Music City, USA

Guess who's going to see Regina Spektor live in concert?? Yup, that's right---Dec. 6th, baby! Actually, I was supposed to see her two weeks ago but, the show got cancelled because she was sick. So, they re-scheduled for December, which is actually better for me. I'm so pumped! That's the beauty of living in the music capital of the U.S.--- everyone comes here! I will be seeing the Rockettes right before Christmas break and then, hopefully, the Gipsy Kings in February. Gotta love it...

My hair is not my friend...

I know for a fact that each and every person (especially women) have something about their body that they don't like. Some of us are able to hide that better than others. For example, internal medical or psychological issues can remain virtually unknown to everyone your entire life. However, physical things are harder to disguise. Even then, there is wiggle-room. If you have ugly feet, you never have to wear sandals. If you have a small chest, Victoria's Secret push-up/padded bras are your best friend. Every now and then, a woman has a physical difficulty, let's say, that is quite impossible to hide.

In my case, it's my hair. I have struggled with my hair my entire life. I have thin, fine hair that is, at the same time, quite curly. Naturally, this is a rather unusual combination (thanks Mom and Dad). This limits the kind of hairstyles that physically work on me (not to mention my unusual face shape). So, in my entire life, I think I've had a total of about 5 distinct haircuts--- two of which were disastrous.

As a result, I have developed an unnatural fear of the hair salon; this fear is comparable to what some people have of doctors, dentists, needles, or the bubonic plague. I HATE getting my hair cut. It is, unfortunately, a necessary evil in my life (unless I want to look like Cousin It). This fear is born of the fact that I have NEVER encountered a hair stylist out there that has even the most remote clue as to what to do with my hair and how to do it. The biggest tip-off is when they come at me with a brush and/or blow-dryer. Uh-uh, honey-- you just lost the game (and a tip). So, yesterday I was feeling sadomasochistic and decided to give the hair-dressers of the Southeast a turn at my freak-hair. What can I say, I'm just a glutton for punishment?

After almost an hour of intense cutting and primping, I walked out of that salon looking like a cross between little orphan Annie and Phil Spector--- needless to say, I was not the prettiest girl at the ball. I paid $45, including the tip because I'm too much of a wuss to stiff someone, to look like a miniature poodle. Sad? yes--- Surprising? Not so much. Why do hair-dressers not understand that teasing is never the answer??? Is that really the only thing they know how to do? I really had hope, though. I even brought a picture (after intense research about hair type and face shape) because I thought perhaps it was my inadequate verbal articulation of what I wanted that made for my failing track-record. Ah well. I got home and immediately took a shower to wash out all the Aqua-Net-like product that had been used to make my hair a virtual Tower of Babel. After playing with it on my own, it isn't half-bad. I've learned to have a sense of humor about it all (so that I don't cry) but it still sucks when your own body seems to be rebelling against you.

So, for all of you out there, what aspect of your physical appearance do you wish you could change? Have you tried to change it several times with little or no success? How do you deal with not looking the way you want to (or feel you should)?

Hockey, Halloween and Tornadoes

Yet again I find myself way behind in my blogging and life in general. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day (particularly after the time change) to get everything done.

So, what have I been up to you ask? Well, I've been to two hockey games in the last month-- pro games for the local team-- which was pretty awesome 'cause I love me some hockey. The first game, my seats were toward the middle of the area but, the second game, oh my. I got two BOX seat tickets...for FREE-- courtesy of my part-time job. How great is that? They pay me and they give me free stuff. It was seriously one of the highlights of my year; I went with my buddy Adam, who is a major hockey fan and now swears that I am the coolest person alive. Get this, we got: free food, free drinks, free alcoholic drinks, free t-shirts, free programs and...a free dessert. About halfway through the game a dessert cart passed by all the boxes and we could choose from things like NY-style cheesecake with fresh strawberries, Bavarian chocolate cake, Snickers pie, 7-layer carrot cake or we could get a shot of a liqueur like Bailey's or Kahlua. Heaven, heaven....it just doesn't get any better than free entertainment AND free food. God bless them, God bless them all.

Also, as you can see by the photo, I went to a rockin' Halloween party with the other first-years. Everyone dressed up, we made total fools of ourselves and it was a lovely night. In case anyone is wondering, I was "Trailer Park Barbie"--- not Britney Spears, which was the popular guess. I went all out, I'm not ashamed to say; right down to the Marlboro permanently on hand (I gave the rest of the pack away) or in the mouth (with beer bottle), baby doll, prego belly, fake tattoos and blacked-out teeth. How sweet it is...

Yesterday evening I got my first experience with southeastern USA weather-- tornadoes. Yeah, being a WV girl made it virtually impossible for me to wrap my brain around the idea of a tornado being a real possibility until the sirens started going off. Natural disasters just don't happen in WV. Not fun at all, let me tell you. Luckily, even though some were sighted, nothing touched down or did serious damage. It was a very sobering experience-- in a few minutes you could lose everything and you're completely powerless. I just kept thinking how I wished my boy was there and I wished I could talk with him. Anyone out there experienced a natural disaster? What kind was it? What were your thoughts when it happened?