Loving every follicle

Whats something about yourself that you know has changed over the course of time?  For me, one of my main identifiers is my hair. Over the past 8 years my hair has changed. There hasn't been allot of drastic changes, but there have been a few stages in my life. Take for instance, when I first moved here, I always wore my hair in a flat iron, or maybe a curly ponytail. Nothing more. Straight and controllable, that was me.

Then I decided to loc my hair up. That didn't receive allot of good feedback from others. (That didn't matter) I had my locs for about a year. I know I've made some posts about being on that journey. During the time of my locs, I was going through some things. Thankfully were past that stage.  
With overcoming those problems I decided the locs needed to come out, and with that a hair cut was also a necessity.  That was a the shortest my hair has ever been.

 After a little bit of length, I decided to see what the "natural" look was all about. Now don't get it twisted, Ive always been natural... no perms, relaxers and very little color. The natural that I speak of is wearing my curls just as they were. That also means big. Big means it is not the straight and controllable that I was used to. So that was an adjustment. My debut of the natural was at the birthday party of my little cousin. There was very little product and patience with the head in those early stages.  When I started doing a little bit of research on products, styles, suggestions etc. I stumbled upon moknowshair. Her tutorials are fantastic, and she was the one who introduced me to my new habit. My CurlBox. What in the world is a CurlBox you ask? Well.... let me enlighten you.. A CurlBox is a monthly subscription for $25, each month you get a box of hair products. My first box was the February box and it came with 4 FULL size products along with many many samples.  You would have thought it was Christmas time as excited as I was. I was truly like a kid in the candy store. The two products that I used the most out of the February were the Aunt Jackie's moisturizing and softening conditioner and Beautiful Texture moisture butter whipped curl cream. The Aunt Jackie's conditioner really helped keep the moisture in hubby's hair when he would get braided. The whipped curl cream was one of the best things that I've put in my hair to help maintain my curls. It keeps the wash and go style very manageable for the week. This will be something that I will be purchasing when I run out.

I just got my March CurlBox yesterday. You should have seen me, I was out in the yard doing work, when i saw the mailman walk by I already knew what time it was. I was dangling in the kitchen window trying to reach the knifes so I can open up my box. This month we got a full line of C arols Daughters brand. Which by the way is now being sold in Targets.  The  Sacred Tiare shampoo and conditioner were fantastic in my hair. The shampoo didn't lather too much, which made me feel like I didn't use enough. I didnt go overboard with it though, I know not all shampoos will give you the  super suds. Plus this product lacks ingredients of other shampoos that can be purchased for less than $5.00. The saying goes,  you get what you pay for. And I am paying for better products with less harmful ingredients to put in my hair. Also in the box came a leave in conditioner, and styling cream.   The leave-in conditioner made my hair more manageable and easier to comb through. I used the styling cream to roll my hair on some rollers.  Since I dont have any flex rods, I figured I would just twist and roll my hair up. After a horrible nights sleep, and a few hours under the dryer, I took the rollers out and just pinned my hair up for the day.  I am super pumped to use an entire line of great products like Carols Daughter. Especially since this is a brand I have been wanting to try.
If you get a CurlBox what do you think about the products? Want to see the finished look, follow me on instagram.

I hate waiting..

If you didn't know that, well, I guess now you do. My patience level has always been on the low side, so when I have to wait, well, that's just dumb. Well I guess it's not really dumb, but more of a way to help increase the patience that I have. Take for instance, right now the car is in the shop, so that gives me a set of waiting periods. I have to wait for the bus to get where Im going, and I have to wait to hear back from the mechanic. BOO! Something else that Ive been having to wait on is, a shift in roles at work. Ive been doing some research and I see that the place Im trying to slide into is vacant and waiting, but there is a process and I have to follow it. Right now Im waiting to find out when this process will start. -_- The winter this year has been something like crazy. One day we had rain, the next we were under a winter storm warning. This week we were up to about 75 degrees, the next day we dropped to 40 in a matter of hours. Can we say over winter aka waiting for spring. lol Ugh where is the fast forward button when you need it?

Wormie's the name...

     Reading's my game. 



I've had a lot of time to read here lately. So far this year, I've read 3 books working on the 4th. So far this year, I've read I Am Legend, Life of Pi and The Descendants, currently working on the Undisputed Truth, IT, . I feel like I've been flying through some books this year, according to my goal list,  I'm 10 books behind. lol I can dig the fact that i can read my book anywhere as long as I have my phone, but at the same time, I feel like I need to go to the library for a small  come to Jesus. I've been cheating on my library for a few months now. I need to feel a library book and smell the greatness of it. Well anyway, here are my thoughts about what I've completed thus far.


 I thought the movie was head on the book. Granted I've only seen the movie once, and it was a while ago, the book still was like i remember the movie. I always like reading books that have movies that just so I can compare them. If you liked the movie, I'm pretty sure you will like the book as well.  Books that I can watch in great detail in my mind are always better. 4 out of 4 stars for this one.

