I'm not quite sure why I'm still awake but whatever. It's Friday tomorrow and I only have to work until 6 so that's kind of awesome.
The long weekend was a lot of fun and I don't really have pictures. I have 3 pictures but I haven't even uploaded those yet... so yet again, another picture-less post! Whatevs.
On Sunday it was decided at the last minute over brunch that Ryan, Trevor and I would drive out of town to go shoot some guns. This ended up being quite a hilarious trip. First off we got all that we needed, guns/licenses/registrations/ammo etc, gassed up and drove towards Agassiz. We ended up at some prison that was right next door to another prison, which was right next door to a gun range. We decided that we obviously weren't going to find anywhere there to shoot so we kept driving towards Hope. We yet again didn't find anywhere there to shoot so we headed for Yale. Same thing so we passed through Yale and were nearing Boston Bar when I finally saw a side road that led to a gravel pit. It was perfect! There was even a big piece of plywood there that was just waaaaiiitting for us to set up some targets on it.
I really needed to sight my rifle seeing as how it's been 2 years since the stupid thing's even been shot. I'm sure I've bumped the scope a million times as well from having the thing stored in my closet. This is where things got interesting.
I have never in my entire life taken a gun to the face. Sometimes it doesn't even take a big gun to do some serious damage. My dads old roommate (yes he had a roommate when my parents first divorced) once took a 12 guage to the face. He turned to shoot it but accidentally pulled the trigger before he was ready (don't ever put your finger inside the trigger guard until you're ready to fucking shoot the thing and it's safe to do so - lesson # 1.) The gun kicked back and it was an older style gun that you have to cock... well, he took the pin straight to the nose and it literally split his nose in half horizontally. His nose actually started to peel off of his face.
Anyone that doesn't shoot guns probably thinks that it's not funny when someone takes a rifle to the face... but it really is. You don't mean to laugh and you do get really injured sometimes, but it truly is the most hilarious thing to see. Such was the case on Sunday.
I took my rifle out and got it all set up and shot the stupid thing a dozen times to see how well it was sighted. It was a few inches out so I knelt down to steady the gun more so my accuracy was better but I haaaaate shooting guns in this position. I just find I'm not as comfortable and I can't hold the gun as tightly into my shoulder. I fired the gun once and all was good but then I fired it again and I took the scope right square in the nose. I didn't get it too bad and no blood was drawn so it wasn't a big deal, it's more so embarrassing than anything. Thankfully neither Ryan or Trevor noticed so I didn't say anything. I handed the gun to Ryan for him to take a shot and that's when shit when downhill.
He knelt down and did the EXACT same thing. Only problem -- he has a big scar above his eyebrow already and he took the scope to that scar and so his forehead literally split wide open where the scope hit him. I still don't think it would have split had he not had that scar, but it's hard to say. He had a good inch long gash that was pouring blood all over the place, we had no paper towel or anything to clean up the blood with except for a fuzzy blanket. Needless to say, I'm down a blanket.
The worst part is that I laughed so hard. I actually couldn't stop laughing long enough to even get the words "Are you okay?" out in one full sentence. Even still when I think about it I start to laugh. I felt awful but it was really, really funny. I probably wouldn't have found it so funny had I not just done the exact same thing, but the fact that the fucking gun just bit me in the face too made it 10x funnier. I doubt he felt that way though.
I took him to the car and cleaned up his cut so that we could take a better look at it. He definitely needed stitches but we were way too far from a hospital so it was kind of a "fuck it" sorta deal. At least he was a man about it though and went back and shot the gun again so it didn't own him.
We shot a few more rounds then decided we should pack up and head back to Van for some dinner. I happened to catch a glimpse of my nose when we got back and it looked exactly like my fucking dads nose. It was horrible. There's a bump there now that definitely wasn't there before, I'm hoping it'll go down and that it's not actually broken, but that's looking unlikely. My nose is suuuper tender and I'm finding I can't breathe properly through my one nostril. I'm talking "just wearing glasses makes me want to rip my nose off" kind of tender. I iced it and the swelling has gone down quite a bit, but there's a bruise there still and I had a bit of a shiner. Thank God for makeup.
I kind of just want to hang around every guy I know and make it look like I'm their battered girlfriend. I feel like it could be really entertaining. If I'm gonna have a shitty nose I might as well put it to good use for some entertainment value. Right?
Anyways, so that was my Sunday out in the country. I'll talk about my Monday in another post.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
...
I'm pretty irritated right now. I got off late from work as per ushe and then we had to have a staff meeting. We have one every month apparently. So far everything's going alright.
Do you ever get that feeling where it's like no matter what you do, you seem to be doing shit the wrong way? Yeah. I've felt that a lot at this place. It seems like you do what they tell you to, but there's a way you could have done it better just by not saying one sentence or something minor like that.
One of the stylists got upset with me today. Basically, this client and her mom came in for a haircut. Her mom went first. Since the stylist was running a bit behind she asked me to do the shampoo for the daughter. No big deal. She asked me to use a specific shampoo and conditioner, so I did. I like to talk to clients while washing their hair because I find it less awkward and creepy. Seriously, it's weird just laying there having some stranger wash your hair and massaging your scalp while no words are being exchanged.
Anyways, when the shampoo was done the client asked about what shampoos/conditioners would be good for her hair. I told her what I used on her and she asked "what else could I use?" ... Sensing that she obviously wasn't stoked about the one we used I pointed out another option. During the shampoo she also mentioned she was graduating tomorrow and asked how she should style her hair. I again, gave her a few quick suggestions and told her things that I personally adore. Again, no big deal... or so I thought.
I took her back to her station, combed her hair out and prepped her for the stylist. Afterwards, I stood back and was watching the stylist cut the moms hair. All of a sudden the girl was like "was this what you were talking about?" and the stylist looked over to respond to her, and she goes "no sorry, I was talking to Marlee." ... I knew at that moment things might get awkward but at the same time I can't ignore a client if they are specifically asking me about something. She pointed to a picture in the magazine of a style and I told her that yes that was the style I suggested she could do for her grad.
Then she went on to ask me about diffusing her hair and how to make it less frizzy. SO again, I just quickly answered her questions about how I would diffuse her hair. By this time the stylist was finally done and came over to take over the appointment.
I had a feeling something would come up about it all and I was right. It got brought up at the staff meeting tonight. She was a little upset because the client ended up buying the shampoo/conditioner I told her about, and not the one that the stylist had originally suggested. Also, she was mad because the client was paying more attention to me than to her.
Aaaand this is my fault how? As hairdressers we are taught that we should be as friendly as possible with all clients to make them feel comfortable, even when they're not our own. She asked questions, I answered. Just because I say one thing does not mean that it's right, nor does it mean that it's wrong. We all have different suggestions for each client and what I might use on one client, another stylist may not. It's not a big deal it's just a difference in preference. BUT, apparently in situations like this I'm not supposed to give any answers, but instead try to redirect the conversation back to the stylist and say something like, "Well, something like this could be great but maybe you should ask (insert stylists name here,) she may have some really great ideas for you!"
I felt awful because now this stylist was all bummed out about it because she is trying to build her clientelle and if the client feels more connected to someone else than they obviously won't go back to that stylist again.
