of parties & weather

So this past weekend, a hurricane's eye meandered along the coast of Virginia.

Those of us living inland were subjected to the same media hype as those on the coast, and being good NOVA'ns, accustomed to moderate weather year round, we panicked.

Whoever put water on sale at Giant last week is probably regretting that decision.

Being on the far east side of the hurricane, NOVA received only enough wind to knock some leaves onto the road (debris! drive carefully!) and enough rain to make walking outside uncomfortable.

Still, despite its generally balmy weather, my area of NOVA is historically plagued by the loss of power during the gentlest of weather (a cloud? power's out). Hence, batteries seemed a smart purchase.

My wonderfully thorough housemates ensured that if the hurricane did perhaps decide to visit our section of the country, we would have party supplies to welcome her. And water. Because it was on sale.

Ironically, the only damage incurred from Irene was in the bedroom of the native Deep Southerner who refused to take this East Coast hurricane seriously--myself.

Though, is it truly hurricane damage if the window already leaked?

Also, I really hope that the disappearance of the large spider that lives between that window and its screen means he drowned over the weekend.

having survived natural disaster week

You probably thought I'd gone missing after all those natural disasters we've had in Virginia this week: earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding.

Nope. I just didn't find time to post pictures of the hurricane damage. Hopefully tomorrow you can see those.

In the meanwhile, I arrived at our row of townhomes last night to find this in our neighbor's yard:

The signs say "please pick up after your dog." And it has a picture of a dog with a pooper-scooper.

As if one wasn't enough, they decided to post two.

This really makes me laugh.

the care and keeping of curls

There are as many variations of curl care as there are variations of curls. It's quite overwhelming, to be honest. Where does one start? Should one even start the process, especially as a professional woman?

For those attached to books, the library won't yield much. The Curly Girl book provides some useful tips and a great deal of encouragement for those hesitant to embrace their natural state.

The author also has a website that provides video tutorials and further information for curly girls.

Then there's NaturallyCurly.com, a veritable utopia of ideas and suggestions for those with unruly hair.

And then there are myriads of other folk with suggestions on how to care for curly tresses.

Where to start?

quakers

To be honest, I had been muddling about for a topic for today's post.

However, in the middle of a longish afternoon at work yesterday (mostly thanks to my stuffy, sinus-ridden head), I had a flash of brilliance. Well, more like a quake of brilliance. Wait, was I quaking with brilliance?

Wondering if indeed I had become a Quaker, I soon realized that I was simply experiencing my first earthquake.

Yes, that's right, I'm an East Coaster and yesterday I lived through the Great DC Earthquake of 2011.

It was rather anti-climatic, nothing like the movies where pictures tumble, bookshelves snap, and buildings crumble. In fact, my first thought upon feeling the quaking and hearing the metal stands in my bookshelf rattle was "Gee, our mailguy has a heavy cart of mail today."

When the shaking continued for another few seconds, I thought "Oh, perhaps it's construction."

And then the shaking got harder, and I decided that this might be what an earthquake felt like. Of course, I then realized that I don't really know what to do during an earthquake. So naturally, I thought "Well, earthquakes make buildings fall over. So I should probably leave the building."

Many of my fellow East Coast co-workers had the same thought, so we stepped outside to enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes. That is, until one of the big bosses arrived with a strange stare: "Why are you all out here?" So we adjourned our brief sunshine escapade.

I returned to my office to discover that my little office companions hadn't even moved.

So much for a shattering earthquake story. It was more like 12 seconds of one of those "Jiggle off your fat!" chairs.

driving solo

Most of the forms of travel in which I am completely inexperienced are not popular in the USA: trains, camels, rickshaws, elephants, motorcycles, gondolas, and sled-dogs.

Still, in my first-world life, I have enough experience to be mobile in a variety of ways: buses, bicycles, ships, horses, metros (i.e., subways), and swimming.

The list of transportation forms in which I am highly experienced is small: my own two feet, airplanes, and cars.

Unfortunately, those last two forms are the ones which I also dislike the most. Familiarity breeds contempt, so they say.

Or perhaps simply situations like the one I experienced yesterday:

On the interstate, driving home from a friend's house in NC, I-81 decided to host a 'slow down the traffic' party.

As you can tell from my speedometer, the party was working.

I'm not a big fan of parties on the interstate.

There's only so much Michael Buble and Pringles I can take at speeds of 20mph.

Well, at least the party was for a good cause...*

Cows. I've never ridden a cow either.

Wonder how fast they go?

*disclaimer: I'm not advocating car crashes! Just sayin' I'd rather have traffic for a reason than for no reason...which HAS happened to me before...

A Pictorial Hair History

Ringlets are cute when you're a kid...and when they're short. (age 2)

You can see a bit of a wave, and definitely some unruliness in the bangs...to think, this was my 'family photo session best hair.' (age 10/11)

Yes, definitely had been fighting the curl in this picture: notice the pollyanna style, a recurring theme in this curly girl's desire for control. (age 14)

During my youth, I visited multiple salons seeking "The Perfect, No-Hassle Cut." Obviously, we had trouble finding it.

