New Style

Hello everyone!

As you all have seen in previous photos, one of my favorite loc styles is CURLS. I have always achieved this style by putting my hair into bantu knots and then wearing a bantu knot-out.

As my locs have gotten longer I've been wanting more of a "spiral" look. I have read several posts on blogger and nappturality stating that the best way to achieve this look is to use pipe cleaners.



I had been planning on picking some up, but had pushed it to the bottom of my list of things to do. Well, a couple of weeks ago I was strolling through Family Dollar and spotted some for 1.00 so I had to go ahead and buy some.

You can use whatever products you normally use to style your locs. Also, be sure your locs are wet before you curl them and let them fully dry before you take the pipe cleaners out.

Here is a tutorial:



Mine are various colors so it may be easier to see...
Here's how I wrapped mine:







Here is the result:



The curls are kind of tight, I personally like my hair better as the curls fall; and that's exactly what happened as the days went on...

Day 2:


Day 3:



Day 5:

Happy curling! :)

Forever OUR King: Michael Jackson

Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5


June 25, 2009

5:00pm
It was a sunny day and I was laying across my bed with the curtains drawn watching television. I happened to flip to CNN and saw a banner across the bottom of the screen stating Michael Jackson had collapsed earlier at his home, was in cardiac arrest and had been transported to a Los Angeles hospital.

I thought to myself "wow...cardiac arrest...but he's so young..."

I followed it up with "he'll be okay" and flipped the channel to what I was previously watching.

Within five minutes every program was interrupted with this breaking news. I sensed something horrid about the report. I began to focus on what was NOT being said. I wondered why there was no comment that CPR had been effective and the King of Pop was recovering. Surely, they would report that ASAP. I began to add the time up in my head...almost an hour had passed since he collapsed in his home. As an EMT I know the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest of nearly an hour are slim to none.

My phone begins to ring and I answer it. I say "hello" and on the other end I hear a deep voice respond with "Michael Jackson died..." I asked in disbelief "really?" and my friend responds with "Yes, he was DOA". I said "oh, that's messed up" and end the conversation.

Now I cannot digest what has just been said to me. I do not believe it whatsoever. I am flipping between CNN and the local news and all I see and hear is "Michael Jackson in cardiac arrest".

I pause on the local news channel when I see the fancy graphics that spell out BREAKING NEWS seemingly coming out of the television. The news anchor comes on teary-eyed and she reports that Michael Jackson has indeed died.

I flip back to CNN and see the network has not updated his status. Even without the major networks confirming, the denial slowly begins to fade. However, I am still in shock. How? Why? It all seemed so sudden. Time continues to pass and I decide to give the television a rest.

I tune in to the radio and all I hear is Michael Jackson's voice...song after song. People are calling in sharing their accounts of watching the King of Pop while growing up. One woman called in and during her story she begins to cry...then I begin to cry.

That is when I realized Michael Jackson was more than an entertainer to us...much more. This was a man accepted by people from every race and culture.

I remember watching the video premiere of Bad back in the 80s. Me, my cousins, family, and friends gathered around the t.v. at a neighbor's house that night as if a movie was coming on. When the video began to play we were taking it all in, but by the first chorus we lit up. You could just feel the energy in the room...in other households.

Not many people have the ability to captivate audiences like Michael Jackson did, and still does, and that is why he is one of a kind. Michael Jackson you are a true legend and we salute you.

We...never...can... say...goodbye.

The Little Things

Hello Kings and Queens!

I have enjoyed reading your blogs this week. Keep the posts coming, all of you are very interesting and unique and I love that!

As you all know my break has ended and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not travel out of the state, but I relearned how invaluable close friendships and familial relationships are. So what did I do? I went to a few parks and fed geese and catfish, visited a very close friend who I had not seen in over a year, took my son to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and enjoyed a spectacular laser and fireworks show for the 4th of July.

As I get older I am realizing how much I enjoy traveling and seeing new things, but I also appreciate local outings and a relaxing break from all of the hustle and bustle. And let me tell you, there is nothing better than continuous laughter with childhood friends. It takes you back to the time in your life when you were oblivious to adult responsibility.

