honestly.
I finished my cloak today, I'll get pictures up soon. It's quite cozy and warm. well, rather like wearing a fleecy blanket, only warmer due to the shoulder thingies. capelets, I think they're called.

Kiraela wrote on Oct 29^th, 2007 at 10:14pm:

This cat could seriously hurt or possibly even kill a small child easily... she's already sent a grown woman to the hospital for umpteen stitches... voodou very nearly slashed an artery in Nat's wrist.

:o Wow!

Anyway, I can't wait to see pics of your cloak.  I wore a Halloween one to work once to keep warm.  Everyone thought I was crazy, but it sure was cozy.

Oy, I think the cat has realized I'm on a campaign to get rid of her... she is trying to be... I don't know if sweet is the right word, but... nonviolent... for a while, I think. She has done this before, and always relapses into violence agaion.

I have also decided I am distinctlyh below average height.... I cut off a full 9" off the bottom of my cloak. it is now floor length. These things are either sized for giants, or i am just that much below average height. sicne when was average height for a woman approximately 12' tall? seriously, the cape pattern pieces(from heightsest point of shoulder down) measured in at 60". I am 60". !!!!

also, at least until the winter chill fully sets in, I am definately a cloak convert. I wore it out to the shop last night, since i had to basically babysit paul to make sure he didn't accidentally paass out on red hot metal...  it was in the low 50s last night, but with the addition of my favorite sweater(which odddly enough almost matches the cloak*cue twilight zone music*(which, oddly enough, is nearly the same color as our bathtowels, which freakily enough are a close match to the fabric I'm still awaiting the arrival of)  ...I was toasty warm. it also protected me from flying spakrs and wires better than a coat would. speaking of which, I applogize for any typos, I will go back and correct them later... I have my glasses off and I've been awake for ... lessee... aproximmately 38 hours now? ... g'night all... hope your day goes as well as mine will (I shall be asleep, my favorite state)

Patterns usually do run huge. The good thing about making your own clothes is that you can modify them easily.

60" is indeed below average height for a woman, but you know what, little sis? I'm only 63"! Shortness is something to be grateful for because we can date short, medium and tall guys and it always looks cute. Tall girls aren't so lucky.  ;)

Definately... I found out a few minutes ago that I have access to three full rolls of full size blank newsprint... guess who's tracing and modifying patterns for the next... forever? hehee... I have to say, McCalls has gone downhill in the past few years... the paper the chemise pattern I got is printed on, is so thin that it seriously, honestly comes pre-holed. like, I don't even have to wait for time to wear holes in the paper... they're already there! I can read the lettering through four layers... That's the first to get copied over and modified. I don't think that pattern would last through one use. like if I stabbed it with a pin, it would literally disentegrate. *poke* *poof*  

Anyway, I had been up, walking, and almost limp free, but I tripped going down the steps this morning (36 hours of no sleep and distracted by sun in my eyes) and now I'm back to hobbling and looking vaguely like Igor when I walk. Seriously, I look like I ought to be offering people brains in a mad scientist's lab. the cloak... doesn't help that image, honestly.

Hair: I haven't even showered since I hurt my ankle  since it's too painful to stand up for long (I have however washed with a washcloth, thank you, so no stinkies for me. well, not too bad.), and it was a week before that that I last washed my hair. It currently feels like I had a keg of olive oil poured over my head. I keep brushing with the BBB, and hoping that my sebum production will even out... but I have a feeling that if I don't wash my hair soon, it will literally start dripping. EWWW.

Oh hon!  Tripping and re-injuring!  OUCH!  Been there, done that.  You must take care of yourself and let yoursel heal!  :-/

(((hugs))) Oh my!  Hang in there!

Feel better!!

Offering my well wishes, Kiraela. I hope you're on the mend.

About the cat, I feel kind of sorry for the cruelty inflicted upon it, but it sounds too dangerous to have around. I hope that the, er, matter gets taken care of one way or another before someone gets hurt again. :-/

(((hugs)))

Thanks for your well wishes, ladies. Unfortunately, I think I must have done something to my ankle while I slept... it hasn't hurt this bad for a couple of days now. Luckily, two tylenol and two ibuprofen ought to be enough to deal with it.

I think I'm almost ready to demote fall as my favorite season... I'm not sure why, but we've been invaded by geckos. For the past few weeks, the cats have been catching two or three a day, and missing at least one, LOL. Today, the darned black demon almost killed my sewing machine, and scattered an entire medicine bottle full of pins across the floor, trying to get at a gecko. I managed to chase her off, catch the dang thing, and toss it outside. turning around, there were three more staring at me from my ironing board. THREE. that weren't there a second ago.  there was also a different gecko(darker and bigger) on the toilet a few minutes ago. WHAT THE HECK?! we are not a gosh darned gecko hotel. Is the universe sending me a subliminal message? "change your car insurance.... "*spooky ghost noises*
::) I'm getting really tired of the lizards.

