Letter to a Friend

I haven't written in a while, sorry about that! I am just so tired after pulling such long hours for weeks at a time at school... but I'm done now, all I've done since then is sleep.


I have finished my school hours! I am DONE with Paul Mitchell The School! Now there is only time standing between me and my License!!!!

Oh man, I took my practical exam a few weeks ago and let me tell you, the most stressful thing I have EVER DONE! It tops everything stressful about high school theatre that we did. Worse than performing when you don't know your lines, worse than being caught on stage when someone misses their cue, worse than being stage manager when backstage the only person who knows how to move some scenery sprains their ankle and you have to find/train someone else before the current scene is finished! (All of which happened to me)
The test wasn't all that technically difficult per say, it was just stressful as all get out! I know how to do hair, I know how to handle and curling iron, roll a perm, hold my scissors, apply color. But everything changes when there is someone there watching you, judging and scoring you.
The most important part of the exam was sanitation and safety. The State doesn't care much if you are a GOOD hair stylist as long as you aren't going to injure anyone or give them some sort of horrible sickness. Every time I thought about it I used hand sanitizer, between every section of the test, whenever I touched anything on my person, any time I dropped ANYTHING (which I did a lot) My hands were so dry by the end of that you wouldn't believe.
I was prepared for the technical side of the exam because my school has a mini class in which you spend a week doing nothing but going over exactly what is on the exam. It consists of; Set Up, curling w/ a curling iron (which they don't have you plug in, just go through the motions of using!) hair cutting, perming, color application, chemical relaxer application, barbering (as in the shaving of the face... the cosmetology and barbering license are now combined) and male hair cutting using clippers w/o a guard and scissors. Each section is timed and the examiners read a script saying nothing but what is written in their book. The test is taken in a big room with four tables, white walls, white ceilings, white floors and no personality. Six candidates take the test at a time with 1-3 examiners.
I took it with three of my peers and two girls from other schools. Seeing these other girls take the test was another testament to me of how PMtS is better than many other of the 100s of schools in Utah.
After the test was completed we were instructed to clean up our things and wait in the room next door, which was a smaller room with six chairs, also completely white. We sat and waited for our results. I was not nervous about the results at all, I was fairly confident that I had passed. Everyone else seemed much less so. There was one girl, not from Paul Mitchell who was sure that she had failed the test. I honestly would not have been surprised if she failed miserably... some of the things she did were ridiculous, and the examiners paid the most attention to her.
It turns out that all of us passed, thank the heavens and sky's above. I think that if I had for any reason not passed I would have not only have been devastated, but I would have questioned my very worth as a hair stylist and wondered if this is really what I want and am meant to be doing with my life... but I passed. And I know that though this may not be the path God chose directly for me, he supports it 100%
Yesterday my dad was in town and he took 90% of my things back to Richland with him. I will be living out of a suit case for the next two weeks. On the 18th of April I have a plane ticket back home to the town I love! I never knew how much I love the tri-cities until I left (and let's be honest, practically anywhere is better than Provo) The smell of the river, the amazing pale almost sea foamy green of the few plants that grow naturally there. The lack of snow. The diversity of religion which insures everyone has an open mind.
One thing I hate about Provo the most is how because there are so many Mormons in the same place they begin to judge outsiders very harshly. There are many self-righteous people who are hyper-judgmental and view everything that isn't to a T on the straight and narrow (or what they believe to be) as evil. Anyone who drinks caffeine is practically apostate, even though there is no church doctrine condemning the consumption of it.

I went on a date for the first time in... almost two years. Wow, I didn't realize it had been that long! A guy in my ward, Ian, asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him that he should take me on a date.
We went to TGI Fridays and I had ribs, I love ribs. Really I love meat in general but don't eat it often because it is expensive, doesn't keep well (and by well I mean it won't survive a nuclear blast like ramen and mac 'n cheese) and it takes time to prepare, time I don't have (or didn't when I had school)
Then we went mini golfing. The last time I went mini golfing was with my grandma and grandpa Mann, over 10 years ago, probably over 15 years ago. Ian is very competitive and is good at golf (the reason he chose golf, because he knew he could win, lol) I only lost by about 15 points. Lol

Today I took my state board written test, and passed with an 87% It turned out to be much easier than I thought. I am always surprised when I find out how much I actually know... it seems that $14,000 and fiveteen months of school actually taught me something

Sleep for two hours and gaze into the setting sun

There have been... certain individuals... in my life who have disappointed me quite a bit. They know that I am going to hair school and that I plan on being a hairdresser, but this is all they have bothered to find out about my life right now.