So, sick of it all, I went for the bob... (age 17)

Deciding the bob didn't quite work for me, I devoted myself to the art of the straightener, even accomplishing this lovely work with bangs during an East Coast spring. (age barely 19)

Despite that one success, my ambitions of gorgeous hair dissolved with every humidity increase (and during Alabama summers, there are plenty of those!). I grew out my bangs, hoping that would cut precious time out of my morning routine. (age 19.5)

The completely fringe-less, long unlayered look was simple...when dreadlocks were in style (age 21)

Maybe sideswept bangs were the answer to the 'big forehead' dilemma! (age 21 and finally starting to accept my curl)

Of course, my hair HAD to be straight for the most important day of my life to that point: college graduation. Unfortunately, I hadn't looked at the rain forecast for the day...I still regret that morning's decision to straighten instead of embrace the curl. (age 22)

And finally, here we are now, almost 3 weeks into the Curly Experiment:

I still like the straight hair look, but I'm growing accustomed to the breeziness and simplicity of curls that seem to be enjoying their freedom.

And I'm determined never to let a hairdresser touch my hair again without proof that he or she is trained in styling curls!

experimentable

A friend sent me a really useful 'beauty blog' a couple weeks back entitled "The Beauty Department." It's a nifty little resource, because the owners are all well-versed in the beauty industry. Despite my dislike for said industry, I respect these ladies because they provide many DIY ideas, tips, and of course, hairstyles. Just the other day, they posted about a hairstyle they had done for some teen star, and since my curls were looking for an excuse to be pulled up this morning (ie, they weren't curling like I wanted!), I gave it a try.

That last picture looks a bit like I got a bob, eh?!

Not quite, but I'll confess, chopping my hair short is something I have been considering. I'm a little hesitant based on past experience...and on Friday, you'll finally be able to see why.

the prize for awaking early

a letter to my better self

Dear better self & your lovely long list of August goals,

I didn't run the Leesburg 10k yesterday. And I have no shame.

Oh, my better self, you are probably asking what happened. Injury? Catastrophe? Traffic?

Sadly, I have no real excuse except laziness. I don't have a training partner. I forgot to register for the race. I couldn't muster up the 'oomph' to train. And then I signed myself up for duties at church...a sort of 'holy excuse' for not racing on a Sunday.

Better self, don't scold. There are other races. I'm thinking of at least one 5k between now and September 30. And of course, there's always the Hot Chocolate 5k/15k in December. We'll get through this. We'll find other race bibs to add to the collection. And don't forget, I did run a 5k in April that didn't even hand out race bibs! So, I haven't really been slacking this year...just this summer.

In the end, better side of me, I think this lapse of relationship over the weekend was a good thing. Maybe the break will help us. Maybe we can start fresh this week. Maybe you could help me find a running partner. Not to be needy or anything...I just think this relationship could progress more effectively with a third wheel. Or maybe you, o better self, could be the third wheel.

Waiting not so anxiously your reply,

The lazy half

In the wild west, there actually isn't much screaming

I finally saw Cowboys & Aliens the other night.

As the movie closed, three things flitted through my mind:

1) Glad I didn’t pay more than $3 for that.

2) Daniel Craig is hot.

3) Daniel Craig is super attractive as a cowboy.

Please note that I previously did confess that Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were the only reasons I wanted to see this movie. Gore, shoot-outs, aliens…these things just don’t hold much attraction for me. The first two I can see on the evening news, and the last one I had enough of in Sedona, AZ. But cowboy eye-candy? Oh yes, I’ll endure even aliens for that.

Now, for a real review:

Cowboys & Aliens was a great summer flick: lots of action, heroics, some cheesy lines, and of course, use of brain discouraged. It was also a decent Western (from the few Westerns I’ve seen): a conflicted hero, guns, Indians, a cattle baron, horses galloping across plains, and the hero riding into the sunset without the girl. It sucked as an alien movie: a measly three jump scenes (all of which were predictable), oversized and unimaginative (though definitely gross) aliens, more than one survivor, and a Star Wars style monolith. I was happy with that combination though—I went to see the cowboys, not to be scared into gazillions of alien nightmares.

So Cowboys & Aliens was stupid and funny and appealing all at the same time.

And did I mention that Daniel Craig is super hot as a cowboy?

An insecure challenge

Due to technical difficulties (ahem, the 'rents went on vacay and didn't send me the pictures I requested!), my embarrassing high school hair photos have been postponed. Please, try to contain your sobbing. They'll be here soon...pending parental return from a holiday in the big N.O.

So today instead, we'll talk about why 'going curly' is intimidating. Those of you with straight hair, or even just slightly wavy hair, might laugh. Those of you with true curly hair will nod and sigh in agreement.

The main reason that I don't like my curls is because curly hair does not exist in popular culture.

