Jack ♥ Vainglorious

A brand new shiny toy

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:54:02 GMT

Necklace. Thing. XD I know that I'm pretty much the ultimate in Geekdom. But it's not like I always want to... ADVERTISE it. I've been looking for a new flash drive, because my old one is kind of glitchy. And I'm always... losing it. Ugh. I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached. So I found this when I went to Wal Mart today.

The gems and the necklace string are my own personal addition. But now I have a way to keep my geeky flashdrive with me, and no one will be the wiser. Except for the people who read this... XD

Christmas Joy // Announcing the new Website

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:08:17 GMT

BOOB SHOT! Okay, well that wasn't the purpose of this picture. But whatever. It's hard to take a picture of one's torso at arm's length, and NOT have the central focus be my D cups. Whatever. The purpose of this picture is to show off the cute new shirt Julia/Candy gave me for Christmas. Cute, no? I like the chain shoulder straps. Seriously epic.

So today is Christmas. I don't REALLY have any plans... I was going to be spending time with the boyfriend, but he woke up this morning violently ill. So I'm going to try and get some homework done today. And maybe work on various internet like projects. I want to write a bit...

But my main focus this weekend is actually working on getting my website up and running. I believe it was March of this year that I splurged and bought my own domain name. It's fifteen dollars a YEAR to keep it, so... why the hell not? I wanted to reserve it on the chance that I actually become a famous writer, one day. Dreaming big, I know. XD That's fine. It doesn't hurt. I figured as long as I HAVE the domain name and editing capabilites, I might as well put it to good use. I'm going to use the site to post a whole bunch of different things. It'll mainly be a collection of links to my various corners of the internet. But I also want to use it to post blurbs from each of the novels I'm currently working on. Maybe have some short stories and essays posted, as well as an online Makeup and Hair portfolio.

I'm not going to release the domain name to the general public, yet. Just because I want to make sure I have some substantial STUFF up first before I do that. So... keep an eye out!

AAAAARGH.

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:51:04 GMT

Oh, I'm so annoyed, right now.

I seem to be realizing just now that I write WAY TOO MUCH. I know that is supposed to be a good thing, but right now I'm just... irritated.

I spend most of my free time handwriting things. My life is so busy and crazy that whenever I have an idea, I jot it down on... WHATEVER is available. I'll even write on my arms if I don't have paper available. Ideas are constantly pouring out of my head. And the result of this is a complete... MESS of ideas, blurbs, sentences, character profiles, random WORDS and descriptions. Definitions. Imagery. ANYTHING.

The result of all of this... is a COMPLETE disaster. I try to do everything I can to compartmentalize everything. Keep certain notebooks for different novel ideas, different projects. But everything lately has gotten so... jumbled.

I'm frustrated because last night I decided to revisit an old novel idea of mine. Expand on it. I managed the find the TWO notebooks I used to jot stuff down. The first is a small spiral notebook I managed to fill with general outline ideas. The second has random blurbs in it. Including the complete first chapter and snippets if key scenes. But I know I'm MISSING stuff. I know I had more than this. I know I wrote some in my last journal. I just have to FIND the thing. Urgh...

Out of all the novel ideas I've EVER had. This one is the most developed. And honestly, my favorite. I'm mad because I have no idea where to even START looking for all the ideas I've had.

My collection of used papers has grown to a RIDICULOUS level. I feel like I need to devote my entire bookshelf to all this stuff. I have binders, notebooks, journals, even stacks of POST ITS with things written on them. And I have no way of... categorizing any of it. It's driving me completely crazy. If only I could easily TYPE things on the go.

I've looked into those digital pens. The ones where you handwrite stuff and it's automatically converted to downloadable text? Holy crap, that would be nice. That way I could just handwrite stuff and organize it on my computer, without ever having to retype it all. Which seems to be my only real solution right now...

But typing all the stuff I have NOW? Holy Hannah... even without school, it would take me MONTHS to do that.

Grr... Now I know what I want for Christmas...

Avatar : My first 3D experience

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:53:17 GMT

So I went to see James Cameron's 'Avatar' today. It... was rad. I really enjoyed that movie. To be completely honest I wasn't expecting a lot from it. The movie has a HUGE marketing campaign. I almost started to believe that the multiple teaser trailers and featurettes flying around the internet and TV had given away all the important moments and plot points. I almost felt like I had seen the whole movie. I was wrong. I went in totally prepared to be disappointed. And I was everything but. The special effects were amazing... the dialogue was rich and engaging, and the characters were believable, despite the fantasy element. I was completely blown away. I have to say I don't really like 3D all that much. I don't know if there was something wrong with the glasses, but something on the screen was always kind of fuzzy. And the effects of the whole 3D element didn't really seem... WORTH it. It made some stuff blurry, especially during fast-paced scenes. I'd like to see it in the IMAX. No 3D. That would have been completely incredible. I was kind of worried that critics wouldn't be as... impressed as I was. So I just spent some time searching around the internet. I went to Rotten Tomatoes, where 90% of the reviews on there were all positive. Giving Avatar all sorts of praise. Except for this one: http://projectionbooth.blogspot.com/2009/12/avatar-2009.html I read it and immediately felt kind of... angry. But after I read all the comments people posted? I felt better. The guy's a moron. Or as the Na'Vi would call him, a 'skxawng'. XD

SVEN!!!

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:53 GMT

Meet Sven. The super sparkly flambouyant, homosexual Elk, rocking the pink glitter and a black tinseled FEATHER BOA. Holy crap, this thing is amazing. Hayley brought it in to work. It's sitting on the top of our cubicle wall. The thing riding it is actually a rendition of Elam, made out of pipe cleaners. Sometimes I think we get WAY TOO amused over the little things at work. Whatever keeps us going, right? Love for Sven. Seriously.