They haven't asked me if I am happy doing what I am. They haven't looked into my eyes and seen the passion that burns behind them. They haven't asked about my school, my teachers, my course work, my accomplishments. Upon hearing that I took my practical exam they didn't ask about it, or even congratulate me on passing. They almost seem to think that this path I have chosen is a cop-out for me... that I "could have done better" or some BS like that. When they heard tell of my graduation ceremony they didn't ask when it was, how it would go or if they could come (needless to say, after writing this blog I don't want them there, but still)
They are not proud of me, in all the work I have put toward my goal these past 16 months. And while I do not need the approval of anyone to validate what I love, these people, being who they are should probably look at their priorities and set some things higher.

I am very proud of the things I have done. I have completed just under 2000 hours of school, passing all my tests with flying colors. Never not completing my assignments, always on time and doing the best I can.
I am attending one of the very toppest top schools of cosmetology in the world. The best teachers I have ever met, amazingly skilled hair stylists who have such a passion for it that they want to pass it on to us, the students. It was passed and stuck. I love doing hair, I love fashion, I love what I do. I get to go everyday and do something I love.
I am a day-maker. Everyday I get to go and make someones day better than it was before, I make people feel beautiful. I help bring inner beauty out for all to see, shy uncertain people leave glowing with confidence. Not only because of how I make them look, but the way I make them feel.
Then there is the artistic part of it. With the combination of cutting, coloring, texture and styling I can make a person look completely different. Subtle changes that open a face up or diminish the look of an unwanted feature. One of my favorite teachers once said that we don't "do hair" we "decorate peoples heads" It is so true, I am an artist, but unlike most mediums, my art is alive and has to like what I do. A walking, talking, breathing, feeling, judging, paying canvas.

Doing what I do is much more difficult than people give it credit for... especially certain individuals.
To these people I ask, what is the main component in hair dye? Why is it that box color is bad? What happens when box color and professional hair color is mixed? What is the ammonia content of store bleach? What is hair made of? What is the pH of hair, professional shampoo? pH of Suave? What pH is needed for a hair color to be permanent and not semi-permanent. What causes fly-aways and split ends, how does one prevent them? Can you name the bones of the skull? I can. Could you, if asked look at a picture of some celebrities hairstyle and copy it to fit your clients needs, tastes and lifestyle? I can. What is the difference between the 15+ brushes in my kit, when and why would you use one over the other?
The way a perm works is it breaks down the physical bonds in the hair. (disulphide bonds are the strongest and can only be broken with chemicals or except in overly damaged hair) Then the hair is held in a desired shape, most commonly around a perm rod before the bonds are chemically reformed in a different pattern, creating a new wave pattern.

In school I have been on three different extra curricular teams. Through these teams I have learned everything about the entire Paul Mitchell hair care line from the six shampoo/conditioner lines to the over 50 different styling products. Protective sprays, pomades, serums, foam, waxes, gels. There are at least 11+ different types of hairspray alone. I can tell you the best one for any given circumstance and have been "top take-home leader" multiple times, meaning I have sold the highest dollar amount in product that month.
I have worked on the sets of multiple movies/plays doing the hair and the make-up. Making connections with people in the business and have gained many new clients from it. My name will be listed among two others under "Make-up Specialist Team" in a short film which will be submitted to the Sundance Film Festival.
I have gained the knowledge on how to bring clients into the salon, keep them coming back and bringing their friends. I have learned how to sell product or extra services to almost anyone. And am top of my school as far as cutting, coloring, perming and styling are concerned.