Quote:

Is the universe sending me a subliminal message? "change your car insurance.... "

lol  ;D

wrote on Nov 1^st, 2007 at 4:26pm:

Quote: Is the universe sending me a subliminal message? "change your car insurance.... " lol  ;D

http://smilies.sofrayt.com/aiw/laugh.gif

Mind you, I think I would have heart failure to see these little buggers running around the house, eeeeeeeeekkkkkk, there was one on the toliet??!!http://www.smilieshq.com/smilies/confused0087.gif

I'd never seen a gecko until my move to Georgia.  Now, I see them daily crawling around my gazebo and even once in my house.  Personally, I  think they're cute but I'm quite sure if I had a true invasion I'd think differently.  I hope you can catch them or somehow get them out of your house because I know from experience that they are very fast.  My one cat loves hunting them.

Pretty much, exept for that one I rescued... the only way to get rid of them is through my cats' digestive systems, LOL. The good news is, they're getting more exercise, and I think happier because of it.  they've also been eating less cat food. yes, there's that many geckos.. the cats are eating enough of them to not eat as much regular food. I hope geckos are good for cats...

Hair: Finally washed! didnt' feel like seeing if it would, in fact, start dripping sebum. I figure when I touch my hair, accidentally brush my glasses, and have to go get dishwashing liquid to get the grease film off the lens... it's time. Then again, today's been the first day I could stand up long enough to take a full shower, too... and my ankle is killing me now. I shampooed twice, once with april bath and shower's Citrus, and again with Ice shine, then conditioned twice with ice shine, leaving it on 15 min each time. I'm going to have to do a massive S&D soon, this greasebomb experiment left my poor ends dry and starting to split. NEVER AGAIN!

I've spent most of my day either asleep(got to bed at 5 AM due to paul's wonky work schedule during the dark months), Ironing(8 yards is a bloody lot of fabric. expecially heavy flannel... ) or sewing. I also acquired Seether's newest CD, and have been jamming out to that. I don't understand, however, why they seem to have gone all 'christian-rock' on us.. I mean, done properly I've no problem with c-rock. But... most of the genre that I've heard has this eerily similar sound... as if they all have a sheet printed with lyrics, and they just shuffle lines, and all the music is very similar also. its'... weird. maybe I was just forced to listen to the wrong stuff, IDK> all in all, most of the songs on the Seether CD are completely awesome, though.  4/5.

Quote:

the only way to get rid of them is through my cats' digestive systems, LOL.

:o

Wow, cats are brutal. ;D  I always thought that if my cats caught a gecko there would be no way they would actually eat them but today my sweet little cat caught and killed a bird.  She also brought it in the house and tried to eat it.  My husband scooped the poor thing up (as my cat growled at him :o) and disposed of it outside.

Well, I've almost finished the dress, I've just got to aquire some sort of boning, add it, and then finish the inside. It's even more comfortable than I thought it would be.  :)

Hair: down, brushed, and trying to keep it behind my shoulders for a while. It's not working. I love it anyway... even if it does follow orders even worse than my cat.

75% off halloween candy. A rather large bag of orange and black whoppers, and York peppermint batties. yes, Bat-ties. hee. Cutest things ever. I'm happy. And attempting to maintain self control. Otherwise I'd eat the entire bag of whoppers in one sitting. mmm.. malted milk balls.

An easy way to save a stranger's life. Simply download a virus free text file from her, and when she gets 5,000,000 download reward points, she'll get 10,000$, to go towards multiple brain surgeries. www.projecterin.com. NO, I don't know her in person. Does that matter? Please click that link, check out her story... download the text file... maybe even save a life?

For those that don't read my journal, I'm going to put this in the off topic section.

I've finished the chemise now, too, and I've got to say, being short has its advantages(rarely, but sometimes :P). I'd gotten enough fabric to do the closed sleeve (5 yards) version of the pattern, but upon getting it, looking at it, etc... I decided I liked the open sleeve version better, but that supposedly required 5.5  .... Of course, after cropping the pattern to fit my tiny-arse(well, big arse, little height, to be fair) self, I ended up with more than a yard extra, and made the bigger pattern. Of course, I'm really going to have to learn that when McCalls pattern company says large, they mean "can fit paul, me, and a small moose in". Either they REALLY oversize things, or I've got some sort of body dismorphic disorder, and a defective tape measure. :-\  me: large should fit! I'm perfectly within the size range... so why on earth do I look like a six year old playing in mommy's closet?  Seriously, I should take pics. Except they'd be silly looking.

The good news is, it looks okay with the overdress, and overall I'm pleased with how it came out. It is certainly roomy and comfortable, at least.

Also, my hair has been trying to eat my chemise. I've been trying it on as I fit each piece, and EVERY SINGLE TIME it got caught on my hair. Bunned, braided, bloody well down it got caught.

Really, though, I'm in a good mood today. I swear! LOL

lol K

Patterns run big, don't they? Even the small could probably fit you, Paul and the cats.  ::)

Pictures of the chemise and overdress, please! I would like to sew, but don't have the patience to finish anything so reading about your sewing adventures is quite fun for me.  

I'll try to get to that today, the cloak pictures too. I keep forgetting to take those :-/ I need to wait for my hair to dry, and also for Paul's cousin to leave, and then I'll get right to it.

