Hair Artistry

This is a photo of Bozo the Clown.

When I was 7 years old my mother and friend took us kids to see Bozo in person.

I was terrified of Bozo and wouldn’t sit in the audience. I stayed behind the curtain backstage in tears.

The reality is that when I or other women look in the mirror we can magnify what we think of our appearance into a distorted image.

Seeing this Bozo the Clown hairstyle convinces me that my hair is perfectly fine the way it is. It should cure all of us from looking in the mirror and hating our hair.

Nobody has to like our hair. Only do you like me worry what other people think of your hair?

I want to tell everyone reading my blog to love your hair even if no one else does.

When your hair is gorgeous and it’s a work of art and your crowning masterpiece no one’s fingers should go near it.

You don’t ogle a Van Gogh from 5 inches away in a museum. The same goes for hair.

A couple of years ago in here I wrote about my hair. I was born with curly hair. My natural hair is curly.

In humid or rainy weather it frizzes up and curls in unruly directions. The hair on my head doesn’t curl the same way twice in the summer.

It’s like I get 50 “hairstyles” for the cost of one haircut.

Simply by scrunching up my hair when I’m drying it (without using any product) presto I have curly hair.

Finally October is here and it’s (hopefully) goodbye to the humidity.

You can predict the weather by watching my hair. Frizzy and curly and it’s rainy. Straight and sleek and it’s sunny.

Dreadlocks–a derogatory term–are called locs today. I think locs are hair artistry at its finest.

Natural Black hair is beautiful.

A person whose hair can’t be touched has a power no one else does.

An OKCupid question asks: Would you like your hair pulled during sex?

Cupid, my hair’s too short to pull. If like me you answer No that’s a liability.

This is another “algorithm” that is biased. Like typing “images of beauty” in a search bar.

I prefer to have short hair. I don’t like the feeling of long hair against the nape of my neck. Odd yet true.

Today I go to a trendy salon where the haircut costs $65. I spring for the cost because I’m afraid of getting a bad haircut again like at the old salon.

At the end of the day loving your hair gives you power.

If you’re riding the New York City subway and your hair looks like Bozo the Clown’s no one will mess with you.

Something to think about when you’re having a bad hair day.

Motivational Millionaire Book

I’ve checked a lot of personal finance books out of the library.

Too often the books require you to follow the author’s investing strategy to the Letter. Or the book is too dense and difficult to read through.

Even though I have a Masters degree in library science I’ll stop reading any book that doesn’t hook me.

My all-time favorite finance book is Simple Money by Tim Maurer. It’s short and detailed and not a read you’ll have to plod through.

The Rachel Rodgers book above is impressive too. Her life experiences that she talks about are what pulled me into reading her guide.

Coming from a family that had to count every cent Rodgers saved up $33 in quarters and rolled them up.

As a teen she was going outlet shopping with well-off friends. After they had left one store she went to the register on her own. Plunked down her $33 in quarter rolls to buy a wallet.

Rodgers today is a financial empowerment Activist. How telling that her first solo hard-earned purchase was a wallet.

Anyone who becomes well off should help others who are less fortunate.

Engaging in acts of conscious charity that empower others to have a better life should not be seen as “giving handouts.”

I was given a handout until I no longer needed to rely on outside income.

For others having a job isn’t possible. My motto in life is: “No Judgments.”

It’s so inspiring to read Rachel Rodgers finance-and-memoir book rolled into one.

I understand the benefit of having characters in books and authors that represent a person like you.

When browsing the personal finance section I’m keen to see if women authors are on these shelves.

Right away I grabbed onto the book Rachel Rodgers wrote.

We should all be millionaires is a great finance guide. I’m going to install it on my iPad.

Under the Lemon Trees

Who buys a perfume without spritzing it on her wrist first?

I took the chance on Under the Lemon Trees.

One day I decided I had to buy something from Sephora.

Could scent be refreshing and perk me up?

I was willing to test this theory. To the rescue: a Replica travel vial of perfume.

To my surprise the vial is bigger than I expected.

The scent transported me to a lemon grove in Sicily.

Readers: I have fallen down on self-care.

No one told me that when I reached menopause my energy would tank and I’d get fatigued.

So I hired a health coach to create an eating plan to help me regain my energy.

Along with this I decided to test my theory that a fresh scent could spark joy.

So far it’s working.

It’s possible that engaging all 5 senses is the secret to living indoors through the pandemic.

Doing Things Differently

The vaccines were not approved to prevent COVID-19.

The FDA gave Emergency Use Authorization for the use of the vaccines.

This is because the need was so great that the agency allowed the vaccines to be greenlighted after the clinical trials were shortened.

