2nd Retightening

Front view =)

This is the top of my head...


The back with the flash on...the flash can be kind of deceiving sometimes...


The back again with the flash off. This is more so what it looks like in real life. As you can see it is thickening up very nicely and I am getting some length already.

My consultant said my hair is really growing. She accidentally cut one of my locks when she was cutting the rubber bands that she had used to band my hair before she washed it. I have no idea where it came from and I can't say that I am devastated because there are so many on my head. My next retightening is in 5 weeks on December 30th!

Roommate Gripes

In case you don't already know, my boyfriend and I live in the basement of a fairly large house with 3 other girls. He and I share the 2 rooms that we have transformed into our bedroom and tv room and there are 3 bedrooms upstairs on the 2nd floor. The common areas are the kitchen, dining room, upstairs living room, and the bathroom upstairs. There is a toilet in the basement but its just a toilet. My bf and I have our own entrance, cable, and internet down in the basement so we very rarely spend any length of time upstairs.

Living with 3 other people (my bf doesn't count, he's very easy to live with) is no easy task and I am not sure I have been handling it well. In short, i hate it here. You never really know a person until you live with them and I am really wishing I hadn't moved in with my friends because I see them in a whole new light. Here is a list of things that occur or have occurred that the bf and I whine about on an almost daily basis:

1. The kitchen is NEVER clean unless myself or my bf cleans it. There are always dishes in the sink that rarely belong to us, crust all over the table, counter, and stove, and cooking utensils left out. I don't think I would complain about it so much if there wasn't a GIANT dry erase board over the sink that says: wash dishes, keep sink and counter clear and clean, put away trash and food.

2. In the 3 and half months that I have been here I have been the only person to step up and clean the bathroom. Cleaning a bathroom for 4 people (again the bf doesn't count...he only uses it to shower) is soo not fun. Everyone I live with except for myself and booboo has long hair and it sheds...so it's all in the shower, on the floor, and around the sink. I have even discovered the plastic tampon applicator, used, on the radiator next to the toilet. Along with that someone seems to have an issue with flushing...leaving several things behind in the toilet (sorry if this grosses you out).

3. No one knocks when they come down into the basement. People seem to forget we live here and this is our space. Yes, the laundry room is down here but that does not mean that you shouldn't knock. I am sometimes napping and people come stomping down the stairs talking loudly. Our bedroom is under the kitchen and people go in there stomping around as well, neglecting the fact that we may be sleeping.

4. People leave their clothes in the washer and dryer for days at a time. How many clothes do you have that you can leave an entire load of clothes in the basement for weeks and not be curious as to why you're missing underwear, socks, and shirts?? Not to mention other people use the machines so when they move your stuff they pile it on top of the machine and it sits there for another few weeks.

I think that's about it for now. I don't know if I want to confront anyone or have a house meeting because I think they will feel like i am attacking them and like I do nothing wrong. I am sure I have left dishes in the sink, and maybe put the radio on too loud in the morning when i shower, or left something out on the counter. But I feel like if I say something, the moment I make a mistake it will be blown out of proportion. Not only that but I am not sure how to approach them without seeming rude. I can be harsh sometimes and the same way I have written everything here is likely the same way it would come out. I am just trying to make it out without any drama or friction. Any advice?

6 Week Update

This was taken day 1 or 2 after my installation

This is a pic of my locks at 6 weeks. As you can see it is losing the curliness on the ends. I clearly need a retightening...I'll be taking care of that on Tuesday and will take comparison pics. Try not to be grossed out if you can see dandruff. I haven't washed my hair in a month because I don't like to braid and band because my hair is too short and it takes too long so if my retightenings are every 4 weeks, so are my washes!

Flood Update

After a long, rough week sleeping on the futon because my room smelled like mold from the wet carpet, we finally have new carpet. Our landlord came today and him and my boyfriend laid down new, mold free carpet. We also changed our room around a bit so there is more space and it feels like a whole new place. Looks like I don't need to move after all...at least not until May. I can't wait to get to sleep in my own bed again!

Blackberry Storm

This is the new Blackberry Storm by Verizon Wireless. It's touch screen but its got something called SureTouch technology so that you can actually press down on the screen as if there were buttons. I have never had a super high tech phone and I think this phone is absolutely sexy! That's right...inanimate objects can be sexy! The phone comes out on Friday, November 21st and I am due for my "New Every Two" upgrade on December 26th. I am weighing my options and so far this is what I've got:

Pros:
1. It looks really cool
2. Constant internet access to Google random things that I think about during the day. I could also pay my bills...there are times when I am out and realize I forgot to pay a bill and it is due that day. I could pay it right on the spot.
3. Built-in GPS (I'm a case manager...i drive EVERYWHERE)
4. The ability to check email. I'm a graduate student and we communicate solely through email so the ability to check it anywhere at anytime would really be a convenience.
5. I would get a huge discount and only have to pay $100...maybe less.
6. It looks really cool!

Cons:
1. Adding the data would increase my bill by $25


As you can see I only have one con. I also get a 21% discount on my monthly bill so instead of paying $100 a month I would only pay $80, which considering all the things I would be able to do that's not bad. I'm actually guaranteeing that most people who don't have a Blackberry pay more for their regular cell phone bills. I am going to test out the phone on Friday on my lunch break so I can touch it and play with it and hear all the great things about it. My upgrade isn't until after Christmas so I may even be able to con my mother and uncle into giving me the money for the phone that way I don't have to pay a dime for it haha.

I love technology!

