A story told from long ago...

Yesterday I woke up at 9:00 so I could get ready for my appointment with my counselor Dixie.

I went up stairs after doing my hairs and make-up, the mail was not on the table. I went over to the mail box and saw many things in it, grabbed the mail and dropped it on the kitchen table. There was a particularly large and thick envelope I got a few butterflies in my stomach.
The name on the envelope was..... Keith Jolley :(

Dejected I dropped it back on the table with the other things which were all obviously bills. But then out of the corner of my eye I saw... an envelope with security patterns on the outside, it was not thick, or heavy. It was more square than the average envelope...

I took it up, calmly read the addressee, To one Aubrey Slack. Sent from some federal business office in Utah. I told myself that this wasn't it, this couldn't be the thing I had been waiting three weeks for. It was probably something for my student loans or something

I get a pen and slowly slide it under the flap dragging it ever so slightly to the opposite side. The flap is opened and lifted up.
At this point my breath has stopped and my hands close to shaking.

I pull the contents out of the envelop one millimeter at a time. As quickly as I try to pull it out it seems to slow down, the anticipation has gone from exciting to down right annoying.
When the paper comes out, it is faced backwards and I cannot tell what exactly it is.
Flipping said paper over is all that I want to do, but I can't seem to do it fast enough.

After what seems like eternity the paper concedes to show me it's true identity.

It is a pretty blue paper with an official looking seal on the right side. The heading says:
State of Utah Department of Commerce
then under that is says:
Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing.

Active license.

Official Utah State Cosmetology/Barber License (They recently combined the licenses cosmetology and barbering)

Today I am going to take $40, some paperwork and my Utah license to the DOPL and they will send me my Washington State License.

Today at 2:45 I have a job interview at a salon in Richland next to my favorite coffee shop. It is called Perspective Salon. It is my number one choice in all the salons I have applied to!!

I has a story for yous

So, today was Thursday. The last day of the week where I have 13 hours of school. (which isn't as bad as it sounds, being there that long. Because as much as I may complain about school I really do love hair)

So, at around 1:30 I got a male haircut. His name was scott and he didn't talk the entire time. (I'm a shy person, and don't mind the silence. so if there is going to be conversation they have to start it. I'll talk as much as they want as long as they initiate the conversation)
He told me how he wanted his hair, answered questions about how I was cutting it but other than that there was no comunication between the two of us. He kind of stared off into space the whole time. While I was shampooing him and giving him his head massage he closed his eyes and looked like he was in nirvana. Odd person. Tipped me $2

Then, at night school around 5:30 I got a female cut. Girl of about 12, asian-type hair, down the the middle of her back.
When she left it was to her chin, you could see her neck. He mom came and told me what to do. I was a little bit hesitant to cut off so much because losing that much length can be a traumatic experience which is either very good or very very bad. I did a combination cut (square grad with triangle and square layers) which means nothing to you, but it was a cute short bob. Because her hair is so thick I spend about half an hour just thinning it out.
We also didn't talk. It was a little bit awkward because her mom was sitting there watching the whole time, not in an intimidating don't-mess-up-my-daughters-hair type of way, but more of a motherly kind way... but it made it awkward so I didn't start a conversation (I don't mind starting conversations with people younger than me, because I am automatically cooler than them because I'm older and therefore don't care if they judge me) Tipped me $3

THEN. I cleaned up and saw that my favorite Cam friend was still working on the perm he had started at 1:00 that afternoon. By this time it was around 8:45pm. Cam is a perfectionist and does everything very slow. The things he does are amazing, he just needs to work on his speed (though, he has missed a lot of school for one reason or another so I have about three months experience on him.)
I asked him if he wanted help (I personally don't like getting help when I'm doing things like highlights or perms because I'm OCD and want to make sure that it is all done the same way, and I find that when I do things by my self I feel better about them, and if they ever don't turn out it is my fault and my fault alone. I can't help blaming "helpers" when they do help, or judging the way they do it. It may sound ubber prideful but I find that I'm naturally better at many things than most people, but when I dont' know I will ask for help)
Cam was very happy to have some help he trusted. There had been various different hands rolling rods thoughtful the day, some were helpful some actually slowed the process. I decided that 6 hours was too long to spend rolling a perm so I helped Cam roll. (I went quicker than him, and speed up the process significantly) I helped him fix his tension and elevation (technical terms for how well and tightly the rods are wrapped) I helped apply the perm solution, reminded him of all the steps and timing. We wrapped, processed, finished and styled that perm by the time 11:00 rolled around (night school gets out at 10 so we were there an extra hour, but I didn't care because hey, an hour closer to graduation, and I would do anything to help my Cam friend)
If you ever need a confidence boost, Cam is the perfect person for the job. He makes me feel loved, wanted, needed and appreciated.


Today made me realize not only that I like, no love doing hair and that I could be happy doing it for the rest of my life (especially if I get paid for doing it) But I'm good at it. I know what I'm doing.
In class we went over a lot of things that I thought everyone knew, but when we reached the end of class the "what did you learn today" section everyone had lots of things to say. It wasn't a bad class, but I knew everything that was touched upon.
I understand the physics and workings of cutting/styling/perming hair.
I am good at what I do.
I am fast and effective.
My guests always leave happy with their service and end result.
After over 12 months of school I have learned a lot.