When most people think of hairdressers they think of the ones working in Master Cuts or Great Clips. Or high school dropouts who couldn't do anything else in their life.
I could have gone to BYU, I could have gotten into so many different colleges, but that isn't what I chose. I CHOSE TO DO HAIR! Doesn't my opinion have anything to do with it? Doesn't my happiness have any say in the matter? I am happy and that should be all you care about, that in it's self should be enough for you.
I am doing something I love. I have accomplished so much in the past year and a half, and I have the next seven years of my life planned out. Within a month I will have a license and a Laurent job ANYWHERE I go, with the very probably possibility of making over $1000 a week. What other barely 20 year old can say as much?
Next year while I am working at some High End salon charging over $50 for a haircut, my friends the same age will be juniors in college. Still working minimum wage scooping ice cream or making telemarketer phone calls. Even after they graduate, some are getting degrees in "childhood studies" or "English" or "music performance" And really, what can you do with those? Be a good mother, a teacher... with a BA in English you can teach, write, edit or be a secretary. And any of those jobs will fluctuate with economy, job market and things like that..... but think about it, when people are depressed about the way the world is going they go somewhere they can feel important, beautiful and relaxed. They will come and sit in my chair and I will make sure that they are the most important person in my life for as long as they are in that chair.
One individual was surprised when I said I would be working in a high end salon by next year. "you can't just walk in and get a job can you?" Taken back, they know nothing about the industry and excepted that I would have to "climb the ladder" per say. No, this is not how it works. I have connections through school and other things that will secure me at least three Good job interviews in any city in the US. This person, who has never seen my work or shown any interest in it, knows nothing of my technical skills and has no idea what I can do... I can do some pretty amazing things, but you wouldn't know that unless you showed more than 4% interest in what I do.

These... certain individuals in my life look down on what I do, look down on the decision I have made. They see the $14,000 I spent on school and the $8,000 student loans I have as something to be ashamed of, some kind of big mistake. I feel that the education, skills, personal discoveries and experience I have gotten from my time spent at Paul Mitchell the School, Provo were worth every penny of that $14,000 tuition.



I am a hairdresser, I have a passion for it. Doing it fills me with the kind of energy you can only get when doing the thing you are supposed to be doing. I will be happy doing this for as long as I can do it, until my fingers fold up on themselves with arthritis, my knees bend out and I can't hold scissors or stand up... I will do hair, and love it.

So, to those certain individuals who feel that this choice of mine was not the best, that I could have been something better with my life...
I say Screw you!

The other day...

The other day a client said something to me, something that astounded me and make me even more anxious to get the heck out of Provo.

We were doing a full foil slice, highlights essentially. A very long process


[I am very tired and do not have the energy to fully blog this, so I will paraphrase]



We didn't talk much as both of us were very tired. At one point she asked me a question I get alot, and was sick of hearing the first time.
"So, how many of these guys are gay?" Really, if you want to know you should go and talk to a few of them. Is it any of your business? Do I ask you if you are straight, granted it's usually a given, but still....
"It's about even actually..." she looked surprised and... disproving? no not disproving she looked judgmental. "Actually more than half of my best friends are gay. They are amazing and nice and caring and completely non-judgmental. I love them all dearly"
At this point there was a slight lull in the conversation
she then asked, trying to make it seem like a new subject but I could still see she was thinking about what I just said "So, are you LDS?" a common question, one I don't mind hearing or answering
"Yea" I said
"So... do you go to church?" REALLY? Really?! Who asks that? Whether I go to church or not is none of your business. You obviously only asked such a thing because you assume that I don't, you assume that I am an inactive member, or a "Sunday-Mormon" meaning I'm only LDS on the sabbath. You assume that because I know lots of homosexuals that I am apostate! That I couldn't possibly be a good strong member of the church because of the "types" of people I associate with, that just because I'm not as judgmental and condemning as you are that... Of all the ignorant, selfish, close-minded, judgmental, hypocritical Un-Christlike things to.... needless to say I was a bit taken back and outraged at this question.
"Yup, every week" I said with a smile.

Luckily for both of us I was ready to blow dry and had to stop the conversation right there... I really wanted to throw some stuff in there about how fun it is to compare taste with my fairy friends, or something along those lines to outrage her as much as she had me, but that would have been unprofessional so I held my tongue.


That is the type of people I come in contact with all the time in Provo. Hypocritical, super hyper-judgmental church members who feel superior because they have the gospel, feel like everyone else is lower somehow. And anything different is bad. If you aren't following things to a T you are automatically a horrible person deserving of scorn...... or somehow worse: deserving of pity. I hate the "I want to save your soul" look I get sometimes. I DON'T NEED MY SOUL SAVED BY YOU! YOU ARE NOT MY SAVIOR!
I go to Church, I don't do anything that makes me a bad member of the church. Sure I have my faults and weaknesses but everyone does. One fault I don't have is being judgmental.
I am open-minded, accepting and save the judging for God.

