I really do mean to write light, fun entries for this blog. But since writing entries for this blog at all is such a rare event lately, my 3 readers are just going to have to take what they get.
My dream last night was probably one of the strangest I've ever had. As I woke from it, I remembered that I had dreamt the prequel to it the night before.
The first dream was about a visit to some kind of doctor who told me that I had a condition that required a medical procedure, some kind of surgical thing, I guess. I didn't fully understand. The only thing was that the procedure was sure to kill me.
In the second dream, I had made my peace with the fact that I would die. I had also made an appointment to have the procedure done the following Tuesday. I went through my day to day life, letting people know that this was my last week. It was mostly all very conversational. "Oh, yes. It's treatable, in fact I go in on Tuesday to have it done. I mean, I'll die of course, but, you know..." and the other person might say something like, "Yeah, yeah, my uncle had that, too. He got the procedure that made him die and everything was fine after that."
With some people it was more awkward. I could tell they didn't really want to talk about it, so I didn't press the issue. With some people, I knew they did not want me to have the procedure. It was optional, of course, but if I didn't have it, I would live the rest of my life in this condition. The funny thing is that my condition had no symptoms whatsoever, now that I think of it.
I joked about how I was obviously going to take the week off work and use my credit card for anything I wanted. I was mostly matter-of-fact about the whole thing, but certain things would make me feel emotional about it. When someone suggested I should have lunch at all my favorite places that week, it made me feel very emotional. When I thought about not seeing the next episode of some stupid TV show, it was agonizing. But when I talked with the people I love, I knew that not even my death would separate us; that in some spiritual way, we would all go on together no matter what.
I think it may have been connected to a guest I had at the salon earlier this week, who, for various reasons led me to believe that I might be giving him the last haircut he ever got. Little things like that upset me with regard to death. I read a story about a family losing a child in a freak accident and I feel bad for them all, but it doesn't touch the pain I feel when I read the menu for a death-row inmate's last meal.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
And now for some temporal stuff...
Because my last two posts were so freaking HEAVY and my day to day life is actually quite light:
I have been trying so hard lately to be conservative with spending money. I have some debt to pay off and I'm also trying to save up for a trip to Japan for next year. So I had pretty much decided that I would not be doing any out of town theme park trips this summer.
But that started to get depressing. And I realized, what is life if not for living? I have a plan to pay off debt and what if it takes six months longer to do it? If I should flee this body in the next year, would it be more important to me to have less debt or to have been to more parks and been on more coasters? A-DUH. Coasters. Please.
So I got online and booked a three-day, two-night stay at Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. Some of you may remember my last attempt to go to this park and how it involved being evacuated from the hotel in the middle of the night, then waking up to find rain gushing from the sky in such a way as to insure I would not be getting on any coasters that day. Well, I have finally summoned the courage to try again. At the moment, the weather for those three days in Sandusky is sunny and in the high 70s. Dreamy, right?
That trip is going to cost me about the same amount of money as that TV I bought and returned a couple of weeks ago, but that's another post.
There are a couple more fun things potentially coming down the pike, including a trip to DOLLYWOOD (and you know how I love Dollywood) as well as the possibility of a weekend in NYC, including Coney Island. All while still managing to reduce debt and save up for Japan.
Hooray for learning to be balanced!
I have been trying so hard lately to be conservative with spending money. I have some debt to pay off and I'm also trying to save up for a trip to Japan for next year. So I had pretty much decided that I would not be doing any out of town theme park trips this summer.
But that started to get depressing. And I realized, what is life if not for living? I have a plan to pay off debt and what if it takes six months longer to do it? If I should flee this body in the next year, would it be more important to me to have less debt or to have been to more parks and been on more coasters? A-DUH. Coasters. Please.
So I got online and booked a three-day, two-night stay at Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. Some of you may remember my last attempt to go to this park and how it involved being evacuated from the hotel in the middle of the night, then waking up to find rain gushing from the sky in such a way as to insure I would not be getting on any coasters that day. Well, I have finally summoned the courage to try again. At the moment, the weather for those three days in Sandusky is sunny and in the high 70s. Dreamy, right?
That trip is going to cost me about the same amount of money as that TV I bought and returned a couple of weeks ago, but that's another post.
There are a couple more fun things potentially coming down the pike, including a trip to DOLLYWOOD (and you know how I love Dollywood) as well as the possibility of a weekend in NYC, including Coney Island. All while still managing to reduce debt and save up for Japan.
