I am so impressed with myself: I'm doing great on the upkeep of my updates! I now feel foolish for questioning my commitment~
Well, my beloved audience, this is a funny NFN because I am writing it only to report: I HAVE A NEW FETISH: WIGS. Yes, wigs. I am afraid this fetish will be lifelong, and I do not fear the commitment it takes to maintaining the wig and my real hair. I actually welcome it, look forward to it, and that's quite odd...
I was walking on Canal St. yesterday, trying to kill time while my 1 hr. photos develop. I found a beauty shop with all kinds of beautiful wigs in it. I stepped inside...it started out as an innocent voyeur into the world of ethnic beauty, then I found her: long, straight black hair, with bangs that hang straight down or sweep to the side depending on how one wears her. Her. Her, sitting on a shelf amidst other wigs, seemingly unnoticeable, simple, all black and no streaks. Her: La Trina.
I was tickled by the fact that the wig shop lady (her name is Nellie) kept calling the wigs "her". I didn't laugh though, I kept my cool cuz baby, maybe that's just the nature of the wig world, they take "them" seriously, and it's kind of fun. Not at all creepy, it's like putting on characters, airs, personalities, etc. I welcome the quirks of the wig world with open arms, not at all strange though that may not mean much coming from me because I am, as I've heard many people say, "a strange one". La Trina's synthetic but people here at the hostel could swear it's my real hair if they didn't see me before. I'm tickled and tickled some more.
I don't think I'd wear her when I'm skating, though I'm sure by typing that out I've already written out the future, with me on a board and La Trina on my head, waving behind me like an onyx afterthought. Imagine younger Cher cruisin through NOLA on a longboard, thats probably how I'll be. Perhaps I'll do it once, or at least I'll do it when it's cold and I don't sweat as much, because sweat may cause bacteria to develop under the wig and make it bad news blues.
My father will shit himself when he sees me. He never wanted me to do anything to my hair (I grew up lookin like Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years), and has always wished it was long again. Thanks to the wonder of wigs, Papa, your wish has come true!
Wigs, I've learned, take a lot of care. I've done my research. Maintenance requires:
-wig stand
-wig brush
-wig shampoo
-wig conditioner
-hair caps
-some bobby pins
Apparently, this is the bare minimum of maintenance, but it'll go a long way. Wigs are to be washed every 12-15 uses, and should be kept away from heat, and stored on the wig stand. For now, I'll have to lay it flat or something, perhaps hang it on the coat hook? I don't want it to lose shape, so a stand, at the very, very least, is necessary.
And so begins my lifelong love of the wigs. I call La Trina, and my newfound love of wigs, my "New Orleans style". I am excited also because my hair takes so long to grow, I'd probably be 40 by the time my real hair hangs down my back. Hair accentuations ain't only for cancer patients and actresses baby!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
NEWS FROM NOLA #3
My how the state of me has changed in only 24 hours...
Currently in a place called India House. To describe India House:
1. It is 200 years old, survived Katrina.
2. The "owner" is a cat, Lil Joker, who has been here since "the old days".
3. This place is a hostel, used to be a brothel.
4. The room we have is called "Zambezi", has lots of awesome amenities like free wifi, great kitchen, great outdoor kitchen, awesome fellow transients, positive vibes, super close to work.
5. "We get offended if people don't have a good time here, so we wholeheartedly encourage drinking!"
...and so forth...this is truly an experience, can't help but feel lucky and proud to be here in this place!
The documentarian I am, cant help but talk about positive stuff as well as report bad news too...which is that i'm only gonna be making $680 taxed in a month! I will still get stuff like $700 worth of Timberland gear from head to toe, free cell phone, $4,725 for loans, they pay for my interest, super valuable experience and working with kids to change their community like I wanted to do...but man that ain't too much dough at all! I feel sorta jipped...especially since they can't help me with AES loans due to the fact that AES doesn't acknowledge Americorps for deferment! don't ask me why, stupid complicated crap.
HOW I'M GONNA GET THROUGH THIS:
1. Live real thrift-like, and cherish the invaluable experience and the comraderie.
2. KEEP OPTIONS OPEN: continue looking for other places to work here that'll give me the big bucks...and pull the ol' switcheroo if I find the perfect deal.
3. Consolidate my AES loans with a company that will acknowledge Americorps and give me deferment as I wanted.
...Either way, I'm stayin here for at least a year. Gonna experience some SHHHYIT!