Goodness people... UGH!













Oh, and Jeremy and I are officially over. For real this time. :/

I have five days left in school.....

I took my state board practical exam and passed

I am almost done...

10 days until my birthday

less than 10 until my parents come to town for their spring break




That is all

Handicapped

In final phase today I cut my self pretty good... my left ring finger is in pain.

I lost a lot of blood, and it was very close to needing stitches, but I don't.

it's really hard to type without using that finger, and it hurts unless I keep it elevated, so I walked around the second half of the day with my hand in the air, I felt a bit silly but whatever.... that's all


The End [stop] [period]

Pardon my french

...and by french I mean girl talk... I hesitated at first about posting this blog, but then I figured this is MY blog about MY life and as much as I wish hope and pray that it wouldn't be, this is a part of me and who I am.

It is that time of the month... automatically awful day right there. But this time around it is worse than it has been in a long time as for as sensitive moodiness and cramps.
It all started out this morning when I got all ready with the things I would need through out the day, I had lots to take because this week is Final Phase for me (a week long course offered at school which goes step by step through state borards making it practically impossible to fail) I had all these things ready to go and then remembered that I needed breakfast.
My cramps were starting and I hoped that eating something would at least keep them from combining forces with the empty-stomach monster. I grabbed some yogurt and looked in the drawer for a spoon. Nothing there.
I looked on the table where I left my spoon from eating dry cereal the night before, nothing there.
I looked in the dishwasher and couldn't see if it was dirty or clean. I risked it and dived in in search of a spoon with which I would eat breakfast and rush off to school hopefully early gaining precious extra minutes towards graduation and guaranteeing being on time. Nothing there (in the form of spoons that is)
I was standing in the kitchen, 20 min before school starts, five minutes before I wanted to BE at school with a cup of yogurt and nothing to eat it with.
The tears started welling, my eyes started leaking, my throat started tightening and yes, I started crying. Not an audible cry, no wailing took place, but I was crying.
After about two seconds of that I realized that I was crying over a spoon! I felt so silly for crying over a bent piece of metal that I started crying harder...

Then I remembered that I keep a spoon in my purse for just such emergencies. Crisis not really averted, but over and done.

I went to school very irritable as is often my monthly case. Nothing new, nothing exciting.
I sat down in Final Phase class. In it with me all week are Tajia, Kayce, Leena, Michelle 12, Kendra, CarrieAnne, Susie, Angelique and Mike. Of those my good friends are Kayce and Leena. Today we ended up sitting at different tables (though, in a room as small as this one it didn't really make much of a difference)

Ugh, I hate doing this again on another blog post, but it is late and it seems I spent too much on the first part of the story... I just ran to the store to buy some pamprin and other necessities to aid with "mother natures gift" and it is now 12:00
My goal is to be in bed ready to fall asleep by 11:30

The other day I was reading an article about how a group of 30 women changed their schedule so they would each get 7.5 hours of good sleep every night, after a month and a half of this each of them had lost 15-35 lbs. Because if you're not tired you don't binge on unhealthy foods, you aren't too tired to exercise, and your body has enough time to do all the things it can't do while you are awake.
I wake-up at 7:30 so if I get to SLEEP BY 12:00 I will get seven and a half hours of sleep.

I didn't reach my goal tonight, but as my (and Mr. Leggett's) personal mantra goes; Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

A Change of Scene

So tomorrow I will get to school at 8:50 like everyday... I will stay there all through Day School and into Night School, just like everyday

But unlike every other day, I will be leaving school at 6:30pm to go on scene of some movie set or another.
We don't know the plot, we don't know how many people there will be, only that we will be doing the hair and the make-up for them.

I will be on set from 7:00pm to 3:00 am, that is eight hours... I will get five and a half extra hours for school (I would be at school from 6:30-10 regardless)

Then on Saturday I will be going from 7:00am to 7:00pm, twelve hours on set... I would be at school for seven hours anyway, that means that I will rack up an additional five hours.


TEN FREAKING HOURS!
I will graduate 10 hours sooner

With these extra hours factored in I have calculated, that my estimated graduation date, the time I will be finished with all my 2,000 hours required by the state of Utah will be March freaking 26th





oh, and I hate Valentines Day...

