Ladybug Studio

How Do You Do, New Do?

The new haircut turned out fabulous and I have been loving it all weekend! I'm not a vain person in the slightest when it comes to my looks, so the fact that I can't quit looking for my reflection should tell you something. I am just so shocked at how different I look and I am so, so glad that I went through with this.

I've already mentioned that my stylist, Lori, had every confidence in the new style. Well, once she started cutting my hair, she kept exclaiming about how perfect my hair was for the cut, that it was behaving so well and just doing it. That eased my mind quite a lot, let me tell you.

The whole process -- wash, cut, dry, foil, wash, color, wash, razor cut, dry and style -- took about two and a half hours. Not even as long as she had thought. Calling herself a chiseler, Lori was very careful about cutting just a bit at a time, until she had the right length. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Lori is a hair genius!

Left: After the makeover
Right: After styling it myself for the first time

A new do needs new hair products, right? First, I needed a new shampoo and conditioner because the ones I've been using make my hair super soft. Too soft to hold any sort of style. So on Lori's recommendation I bought a bottle of PureOlogy PureVolume Shampoo at Target. It used to be a salon product, but is now being sold in regular stores and it's damned expensive stuff! But it's concentrated and I won't be needing near as much now as I used to, so the bottle should last a long time.

Which reminds me -- I have recently come to the conclusion that I am a product over-user. Too much shampoo (I love lots of suds), too much moisturizer, too much liquid foundation, even too much loose powder. I probably spend nearly twice what I should on health and beauty products. I'm going to make a serious effort to cut down. A little dab'll do ya, right?

So anyway, the shampoo was so expensive, I opted not to buy the PureVolume Conditioner until perhaps a later date. If even then, as I won't be needing much conditioner, really. Target didn't have the PureVolume BlowDry Amplifier she also recommended, but I was able to find it on ebay later that night. I also bought a large roll brush, as I hate the one that I already have.

Then I went to the mall for my mini makeover at the Lancome counter. I was so impressed with the outcome that I had to buy two eye shadows, an eye liner and a lipstick. I am such a sucker, I swear. By this time Joy had joined me and she took the first photo of the pair above. I decided that I wanted to consider a pair of large hoop earrings and found some sterling silver 50% off at Macy's. I bought a pair, but I'm not really satisfied with them. Instead of being straight, the posts have a crook to them, which my right earlobe is not happy about. That's what I get for buying the cheap ones.

After the shopping excursion, Joy and I met Tom at Red Lobster. We got there first and were standing outside when Tom arrived. He looked pretty surprised when he saw me. Good thing he recognized Joy!

Well, the rest of the weekend was great, hair-wise. The most surprising thing happened on Sunday. Tom and I went mountain biking with some friends for several hours. When I removed my helmet I looked at Tom and asked how my hair looked. He asked me if I had brought a hat. Indeed, I had, but first I flipped my head upside down, tousled my hair with my fingers, then straightened back up. The style was still doing it. Amazing!

Sorry about all of the hair talk, but I'm just so darned excited!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

So I'm biting the bullet and getting a major haircut and color tomorrow. I'm pretty nervous about it though. My hair has been pretty much the same for the past 5 or 6 years. No bangs, at least shoulder length and often longer. It doesn't do much, really. Partly because it's so fine that gravity quickly pulls out any volume I might have convinced out of it while styling in the morning. And partly because I have no hair styling skillz. Shoot, at least 75% of the time it's in a ponytail. It's an easy solution that works well with my biking and tennis activities.

I realize though, that my current look isn't really flattering on me. It accentuates my round face and flat head. In addition to my being a chicken, the other thing holding me back was that I didn't know of any style that I was interested in. But right after the holidays a coworker turned me on to a really cute style, worn by actress Lisa Rinna. I photoshopped my face into a photo of her hair and was surprised at how well it suited me.

I gathered a bunch of photos of the hairstyle, including the ones of myself, and took them to Lori, my stylist, for her opinion and approval. She was very enthusiastic, confident in her ability to give me the look and was eager to set an appointment. Lori assured me that styling would not be difficult, and she is well aware of my handicap.

I've decided to turn it into quite an event. I'll work a half day, then go to her studio. Once my hair is done, I will go to the mall and have a mini makeover at the Lancome counter in Dillard's. Maybe a little bit of shopping, as long as I'm there, then Tom and I will go out to dinner. Why waste the new look, right?

I will definitely take photos, because it may never look the same again. (wish me luck!)

Getting Back to Normal

I expected to be back posting before now, but I guess I'm still decompressing. It's really a lot to take in. Today is really strange, for instance. Wednesday is my day off from tennis activities, so I'd usually be planning on going to Dad's house after work today. My free time is my own again and it's bittersweet.