I'm swimmin alright thank God~
love to all, p.
Currently in a place called India House. To describe India House:
1. It is 200 years old, survived Katrina.
2. The "owner" is a cat, Lil Joker, who has been here since "the old days".
3. This place is a hostel, used to be a brothel.
4. The room we have is called "Zambezi", has lots of awesome amenities like free wifi, great kitchen, great outdoor kitchen, awesome fellow transients, positive vibes, super close to work.
5. "We get offended if people don't have a good time here, so we wholeheartedly encourage drinking!"
...and so forth...this is truly an experience, can't help but feel lucky and proud to be here in this place!
The documentarian I am, cant help but talk about positive stuff as well as report bad news too...which is that i'm only gonna be making $680 taxed in a month! I will still get stuff like $700 worth of Timberland gear from head to toe, free cell phone, $4,725 for loans, they pay for my interest, super valuable experience and working with kids to change their community like I wanted to do...but man that ain't too much dough at all! I feel sorta jipped...especially since they can't help me with AES loans due to the fact that AES doesn't acknowledge Americorps for deferment! don't ask me why, stupid complicated crap.
HOW I'M GONNA GET THROUGH THIS:
1. Live real thrift-like, and cherish the invaluable experience and the comraderie.
2. KEEP OPTIONS OPEN: continue looking for other places to work here that'll give me the big bucks...and pull the ol' switcheroo if I find the perfect deal.
3. Consolidate my AES loans with a company that will acknowledge Americorps and give me deferment as I wanted.
...Either way, I'm stayin here for at least a year. Gonna experience some SHHHYIT!
I'm swimmin alright thank God~
love to all, p.
NEWS FROM NOLA #2
Today got off to a way rocky start: woke up 2 minutes before i was supposed to be there, so i jumped into my car pronto...only to find that my car battery was drained! This pissed me off greatly because i always try to be so careful about the stupid battery and the car light inside...clay accidentally left it on last night.
"ok fine" i thought. i cant do a thing. i called in to work and took a personal day even though i am not supposed to miss a day of basic training. this made me pretty upset too, but hey, what can i do? it was a rainy day, no one around to help me start my car. i resigned to watching TWIN PEAKS until others woke up...thinking they might be able to help me.
well, meredith's car has a weird thing goin on which makes it impossible for her to jump other people's car. then dan comes home for lunch, but he cant help me until he gets home (at 5-6!) because he didnt have much time and needed to eat for his lunch break. of course. totally understandable. that's fine. i'll take that.
i think what really set me off, though, were the bill collectors. they called me twice, and it really made me upset because there's nothin i can do about it! and they called me twice! ugh. it also upsets me because i came here thinkin americorps would help me with me loans...the awful truth is that they wont help me with the AES loan because AES doesn't acknowledge americorps. can you believe it? i didnt find out til i got here.
americorps should have a disclaimer about that.
aes should acknowledge americorps.
but this isnt a perfect world though is it?
well i cant always have all good days huh? i had a rough start, but it doesnt mean that the rest of the day should go to shit. gonna check out the library today, do laundry, make breakfast balls, wait for dan to get home so i can jump my car, and also maybe visit the rail/plan b. thats a lot of good stuff to look forward to completing...all of which i might not be able to do if i had a day off today...
its always nice to try to look for the sunny side...although its been hard lately. i dont know why. i used to be great at it! lately though, i just havent been as tough.
"n.o. is a tough city, and if you're not tough right back it'll eat you alive," clay told me once. since i got here, i've had great days, good experiences, but also i've fallen off my board a few times (the roads are ROUGH), i've gotten a flat and had to walk my bike home, and to the bike shop...sleeping on a hard wood floor isn't really the best way to sleep either, and it looks like i'll be doing it for about 2 more weeks.
just tryin to tough it out...tryin to be tough.
