philosophy

Turns out beauty is expensive -- Who knew, right? ... So yeah, if your teenager is all gaga for glam, you can send him (yes, him) to a decent cosmetology school for about what you'd pay to send him to community college. Just cross your fingers he'll stick it out through all the unpretty parts. I didn't.

It will take every remaining bit of 2009 to recap the year. There's 1/6th of it left, I know. If I wait until 2010 then I'll get behind on recapping THAT year. And lookit: I'm not exactly on top of this stuff. Slow, even. I offer my last blog post, written two months ago, as Exhibit A. Bailiff, please add it to the list of evidence. Who's that shouting at me from the back of the courtroom? You! You there! Kiss m--

A guy just sat down next to me at Barista. He spoke to me, then looked at my wedding ring. He's not talking to me anymore.

Saturn is coming back for me. I'm the sum of consecutive integers. For the next three and a half months I'll be two years older than my sister. It's my birthday today. Since my father turned 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+5 I've been asking the birthday boys and girls to share the most valuable piece of knowledge they've gained so far in their life. The idea is that every year their insights will change.

I'm not a licensed hair person. At one point I thought I wanted to become one, but that didn't pan out. Not to go on a rant about Aveda, but having my product sales numbers read out loud to the class wasn't the kind of beauty school for which I thought I'd signed up. Nope. I did sales at The Container Store. Hell, I taught people how to sell at The Container Store. Why the eff would I want to be Aveda's product pushing corporate pawn when all I wanted to do was learn how to cut hair really, really well?

Imagine a musical montage that goes a little something like this...

L to the U to the C to the KY peanut butter JELLY time Oh Me So Lucky, Me Me So Lucky! HEY hey hey, goo-ood Byeee Bye Miss American Pie in Yo' Face Baby ME ME Lucky ME! Here I go, Here I go, Here I go again (DavidLeeRothScream) WAAAAAAAO!!! I ate some bugs, I ate some grass, I used my hand TO Legit, to Legit to Walk This WAY! Out, Way-ay Out the window and what did I see? There was this guy and a keyboard, And he went WEEEEE!

Late in my freshman year of high school, my best girl friend came out to me on the telephone. It was mind blowing. Best. Girl. Friend. Was a lesbian--The first one I'd ever known or even met (forgive the naivete... I was fourteen and hadn't even had my first kiss yet). Clutching the receiver, I grilled her about the nature of our friendship and whether it was based on false assumptions or hopes. At the end of the long phone call I was happy to know her truth and relieved to finally understand the reason behind the tension between her and another girl in our circle.

I'm sitting in the library, realizing that in my five years here at Clemson I never noticed the ceiling. Did I just never look up? Or was I too busy doing library-ish things? Back when it was constructed, I'm sure this place was state of the art and considered very beautiful. It's a huge building, crammed completely full of books and periodicals and other media.

I am still in a food coma after an amazing Thanksgiving at the Friedle's house. Since none of us had family in town, Jed and I, Jacqui and John, Brittany and Jacob went to Christina and Ben's house to celebrate the occasion together. Add in the bonus of a birthday celebration (Happy Birthday, Darra!) with cake furnished by Darek and it was a Thanksgiving unlike any other I've had. When Christina and I sat down with our plates, we shared a thought on what we're thankful for this year. It got me thinking: How lucky am I that there are SO many things for me to choose from!

Yesterday I walked 5 miles. I didn't do it for the exercise; rather, I chose to travel to a coffee shop in Southeast Portland on foot because I wanted the time to think and be by myself. Life is so full of information, of stimuli, of reasons to talk or be talked to. A walk is an opportunity to control, or just to make sense of, all of that. I've heard a few people say that they do their best thinking while driving, and I too have had my share of epiphanies behind the wheel. Just ask my mom. She usually fields my phone call after a realization smacks me in the head.

Some people pay me cash, while others reciprocate with cookies or meals or beverage. I don't insist on being compensated for my time, because cutting hair is a hobby for me. It's like knitting a hat and then giving it to a friend because you know it will look amazing on them.

My love of cutting hair led me to beauty school at one point, but I quit after I won a school-wide contest for cut and color.