Of course, I probably won't put it to good use. I'll laze around watching TV or reading, then complain that there's never enough time to get anything done. Well, actually, I am getting my eyebrows waxed this afternoon, so that's something.

My biggest time suck lately has been the Australian Open. The first week wasn't very exciting (though Ann and I watched it anyway), but this week has been fun. Lots of great matches and upsets. I've already warned Tom that I am reserving the television tonight starting at 7:00 so that I can watch the women's semi-finals. Tom's probably getting rather tired of tennis, but I am also tired of the History Channel. He's been watching a lot of that lately, as there's no new programming to watch (darned writer's strike!).

At any rate, while there's still going to be much to deal with, cleaning out the house and trying to sell it, the worst is over. It hasn't been easy, trying to care for Dad and make the best decisions on his behalf. Particularly difficult was watching his steady decline over the last couple of months.

But I believe that we did the best that we could and I think he would be proud of the job that we have done.

Hi-Tech Man

Dad's obituary was in the paper today. I have been anxious to see how it would look. It's hard to gauge how long it will be printed, from looking at my computer screen. I'm pretty pleased with it. Not too long and overly wordy, but not too short either. We've chosen the option of the online Guest Book. I hope people take advantage of it and write some memories or condolences. It's pretty hi-tech for his generation, but actually he was pretty hi-tech himself. He carried a RAZR cell phone and paid his bills online. He had a digital camera, an HD LCD TV, hi-speed internet…

If you're interested, you can view and sign Dad's Guest Book and read his obituary. (the obit wasn't loaded as of this posting, but keep checking back, please.)

* * * * *

We're still handling details, as there are quite a few of them. Obits are expensive, if you didn't already know. We were going to put Dad's in The Stuart News, because he was born and grew up in Stuart, but we decided that $300 was a too much for the few people still living down there that might know him.

Now the concern is regarding a reception after the service on Sunday. We were very fortunate with my mom's service last year. Because the service was at the church my parents attended, the ladies of the church put on quite a spread. I mean it was really something. But the church was filled to capacity for Mom's and we expect there will be many more at Dad's, so we're having it at a larger church.

We've opted to go the easier and less expensive route: coffee, punch and cookies. Or something similar. Pumpernickel's will probably cater it, which will save us all a lot of work and stress. Sometimes shelling out the money is well worth it. But we don't know how many to plan for at the reception. Not everyone will stay afterward and not everyone will want any refreshments. Oy! It's tricky.

Peace

The inevitable has happened; Dad passed away early Friday morning. I truly believe it was peaceful and that he is with my mother now.

* * * * *

Joy called me at 6:30 that morning. I knew immediately what she was going to tell me. No one ever calls with good news early in the morning. When I got to the house a Hospice nurse was there, filling out paperwork with Joy.

Here's how it works with Hospice… They handle the legal forms and prep the body (removal of catheter, bathing if necessary), then the funeral home representatives transport the body to their facility. An autopsy is not required. (though one would be required if someone not under Hospice care dies at home)

The nurse asked me if I wanted a moment with him, before she started her prepping. I wasn't sure, so I looked to Joy. "Do I?" She assured me that it was fine, so I went back to see him. He appeared to be sleeping. His body was calm, the covers smooth, his mouth was open only the smallest bit. He looked at peace. I gently touched his cheek and his skin was cold. I didn't touch him again, but I stayed in the room for a while, just gazing at him. As long as I stayed there watching him, then he wasn't gone. I could imagine that he was just sleeping.

It's a great and painful loss. Sure, I'll always have love and memories in my heart, but it's no substitution for having the real presence of someone I love.

I won't be able to talk to him any more. I won't be able to listen to his stories or quiz him about music and composers. I won't be able to show him my music for an upcoming concert and he won't be attending any of my performances.

* * * * *

Joy and I did as much as we could do on Friday. We wrote up an obituary (based on a bio that we found in his files, bless him) and we met with the funeral home director. Dad had all the arrangements prepaid (bless him again). We made a bunch of phone calls and sent some emails. Ann helped with the calls, as she's still in North Carolina until Thursday.

Things are progressing, but it feels so strange to be back to business as usual. Work, tennis lessons, household chores, music rehearsals. It doesn't feel entirely real yet. I think that will change after the service on Sunday.

Time For Something Else

Singles league starts up again today. I don't know that I'm excited about it though. Actually, I'm considering dropping one of my leagues, probably singles. As much as I love tennis, it seems like that's all I do. Instead of playing tennis on Thursdays, I could go biking or roller blading. Or I could just go home and take a nap, which really appeals to me right now.