So I don't know, basically she got a little upset with me and it bummed me out because I felt like I was just being nice and trying to help make the client feel as comfortable and important as possible but clearly it was wrong. What makes it tough is that the client was obviously comfortable with me and liked me, where as she must not have been comfortable with her stylist. It doesn't mean the stylist did a bad job, it just means they're not a good fit. Finding a hairdresser that you like that gives you what you want and need is like finding a friggen boyfriend sometimes.
I don't know, it's just all really getting to me. It sounds really ridiculous but basically I have to sit back and play stupid because I'm not one of the "stylists" yet.
Blagh whatever. Here's me getting my nose pierced.
Do you ever get that feeling where it's like no matter what you do, you seem to be doing shit the wrong way? Yeah. I've felt that a lot at this place. It seems like you do what they tell you to, but there's a way you could have done it better just by not saying one sentence or something minor like that.
One of the stylists got upset with me today. Basically, this client and her mom came in for a haircut. Her mom went first. Since the stylist was running a bit behind she asked me to do the shampoo for the daughter. No big deal. She asked me to use a specific shampoo and conditioner, so I did. I like to talk to clients while washing their hair because I find it less awkward and creepy. Seriously, it's weird just laying there having some stranger wash your hair and massaging your scalp while no words are being exchanged.
Anyways, when the shampoo was done the client asked about what shampoos/conditioners would be good for her hair. I told her what I used on her and she asked "what else could I use?" ... Sensing that she obviously wasn't stoked about the one we used I pointed out another option. During the shampoo she also mentioned she was graduating tomorrow and asked how she should style her hair. I again, gave her a few quick suggestions and told her things that I personally adore. Again, no big deal... or so I thought.
I took her back to her station, combed her hair out and prepped her for the stylist. Afterwards, I stood back and was watching the stylist cut the moms hair. All of a sudden the girl was like "was this what you were talking about?" and the stylist looked over to respond to her, and she goes "no sorry, I was talking to Marlee." ... I knew at that moment things might get awkward but at the same time I can't ignore a client if they are specifically asking me about something. She pointed to a picture in the magazine of a style and I told her that yes that was the style I suggested she could do for her grad.
Then she went on to ask me about diffusing her hair and how to make it less frizzy. SO again, I just quickly answered her questions about how I would diffuse her hair. By this time the stylist was finally done and came over to take over the appointment.
I had a feeling something would come up about it all and I was right. It got brought up at the staff meeting tonight. She was a little upset because the client ended up buying the shampoo/conditioner I told her about, and not the one that the stylist had originally suggested. Also, she was mad because the client was paying more attention to me than to her.
Aaaand this is my fault how? As hairdressers we are taught that we should be as friendly as possible with all clients to make them feel comfortable, even when they're not our own. She asked questions, I answered. Just because I say one thing does not mean that it's right, nor does it mean that it's wrong. We all have different suggestions for each client and what I might use on one client, another stylist may not. It's not a big deal it's just a difference in preference. BUT, apparently in situations like this I'm not supposed to give any answers, but instead try to redirect the conversation back to the stylist and say something like, "Well, something like this could be great but maybe you should ask (insert stylists name here,) she may have some really great ideas for you!"
I felt awful because now this stylist was all bummed out about it because she is trying to build her clientelle and if the client feels more connected to someone else than they obviously won't go back to that stylist again.
So I don't know, basically she got a little upset with me and it bummed me out because I felt like I was just being nice and trying to help make the client feel as comfortable and important as possible but clearly it was wrong. What makes it tough is that the client was obviously comfortable with me and liked me, where as she must not have been comfortable with her stylist. It doesn't mean the stylist did a bad job, it just means they're not a good fit. Finding a hairdresser that you like that gives you what you want and need is like finding a friggen boyfriend sometimes.
I don't know, it's just all really getting to me. It sounds really ridiculous but basically I have to sit back and play stupid because I'm not one of the "stylists" yet.
Blagh whatever. Here's me getting my nose pierced.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Day That Never Came
I woke up Saturday morning incredibly unrested. Somehow the time seems to fly by these days and I never pay attention to the date anymore.
In all honesty, I had a horrible sleep because I had a really awful dream. It's rare that I ever dream about people I know that are recent in my life. I find that I dream of childhood friends/babysitters, or just people I don't really know all that well. Since I never seem to dream of people that are "current" in my life, I found it really strange that I had a dream about Dario on Friday night.
My subconscious was obviously aware of something that I clearly wasn't and was either trying to tell me something, or was just trying to get in the first "fuck you" dig for the day.
My dream was a really sad dream. I dreamt that Dario had died. I debated with myself whether or not it was appropriate for me to go to his funeral, but decided that I felt as though I should. Even though we no longer talk it's not like I have any hard feelings towards him. I went to his funeral and it was horrible. Pat and Danielle were absolute wrecks and overall the whole dream was just incredibly shitty. So on top of having a shitty dream that made me wake up in tears I also felt really out of sorts for having dreamt about people I knew.
I always like to look up dream meanings because I find them interesting, this is what came up this time:
To see someone dying in your dream, signifies that your feelings for that person are dead or that a significant change/loss is occurring in your relationship with that person. Alternatively, you may want to repress that aspect of yourself that is represented by the dying person.
It wasn't until I got to work and started my day that things went for an even more weird turn. I had honestly forgot what day it was. It didn't even remotely cross my mind until I went to the cleaning list, initialed it, and wrote the number "22" down to say that I had cleaned this particular item on the 22nd. By that point I had already even talked to Danielle that morning and everything. Still, nothing triggered it until I wrote down that damn "22." I stopped and looked at the number and realized it's familiarity and even second guessed it by asking myself, "is it really Saturday today?" All of a sudden my stomach sank and I was instantly overwhelmed with the thought, "Today was the day I was supposed to get married."
It was the most bizarre feeling I think I have ever felt. I wasn't sad, I wasn't angry, but I wasn't happy either. I almost just felt out of place. I looked at the clock at quarter to 1 and realized that at that time I was once supposed to be waiting outside of a church getting ready to walk inside to become Mrs. Perizzolo... instead I was now at work in a salon in Vancouver.
It was hard to believe that the day was finally here so to speak, because even though the relationship is over I've somewhat been anxious about having that day approach because I had no idea what it would be like and if it would affect me or not.
Well, it definitely did. All day I couldn't shake this weird feeling and I couldn't stop thinking about it. The whole day felt off, everything I did felt weird, and nothing had a good vibe that day. For some reason a lot of people kept talking about weddings that day, either that or I just seemed to notice it more. I jokingly sent a text to someone and said "it's probably a good thing I don't have my wedding dress in my house or I might just go home, put it on, and bathe myself in chocolate." I wasn't actually that bummed out but I often try to mask my awkward feelings by saying something that will make me laugh or make someone else laugh. I feel like it takes the awkwardness out of situations but it didn't really work this time around.
Even though everything has worked out for the better for the both of us it was obviously a little bit sad. It's pretty hard not to be at least a little sad about something like that because it definitely brought up a few old emotions.