Cool! But I didn't mean to make you feel rushed or anything. I'm sorry if you did! :-[ I'm a patient woman so even if the pictures don't get taken for another month, that's okay.

Nope, I don't feel rushed. I didn't get around to taking them(again) since I was feeling rather... blah... yesterday. I'm a little better today, so who knows?

Hair: I've been braiding it for sleep again lately, rather than letting it loose. I don't know if its' helping or hurting, actually, but it does give some definition to my waves in the morning. Actually, my hair's been staying braided 23/7, lately. Occasionally I'll go crazy and do a cinnamon bun, or a ponytail, as today, but... it's nice to keep it contained and forget about it. Not to mention, when I let it down and pay attention, it's like, WOW. it really is almost starting to feel long.

in other news: my occasional panic attacks suck. The headaches that always follow them, in my case... suck worse. Knowing what triggers them, and not really being able to avoid it? not fun.

Well, I've been laid up in bed for a few days with a migraine, today was the first day I could get up and about, really. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but my cat has a very high pitched, kitteny-squeaky voice. It never really matured past 4 months. Anyway, she's been in heat for several days. Several days of high pitched squeaky screechings, often from underneath the bed, and several days of me attempting to catch and lock up the cat blindfolded. when I get headaches like this, any sort of light makes it hurt worse. any sort of noise hurts worse. having to deal with light while chasing down screechy cat? PAIN.  She better be glad I love her... *mutters something that could have been "animal shelter" or "stewpot"... it's hard to tell*
I did manage to get those photos I've been promising.  Hair: braided, as usual. Nothing really new to report there, honestly. I shredded several fingernails on some thread earlier, so I had to clip them all back almost to the quick to keep them from splitting farther. Any of you other sewing/string/thread/yarn using ladies find that happening to you, or am I just that bad with nails?

Anyway, I got my secret santa assignment today(I'm sure we all did) but it's funny, I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to come up with something, but I got the name, and immediately realized I'm going to have to pare down the list of things to keep under budget. This "buying stuff for other people"  stuff isn't going to be as hard as I thought! I'm just going to have to double my budget and buy/make one of each for myself too, LOL.

Anyway. My brother narrowly missed being shipped to Iraq (so far  :-/) so that's a good thing. I think. He did volunteer, so maybe not good to him... good to the rest of the family, though. I'll put up the pics in a minute... got to get off the computer for a sec.

Okay, Pictures.  First off, Me, in chemise and irish dress.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/Celtikiraela.jpg

And another, to show the sleeves better.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/angelwingceltikiraela.jpg

Chemise by itself... Like I said, they're supposed to be loose fitting, but this? This might be a bit rediculous. (I don't think the braids help the image of "six year old trying on mommy's dresses")
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/alittletoobigmaybe.jpg

And a detail of how I finished off the hems of the chemise.  Also the closest to the actual color of all the photos.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/hem.jpg

And now, the cloak, from front and back, with hood up and down.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/bluecloakhoodupfront.jpg http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/bluecloakhoodupback.jpg http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/bluecloakhooddownfront.jpg http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/clothing/bluecloakhooddownback.jpg

And, for sheer fun, a new length picture.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Hair_photos/Hairrecently.jpg

Nice pics!  I love that Irish dress! Nice colour combo ( I want one!) :D

I love the cloak!...... and the Irish dress!..... and your hair!  ;D

OMG...your talents are endless!  Yes, the sleeves are a bit large but would you be able to alter them, because otherwise it's amazing!  The pics are wonderful and so is your hair!  Thanks for sharing, I so love pictures! :D

Looks like you did a great job on the sewing, K!   :)

Hee  :) Thank you ladies! (Lisabelle, I could make you a set but I'd have to charge you (although it wouldn't be that much, really) ;))  As for the color combo, my mom and I sat and went through several online fabric sites until we found the one with the best selection, and then dug and dug until we found that combo. I think we were on the phone with each other for four or five hours that day? I think it was worth it. It's actually a dark navy blue, not black as it appears. For some reason, the ribbon photographed lighter than it is, and the cloth darker, even though they actually are a pretty good match.
The sleeves are longer than they should be(which is funny, considering I took about 7" off the pattern before I cut the cloth) but otherwise, I'm happy. I could fix it, but frankly, I don't feel like it (too lazy, honestly). It's actuallly the body that I find too large... I think I could fit myself, Paul, and a small moose in it. I guess that makes it more comfortable for sleeping in, as well as daywear though.

Anyway, I'm almost done with a skirt made out of the same navy flannel (I figure I've got several extra yards, I might as well use them), all I have to do is hem it. I've also got a half done bodice that's awaiting some sort of boning material. I've got an idea for that that is fairly inexpensive and can be bought locally, but I have to be able to go to Lowes or Home Depot to get it. *rolls eyes* with the truck the way it is, that's not going to happen just yet.