Bummer

I have been doing Day and Night school (50 hour weeks) for two weeks now... only now am I finding out that upon doing this my hours speed up, but my theory hours stay the same
this means that once my 2000 clock hours are completed I will still owe 20 theory hours!

When enrolled and getting clock hours you get 4 theory hours a week, after you "graduate" and complete your clock hours you can go to both creative and adaptive and night school theory, giving you 9 theory hours a week.

I have to stay in Provo for two and a half weeks longer than planned...

three weeks after my parents come down to Utah for spring break, making the getting of me and all my stuff back to Washington a bit more difficult.


In school there are two tests you have to pass before taking the official State Board written test, I took the first one today and I'll take the second on Thursday.... I'm not sure how good I did, you have to get 70%+ to pass hopefully I did... They offer the tests once a month, you can take them as many times as you need but because I finish so soon I will only have one more opportunity to take both tests. *knocks on wood*

As of last Monday I have 1,576 hours and I get 50 hours a week. March 10th I will take "Final Phase" which is a week long class which preps you for the State Board Practical Exam.
My friend Kayce and I will take it together, then on the Monday following (March 16th) we will drive to Odgen and take the test.... EEEee! That is soo soon! I'm almost done, it's scary but I know that I'm ready.

They have a graduation ceremony every three months, the next one is sometime in March. It is really a formality mostly for the family of students because you graduate once you have 2000 hours, not whenever the graduation ceremony rolls around.

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.

Another day, Another destiney

(Just F.Y.I. my the titles of my blogs hardly ever have anything to do with the actual post....)

Another day with clients. It's Saturday January 17th and I'm in Phase 2 Today.
My appointments were: 11:00 Haircut, 12:30 lunch, 1:00 cut and weave.

11:00: I cannot remember her name... so We will call her Sara. Hair down to her shoulder blades. She sits down and I ask her what she wants. She says just the split ends, maybe an inch. (I love this situation, people say split ends, then take off a millimeter when they have slit ends up about a foot) I told her that to really get all her split ends we would have to take of at least two. I showed her what two inches would look like and she said, alright.
She had some layers and I asked if she liked the way they were. She said maybe a little more layers. But she had to be able to put it in a pony tail.
Once we were in agreement and understanding of what she wanted I washed her hair and brought her back to the chair.
I found out that she is from Colorado and came to Provo to go to school. She just graduated from BYU with a degree in Home and Family Life. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with that and for awhile she was working as a receptionist somewhere in Orem.
(This was funny to me because I was just dissuading with Wesley the LL that there were a lot of people who went to college and were thousands of dollars in debt and came out with a degree they could do nothing with. Where as people who went into a trade, mechanic, technician, chef, cosmetologist had an instant guaranteed job where ever they went, something they could use)
Well, Sara asked my opinion a lot on what we were going. I don't really like this question because it all depends on what they like/want if I think it will be cute and they don't like it then they don't like it. If I think it would be cool, but they never blow dry it in a way that will achieve the results I want then it doesn't work. So we talked alot about what I was going to do.
We cut off about two inches, I added some more layers and blow dried it.
Then we moved onto the fringe (or "bangs") which we always cut dry. I asked if she wanted more fringe. I talked her into some cute side swoop fringe that would make her amazingly green eyes and beautiful cheek bones stand out.
This fringe wouldn't go back in a pony tale but looked cute when they fell out and across her ear. Then, we disscused her hair some more, she asked if all the split ends were gone. I told her that many of them were gone, but because of the shampoo she used, the way she blow dried and flat ironed her hair and because the air in Utah is so dry that her hair was dry and brittle and there was breakage all the way up.
She said that she once had short hair, up to her chin, she really liked it, but she also liked it long. She asked if I thought she should cut more off, go shorter. I again said that it depened on what she wanted, what she liked. And when cutting more than five inches off your hair you had to be sure about it. It either has to be a completely spur of the moment thing, or something you are completely sure you wanted. Not a wish-washy maybe I should maybe I shouldn't kind of thing.
She decided to take off three more inches. This would leave her hair a bit past shoulder length, still able to pull it back into a pony tail, but it would be a nice change. We talked about shape and layers and fringe and how it would accentuate her features.
I made sure she was sure. It was dry now but it was also 12:30 and I didn't want it to run into my other appointment. (I didn't care about missing lunch, but making my next guest wait would not be good) I cut it dry, before I cut the first bit I asked her once again if she was sure because once I cut I couldn't glue it back on. She looked a bit apprehensive but determined. She asked if she could still pull it back, if I thought it would look cute. i assured her yes to both questions. And she told me to go ahead.
I measured and snipped. (I am not the type of person to take the hair I just cut and show it to them, it just freaks them out and makes them nervous. Cutting the hair of someone who is nervous about what you are doing is not my idea of fun) I cut it all around and asked how she felt. She felt the length and said "Wow, it's short" she said this as an expression of fact, not a horrible realization. I added some more layers, blended the fringe and asked her how she liked it.
She looked really happy, said it felt a lot healthier.
I gave her my card and told her that if she decided in a day or two that she wanted to go shorter that she should request me. She gave this some thought and said that she just might come back. I sold her some product, and bit her farewell.
It was now 12:40 I had twenty minutes for lunch. I ran over to the gas station and used some of the $7 tip she gave me to buy a muffin and some hot chocolate (the gas station across the street from PMtS has the BEST hot chocolate you have ever tasted!!)

