Sunday, January 4, 2015

Black. White. And RED... Hair

I have a bone to pick with anyone that does not understand the TIME, MONEY and DISCIPLINE involved in a woman having her hair done. And stylists are to be even more respected because they stand the whole five hours.

What. Five hours?

Oh, my mistake. It was five and a half.

Let us rediscover a day-in-the-life of a woman going to the salon, shall we?

9:00AM

I show up to the salon with the following: coffee, mandarin oranges (2), LARA bar, laptop, phone, chapstick, water bottle, Kindle, sunglasses, several layers of clothes (because it's cold, then hot, then warm throughout the day!), and a positive attitude. Oh, and blonde hair.


Misha of Misha Endo Hair, is there to greet me in her typical done-up, all-black dress and tights that she seems to rock every time I see her. She mixes up the color, which looks horrifyingly orange. 

Oh, at this point, a guy walks in to the salon to have another stylist cut his hair. It's 9:31AM.


Time to rid my hair of its blondness. Last photo as a bimbo! I kid, I kid. 
Local time: 9:40AM - first guy walks out of the salon with his hair completely done.

Alright. Hair is getting colored... colored... colored. The process involves squeezing the right amount of product from different tubes, brushing the color on to each piece of hair, inhaling chemicals, reading my Kindle, liking some Instagram posts, listening to another guy come and go with a fully-done cut. And then another guy. And then another - not kidding.

Current time: 10:30AM


Now my hair is goopy and full of wonderful, smelly chemicals. SO sexy. Tubes and boxes of color are strewn about, I've eaten a few snacks and not sipped on any of the water that I actually remembered to bring. Coffee is running low. 

Now I wait. And wait. The chems have to work their magic, you know? Perfect time for the following: a selfie, ew, another selfie because the last one was terrible, walk around, go pee, complain about my left butt-cheek being numb, check out my pores in the mirror, chat with the sixth guy that comes in to have his hair done (we think he knows my husband and dated my friend). 

What damn time is it? Probably 11:15AM-ish?


The color gets washed out of my hair, I get a nice head massage, but no conditioner gets added to my hair. Because the next step of the hair process is now underway: The Brazilian Blowjobout.

In my opinion, this is the least fun but garners the best results. It's great because it makes hair smooth (gets rid of fly-aways), but doesn't cause it to lose body. Really un-fun because hair has to be perfectly clean (no conditioner, product of any kind left), which makes it really hard to brush out (i.e. painful as $^#%). 

I continue to disregard my bottle of water and finish my coffee. I am now so jittery that I want to punch the mirror, take my clothes off and run through the streets, or at least stand up and do some toe-touches. I CAN'T SIT STILL ANYMORE!!!

Misha applies MORE chemicals to each strand of hair, blow-drys my hair, and then styles it with a straightening iron. As the steam from the straightening iron going over my hair blows toward my face, I think of all of the hair stylists that probably take decades off their lives just by inhaling this stuff. So that we can have beautiful hair. God bless them.

So, once my hair is perfectly styled... it's time to... WASH IT OUT. AGAIN. 

At this point, the clock reads about 12:30PM. A few more men have come and gone (one guy even offered his stylist weed in exchange for his hair cut. What.), and one woman has had her hair highlighted while commenting on how long I have been there. Yeah, I know lady. I hope both of your butt cheeks fall off from lack of blood flow. 

Brazilian blowjobout chemicals are washed out, and my hair is finally ready to be blown out and beautified. However, because Misha and I are probably slightly sick of each at this point (she is mostly over me squirming and complaining, I mostly am just jealous that she gets to be standing), I just ask if I can blow-dry my own hair "real quick", which I do, mostly, while throwing money at Misha for all of her hard work and then bolt as fast as I can toward the light of the great outdoors. 
At 1:30PM. 

The photo below is from the following day.
When I was ready to admit to myself and the world just how long it took.


Thank you, Misha, for putting up with me and always making my hair look amazing.
You're the best.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

On frolicking

Just another eastside dirt road run.
Almost everything I have ever written for this blog was created in my head while running.

Every time I've been stressed, angry, tired, sad, or my day has been otherwise negatively impacted, I go on a run.

Sweltering heat or the promise of frozen nose hairs rarely discourage a good evening or early morning jaunt.

There is just something about fresh air, breathing hard, beautiful views, and time alone to think.
[Note: I really do have a hard time on treadmills, so I'm not sure if that makes me a hypocrite or not.]

Friends that claim to "hate running" confuse me. I honestly don't understand how people do not connect positively with a good (or even a bad?) run.