When I got off work at 6 I started to drive home and then somehow ended up in Hope. I just couldn't be in Vancouver. I didn't want to be anywhere near here actually. I wanted to be away from everything that reminded me of anything. It seems over exaggerated but it's not at all. I just wanted to try to get as far away from the reminders as possible until I shook the feelings I was having. I don't think I was meant to have a good drive though because I couldn't find a good song that I wanted to profusely repeat the fuck out of until I was sick of it and sick of driving. I called Jess when I was nearing Chilliwack and told her I wasn't going to make it for her birthday dinner. It wasn't until I said it out loud to her as to why I didn't want to be there that I started to choke up a bit. I hung up the phone and just kept driving.
It may sound incredibly ridiculous but finally by the time I hit Hope I was ready to stop but only because I had to pee and I was starving. I stopped at Subway because it seemed familiar and I wanted a fuckin sammich hah. I ordered my sandwich and for some reason the girl doubled up on the meat. I'm talkin twice the ham, twice the turkey, and twice the bacon. Then I decided to make it a meal and add the cookies. I got into the car to start driving and eat and I noticed she had given me 3 cookies instead of 2, and had also charged me like 4 bucks less than she should have. For some weird reason that made my whole day. It actually 100% changed my mood and it's the most ridiculous thing that's ever gotten me out of a funky mood in my entire life... especially a mood that had lingered all day over something that's pretty serious. So I happily ate my sandwich and cookies and started to drive home and decided that I'd meet up with some people when I got back into town. ... So yeah, thanks to the girl at the Hope Subway with the lip ring for weirdly making my day.
I'm glad that day has come and gone now though. I'm mostly glad because now I feel like everything really is behind me. Everything else already was but it just seemed like that last little bit was lingering. I'm very thankful I never ended up getting married. I don't mean that in any possible rude way, just an honest thought accompanied with a sigh of relief.
The things that could have been could have been much worse than they ever were. If this all happened for no other reason than for me to get to know myself and to know my limits, then I am still incredibly thankful. I've taken more risks since this all happened than I ever have and am still continuing to do so. The only difference is now instead of stressing out and getting all worked up about making those changes, I now get excited about them and look forward to them. I also really love the fact that I do what I want to do now, when I want to do it. I have my hobbies again and I keep gaining more and more. I do the jobs I want to do, I have no fears of starting a new job or quitting an existing one, nor does making that decision stress me out at all anymore. That may or may not be a good thing but I at least have the brains on me to know when the timing is right to make that sort of decision so I think it's probably a good thing. I'm even finding it exciting to be dating again and by no means am I in any rush to be in a steady serious relationship, but new company is both enjoyable and exciting.
I've truly grown to love and be comfortable with the person I am. There is nothing I could have gained from this all that means more than that does.
It's all simple now. I know what I want in my life and I'm working hard to get there; and I do mean working hard. But, nothing that's worth having ever comes easy, right?
In all honesty, I had a horrible sleep because I had a really awful dream. It's rare that I ever dream about people I know that are recent in my life. I find that I dream of childhood friends/babysitters, or just people I don't really know all that well. Since I never seem to dream of people that are "current" in my life, I found it really strange that I had a dream about Dario on Friday night.
My subconscious was obviously aware of something that I clearly wasn't and was either trying to tell me something, or was just trying to get in the first "fuck you" dig for the day.
My dream was a really sad dream. I dreamt that Dario had died. I debated with myself whether or not it was appropriate for me to go to his funeral, but decided that I felt as though I should. Even though we no longer talk it's not like I have any hard feelings towards him. I went to his funeral and it was horrible. Pat and Danielle were absolute wrecks and overall the whole dream was just incredibly shitty. So on top of having a shitty dream that made me wake up in tears I also felt really out of sorts for having dreamt about people I knew.
I always like to look up dream meanings because I find them interesting, this is what came up this time:
To see someone dying in your dream, signifies that your feelings for that person are dead or that a significant change/loss is occurring in your relationship with that person. Alternatively, you may want to repress that aspect of yourself that is represented by the dying person.
It wasn't until I got to work and started my day that things went for an even more weird turn. I had honestly forgot what day it was. It didn't even remotely cross my mind until I went to the cleaning list, initialed it, and wrote the number "22" down to say that I had cleaned this particular item on the 22nd. By that point I had already even talked to Danielle that morning and everything. Still, nothing triggered it until I wrote down that damn "22." I stopped and looked at the number and realized it's familiarity and even second guessed it by asking myself, "is it really Saturday today?" All of a sudden my stomach sank and I was instantly overwhelmed with the thought, "Today was the day I was supposed to get married."
It was the most bizarre feeling I think I have ever felt. I wasn't sad, I wasn't angry, but I wasn't happy either. I almost just felt out of place. I looked at the clock at quarter to 1 and realized that at that time I was once supposed to be waiting outside of a church getting ready to walk inside to become Mrs. Perizzolo... instead I was now at work in a salon in Vancouver.
It was hard to believe that the day was finally here so to speak, because even though the relationship is over I've somewhat been anxious about having that day approach because I had no idea what it would be like and if it would affect me or not.
Well, it definitely did. All day I couldn't shake this weird feeling and I couldn't stop thinking about it. The whole day felt off, everything I did felt weird, and nothing had a good vibe that day. For some reason a lot of people kept talking about weddings that day, either that or I just seemed to notice it more. I jokingly sent a text to someone and said "it's probably a good thing I don't have my wedding dress in my house or I might just go home, put it on, and bathe myself in chocolate." I wasn't actually that bummed out but I often try to mask my awkward feelings by saying something that will make me laugh or make someone else laugh. I feel like it takes the awkwardness out of situations but it didn't really work this time around.
Even though everything has worked out for the better for the both of us it was obviously a little bit sad. It's pretty hard not to be at least a little sad about something like that because it definitely brought up a few old emotions.
When I got off work at 6 I started to drive home and then somehow ended up in Hope. I just couldn't be in Vancouver. I didn't want to be anywhere near here actually. I wanted to be away from everything that reminded me of anything. It seems over exaggerated but it's not at all. I just wanted to try to get as far away from the reminders as possible until I shook the feelings I was having. I don't think I was meant to have a good drive though because I couldn't find a good song that I wanted to profusely repeat the fuck out of until I was sick of it and sick of driving. I called Jess when I was nearing Chilliwack and told her I wasn't going to make it for her birthday dinner. It wasn't until I said it out loud to her as to why I didn't want to be there that I started to choke up a bit. I hung up the phone and just kept driving.
It may sound incredibly ridiculous but finally by the time I hit Hope I was ready to stop but only because I had to pee and I was starving. I stopped at Subway because it seemed familiar and I wanted a fuckin sammich hah. I ordered my sandwich and for some reason the girl doubled up on the meat. I'm talkin twice the ham, twice the turkey, and twice the bacon. Then I decided to make it a meal and add the cookies. I got into the car to start driving and eat and I noticed she had given me 3 cookies instead of 2, and had also charged me like 4 bucks less than she should have. For some weird reason that made my whole day. It actually 100% changed my mood and it's the most ridiculous thing that's ever gotten me out of a funky mood in my entire life... especially a mood that had lingered all day over something that's pretty serious. So I happily ate my sandwich and cookies and started to drive home and decided that I'd meet up with some people when I got back into town. ... So yeah, thanks to the girl at the Hope Subway with the lip ring for weirdly making my day.
