It's ALL about the hair

Thus begins the TAKE-OVER of my real hair.

It's ALL about the hair
Originally uploaded by Heather's Shot.

6 months of curly, thick, coarse, frizz growth. The bi-annual $400 chemical CHI straightening is not in my budget these days, so I am becoming reaquainted with my curly roots.

This $200 CHI flat iron is my SALVATION. There are no words to accurately describe the LOVE I feel for this product.

Back in the 90's when I managed to grow all my layers out (except my bangs of course, which is a whole 'nother topic), I had some cute little curls, which could only be seen when I pulled the top layer back in a pony tail. The top layer, which is the equivalent of two heads of hair, is the lovely stuff I call "the frizz" and would expand to fit this frame if I had let it.

So after all these years I have tamed this. My mother tried with a variety of not-so-cool do's. And I tried this. But in the end it was one hot, 175 degree, mother-f&*%ing, cuticle-sealing, negative ion tool that provided the CURE.

And not only am I grateful for the magical CHI flat iron (maybe I can be their spokesperson), but there are two laides I MUST THANK. First.......I'd like to thank the Academy...........oh no.......wrong speech. Seriously, I will be forever indebted to my dear friend Tawna who begged me for 3 yrs to grow it out after the cutting-it-all-off phase in 2000. The growing-out phase was NOT pretty but we all survived somehow. And THEN my sister, Vikki, had the nerve to ask me to JUST TRY the flat iron that she herself had used for years. It took some practice and lots of patience. And who knew hair grew so fast when it's straight!! I may eventually do the chemical thing again but in the meantime I can enjoy a curly kink or two 'cause I've got THE CURE.

Moms

Mom's are with you, in your head, in your heart, and in your soul. No one knows you better. When you hug them it feels like *home*.
I have TWO moms. I'm lucky that way. This woman was my mom's best friend, her son was my best friend. When I was 12 and my mother passed away, she continued to be my mother's best friend.................by being my 2nd MOM. No hesitation. No second thought. We were 2 hrs from one another but that never stopped her. She has raised 3 children, a husband, a job; but that has never stopped her.
I spent most vacations at her home in Covina (NOT a popular vacation spot, but it was the best PLACE on earth.........'cause wherever she is, is HOME).
One of our favorite memories is when she surprised me at school on my 13th birthday (a 2 hr drive for her). She was THERE for me. I remember beaming with pride and thinking, "see everyone, I have a mom and I am LOVED".
The truly amazing part of this story is that she continues to be THERE for me, with her head, her heart, & her soul. I'm 41 and she has been there EVERY step of the way. Amazing is what that is!!

I have watched dad's (and a few moms) after divorce; not calling enough, not writing enough, not being there enough. They don't understand. Parenthood is being THERE whether it's on the phone or email or mail!! It's really that simple.

Girls weekend

This is me with my mom, sisters, aunt, & niece. I don't share blood with them but I share everything else! I was 2 yrs old when this family moved in next door. I don't remember my life without them. I have shared my entire life; ups & downs, marriages & divorces, deaths & life, tears & giggles.
Last weekend we shared a lot of giggles, and some I'm-going-to-pee-my-pants laughter!!

OVERHEARD this weekend:

“You’re LUCKY I called you”

“Oh My! I’ve never seen my bathroom looking like this.”

“Gimme some of that blanket”. “Are you cold too?”

“Come in the Jacuzzi.” “No. I’m too cold”.

“Why are you covering your eyes?” "I’m waiting till my grandma stops doing that." (index finger moving in and out of circle made by other hand).

“He wouldn’t make his bed right so I shot him. When I was 9, I threw her in the pool. She was under a year old. I thought no one would notice.” Apparently Big Sis wanted to be an only child.

One side of the cell phone conversation while driving: “Where are you? You lost us. silence You’re all bitches.”

Your lips move but I can`t hear what you`re saying
“Look at that cute little wine tumbler”. Then Big Sis assuming we can read lips across a crowded table/grill in the restaurant says something silently to us. To which little sister and I mouth, “WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?” To which big sister SHOUTS, “I put it in my purse”.

“It’s been how long since your last period?” “Really? Cool”. Then Little Sis says to Aunt’s husband (across the table/grill): “How was your last period?” To which he replies. “good but spotty. Just glad it came” (wipes brow in relief).

To protect the not-so-innocent, I didn't print all of it.

update on comments and dooce

Originally uploaded by dooce.

I'm back to rant some more about comments. Dooce's post previously mentioned now has 1544 comments!!! AND the-one-and-only Heather A. has opened comments on other posts since then and has 100+ comments on each of those!!

Today's post is about farting and I posted the 191th comment. WHO knew so many people had farting-at-the-gym stories?? Comic relief is what it's all about here people!! Or is it TMTOUH (too much time on our hands)???

Oscars

WHAT is that on her shoulder? A pillow in case she gets sleepy during the 78 hour Academy Awards? If she needed a leftover bridesmaid dress, I have plenty. And WHERE are her boobs; I see only nipples.

The best thing about this years Oscars was that the best film of 2005 actually WON BEST PICTURE!!! CRASH is an amazing film and I said so on my blog last June. And althought I'm so glad everyone got to hear the song, In The Deep, the soundtrack (all of which is FABULOUS) is mainly moving music by Mark Isham, AND my favorite tune is Maybe Tomorrow.

I don't know about Keira or Amy whoever or Rachel, but Meryl Streep was fabulous in Prime. Totally overlooked? And although Mr & Mrs Smith is not Oscar material I suppose, it was a GREAT movie from 2005.

The "Art" ? of Procrastination

On Monday I spent hours on the Verizon website, looking at my bill, and figuring out where I went wrong last month; entering in number after number to see if my “contacts” were also Verizon users, so I can talk for however many damn minutes I want to. I was AVOIDING the “box o’ receipts”, aka my bookkeeping client. The crazy thing about procrastination is that I had been PUTTING OFF the cell phone issue for weeks.

Me
Originally uploaded by Heather's Shot.

I've got this phrase stuck in my head: The Art of Procastination. Not really ART is it?

Art (at least at grade school level) is the glue and cutting and coloring I did for 3 hours tonight in an attempt to create a Solar System display for my son's Science Fair project, DUE tomorrow. Procrastination is the thing we did for the last two weeks to avoid doing the Science Fair project.

And yet procrastination seems to be working for me. To avoid doing something I don't feel like doing RIGHT NOW, I do something that I actually need to get done too.

The classic example is scrubbing your toilet to avoid homework. And although my school days are long gone, I have a child so they’re not really over. Note to self: you don't need to have those dreams anymore where you can't find your classroom, and you forgot you had a test, and you're afraid you're not going to pass your math class, and you suddenly realize you're naked.

Where was I? Oh yes……procrastination. I often do laundry at 9 or 10pm while telling my child to get back in bed fifty gazillion times. I am avoiding the inevitable; laying down with/on my child. I’m like a human straight-jacket.

It just all comes down to what task I’m *perceiving* to be too overwhelming or un-do-able at that particular moment in time. The part that WORKS is that I get everything done EVENTUALLY.

Right now I'm blogging to avoid going to bed. I don't think I could go a day without a good PROCRASTINATION (or "rationalization", for that matter.........remember Jeff Goldblum's character in The Big Chill). Wait! I just rationalized procrastination!!