Playing tennis today will be a good idea, I think. It will get me out into the sunshine and fresh air. And keep me from dwelling on Dad, at least for an hour or so.

He's nearing the end now. The Hospice doctor said on Monday that he figured less than three weeks. The nurse indicated two weeks. The case worker said one month, but I think I would trust the opinion of the doctor and nurse more. He's having a lot of difficulty swallowing now and I think he's going to get a patch to manage any pain. While he doesn't complain of pain often and doesn't appear to be suffering, we still want to make sure he's as comfortable as possible.

I'm a bit on pins and needles these days. My cell phone is with me at all times. I get nervous whenever my phone rings and I see that the caller is Joy. I know she would be the first to be informed of any situation, imminent or otherwise. But, since she and I communicate a lot, I get a lot of calls from her. So I'm nervous most of the time.

So yeah… tennis = good distraction.

It Still Looks a Bit Like Christmas

As far as weekends go, the last one was okay. I didn't get nearly as much accomplished as I had planned, but I'm not going to let that cause too much stress. It's still a Christmas Wonderland in my house and that's a bit disturbing. I love my Christmas decorations, but at this point, they're just annoying me. The tree was de-trimmed though, and all of the ornaments boxed and packed.

We didn't go mountain biking as we had planned, either. Both of us were really lacking in the motivation department. But we did invite Dallas to join us on a road ride from the house. I didn't check the mileage, so I'm not sure how far we went, but we were out for at least an hour and a half. It was a touch windy and I was a touch whiney, so instead of sticking to one of our known routes, we did some exploring. That was fun and kept it pretty interesting.

Joy and I tried out a new restaurant on Saturday. We met for lunch at Driftwoods, a fairly upscale place in Titusville. We were a little early for the lunch crowd, so we got the best table in the house. Right in front of a huge picture window overlooking the Indian River, it would be the perfect spot to view a shuttle launch. The restaurant was gorgeous and our server was great. The food, however, gets mixed reviews. Joy got the she-crab soup and it was missing something. My french onion soup was good, though it had different flavorings than I expected. My chicken salad sandwich was quite tasty and loaded with chunks of chicken, almond slivers, grape halves, onion and celery. My side of pasta salad wasn't to my liking however. Joy got a club sandwich of some sort and enjoyed it very much and also liked her side of sweet potato french fries. Altogether it was worth the trip and I know I would like to go back again. Perhaps for dinner the next time.

After lunch, Joy and I went to Dad's and spent a good chunk of time there while Glenna left for a long break. There isn't much news regarding Dad's health. No good news, anyway. He continues to decline, sleeping most of the time and eating very little. When he is awake he doesn't have much to say and when he speaks, he's getting hard to understand. Plus, what he says doesn't often make sense. We just go along with his story, figuring it has to be easier for him.

I was able to get him to eat a scrambled egg, though I ended up feeding it to him as he seemed to be having trouble managing his fork. Glenna agreed, when I told her later, that she has to help him eat now. He doesn't show much interest in his beloved TV lately either. I turned it on for him anyway and he watched an episode of Jeopardy, though I really don't think he could follow it.

I'm trying to come up with an upbeat way to end this post, but I've got nothing…

Slacker: Version 2008

I'm glad I went with a winter theme instead of a holiday theme for my new header. As we're several days into the new year and quickly moving further from the holiday break, I look slightly less than the slacker I truly am. In fact, due to lack of quality content and personal motivation, I'll throw some answers at this meme and call it a post.

What kind of soap is in your bathtub/shower right now?
There's always a bar of Lever 2000 or something for Tom. I generally have a plethora of lovely scented shower gels.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
Egads no! Horrifying stuff! Tom likes it, but I never buy any for him because I don't know what to look for and usually mange to choose one that has no taste. (which is a bonus in my opinion)

What would you change about your living room?
Easy question! I would change out the coffee and end tables. The ones we are using were bought 14 years ago when we first moved in together. They were purchased at Montgomery Ward for about $100 total. We've been wanting to replace them for eons, but can't find what we're looking for at a somewhat affordable price.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Currently dirty, though there's only a few in there since the dishwasher was just emptied a couple of days ago.

What is in your fridge?
An old piece of pizza, eggs, water, condiments, orange juice, Fresca, Dr. Pepper, yogurt, Shed's Spread, butter, various salad dressings, parmesan cheese, Crystal Light tea, Ann's spaghetti sauce, shredded cheese…

White or wheat bread?
I've always been a white bread girl. Then I started eating Nature's Own Double Fiber Wheat Bread about a year ago. I really like it and now prefer it over the white bread.