A day in the life of...

So, I heard the other day that there is a new best selling book in the UK, it was written by a bagger at a small grocery store. The book contains tales of the interesting people she meet while bagging their groceries and her reflections on them.

I think that I need to write such a book, because I have a lot of interesting people who sit in my chair.
For example:


Friday, January 16th

It was a normal day, color class in the morning. It was a good class, we looked through magazines and made cologes of different blondes, reds and brunets to help understand what our color clients want in their hair color.
Then I went to lunch and started making a donation jar for an even later that night. A girl comes into the lunch room holding a service ticket. "176!" she yells out. I get the ticket, a haircut.
The name on the ticket looked either like Jenny, Henny or Henry.
I grabbed all my stuff, set up my station and went to the front to meet Jenny/Henny/Henry.

Henry, a cute high senior, 17 (but almost 18 he stressed.) He sat down in my chair and when I asked him what he wanted he said simply, "I want a faux hawk." We discussed the different types of faux hawks, angle and length and texture and dramatic-ness and direction. Once we were in understanding of what he wanted I took him back to the sinks to wash his hair.
Usually during the wash I don't talk, it's a relaxing massage so I don't start conversations. But he was pretty chatty. He asked a lot of questions about me, my school, my life.
We went back the the chair and I started the cut. I tried to steer the conversation back on him, because really everyone likes talking about themselves more than listening to other people talk about themselves.
I found out that he is in high school, will attend BYU in the fall and wants to be a cardiac physician. He is an only child, a recent convert to the church and hasn't lived in Provo very long.
He asked where I was from, how many sibling I had, when I would be done with school, where I would go and what I would do when I graduated.
Then, in natural rhythm of the conversation he asked if I had a boyfriend. I was a little bit cautious with this question because I didn't know if he was just making conversation, or coming on to me, or taking it some where. I told him that I didn't, boys were silly and I wasn't interested, besides in doing hair and theatre you don't get many straight guy opportunities. He laughed at this. Then there was a beat or two of silence, I got the hint thinking "Right, it's my turn to ask the question..."
"So, do you have a girlfriend?" I proceeded cautiously.
This was just the right question.
He said, "I think so, but I'm not quite sure"
"Ah, one of those type things, I know how that goes."
"See, she asked me the other day if I had heard of the bon fire in the canyon and that we should go. We decided on 5:30. But she never called, so I called her twice but never got a hold of her. I didn't leave a message. I really like her, and her friend told me that she likes me, and it's her best friend so she would know... but I don't know if she was telling the truth or what?"
"Well, telling your friends crush that you like them with out permission is against the girl code"
He looked a little bit worried that there was a code he hadn't hear of.
"Well, I guess I really like her, but I don't know if I should call her back or not... she hasn't called me since."
I asked "When did you plan this? When was the bonfire? When did you call her"
"Planned on Monday. Bonfire was Wednesday... I called her Wednesday"
"Did you ask her about it at school?"
"No, I didn't know what to say... and I don't see her that often."