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:32:50 GMT

PINK! It's a hair extension. Pretty cool, huh? I went Christmas shopping yesterday and decided to pick this up for myself. Six bucks, baby! I've always wanted one and they only had ONE left at Ulta.
I'm having serious issues with christmas shopping, this year. I don't know what to GET anybody. And my limited budget has me thinking who I should actually be prioritizing... Chances are I'm only to get presents for my parents and Elam's parents. It really doesn't help that we're getting ready to move at the end of this month. That puts a serious pinch on the christmas cash. But... I think we'll be okay.
I kind of have a short week, this week. Well... shortER. Monday through thursday is still the normal Work school, work school routine. But I'm only working for two hours on Friday. Exactly what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my Friday hasn't been decided. To be honest...? I think I want to just... nap. I haven't been able to do that in AGES. I usually can't because Elam is in the bedroom playing his games on the computer. So I can't really sleep with the noise. I guess that's the kind of person I am. I can't sleep well unless there's darkness and SILENCE. Elam is going to be working all of Friday, so I seriously think I'm just going to nap. But it depends on my energy level. If I feel ambitious enough, I think I might work on getting the apartment ready for the move. I might to go the dollar store and get cheap plastic containers for my makeup, like I keep wanting to do.
Gosh. Even with my vanity drawers, my makeup is still a mess. Just a bunch of stuff chucked in a drawer. I spend more time shuffling through the pile to find what I want, than I do actually DOING my makeup. That's frustrating. It needs to be organized.
And on top of that, my jewelry collection is starting to expand. Again. Cheap plastic tupperware would be a good thing to invest in, just to keep everything separated and neat. I'm very determined to keep everything organized after the move. Just because the constant clutter of my current apartment is seriously starting to drive me insane. It's too cramped and there's too much STUFF. But starting over from scratch is hopefully going to be more beneficial. AND. I took the Friday we move off of work, so I get to spend the day setting up everything the way I want it to be set up. Because Elam has to work that day.
Bonus!

24 days until the move.
54 days to the fashion show.
57 days until Caper.

Woo!

Weekend shopping. w00t!!!

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:39:26 GMT

Okay. So I've kind of made this weird little commitment to myself. To spend a little bit of each paycheck to expand my wardrobe. I went to Wal Mart today to do a little christmas shopping. I splurged and spent a little on myself. Shame on me, I know. But in my defense, I only spent about twenty on myself. So there! XD

Ten dollar Wal Mart shirt. XD The chains are removable. Love it. I thinks it's a Miley Cyrus shirt... but I don't care. It's cute. XD

Got a pair of those bobby pins with the decorations glued on them. Looks kind of cute with my short hair. Please ignore my growout. XD

BRACELETS. Because I wanted them. XD

I also invested in a better moisturizer for my face and a new body lotion. So maybe my stoopid skin dryness will go away. We'll see. XD

I LOVE JACK!!!

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:53:22 GMT

Heck to the Yes. A testament to my self-love that I can wear around my neck. That is awesome. XD I'd love a necklace that says "Vainglorious". But I don't think they make those. I'll get one custom done... someday.

I totally pestered the crap out Sam yesterday about my nose piercing. Sam is the girl at school I'm working with to put together the Fashion Show. Which is coming up REALLY quickly. O.o
ANYWAY. She worked as piercer for while, so I'm constantly bugging her about how to take better care of my nose piercing. She even says she'll change the ring out for me next week! Good. I hate the big ball on the ring I have now. It's obnoxious.
AND AND AND! She says she'll pierce my ears for me, too. I just need to get a cork. I was kind of baffled when she told me that. A cork? Like a wine cork? Apparently, yes. It's to catch the needle. They don't use potatoes. Who knew? XD I want to get two more holes in each ear. I've always wanted three piercings in each ear. I'd never get the top parts of my ears pierced. I hate my ears. So why would I want to draw that much attention to them? Seriously. Makes no sense.
Ssooo... I have a lot of crap I have to get done this weekend. I have the Fashion Show sign-up forms to complete for the school. I have some homeplay to do. Because it's not work, it's play. XD I need to do some massive cleaning and organizing to prepare for the move. That, and they're probably going to start showing our apartment to potential renters next week. So we have to keep the place picked up. Fun stuff! And I wanted to get my wardrobe more organized. I got rid of a BUNCH of stuff last weekend. So it should be easier to organize, now. I can't wait for my Tax Return. A very large chunk of the 1K I'm going to get will go towards building my wardrobe. Forever 21, here I come!

I'm drying out! DX

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:55:08 GMT

Oh my God, I totally hate the world, right about now.
It has been... FREEZING this last week. It's barely broken 10 degrees, outside. Mainly hovering around five or six degrees... It sucks. It's so cold you step outside and it hurts just to BREATH.
It's lame. To the max.
I've never really had problems with my skin. Ever. Especially the skin on my face. I've had a little bit of mild acne around girl time, every month. But honestly, never anything MAJOR. But something about this winter has hit my skin really HARD. And it's not really acne. I mean, I have broken out a little bit. But honestly it's no worse than normal. The problem is my skin is so DRY. It's so dry it's PEELING.
Holy crap, it is so freaking NASTY. The same thing is happening to the skin on my legs, hands and arms.
It honestly isn't as alarming to me as it should be. I mean, I always kind of knew this would happen to me. My mother's skin is very, very dry. And I knew it was just a matter of time before her skin issues became mine. I just hate how ill-prepared I am for it. I only have a basic moisturizer for my face and I ran out of body lotion MONTHS ago. I never bothered to replace it because I didn't NEED to. O.o
Now I kind of need to. But I'll have to wait until tomorrow.
To top it all off, the dry weather has done a number on my HAIR, too. It's getting brittle and is starting to break off. Not good. I'm not TOO worried, though. My hair is very dense, therefore I can afford to lose a bit of it. And am doing what I can to prevent it. Last night I invested in some Paul Mitchell intense moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. I used it last night before I went to sleep and could immediately feel a drastic difference. So a couple more washes with that and it should start to feel like HAIR again.
Yay for bleach. Why did I do this to myself?
Whatever. I'll be fine. It's mainly my face I'm worried about. The peeling bits of skin make me look really... washed out. There's a section of skin on my cheek, next to my nose piercing, that's so dried out it's starting to crack a little bit. Just because I can't get really close to it because of my piercing and exfoliate all the dead skin off there so it can heal up better. Bumping my piercing isn't quite so bad as it used to be, but when it rotates, it's still painful enough to make my eyes water.
I'll just have to suck it up and get in there to take care of that nasty red patch of skin.
Jeese. This is kind of TMI, isn't it? And I'm really making it sound a lot grosser than it really looks. Honestly, you have to get really close to my face to really SEE all of this. But the point is that I can see it. And it's bugging the Hell out of me. I'm definitely going to be investing in a more heavy duty moisturizer this weekend. Because clearly the two I'm using NOW isn't really doing the trick. XP

