random pics

Random pics for your viewing enjoyment

Emma's Second Birthday Party

Her actual birthday isn't until Friday, but I had the kids this weekend so we celebrated Emma's second birthday on Saturday. It was about as low key as you could get. Lunch at Western Sizzlin' (my mother chose the eatery) and then cake, ice cream and presents at my sister's house (it's bigger than my apartment). I was running the camcorder so the pics weren't that impressive. So I put together some footage and added some music and voila! I didn't have anything birthday related for music so I went with the most appropriate thing in my library (to me, at least). Anyhoo, here's Emma's second birthday party. Enjoy.

Watch this video

Okay, I've posted this on the PL blog but I thought I'd post it here too. Watch this video and make sure you vote on November 4th.

My Buddy and Me

Man, he looks just like me. Which is very...something...as I look just like my father (like the faux hawk he's sporting? That's right, I do kids hair too). Much like Emma, his personality is really starting to shine through. He will talk up a storm and he's sharp as a tack. He's my buddy and my life has been forever changed with him (and Emma) in it.

My favorite girl in the whole world

My little girl is getting big. In exactly three weeks, she will be 2 years old. 2 years! Man, where does the time go? She's talking up a storm now and her personality is starting to come to the fore. She's got quite a temper when she doesn't get her way (I'm sure that I am a guilty party to this as I spoil her mercilessly). But she's my favorite girl in the whole world and I wouldn't trade her for anything.

my, um, state of my life address or some such

It's Thursday night, which means the kids are at Heather's (huh? wha..? Seriously people, buy a newspaper. Heather and I are divorcing). This means that I'm home alone, searching for something to do (I can only clean my apartment so many times. It's sparkling clean as it is). Tonight I decided to treat myself to a few movies, namely The Incredible Hulk and the new Indy movie. Still, I miss my children not being here. But I have them this weekend and we are going to have some fun. Football on Saturday (GO POKES!) and, if the weather cooperates, the park on Sunday. Since this whole joint custody thing has reared it's head, I have come to cherish the times I have with my kids. It really sucks not having them here every night.

If all days could be like today

I had a good day, financially speaking. VERY good. Things have been rough the last few weeks, so much so that I have been forced to leave the shop and work from home as I couldn't make my booth rent on a consistent basis. However, today was a good day (to quote the poet Ice Cube). I didn't quite make CEO level money, but I prolly scored close to doctorate level money (and I only worked a total of about 3 hours). Now, if only EVERY day could be this productive.

Getting ready for bed

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but things have been...unusual...around here. Anyhoo, here are some pics of the kids from tonight as we were getting ready for bed.

A geeky dream come true

I got to do something very, very cool today. I got to watch Star Wars with my kids. I know that most you are scratching your heads, going "So?" but Star Wars is one of those movies that impacted my life in a very real way (indeed as it did with most people my age). I'm a big fan of science fiction because of that movie. And so, it was a real treat to see my children's eyes grow wide when they saw the Star Destroyer roll across the screen for the first time, to hear their intake of breath at the sight of Darth Vader, to cheer on Luke as he took on the Death Star. Reliving nostalgia is fun, but it is exponentially more enjoyable when I can do it with my children who are living it for the first time.

On a side note, there will be a dearth of pictures on the blog for awhile. I no longer have the digital camera (consider it a parting gift for a contestant that left the show) so unfortunately, until I can gather enough funds to purchase one, you will have to use your imagination to go along with my words (unless, of course, someone wants to be very generous and get one for me).

A reflection of change

I found this poem today in the doctor's office. I had no idea how famous it was. But it struck me as quite relevant. Y'see, things are changing here at the sweetens. No, you'll still get updates every now and again and you will still have my smart ass humor. I meant at the sweetens personally. Am I going to go into it? Prolly not because if you are a regular reader (or even semi-regular) you will already know what's going on. Maybe someday I'll share the news. Maybe. Until then, enjoy this poem.

Desiderata
Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Emery's 3rd Birthday

We celebrated Emery's 3rd birthday today (his actual birthday isn't until Tuesday but Tuesdays just aren't a good day to have a birthday party). Emery had fun (Emma did too) and he made out with quite a bit of stuff considering that it was pretty much a family only affair. Of course, I have pictures.





We decided to have the party at McDonalds (less to clean up). The kids enjoyed playing in Playland. Every minute Emma wasn't eating she spent on the slides. Judging by how much fun they had, I might start taking them to McDonalds Playland more often.