Anyway, though. um... I think that's about it for today. I washed the hair, and I'm out of conditioner so I've got to get to the store soon. Woo-hoo, I get to leave the house!! LOL. Some days, with the boys always going off on job sites and no room in the truck for me, it feels like I'm a hermit. Honestly, I think I only talk to three-four people on a daily basis (in real life, I mean. here I've got all of you guys/gals/sentient beings of indeterminate gender)

In Louisiana, for thanksgiving, it is traditional to have fried turkey, rather than baked. Some people take on that task themselves, but most order a turkey, already fried, from one of the several people/grocery stores that cook them. One of our major customers and a good friend, recieved so many orders this year that he's having to run a second kettle/pot thingie to cook enough! ( Let us mourn at the death of the homecooked meal :'(. ) Anyway, though, he needed another bigarse turkey frying fork, which isn't exactly found at the local walmart. So we ended up trading a fork(easy work for Paul) for a fried turkey (easy work for mr. L)... he gets to cook his turkeys, we get to EAT his turkey, so everybody's happy.

Now I just have to see if I can resist picking at the bird until tomorrow.  :(  

Happy thanksgiving, everybody who's celebrating it this week.  happy um... week, everybody else!

I decided to make my assignment's present out of materials on hand, after a spur of the moment idea. I finished it last night... I might have a hard time giving it up! I guess that's the best way to tell if the gift is a good one...

hehe Cool trade-off, little sis.  ;)

And thank goodness I don't live in Louisiana, I guess, because I rarely eat anything deep fried!  :P

Yeah, sometimes it seems like Louisiana's only got two types of food : if it's not fried, it's bright red from the amount of pepper.  I'm constantly getting teased for my "delicate northern palate"... I almost feel sorry for anybody who cooks for me, they've got to make sure it's bland as heck to them, and provide milk to soothe the burn for me. Sometimes I feel like screaming "has anybody around here even HEARD of vegetables?!" *shakes head*

Anyway. Dinner consisted of fried turkey, rice dressing(as opposed to cornbread dressing, and actually not half bad) biscuits, and yams. Yeah, I know, hypocrite me with no vegetables, but in my defense, I ate a salad for breakfast! (well, it was noon. but still.)

Black velvet skirt and vaguely victorian inspired top, with a braided bun to complete the look,since today was NOT a day I wanted to risk getting my hair caught in my food. Had a minor... incident with the cats which resulted in both being locked up in their respective cages until the food was put away, LOL. my cat, though, is weird. due to space(or actually, lack thereof) Her mesh cage is on top of the larger kennel crate for Voodou(designed for medium dogs, and bought for Paul's last cat, a bigarse tom cat(who barely fit)), anyway, I dropped the front door panel to let her out, and she just stared at me like... umm.. why are you stealing my walls? and went back to sleep. Well, now she's using it as her regular napping place, apparently. Hey, if it keeps her from wandering around the house screeching, I guess it's a good thing.

Well, I sold another belt on ebay, so once I get paid for that and ship it, I'll ship out my assignment's present the same day. Probably next week.

Speaking of which, ARRG. I had my first crappy customer a few weeks ago, and I'm still pissed as heck at her. Bids, wins the auction, and then doesn't pay. I tried emailing her on day 3, day 7, and day 10 after the auction closed, and not ONCE did I get a response. two full weeks of no contact, no anything, I opened up a dispute, and within a few hours, she cancelled her ebay account. GRRR.

Anyway. I just needed to rant, sorry. Speaking of things that don't quite work right... My cell phone has a habit of randomly asking me to update the clock, at least once a day. Yesterday morning, I woke up and tried to see what time it is (the cell phones are the only clocks in the bedroom)... my phone was trying to get me to update the clock again, however... this time it said, "new time : 5:62 a.m. Update clock?" Half asleep, I was like.. yeah, whatever. Wait. What? *does quizzical head tilt like confused puppy*  I'm not sure I trust AT&T's cell towers anymore...

Other than that, all is fairly right with the world of K.  

Goodnight, and good luck.

Delicate northern palate?? Northerners eat hot, heavy foods to compensate for their climate. Not exactly what I'd call delicate...but then...I'm Californian.  ::)

Glad to hear that your Thanksgiving went well. Your outfit sounds cute.  :)

And sorry about the craptacular customer. It would not surprise me if that kinda stuff happens on Eekbay all the time.
   You might want to contact customer service about your phone, too. I am also with freaking AT&T.

Happy Black Friday, little sis.  ;)

Thanks... although I slept in until about 9 this morning, woke up sick(nausea, headache, sore throat, basically the Ick).. and was like, screw this, I'm going back to sleep. Then I was woken up by food, and the nausea was gone, so I had some nice gumbo, and then went grocery shopping. HEE. I wore my irish dress and my white chemise(the one I got off ebay) out to the store, and since it was bloody cold, also my cloak. The cashier at one of the stores gushed over how cute it was, and got my email and ebay name so she could have me make her and her daughter some dresses... :D not only comfortable and cute, but advertising too!

Anyway, we're FINALLY getting the starter changed in the truck!!! On a whim, Paul called his friend S to see if he knew anything about nissan trucks, and starters... and S showed up an hour later to pull it out. They're going to the parts store first thing in the morning and getting a new one. WOOO!