While hiking the other day with a friend who is also training for a half marathon, she claimed she also used to hate running until she learned to do it correctly. She uses the five finger running shoes to ensure proper posture and now loves the sport. I asked her if she read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.



"Nope."

Being on a hike, of course I had to elaborate on the details of this book because a) it is super inspiring and b) we were on a hike, so time was on our side.

Want to be inspired to run ultramarathons (50K, 100K and the like)? Read it.

Born to Run explores endurance athletes, the advent of barefoot running, the Tarahumara running tribe in Mexico, and McDougall's own journey from couch potato to ultra runner.

It is a remarkable book on the topic. I dare you to read it. You will want to run 20 miles immediately afterward.

Of course, my mom gave me this book while I was laid up with a knee injury and could hardly walk, let alone run. I know that having the ability to run taken away from me for large chunks of time makes every run that much more special, but I like that. I like getting back to my car after a long run and thanking my lucky stars (and my body) for such a great experience.

My biggest takeaway from the book, that I remember despite having read the book five years ago is this: the best way to stay healthy and happy while running is to run like a child. Run like it is fun. Run with a smile. Throw your head back and enjoy it. Stop competing, forget "training." Just run because you can. Run because you love it.



Thursday, November 13, 2014

Why I am taking a pay cut


So often I read in magazines and blogs geared toward young (and older) women that you should always be looking for a better job, with an increase in pay. Many articles even teach you how to ask for a pay increase. But what happens when you learn that money doesn't have to be priority numero uno?

I’ve gone through several huge job transitions in my relatively young life. Out of college I worked on a newspaper where I loved my job but in 2008, every newspaper in the nation was seeing hardship so my copy editing position wasn’t paying the bills. I worked a great-paying sales job that was challenging for a while, but involved too much time in an office. I then moved my life from Denver to June Lake, CA, a small ski/fishing town in the eastern Sierra – population 650.

I took a job working in an information center and bookstore at an environmental non-profit where my office was a sun-lit store that smelled like organic soaps and books (sidenote: I majored in English and Politics with internships in environmental policy so I wasn’t too far out of my realm). For an entire summer I was re-energized by work instead of dragged down by it. Sure, I took a huge pay decrease, but I had saved so much at my other job that I could deal with the change.

For several more years I managed the bookstore, but I wasn’t being challenged, so I became the Marketing and Sales Director at a resort and spa in the area. I had gone so far in the direction of happiness instead of pay that I found I was working other side jobs to supplement my savings account, so my free time was really lacking, AND I had no money. In reality, my “happy place” wasn’t as sustainable as I had originally planned.

With a pay increase and a job in my chosen field, I was extremely happy for a while. But, I took on other people’s positions as they were let go or left the area. I found myself with a good deal of money, but my entire summer was spent working 12-15 hour days, with very few days off. My husband and I live in the mountains where it is sometimes a tough life shoveling feet of snow in the winter and dealing with an entirely tourism-based economy in the summer. If I don’t get out to hike, bike and run in the summer, there really is no point in living where we do.

So, when the Office Director position at the same non-profit organization was offered to me, I snatched it up. Yes, it is a slight decrease in pay, but it is a huge step up from my previous position managing the bookstore there. I am now going to be challenged professionally, working at an organization that is doing work I believe in, have ample free time to spend with my husband in the outdoors, and the workplace is just happier.

What I have learned is there is a ratio involved in work vs. play. There are a few questions that I am now going to ask myself whenever I consider a job:

  •   Am I making enough money that I can work just this job and pay bills with money left over for savings and a bit for spending?
  • Am I being taken care of? Does the job provide health, dental, and life insurance? Is there a retirement plan? Often these things can add up to a lot of additional money when looking at a salary.
  • What is the workplace environment? When I took the job at the resort a lot of people in our small town were wary of my change. I didn’t understand it at the time, but when people say “Good luck” in a menacing tone, maybe you should rethink your change instead of stubbornly trying to prove them wrong as I did.
  • Am I going to have time off to rejuvenate? I’m a workaholic, and if I’m not scheduled for two days off a week, I will sometimes not take them if tasks pile up. After reading several management articles lately, studies show that people are more successful when they have time off. We all sound badass when we say we haven’t had a day off in 2 weeks and haven’t slept in days, but, how productive are you at that stage, really?
  • Am I going to be challenged?



Hard work is important. But being happy while working is my definition of success.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Reading: the Walt Longmire series

I grew up without a television.