I explained to him that girls are dumb (Not that guys aren't dumb) but girls are dumb. Especially in high school, no one knows what they want. I told him that if he didn't know what she was thinking there was a good chance that she didn't even know, but she couldn't let on that she is confused so she would blame him for not understanding. Girls are confusing, even to themselves.
I didn't know if he was just venting or if he really wanted advice so I moved the subject a little bit by expressing my happiness of being out of high school and the silly things that go on there. He agreed and said that he was getting tired of it to, but he only had a few months left.
Then there was another few beats of silence. He then said "So....What do you think I should do? Should I call her again, leave a message? I mean, I think she likes me, and I like her but I don't know..."
"This is last weekend right? And you called her a few days ago?"
"Yea..."
"I think, that you should wait until Monday and see her at school, don't ask her about why she didn't call you but ask if she ending up going, if she had a good time. Gage her reaction, see if she acts normal around you. And go from there. You don't want to sound desperate because girls don't like that. But also, 'playing hard to get' doesn't work either. You have to seem interested but not TOO interested." He gave me a strange look, "Confusing I know, once again girls are dumb."
At this point I had stopped cutting his hair momentarily and was no longer looked at him through the mirror but had turned and was talking face to face. He said he would wait until Monday to talk to her, but clearly didn't understand much of my other thoughts.

I texturised his hair, took care it was all even, asked him how he liked it once he was please I went to get my LL to check it off.

Henry said that he was thinking of going blonde, like white blonde. I told him that it would be possible, not in one day, but possible. I gave him my card and told him that if he wanted to come back for anything he should request me.

He tipped me $4. The usual tip for an $8 haircut is $2 so I was quite pleased.


But how ADORABLE, a highschool kid comming and asking me advice with he girl troubles!! He said that is usual hairsylist was a guy in Orem.... so he came to the school specifically to talk to a girl!
SO CUTE!

Making Beauty My Business

Beacon is your opportunity to network with and learn from some of the most successful salon/spa owners in the industry. Learn what they are looking for in new talent and how to market yourself to potential employers. You'll sit side by side with famed stylists turned prosperous business owners during the Symposium general sessions. Then, you'll attend Beacon breakout sessions facilitated by these same salon superstars on topics such as interviewing, career choices, client base and being part of a team.

The relationships you develop and the education you gain at Beacon will shape your career take you to the top of the industry. Take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the industry you have chosen for your profession. Beacon began in 2001 and has had over 600 students participate in the program!

Beacon accepts just 100 cosmetology students each year. Beacon winners receive free tuition to PBA Symposium.

Beacon is produced by the Professional Beauty Association (PBA), a non-profit trade association.
Lead by industry volunteers, PBA represents the interests of the professional beauty industry from manufacturers and distributors to salons and spas. PBA started the Beacon program to help young salon/spa innovators gain an early understanding of the business side of the industry.

"[Beacon] was filled with great education, fabulous speakers, but most of all, amazing energy. It was amazing how I wished my whole school could have experienced those special days." - Nicole Kieslich, Beacon Winner 2006



Beacon Entry Checklist:

Step 1: Create a Professional Resume

A Professional resume is an important part of getting a job


Step 2: Create Portfolio Images

Submit three before and after shots (six images total), appropriate to the career path you would like to follow (hair, nails, skin, etc.). You may use mannequins or live models for this portion of the application process. This is an opportunity to show premier salon and spa owners from across the country what you can do!


Step 3: Create a Professional Marketing Piece

Here's your opportunity to let your creativity shine! We want you to create a piece to sell yourself as a future salon/spa professional. Think of this as a marketing piece you would show to your potential future clientele and employers. Use your creativity to create a promotional item about yourself, your skills and your goals in the industry! Examples of marketing pieces include: a website, brochure, billboard, 30-second commercial posted on YouTube…it's up to you!




I want to apply and go to Beacon this year. Applications are due March 2009, any student enrolled in Cosmetology school from September 2008-March 1st 2009 is eligible. I will graduate a month after the enrollment deadline, which means that I can go!
I am confident in my practical/technical skills as a hairstylist... the part I'm a bit apprehensive about still is the business aspect of it all. Finding a job, keeping a job, retaining clients, that type of thing. Going to Beacon will help me with this.

I'm thinking that I want to create a website for the third step of the application. A type of on-line business card. I'm just not sure what the best free web hosting site is...

"Ahh-Haa" Moment

At my school there are two sections, Phase One and Phase Two.