OOH. Another interesting thing happened wednesday night. I say interesting, meaning "terrifying and worrisome".  I was on the phone with my mom, and then my f-FIL(future father in law) beeped in... less than a minute into that conversation, out of no-where, lightning strikes the electrical transformer on the pole outside our house, which of course, fries. *blinding flash of light and power goes out* *power returns for 2 seconds, then transformer fries again* *repeat last step twice more*  of course, it's the mostly dry season here, so the HUGE bamboo-type cane patches by the road(I'll take pics tomorrow) are dry, and perfect kindling. We're incredibly lucky that not one of the four massive shocks threw sparks into the bushes. Even more lucky, is the fact that the computer is not completely dead. Plugged in, turned on, and it tried to reboot inself every time the power returned. four chances for either or both hard drives to be fried.

It was funny, though. Right before that, I had another of my headaches... and after the power went out and stayed out, I looked up towards the heaven and had this to say. " blessed lady, I know the light hurts my eyes when I have a headache, and I thank you for thinking of me... but this is rediculous."

That's me, finding humor in crappy situations. Then again, when I found out the computer was 100% okay, I commented to Paul, "one of the good things about believing in a goddess who pretty much has a following of 1... Is that she's often bored and watches over me. That's also kinda creepy, really. "

Kiraela wrote on Nov 24^th, 2007 at 1:45am:

I looked up towards the heaven and had this to say. " blessed lady, I know the light hurts my eyes when I have a headache, and I thank you for thinking of me... but this is rediculous." That's me, finding humor in crappy situations. Then again, when I found out the computer was 100% okay, I commented to Paul, "one of the good things about believing in a goddess who pretty much has a following of 1... Is that she's often bored and watches over me. That's also kinda creepy, really. "

;D That story is too cute!  Congrats on getting your car fixed!

Delicate northern palate?? Northerners eat hot, heavy foods to compensate for their climate

Very true!  Even in the summer a five alarm curry is not unheard of! ;D

Truck news: Well. It turns out it wasn't the starter that was bad. The starter was perfectly fine. Oh, no. It's the wiring that's shot to sh!t. Somewhere between the key and the solenoid(I know I spelled that wrong, but bear with me here) somewhere between the two, there's a short. or a break. or some sort of something that would take days to trace, find, and repair. *le sigh*  However, Paul has the truck running anyway. How? completely bypassing that entire section, with a push button to activate the starter. *turn key**push button**engine rumbles to life* "WHEEE!" (that was me, not him. LOL)  2 hours, versus 20 or so. It works.  

Also, I've discovered that my right eye has random golden patches in the iris, that mostly only show up in photographs. http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/100_2047.jpg weird, no?  My current avatar, by the way, is not, in fact, a photo of the ocean floor, but my own eyeball. I wonder if I get superpowers from having the ocean in my eye? Probably just the amazing ability to be eaten by sharks, LOL.

Also, I was thinking today about an english assignment from senior year. It was right around valentines day, and our teacher was... slightly nutty. She passed out four random candy hearts to each person. Our assignment was this, " write a romantic story, using every phrase on your hearts at least once." HEE. Mine was not quite what anybody expected. Well, given the fact that I was one of three people in the class who bothered to finish their story (she wasn't the most respected of teachers... actually at one point when we were supposed to be reading macbeth, I took over the class for a few days to get everybody to pay attention. Yes, me. a student in the class.) Anyway, though, I put a definative Kiraelian spin on the concept. I think I'll post it in the Letting Your Hair Down section, along with this paragraph(this sentence ommited, of course, since that wouldn't make sense.) It's called "Candy Hearts and Betrayal", and is definately a dark take on the idea of romance. I'll also underline the candy phrases. Some of them were partially rubbed off ( particularly the one that was supposed to say "love sick")

My eyes are the same colour, little sis. This you know, I think...  ;)  Mine even have the little brown strands here and there. By any chance, does one of your parents have blue eyes and the other have green? And by any chance, are there members of your family with brown or hazel eyes? Juuust curious.
   In any case, turquoise eyes rock.

LOL. Dad has gray/blue eyes(i think, I never really paid attention), Mom is hazelly-green, and my brother(at least one of them, IDK about the other, or my sister) has dark brown, although that could have come from his dad.

Out of curiousity, Angel Spun, does your dad sort of resemble an odd cross between William Shatner and Bill Clinton? LOL. I wonder if Dad has a family off in Cali that he hasn't told me about... *twilight zone music*


Anyway, I got a new pocket knife yesterday, I forgot to mention. See, Paul is of the school of thought that every person old and/or sane enough not to slice themself(or others) open with a blade, ought to have a pocket knife... When he found out his friend S, who was working on the truck, didn't have one... Well. That Was Not Good. So he comes inside, and checks through the stock of random ones he keeps for situations like this, christmas gifts, ect. Well, me being curious, I watched, and one of the knives he pulled out and decided wasn't the right character/attitude for S. I saw it, and was like, "I can has pretty shiny knife?"(see icanhascheezburger.com for grammar) it's a single blade, locking back(non locking knives are horribly dangerous, and liner-lock(those that lock under the blade) are only half as much so, but still not entirely safe)... and a deep greyish-purple, not quite amethyst, imagine amethyst that's clouded with smoke. I'll take pictures later today. Basically, it's the wrong character for S, who's more a red, black, and skulls motorcycle dude, but perfect for me. Yay!