With faith in America I went ahead and received dose one of the Pfizer vaccine. There was a 15-minute waiting period after.

The injection took two seconds and I didn’t feel a thing.

The side effect of the vaccine was that I felt unwell—I was “The Lady with the Spinning Head.” A strange feeling in my body all the next day.

No–I might not have gotten the vaccine if the need wasn’t great. This is because though the side effect was minor it felt severe while it lasted.

Getting inoculated will bring us one step closer to normalcy. To street fairs and outdoor festivals and travel on vacation.

Should it turn out that there’s a new health risk in those of us who received the vaccine I will be okay with this. The coronavirus is no joke.

As a gregarious person I was willing to get vaccinated after having limited social contact in the last year.

Going on the second year of the pandemic the reduced circumstance has changed my outlook.

I take inspiration from Alicia Keys the cover model of the April Allure.

April is the month of Sprouting Grass Moon according to the rhythm of nature.

Honoring the natural world and living in sync with the seasons is one way I’m doing things differently.

In coming blog entries here and at my Flourish blog I’ll talk about how surviving the pandemic has inspired me to make changes.

Masked Avenger

I’ve taken to wearing masks not bandannas.

To go to the gym to meet my trainer I’m legally required to wear a mask. No other face covering is allowed at the gym.

I urge readers to wear a face covering whenever you go outside your house or apartment. Even when walking down the hall to the compactor chute.

Remain 6 feet apart from others even when wearing a face covering.

The coronavirus is out to infect as many people as possible. The winter is coming. It’s no time to ease up on taking action to halt getting sick.

Stay home if you are not well. When in doubt whether you have a cold or are getting infected go to any number of COVID-19 testing sites for a quick test.

This is the surreal reality that has been going on for coming up on one year.

In the summer I met a guy I was instantly attracted to. In the New Year I would like to reach out to him.

With the coronavirus pandemic meeting a person for dating has been hard to do. At least I haven’t felt comfortable going back on OKCupid right now. Nor am I keen to browse those mug shots in the future.

To protect the confidentiality of a real person I will call my love interest Mr. Mr.

Nothing ventured–nothing gained.

2021 will be a better year. I’m confident that in the New Year we will see progress.

It will take the force of the will of thousands of Americans to stand up and advocate for justice.

“Peace on Earth” has always had a hollow ring to it for me at holiday time.

In this season and throughout the year the only way to achieve peace and prosperity will be for individuals to put self-gain aside and work for the betterment of everyone on earth.

I’m not dreaming of a White Christmas. I’m dreaming of the day I have the courage to talk to Mr. Mr. and see what happens.

Show Us the Money

The government saw fit to spend billions of dollars on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Yet our elected leaders are against giving Americans a second IRS stimulus check to help citizens defray the economic harm of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Am I the only one who thinks this is not right?

I’d be the first in line to spend another IRS check at local businesses. Helping to keep these shop owners in business should New York City shut down again.

Luckily I was able to get a haircut this weekend. My trainer at the gym is giving me a new routine to do at home.

So should my city be shut down again I can grow my hair out and continue to exercise.

Readers there’s an extra added challenge living in the pandemic: getting a bad haircut like I did the other day.

This of course is a well-off person’s dilemma. I’ve read that 1 in 3 households are facing economic hardship and food insecurity.

Some of us see nothing wrong with the government not giving out a second stimulus check.

I say: it’s time to stop funding wars and start investing in the American people.

Show us the money.

Making Changes

The year will be coming to an end. On January 1st a lot of people will make New Year’s resolutions. The difference between achieving your resolution and quitting after 2 months comes down to acquiring skills. Willpower or commitment or motivation alone won’t get a person where they want to be. If you truly aren’t happy with an aspect of your life by all means take steps to make positive changes. For this I recommend the book Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions by John C. Norcross. Using the book’s 90-day action plan I’ve achieved three goals and continue to set new goals. It’s possible to achieve a New Year’s resolution using the Changeology 90-day action plan. The book I installed as an e-book to read over and over on my iPad. I can vouch for using the 5 Steps to achieve a goal. Using the 90-day action plan is the remedy for joining a gym on January 1st exercising in a frantic burst for 2 months then giving up. Achieving a goal requires skills that can be taught that are listed in Changeology. Executing the 5 Steps in their specific order and matching each catalyst for change to the right step in the right order will up the odds that you’ll be successful. The 90-day action plan outlined in Changeology is the most healthy and credible method I’ve found for setting and carrying out a goal.

Knocked Out

I checked this Mia Kang book out of the library. It’s a new book. I decided not to read it after skimming the first page.