I'm glad that day has come and gone now though. I'm mostly glad because now I feel like everything really is behind me. Everything else already was but it just seemed like that last little bit was lingering. I'm very thankful I never ended up getting married. I don't mean that in any possible rude way, just an honest thought accompanied with a sigh of relief.
The things that could have been could have been much worse than they ever were. If this all happened for no other reason than for me to get to know myself and to know my limits, then I am still incredibly thankful. I've taken more risks since this all happened than I ever have and am still continuing to do so. The only difference is now instead of stressing out and getting all worked up about making those changes, I now get excited about them and look forward to them. I also really love the fact that I do what I want to do now, when I want to do it. I have my hobbies again and I keep gaining more and more. I do the jobs I want to do, I have no fears of starting a new job or quitting an existing one, nor does making that decision stress me out at all anymore. That may or may not be a good thing but I at least have the brains on me to know when the timing is right to make that sort of decision so I think it's probably a good thing. I'm even finding it exciting to be dating again and by no means am I in any rush to be in a steady serious relationship, but new company is both enjoyable and exciting.
I've truly grown to love and be comfortable with the person I am. There is nothing I could have gained from this all that means more than that does.
It's all simple now. I know what I want in my life and I'm working hard to get there; and I do mean working hard. But, nothing that's worth having ever comes easy, right?
Friday, May 21, 2010
I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.
Well I'm home from Job B and on my way to job A. Yes that seems backwards but Job A is the salon since it is full-time, and Job B is when I do the occasional work day at the shop.
I think it's a good thing doing the occasional day at the shop. It allows me to swear my face off and get it out of my system until I go back there, seeing as how I cannot swear at the salon. I'm sure those who know me would know how difficult that would be for me! Although, surprisingly, I have a very easy time not swearing when I'm in the salon... but the second I step away from the professional side/clients I turn right back into a potty mouth. I don't even mean to do it, it just happens. It's really weird.
So... We had a staff meeting on Wednesday night to figure out kinda where everyone was at with the salon and how it works. Basically, I am not allowed to do anyone's hair on work time. If I have clients I have to bring them in on my own time and I have to charge what I charged at the school (which is minimal if any of you remember. Seriously, 10 dollar haircuts/updos/blowdrys etc, 40-60 dollar colours, 50-80 dollar highlights/lowlights, 80 dollar perms etc.) I will have to charge these prices until I am done "apprenticing" and working full time on the floor as a junior stylist.
This is incredibly frustrating for me, I'm not going to lie. It's not that I mind bringing people in on my days off, but I do however mind that as I gain clientelle I will gain a lot based on my prices, so when I do go up in prices I will likely lose some of those clients. I guess it's whatever but I can tell you I'm not overly enthused for sure. It is very upsetting knowing that I am going to come in on my time off (and let me just reiterate that I do NOT get paid while I am at the salon doing clients, it is strictly on my own time) to work really hard doing the same services that a client would pay sometimes $200.00 and up for, and only charging them max $100.00 and having everything I charge them go to the salon. So basically, I'm doing hair for free. The client pays, but I don't get paid. So on those days the only compensation I would get is if I was tipped for the service, which we are taught to never ever rely on in the hair industry. It's nice when people do, but there are a lot of people that don't tip hairdressers.
A lot of this is in preparation for the career ahead of me. I realized the other day, I have forever forfeited having Saturday's off for the rest of my working life, as Saturday's are the busiest day's. I will also be constantly spending my time off working on things like competitions, photoshoots, weddings, graduations, nights out, etc. Competitions and photoshoots I pay money to do and I do them on my own time. And I mean I PAY to do them. It is 90 dollars just to enter one category in the contessas, and typically you enter two or three. Then you have to pay for makeup to be done professionally, buy the wardrobe, and pay for the photographer. This is something that I am incredibly serious about since it's what I want to do with my career because I want to compete and I want to do platform work as well as editorial work. So there will be times where I will likely spend easily 1000 bucks to enter a competition only to hope that I at the very least place as a finalist, and at best win the category.
So basically to sum it all up. I will be only allowing myself to take one day off a week. That day will be Monday. The reason? Because the salon is closed that day and no one is there. Otherwise I've decided that I will try my best to book as many clients as I can on my other day off for the week which will be every second Sunday or every second Tuesday.
I will also be taking extra courses as they come up. I've decided I am going to take a razor cutting class at Rain Hair Salon (which reminds me, hunt them down on facebook and become a fan because they are unbelievable there and they're giving away free shit [bumble&bumble products etc. They're going to give away $1000.00 worth of stuff when they hit 1000 fans so get in there!]) on June 21st. It's a 250 dollar course. It's one day, I would learn two cuts and be on with it.
So yeah... basically I am going to put in about 900% in effort and get maybe 2% back.
I've also decided that I will have to do certain things in terms of my lifestyle etc to make this a little easier on myself. This will require me likely getting rid of my car all together and moving downtown. Seeing as how I spend 2 hours a day in transit, and if I stay with On The Fringe I will be working out at UBC it seems a bit silly to keep living in Burnaby and driving every day. At least if I live downtown I won't need a vehicle at all and everywhere I will be working will always be close by because I will never work in Burnaby or any other suburb.
Sometimes I think about this and it's incredibly depressing and demotivating, but I guess the fact that I love it SO much and that it doesn't feel like work to me is somehow going to get me through this all. I swear if doing hair didn't make me as happy and stress free as it has these last 7 months then I would quit tomorrow. I would be lying if I said I didn't have days where all that goes through my head is "What the fuck am I doing? How am I going to do this, and man this is incredibly depressing!"
Goodbye life for quite some time to come. Hello 60 hour work weeks and 40 hour paycheques at minimum wage. Le sigh. I hope that this all pays off in the end. If I'm not making at least 50k a year 2-3 years from now I might just lose my shit.
I almost think I'm slightly insane when I sit down and think about the amount of effort I'm putting into this. I can only hope that my clients will appreciate the amount of work I put into this career and how seriously I take it, because really, I do this because I love it but also because I love making people feel good. Everyone loves having great hair right? haha.
My biggest goal is to hope that the effort I put in shows in the work that I do, and that my clients see that. If I can do that then I'll be booked all the time.
So for those of you who love your hairdresser, ask him/her questions. Ask them if they compete etc. And let them know how awesome you think they are, cause it seriously will make their day. Those who take this job seriously live for that sort of thing. This isn't a regular job where you do it because it pays the bills. This is a job much like why people become musicians or actors. You get shit on time and time again yet you keep doing it because you love it.
It's retarded really if I'm going to be logical about it. I'm sure 90% of people would ask me "why the fuck would you put yourself through all of that?" The other 10% are doing the same thing.
I think it's a good thing doing the occasional day at the shop. It allows me to swear my face off and get it out of my system until I go back there, seeing as how I cannot swear at the salon. I'm sure those who know me would know how difficult that would be for me! Although, surprisingly, I have a very easy time not swearing when I'm in the salon... but the second I step away from the professional side/clients I turn right back into a potty mouth. I don't even mean to do it, it just happens. It's really weird.