Hair: braided, freshly washed, and therefore floofy. I need to do a S&D sometime soon.

Quote:

I wonder if Dad has a family off in Cali that he hasn't told me about... *twilight zone music*

  ;D

Oooo, I'm a knife lover; always have been, always will be.  I think mine comes from my Pop who, being a farmer/hunter, always carried one in his pocket.  I have a pretty little pearl handled single blade that he gave me when I was about...oh, I don't know.  10 or 11 I guess.  Anyway, I just love knives!  *happy sigh*

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Resizeof100_2072.jpg
^^ My new baby, isn't she pretty?^^

Hee, Trisha, Since I moved here I've learned more about pocket knives, expecially, but blades in general, than I'd ever thought I would want/need to know, LOL. One of the bad(good?) parts about having a f-FIL that's a master bladesmith, I guess. That was his hobby, and his profession, for several years: Custom knives. He can tell you exactly what blade shape you'd need for any given task, what size you'd need, etc.... what brand name is the best, hardest steel, who sucks, etc.
Which can be annoying, when he's up at 2 in the morning, watching the shop at home TV knife show, and calls, waking us up, so he can gossip about who's come out with new stuff and whether or not it sucks.

Music: I was add requested by a band on Myspace the other day, that I've fallen in love with. I must have this CD. Normally, I listen to every song the band has on their profile at least twice to see if I like them or not(unless they're so awful I can't stand to listen to any more)... but this band, I added after listening to half of the first song. So... I think I've been driving paul absolutely nuts, playing the same five songs over and over and over.... then again, he did(does) that to me with Nickelback's Rockstar... so I guess it's a fair trade. at least I'm repeating more than one song. Yes... if you can't tell my guy and I are both obsessive music nuts(though we pale in comparison to some of his friends....)

Actually, he was telling me the other day about one of his friends, M. ...  Who not only has his own music studio, but also one of the largest(if not the largest) CD collections in Lousiana(if not the entire country/world/universe).. Paul was helping him move a few years ago, and was like, "what are all these boxes, M? We already moved out all your crap..." turns out, there were 20 or so bigarse boxes(u-haul extra large boxes.. so 24'' X 18'' X 24'') full of nothing but CDs.

I am in awe.
And want to dig through them one day.

Hair: Infinity bun.

Ahh, my faraway former friend had a music collection at least that size. For some people, it's more than an obsession...it's like a sickness.  ::)

That's a cool pocket knife, little sis. In my late teens/early 20's, I kept a Mexican switchblade in my lingerie drawer, but only brought it out for emergencies. They're illegal in most states, so...ya know.

That's quite the coincidence about your family's eyes. Mine's the exact opposite: my mother has grayish blue and my father has olive green. My father's mother had hazel and my father's brother has brown. Très étrange, n'est-ce pas?  ;)

And no, my father does not resemble William Shatner or Bill Clinton. In all honesty, I don't think that he looks like anyone famous. But he is more the Johnny Cash/John Wayne type. He has very dark colouring, given his mother's German Jew-Gypsy heritage.

I guess I am not obsessive/have a sickness yet because I only have 2,026 CD's so far ::)

One guy at my work asked if I have listened to each one at least twice and I told a white lie and said yes but now when I get a new CD I make it a point to listen to it at least twice ::)

Some people might think that is too many CD's but I love to listen to music and I don't want to hear the same song more than three times a day on the radio :o

Jerry

Well, we just got back from the best day ever.

We went to the rennaisance faire(yay!), although Paul didn't/couldn't get up early, so we didn't get there until around 2:30, but that still gave me a good 2 and a half hours, since the end-of-day cannon sounded at 5.(still kinda feel cheated, but at least I got some time in)... Anyway. I got a new brass hairstick with a claw holding a crystal ball(actually a blue marble, but we'll ignore that fact since it's totally freaking pretty)... saw almost all the vendors, got a bunch of ideas and tips for how to do things(hee... some of these people don't know they're creating competition, but there's room for all of us)... the chain mail ladies... their stuff was prettier, but right now, using just the tools at hand and a single trip to hobby lobby, I could almost certainly kick their arses design wise. I mean, not to sound snotty or anything, but it was cheaply made crap quality.  :-/ at least I know my competition.

Also. I passed a vendor advertising ocarinas, looked in the back and noticed a rack of stringed instruments. lutes, spanish guitars, and yes. three harps. *massivehappy* * http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/images/smilies/icon_rock.gif* So the K. dissapeared for half an hour, until Paul came looking for me. "look honey! I has a harp!" and went back to playing. No, I didn't bring one home with me. they were the cheaply made Pakistani harps you can find on ebay for over 100$ less, and after listening to the tone, it really wasn't worth it. though... even though the bass end was dead sounding, and the high treble was dinky and tinny sounding... I was still the prettiest sound... I am renewed in my quest for a lap harp, although prefferably a better made, better toned instrument (Yes, I already have what I want picked out)... We also got three types of stick insence(vanilla, honey vanilla, and papaya - the first two were mine... the last was paul. I didnt' care for the papaya... but whatever.) and four drams of essential oils. Rosemary(headaches), Lavender(muscle aches), and ... cypress, as the three combined makes a most excellent muscle relaxing massage oil, blended into jojoba, tea tree, or even EVOO.


