The Word of the Day

Today's word is crepitate.
Pronounced [KREP-i-teyt].
A verb.
Definition: to make a crackling sound; crackle.

When the wick burned down too low it began to crepitate.

Pictures of the Day

More crappy webcam pics.  But at least there's slightly better lighting than the last set had.
You'll never believe what I used to set my hair last night. Coming in a later post.
8 months, 3 weeks, 4 days natural. :)

The Word of the Day

Today's word is poltroon.
Pronounced pol-TROON.
A noun.
Defined as: 1. A wretched coward; craven. 2. Marked by utter cowardice.

Are there any poltroons in your life?  For the sake of your personal and emotional betterment, let them go. :)

My New Favorite Word

This is a non hair related post. But i felt like doing a little life update. Recent events in personal life have caused me to really consider the kind of people I surround myself with. If you've heard the phrase "Show me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are," you know that people should surround themselves with people who can help them advance in life, have similar goals, and places in life. Without having certain things in common, some friendships will just be doomed to failure from the start.  That doesnt necessarily mean your friends should be just like you in every way.  If that's the case, how can you expect to grow and evolve if you only surround yourself with more of the same?

Its always hard to think about letting go of a friend or someone you care about.  But sometimes that's whats necessary for the betterment of your mental, physical, and emotional health. So from now on, my new favorite word is "betterment." Constantly ask yourself if the decisions you're making and the actions you're taking are serving to help you better yourself. If letting go of a friend is for the betterment of your life in any way, let them go.

Pictures of the Day

Sitting in the break room at work. You can see my nametag. Lol

8 months, 3 weeks, 2 days natural. :)

Pictures of the Day

Taken on my crappy laptop webcam.

My guest's name is Squooshy Bear. :)

8 months, 3 weeks natural.

I Think I Know How Long This Will Take...

So, I was looking in the mirror the other day and thinking about what I will look like when I finally reach my goal and my hair touches my waist when stretched.  Going into this journey, I was convinced reaching waist length would take me forever and I was just going to have to be super patient.  I didn't know about average growth rates back then, or all the many tips and tricks women employ to speed up their rate of growth.  But once I did, I figured my hair probably grew slower than average (don't ask me why, because I can't tell you lol) and that it would probably take me twice as long as it takes most women to reach waist length hair.

When asked by a friend how long I thought it would take to get my hair that long, I foolishly said seven years... Can you believe that?  SEVEN?  There is no reason for my hair to take that long to reach my waist.  Now that I'm a little further along in my hair journey, I know that my hair does grow at about the average rate and I know where to measure from to determine how long my hair would have to be in inches to be about waist length, and therefore, how long it should take to get there.

From the back of head, at the lowest point of my hairline, down to my waist is about 18 1/2 inches.  some of you might be thinking, "That's it?" And yes, that's it.  Most women have hair somewhere around the 22 or 24 inch mark when it touches their waists.  But I'm not most women.  I stand at a whopping 4 feet, 9 inches tall, so the distance from my head to my waist is significantly shorter than average.  If my hair grows at a rate of about 1/2 inch a month, it would take 3 years and 1 month of continuous growth for my hair strands to reach 18 1/2 inches, if I'm able to retain all of the length my scalp puts out.

 

Right now I am 8 months and 3 weeks natural, after a 9 month transition. That makes the hair on my head almost 18 months old.  Logically speaking, my hair should be about 9 inches long all around, but it's not.  This is due to a messy Big Chop (which we'll discuss another time) and several trims since going all natural.  I would say the hair at the back/bottom of my head is about 5 or 6 inches long. If we go with the conservative estimate, my hair has about 13 1/2 or 14 more inches to grow before it will be at my waist when stretched.  So that puts me at about 2 years and 2 months from my goal. What do you think? Either way, I know I will reach my goal by the time I am 3 years natural! Not bad, huh? :)

Pictures of the Day

Normally, I don't like rocking my twists as a hairstyle. I much prefer the look of the twist out. But these are still a little damp and I don't have the time to let them dry fully for work. Plus, I'm working a closing shift tonight and don't really see the point in taking these bad boys out just so I can wear a twist out for five hours and then twist them right back up for bed when I get home. So, this will be my style for the day. You like?

8 months, 2 weeks, 6 days natural. :)

How To Give Me A Meaningless Compliment

An easy way to give me a compliment that means absolutely nothing to me is to give the same one, over and over again, no matter what.  I appreciate honesty much more than flattery.  In fact, flattery quite annoys me when over done.  If all I hear from a person Monday through Sunday is how beautiful, gorgeous, adorable, etc I am, it kind of takes away from the genuineness of it. If I get forty-five minutes of sleep Thursday night, and have to struggle to stay upbeat, positive, and awake all day Friday, chances are I don't look as good that day as I may have on all the others.  But if that's all I hear from you, it sounds like bull shit.

A compliment should never become a standard response.  Every woman on this planet has her good days as well as her bad days.  No one looks perfect 24/7.  Now I'm not saying a woman has to be completely done up and dressed to the 9's to look good.  As Drake said, "Sweat pants, hair tied, chillin with no makeup on: That's when you're the prettiest."  I totally agree.  There's something about a relaxed female in her own element that is very attractive.  But no one looks good all the time.  And to try to convince me I do will just make me not want to hear anything you have to say regarding my appearance.  Just keep it real.  If I look good, tell me so.  If not, don't lie.

...I'm done.  Just thought I would put that out there for anyone who might care.  That is all...

Pictures of the Day

One of the few days that I actually decided to wear makeup.  I don't like to look overdone, so you may not even be able to tell. But this is the same Maybelline Fit Me Foundation that I didn't like at first. I think it looks nice here. :)

Conditioner and whipped shea butter twist out.

8 months, 2 weeks, 5 days natural. :)