Friday, March 15, 2013

Curly hair don't care


I've been rockin' my "natural" (read: curly) hair lately. I know hair is a thing for most women (I mean we all want to look good, right?) but for ethnic girls and black women in particular, hair is a really big THING. Yes, it's an all caps situation.

I like my hair for the most part. It's thick, grows at a decent rate and can generally survive the torture I've given it with flatirons and hot combs. That said, I'm tired. It's a chore and some days it is so cumbersome I wind up being late for work or events trying to get it to look like something. I don't really have a signature look per se, but it's been generally shoulder length or longer and parted slightly off center for as long as I can remember. I also rock tight, low-buns more than I want to; a look I don't love but it only takes about 10 minutes to achieve when I've got someplace to be.


A retrospective:



Currently:

January 2013


February 2013

March 2013

Today #curlyhairprobs

Curly Nikki has been my go-to for hair tutorials and learning about the natural hair community. I've discovered in a short amount of time that it truly is a lifestyle for many women. They document "hair journeys" and "big chops" and "transitioning" - lots of lingo out there to learn. I've been buying products geared towards curly hair (something I hadn't really done before) and it truly is trial and error. Some days I think it looks great! Other days, like today, not so much. #curlygirlprobs

At the risk of boring you to death I'll stop now and perhaps do another post or tutorial about what I actually do to style it if you're interested. I get A LOT of questions about my hair in general, so maybe I can direct people to a couple of my blog posts about it.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

On happiness

Have I talked about the documentary Happy before?

Happy - A Documentary Trailer from Wadi Rum Films on Vimeo.

If not, I should have! Have you seen it? If not—do.

I took some notes (below) on my phone while watching it a couple of months ago.
HAPPINESS
Intrinsic goals
Volunteer
Get really good at something and do it often
Close friends and family relationships
Exercise
40% of happiness you choose
Acts of kindness
Happiness is a skill
The things we love to do are the building blocks of a happy life
Every Sunday night write 5 things you're grateful for
Sent from my iPhone

 Then today the Happy facebook page had this post up:
My Top 3 Happiness Boosters are:
1. ____________(fill in the blank)
2. ____________(fill in the blank)
3. ____________(fill in the blank)

*Keep your list visible - sometimes in the busy-ness of the day, a little reminder can be helpful.
Mine are:
1. Quality time with family and friends
2. Seeing shows (plays, concerts, et al.)
3. Dance classes at the gym
 I've really been into reading about happiness lately, and it seems like everyone's into studying it. What makes you happy?
Some reads about happiness: 
Man's Search for Meaning (I read this book in my first year of college; I reread it every year).