Finally Retightened

Whew! After an eight week stretch, I am finally glad to have my roots tightened. Thus far, this is the longest I've waited and not by choice. I got a referral from a fellow Clevelander on LockitUp. In June, I scheduled my appointment a few weeks in advance. But when it came time for my appointment, the consultant had to reschedule because of a death in the family and some other personal reasons. I didn't want to bother resheduling for a 3rd time. I really sensed that this consultant is going through some personal matters right now and not really able to take on new clients at the moment. Hopefully things will work out for her. But in the meantime, I can't stand being this vulnerable, especially now that I am truly truly in love with my hair. So what is a girl to do? Join the DIY club. Paulette told me she's going to be giving training classes very soon so I'm looking forward to taking the class within the next few months.

Before Sisterlocks

This photo was taken in July of 2004, about 1 year prior to my mother and I getting our Sisterlocks. It was my mom's birthday and I figured taking her on a dinner cruise onboard the Nautica Queen would be something fun and different. We had a good time and enjoyed the ride very much.

Where is the Customer Service

My second Sisterlocks magazine arrived last week and of course I was very pleased with it. Unfortunately, I cannot say I was happy with the amount of time it took to arrive, especially since I paid for an annual subscription in January for February. After perusing the responses on LockitUp, it turns out I was not the only one to receive my magazine late. In fact, some folks who also paid for an annual subscription were still waiting for their magazine to arrive. To add insult to injury, some people who had just ordered the 2nd magazine within the past two weeks were getting their magazines before the prepaid folks. This is no way to do business and maintain a faithful customer base.

Even if there was a problem with getting the magazines out on time, the very least Dr. Jo et al could do was use their database software to query out the prepaid folks and make sure their magazines got sent out as soon as the shipment arrived.

CycleBeads

Here is one of my natural product finds I thought would be good to pass along. CycleBeads are an innovation in family planning. They are easy to use, highly effective, inexpensive, cause no side effects, and can be used to either plan or prevent pregnancy.

Summer Heat

The summer temperatures this past week have been terrible. Ninety-plus degrees. It was three digits in some cities so I probably can't complain too much. But in Cleveland, 90+ degrees don't happen that often and when they do, oh how miserable. At least for me anyway. I'll take mid-seventies any day of the week. So how did my locs fair in all this heat? I did make a couple of adjustments. For one, I did not bother to wrap my hair up at night. I was actually pleased with the more fluffed out look compared to the ultra smashed look from having it covered. Second, I didn't care to have my hair on my face in this heat wave so I finger combed my front locks going to the back. I like the look and I think it gives me a pseudo caruso curled look. Other than a little sweaty, my locs and I are making it through the heat quite well.

Small World

I know it is a cliche but when folks say "It's a small world" they are not kidding.

My mother and I got to meet Detra's mom Carnella at Sunday's dinner. Carnella lived in Cleveland initially but moved to Columbus when Detra was a little girl. Carnella told us about two of her first cousins Bobby and Percy Womack. Well Percy was a bus driver for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and guess what...so is my mom. It just so happens that my mother knew Percy and even told us a story about the time she was about to be late for work and Percy gave her the keys to his Cadillac so she would make it on time. Sadly, Percy is now passed and he was Carnella's favorite cousin. Whew, talk about a tear jerker moment.

People come in and out of our lives for many reasons. I've learned to cherish these reasons for both the good and the bad.

I don't know if it's just me or not, but I swear Detra's mom reminds me of Alice Walker. Or maybe I still have too much Color Purple on the brain.

Dinner in Columbus, OH

On Sunday night, the three C's of Ohio (Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati) got together and had a ball! We ate dinner at the Brownstone on Main restaurant located in downtown Columbus. The atmosphere was very chic and trendy with a bit of soul added. Our waiter delivered fantastic service and the food was quite tasty.


When Virginia, my mother (Rose) and myself arrived at the restaurant, Connie was already in the lobby waiting. Connie drove from Cincinnati. Her three year old locks are simply breathtaking and she is such a warm and kind spirit. I am so delighted she joined us.
Columbus native Cne arrived next. Her 13 month locks are just too cute.
Can you believe she's about to be a grandmother? She practically looks like a teenager herself.

And last I got to meet another one of my fellow Blog Queens in the flesh...Detra. It was Detra who inquired about a Columbus gathering on LockItUp since she was home visiting from Dallas. Thank goodness she did. I enjoyed meeting her and her mom Carnella very much.

Updo For The Weekend

I got my hair styled in this updo on Saturday by my lovely stylist Andreda Forte. I feel like Miss America. What makes it even more special for me is sporting the beautiful jewels that LaChanda got and brought to me in New York. But now I'm spoiled and I want more of them. Fortunately, a different stylist in the beauty salon recommended a local beautique for me to try.

I love updo styles and I feel I look better in short styles and updos anyway. I guess I always have. So more length equals more creativity. Creativity by somebody else that is. I have made a promise to myself to do my own braidouts and some roller sets when the time is right. Might even experiment from time to time. But overall, I love the magic hands of somebody else giving me that million dollar hairstyle that I know I wouldn't be able to achieve on my own. Just like the Loreal folks say, "I'm worth it!"