Hooray for learning to be balanced!
Lord, have mercy.
So, we've had a couple of little earthquakes and now we're waiting to see if we get pummeled by hurricane Irene and all social media websites are fairly littered with Christians crying out for the mercy of God and calling in the apocalypse as well as naming it all as the judgement of a god who is angry about how his political agendas are being thwarted.
Seriously, you guys, it's just weather. It happens all the time, all over the world. It comes and goes. Sometimes there's a lot, sometimes a bit less.
I really get concerned when I hear Christians, especially those who have proclaimed themselves to be Christian "leaders" freaking out about these things. When people post things to facebook that basically say, "omg everyone quick repent it's urgent we had an earthquake because god is mad that gays can legally be married in our nations capital and our president doesn't care about israel LORD HAVE MERCY" it makes me wonder if those "leaders" have ever truly heard the gospel or if they even know God at all.
Even if God's very nature wasn't merciful, aren't we all under a covenant of mercy? Do you think God will fail to keep his end of that covenant? And P.S., that WHOLE covenant is on his end. We have no end of the covenant to keep, except to say "thanks" and believe. Sure, there's a bunch of "doing" we can do to make our lives here nicer and possibly win the favor of people, but all our "doing" has very little eternal significance. The best thing we can "do" is park it in the eternal and just "be" with him.
"But what if my house collapses?" It's just stuff. You can get more stuff.
"But what if a bunch of people get killed?" Everyone is going to die. You should know that by now.
"But what if people die who are unsaved?" In truth, you do not know who is saved and who is not and if someone is not saved, there is nothing you can do to save them because you are not the Savior.
All of your worries and all of your fears are in the temporal and you have no control over them anyway. If that makes you feel like life is meaningless or if it scares the crap out of you, that's just an indication that you need God. No big deal. Life is entirely bleak apart from God. Fact.
So everybody simmer down, k?
Because we stay focused, not on what we can see with our human eyes, but on what we cannot see with our human eyes. Because everything we can see with our eyes of flesh is temporary but what we cannot see is what is eternal (and what really matters).
Seriously, you guys, it's just weather. It happens all the time, all over the world. It comes and goes. Sometimes there's a lot, sometimes a bit less.
I really get concerned when I hear Christians, especially those who have proclaimed themselves to be Christian "leaders" freaking out about these things. When people post things to facebook that basically say, "omg everyone quick repent it's urgent we had an earthquake because god is mad that gays can legally be married in our nations capital and our president doesn't care about israel LORD HAVE MERCY" it makes me wonder if those "leaders" have ever truly heard the gospel or if they even know God at all.
Even if God's very nature wasn't merciful, aren't we all under a covenant of mercy? Do you think God will fail to keep his end of that covenant? And P.S., that WHOLE covenant is on his end. We have no end of the covenant to keep, except to say "thanks" and believe. Sure, there's a bunch of "doing" we can do to make our lives here nicer and possibly win the favor of people, but all our "doing" has very little eternal significance. The best thing we can "do" is park it in the eternal and just "be" with him.
"But what if my house collapses?" It's just stuff. You can get more stuff.
"But what if a bunch of people get killed?" Everyone is going to die. You should know that by now.
"But what if people die who are unsaved?" In truth, you do not know who is saved and who is not and if someone is not saved, there is nothing you can do to save them because you are not the Savior.
All of your worries and all of your fears are in the temporal and you have no control over them anyway. If that makes you feel like life is meaningless or if it scares the crap out of you, that's just an indication that you need God. No big deal. Life is entirely bleak apart from God. Fact.
So everybody simmer down, k?
Because we stay focused, not on what we can see with our human eyes, but on what we cannot see with our human eyes. Because everything we can see with our eyes of flesh is temporary but what we cannot see is what is eternal (and what really matters).
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Strongholds
Certain communities within God's Church regularly take a moment to point out a "stronghold" that is keeping our nation from knowing the truth about who God is.
This is, to me, the greatest of all ironies.
Maybe before God's Church starts calling out freemasons and mormons and witches and buddhists and all the other groups she doesn't like, she needs to look at the way she deceives her own people. She needs to look at the ways she keeps people in bondage, the way she manipulates, the way she withholds truth, tempers truth, waters down truth, the way she lies. She needs to examine her motives and resolve to banish the impure ones. She needs to stop pondering her next PR strategy and start pondering her savior. She needs to stop promoting herself by making such a production of any good work she does. She needs to stop being her own idol.