 I recently watched the directors edition of this movie on AMC and learned that the movie was based off of a book. So I decided to see what it was about. In the movie,  the creatures were zombies with vampire like tendencies. They wouldn't come out until the sun went down, but the book they were straight vampires. The book was originally written in 1954, so it wasn't like the movie in the sense of the technology, and the ending was different too. I thought it was really really good, just kind of hard to get the movie out my head while reading it. 3 out of 4 stars

What made me pick this book up? I think it was one of the first
books that was on the ebook list on the library's website. Plus George Clooneys face was on the cover. I had already seen the movie, and I remember not being all that impressed with the movie. Since the books are generally better than the movie, I figured I'd see if it was true or not. NOT. The book was just as bad as the movie. The book was written well, but it wasn't a good story. Very dry. 1 star out of 4 stars.

 This is what I am currently reading. I think that Mike Tyson is not only one crazy mutha flucka, but a very misunderstood, and very interesting. Like I want to go and watch clips of him from when he first started to all the major moments in his life. Just to see how he was and what he looked like. Its like I know what you were going through at that time, and I know why you acted the way you did, but let me watch it. You have to understand that Tyson was doing big thangs before I was even born. This man is a beast, an animal in his terms. I think one of the funniest things in reading this was when he went on his rant to the reporter at the Lennox Lewis press conference. The man is crazy. I totally respect him and look at him in a different light. 5 out of 6 stars, and I'm not even done.

Ok well there is my reviews of the 2014 book selection this year. What have you read this year thus far? Leave a comment let me know or find me on goodreads.com, I'm always looking for something new to read.

Heres to you slick

$5 bucks says this will be on the TV tomorrow morning. So far this school year, we have had  6 snow days/early dismissals. The sad part about it is, half of those probably could have been avoided. Now here is the part where I go into when I was growing up, and how i had to go to school in a least 3 feet of snow. I, however, did not have to walk in it. I had the luxury of driving in the mess. My school sat on top of a hill that I had to maneuver Red Bone up. And if I got stuck, eff it, leave it on the hill and hike. I come from the midwest, the land of snow during the winter time.. I currently live in what I've heard called the midwest.. CLEARLY this is NOT the midwest, not even close. More like mideast-ish.

 My first winter here, and every one since amazes me at how many school closings there are. Granted right now, it is currently raining, and earlier there were ice pellets falling.. The city may in fact be something like an ice skating rink tomorrow. Schools, daycare's and work were released early today in efforts help get everyone home safe. The last time we were released early from work, it was a day late and a dollar short. The ice was a half inch thick on the cars, and it was still snowing. Folks I work with said it took them 4 hours or more to get home.  So it was a good choice to let go home before the storm hit. Tonight we are expected to have non stop snow/ice/rain. It has been non stop for the past 3 hours now. It first started as ice pellets, the last time I looked out the door it was raining.. Oh  goody goody gum drop. I hope the i city is out working and salting right now. You would think they were right? For as long as I've been here, it always seems like the city trucks are out the most after everything is said and done, and not during the storm or before pre-treating. I've been through an ice storm before since being out here, and that was one scary situation to be in. Especially if you have trees close to your window, and you can hear the tree limbs breaking from the weight of the ice. Scary stuff i tell ya. The meteorologist said its not supposed to be as bad as the previous storm, but looking out side now, I can tell you its not gonna be pretty tomorrow. Pray for us readers.. 

Be easy yall 

Blessed beyond measure

So I know, I've hit my slacker stage again when it comes to writing. Let  me put the disclaimer out there, the first half of this was written almost 2 and a half months ago. Back in November, my  boss told me that he recommended me for an interim team lead position while one of the current leads goes out for medical reasons. Now with the recommendation alone, I was hype, and very grateful.  Upon my arrival to work the following day, the supervisor in need told me that I am now her interim team lead. No there's no pay increase, but this is just more experience to add to my resume here at my job. Im grateful not only because its our busy time and I can be off the phones, but more so for the opportunity that I am being presented with. There's a possibility that other positions can become availabe to me after this assignment is over. So who knows. All I can say is im grateful and blessed.

So with that being said, my run with my new hire team is over. And yes i said, MY new hire team. I say that because I got them on their first real day on the phones,  which can be most terrifying in this type of work environment. I remember my first day on the phones and all of the terror, and second guessing myself I did. Now I get to see them for more than one day and get to see their growth and development. The first day, I had folks crying saying they didn't known if they were going to come back because they just didn't know what to do. 2 months later, 2 people from my team specifically have left, and 2 others from the remainder of the new hire class have quit. What can i say, this type of job isn't for everyone. This is my first real leadership role in the corporate world. Sometimes I forget that, I slip into my call taker role and will say whatever, but I've gotten better about that. There were times when the reps would say something  "oh that's my team lead" or "Tae is my leadership." I try to correct them because I'm only interim and once their real lead comes back, I will no longer be there to guide them and will be back to my normal duties. I appreciate the love and support, but I'm not out here to take this team over or nothing like that. I'm just here to help.