Lola.

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:18:56 GMT

I guess I knew something was wrong when my Dad practically blew up my phone yesterday morning.That's really not like him... at all. My dad's the kind of guy who, if he wanted to see what I'm up to, would just send a text or leave a casual voice mail.
My phone is on eternal silent, nowadays. I only noticed because I checked my phone to see two missed calls, a text, and a voice mail. All from him. We played phone tag periodically throughout the rest of the morning, and I finally managed to get ahold of him on my lunch break.
My Aunt Linda died on Monday night. This was the news he had for me.
My aunt Linda has had some very... extreme health problems. She's been suffering from Crohn's Disease and some rather nasty liver issues for the last two years. She hasn't been doing good for a long time.
The last time I talked to my grandmother, she told me that Linda wasn't doing good. That she was back in the hospital and trying to get on the donor's list to get a new liver. She got on it... but only for a short period of time.
I didn't really ask for the details, but Dad said they took her off the donor's list, and gave her about a week to live. They moved her to a hospice... where her only request was that she get a new pair of pajamas.
Because she didn't want to die in a ratty old pair of PJ's...
God, that is just so... heartbreaking.
She lasted four days with the hospice and finally passed on Monday night.
I think the part that makes me the saddest is that I was never TOLD. No one on that side of my family bothered to tell me that she was going into a hospice. That she had only been given a week to live.
I knew that she hadn't been doing good. But how was I supposed to know that she took such a drastic nosedive? Especially since she's been in and out of the hospital for the last two years? I wouldn't have been able to see her... but I would have liked to have talked to her one last time. Lola was such a cool woman. Sweet, yet weirdly fiery. I had always adored her in my own silent way.
But now she's gone and I'm filled with nothing but regret and sadness. Regret that I never got to say goodbye, that I never got to know her better. That I never was able to make the time to go see her. Along with my grandparents and my cousins and my other Aunt and Uncle. Now that this is happened, all I want to do is jump in the car and drive over there. Make the two and a half hour drive and help my Aunt Tracy with the funeral preparations.
I can't go, though. I have work, which I can't get out of. School that I can't get out of without being penalized. And it's supposed to snow this weekend, and I can't safely make the drive through the Grand Coulee pass. It's too dangerous...
So I just... stewed in my frustrations and sadness, yesterday. In a way, I still am. But yesterday... wasn't good. I spent most of yesterday wandering around in a haze, feeling like someone so much as LOOKING at me funny would cause me to burst into hysterical tears. I came close a couple times. But I sucked it up and went on with my day, pasting a fake smile on my face. No one suspected a thing, really. You'd think nothing was wrong.
I guess I've become a master at that, lately. Pretending like I'm fine when I'm really upset. It's because I have to be. I work and exist in an environment where it's expected that you leave your baggage at the door. And I firmly believe that. Especially with school. Paul Mitchell is an uplifting and inspirational place. I don't want to be dragging down the atmosphere with my general sad and bitchy moodiness. It's not really anyone else's business, anyway. That's just... the person I am now, I guess. I'm so much stronger than I used to be. Much more private.
My younger self would be running around, crying, and sharing my pain with EVERYBODY. Not anymore. I've learned to hate people like that. People who just... talk about everything that's wrong with their lives for the sake of gaining sympathy. There's a time and a place for things like that. And I truly believe that venting and crying should be reserved for the local coffee shop, with a steaming mocha and a good, trusted friend to listen to you. To let you cry and make you laugh after you've poured out your freakin' SOUL.
I'm grateful that I have those people in my life. It really keeps me going. And helps me get through the shit-storms, and come out on the other side with a smile on my face.
As for my Lola, I'm so glad she's not suffering anymore. The poor woman has had it rough, the last couple years. As much as I'll miss her, I'm glad she's finally resting.
I better stop writing before I start crying again. XD I've kind of been neglecting my Lj for the last several weeks... I'm certainly hoping to change that.

A whole new look.

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:24:06 GMT

I honestly don't think I've ever given myself a more... drastic makeover. XD I kind of made the recent decision to give myself a newer, 'edgier' look. For the sake of my career, and just to alleviate my chronic boredom.

So. Adjustment number one:

That is not a before and after picture. That is seriously the right and left side of my head. XD Elam keeps making fun of me because I literally got half a haircut. Well... a little more than half. All the hair on the right side of my head has clearly been chopped off. I really wanted a unique cut. And I would definitely call this one unique. XD I made it up myself, to be honest. I had a picture of what I wanted, but I ended up telling Sam to make so many alterations to it, it turned out totally different. I love it to pieces.

Alteration number two:

NOSE RING. And a very psychotic look on my face. XD Don't ask me why I chose this picture to post. It just amused me. A lot. But yes, I have a nose ring, now. A big ol' sixteen gauge with a ball on it. I don't really like the ball... but the ball is necessary until it heals up a bit more. Just because the joint could rotate into my skin and stick. My skin would heal around it and I'd be stuck with one ring for all eternity. So I'll deal with the big obnoxious BALL for now. Sam says I can change out the jewelry whenever I want to. So long as I'm careful and clean about it. I'll stick with it for a couple months and then switch to something else. Maybe a stud. Maybe a different colored ring that doesn't have a big BALL on it. I don't know. I have plenty of time to think about it.