Maybe she needs to let the temples she's built be torn down and see how God builds them back.
This is, to me, the greatest of all ironies.
Maybe before God's Church starts calling out freemasons and mormons and witches and buddhists and all the other groups she doesn't like, she needs to look at the way she deceives her own people. She needs to look at the ways she keeps people in bondage, the way she manipulates, the way she withholds truth, tempers truth, waters down truth, the way she lies. She needs to examine her motives and resolve to banish the impure ones. She needs to stop pondering her next PR strategy and start pondering her savior. She needs to stop promoting herself by making such a production of any good work she does. She needs to stop being her own idol.
Maybe she needs to let the temples she's built be torn down and see how God builds them back.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
How Much I Love My New Job
1. It's not really that new anymore, but I've still been there less time than any other salon I worked for before.
2. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots ad infinitum.
I've been working in salons now for just over 17 years, and a licensed stylist for 15. This is only the fifth salon where I've been an employee. Just prior to starting at Mango, I was self employed for precisely 4 years, during which time I rented chairs at three consecutive locations. I hated moving that much, but one bad decision can lead to years of difficulty. But that's another blog post.
I may have mentioned waaaaay back then that I was apprehensive about returning to being an employee. My previous jobs had been, let's say "uninspiring" to the point that I chose self employment almost as a means of quitting the business more so than advancing in it. I look at those years now as a sabbatical of sorts. A sort of working-just-enough-to-pay-the-bills sabbatical. Which is not really a sabbatical at all, but it sounds better than "I became depressed and lazy about my career and this was the next best thing to getting a government check."
ON TO THE GOOD PART OF THE STORY.
I have a bunch of clients that I have seen ever since I was fresh out of beauty school. They have stuck by me through all of the many changes of locale and personae, and crises and insanitae. I love them all and I hope they stick with me for another 15 years.
In the past, when I have started at a new job or rental salon, they come in for the first time and I just gush about how wonderful the new place is and how I'll stay there forever because it's really so much better than where I was before. Four to six weeks later, they come in again and I tell them how the shine has dulled a bit, but I still really like it and will be there for the long haul. Their third visit usually involves me using the phrase, "The honeymoon is over," and the next time they come in, I'm patiently plotting my exit strategy.
But this April, everything was different. As the clients who know me best (who have had to make many personal adjustments over the last year in order to stay my clients, for which I am perpetually grateful) heard a totally different story. "How long have you been here now?" they'd ask. When I told them I was about to finish my first year, they'd all kind of lower their voice and ask, "So....? Is it still working out?" To which I would gladly let them know:
After a full year of working at Mango, I actually love it more than I did when I started. My coworkers who impressed me at the start can only truly be appreciated after some longevity as I get to know what consistently sweet and interesting people they really are. The management team (which is something no other salon I've ever worked for even had) is so completely dedicated and hard-working and committed to helping me do a better job that, well, I do a better job than I've ever been able to do before. And the owners....Oh my gosh, the owners. They are the sweetest, smartest, funniest, most personable salon owners EVER.
So, yeah. I love it that much.
2. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots ad infinitum.
I've been working in salons now for just over 17 years, and a licensed stylist for 15. This is only the fifth salon where I've been an employee. Just prior to starting at Mango, I was self employed for precisely 4 years, during which time I rented chairs at three consecutive locations. I hated moving that much, but one bad decision can lead to years of difficulty. But that's another blog post.
I may have mentioned waaaaay back then that I was apprehensive about returning to being an employee. My previous jobs had been, let's say "uninspiring" to the point that I chose self employment almost as a means of quitting the business more so than advancing in it. I look at those years now as a sabbatical of sorts. A sort of working-just-enough-to-pay-the-bills sabbatical. Which is not really a sabbatical at all, but it sounds better than "I became depressed and lazy about my career and this was the next best thing to getting a government check."
ON TO THE GOOD PART OF THE STORY.
I have a bunch of clients that I have seen ever since I was fresh out of beauty school. They have stuck by me through all of the many changes of locale and personae, and crises and insanitae. I love them all and I hope they stick with me for another 15 years.
In the past, when I have started at a new job or rental salon, they come in for the first time and I just gush about how wonderful the new place is and how I'll stay there forever because it's really so much better than where I was before. Four to six weeks later, they come in again and I tell them how the shine has dulled a bit, but I still really like it and will be there for the long haul. Their third visit usually involves me using the phrase, "The honeymoon is over," and the next time they come in, I'm patiently plotting my exit strategy.
