I Chopped Off a Foot…Twelve Inches of Hair

Image from Pantene's Website

I keep waiting to feel sad, but it’s just not happening.  My friends who’ve already done this warned me that I’d be sad.  I’ll cry, they cautioned, it will take awhile to get used to the change.  The latter part is true for sure, but not in a negative way.  I’m chronically squeezing out too much shampoo and then too much conditioner.  As someone raised as a Lutheran Scot in the Midwest, I definitely feel guilty about that waste, but not sad.

A week and a one-half ago, I cut off twelve inches of hair which I donated to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Program.  This program’s mission is to provide wigs to women who lose their hair due to cancer treatments.  (I considered donating to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children.  However, most LoL recipients suffer from alopecia and cancer is a more personal cause for me and my family.  I looked into both organizations and both are solid causes.)  The last time my hair was this short, I still had baby teeth and Mr. Reagan was clamoring for Mr. Gorbachev to “tear down that wall.”  It’s clearly been awhile.  I did maintain enough length that my hair is roughly at my shoulders and I can pull it back into a perky (short) little ponytail.  Still, it feels kind of crazy.  I reach back to touch it all the time, to make sure it’s there, but it’s also not all there.

Five Good Things

1.) I made lentil soup last night and it is amazing, particularly as leftovers.

2.) My favorite Buckeye made a random trip to my tundra last Saturday, so I got to see her!  It was wonderful and almost makes me want to visit Ohio so that we can spend more time together.  (Of states that I have visited, Ohio is my least favorite.)

3.) I will be home from work by 4:30pm tomorrow and have the whole evening free.  Granted, I’ll probably use it to do practical things like laundry and sweep the floors, but that’s still better than 11pm laundry.  The probability is also high that I will relax on the couch, eat my leftover Chinese takeout, and watch TV.  50-50, probably.

4.) I found a check that I thought I lost.  It is only a little old, so it is still good.

5.) One of my good friends received an acceptance to her top-choice graduate school.  As an added bonus, the school is in the town I’m moving to in the fall!

Sock Contest: A Trick

clearly he has some nordic heritage

I like clean, although I like the state of clean a lot more than I like the activity of cleaning.  Last Saturday, I invited some friends over for a potluck dinner (more on that another day, probably with pictures).  Unfortunately for me, it’s the time of year of snow and slush and salt and sand; all of which are pretty much hell on my floors.   Just as guests often bring wine or treats, their shoes often bring the quadruple floor assault.  Fortunately for me, my friends are considerate and I am tricky-smart. 

I know I can simply ask people to remove their shoes at the door.  Unfortunately, that is kind of boring and not fun, two adjectives I strive not to have associated with myself.   While I doubt no-shoes-at-my-house is news to any of my buddies, I still like to warn them ahead of time as some of my friends are fancy and coordinated and do things like think about what shoes they ought to wear with an outfit –a nd then actually remember to wear them.  Enter the sock contest.

Five Good Things

1.) My new jacket arrived today.  It is a warm and soft dream.  I want to turn off my heat and sleep in it tonight, except that would probably be bad for my pipes.

2.) I cleaned my shower head (wha?) and increased water pressure is my  reward.  I did not have any issues with my previous shower pressure, it is just better now and I deserve nice things…like fantastic shower pressure.

3.) 2011 came without any disasters and catastrophes and with a gathering replete with delicious consumables, including Baltika 9, my favorite Russian beer.  (NB: Baltika 9 is still pretty gross; it is just the least gross Russian beer I’ve tried.  I like it for nostalgia – and I got to drink it out of a champagne flute.)

4.) The tundra enjoyed a brief warm spell last week, during which it was warmer here than in Phoenix.  I called Phoenix to let them know.

5.) For whatever reason (it’s not the season) strawberries have been wonderfully sweet lately.   I keep accidentally eating entire containers because they are just that good.  Whatever though – that just means I am full of vitamins and stuff.  (Not pesticides stuff though, because I am not gross and I properly wash my strawberries.

Five Good Things

1.) My college friends and I had our tenth anniversary Christmas celebration.  While I wish I got to see them more often, but I’m glad we have a standing, annual reunion.  (And we’re totally going to submit a picture to our alum magazine.  We’re aging well.)

2.) I get to see my old nanny kids today!  They are wonderful and amazing, probably because those same adjectives apply to their parents.  It’s on the way to my family’s Christmas location, so I’m spending a couple of days with them first.

3.) I get to see some of my family for Christmas!  While we are going to have to call those that cannot make it, the group of us that will be together should have a blast.

4.) Family Christmas is being held in a much, much warmer state than the tundra.  Like, I-packed-a-different-jacket warmer.

5.) While I rarely check suitcases, the length and climates of this trip (along   with the packed gifts) required me to do so.  My suitcase?  It weighs 49lbs.  (There’s an additional charge for exceeding 50lbs.)