OH OH. And another thing. Elam and I are finally going to be moving into a bigger apartment. I got to see it today. It's AWESOME. Seriously. A lot bigger than I thought it would be. It's a nice two bedroom apartment. With a CABINET in the bathroom. THREE closets. A patio with a sliding glass door. Still ground level. A big kitchen with twice the counter and cabinet space I currently have.... AMAZING, in short. I'm nothing short of STOKED to move in.

Move in date is currently set for January 7th. WOO HOO! We're only going to have two days to move all of our stuff. But considering all we have to do is carry our stuff about fifty feet across a teeny little lawn, I'm not all that worried. Our move days turn out to be a Thursday and a Friday. I'll probably take the friday off for the sole purpose of moving, cleaning the old apartment, and unpacking.

OH MY GOD, I'm so excited. I can hardly stand it.

I just kind of realized that I have... SO MUCH going on in the next few months. I have Fashion Show planning. Moving. AND Caper coming up. All of this, on top of my regular schedule of school and work... Jeese. I'm gonna die. XD But that's okay. I can totally handle this. I'm nowhere NEAR a meltdown.

Power to Jack. Seriously.

Now my precious Jericho has a purpose.

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:55:23 GMT

I don't really know how my mind works sometimes. I have one little idea floating in the back of my head for ages... I watch two completely different movies in a three day period, find completely random inspiration in both, and boom. I have thirty six pages of notes and a mock book cover.
Jeese. I need to purge all this stuff out of my head so I can start focusing on Pandora's Box again.

Jericho can now say he has a true purpose. Not that any of you really know what that means. XD

Fasciculations....? Whut?

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:58:17 GMT

For the last couple of weeks, I've been having this weird... ISSUE with the tiny muscles of my face. As weird as that sounds.

I mean, we ALL get wierd facial ticks once in a while, where a little muscle next to our eye will start twitching due to stress, malnutrition, dehydration, etc. But not everybody has these twitches go on for a month straight.

It started with a little twitch in the bow of my upper lip. It was just once in a while, but it's steadily gotten much worse. To the point where it's pretty much a constant bother. I'm always frowning and working my lips, doing weird little grins to stretch out the muscles to ease the twitch for a few moments. It's annoying.

The twitches are spreading, now. It's below my right eye and near my right tear duct, next to the bridge of my nose. It's really, REALLY getting annoying.

So I went to see the on-site nurse today to ask what could be causing it. She says it's really common, actually. The only thing that worries her is how LONG it's been going on. If it were just dehydration, or malnutrition, it wouldn't have lasted this long, or I'd be seeing other symptoms.

It could be stress or lack of sleep.

Or it could be diabetes or some kind of neurological problem. Perhaps an iron deficiency. I'm getting blood work done tomorrow just to be sure.

I'm sure it's stress. Just another irritating byproduct of my hecktick and fast-paced lifestyle....

IN OTHER NEWS.

I'm getting my nose pierced again this weekend. Yeesh. The first time I did it, I was 19 and I blacked out. Fun stuff. But I'm going to be braving it again, this time. I'm going to go to a more reputable place, so hopefully this time I won't wind up having as many problems as I did before... and I kind of know what to expect, this time: excruciating pain. Icky.

Maybe I'll down a couple shots of Tequila before I go. Take the edge off. XD

Beginning my torrid affair with Hard Candy...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:30:11 GMT

Those who actually know me, know that I'm a total MAC fanatic. For those of you who don't know what MAC is, it's a makeup brand. Sold in department stores. In comparison to most department store brands, it's probably the cheapest. Still kind of spendy, but in general MAC is still a very good brand of makeup.

For the past two years, nothing but MAC has touched my face. I'm very particular when it comes to my makeup, and for the past couple of years I have practically cursed at drug store brands like Maybelline and Revlon. They just can't COMPARE to MAC. I still believe that.

But crunches in my budget have forced me to make a rather tough decision. I'm shelving my MAC products. I've put them away, to save them for 'special occasions'. Over the past couple of months my drug store makeup has gradually growing in number.

It started off as me wanting to experiment with wet eyeshadow application. I don't use my MAC eyeshadows for that because once the moisture is actually ON the palette, it makes it hard to ever use it dry again. So I invested in an eyeshadow duo by Hard Candy. The duo was an irredescent white and black combo. I decided I really liked it.

It didn't quite go on as easily as my MAC stuff. It was kind of chunky and it bunches in my crease a bit, but a little blending made it presentable. From there, I invested in two more eyeshadow duos. A pink and purple, and a cream and teal. All Hard Candy. Over the last few months I've kept returning to the store and picking up a few more Hard Candy products with each payday.

I've gotten several colored mascaras. Gllitter eyeshadows. Plumping lip glosses. Colored liquid eyeliners. Glitter mascara topcoats. Eyecolor sticks. I now have an array of various Hard Candy products. Enough to sort of... REPLACE my MAC stuff, for the time being. Today, I went to Wal Mart and bought some concealers and a L'oreal foundation.

I wore entirely drug store brand makeup to Thanksgiving dinner today. I ended up looking no different than when I wear all my MAC stuff. But I could definitely tell the difference. I can feel the difference in the cakey feel of the foundation, the way the eyeliner kind of crusts. I can tell because with my MAC stuff, all I used was moisturizer and foundation. But to achieve the same amount of coverage with the drug store stuff, I need to use a moisturizer, a tinted moisturizer, a green concealer for the redness in my cheeks, and pale yellow concealer for my dark circles, and then foundation, and then two kinds of finishing powder.