With this position,  its given me a chance to see things from the other side. Ive been in the newbies role, trying to find my way, now im here seeing these people grow, learning their personality types and seeing the same struggle  I dealt with many moons ago.  The experience as a whole has been one that I am grateful for. I received a lot of good feed back, and it also put my name out there. So from here we shall see what the future holds. 

As far as the rest of my life, what can I say. Were just living, growing and continuing to be better. Daddy is becoming something like a local celebrity here in the ville, Jr is growing more and more each and every day. Which by the way, is not something I am prepared for. Sometimes i look at him and just be in awe that he is getting so big..  Well for now, that's all i shall bore you with. :) I promise, I WILL BE BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO SHARING. 

                                                             

Perspective

When it comes to war, I try not to pay it to much mind. Yes that is an ignorant thing to do, as it is important to be aware of whats going on even if it doesnt effect you directly. The thought of war was always something that I never knew much of, being ive never been and everyone I know who is or was military was never combat. Im reading this book called The Things They Carried, and at first it started off slow and I wasnt too sure about it, but I decided to keep on reading and give it a chance. This book is one based on events that took place in Vietnam.  Now when I think of the war in viet-f***ing-nam I think of Forest Gump, obviously. This war is something i know nothing about, why we went there, what we were fighting for, nothing. What I do know is that my grandfather was there twice. I know he was in the army, but what he did I dont know. Reading this book makes me wonder what he saw, did, felt and thought while he was there. Im only about 105 pages in and the things im reading, im just in amazement and awe. There's a part in there where the author mentions of one of the guys in his platoon, and how he was playing catch one minute and the next blown into the tree because he stepped on a land mine. They were then ordered to peel the remains out of the tree. The other guy who was playing catch was the victims best friend. Later as they were humpin (moving around)they found this water buffalo, so they tied it up and took it with them. The victims best friend started taking his anger out on the animal by shooting at it. And I dont mean one shot take em out, I mean shooting its leg, the meaty part of its hind leg, its mouth completely off its face, and the whole time this animal is alive, not making a sound.  Now I dont know if this is a true story or not, but either way, it is a story that will stick with me forever. My view is, how awful that is for the animal and cruel, where as someone that is or was military would be able to relate because they know the feeling of the victims best friend. There's another part where one of the soldiers girlfriend somehow made it to Vietnam and was kickin it at the medic site with them, she started helping out alot more and then decided she was going on missions with the green berets that were at the same site. One night the boyfriend finds her in what appears to be a seance type atmosphere with a necklace of human tongues tied together. Imagine if this was something that really happened.  Like omg. This is nothing that the media feeds us when telling about the wars. Its almost as if... well it is what they want us to know to make us think that everything is ok and secure, when really our people are over seas all kinds if fucked up. I know opium was a big drug during Vietnam and some of if not all of could be a result of an opium trip, but still. I could only imagine. I wonder if my grandfather were still alive today would he tell stories of what he saw, did and felt, or would it be something he would take to the grave. Reading this definitely give me a new perspective on wars and the things soldiers see over there, and im not even done reading it yet. So to any and everyone that is currently or has previously served in our military,  thank you. For all you have sacrificed, seen, done and felt. I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart.

#FamilyFirst

Family first was the motto this weekend. My cousin and his wonderful girlfriend came to visit us from DC this weekend. This was exactly the kind of weekEnd i needed after a week of hell. 

My cousin GJ is the oldest boy, runner up to me as the oldest. To me its dope that we are able to kick it as adults. I remember in the summers when him and his siblings would come to visit, we would play cousins club. We'd play school, be outside, just doing whatever, but whatever it was we were doing, it was cousins club. 

This weekend we didnt do anything too extravagent. We went and walked the new pedestrian bridge here in the ville. That turned out to be an arugement with Jr. He seemed to think that he needed to be mackin on GJs girlfriend, trying to make the walk on the bridge their first date. We had to let them walk way ahead so he would leave them alone. Lol Jr just knew he had a new girlfriend this weekend. I tried to warn GJ.

We also went and played pool. Im no pool shark, hell I cant break to save the life of me. Sr and GJ played against each other while Yaya and I played. I think the guys played a total of 6 games, while we played a whopping 2 games. Lol clearly we were the beginners table. Then we came home and Team 2llz had to give them the business in some spades. Overall, i had a great weekend. Its always nice when your family comes in town for a few days. 

On another note, Jrs daycare closed this past friday.. im lightweight distraught. Keep in mind ive been spoiled with this same facility since Jr was a baby.. we've been here for the past 3 years, i know the teachers and the other kids. Ive been spoiled.. But just like everything in life, it must come to an end. I think im the one who has been more emotional about the whole situation. Sr is like "ok bye yall, thanks." Jr was like it was just another friday. Im crying while im hugging teachers bye. Judge me if you want, these women have made a difference in my families life. I will forever love the staff at All My Children. So here's to a new season.