More to life than hair

What's New?

2009-05-14T10:58:00.002-04:00

Since I'm not good about posting about my hair, I thought I'd branch out just a little. I recently decided to learn how to knit. That led me to a whole other world on the net. I've come across so many informative sites for knitting, crocheting, quilting, etc. It has stirred my desire to do more than the annual crocheted Christmas gifts. And to think it all started with the purchase of some yarn (that's a story for later). So if your interested stay tuned.

The hair is still locked. I've been trying to decide what I want to do with my locks, keep them, cut them, color them, start them over. I am devoted to natural hair and I intend to have locks for as long as I can but I am not commited to sisterlocks and I don't need super long hair. I just need something simple that I can maintain.

As soon as my daughter relinquishes control of my laptop I promise to post some pictures of my needlework.

Philadelphia Locks Conference & Dinner 2008

2008-10-05T21:29:00.009-04:00

The Philadelphia Locks Conference was this weekend and a great time was had by all. We didn't have as many as we has last year but it was a good time anyway. I met some new ladies (including a newly locked lady) and saw some friends from previous years. The locks were as beautiful as ever. I don't have a lot of pictures because I don't like taking pictures and posting without permission.

I got to see a couple of ladies from Boston that came in previous years.

And of course my friends from Philly who have come for the past three years.

This year I attended the belly dancing workshop. No pictures from that but I had fun dancing with my sisters (no men were allowed). I'm thinking about taking some classes. I need to get this old body moving and would like to do something fun. Who knows it might come in handy if I ever marry again.

We missed seeing Cluizel. I would have loved to see her fabulous growth in person. We missed all the other beautiful ladies that met up with us in the past.

We'll I done posting for another year unless I do something drastic with my hair or unless Sunsail insists.

Philly Locks Conference

2008-09-23T22:16:00.002-04:00

It's almost time for the Philly Locks Conference again. Need more information? Check here http://locksconference.com/. Will you be there this year? There's always lots of beautiful locks, informative worshops, and great vendors. Here's some of the beautiful ladies that attended last year. Hope to see you there.

If you are interested in going to dinner with us this year see Brenda's blog for details http://getcaughtintheact.blogspot.com/

I've been tagged

2008-09-16T21:27:00.005-04:00

I've been tagged by Jamofism!

Here's the rules

1) Link to the person that tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog.

3) Share 6 non-important/habits/quirks about yourself.

4) Tag 6 random people by posting links to their blogs.

5) Let each of them know they've been tagged.

Six non-important/habits/quirks about myself:

I don't like oatmeal. I like granola, oatmeal cookies and many other things made from rolled oats but not oatmeal. I'm one of those people where the texture of food matters a lot. I make oatmeal and most people like my oatmeal except for me.

I like to read. When I was growing up I used to read the cereal box, all sides. I had perfected a method of reading while cooking as a teenager. My mother didn't approve of it. She always thought I'd burn dinner if I read while cooking. I actually burned dinner when I wasn't reading because I left the kitchen to look at the TV. I prefer reading fiction. I used to read in genres. For example one summer in high I read mythological based fiction. I don't read much fiction any more. I don't read much any more except for hair blogs.

I enjoy watching sports. My favorite is football.

I like to crochet and make things. I don't really have much time to do those things any more and I'm not really artistic but I can make things and follow patterns. I've made prom dresses, costumes, jewelry,scarves, mittens and other things over the years.

I love nature, especially birds. I'm not a real good bird watcher but I sure do get a thrill when I see a bird I've never seen before or only see rarely. I saw a great blue heron the other day at a bio pond near where I work. It made my day.

I like myself with short hair. If I ever give up my locks I might go back to wearing a TWA

Bonus: What's different?

Now who should I tag? Any suggestions? No, well if you like you may consider yourself tagged. Let me know and I'll add a link to your blog.

2007-07-07T12:59:00.000-04:00

Cruising -- Mother's Day Surprise Realized

Here we are leaving Tampa on the way to Cozumel. We go under the Sunshine bridge!

When we docked in Cozumel we took a ferry to Playa del Carmen then took a bus to Tulum. We explored the ruins and spent some time in the ocean. Loved the white sand and blue water.

Somebody had a good time. I think little man enjoyed the cruise more than anyone else. He spent lots of time at Camp Carnival and went swimming every day.

Dinner was always enjoyable. The food was good and the service was great. Best of all no clean up. And it was a joy to have someone else make my bed every day and turn my bed down every night.

At the end someone didn't want to go home.

2007-06-04T10:42:00.001-04:00

Your Power Element is Wood

Your power colors: green and brown

Your energy: generative

Your season: spring

Like a tree, you are always growing and changing.
And while your life is dynamic, you are firmly grounded.
You have high morals and great confidence in yourself and others.
You have a wide set of interests, and you make for intersting company.

What's Your Power Element?

2007-05-14T14:32:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day Surprise

This is a picture of my daughter with her son from a few years ago. My daughter has turned into a beautiful woman and a lovely mother. There was a time when I truly wondered if this would ever happen but God is good and in the wonder working business.