No, I did not have homeschool hair (no offense to those that do, it's not your fault). My parents just wanted us to read. And talk to each other. And... we were probably too poor to afford one. Not sure.
For reference: homeschool hair

Anyway, the hubby and I now have every online streaming account possible: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix... disgusting. It does make the long, cold winter nights go more quickly, however.



Our favorite streaming show (so, not technically TV??) is Longmire. Hands DOWN. I have a secret old-man crush on Walt, mainly because he drives an old Bronco, wields a rifle, and wears a cowboy hat. GAWD. Hot. It is also a really well-done show and Clif likes cowboy law enforcement.

Then came my Kindle. Which talks to Amazon. Which knows that I love Longmire. So it suggested the original book series. And then my husband went to school seven hours away. And then I spent every night last month reading aforementioned series. And drinking wine. And petting my dog - those last two were beside the point.

Reading the series after watching the TV adaptation made me love both versions more. In the TV version, Walt is pretty gruff, but fit and handsome. In the book, he has a beer belly and is far more self-depricating than is ever portrayed on TV.

There are a lot of relationship histories that you also get with the book that are never even touched upon in the TV version - some that add a lot of depth to the characters.

The books are written with a lot of dialog, so sometimes that gets to be almost distracting and choppy. But the author Craig Johnson has some remarkably stunning imagery when describing Wyoming winters, Native American haunts, and characters' flashbacks. I am often thrown off by it because Johnson switches back and forth quite abruptly.

I would recommend, highly, both the book series and the TV series. You'll fall in love, I promise.


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The ol' ball and chain

I have four younger sisters. Three of us were married in the last 2 years (poor dad's pocketbook!).

The three of us are SO completely different in our personalities and how we live our lives, and how we met and courted our husbands.

My sister Katie and I were talking last night on the phone about how wonderful marriage is, and how nobody ever gives it enough credit. As a wedding planner, I always ask people the month after their wedding how married life is and they always say "about the same!"

It's pretty disappointing to me that a life-long decision to be with someone isn't more celebrated. So, I'm celebrating, just a bit. Maybe it's because I miss Clif (he's away at school for another 6 weeks) or because two people, out of the blue, meet each other and decide to spend the rest of their lives together. That's not only weird, but remarkable.

Clif & Jess


Clif: Wilderness Ranger by day, ski patroller when the snow falls, tall, dark, and handsome, quite serious and always doing something... dishes, cooking dinner, cleaning, organizing, hunting, fishing, training Maxdog.
Jess: Marketing and Event Director, short, blonde and not-so-serious, blogger in the evenings, clothes collector always, hates cooking, sometimes cleans - but mostly just the bathroom - loves running, hiking, and biking with Maxdog.
Married: September 15, 2012
Started dating: August 2005
Jess's view on marriage: "Hell yes I'm married!!"

Katie & Kyle



Katie: Campus Administrator at Red Rocks Community Church, kind at heart but not afraid to tell you when you're wrong, best babysitter around, always dresses to perfection, the closest thing to my mom without being my mom.
Kyle: Missionary with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, hilarious always, TALL, always smiling and caring, super playful and a kid at heart.
Married: June 8, 2013
Started Dating: Summer 2011
Katie's View on Marriage: "Marriage is completely underrated"

Sarah & Jeff



Sarah: Contract Administrator at Foothills Paving, extremely logical, frugal but somehow has a closet to die for, loves hiking and being in the mountains, always happy.
Jeff: Estimator at Foothills Paving, Minnesota born and raised - which means an awesome accent!, hard working, mountain man, bought Sarah and axe for Christmas that cost more than her engagement ring (much to Sarah's delight).
Married: February 2014
Started Dating: Spring 2013
Sarah's View on Marriage: "It's about caring for someone else's happiness above your own. He's better at it than I am."

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Tis the season


This photo is a bit blurry - darkness tends to do that to a photo.

This year a few of my friends and I got together to carve pumpkins for halloween. Mine is the one with lots of holes in it. I call it the "EHOLA virus" pumpkin.

I'm very bad at Halloween things. As a child, my parents sat us down and told us that our family no longer would be celebrating the devil's holiday. Of course, as a first grader, I was devastated. From then on, I would be deemed as an outcast at school and thrown to the wolves. 

Literally, wolves.

Okay, not literally. But, I did have extremely short boyish hair and couldn't celebrate Halloween... AND my mom packed tuna sandwiches on homemade, crumbly bread and all my "friends" (children really can be terrible) wouldn't sit next to me and would ask "What IS that smell?" 

Anyway, I would kill a baby seal for my mom to make me lunches now. Her bread really is amazing.

That's all for now... I'm crossing lines.