But this April, everything was different. As the clients who know me best (who have had to make many personal adjustments over the last year in order to stay my clients, for which I am perpetually grateful) heard a totally different story. "How long have you been here now?" they'd ask. When I told them I was about to finish my first year, they'd all kind of lower their voice and ask, "So....? Is it still working out?" To which I would gladly let them know:
After a full year of working at Mango, I actually love it more than I did when I started. My coworkers who impressed me at the start can only truly be appreciated after some longevity as I get to know what consistently sweet and interesting people they really are. The management team (which is something no other salon I've ever worked for even had) is so completely dedicated and hard-working and committed to helping me do a better job that, well, I do a better job than I've ever been able to do before. And the owners....Oh my gosh, the owners. They are the sweetest, smartest, funniest, most personable salon owners EVER.
So, yeah. I love it that much.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Happy Anniversary!
Yes, it's the blessed anniversary of MORE THAN A YEAR SINCE MY LAST BLOG POST. And that is pathetic. I had been wondering why my readership had dwindled. I had been wondering why I didn't see any new words on the page when I pulled up my blog. I had been wondering what I look like now A FREAKING YEAR LATER. I had been wondering how my new job was going. I had been wondering what happened to that girl I was dating. I had been wondering what happened to that other girl I was dating. I had been wondering what happened to those twins I was dating that I didn't know were twins until hilarity ensued.
All these questions and more will be answered over the forthcoming days until I forget how to blog again.
The look on my face in this picture will hopefully communicate to you just how much I mean business.
All these questions and more will be answered over the forthcoming days until I forget how to blog again.
The look on my face in this picture will hopefully communicate to you just how much I mean business.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Health insurance, 401k, paid vacation, here I come.
Six months ago, if anyone had asked me if I would consider going back to work in a salon, I would have replied an emphatic "No." I liked the freedom of being self employed. I had lots of high hopes and vision for opening my own shop and becoming the amazing boss I always wished for.
But somewhere over the last few months, something began to change. I had been itching to do something more and I assumed that meant it was near time to make the big move and go from renting a small back room to acquiring a proper store front location and hiring a staff.
I started working on a business plan, researching prices on leases, renovations, equipment, salon furniture, blah, blah, blah. The more I thought about what I really wanted, though, the more it began to look like I just wanted to be part of a well-functioning business, rather than at the head of one.
Coming at it from another angle, I was also trying to figure out how I would finance this expansion project. Self employed, I get by. The potential is there to get ahead, but to do the amount of business that would allow me to get ahead causes the rest of my life to slip out of balance. Sure, seeing more clients only adds a few more hours a week to my "behind-the chair" time, but it also adds a higher level of activity outside of the shop with extra phone calls, emails, text messages, supply shopping and whatnot. In other words, if I was making the kind of money I really want to make, I'd be working way more than I want to work.
The simply solution is to charge more money. It's been two years since I raised my prices, so I'm well past due for that. But I'm pretty sure I'm already charging the maximum I can given the environment in which I work. It's just a fact in the salon business that mad hair skills are not enough to command top dollar; you also need atmosphere to justify your price, and atmosphere costs money.
These are the things I was hashing out when I decided that I was tired of hashing out things like this. I suddenly had a deep desire to take a break from thinking about it so much and to just be able to go to work and come home and not think about it again until it was time to go back. I wanted to collect a paycheck that someone else had calculated for me. I wanted someone else to decide what color the walls would be.
I also realized I wanted structure. The freedom of self employment had become a prison. Because I didn't have a structured job, I never really left my work. A day off didn't feel like a day off. It just felt like a day spent putting off a bunch of stuff I really needed to do.
So I sent my resume to a couple of places around town. One place I had worked at before and two places where I didn't really know anyone. I got a phone call from my first choice place a couple of days later to set up an interview with the HR manager. That interview went well enough that I was asked back to meet the owner.
The second interview lasted three hours. It was two hours in before I realized I was being offered a job. We laughed a lot. The owner said it was the most fun she had ever had in an interview. Of course, I said a couple of things that were really stupid and made me seem like a jerk. I guess I can be kind of jerk sometimes. But I guess I also said enough smart and funny things to cover up my jerkiness. It's funny how as I laid awake last night unable to sleep it was only the jerky things I kept replaying in my mind. I mean, a three-hour interview and I spent maybe 75 seconds being a jerk. That's not all that bad a ratio, I guess. Still, I pray that all my jerk speak would be stricken from everyone's mental record.