I've been working with makeup for long enough now that I can take what I have now and make it WORK. I just hate how much I have to work WITH it in order to achieve the same results.

Ugh. I hate being poor.

The lingering prospect of BOREDOM. GASP!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:18:51 GMT

IT'S HERE!! Freakin' finally. After about two months of waiting, I finally got the stepdad to dig it out of his garage. It's sooo old. An antique little vanity. It's in desperate need of a paint job. It's stained and the paint it does have is a gross off-white yellow color and it's chipping off. The foil under the mirror's glass is cracked in the corners. The handles to the drawers are rusted.

This is the top of the mirror. The paint in the engraving is just plain yellow. I think I'm gonna try and get my hands on some gold paint for that part. Big ol' chuck of paint missing, too. XD

Say hello to my makeup collection. XD I could have sworn I had more than this. But come to think of it I DID get rid of a whole bunch of stuff a couple months ago. Stuff that was old, or that I just didn't use much.

The black thing in the center front is my eyeshadow compact. Has twelve eyeshadow colors in it. The pink thing with the big obnoxious gem on it, left side, is another MAC eyeshadow compact. With six colors in it. I'm totally the queen of eyeshadow, I've realized. The black thing in the top right is actually an ink stone, used for chinese caligraphy. I use it for mixing eyeshadow colors with water.

This week is Thanksgiving. I only have school Monday and Tuesday, and have thursday and friday off a work. A four and a half day weekend...

You'd think I'd be excited, but I'm kind of... NOT. Elam's not going to be home. I'm going to be bored out of my freakin' MIND. Who would have thought boredom would be so terrifying?

Ugh. I'm sure I'll be fine. I have plenty of stuff to keep me occupied. Typically I'd be chatting it up with my Long-Eyed Sister. But she's actually in Washington for the next couple weeks for a much-needed visit to the fam. I honestly don't expect her to be online until she returns to California.

I have a Thanksgiving dinner at Elam's sister's house on Thursday. And friday I'm going to be kidnapping Nikki again. Then I plan on getting around to painting the vanity at SOME point in the weekend. But that honestly won't take up a whole DAY. Ugh.

I guess this means I'll get some good writing time in. But I'm finding that staying at my apartment and tryiing to write is a rather... impossible task. I always seem to get distracted by random stuff. I think I'll pick up the laptop and go to the coffee shop down the street. Sip on a latte and chip away at stuff.

Overall it's going to be a very short, easy week. And hopefully an extended, boring weekend will mean I get some productive hobby-related things done. We'll definitely have to see.

Because Brenda did it...?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:03:49 GMT

Um... What? O.o

I never really thought of my face as all that symmetrical or even remotely attractive. This website is calling me a liar. And yes, I did take a picture of my computer screen. My 'print screen' was being a bitch and it wouldn't let me click on 'share', so... I improvised.

The last two things it points out are things I already know. I have a black person nose (I blame my black dutch great grandfather. XD), therefore it is very wide. And I already know that my face is square/oval, therefore too long to be considered the perfect 'oval'. Jeese. I hate these things.

But people have always told me I should be a model. This thing is telling me my face is nearly perfect... I just need a nose job. XD Maybe after I get my ears fixed.

Protege and near death experiences

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:52:12 GMT

I nearly died on the freeway tonight. Yeah... totally fell asleep at the wheel while driving to school. Thank God for rumble strips. It scared me so fucking bad I nearly peed my pants. I was practically in tears by the time I got to school.

Then I got over it.

I'm going to start drinking a cup of coffee before I leave for school every night. School is enough of an adrenaline pump to get me home AFTER school.... but getting there is kind of an issue. I'll fix it with a caffeine shot.

ANYWAY.

On to better news.

Tonight was my first night of Protege. Basically that just means that I shadow a Creative/Adaptive student for the night. Watch them work on their clients, help out wherever I can. Shampoo their client, drape their client, blah blah blah. It was SO MUCH FUN. It was so laid back and chill, and it was seriously awesome to watch some of the other students do their thing. Really got me excited to get a client of my own.

Which will be happening tomorrow. But that's beside the point. XD

I'm going to be getting my hair toned again tomorrow. Maybe... if I have time. We'll seeeeee.... I'm so tired, right now.

All my stuff....

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:33:05 GMT

So this is all the stuff I've resorted to carrying around with me, on the daily. I have a black shoulder bag (my high school bag, actually), that seems to stay with me any time I'm not in school, nowadays. This little creative kit of mine started out as just my journal, but seems to have steadily grown over the last few weeks. I find that now, since I'm not as home so much, my creative exploits have to be more portable. I can't just leave all my stuff at home now, or risk losing my muse.

I used to just write everything down in my journal. I've quickly found that this method doesn't work so well for me. I tried... but now I have to go back to compartmentalizing everything. Whenever I'd write something down related to my novel, it just kind of gets lost amongst all the other entries, and finding it again becomes a total pain.

Case and point: Yesterday, I was looking for a certain excerpt. I actually wanted to post it here, just to start getting the groove back. Took me so long to find this excerpt amongst my mind's debris that I just... lost interest.

That sucked.

Which is why I've resorted to writing Pandora's Box's full manuscript in a separate notebook. Simply because I don't have the time to type up the manuscript on my laptop. Allow me to direct your attention to the pretty black spiral marked in silver sharpie, on the top there. XD

So what is all this other stuff? XD I shall tell you.