What is on top of your refrigerator?
Dust and a mini Coca-Cola bench with two tiny bottles sitting on it. There isn't much space between the top of the fridge and the bottom of the cabinet above it, so I can't stash much up there.

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
The master bath has a clear shower door. The spare bath has a curtain that's a pale brownish color with palm trees and hammocks.

How many plants are in your home?
No plants inside. I love them, but they don't tend to live very long.

Is your bed made right now?
Halfway. Every morning I straighten the covers and make sure they are evenly distributed. (Tom's been stealing them lately) Then I fold back the top so it looks nice, but it's easy to crawl into at night.

Comet or Soft Scrub?
Scrubbing Bubbles, actually. But I do own a rarely used, crusty topped bottle of Soft Scrub.

Is your closet organized?
My side's not too bad. I try not to look at Tom's side.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass mainly, but only because I have more glass. There are two acrylic Tupperware tumblers I like to drink from though. I prefer shorter glasses, in case anyone's interested.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
Tom has a pitcher of Crystal Light Decaffeinated Tea in the fridge, but I think it's vile stuff.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
Well, that depends on one's opinion of cluttered. I think it's a bit cluttered, particularly on Tom's side. (are you noticing a trend?) But most would think our garage is a vision of orderliness and organization.

Curtains or blinds?
Blinds. Simple and easy for our taste. Though I know curtains can be incorporated and still keep our clean contemporary look. I just have no eye for interior design. I'd welcome ideas though. (Jenn?)

How many pillows do you sleep with?
One totally awesome Temper-Pedic pillow (that weighs 50 pounds!). Tom sleeps with two king size pillows. He makes a "V" out of them and snuggles in.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
No, we very much like it to be as dark as possible.

How often do you vacuum?
Not as often as I should, that's for sure. I'd say about every other week. We have no pets, so that cuts down on the need. At least, that's my justification.

Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard. I used to use an electric toothbrush and I'm sure it's better for me. But seriously, I didn't like it continually taking up one of the few outlets in the bathroom. Then, it was forever getting knocked over when I used my blow dryer…

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
Yep. There's a rooster on it.

What is in your oven right now?
Burnt bits of something, probably.

Is there anything under your bed?
Now that we no longer have a waterbed, I can say yes, there is something under our bed. It's our heavier comforter, sucked down into a Space Saver bag.

Chore you hate doing the most?
Cleaning the master bathroom. It needs a good cleaning right now (sigh).

What retro items are in your home?
Can't think of anything, really. We prefer contemporary stuff.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Yes, one of the small bedrooms is an office.

How many mirrors are in your home?
Four. One in each bathroom, one in the master bedroom and the piece of crap one I recently bought to hang on the back of the door in the spare bedroom. Don't get me started…

What color are your walls?
Mostly "Eggshell Origami". Known in most circles as off-white. But the dining room is painted a dark red, the office is lime green and the great room is shades of brown.

Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
Funny you should ask! We are apparently putting together an arsenal. Tom bought an automatic hand gun of some sort recently, then we have gathered four guns from my father's house so far. There's a strong rumor of at least one more hanging around. Also a shotgun and a rifle.

What does your home smell like right now?
I don't think our home has any particular smell. Depends on what food is cooking or what candle I am burning.

Favorite candle scent?
I prefer candles that smell fresh, clean or citrus like. Williams-Sonoma has wonderful candles. They smell really great while burning. So far, I'm unimpressed with Yankee Candles.

Ever been on your roof?
Yes, quite a few times. I go up there occasionally to clean leaves and such from the gutters. I'm not fond of heights, so it's kind of scary.

How many TVs do you have?
More than any two people should have, quite honestly. Four: there's one in the great room, the master bedroom, the spare bedroom and the office. We also have a battery operated black & white one, in case we lose power during a hurricane.

How many house phones?
Again, too many. Five: same as the TVs, replacing the battery operated TV with a phone in Tom's work shop.

Do you have a housekeeper?
No, but don't I wish! We actually looked into it at one time, but decided that our budget didn't allow for one. Yet, we manage to budget for more frivolous things…

What style do you decorate in?
No real style, just contemporary and clean. With a smidgen of cute here and there. Coca-Cola stuff in the kitchen, with red accents.

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
Solids, for the most part. Tom can't abide flowery prints and I won't put up with "man" prints.

Is there a smoke detector in your home?
There are several. And I really should consider checking the batteries in them. Except for the one right outside our bedroom door. It lost its mind and we had to give it a lobotomy. That's okay though, because there's another one just two feet away inside the bedroom.

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
My purse, my french horn, my laptop, my teddy bear and Tom.