So... We had a staff meeting on Wednesday night to figure out kinda where everyone was at with the salon and how it works. Basically, I am not allowed to do anyone's hair on work time. If I have clients I have to bring them in on my own time and I have to charge what I charged at the school (which is minimal if any of you remember. Seriously, 10 dollar haircuts/updos/blowdrys etc, 40-60 dollar colours, 50-80 dollar highlights/lowlights, 80 dollar perms etc.) I will have to charge these prices until I am done "apprenticing" and working full time on the floor as a junior stylist.
This is incredibly frustrating for me, I'm not going to lie. It's not that I mind bringing people in on my days off, but I do however mind that as I gain clientelle I will gain a lot based on my prices, so when I do go up in prices I will likely lose some of those clients. I guess it's whatever but I can tell you I'm not overly enthused for sure. It is very upsetting knowing that I am going to come in on my time off (and let me just reiterate that I do NOT get paid while I am at the salon doing clients, it is strictly on my own time) to work really hard doing the same services that a client would pay sometimes $200.00 and up for, and only charging them max $100.00 and having everything I charge them go to the salon. So basically, I'm doing hair for free. The client pays, but I don't get paid. So on those days the only compensation I would get is if I was tipped for the service, which we are taught to never ever rely on in the hair industry. It's nice when people do, but there are a lot of people that don't tip hairdressers.
A lot of this is in preparation for the career ahead of me. I realized the other day, I have forever forfeited having Saturday's off for the rest of my working life, as Saturday's are the busiest day's. I will also be constantly spending my time off working on things like competitions, photoshoots, weddings, graduations, nights out, etc. Competitions and photoshoots I pay money to do and I do them on my own time. And I mean I PAY to do them. It is 90 dollars just to enter one category in the contessas, and typically you enter two or three. Then you have to pay for makeup to be done professionally, buy the wardrobe, and pay for the photographer. This is something that I am incredibly serious about since it's what I want to do with my career because I want to compete and I want to do platform work as well as editorial work. So there will be times where I will likely spend easily 1000 bucks to enter a competition only to hope that I at the very least place as a finalist, and at best win the category.
So basically to sum it all up. I will be only allowing myself to take one day off a week. That day will be Monday. The reason? Because the salon is closed that day and no one is there. Otherwise I've decided that I will try my best to book as many clients as I can on my other day off for the week which will be every second Sunday or every second Tuesday.
I will also be taking extra courses as they come up. I've decided I am going to take a razor cutting class at Rain Hair Salon (which reminds me, hunt them down on facebook and become a fan because they are unbelievable there and they're giving away free shit [bumble&bumble products etc. They're going to give away $1000.00 worth of stuff when they hit 1000 fans so get in there!]) on June 21st. It's a 250 dollar course. It's one day, I would learn two cuts and be on with it.
So yeah... basically I am going to put in about 900% in effort and get maybe 2% back.
I've also decided that I will have to do certain things in terms of my lifestyle etc to make this a little easier on myself. This will require me likely getting rid of my car all together and moving downtown. Seeing as how I spend 2 hours a day in transit, and if I stay with On The Fringe I will be working out at UBC it seems a bit silly to keep living in Burnaby and driving every day. At least if I live downtown I won't need a vehicle at all and everywhere I will be working will always be close by because I will never work in Burnaby or any other suburb.
Sometimes I think about this and it's incredibly depressing and demotivating, but I guess the fact that I love it SO much and that it doesn't feel like work to me is somehow going to get me through this all. I swear if doing hair didn't make me as happy and stress free as it has these last 7 months then I would quit tomorrow. I would be lying if I said I didn't have days where all that goes through my head is "What the fuck am I doing? How am I going to do this, and man this is incredibly depressing!"
Goodbye life for quite some time to come. Hello 60 hour work weeks and 40 hour paycheques at minimum wage. Le sigh. I hope that this all pays off in the end. If I'm not making at least 50k a year 2-3 years from now I might just lose my shit.
I almost think I'm slightly insane when I sit down and think about the amount of effort I'm putting into this. I can only hope that my clients will appreciate the amount of work I put into this career and how seriously I take it, because really, I do this because I love it but also because I love making people feel good. Everyone loves having great hair right? haha.
My biggest goal is to hope that the effort I put in shows in the work that I do, and that my clients see that. If I can do that then I'll be booked all the time.
So for those of you who love your hairdresser, ask him/her questions. Ask them if they compete etc. And let them know how awesome you think they are, cause it seriously will make their day. Those who take this job seriously live for that sort of thing. This isn't a regular job where you do it because it pays the bills. This is a job much like why people become musicians or actors. You get shit on time and time again yet you keep doing it because you love it.
It's retarded really if I'm going to be logical about it. I'm sure 90% of people would ask me "why the fuck would you put yourself through all of that?" The other 10% are doing the same thing.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Home Is Wherever With You
I left Saturday afternoon to head up to Prince George for my Grandpa's funeral. I wasn't actually expecting to even set foot in FSJ since the funeral was on Monday in PG, but when I got to PG my mom said we were going to be heading back home with Wendy. We got home to moms and decided to get some food cooking, meanwhile I went out on the quad with Cassidy and Jeph. My mom had to do the write up for the ceremony cards/graveside service but after that was done we sat around the fire, had a few drinks, and ended up spending a few hours singing karaoke.
The next day was Mothers Day so I woke up a little earlier, drove into town to pick up some breakfast stuff, and headed back out to moms to cook up some bacon, pancakes, and eggs. I really didn't even need to go to the store because she had everything anyways, but oh well I guess.
After breakfast we were about to start cleaning up when we looked outside to see that one of the cows was about to calve. This was kind of exciting for me because even though I've seen my share of newborn baby cows I've never watched one give birth before. These big mamas have been baby making for years so they're usually done pushing that sucker out anywhere between 15 minutes to 45 so it's incredibly easy to miss. Thankfully mom looked out the window and noticed this big lady standing all by herself in the corner with her tail sticking straight out in the air. She was sniffing the ground too which is another sure sign that they're getting ready.
I'm pretty sure this is where cows end up half retarded though. The calf was half way out when the mom decided it'd be a great idea to stand up. They often look back and see the head of their baby and I guess they assume they're done or something so when they stand up the calf is hanging halfway out its vagine and then this happens:
Yep. She dropped it straight on it's head!! Poor little thing. It was okay though. Within 15 minutes of being born this little guy/girl was already trying to stand/walk. It kept falling over, it was so sad but so cute at the same time.
After that whole ordeal my mom went to go get the funeral cards ready so I went out to the lake to visit with my dad, stepmom, and sister. We had a hotdog roast at the beach and then went back into town to eat more crap food.
I left my dads around 7:30 and headed out to my friend Kat's place. I decided a couple weeks ago that I really wanted to get my nose pierced but I wanted to wait until Kat could do it for me. It worked out so that I managed to get some time to stop in and see my bestie for a bit, hug and kiss that gorgeous little belly of hers, and have her pierce my nose.