The reputation of this particular salon is that it is high-end, expensive and snobby. The truth is that while they do strive for a tremendous level of customer service, they have a broad range of prices available and if the disposition of the owner truly sets the tone, there can't be anything at all snobby about them. She is one of the most delightful people I have ever met.
In short, I am being offered a job and I'm 99% sure I'm going to take it. The only thing left is a technical interview wherein I'll take a personality inventory and bring in a model to demonstrate my level of competency. Yes. That is scary to me.
The whole thing is scary to me, actually. I've had some really disappointing experiences working for salons. I've had some really miserable experiences working with other hairdressers. But I have enough evidence of God's hand in all of this that I think I can trust that it's the best thing for me right now.
As far as all those hopes and visions for owning my own shop someday, those aren't canceled. This is just part of that plan, I think. Maybe. I don't know. I might love working at this place and never want to leave.
All I know is that after my interview yesterday, I was excited enough to throw up. But I kept it together.
But somewhere over the last few months, something began to change. I had been itching to do something more and I assumed that meant it was near time to make the big move and go from renting a small back room to acquiring a proper store front location and hiring a staff.
I started working on a business plan, researching prices on leases, renovations, equipment, salon furniture, blah, blah, blah. The more I thought about what I really wanted, though, the more it began to look like I just wanted to be part of a well-functioning business, rather than at the head of one.
Coming at it from another angle, I was also trying to figure out how I would finance this expansion project. Self employed, I get by. The potential is there to get ahead, but to do the amount of business that would allow me to get ahead causes the rest of my life to slip out of balance. Sure, seeing more clients only adds a few more hours a week to my "behind-the chair" time, but it also adds a higher level of activity outside of the shop with extra phone calls, emails, text messages, supply shopping and whatnot. In other words, if I was making the kind of money I really want to make, I'd be working way more than I want to work.
The simply solution is to charge more money. It's been two years since I raised my prices, so I'm well past due for that. But I'm pretty sure I'm already charging the maximum I can given the environment in which I work. It's just a fact in the salon business that mad hair skills are not enough to command top dollar; you also need atmosphere to justify your price, and atmosphere costs money.
These are the things I was hashing out when I decided that I was tired of hashing out things like this. I suddenly had a deep desire to take a break from thinking about it so much and to just be able to go to work and come home and not think about it again until it was time to go back. I wanted to collect a paycheck that someone else had calculated for me. I wanted someone else to decide what color the walls would be.
I also realized I wanted structure. The freedom of self employment had become a prison. Because I didn't have a structured job, I never really left my work. A day off didn't feel like a day off. It just felt like a day spent putting off a bunch of stuff I really needed to do.
So I sent my resume to a couple of places around town. One place I had worked at before and two places where I didn't really know anyone. I got a phone call from my first choice place a couple of days later to set up an interview with the HR manager. That interview went well enough that I was asked back to meet the owner.
The second interview lasted three hours. It was two hours in before I realized I was being offered a job. We laughed a lot. The owner said it was the most fun she had ever had in an interview. Of course, I said a couple of things that were really stupid and made me seem like a jerk. I guess I can be kind of jerk sometimes. But I guess I also said enough smart and funny things to cover up my jerkiness. It's funny how as I laid awake last night unable to sleep it was only the jerky things I kept replaying in my mind. I mean, a three-hour interview and I spent maybe 75 seconds being a jerk. That's not all that bad a ratio, I guess. Still, I pray that all my jerk speak would be stricken from everyone's mental record.
The reputation of this particular salon is that it is high-end, expensive and snobby. The truth is that while they do strive for a tremendous level of customer service, they have a broad range of prices available and if the disposition of the owner truly sets the tone, there can't be anything at all snobby about them. She is one of the most delightful people I have ever met.
In short, I am being offered a job and I'm 99% sure I'm going to take it. The only thing left is a technical interview wherein I'll take a personality inventory and bring in a model to demonstrate my level of competency. Yes. That is scary to me.
The whole thing is scary to me, actually. I've had some really disappointing experiences working for salons. I've had some really miserable experiences working with other hairdressers. But I have enough evidence of God's hand in all of this that I think I can trust that it's the best thing for me right now.
As far as all those hopes and visions for owning my own shop someday, those aren't canceled. This is just part of that plan, I think. Maybe. I don't know. I might love working at this place and never want to leave.
All I know is that after my interview yesterday, I was excited enough to throw up. But I kept it together.
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