I am a hairdresser, and I'm proud to be such.

Things I'll Deal With

I belong (or soon will) to two different but similar industries: Beauty and Theatre

There is a lot in common in these two, for instance
Image is EVERYTHING. (It may be shallow but it's true)
*No one is going to want me to do their hair if my hair is gross/horrible and they are more likely to trust me (therefore pay the big bucks) if I have impeccable fashion sense.
*Similarly, a person such as I will never play the stereotypical female love interest, or the lead. I am fit to play a supporting maternal role. (Type-casting is alive and well today)

As much as we are told not to judge, it happens. Within the first three seconds of a new encounter, you are evaluated… even if it is just a glance. It is human nature to do so, in business and social environments. First Impressions mean everything in both the Beauty and Theatre industries, if a prospective client doesn't like the way I do my hair, or finds something offensive in my dress, demeanor or speech I have just lost not only their business but the business of all their friends. If in the theatre world you show up to an audition wearing holey jeans and greasy hair they are going to assume that you don't care enough to look nice.
Image means the world in both of my main pursuits in life. This is I spend 30 minutes on my make-up alone, dye and trim my hair at least every 4 weeks and spend far too much money on hair products and make-up.

Another similarity is;
People (stereotypes hold true more often than you might think)
(DISCLAIMER: The following sentiments are about people IN GENERAL, not everyone. There are good/kind/thoughtful people everywhere, people who defy the stereotype.)

Theatre People (in general): Self-absorbed and generally loathed group of people. Care only for drama and themselves Someone who wears all black, wears tons of make-up, and who drinks coffee (or alcohol) everyday. Back-stabbers and totally fake. They will be perfectly pleasant to your face but turn right around and talk about you in the worst possible way.

Hairdressers (again, only in general): Self-absorbed, worldly and materialistic. Obsessed with looking good, thinks they always look good (even when they DON'T.) The most notorious gossips. Known for their sometimes outrageous style. They will tell you what they think, to your face regardless of how blunt/tactless/heartless it is.

Both: People who think too much of themselves, are obsessed with image, back-stabbers, gossips.

Oh, and another stereotype which is upheld more so than the others is the type of men both industries attract.
When most people think of a gay man, the occupation they associate with them is either hairdresser or actor on the stage. I can say, having been in both places, that it is 100% true. Important: Not all male hairdressers are gay. Not all male actors (stage) are gay. I am simply saying that these two industries are ones that attract these guys.


I don't know if it will surprise you to learn that of these three things (image, mean people, lots of gay men) The only one I have any problem with is the backstabbing, gossips.

Image is something everyone deals with, I am comfortable enough with myself to feel good about myself. I like taking care of myself, I love wearing make-up and my crazy hair.

Gay men are some of my favorite people I know. (Again, in general) they are sincere, kind, sweet, loving people who mean what they say and say what they mean. All of my best friends are gay guys. It's like having a girlfriend and a guy friend in one.
When the girl in the hall compliments your purse or hair you have to think... "Does she really think so? What is she after? Maybe she is joking, or was dared to say so or is just messing with me..." and a million other things. But when your gay friend tells you you look cute today, or that belt makes you look amazing all you can think is "He's amazing, he means it, I love him!"
Girls are always comparing you to themselves and other girls around and with the ridiculous modles on TV and in magazines. Straight guys either don't notice, or don't know what they are talking about when they say "No, you don't look fat in that dress" or "I like that shirt." Or (a select few), are pigs and only notice too tight shirts, short shorts and plunging necklines.
Because of the nature of gay guys they aren't comparing themselves with you, and don't care for plunging necklines. BUT they know about fashion, what looks good and what you could change.

The thing I have issues with is girls. I hate girls, they are mean, spiteful, manipulative. They gossip about everything, spread malicious rumors just to see what will happen. If you tell something to someone in confidence it's very likely that by lunch time half the population will know.
(Today I told something to a friend, it was a bit gossipy and I probably shouldn't have but this friend had been gone for a week and I was catching her up on things such as who got married, who was pregnant, who quit school; that type of thing... But then she went around and asked someone if it was true, and pinning me as the source, that person told someone who told someone, ... then it turned into one of those she said that she heard it from her who told that girl who overheard it while washing her hands last Tuesday. It turns out that it wasn't true [even though I heard it from the source, the person it was about] and I will probably get grief tomorrow for either knowing it, believing it or telling it. OR this person may decide to be perfectly sweet to my face, then go and spread some ridiculous thing around. Something like, I started smoking pot, or am having an affair or that I'm somehow pregnant or something horrible like that. I thought, stupidly, that this friend I told wouldn't tell anyone else, or at least would keep my name out of it)
This is the type of drama that I try to keep myself out of. I tend not to hang out with many girls at school. (I go to school with 100 girls and around 9 guys) The guys don't gossip as much and are much more genuine.
GAH! I HATE GIRLS!