Starting from the left, you can see a black shiny, almost snakeskin like cover peeking out of the bottom, there. This is my sketchbook. Just a normal black sketchbook. Can't see it in the picture but I wrote "doodles" on the bottom right of the cover, just so I know where the front is. XD

That red... blob is actually a collection of my BIAM worksheets. (BIAM = Book in a Month). BIAM is quite a handy little system for pounding out manuscripts. I, unfortunately, do not have the time to write a full manuscript in thirty days, but the system still provides some really awesome fill-in-the-blank worksheets that really help you analyze your characters, plot, theme, scene sequence, etc. So the red thing is just a bundle of worksheets bound by a little three ring clasp. Nothing too special.
The thing on top of the red thing is obviously my Pandora's Box manuscript notebook. There aren't any notes in there. It literally is just my manuscript from beginning to end. Well... not end. But I'm working on that part. XD
The thing labelled 'Artbin" is a plastic container that's holding all my prismacolor pencils, pro art graphite and charcoal pencils, sharpeners, charcoal sticks, and two erasers. For my sketches. XD
The black thing below that with the silver little swirlies on it is my journal. That's pretty self explanatory.
And below the journal is obviously my planner, with some pink paper sticking out of it. The pink paper is a bunch of notes I took for Fashion show purposes.

Because guess who's in charge of putting it together? Yeah, that would be me. Glutton for punishment, I am. Sam is going to be helping me, but Sam is more of a creative free spirit. When it comes to keeping track of models, time, music, decorations, seating, setup, underage model release forms, theme control, etc... that's all me. It's not that I've never put together a big production before. Christ. I directed To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm pretty sure I was like Directorzilla. And you can bet that when that curtain parted on opening night, I had made sure everything was 100% ready. I even rode the set crew until they hated me, forcing them to get the set done freakishly early so my actors could practice with their sets.

So I'm not worried about making this production work, I just know I can't do it by myself. I'm definitely going to be giving out a lot of tasks to people... for the sake of my sanity. XD

I did some doodling today...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:59:08 GMT

So I spent most of today pursuing a few random artistic... things. The first thing I did was turn this:

Into this:

It's a character award for my teacher. I drew her name for a little thing we do for Core Graduation. Just an award based on certain aspects of that persons character. I named Teresa 'Most Likely to call you a Sucker". Because that's what she does. Call everybody a sucker. It's hilarious. I did a lot of the work on this yesterday, and spent about thirty minutes today gluing all the suckers and attacking a few more gems. Turned out kind of cool. I hope she likes it, and doesn't randomly stumble upon this entry before tomorrow, and spoil the surprise. XD

I also made this:

A traceable template for fashion design purposes. I'm very picky when it comes to my drawing. I know that if I try to draw a female figure with EVERY outfit I make, I'll spend my time trying to get the figure right, and not drawing the clothes. So I put together this to trace. I'm not exactly a FAN of tracing, but like I said... the focus on these pieces will be the clothes, not the figure. It took me a while to even put THIS together, and I even left the head off of it. There are feet, but they're cut off in the picture. I have other templates to use for makeup design, and another for hair design. All kept between the pages of my awesome sketchbook.

Here's the first design I've put together. It's a rough idea of an outfit for the Paul Mitchell fashion show, and possibly my halloween costume for next year. I wish I was better at drawing different fabric textures. I guess that can come with practice. But I guess I need to stop being so picky. The purpose of these sketches are just to give me a rough estimate of the look I want.

Now that I think I'm done doodling my soul out, I'm going to get Elam to order that pizza and actually get to writing me stuff. XD

Jack the Overachiever

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:32:01 GMT

Since my school announced the possibility of an upcoming Fashion Show, I've found myself thinking about it. A LOT. We do know it's going to happen, but with Caper and the 2010 Olympic Figure Skating tryouts coming soon, it may not be for another several months.

But I've been thinking about it. Thinking about the outfits I want my models to wear. I even found myself doodling a costume idea in the lined pages of my journal.

I think just that little doodle has created a monster. I've been doodling EVERYWHERE, now. Random makeup ideas, outfit ideas, hairdo ideas. Jeese... I even spent a 10$ Fred Meyer giftcard on a sketchbook today, just because I feel like I should have one, now. I was playing with some of the charcoal pencils that came with it, and Elam did this weird... GUSHING over the weird face I drew. He tells me I need to draw more often and show off my work more.

Shit. Am I about to add Artist and Fashion Designer to my list of active hobbies? I wonder how much I can actually do. My workaholic self is always trying to fill in the gaps with things that are... well... productive. And I've ALWAYS wanted to learn how to make my own clothes...

Problem is that right now, I don't have the ROOM to pursue that as a hobby. After talking with Elam today, he's finally agreed that we need to get a bigger place. He was always weirdly resistent to the idea. But I think the constant clutter is starting to get to him. We NEED more space. And he's even REALLY encouraging me to pick up fashion design, too. So I'll need a room devoted solely to my freakin' hobbies. A desk for writing, a table for sewing, a closet for keeping all my crap in, a corner for my dress form. And he AGREES with me.

Heck yes.

So that'll be something we're definitely going to be working on. Saving the money for a deposit on a bigger place. Maybe even a house... but let's not get too carried away. XD

Until that time comes, I'm just going to be working on filling my sketchbook with ideas. And dreaming of the day when I'll have my dress form and that hobby room. XD

Testing today... yeesh....

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:55:11 GMT

So today marks the first round of my Core testing... Today is the written exam, tomorrow is the practical.

I'm weirdly nervous, of course. If I fail either of these exams, I'll be expelled. They'll throw me out and blacklist me from the local schools, because I'll prove myself to be completely incompetent and a liability.

I'm totally kidding.

Failing isn't that big of a deal. You just take the written again and again until you pass, and the instructors basically WALK you through the practical. The only reason I'm nervous is because I want to make my teacher look good.

I know that sounds kind of weird... but Teresa is seriously awesome. I love her to DEATH. And my class is the first Core class she's ever taught, and she wants to know that she's done a good job. She HAS done a good job. And honestly spending the last two nights at school with two instructors OTHER than her...? It really makes you appreciate her.