She is 29 weeks pregnant already. I can't wait for that little guy to get out of her belly so I can awe all over it's cuteness. I get to be Faux-Aunty-Marlee and I'm pretty stoked about it. It seems like everyone I know is having babies but there's few people that I'm actually excited for. Kat's definitely one of them though.
Here I am getting ready to get stabbed. Ian took a bunch of pictures with his fancy camera so I'll steal those from him when he sends them to me/posts them. He's got some gnarly ones of the needle hanging out of my nose. It's kind of gross but meh, that shit doesn't bother me too much. Oddly enough my eyes didn't even water after the needle went through. That is pretty much unheard of apparently.
The next day was the funeral. My grandpa didn't actually want a funeral so we did a quiet family/close friends graveside service and had a reception at the Coast afterwards. It was a really short but nice service. Thankfully the weather that day was gorgeous.
The reception was also nice. We all met up to eat food, have a few drinks, and look at some old pictures. After having spent most of the day doing that my brother and I were both feeling pretty drained and wanted to leave. My mom was visiting with grandpa's friends so we asked if we could take off and she didn't object.
We decided to blow off some steam by taking the guns out. I called up Chris to see if he was down for a gunfest, and then another call was made to Hunter. Within an hour we changed, packed up our shit, and drove out of town a ways to have some fun.
I'm pretty sure this is my favourite picture of me. Hunter brought out his newly purchased SKS which I am officially obsessed with. This thing can pump out 5 rounds before one cartridge even hits the ground. Nothing says fun like semi-automatic military rifles. They are surprisingly inexpensive since there were so many made before the AK-47 took over... so needless to say I think I am going to have to buy one of these one day soon. It's not really good for anything other than shooting at shit, but that alone is reason enough.
We also brought out some of the shotguns and did some skeet shooting. I'm still pretty terrible at it... it's pretty tough shooting a 5-inch diameter clay disk mid air. It's good practice for bird hunting though, even though I only ever shoot grouse and it's pretty rare that those stupid things ever fly away when you pull a gun on them.
Not only does this gun pump out 5 rounds in a matter of seconds, but it also has a nice little blade attached to the end of the barrel... you know, just incase you ran out of bullets and still needed to kill someone. No big deal.
The next day I hung around my brothers place. My friend Amber stopped in for a visit, then I met up with another one of my best friends (Megan) and Melissa for lunch. I finally got to meet Melissa's baby boy and I'm pretty sure he is the sweetest baby I've seen in quite some time.
After that I killed time watching the Canucks lose and hopped on my plane to head home.
Despite the reason for the trip the weekend was still overall a good weekend. I got to see many of the people I love most and got to do some of my favourite things that I don't get to do in Van. I sure felt an instant comfort as soon as I stepped off that plane. I even had the thought of buying a house on the lake in Fort cross my mind. I am honestly tempted to buy a house there that I could live in during the summers and on visits, then just rent a place in Van the rest of the time. One day maybe!
The next day was Mothers Day so I woke up a little earlier, drove into town to pick up some breakfast stuff, and headed back out to moms to cook up some bacon, pancakes, and eggs. I really didn't even need to go to the store because she had everything anyways, but oh well I guess.
After breakfast we were about to start cleaning up when we looked outside to see that one of the cows was about to calve. This was kind of exciting for me because even though I've seen my share of newborn baby cows I've never watched one give birth before. These big mamas have been baby making for years so they're usually done pushing that sucker out anywhere between 15 minutes to 45 so it's incredibly easy to miss. Thankfully mom looked out the window and noticed this big lady standing all by herself in the corner with her tail sticking straight out in the air. She was sniffing the ground too which is another sure sign that they're getting ready.
The calves come out front feet first, and then the head etc. assuming everything goes smoothly. There weren't any complications this time around.
I'm pretty sure this is where cows end up half retarded though. The calf was half way out when the mom decided it'd be a great idea to stand up. They often look back and see the head of their baby and I guess they assume they're done or something so when they stand up the calf is hanging halfway out its vagine and then this happens:
Yep. She dropped it straight on it's head!! Poor little thing. It was okay though. Within 15 minutes of being born this little guy/girl was already trying to stand/walk. It kept falling over, it was so sad but so cute at the same time.
Still getting cleaned up.
Ellie and Fred stood by and guarded the cow and calf. I finally got a decent picture of Ellie too. She's terrified of the camera and hides as soon as she sees it.
This little guy was two days old. He was so rambunctious! I couldn't get anywhere near him to pet him. I did however get to pet the one day old calf for a little while. They're just so cute I can't even handle it.
After that whole ordeal my mom went to go get the funeral cards ready so I went out to the lake to visit with my dad, stepmom, and sister. We had a hotdog roast at the beach and then went back into town to eat more crap food.
I left my dads around 7:30 and headed out to my friend Kat's place. I decided a couple weeks ago that I really wanted to get my nose pierced but I wanted to wait until Kat could do it for me. It worked out so that I managed to get some time to stop in and see my bestie for a bit, hug and kiss that gorgeous little belly of hers, and have her pierce my nose.
She is 29 weeks pregnant already. I can't wait for that little guy to get out of her belly so I can awe all over it's cuteness. I get to be Faux-Aunty-Marlee and I'm pretty stoked about it. It seems like everyone I know is having babies but there's few people that I'm actually excited for. Kat's definitely one of them though.
Here I am getting ready to get stabbed. Ian took a bunch of pictures with his fancy camera so I'll steal those from him when he sends them to me/posts them. He's got some gnarly ones of the needle hanging out of my nose. It's kind of gross but meh, that shit doesn't bother me too much. Oddly enough my eyes didn't even water after the needle went through. That is pretty much unheard of apparently.
The next day was the funeral. My grandpa didn't actually want a funeral so we did a quiet family/close friends graveside service and had a reception at the Coast afterwards. It was a really short but nice service. Thankfully the weather that day was gorgeous.
The reception was also nice. We all met up to eat food, have a few drinks, and look at some old pictures. After having spent most of the day doing that my brother and I were both feeling pretty drained and wanted to leave. My mom was visiting with grandpa's friends so we asked if we could take off and she didn't object.
We decided to blow off some steam by taking the guns out. I called up Chris to see if he was down for a gunfest, and then another call was made to Hunter. Within an hour we changed, packed up our shit, and drove out of town a ways to have some fun.
Suck it Trebek.
I'm pretty sure this is my favourite picture of me. Hunter brought out his newly purchased SKS which I am officially obsessed with. This thing can pump out 5 rounds before one cartridge even hits the ground. Nothing says fun like semi-automatic military rifles. They are surprisingly inexpensive since there were so many made before the AK-47 took over... so needless to say I think I am going to have to buy one of these one day soon. It's not really good for anything other than shooting at shit, but that alone is reason enough.
We also brought out some of the shotguns and did some skeet shooting. I'm still pretty terrible at it... it's pretty tough shooting a 5-inch diameter clay disk mid air. It's good practice for bird hunting though, even though I only ever shoot grouse and it's pretty rare that those stupid things ever fly away when you pull a gun on them.
I love this picture of my brother loading the SKS.
Not only does this gun pump out 5 rounds in a matter of seconds, but it also has a nice little blade attached to the end of the barrel... you know, just incase you ran out of bullets and still needed to kill someone. No big deal.
