OG

At some point, a few months ago, Isis started calling me "OG." I can't remember why.

Urban Dictionary defines "OG" as: An OG is normally a member of a gang Who has been around for some time and has put in a large amount of work e.g. Killing enemy gang members. Therefore he is considered a more respected/ higher class member in the gang.

Isis came down the hill last week, and the "OG" nickname is catching on. Pretty much everyone thinks it's hilarious; but it is also lending me quite a bit of cred.

Yesterday morning I was feelin' very saldy 'cause I couldn't find my grade sheet. The grade sheet is critical 'cause it's turned in at the end of the month and entered into the computer, sent to the State Board and loans, financial aid, graduation and licensing exam date hang on it. I couldn't find mine in the file with the other day students, or the night students' file. That combined with recently having "lost" a mannique head, a blow dryer, and two foiling combs was making me pretty pissed.

Isis came in about 11:00 -- "How you doin' OG?"

"I'm having a bad day and feeling saldy 'cause my grade sheet has disapperd. So now in addition to my mannique head, foiling combs and blow dryer I have no grade sheet."

"You think someone took it?"

"I don't know, maybe, but it's pissing me off."

"Well that's the problem with being an OG; people gonna steel your shit to prove something. You gonna have to kill someone. You know; to make an example."

"With my luck it'll be someone I like and I won't be able to do it."

"Yeah, that happens."

Five minutes later my grade sheet was found in the other night student pile. So luckily I don't have to kill someone.

Beauty School Hair Part 2

I wanted my gray streak to make me cool and edgy. Like Stacey London, Sharon Stone, Emmylou Harris, Jamie Lee Curtis or Meryl Streep. What I got was a swatch of light yellow, very damaged hair. At least what was left of my hair was very damaged. I decide to "fix it" myself with Pravana Color Silk. They make an intense silver and I thought that would do the trick. The instructions said to leave it on for 20 to 40 minutes. I left it on for forty. Because the hair was so damaged, it sucked up the tint, and the color of the product, leaving my streak with a blueish gray hue. Several people at school told me I should just go back to the original brown. I ignored it until Diva said "Miss Cynthia, that just ain't you. How can you have hair like that? I mean how are you going to go to the supermarket like that?"

"Supermarket! How can I go to church like this?! Diva you are totally right." I said. Sadly, I'm just too old and too upscale for crazy beauty school hair. So now I'm back to my original color. (Sigh)

My marketing head needs to tell you that Pravana Color Silk is an excellent product for intense color -- I've use it often and if you've got the youth to carry it off, it's fabulous.

Beauty School Hair

I held out for six months, but yesterday I finally got jacked up beauty school hair.

It actually started about three months ago when I decided I needed something a bit more hip and thought a single silver/gray streak would be just the thing. One of the contestants on the reality show Shear Genius had all-over silver/gray hair with a black streak; I thought it looked cool and that I'd just reverse it. (http://www.bravotv.com/shear-genius/photos/amy) Since I'm 90% gray letting a streak go natural wouldn't be difficult. So for many weeks I've been growing out a little piece of gray. I'd be hesitant to get the existing color in my "streak" stripped out because I was afraid it wouldn't work, would ruin my hair, or would just be weird. Then last week there was an article in the New York Times: "Young Trendsetters Streak Their Hair With Gray," -- now that my choice was validated by the august NY Times. (http://tinyurl.com/ybjouhy) How could I go wrong?

I went wrong because I allowed myself to be the model for yesterday's color class. There was a lot of experimenting and little client consultation -- not how we would treat an actual client. See that bowl of hair over there in the picture? That's my BLOND hair that disintegrated after being bleached out for an HOUR. The idea was to strip it out, then put silver in. The silver didn't take.

I guess that's what I get for attempting to be a "trendy hipster."

New Target

The last time I had any contact with elderly people was over twenty years ago when my parents were still alive. Now in the school salon, I'm getting to know about this new "target." I'm as fascinated by these women as I am by my much younger fellow students. Since we charge $7.50 for a wash and roller set we get a lot of seniors. I watch them and think "how old are they?" I really had no idea. But I know they're really, really old. Now I know that some of our regulars are well into their 90's.

A client I had last week came in again yesterday. She was having her hair done by another student and I went over to say "hello" when I finished my client's do. She told me that her children are trying to fix her up with a 89 year old man:

"Which is fine 'cause I'm 89 too. The told me that he was a WWII pilot and a professor at Miami University, and that 'he's so nice you'll really like him.' So I figure I'll go to lunch. I like going out to lunch and maybe I will like him. But he better not try to get into my pants, 'cause all he'd find in there is a big old maxi pad!"