Teresa went to Orlando for a training conference. She should be coming back today. But her being gone meant that we had subs to teach us Monday and Tuesday. First night, it was supposed to be Zack. Zack is probably the only one who rivals Teresa on the Awesomeness Scale. He's seriously talented, a GREAT teacher, and very strict. The greatest part of it is that he LOVES the Night Core (my class). Zack is very dedicated, and you can tell that he gets frustrated with some of the Day girls. Just because they seem to cut corners, and they don't really LISTEN to him.

Prime example was when we were doing our training for haircutting. Some of the Day Core girls had missed their cutting days, so they came in to make up the time with us at Night. They were... weirdly disobedient. Zack would give them instructions and they'd skip ahead. Zack FORCED them to wear their aprons, too. It was hilarious. Zack never made US wear our aprons.

Funny.

Anyway, when Zack was out of the room, one girl straight up ASKED us: "Is he ever mean to you guys, too?"

That was shocking. Up until then we didn't even know there was a mean bone in Zack's body.

But after spending some time in the Day classes (when I got my hair bleached), I can totally see why. There's a completely different... aura in Day. Even sitting in the chair and watching others, I could SEE these girls cutting corners. Bending rules. Slacking.

It's totally... not like that in Night Core. Every single one of us in Night work our TAILS off every day. We work full time jobs and we still go to school at night. Because we WANT to be there. We're totally driven and 100% focused.

Don't get me wrong. There ARE girls in Day that are like that. I could totally name some right now. But the GENERAL atmosphere is one of people who are just... doing this because their rich mommies and daddies paid for it, because they needed something to DO after High School.

I think that's why Zack likes us so much.

ANYWAY. I've gotten way off topic, here. Zack was supposed to be our sub on Monday, but he called in. Some kind of emergency. So another instructor came in to take his place. This instructor... wasn't all that nice. You could tell she was tired and really DIDN'T want to be there. You could tell she was used to the 'slackers' in Day, because everything we told her about normal Night Core procedure, she had to verify with somebody else. Like we were lying to her?

Whatever. It was stressful.

Yesterday was manicures, and we were taught by Francie. She's the SWEETEST old lady. A little off her rocker, too. But I seriously love her. She's chock-full of all kinds of stories, and has been with the industry for 42 years. She has the tendency to ramble and overexplain and repeat herself. It annoyed some of the other girls in Night, but I seriously didn't mind. It was WAY BETTER then Monday.

Francie told us a story about how a woman who worked in the same salon she did, bought a bottle of SIXTY VOLUME developer, once.

Just so you know, the mild developer is a 5 volume. 5 volume developers are used for demi-permanent colors and toners only. 30 and 40 volume developers are for permanent hair color. When used with bleach, the higher the volume, the FASTER the bleach eats at your hair and bleaches the color.

Now, sixty volume isn't even CERTIFIED for use in America. You can only get it from Europe. Francie told us that the bottle her salon-mate bought EXPLODED when it was sitting in their sink. Developer is basically peroxide, and 60 volume is EXTREMELY volatile. The developer was so strong it ATE AWAY the pipes of their SINK. They had to get the whole thing replaced.

Note to self: Don't EVER use 60 volume developer on anybody's HAIR. Yeesh.

60 volume is only available in Europe because it's used on Ethnic hair. Ethnic hair is very coarse, and wiry. You COULD get away with using 60 volume, but only for a REALLY FAST processing speed. It's really not necessary. And not something I will EVER risk using.

ANYWAY!!! I'm off topic again.,

Despite how awesome Francie is, I still miss Teresa. She makes class unbelievably fun. And I want to knock this test out of the park to help make her look good. Because she IS good.

I should bake her some cookies.

Fading into the background...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:19:23 GMT

I guess it's something I'm really starting to see more and more with each passing day. A natural side effect of being such a busy girl. The people who used to be my 'best friends', the people I'd hang out with on weekends and spend my time with... They're not a part of my life anymore. It's kind of something I never saw coming.

I guess I always thought that the friendships I had would be something solid, through thick and through thin. I guess I was wrong. And it kind of... hurts.

Because in the few times when I AM available to hang out with the people I used to hang out with regularly... I asked if they want to do anything... and they have better things to do now. Other people to hang out with, and I'm just... not invited.

It happens when you don't have time for friends anymore. You just don't matter to them, anymore. Not because they think less of you but just because... others have taken your place. I guess I wouldn't think so much of it, if it was one, or two... but it's EVERYBODY. And I feel so unbelievably lonely now, despite the fact that I'm constantly surrounded by people I can talk with and laugh with.

They're not my FRIENDS. They're just... people I interact with, either through school or through work.

And no, these people are not candidates for deeper friendships. Having been burned one too many times, especially recently, by people who I've blurred the line between 'friend' and 'coworker' for... Not worth it.

I'm just going to have to get used to being the person no one has time for. The one who'll only have a friend when said friend has nothing better to do.

I guess it's not so bad. It'll teach me to be more independent. Teach me that I don't really need close relationships. I mean, shit. Who does, in the end? Nothing is solid. EVERYTHING you have can be lost. And I'm losing it. All consequences of the choice I've made to better my life.

I guess it's kind of teaching me who the valuable friends are. The ones that may actually stick around...

At Home Scalp Treatment - Tutorial

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:43:11 GMT

What is a Scalp Treatment? - Think about how often we use lotion to moisturize our skin. Out of all the skin on our bodies, the scalp is the place that's left completely neglected. For obvious reasons. A scalp treatment is a way to to moisturize and exfoliate our scalps. It helps get rid of dandruff, and cures dry itchy scalps. A scalp treatment stimulates blood flow to the scalp, and can even help your hair grow faster.

What you'll need:

A scalp brush
Hair clips
Lotion
About thirty minutes

This is a scalp brush. It's characterized by bundles of hard plastic bristles. This isnt' something you'd want to brush your hair with. Because the bundles of bristles make it impossible to just.. run it through your hair, lest you just, pull all your hair out. Not pretty.

Anyway. Mine came with my Paul Mitchell kit, but you can find something like this at any beauty supply store. If you can't find something specifically called a 'scalp brush', anything with bristles that are hard, plastic and 'sharp' would serve the same purpose. Even most round brushes would work.