I hope you all had a nice Fourth of July or Canada Day. :)

Thank You

Thank you to all of my followers and readers. It's now back to school for me so I will be on a short hiatus. I hope to have a new post/update published by next Saturday. In the meantime, I will be catching up on your blogs :)

Thanks Again,

Pick Me Up

Hello lovelies!

I hope you all have been fabulous. I have been reading some of your blogs today and I have enjoyed them all!

As of tomorrow at approximately 12:00pm I will finally have a break from school! A 3 week break at that...yaay!

School has been keeping me occupied...I really don't have much of a LIFE at the moment, but I just try to take it one day at a time as to not overwhelm myself. However, I have still been extremely stressed out and my face is not hiding it, lol. A few things have happened over the past few weeks. I've been going back and forth with myself wondering whether or not I wanted to post this, but what the hell! I cannot get feedback if I don't share, right?

So my ex-husband calls one night and asks if my son can accompany him and the new wife on a week and a half trip to New York. Now, my first response was "no". My son has never been out of state without me, let alone with his father for more than 3 days. I know the new wife has family in New York, but they rarely go there and I am wondering how does my son factor in... so my nosey ass asks "what are you going to NY for?". He mumbles "[wifey's name here]'s mom is having a baby shower. So a few minutes pass and I ask "Is your wife pregnant?" Again, he mumbles giving me a muffled "yeah". So I keep digging and find out she's 6 months pregnant. Okay...congratulations to them...and that is exactly what I told him and I also did not fail to throw my .02 cents in by telling him how unnecessary it was for him to hide it from me. I really feel he causes tension for no reason.

FFWD>> About a week later I reconsidered and let my son go with them. He had a blast...yaay for him!

The issue, however, is, when I got off the phone that night, and the next morning, I felt SO hurt! I could not figure out WHY I felt this way. Believe me when I say I am over him...and that's why I was stumped. Why should I care that he has another child on the way? Well after speaking with a few women, they told me the feeling is normal. And after talking to a man he told me I was still "carrying feelings". I disagree. By the next afternoon I was actually OKAY. I was put off by his answer.

So am I "carrying feelings"? What do you all think???

In other news, I have been dating and I think...scratch that, I know I'm overly critical of people. I don't want to settle for less, but even if I have a few good dates with a person when they're not around I beging analyzing EVERYTHING about them. I know it's a tactic I use to keep myself from getting hurt, but I am the one hurting myself. *sigh* I see so many people around me getting divorced and getting cheated on left and right...it's really ridiculous.

So with all of my school work, hurt, and overanalyzing...I began to feel a little down and I needed a little pick-me-up. Usually I will write a poem (which I cannot bring myself to do for some reason) or talk it out. Fresh out of ideas, today I decided to have my own little photo shoot. Corny yeah, but hey whatever works. And for the record, I feel so much better!!! Thanks for reading and enjoy the pics.

Oh, and please let me know what you think about the situation with my son's father.

Toodles

6 Month Comparison

What's up people? How was everyone's Memorial Day Weekend?

Mine was like any other weekend, just one day longer. Unfortunately it rained the entire weekend so I didn't go to Atlanta Peach Carnival...there's always next year though. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend.

I washed my hair today and decided to take a pic. Then I was looking at the last pic I took and decided to compare the two. The first was taken Nov. 30, 2008 and the other today (May 25, 2009). I know I will be wearing my hair up this entire week, but I cannot think of a style. I am tired of ponytails and wanted to do something other than the french braid. Any suggestions??? Isn't it crazy that I actually have time to spare today and cannot think what to do with it, lol.

I am going to look for loc style ideas, but in the meantime here is a video I found for curling shorter locs. Enjoy!

Breaking Bad Habits

The two rules of procrastination:

1) Do it today.
2) Tomorrow will be today tomorrow.