I'm talking true curly hair--kinky, spiraled, uncontrolled, frizzy, ringlet curly hair.

That stuff they do with curling irons doesn't count.

Consider this popular magazine and its cover girl's long, luxurious straight hair:

Or Elle magazine's "Best Hair in America 2011" winner:

Or these two ads from magazines I found in my bedroom:

When America thinks 'beautiful, professional, photogenic woman,' we default to straight hair. A Google search for "how to have straight hair" brings up 21.3 million results. A search for "how to have curly hair" reveals 20.6 million answers. That's almost 1,000,000 more webpages devoted to straightening hair than to curling it.

Now, before you ditch me as a curlyhead with a nasty case of straight-jealousy, I issue you a challenge.

Spend the next week really examining pictures of women in common media,

whether TV shows, movies, advertisements, or magazines.

Count how many truly curly girls you find

(and remember that curling-ironed hair doesn't count!).

It's ok to have straight hair. It's ok to love straight hair.

It's not ok to love straight hair so much that other types feel the need to conform.

Two Ways to Conquer a Rock

(note: not sure these videos actually work, still learning that feature of Blogger! if they don't work, let me know and I'll try fixing it tomorrow)

We learned two ways to conquer a rock on our hiking trip. Choose your solution wisely, the wrong choice will hurt....

(1) Jump Off It

(2) Slide Down It

White Oak Canyon = highly recommended!

Hiking and an excuse

A couple weekends ago, a group from my church went hiking in Shenandoah National Park.

We found an awesome rock for jumping into a very chilly pool of water.

And this is my favorite picture of the day:

Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge Mountains are ranked pretty high on my list of 'Most Beautiful Places in the World.'

Also, a note and an excuse: I have a backlog of emails and a very messy room...and this has been the static state for almost 2 weeks now. So please excuse the limited blogging this week. Curly Chronicles will be here on Friday...but there won't be much chatter this week, just a couple videos!

A confession

I'm a curly girl.

Yup, that's my confession. That beautiful straight-hair shown on my profile picture?

It's a fake.

This is my real hair:

Why is this a confession? Because I've been hiding or modifying my curls for the past 13+ years.

And I've decided it's time to stop.

See, a co-worker convinced me to read this book last month:

It was inspiring. In the world of Curly Girl, a little unruliness, a little frizz, a little unpredictability and lack of control are ok. In fact, those things are accepted, cherished, and even celebrated!

Halfway through the book, I made a decision. A 'hasty vow,' of the sorts the Bible warns against. I would spend the whole month of August without altering my curls--I would nourish, cherish, and learn to live with them.

August has arrived. So with a trepidation, I trimmed up my hair and started the experiment.

In honor of this latest experiment, I'm going to start a bit of a mini-series on my blog. Tune in every Friday for the "Curly Chronicles." Next week: a discussion of some deep secrets from the past (as in, yes, there might be embarrassing photos of high school age m-wah...eek!).

august-ness

The internet defines "Augustness" as "The eighth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar." Funny how quietly life slips by when one is no longer in the rhythm of semesters and progressive accumulation of scholastic awards.

I rather like the alternative definition of "Augustness": Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic: See Synonyms at grand." July had a very inauspicious ending, despite accomplishing all three of my goals: 2 Cor. 5:14-17 is firmly in my brain, Harry Potter is finished and I'm raring to see the movie, and I intentionally spent time outside. August has had an inauspicious start, though what can you expect when a month starts on a Monday? But I have hope that August is going to be a grand month, one worthy of much "Augustness."

And to initiate the grandiosity, what better than my goals for August? Without further ado, the list, along with some intended posts so you can keep me accountable:

• Memorize 2 Cor. 5:18-21
• Earn 1.0 or more fitness CECs (expect a post about my 10+ hours of workout at the DCAC Fitness Convention next week!)

• Sewing Projects: Finish some, start and finish others, reconsider the rest. (I'm no Martha Stewart, but a friend and I have a sewing day planned...and I'm sure you'll see posts from both of us regarding that.)

• Study Spanish 3 hours a week (habla espanol? mi amiga Britt-Britt esena me!)
• Run the Leesburg 10k! (under 58 minutes is my goal...we'll see...)

• Finish reading Microbe Hunters (a book I picked up for the Bro and started reading for myself)

And last, but certainly not least, the goal I undertake with the most trepidation:

• Go curly. (more about this on Friday)

to start the week, a laugh.

Here's a little photo essay I call, The Evolution of the Self-Portrait.

Step 1: "Let me get a picture of you guys standing awkwardly at the airport waiting for me to leave!"

Step 2: "Wait, I should be in the picture too since we're a family!"

"That was too dark, let's try again."

Step 3: "Still too dark, plus my arm is really white. Bro, you take the picture!"

Step 4: Position everyone correctly.

"Wait, Bro, your hefty hunky shoulders are blocking mom..."

Step 5: Ta-da! A successful family self-portrait.

Step 7: Remember why you should always hire a professional photographer for actual family portraits.