After we left the faire, driving home, we both decided we were hungry, and since the truck can be turned off and re-started now(WOOO!), he decided to take me into New Orleans for Pizza.  He's been promising to take me to Angeli's pizza place for oh.. a year and a half, maybe? and never got around to it until tonight. Almost worth the wait.. it was darn good, although the tomatoes on the pizza just... weirded me out. Sun dried tomatoes on pizza? yes. fresh, cut tomatoes?  :-? http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/images/smilies/nono.gif

Anyway, we walked through the quarter for a bit after we ate, stopped at a magazine shop for a shotgun magazine for the f-fil, and a copy of rennaisance magazine for me. :D my new hairtoy got its first ever compliment from the proprietress, too. baby's not even four hours owned and already getting "ooooohhh"s. We then drove around the city, he showed me uptown, the garden district, the rest of the quarter, some of the other areas I don't remember the names of... anyway, it was a great tour.

but I got to play a harp! I was always unsure, slightly, that I would spend several hundred on one, and decide I hated it after playing. Now, I no longer have even that shred of doubt.

Yay for lack of doubt. Yay for pretty hairtoys. YAY for a very good day out with my honey.  on that note... goodnight. This is one sleepy K. Did much more than I usually do.... so off to sleep for 18 hours now.

Oh, before I go, I'd like to remark on something. Out of all the period and not so period garb I wore today... The only thing that was remotely uncomfortable? the modern bra. the tightly laced bodice boned in 4 places? comfortable as all heck. I'ma thinkin' our ancestor-ladies knew somethin' we don't.




*I would like to note: mentioning the harps place of origin is not a slight against the country. Pakistan makes many beautiful, great quality Items (see purple knife above). Harps, however, are not one of those items.

Congratulations on your day Kiraela, I'm glad you had such a great time! :D

I love the sound of harps, I'd have to say harps and flutes are my favorite sounding instruments.  Ya lost me though, did you say you would never buy a harp or just not the one you saw?  Do you play?

I don't think you sound snotty at all. I've seen your belts on eBay and even the hairsticks you made, you're very talented.  

Anyway, your eyes are a very beautiful shade of blue!  I had no idea that your avatar was a closeup of your eye! :P  It must be cool to have eyes that can be confused with the ocean. :)

Total coolness! :D  I wish our Ren Fest was still going.

wrote on Dec 2^nd, 2007 at 2:05am:

I love the sound of harps, I'd have to say harps and flutes are my favorite sounding instruments.  Ya lost me though, did you say you would never buy a harp or just not the one you saw?  Do you play?

I love the sound of harps and they can be so relaxing and calming they almost put me to sleep (but then so does heavy metal music but not in the same way) 8-)

Jerry

Oh, I didn't mean to cause confusion. I will, and am going to buy a harp, just not the particular type I played. I would have been happy with it, at least for a while, but the dead sound would have driven my poor boyfriend insane. He's trained in several music studios as a sound engineer, so the off sound would have been like, "gah!!"

Yesterday was the first time I've gotten a chance to play one, although I have wanted to since... geez. I don't even remember when. I can distinctly remember, on the way to my riding instructor's farm, mom and I listening to Loreena McKennitt's old stuff and thinking I wanted to have whatever instrument made that sound.

The harp I want is called a "Harpsicle". It's a fairly inexpensive 26 string harp, but it's well made and sounds beautiful. The same company that makes the 295$ harpsicle, also makes several thousand dollar harps, in the same shop, by the same people.   At first the name threw me off, honestly. I thought it was a cheap gimmick to sell cheaper toys, that would break if you touched them. But research has led me to the conclusion that it's the perfect harp for what I want. I'm not sure if it's the best cheap harp on the market, or the cheapest good quality harp. either way.  But what really sold me? on the harpsicle webpage, Harpsicleharps.com ... they have a link to a couple of sound samples, and it's gorgeous. We called a few months ago to get a couple questions answered, and for clarification we asked if the samples had been modified, edited, or whatever. Not only did the woman we were talking to assure us that indeed, it was un processed harpsicle, she played a small tune on one that was sitting in the office(I think it was hers, that she brought to practice during her break), and it was even more lovely than the ones on the site.

Now, I just need to save up the money, without something else getting in the way. like bills. GRR.

Quote:

Out of all the period and not so period garb I wore today... The only thing that was remotely uncomfortable? the modern bra. the tightly laced bodice boned in 4 places? comfortable as all heck. I'ma thinkin' our ancestor-ladies knew somethin' we don't.

Amen to that, sistah.   ::)

Not much new to report, other than that Paul's cat is seriously weird. I mean.. Moreso than I'd thought. A bit of background? Voodou's cage is a hard plastic crate sized for a medium dog. Emma's cage is a small black pet bag which sits on top of voodou's cage.

