Reflections: My Saturday Job at the Salon

Today I started a new adventure. I'm not sure how long I'll be on this "trip," but I'm excited about the possibilities. I've been given the opportunity to work from 8:30-3ish on Saturdays at a hair salon called "Shag." I've been getting my hair cut there for a number of years... and I really like it. I feel comfortable there unlike some of the shi-shi-foo-foo salons where I am made to feel dirty or incompetent just crossing the threshold of the shop. I thought it would be a good way to earn some extra cash, some free hair enhancement.. haha.. yeah. Why not? I've been pouring myself in to learning new things lately. Ukulele class, watercolor class, taxidermy class, etc. Why not learn about hair stuff and get PAID to do it? Make some new friends and get paid for it..... get out of the bubble I'm in all week and get PAID for it?! Woo! I am giving up my Saturdays, but it doesn't have to last forever. I haven't been doing all that much with them anyway- sleeping in and cleaning and grading papers. Well, somehow I'm sure I'll still get all that done, but I'll also have a productive day at the salon too. We'll see how it goes. For now, I'm excited about it. Funny thought for the day: the girl who trained me showed up wearing a strapless top that kept inching its way down all day. She was fairly bursting out of it and pretty proud of it. Later one of the stylists showed up with an extremely sheer skirt... you could see all under the whole thing... so the strapless girl looks at me with eyes wide open, "can you believe she wore that?! I can see right through it!".... and I just had to giggle. The shirtless one was shocked by the sheer one. Ahh... well. It was amusing. They were all really sweet and helpful to me and I look forward to working with them. It's definitely a new experience.

Dear Jeff Bridges

Jeff, I am listening to you singing some country music on AOL music sessions (http://music.aol.com/sessions/jeff-bridges-what-a-little-bit-of-love-can-do-sessions/?ncid=webmail13) and I just had to write you a little shout out. Thank you for putting your heart and humor into your work and life. I love that you laughed when you mention how you will have your granddaughter call you "Dude-pa"... that is one step up from what I call my gramps, "G-pa." You ARE the "dude." I am so glad that I KNOW WHAT THAT IS!!! HA! I had to watch the movie with the volume way down low because of all the cussing. I would buy a clean version of it, but I think there would be almost nothing left! Do you know, after I watched The Big Lebowski, I went and bought a sweater like yours. Actually, I bought two. I found them on ebay. One was actually a nice sweater with a great design. The other one came free with the first one. It has a giant deer on the back- I figure it will be perfect for and "ugly christmas sweater party" or something silly like that. How did you wear that sweater through that whole movie? It's sooooo scratchy!!!

I'm trying to think of the first movie I saw with you. I think it was "The Mirror Has Two Faces." I watched it with my mom. I thought you were handsome, and I loved Barbara's "perfect bite"... but I was really bummed because she never looked fat to me. So her whole transformation didn't matter. She went from fab to fab. FAKE!!! Anyway, the next one I saw with you was "Blown Away." That film is one of my all time favorites forever and ever. I watched that movie too many times to count. No one understands why. People just look at me with total confusion when I say that's one of my favorites (right up there with Last of the Mohicans.) There are so many parts in there that actually cause me to giggle with glee... I hold my breath and grab the couch white knuckled as I wait for the next thing. Those creepy scenes were you're looking through the house to find a bomb- the suspense as you pull the light switch. Ahhh!!!! The car scene! Your dad blows up!?! Tommy Lee Jones sings U2.. AHHHH!!! I LOVED IT!! I also loved the ending credit song so much. I played that part so many times, the tape died.

Let's see. I saw Seabiscuit, but I wasn't really into horse movies.... of course, Iron Man- but I don't even remember your part. I was too distracted with the awesomeness of Robert Downey Jr., but I'm sure that was the point. I was amused by The Men Who Stare at Goats. You played the best Rooster Cogburn there ever could have been next to John Wayne- it was a very enjoyable dark remake of True Grit. Then I watched TRON Legacy and then I had to watch it again and again and again. I don't like to rewatch movies... only my favorites. You actually made it on my "favorites list" twice- maybe three times if I count Big Lebowski- but that's not official yet. Lastly, I saw Crazy Heart recently. I had that netflix disc on my desk from March to August. I just didn't have a lot of time and if I did, I didn't feel like watching it. I finally popped it in, and was totally blown away (do you like my pun? ha ha). I loved your singing so much, I bought the soundtrack. I'm surprised how much I liked that one- because I'm not a big country fan. It was good enough that I went and looked up all those old country singers on wikipedia and now I'm a whole lot smarter for it. I'm loving your music and it's making my morning. Thanks! Oh, and I also have to mention that I admire you as an actor because you seem professional and "normal" in the sense that you don't make a big deal out of yourself. You were also never afraid to let your hair flow. Go get em, Dude-pa!

Thanks for the entertainment, the music, keeping things interesting.

A fellow Crazy Heart,

Jill

Bears Bears Bears

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!!!

Bears are neat. That's all there is to it.

What kind of a creature is a bear? They are stranger than you imagine. Their noses are longer, their eyes smaller, their body stranger than I expect. Every time I look at a picture of one, it is far different than what I THOUGHT it would look like. I could never place them before, but after seeing a National Geographic article with lots of bear pictures-(in trees eating berries), I'm guessing they are sloth related. They have similar giant claws and structure. I have also heard "pig" before, but that is still hard for me to see. Pigs are hooved. What is a pig? Well, I guess that is a thought for another day. I'm just astounded by the created realm and all the neat things God put in it for us to marvel at. Enjoy some bears with me!

UPDATE!!!!!!

After posting this, I sat at my desk, looking at a little figure of Smokey Bear that I purchased in Klamath, CA earlier this summer. I wanted to buy all the Smokey merchandise I could find- because when I was a little kid, I had a big crush on that bear. He was so wonderful and honest. He gave me responsibility and trusted me to do what was right. He was strong and would save me from fire. Oh, what a bear! But then, as I went to find a good picture of Smokey, I realized that maybe I can't VISUALIZE a good bear with my eyes closed COULD be because I picture the cartoon version instead of the real thing.... hmmm... just remember... only YOU can prevent forest fires!