She asked me back in April to schedule some time off from work but would not tell me why. I had been asking all kinds of questions and trying to catch her off guard to find out what was up for my time off but she just would not give in. I even told her not to call me unless she was going to tell. But she wouldn't and didn't stop calling me either.

On Mother's Day she took me and her mother-in-law out dinner to reveal the surprise vacation. At some point during dinner she gave each of us one of those singing Mother's Day card. I'm sure you've seen the commercial where the family is out to dinner at an elegant resturant and Mom opens the card to James Brown singing "I feel good." Well it wasn't quite that bad because it was a noisy resturant and not an elegant one. Inside of the card was a flyer about a cruise! My daughter is taking me on a cruise to Cozumel Mexico. Well the whole family and both grandmoms are going. But hey, I've never been on a cruise and it's something I've wanted to do.

I've had some interesting Mother's Days with my daughter: from hearing that Mother's Day was just some old Hallmark holiday and that I should be honored on her birthday (that year I wasn't honor on either day); to getting dinner, a cruise and a little shopping trip all in one day.

2007-04-17T13:07:00.001-04:00

Interesting to say the least.

R	Relaxing
O	Old
Z	Zany

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

I do have my zany moments. I can put my grandson to sleep. But old??? I don't think of myself as old but I can remember when I thought people who were the age I am now were old.

2007-02-12T22:14:00.000-05:00

Five things about me...

1. I played violin in school all through jr. and sr. high schools. I played off and on after that. When I was pregnant I started taking lessons again. As a teenager I dreamed of being studio musician and playing background for groups like the Temptations. I now play for the Lord in my church on select Sundays.

2. One year I played viola in a city-wide youth orchestra.

3. I used to be a semi-famous local poet. I've done open-mic, scheduled reading at local poetry venues and one on-air reading. In my reading and writing days I've rubbed shoulders with Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou and Lorene Cary.

4. I've lived in 2 different states PA & UT.

5. I really identify with the ladies who wrote about being shy. I was a shy quiet kid and suffered greatly for it. I was terrified of going to the jr. high I was slated to go to but we moved to a different state and I was greatly relieved. I still had difficulties in jr. high but at least I didn't get beat up every day. I tried to fit in but never really did. People thought I was stuck up but I was just shy and a bit spacey. I found refuge in the jr. high library and later in the public library. I read every black biography I could get my hands on in my school library. I became a voracious reader and started writing. I realized I was different and slowly became more and more comfortable with who I was. When I decided to lock my hair it was never a matter of what others would think but what I felt comfortable doing. One of my aunts once told me they liked my short natural better than my locks but it didn't phase me. I love my aunts, my mother's sisters, but I can only live my own life. I guess you could say I'm strong willed too. I'm still shy and quiet but I still venture out. I'm open to suggestions as to who to tag next.

2006-10-09T22:24:00.000-04:00

Philly Locks Conference

I started this entry way back in October but never got around to completing it until now.

The Philly Locks Conference was a pleasant change from my normal Saturday routine of chores and errands. There were lots of beautiful locks all kinds and lengthes. There was a wide variety of vendors selling everything from clothing to vitamins. Several of the local natural hair care salons were represented and many of them offered styling services and consultations while you were there. There were people offering chair massage and scalp massages. I got to see and feel the Lock Sock (not the LB Soc) and even bought one that I will probably use this winter. I also bought some Crinkles & Curls setting lotion that will maybe encourage me to use the Soft Spike curlers I bought this summer.

The best part was meeting a lovely group of ladies with locks from Boston to DC and having dinner with them. It was a real pleasure. I hope we're able to get together again in the future. I have also posted pictures from the dinner on my fotki site. http://public.fotki.com/quietspirit101/

2006-09-12T20:43:00.000-04:00

How it all began...

Many years ago a lovely couple gave birth to a baby girl with a head full of hair. This is me around 1 year. I don't remember much about then but I found this picture of me that somewhat attests to the head full of hair. I also have a cousin who remembers when I was born and that she was amazed at the baby with a head full of hair. I'm not sure the texture comes through in this picture but it was not straight.

I don't have too many memories of getting my hair combed when I was small. The earliest hair memories are of straightening combs. I got to be pretty good at sitting still and not flinching when the hot comb got close. I remember more that my sister had curly hair that she hated getting it combed or washed. As I think back it was a good thing that she didn't have to deal with the straightening comb.

Fortunately, I was named after an aunt who was a beautician (she preferred that term over hair dresser because she saw herself as creating beauty) and she provided most of my hair care for the time we lived near her. There still were occasional pressing session in the kitchen but for the most part I went to the Beauty Shop every two weeks.

I really like the look in my baby picture -- all natural.

2006-09-02T10:22:00.000-04:00

I really love my Brunsli Hair Tie

I've tried many different things to tie up my hair and so far this has been the best. I've worn it almost every day since I got it in August. Although I must admit that I rarely wear my hair out in the summer. It doesn't pull, it's not too tight and it holds the hair well with little stress. I'm going to have to try one of the longer ones as a head band.