Voodou's been locked in her cage for three weeks, since she's been in heat nonstop, and pees on everything while she is hormonally unbalanced. I feed her in the cage, and let her run around the house for about an hour a day with supervision.  She's finally acting normal, so I let her out of the cage. What does she do? Goes over, eats from the regular food bowl, and then jumps up into Emma's bag and goes to sleep. It's like, she's been locked up for almost a month, and her first action on getting parole is going and locking herself up again?

Defective cat.

Okay, the lizard invasion has officially gone too far. The toilet I can handle. The ironing board was an acceptable loss. The window sills and doorjams... isn't that where every invasion starts? But now... the bloody beasties have struck at the very capitol of the Kingdom itself. I present to you: Bedlizard.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Resizeof100_2161.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/pawnofhearts/Resizeof100_2162.jpg

Bedlizard was shortly thereafter carried off by my black-clad enforcer, Captain Voodou, probably to be tortured for information(and/or amusement, this being a cat). This war... it has gone too far.

:o I didn't think they were THAT big!  Holy Crow on the bed?!

I think the lizard is cute. ;D  I'd much prefer the lizard to field mice and brown mice that choose to invade my house.  (Not to mention the occasional neighbor's dog!).

Oh my...that just won't do!  *shudder*  

Mice is one problem we don't have, LOL. Both cats are avid huntresses. There aren't that many roaming dogs around here, given the fact that we live on a fairly busy state highway. Any dog that's loose has a life expectancy of maybe 6 months, if that. An outdoor cat's is even worse, since around here, people will swerve to HIT a cat. 'swhy emma and V. are indoors only, even though V. would desperately love to go outside and kill things.

I just read Trishas journal about a serial rapist and now here we have people that enjoy hitting cats with their cars... what is this world coming to? :'(

We had a gecko in our house today too.  Fortunately, It was only near our sliding backdoor.  When I picked my cat up so she that could get a closer look, he scurried back outside.  

I still think they're cute though, but would hate to have them roaming freely around my house, not to mention all of the commotion it would arise in my cats.

Hmm. It certainly has been a while.

I've been working on my music again... and since I'm finally sort of getting serious about it, I basically set up the bedroom as an admittedly rather crappy recording area. What was once my personal computer is now pretty much a graphics and music butt-kicking machine. I've pretty much arranged all our sound stuff in one corner, surrounding the computer as best as possible.

I'm currently working on a sort of gothic christmas song. It's frustrating, though, since there's traffic noises in the background. :/ I suppose it gives it a bit of urban depressing winter feel, though. It was odd, the other day I was walking from the shop to the house and thought to myself, ' hey, it's finally starting to feel like early october!'... then I realized it was less than a week to christmas. stupid Louisiana with it's defective arse seasons.

Anyway, I think for the new year I'm getting my hair professionally dyed, so that the bleached area matches the natural color as best as possible. The quality will never be the same, but the color at least, can be. Paul has a friend who's one of those... I can't think of the word.. 'hair lady' for rich people? one of those. He's going to see if he can negotiate the price of dye-ing. She used to take care of Paul's ex-wife's hair, so she knows long hair needs, and I might be able to trust her to do trims that aren't secretly chops. (BTW, I've seen pictures of most of his former females... he's apparently always had a thing for long locked lasses)

Random thought. My mother doesn't understand why I am going for such long hair, I think. I mean,she understands the love of long hair, don't get me wrong. It's mostly because when hers was classic length, back in the 70s, it gave her headaches, and she fears that mine will do the same when I get there. We've got similar thickness, although hers is somewhat coarser than mine, so I don't know. Will it? I hope not. If so... They've got medications for headaches. Grow through the pain? maybe I will, thanks.

Current routine that's been working well.
* comb hair out before shower.
* brush again to get all the loose hairs.
* comb again.
* Shampoo from ears up.
* Separate my hair into two sections and pull over my shoulders, apply conditioner, comb through gently.
* comb hair back over shoulders and then bun it, still conditionery.
* leave up while I go about the rest of my showery stuff, which given that I'm practically part fish, can take almost an hour.
*rinse out condit.
*condit again, just the ends this time, comb through again, rinse.
*turn off hot water and stand far out of the spray, leaning back so that my hair is under the freezing stream.

fin.


I've been using way less shampoo that I did in years past, and going through as much if not more conditioner. I'm pretty well sticking with Pantene Ice Shine S&C.

I don't comb the hair while it's wet, pretty much I either keep it in a low ponytail or just down.

I've also noticed that as winter(or a pale facsimile thereof) has arrived, my hair's gotten straighter. It used to air dry into a 2b before combing... now it's almost 1c. I'm not sure if I like this, or not.

Oh, Kiraela...my twin.  ::)

You just described my shower routine almost verbatum.  ;)  And mine also take an hour. LOL

I think the professional colouring sounds fine as long as you take care of your hair afterwards. I mean, that hair is already damaged, right? Why not? If it will unify the colour and make you happy, I say go for it.

Oh yeah, and Ice Shine totally rocks. I think I'm still in love with it even though I'm partially using Restoratives right now. hehe