Hello readers,

So, I've made it through another week of school. It's already midterm point...for the first quarter; things are moving right along. I would update more frequently, but I virtually have no life! lol Although I'm doing well in my classes, I have an issue with procrastination. OMG, I would like to nip this in the bud now, but I just can't seem to. All week I'm in class and when you factor in the commute my days are pretty full. I get up before dawn, make it home around 3:30 or 4:00, eat dinner, read over material, and go to bed. The weekend is an entirely different story. My Saturdays go something like this:

~Wake up
~Eat breakfast
~Check e-mail
~Facebook
~Think to self *I have a lot of time to study today*
~Think about what a peaceful day it is
~Contemplate watching a movie
~Listen to music online (to help me study)
~Listen to every related song suggested (imeem)
~Check Facebook again
~Check a couple of messageboards
~Catch up on blogs :)
~Fix lunch
~Clean the house (this allows for a more conducive study environment right?)
~Check online sites one more time
~Turn on the radio
~Eat Dinner
~Think about how exhausted I am
~Go to bed
~Repeat on Sunday


LOL! So as you see, I accomplish NOTHING on the weekend. It's like I work best under pressure. For instance, I have never been able to type a paper ahead of time. Do any of you procrastinate on a regular basis? How can one break this habit?

It's Been 100 Days Mr. President

As many of you know, today marks United States President Barack Obama's 100th day in office.

First and foremost, I am proud of President Obama for setting a new standard.

With that being said, we have a long road ahead of us. This is just the first 100 days of four years. It is unrealistic to think eight years of damage can be undone in a little over three months. Don't forget to factor in our latest crisis, the swine flu. What will the next 3.75 years bring? Will we see progression? Will families finally feel like they can breathe financially? Will universal healthcare be established? Will our students be EDUCATED as opposed to being taught how to barely pass competency tests?

So many questions, so little time. So readers, what does President Obama's 100th day mean to you?

Kreativ Blogger Award (Recipient)

The lovely Ms. B Write Back has passed the Kreativ Blogger Award on to me. I must say this was a nice surprise and I humbly accept. :) Check her out y'all...she is an amazing poet.




Recipients of the Kreativ Blogger Award should:

1. Post the award on your blog and link to the person who gave you the award.
   
2. List seven things you love.
3. Pass it on! List seven blogs you love and let those people know you’ve given them the award.

7 Things I Love

My Son


My Mom



Haagen Dazs Mango Ice Cream


Falling Asleep to Oldies



The Lord




My Bed



Jewelry




7 Blogs I Love

B Write Back
On the Road to Queendom
Docs Locs
CurlzNaturally
Don't Be A Slut
Natural Hair Rules
Sereni-T's Spot


Be sure to check out their blogs!!!

Progression

This is a long overdue update...and I'll try to make it short (I have the tendency to be wordy, lol). So, I thought my hair growth slowed down quite a bit...um, apparently I was wrong. I had not retwisted my hair in a while so I decided to go ahead and retwist it while I had the time to do so. I must say I was shocked at the growth. *Happy Dance* Here are a few pics...enjoy and feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding my locs, products I use, or my poetry. Thanks for reading!


Before:


After:

19 Month Update

Time is really flying. I cannot believe I've been loc'd for 19 months now. *Happy Dance* My hair looks the same and although it's still growing, I think the growth has slowed down for now.

Okay, if anyone else is having the following issue, please let me know how you've handled it. Everytime I wash my locs they tend to marry one another. This has only been happening over the last few months. I only retwist my hair after it fully dries (I do, however, spritz the roots when I retwist because I KNOW not to twist on dry hair). While my hair is drying, after a wash, I am constantly separating my locs so they don't loc together, but they still do! At the root that is. I tried something different. I used to always wear bantu knot-outs when I wanted to curl my locs and I never had this issue then. So when I washed my hair this time I decided to put my hair into bantu knots to dry. I wasn't going for the curly look, but this method of drying my hair seemed to help with the marrying issue a lot! Each loc is still separate although I haven't retwisted them. What works for you guys?

In other news, I am pleased to say that I was finally able to put my locs into one french braid w/o using an excessive amount of pins. I never pin my hair up (laziness), but I will have to start now. That is because *drumroll* I was accepted into a nursing program finally! YES!!! Let's take a moment to celebrate! Hahaha! I have to have my hair off my collar for clinical so I'm glad I finally can pin it up. My hair is so thick y'all. When I've attempted ponytails before I could only do one in the top of my head, but last night I was able to finally put my hair into a low ponytail. Hooray for another loc accomplishment, lol.

Here are a few pics, including some from my recent vacation (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina) enjoy and thanks for reading!

Vacation:





Coligny Beach


My son, the prince :)





Hair Photos:


Bantu Knot-Out





French Braid





Ponytail