Phase One is where everyone goes when they are doing hair. It is a huge room with around 56 "stations" similar to the kind you would find in a typical salon, except that these are free floating and not attached to the wall, instead there are two stations back to back.
There are six sinks in this room.
when we are "on the floor" (meaning practicing the hands-on stuff, actually doing hair) we are in this room and there is usually more students per stations, though never more than 40 clients.
On the floor it is loud, cluttered and slightly chaotic. With over 80 people at times all talking, many blow dryers going it is very difficult to hear what your client is saying. (I have mastered the skill of reading lips through the mirror while working on their hair. Which is actually much more difficult than you would think.)
Because we are students practicing with out licenses there are L.L.'s (in the Paul Mitchell world "Learning Leaders" or our teachers") watching over what we are doing. The rule is 1 LL per 20 students. We have to have a LL come and sign our service ticket before we start the service, after the cut/color/perm, an at the end after we have styled. I cannot count the times I have had to leave my client sitting in the chair for 5 minutes while I searched for the LL assigned to me.

This is Phase One, where 90% of the students practice, and most of my "challenges" (there are no mistakes or complaints in the PM world, only discoveries and challenges) are not a fault of my school. Just the nature of hair school in general.


Phase Two is something unique to PM schools. It is one of the few teams in the school, a sort of "extracurricular" program. To get into Phase Two you have to have at least 1000 hours (half done with school) and apply.
Phase Two is a completely different room on the other side of the school. It is smaller and set up like a real salon. Only six stations up against the walls, two sinks. There are never more than 6 students in the room, one LL. It is much closer to a real salon atmosphere, quiet and relaxed. Also, because it is a nicer atmosphere, with only students who know what they are doing the cost to get your hair done is close to double Phase One prices
I have 1500 hours and have been eligible to be in Phase Two for months now, but I don't want to be there because you are in all day which means you miss class, which is one of my favorite parts about school.
Recently I found out that there is a different team during the week than on Saturday. There is no class on Saturdays. Even still I was afraid to try out, I am never quite confident in all my skills. (... Girls only want guys with really great skills, Nun-chuck stills, bow-staff skills...)

Last Saturday, in Phase One I had an "more mature" lady come in for her weekly hair style. I finished and was walking over to the time clock to clock out for Lunch... when Whitney one of the Phase One receptionists. She looked a little bit disheveled, she told me that Mike, one of the usualy students in Phase Two had to leave for a personal emergency and I was the only one able to cover for him, to do his full foil weave (highlights) which is my least favorite service, and the one I am least confidnet it.
I said I was on my way to lunch... that I wasn't good at weaves, I rattled off the names of a few other students with enough hours fo go to Phase Two. All of these people already had clients booked in Phase One.
Saying no really wasn't an option, so I grabbed all my stuff and walked over to Phase Two. The LL and the receptionist both looked relieved that I was there and ensured me that I would do fine, they would do anything they could to help me.
I sit up my station, and escorted my guest over... I did the service and found that as I was doing it, in this salon atmosphere, things were coming easier w/o the chaos of Phase One. I could hear what my client was saying and had a nice conversation with her.
With the help of another student I did the weave with no hesitations. After nearly three hours (which is a normal time for a cut, treatment and weave) I said goodbye to my client (I have to admit that I cannot remember her name) I sold her some product and I felt pretty good about myself.
As I was doing her hair, I had an "ahh-haa" moment. I love hair, I enjoy doing it. For the last 13 months I have done hair, I haven't hated it, liked what I did. I viewed it as something I could do to make money that I didn't hate, something to help me get through my life, hopefully pay for the ridiculous tuition to the college I want to go to in a few years.
BUT, I won't only do hair to make money, but I'll be happy doing it!

I am completely confident in my technical abilities as for as cutting, perming and styling goes. The place I am not so sure about is color and highlights. Almost the only thing they get in Phase Two is colors and highlights. In my 11 months in school I have done a total of two weaves...
The receptionist in Phase Two convinced me that I would enjoy being in Phase Two on Saturdays... this way I can still go to class, but also have the opportunity to practice my color and weave skills, which are the services I will be doing the most when I'm out in the working world.

I am a little bit apprehensive, but excited.

Also, starting next week I am going to start going to both day and night school... I am going to be in Phase Two during night school because they only have class on Mondays so I won't miss it. I am excited for that.

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!