This is probs how people accidently get shot...
It's one thing to look down the barrel and potentially blow your face off, but really? Balls first? That's just a terrible idea.
Don't freak out, the gun isn't loaded, the action is open, and the safety is probably on... maybe not though hah. There is just way too much trust between these two though. Part of checking to see if your firearm is proven safe is to look down the barrel after concluding there's nothing loaded in it. Even when I know that a gun isn't loaded I still find it a little unnerving staring down the barrel of a gun.
Don't freak out, the gun isn't loaded, the action is open, and the safety is probably on... maybe not though hah. There is just way too much trust between these two though. Part of checking to see if your firearm is proven safe is to look down the barrel after concluding there's nothing loaded in it. Even when I know that a gun isn't loaded I still find it a little unnerving staring down the barrel of a gun.
I love when Diddy takes pictures haha. I ended up with some entertaining pictures, a lot of which I haven't bothered posting.
The next day I hung around my brothers place. My friend Amber stopped in for a visit, then I met up with another one of my best friends (Megan) and Melissa for lunch. I finally got to meet Melissa's baby boy and I'm pretty sure he is the sweetest baby I've seen in quite some time.
After that I killed time watching the Canucks lose and hopped on my plane to head home.
Despite the reason for the trip the weekend was still overall a good weekend. I got to see many of the people I love most and got to do some of my favourite things that I don't get to do in Van. I sure felt an instant comfort as soon as I stepped off that plane. I even had the thought of buying a house on the lake in Fort cross my mind. I am honestly tempted to buy a house there that I could live in during the summers and on visits, then just rent a place in Van the rest of the time. One day maybe!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Home Is Just Too Far Away Today
More often than not I love being in Vancouver, but whenever something happens in my family and I am stuck here I absolutely hate it.
My grandpa passed away last night and the only place I want to be right now is in PG with my mom. I know she knows I love her, but I just don't feel right being here right now. Ultimately it bums me out that my grandpa has passed away but I am old enough to understand the way life works. He lived a long and great life and although his death was quite unexpected it is better that it happened quickly as opposed to suffering.
It just really breaks my heart to know that my mom is hurting right now.
I love you with everything in me mama, I'll see you in a couple of days. My heart is with you today, everyday, and always; no matter what, no matter where, no matter when.
I'll miss you grandpa, even if you did do the most bizarre things I ever did see... like signing your cards with your first name... or driving that hooker around town to the places she needed to go... or the random way you would answer the phone, have a three word conversation, then hang up and carry on with your guests as if nothing had happened. I'm even going to miss running into you at zellers anytime I ever went there. I might even miss how you would constantly point out my weight gain and weight loss, and possibly even your racist jokes. You were a man of character for sure, but you always had a good heart and good intentions.
My grandpa passed away last night and the only place I want to be right now is in PG with my mom. I know she knows I love her, but I just don't feel right being here right now. Ultimately it bums me out that my grandpa has passed away but I am old enough to understand the way life works. He lived a long and great life and although his death was quite unexpected it is better that it happened quickly as opposed to suffering.
It just really breaks my heart to know that my mom is hurting right now.
I love you with everything in me mama, I'll see you in a couple of days. My heart is with you today, everyday, and always; no matter what, no matter where, no matter when.
I'll miss you grandpa, even if you did do the most bizarre things I ever did see... like signing your cards with your first name... or driving that hooker around town to the places she needed to go... or the random way you would answer the phone, have a three word conversation, then hang up and carry on with your guests as if nothing had happened. I'm even going to miss running into you at zellers anytime I ever went there. I might even miss how you would constantly point out my weight gain and weight loss, and possibly even your racist jokes. You were a man of character for sure, but you always had a good heart and good intentions.
Monday, May 3, 2010
It Was All For This...
It's started to sink in. I knew it would as soon as my mom and the girls had left town. It's back to me now, the madness is all over, and it's this whole new life I'm looking at.
I've tried my best not to be too emotional over everything, but saying goodbyes on Saturday night to a few of the girls I know I won't get to see very often, if ever, was incredibly tough. Not only that but having that be our last day was a really strange feeling.
This incredible group of girls I have been surrounded by every weekend for the past 6 months have become like my family away from home. They have all inspired me, encouraged me, befriended me and truly cared about me. I never thought in a million years that I would make this good of friends going into this course. I wasn't in it to be best friends with anyone, I was in it for the hair. I just wanted to go in there, plug away and do my thing. I expected nothing but immature 18 year old girls who didn't really care about being there and instead I met some of the most inspiring and amazing women I've ever known.
It was announced at the beginning of our hairshow on Saturday that our class had the highest marks of any class that's taken the Hair Art Design program at John Casablanca's. It showed. Everyone did beautiful work and I congratulate every single one of them for what they've all accomplished. I know how hard it was for me to make it through this 6 months and there were a few girls in there who put forth a phenomenal effort. Kara in particular flew to Vancouver every single weekend from Fort St. John. Not only did she do that, but she is also a mother to three beautiful little girls. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it was for her to get through it. Tonya also traveled from the Sunshine coast every weekend, also leaving behind her adorable little ginger kid son. While they always enjoyed themselves while they were here I can only imagine how much they missed being home.
Katie-Rose, Jessica, Jamie, and Lisa have been phenomenal, the best of friends, and my biggest competition. I knew from day one who would be above and beyond and I think we could all agree that Katie-Rose outshone us all. She had an unbelievably contagious personality that drew every single one of us to fall in love with her. She was given the top student award so a HUGE congratulations goes out to her for all of her unbelievable work and massive efforts. She is an amazing stylist with a huge heart, huge talent, and more passion than most people could ever even dream of having.
I am so proud of everyone.
When I get a chance I will post more pictures from this weekend and the show but unfortunately due to the fact that I was so incredibly busy with my own models I don't have too many pictures of anyone elses. I had Wendy take pictures during the show so there's some from that but I just don't have the energy to go through them all yet. The cougs wore me out this weekend!
A HUUUGE thanks to Danielle, Brandi, Chelsey, Laurel, and Phil for taking time out of their schedules to help me out with this show. I couldn't have done any of this without you guys and you all made me so incredibly proud.
For Brandi's look I wanted a soft and beautiful classic look. Soft curls pinned up, with a red based brown for her colour (with some blonde peek-a-boos that are hidden in the updo) and a long layered haircut. It's both a timeless cut and colour and she rocked it! I chose a strong lip with a soft eye, a look that is incredibly in right now. I chose the colours to reflect love since naturally it is associated with reds and pinks. I also had her wear an outfit that was soft, subtle, and flowy.
For Chelsey I wanted a look as natural as possible. I went with a very finely weaved golden blonde highlight with a very natural colour that mirrored her own natural colour. I cut a blunt bob and backcombed it for a bit of a wild and unkept look. I chose light neutral colours for her makeup with a strong liner for the eyes. She wore a plaid and floral print sundress with a fur coat (cause what hunter doesn't like fur?) with brown boots.
As for Phil's hair, I didn't bother taking a picture of him specifically since it was just a basic mens cut and we didn't do a colour on him. I just had him dress in more of a skinny jean, white shirt, he had his lip rings and I made him wear his sunglasses during the actual show. It worked out pretty good.