Thanks Brunsli for passing along your great find in NYC. My hair tie has a design on it but between my skills and my camera it didn't show up.

2006-06-03T14:55:00.000-04:00

Almost Cut My Locs, Oh Yeah I Did!

Back in January (I think it was January) I got my daughter to spend enough time with me to give me a trim. I have been trimming my locs ever since my consultant told me they were settled. But I never really cut them. It was just a few snips here and there of selected locks that were drastically longer than the others or really scraggily at the ends. I hadn't done this for awhile and some time in the late fall or winter I went to give myself a trim and my locks were too long for me to deal with. But in January what I really wanted was not just a few snips here and there but a shortening of the over all length. Now I know some of you might just ask why didn't she just go to a salon or have her consultant do it. My consultant only does sisterlocks, nothing else. No wash, no color, no style, no cuts, just installation of locks, repairs and retightening. She is excellent at what she does. After paying my consultant every month I just couldn't seem to come up with the money to go to a salon to have my hair washed and cut so I grabbed my daughter, gave her the scissors and said cut some off. Her question was how much. A couple of inches was my response. When we finished 4-6 inches was the result. My head felt lighter. It was good.

Do I miss my length? Yes and no. Yes, because having hair almost to my waist butt was a milestone for me. No, because my ponytail was getting heavy and that is my favorite way to wear my hair in the middle of the summer when it’s really hot and humid. I know to some it just doesn’t make sense to cut their locs but to me cutting hair, be it locked or loose, makes perfect sense. If it’s too long for your liking cut it. If you want it to grow longer don’t cut it. It’s all vanity anyway.

2006-05-23T14:12:00.000-04:00

It's Just My Hair

There has been lots of talk lately about hair and jobs and it started me to thinking. I thought about all the different ways I have worn my hair since being on my own and I realize that I have never changed my hair for anyone but me. I have never changed my hair to get a job. I have never changed my hair to please my family. I changed my hair once as an experiment to see if I would attract more men. (I don't think it made a difference.) I've had my hair cut in a low fade to spite a man. But I have never changed my hair because of outside forces. I have washed my hair, had it shaped up or I've styled it for job interviews. But never once did I ever think of my hair as being unacceptable for a job interview. And if the thought ever crossed my mind it was only for a fleeting minute. Since being on my own I've worn a large fro, cornrows, a fade, a TWA, jerri curl, perm, natural, braids and now sisterlocks. When interviewing for jobs I have always gone for neatness: a nice suit; clean, neat hair; and a little makeup. I've always been more concerned about what will come out of my mouth. Will I come across as intelligent, competent and qualified? My skin is already brown so I know that has already set the stage. If an employer is able to get beyond that then my hair is not a concern. And if race is a question, I question whether or not I want to work there. I have always interviewed with natural hair and not once have I felt that my hair had a negative impact on the interview. Of course I may very well be walking around with blinders on but I have managed to get most of the jobs I wanted. And the ones I didn't get I don't think they were for me.

However, I did think a lot before I got locks. I wondered if my hair would be seen as a political statement which was not my intention. I also wondered if it would have an effect on my job. I worked in a conservative real estate research center within the university. We were 100% funded by donors and our donors were all along the lines of investment bankers. But I went to work one day with my hair in two-stranded twists that had been set, it looked very similar to baby sisterlocks and my boss said "nice do." So out the window went all my concerns about getting sisterlocks. I never got any negative feedback from anyone at work about my hair except for one comment from a sister that I supervised. I always made sure my hair was neat and/or styled for any events we held for our donors.

When I interviewed for my current position at the same university I wasn't even concerned about my hair. I knew that one sister in the department had locks. I did pull my hair back into a pony tail which is my conservative look. Since I've been working there one of the directors even told me she loves my hair and that it is amazing.

I think the most important thing is that you are comfortable with who you are. If you are uncomfortable with your hair then maybe you need to change it, after all its just hair.

Unusual Beginnings

2006-04-12T13:54:00.000-04:00

I don't know the date my locks were started. I don't know when I had my last perm. I don't know when I did my last BC (big chop). I do know I've always had hair and lots of it. (I have a cute picture of me with as a baby with a cute little 'fro that I'll scan one day and post to my blog.) I do know I have been natural most of my adult life. I think we (me and my mom) gave up on perms during my senior year in high school and went back to the good old press and curl. The last time I let some one press my hair with a straightening comb I wondered how I ever let someone do that to my hair as a child. My sisterlocks were started with 6-8 inches of natural hair. I was getting tired of my standard TWA (teeny weeny afro) and was letting my hair grow. I had an appointment for a consultaton that I called to cancelled but the person suggested that I come in and let her put two stranded twists in and set them on perm rods. So I did that and several months later I had her put in my sisterlocks. I do know that it took 2-days to put in my locks. This picture is either me with set two stranded twists or sisterlocks. Most people had no idea I had locked my hair because the twist and the sisterlocks looked so much a like.

New to all this

2006-03-08T10:12:00.000-05:00

I never intended to start a blog but I just couldn't leave comments too many places so I said okay just a little maybe. We'll see how it goes.