As for the lotion, I recommend Paul Mitchell Tea Tree hand and body lotion. But if you don't have that, any unscented lotion would be best. Use unscented, because after exfoliating the scalp, putting a scented lotion on it could cause irritation and discomfort.

PROCEDURE:

Using some kind of clip, or hair tie, bind your hair up, leaving a one inch section down at the nape of your neck. Using the scalp brush, concentrate on the scalp and brush through your hair. Take your time. Really concentrate on working those bristles over the scalp. This isn't exactly comfortable, but keep at it.

When you're done with the first section, take down another one inch section and repeat the process. Try to only concentrate the scalp brush on one section at a time. If you pull the scalp brush over sections you've already done, you can be causing unecessary irritation.

Repeat this process until you've worked all the way up the head. If you feel like your scalp can handle it, run the brush over your scalp as a whole a few more times.

After you're done with the brush. Pull all your hair back up, leaving that same one inch section down as before. Take your lotion and apply it direction to your partings using your finger. Using the same sections you used for the brushing, put lotion in each of those partings. Be generous with the lotion, because you'll be washing the extra out, anyway. Once you've applied all the lotion, leave all your hair down and the work the lotion into your scalp.

Keep at this for about ten to fifteen minutes.

Yes, your arms might get sore and this is seriously boring. But work it through. XD

Shampoo and condition like normal.

FOLLOW UP:

It's best to do this about once a week for a normal scalp. Biweekly for an oily scalp. And about twice a week for a dry/problem scalp. If irritation, blisters, or hair loss occurs, I would definitely recommend stopping. XD

But it's not likely that would happen. If it's too much, try switching to a gentler lotion.

I'm going to be performing my own little experiment to see if scalp treatments really do help with hair growth. I'm definitely going to be keeping everyone posted. XD

DIRTY HAIR IS AWESOME. SHUT UP.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:50:55 GMT

I remember, before I started beauty school, I would wash my hair every day.

Do I do that now? Um. No.

Since I've bleached my hair, I've been going three, sometimes four or even FIVE days without washing my hair. I've gotten to the point now where I freakin' HATE washing it. As weird as it sounds, I LOVE dirty hair. Now, it's not like I'm rolling around in the mud every day. But 'dirty hair' is a term used for hair that already has a lot of product in it. And seriously. Clean hair doesnt' style HALF as well as dirty hair.

And let's face it, I'm a total product whore. I'm obsessed with styling products. I shall list all the stuff I have an use on a regular basis:

Vita-e Ultra hold hair spray
Paul Mitchell Extra-Body Firm Finishing Spray
Paul Mitchell Extra-Body Finishing spray (There IS a difference. Seriously.)
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Smoothing Balm
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum (Again, there is a difference)
Paul Mitchell Extra Body Styling Balm
Paul Mitchell Gloss Drops
Paul Mitchell Soft Style Cream
Paul Mitchell Round Trip Curl Enhancer
Paul Mitchell Awapui Moisture Mist
Paul Mitchell Super Strength Treatment
Paul Mitchell Shampoo One
Paul Mitchell Platinum Shampoo
Paul Mitchell Extra Body Conditioner
Paul Mitchell Smoothing Shampoo
Paul Mitchell Smoothing Daily Treatment
Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum
Bed Head Manipulator Pomade

Every item on this list is an item I use regularly, if not, every day. My hair is naturally curly and I spend forever and a day trying to keep it straight and frizz-free. Once in a blue moon I'll wear it curly, though... just because. Anyway. I don't have the time to spend in the mornings to get every strand straight, which is why the day after I wash my hair is always the WORST. Just an unmanageable frizzball. Ugh... If it was up to me, I'd never wash it. But I do have to get all the product out of my hair. Natural scalp grease isn't exactly an issue for me, because my hair is bleached and my scalp is dry.

Elam asks me why I fuss so much. I'm a freakin' hairdresser, that's why! It's like a job requirement. Who's going to want me to do their hair if my hair looks all... unkempt? Seriously. I'll fuss all I want to.

On a different note, I'm loving my new bangs. It's so freakin' weird how the right bangs make you look so... different. Not only do I barely recognize myself, but several other people have said the exact same thing. I actually look like I have a bone structure, now. My jaw looks square, instead of just pudgy. My face looks generally smaller and my eyes pop. It's freakin' awesome! I'm not sure I like the rest of my hair's length, though. I'm not sure I can rock the little china-doll bob thing I have going on. But that's okay. I have every intention of letting the rest of my hair grow. I'm going to be keeping these bangs. Exactly how far I'm going to let my hair grow out is something that I'll just have to decide as I go along. Once my hair grows out a few inches, I may just get a one-length. Get rid of all my layers. The only problem with that is that I have a LOT OF HAIR. My constant struggle right now is trying to keep my psycho-fro under control. A one-length wouldn't be the BEST choice for me.... But we'll see. XD

Pepto Pink.

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:13:50 GMT

I hate pedicures. Erg.... I hate people touching my feet. I'm extremely ticklish and there is absolutely nothing relaxing about a pedicure. I spend the whole time yipping and jerking and giggling and whining. Not pleasant. But unfortunately I had to bear it for the sake of education. This pedicure was done by Leslie. She did a really good job. She was afraid of my right big toe, because the callus had a little bit of a crack in it. No biggie. I filed it down for her. The toe color is actually more of a pepto bismol pink with a hint of orange. It's called "Tantalize and Vandalize".

Who comes up with these names? Seriously?

Anyway. I have a feeling more pedicures will be in my future. Just because I'll be on my feet all day, and will most likely develop some pretty wicked calluses. I like to think that that's something I can take care of myself. I got to keep the foot file, so... there's no excuse. I'll do everything I can to keep people from touching my poor feet. My fragile self just can't take it. XD