All in all, everything turned out exactly how I wanted. I couldn't be any happier! About two weeks ago I was a little apprehensive about how ready I was to graduate. I wasn't sure I would be ready to be in a salon yet, but after this show I can definitely say with a lot of confidence that I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished and I can't wait to get started.
Get ready for hair shows because I will be starting to compete in anything and everything I can, but the contessa's will likely be my first big competition. I'll keep everyone updated as I go of course.
PS... a huge thank you to everyone that's sent me well wishes and congratulations. You guys are unbelievable and it's blown me away some of the things people have had to say. Literally, I've cried a few times. I definitely appreciate all of your support and I hope to see you all in the salon when I'm all set up and ready to go!
I've tried my best not to be too emotional over everything, but saying goodbyes on Saturday night to a few of the girls I know I won't get to see very often, if ever, was incredibly tough. Not only that but having that be our last day was a really strange feeling.
This incredible group of girls I have been surrounded by every weekend for the past 6 months have become like my family away from home. They have all inspired me, encouraged me, befriended me and truly cared about me. I never thought in a million years that I would make this good of friends going into this course. I wasn't in it to be best friends with anyone, I was in it for the hair. I just wanted to go in there, plug away and do my thing. I expected nothing but immature 18 year old girls who didn't really care about being there and instead I met some of the most inspiring and amazing women I've ever known.
It was announced at the beginning of our hairshow on Saturday that our class had the highest marks of any class that's taken the Hair Art Design program at John Casablanca's. It showed. Everyone did beautiful work and I congratulate every single one of them for what they've all accomplished. I know how hard it was for me to make it through this 6 months and there were a few girls in there who put forth a phenomenal effort. Kara in particular flew to Vancouver every single weekend from Fort St. John. Not only did she do that, but she is also a mother to three beautiful little girls. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it was for her to get through it. Tonya also traveled from the Sunshine coast every weekend, also leaving behind her adorable little ginger kid son. While they always enjoyed themselves while they were here I can only imagine how much they missed being home.
Katie-Rose, Jessica, Jamie, and Lisa have been phenomenal, the best of friends, and my biggest competition. I knew from day one who would be above and beyond and I think we could all agree that Katie-Rose outshone us all. She had an unbelievably contagious personality that drew every single one of us to fall in love with her. She was given the top student award so a HUGE congratulations goes out to her for all of her unbelievable work and massive efforts. She is an amazing stylist with a huge heart, huge talent, and more passion than most people could ever even dream of having.
I am so proud of everyone.
When I get a chance I will post more pictures from this weekend and the show but unfortunately due to the fact that I was so incredibly busy with my own models I don't have too many pictures of anyone elses. I had Wendy take pictures during the show so there's some from that but I just don't have the energy to go through them all yet. The cougs wore me out this weekend!
A HUUUGE thanks to Danielle, Brandi, Chelsey, Laurel, and Phil for taking time out of their schedules to help me out with this show. I couldn't have done any of this without you guys and you all made me so incredibly proud.
Here's a few pictures of my models from Saturday's Grad. My theme was "Modern Mythology." My hair was inspired by Greek Gods and Goddesses.
Chelsey (far left) - Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt.
Laurel (second from the left) - Athena, the Goddess of War.
Brandi (third from the left) - Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Sexuality.
Phil (the only dude in the picture obvs) - Apollo, the God of Music.
Danielle (you should all know her by now) - Hera, the Goddess of Marriage.
Chelsey (far left) - Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt.
Laurel (second from the left) - Athena, the Goddess of War.
Brandi (third from the left) - Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Sexuality.
Phil (the only dude in the picture obvs) - Apollo, the God of Music.
Danielle (you should all know her by now) - Hera, the Goddess of Marriage.
For Brandi's look I wanted a soft and beautiful classic look. Soft curls pinned up, with a red based brown for her colour (with some blonde peek-a-boos that are hidden in the updo) and a long layered haircut. It's both a timeless cut and colour and she rocked it! I chose a strong lip with a soft eye, a look that is incredibly in right now. I chose the colours to reflect love since naturally it is associated with reds and pinks. I also had her wear an outfit that was soft, subtle, and flowy.
For Chelsey I wanted a look as natural as possible. I went with a very finely weaved golden blonde highlight with a very natural colour that mirrored her own natural colour. I cut a blunt bob and backcombed it for a bit of a wild and unkept look. I chose light neutral colours for her makeup with a strong liner for the eyes. She wore a plaid and floral print sundress with a fur coat (cause what hunter doesn't like fur?) with brown boots.
For Laurel's look I wanted something bold with strong personality to reflect such a strong Goddess. I went with a deep vibrant red for her all over colour and added some slices of blonde and orange through just the fringe and then point-cut into the bangs so the red would show through more. I cut her hair into a soft edge but I also undercut it. It's not shown in this picture but the left side of her hair underneath is cut quite a bit shorter so if she parts her hair to the side her hair becomes asymmetrical. I went with strong eye-makeup, a nude lip, and all black clothing. We added a bullet belt to her look as well for some extra emphasis. She was so brave to let me go for it so a big thanks to her for that!
Not going to lie, this is straight up my favourite. Danielle was perfect for this. Her hair is stunning as is and I used to refuse to ever want to dye it, BUT I changed my mind last weekend and decided to do an all over rich ebony colour. It's something that's not too much darker from her natural colour so it wouldn't be a huge shock to her, but it would add more depth and shine to her hair. Plus, her porcelain skin with the dark hair is an amazing combination. I cut a few inches off of her length, layered her hair and put it in an updo. I actually stuffed nylons in there for height and wrapped her own hair around them to hide them. I added some pink extensions in the front that I braided into a 5 strand braid. I braided about half the length of the hair, tied it off with an elastic, pulled the braid apart for a more interesting effect, twisted the braid and pinned it. Then I fishtail braided the other half of the hair, pulled it apart, twisted it and pinned it as well. It gave it almost a "rope" effect without actually doing a rope braid. We went with a bold lip and light eye for her as well (I'm a fan obvs if you couldn't tell already...) and she put this little outfit together. It was exactly what I pictured in my head so I love that her and I can seem to collaborate and both have the same image in mind.
As for Phil's hair, I didn't bother taking a picture of him specifically since it was just a basic mens cut and we didn't do a colour on him. I just had him dress in more of a skinny jean, white shirt, he had his lip rings and I made him wear his sunglasses during the actual show. It worked out pretty good.
All in all, everything turned out exactly how I wanted. I couldn't be any happier! About two weeks ago I was a little apprehensive about how ready I was to graduate. I wasn't sure I would be ready to be in a salon yet, but after this show I can definitely say with a lot of confidence that I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished and I can't wait to get started.
Get ready for hair shows because I will be starting to compete in anything and everything I can, but the contessa's will likely be my first big competition. I'll keep everyone updated as I go of course.
PS... a huge thank you to everyone that's sent me well wishes and congratulations. You guys are unbelievable and it's blown me away some of the things people have had to say. Literally, I've cried a few times. I definitely appreciate all of your support and I hope to see you all in the salon when I'm all set up and ready to go!
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