"ok fine" i thought. i cant do a thing. i called in to work and took a personal day even though i am not supposed to miss a day of basic training. this made me pretty upset too, but hey, what can i do? it was a rainy day, no one around to help me start my car. i resigned to watching TWIN PEAKS until others woke up...thinking they might be able to help me.
well, meredith's car has a weird thing goin on which makes it impossible for her to jump other people's car. then dan comes home for lunch, but he cant help me until he gets home (at 5-6!) because he didnt have much time and needed to eat for his lunch break. of course. totally understandable. that's fine. i'll take that.
i think what really set me off, though, were the bill collectors. they called me twice, and it really made me upset because there's nothin i can do about it! and they called me twice! ugh. it also upsets me because i came here thinkin americorps would help me with me loans...the awful truth is that they wont help me with the AES loan because AES doesn't acknowledge americorps. can you believe it? i didnt find out til i got here.
americorps should have a disclaimer about that.
aes should acknowledge americorps.
but this isnt a perfect world though is it?
well i cant always have all good days huh? i had a rough start, but it doesnt mean that the rest of the day should go to shit. gonna check out the library today, do laundry, make breakfast balls, wait for dan to get home so i can jump my car, and also maybe visit the rail/plan b. thats a lot of good stuff to look forward to completing...all of which i might not be able to do if i had a day off today...
its always nice to try to look for the sunny side...although its been hard lately. i dont know why. i used to be great at it! lately though, i just havent been as tough.
"n.o. is a tough city, and if you're not tough right back it'll eat you alive," clay told me once. since i got here, i've had great days, good experiences, but also i've fallen off my board a few times (the roads are ROUGH), i've gotten a flat and had to walk my bike home, and to the bike shop...sleeping on a hard wood floor isn't really the best way to sleep either, and it looks like i'll be doing it for about 2 more weeks.
just tryin to tough it out...tryin to be tough.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
NEWS FROM NOLA #1
i always feel nervous about numbering posts; part of me likes it because i like to keep track, but part of me gets nervous cuz of the commitment it entails...will there be more after #1? will it be regular updates? sporadic? same format? ahhhh
currently typing from CITY YEAR HQ. it is on howard avenue, which changes into andrew higgins dr. and confused me SO much yesterday. i reported to work an hour and a half late! drove loops all around the freakin city...then stress management kicked in and just resigned to getting there when i get there.
so many nice people. i really feel like i'm in a good place. yesterday was my first day at work and it was just filling out paperwork and got out of work early. i took the rest of the afternoon for rest and relaxation. it's been a very tough past few weeks, it's taken a toll on my mental sharpness, awareness and physical health. my body and i are craving stability, routine, regularity, food that i cooked myself! eating out has been bad on my wallet too...and here it's no different...things here just as expensive as houston, if not a little bit more.
today we were deployed to baton rouge to help with the sick people who were evacuated to the PMAC building (the stadium/summit/sports court place for LSU in baton rouge) cuz of hurricane gustav. it was a great experience. there were 4 wards were patients were laying on cots. lots of old people, sleeping, sick, some with illnesses like chronic liver disease, diabetes/arthritis, thyroid, some with oxygen tanks, people that needed to be fed, throat cancer talking out of tubes in their throat, needing help with going to the restroom...
the first person i talked to was a man, George. he was sweet. i picked him first to talk to because i saw he was on his bed, praying from these prayer cards. i knew right away he was catholic. i prayed with him to St. Joseph ("you have to pray this before noon") and then we started talking about all the old prayer books he lost to the storms of past (camille, katrina, etc), and really old old books (encyclopedia of witchcraft! very very old herbal healing recipes! books in french!). he told me he was related to 5 popes and recounted his bloodline. he told me about his relatives in houston who own the buffalo shop in avalon shopping strip (on westheimer/kirby) and made me a bit homesick...yet happy to talk about something familiar.
we served lunch to them, fed some people...kept talking to more people. one lady i was feeding a popsicle to, i started singing. a frail, caramel colored old lady with her hair in afro puffs above each ear, and a few good teeth left in her mouth. i started singing old ella fitz/billy holiday/beatles songs, she loved it. i talked about seein cecil taylor in new york, she got to talkin about her brother who was into music, felt truly blessed to be there to cheer her up for just a moment. i told her she was so special and thanked her for blessing me...we shared the same sentiment about each other...
damned if that weren't a touching moment in my city year experience. the power of music...i'll never forget how her petite face lightened up, her old eyebrows and forehead raised at the sound of a familiar tune and this young girl singin them...
the drive to baton rouge was interesting. much traffic because they still don't have power in the area too much. lots of trees, big oak trees, branches, down on the ground, and so were some power lines. saw a blue pontiac firebird, absolutely CRUSHED under a big old tree that fell onto it. i was amazed, and felt a bit more alive--this is the kind of stuff i'd only be seeing on tv back home, and here i am, at the very SITE things happened at...instead of news clips, its right here in my face.
