he's been calling me bangs

Fortunately, I have not had many bad haircuts in the last 10 years, not bad enough to remember anyway. However, a few weeks ago I went in for a bang TRIM and unfortunately my usual hair stylist was out but because I was leaving town the next day for another interview I settled. I was nervous about the trim in the first place but decided that un-kept hair might not reflect well in my upcoming interviews so I cautiously approached the swirling chairing and put on the black wrap. I asked for a TRIM and boy did I get one. My bangs were so short- I was speechless. I have always wondered what I would look like with bangs straight across my forehead but this was not the ideal time to try out a new look. I left the hair on the floor and started on my way home, dodging all reflections of my new do. On the car ride home Annie and I laughed so hard we cried. She gave me several pep talks (I think she got some good practice in for the speeches she will one day give to Eli) about how my character will shine through at the interviews and that hair style really isn't that important anyway and if a site doesn't pick me because of my hair than I really don't want to be in that shallow of an environment anyway. I was feeling a little bit better, then Paul arrived at the house and the first thing he said to me was, "What did you do to your hair? Why are you wearing it that way?" A little while later J came home and noticed the big change too- there was lots of laughter in the kitchen that night! Mindy was encouraging, "they'll grow out and if you got your eyebrows waxed they might look better. I even have a friend we could call and ask to do it." The eyebrow wax did help but the bangs still were too short- especially for the hairstyle I currently have. My sister came for the weekend and said, "what is up with your hair?" I told here that I was planning to get the rest of my hair cut to match the bangs when we returned from my last interview and that sadly my original plan to start growing out my hair had been thwarted. As predicted, my bangs have grown out a bit in the last few weeks but in the meantime Jason has adopted a new nickname for me "bangs" -it really is affectionate and we laugh every time he says it. I am excited for my appointment on Thursday- I like feeling cute and a hair cut can really make or break this feeling. This experience has given me a new appreciation for a GOOD HAIRCUT! I pay my stylist not just for the cut but for the creativity and ability to shape my hair in a way that is flattering- given the texture of my hair and features of my face. Now I know she is worth every penny and more!

you know you've found the right doctor when....

You smile when you find your yearly reminder in the mail.

You are excited to make a follow-up appointment- even it is for your yearly exam!

You can ask her to hold your hand when blood is being drawn and she actually does it with a smile on her face and warmth in her touch- NO SHAMING INVOLVED!

You create a blog to tell all your friends how important it is to find the "right" doctor and you are oozing with delight about finding your own "right" doc because you too have experienced the "not so right" doc just like so many other women out there.

Ladies be encouraged, there are in fact some good side-bed mannered docs out there- happy hunting!

at home and back to work

I flew in last night and I am back in the swing of things my first day back.

Made breakfast for my love

Prepared all my meals at home- YUMMY real food!

Did my weekly household chores

Paid some bills and called to inform others that their $$$ was in the mail- OOPS!

Started working on my dissertation again- yikes I've got to get BUSY

Wrote and sent a few thank you notes to the interviewers at my most favorite sites:)

Visited my gym- it feels good to work out at my neighborhood gym again

Went tutoring with Jason

Hung out at one of my favorite coffee shops doing homework and BLOGGING!

Now I've got to get back to work as I only have a few more hours to finish my to do list for the day.

Breaking the silence...

I am in a blog funk..... For the last several months (dating back to the start of internship applications and prelim dissertation deadlines- August?)although I love to chat it up, I haven't been in the "mood" to blog. Quite frankly my energy level has been depleted and the last thing I feel like doing, inside or outside of school, is writing. Even though I've been away from school the last month, I have been exhausted by internship interviews. Some of the interview days were from 8am to 6pm with 7 personal interviews packed in and I needed 2 days to rest off the nerves and prepare for the next one. My words have been taken up and my creativity spent. The good news is that things are a changing as I finished the last of my in person interviews on Tuesday! This trip was simply wonderful for several reasons:

1. It marked the end of my 5 week travel with only 4 days spent at home.

2. My younger sister Koy'a joined me and we had a girl's weekend- I can't remember the last time it was just the 2 of us!

3. The part of Cali we visited was 5 miles from the beach and the town was more beautiful than expected! The landscape was very green and the hills were a rollings.

4. I didn't have to fly alone- I have decided that I really don't like to fly and being alone only makes it worse.

5. I celebrated the completion of my last interview with a movie (Juno), shopping (BR), and a 30 minute massage with my sister.

Well, those are just a few of the top reasons why this trip was so relaxing and refreshing. As the words return I hope to find myself back in the mood to share the happenings of my life.