He's Domesticated Me

Before my boyfriend and I were together asking me to cook would have been like asking me not to eat. I did not cook...AT ALL! It wasn't that I couldn't cook but what reason did I have? Mom dukes always cooked for me so I was used to being pampered. Now I enjoy pampering him by making him yummy dishes. I made him some stuffed peppers last week. They came out very yummy. Our anniversary is tomorrow and I will be making cheesy baked salmon. He loves salmon but he's always the one who makes it so I thought I would try my hand at it. I will definitely let you all know how he likes it. I think I am going to make angel hair pasta with a lemon garlic butter sauce and sauteed veggies...mmmm!

Flooded

My lovely basement apartment is flooded...the carpet squishes as I walk over it. Now my roommates and dirty dishes are the least of my worries. Will I need to move again? Ugh...it's always something...

October International Arts Expo

Last week 2 of my co-workers and myself went to the 23rd annual Arts Expo at Temple's Liacouras Center. This was my second year going but the first year that I actually purchased something. I bought a long picture similar to the one above. The difference with the one I bought is that there is a muscular, chocolate man holding the world up. I am going to put the art work up in my apartment when we move. I just love black art. It depicts Black people as being so strong, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

'Cause you gotta have FRIENDS!

I haven't had a best friend in over a year. My best friend and I found that we no longer saw eye to eye and when I decided that I was going to live my life my way and not her way we ultimately parted ways. I have a lot of friends and acquaintances but very few real friends. That is not a bad thing by any means, however, which surprises me a little. I am finding that the older you get, the less friends you need. I am content with the 3 or 4 real friends that I have. When I say "real friends" I am referring to the people that I can be millions of miles away from and not see for months at a time but we still maintain that bond-- that knowledge that if and when one of us needs something, the other will be there.

Over the years I have seen friends come and go for many reasons. Last year I was totally stepped on when I let a friend borrow almost $800 from me (school loan money...I don't have it like that) because she said she was just waiting for her refund check and would put the money back in my account as soon as her plane landed from the Dominican Republic (note: I have never been on spring break). Needless to say that never happened. She went as far to blame her mother, saying that she gave the money to her mom to deposit and that her mother used it for something else. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and we set up a payment plan. Weeks went by and I got no payments and she responded with "I've been putting the money in your account, you haven't gotten it?" I don't think I have ever been more disappointed in someone than at that moment. I let it go though. Everyone keeps telling me to sue her but I value friendship more than money and getting the money back won't get our friendship back. It wasn't just the money, it was the lack of respect for me. I am sure we all know about that.

In any event...I have 4 close friends that I trust with my feelings and inner workings. I just thought I would give a little tribute to those friends who have stood by me through the years and never failed to remember what it really meant to be a friend. I only hope that I have meant as much to them as they have meant to me...they're pictured below and I'll be sending them links to this post...Danish, AfroChic, Little Italy, and my Butter Pecan Rican...true friends!

One Month

My one month lockversary was on November 1st...these were taken a couple days before that but i'm pretty sure there was no huge difference between Thursday and Saturday. They are definitely moving along quite nicely. i can see many of them thickening up, though the babies on the edges are fighting to stay in. My roommates, friends, and coworkers have noticed that it has grown. it looks longer and fuller every time i wash it but i am avoiding washing it until my next retightening so that i can give it a chance to do it's thing. my next retightening is on November 25th and i guess i will figure out how often i need to get them after this visit. This is just a few days before Thanksgiving which is good because my hair will look fresh for my family. This will be their first time seeing my hair and I will be close to 2 months locked!

Halloween

So I absolutely LOVE Halloween. It is so much more fun now that I am an adult. I hated going trick-or-treating when I was a kid. I loved the candy but didn't want to have to do the work for it lol. This year I was Lucille Ball from I Love Lucy. I won 2nd place in the costume contest and my prize was $100 Amex gift card. Here is a pic...enjoy!

His Victory is My Fight

Ever since the results of the election came out i have been defending the right to be happy about having an African American president. I think i celebrated for maybe an hour before i had to start jumping down people's throats about why the African American community is so overjoyed by Obama's becoming President-elect. People don't understand what it means for this country and not just for Black people. The man is a MINORITY and that is the first thing that everyone notices about him. He is THE ONLY "brown" man to ever live in the White House. That is HUGE! I've also had to defend the fact that yes, i am capable of voting for someone by looking at their platform, doing research, and really looking inside myself and deciding if this person truly has my best interest at heart. it is so insulting to hear people say "you only voted for him because he's Black." Excuse yourself?! Give me and other African Americans more credit than that. Yes, there were some people who voted for Obama because he's black but there are many who said "hey a black man...let me see what he's about." I saw that he was about many of the same things that i was about and i voted for him because i felt like he had me and my future in mind. Do you think there weren't people who voted for McCain because he was White? Of course there were!

The next thing i found myself arguing about is his ethnicity. Yes, Obama's father supposedly has Arabic blood (you can't believe everything you read on the internet) but the man was born and raised in Africa, making him AFRICAN. Having said that, if Obama Jr. was born in America, that makes him African American. Not only that but i feel like race is a social construct. Yes, there are different ethnicities but society goes by the way you look to decide what racial category they want you to be in. This was especially true during the Civil Rights movement. Back then there were only 2 races: black and white. If you were brown...you were black...end of story. Arabian blood or not, had Obama lived during the Civil Rights Movement he would have been hosed down and had dogs attacking him just like everyone else. No one would have stopped to ask what his racial background was. With that in mind, Obama's victory is not one for just Blacks. It is a victory for ALL minorities and ALL Americans. NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY! The End.

It's funny how politics shows you a whole different side to people.