i still have old business to take care of, like defensive driving, and loan bullshit. but other than that, just tryin to not spend so much money, tryin to hold up until i get my first check 2 weeks from now.
everything is going as planned, just as i was hopin since i was in houston...jubilee and meredith are awesome, joey called me up last night and told me a sweet place to skate, been skating everyday, i love sitting at the bars, tryin to play along with the drummers on stage so i can learn even though i dont have my set here yet, clay got a job yesterday just as planned (praise the lord!) and we'll probably set up our own pad in 2 weeks as well.
thank you universe. thanks to faith, positivity. i will still keep these up, and keep sending them to all my friends family ones whom i love.
currently typing from CITY YEAR HQ. it is on howard avenue, which changes into andrew higgins dr. and confused me SO much yesterday. i reported to work an hour and a half late! drove loops all around the freakin city...then stress management kicked in and just resigned to getting there when i get there.
so many nice people. i really feel like i'm in a good place. yesterday was my first day at work and it was just filling out paperwork and got out of work early. i took the rest of the afternoon for rest and relaxation. it's been a very tough past few weeks, it's taken a toll on my mental sharpness, awareness and physical health. my body and i are craving stability, routine, regularity, food that i cooked myself! eating out has been bad on my wallet too...and here it's no different...things here just as expensive as houston, if not a little bit more.
today we were deployed to baton rouge to help with the sick people who were evacuated to the PMAC building (the stadium/summit/sports court place for LSU in baton rouge) cuz of hurricane gustav. it was a great experience. there were 4 wards were patients were laying on cots. lots of old people, sleeping, sick, some with illnesses like chronic liver disease, diabetes/arthritis, thyroid, some with oxygen tanks, people that needed to be fed, throat cancer talking out of tubes in their throat, needing help with going to the restroom...
the first person i talked to was a man, George. he was sweet. i picked him first to talk to because i saw he was on his bed, praying from these prayer cards. i knew right away he was catholic. i prayed with him to St. Joseph ("you have to pray this before noon") and then we started talking about all the old prayer books he lost to the storms of past (camille, katrina, etc), and really old old books (encyclopedia of witchcraft! very very old herbal healing recipes! books in french!). he told me he was related to 5 popes and recounted his bloodline. he told me about his relatives in houston who own the buffalo shop in avalon shopping strip (on westheimer/kirby) and made me a bit homesick...yet happy to talk about something familiar.
we served lunch to them, fed some people...kept talking to more people. one lady i was feeding a popsicle to, i started singing. a frail, caramel colored old lady with her hair in afro puffs above each ear, and a few good teeth left in her mouth. i started singing old ella fitz/billy holiday/beatles songs, she loved it. i talked about seein cecil taylor in new york, she got to talkin about her brother who was into music, felt truly blessed to be there to cheer her up for just a moment. i told her she was so special and thanked her for blessing me...we shared the same sentiment about each other...
damned if that weren't a touching moment in my city year experience. the power of music...i'll never forget how her petite face lightened up, her old eyebrows and forehead raised at the sound of a familiar tune and this young girl singin them...
the drive to baton rouge was interesting. much traffic because they still don't have power in the area too much. lots of trees, big oak trees, branches, down on the ground, and so were some power lines. saw a blue pontiac firebird, absolutely CRUSHED under a big old tree that fell onto it. i was amazed, and felt a bit more alive--this is the kind of stuff i'd only be seeing on tv back home, and here i am, at the very SITE things happened at...instead of news clips, its right here in my face.
i still have old business to take care of, like defensive driving, and loan bullshit. but other than that, just tryin to not spend so much money, tryin to hold up until i get my first check 2 weeks from now.
everything is going as planned, just as i was hopin since i was in houston...jubilee and meredith are awesome, joey called me up last night and told me a sweet place to skate, been skating everyday, i love sitting at the bars, tryin to play along with the drummers on stage so i can learn even though i dont have my set here yet, clay got a job yesterday just as planned (praise the lord!) and we'll probably set up our own pad in 2 weeks as well.
thank you universe. thanks to faith, positivity. i will still keep these up, and keep sending them to all my friends family ones whom i love.
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