Right there Kang reveals how her agent would call her up and say: “I got you a runway appearance. The designer wants you to lose weight.”

I also bought the current issue of InStyle magazine. In this book a woman was quoted that the insane obsession with women having to be thin is “fat-phobic.”

I don’t like to use the term fat. Nor overweight. Nor carries a few extra pounds. I could only understand calling a woman robust or voluptuous.

Years ago in my blog I berated Skinny Girl Betheny Frankel for writing in a book that a woman could indeed be skinny if she followed Frankel’s rules.

Another diet book author claimed you could decide what weight you wanted to be and think yourself into being that weight.

The time has come to stand up for ourselves as men women non-binary transgender–everyone of all shapes and sizes.

I don’t think that a person who weighs 200 pounds should aspire to be 127 pounds. Then scarf down Lean Cuisine frozen meals for dinner in an attempt to count calories.

No–I don’t think the goal should be to be thin. You can be thin and flabby and not healthy at all. I think it’s ludicrous to want to be or expect that you should be thin.

There’s something screwed up when a fashion designer tells a model that she has to lose weight.

Whittling yourself down to bones isn’t going to make you happy. Please–love yourself regardless of the number on the scale. If you’re not happy with yourself today how are you going to become magically happy after you meet a condition you set for yourself to achieve?

Loving ourselves shouldn’t be contingent on achieving a goal. We should love ourselves simply because we exist.

I say: Own the street. Walk outside on the pavement like you’re a supermodel. Regardless of the size on your clothing tags.

Not Buying It

Of course the Republicans and Democrats want us to buy into the myth that their policies will help ordinary Americans.

Only it’s billionaires and their corporations that are getting rich not you and me.

We stand idly by while candidates take pot shots at each other in an attempt to convince us to vote for them.

While capitalism has gone off the rails in endangering the planet.

Living indoors for seven months I’ve come to see things differently in terms of shopping.

A woman published a book titled Not Buying It about the year she stopped buying things.

I own hundreds of jewelry items that I bought over a 12-year period. I have enough clothes and shoes and pocketbooks that I too won’t be buying anything new anytime soon.

Making tons of money for the sake of buying and consuming things is no way to live.

In the time of the coronavirus pandemic I’ve been shifting my own priorities.

By carefully choosing what I buy and take home I will cherish more the things I own.

I’m 55 years old. The Muhammad Ali quote rings true: (you can use the words A person): “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

I don’t view the world the same as I did when I was 20.

Heck–I’m not the same person I was in February before the pandemic shut down my beloved New York City.

Living indoors and composing blog entries in the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak–and hearing the news of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor–changed my outlook.

It’s not that the killings were anything new–it’s that I couldn’t remain silent.

My stance is that like Mary Poppins sang a spoon full of sugar can help the medicine go down.

I wall always strive to give readers joy and optimism. With a dose of insight into how I think things can be better.

Always–I hold out the hope for change.

Not buying things for me involves not buying what elected leaders are selling: that greed is good and consumerism benefits Americans.

On November 3rd I hope everyone goes out and votes for the person they think is best qualified to run the country.

Your vote counts. Your voice should be heard long after your ballot is cast.

Early Voting

I voted this weekend as New York State has instituted early voting.

It took a total of 40 minutes from getting in line to exiting the polling site.

Elsewhere in New York City people waited 2 or 3 hours and sometimes up to 5 hours to vote.

It was observed that long wait times are a form of voter suppression even in a blue state like New York.

Alas, the Green Party might not get a spot on future ballots should they not garner at least 5 percent of the vote.

I didn’t see any “poll watchers” guarding my polling site. Again where I live is Trump Country. You had to wear a mask to vote in the election at the polling site.

The line moved quickly. I had no time to pick up reading a book I’d brought in case I was waiting for hours.

Whoever wins the White House we must hold them accountable for doing the right thing.

Fracking cannot continue. I will write to my senator and congressperson to vote yes on the bill that was introduced to ban fracking.

I will wait to do this until the election is over. On election night I will tune into the political coverage on NY1 cable news channel.

LL Cool Joe is against a national anti-fracking ban which is not a good thing for the planet.

Yet because of Mr. Toupee’s contempt for Black Lives Matters and social justice protestors this alone warrants booting him out of office.

I don’t think we can argue that police chokeholds are acceptable.

I recommend voting early when you’re given the chance to do this.

I’ll stick my I Voted Early decal to my sweatshirt when I go to the gym.

Now is the time for everyone to perform our civic duty by voting.

More than this we should all be writing to our elected leaders to enact laws on the issues that matter to us after the election is over.