Emery LOVED blowing out the candles. So much so that he did it twice.



Hmmm, cake. Emery had been asking about when he was going to have his birthday cake for weeks. "It's gonna be my birthday soon?" was a question I heard every night before he went to bed since the first of the month, at least.



After the cake was done, Emery tore off for the slides until Heather asked him if he wanted to open presents. That stopped him dead in his tracks. He flew back into his seat and practically quivered with anticipation. My mom got him some clothes. While he was throwing out the tissue paper that topped the bag his presents were in, he picked up a package of socks. He looked at them for about 1.5 seconds before tossing them in the pile of tissue paper. Truly classic moment.



My little boy is 3. He's not so little anymore but I can still remember holding him when he was born. Where does the time go?

How much is your blog worth?

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

My blog's worth a whopping $0.00. Yep, that's just the way I like my women too: cheap. (I'm kidding...no seriously, I'm kidding...Heather is expensive)

Yipee Kie Yay, Mother F*****

I DID IT!!!! HAHAHAHAHA, I passed my state board exams. And with far better results than I anticipated. Not that the final score really matters. You could pass with a perfect score (a near impossibility) or barely scratch out a passing score (75%) and it's all the same. But I passed! I'm officially licensed by the state of Oklahoma to jack up, er, cut and style hair for profit. Click on the image above to read the relevant portion of my letter from the state board office.

Test Taking

So I took my State Board examination yesterday. I wasn't really worried about the exam as I did very well with the mock exam the school gives us before we graduate (there was one minor detail that had me up at night but thanks to the school's owner, I got that wrinkle ironed out but good). And my spirits were still high after taking the written portion of my examination. There were only 3 or 4 questions that I didn't feel completely comfortable with in answering. Everything else was a walk in the park. However....

My practical exam left me with a bad case of irritable bowel syndrome. I wasn't nervous while taking the practical, nor did I have some kind of break down during the test. It was only afterward, when I was replaying everything in my mind's eye, did I start to have doubts about my performance. And those doubts have multiplied in the last 24 hours. But the bitch of it is that I won't know whether or not I passed until I receive my test scores in the mail. And that can take 2 to 3 weeks (I'll have a psychotic episode if it takes that long to reach me).

But I have a special celebration planned when, and if, I get the good news. Let's just say I won't be in any kind of position to go to work the next day (or operate heavy machinery)

Where I work

This is late, sorry. I didn't edit any of this. And it prolly isn't my best work. But it does show everyone where I work and who I work with. I'm slowly but surely building a client base. Two haircuts today, a highlight and a couple of shampoo sets tomorrow (as of right now). Hopefully I can call what I do gainful employment by the end of next month.

My first day

I don't have pictures this time around, but tomorrow I will have video.

I started to work today. I need to update everyone on the work situation. I know I said I had a job at SmartStyles but it turns out I didn't. Without going into the particulars, I was forced to look for employment elsewhere. I spent all morning Friday looking for a place to work, focusing on local barber shops. That was a bust as there were no openings to be had. There were a few booth rent opportunities but nothing caught my fancy until I wandered into a little salon called Heads Up next to Hastings. The owner was very friendly and the booth rent price was very affordable. I thought about it all weekend and decided to get some more info from the owner on Monday. She was very helpful and the situation felt right. So I signed on and started today.

It was a bit hectic at first, simply because I had to make multiple trips to the supply shop as I kept forgetting things. But I did land a haircut and a perm today, which netted me a whopping $70. Not bad for three hours work. I even have several appointments lined up over the next few days. The best part was knowing that I wouldn't be working my butt off for a few dollars in tips. I was practically laughing with excitement when I realized how much I made today. I know that $70 isn't much but when you figure that it was only my first day, it was like I had won the lottery.

Marketable Skills

Sexy, ain't it? Damn sexy.

There is a unique sense of pride and empowerment knowing that I now have a skill set that will serve me for the rest of my life. Further, I will be in a field that will never be outsourced, shipped overseas or subject to trade agreements. Yessir, I'm feeling rather giddy at the moment. Share in my enjoyment if you like. I have more than enough to go around.

Today's the day

Well, I graduate today. I'm about to leave for my last day of school. I have mixed feelings about everything. On the one hand, it will be nice to be able to use the skills that I have acquired in a "real world" setting (plus making money won't be too shabby either). One the other hand, there are people that I will dearly miss seeing on a daily basis. But I guess everything changes and we must change with it.

Making the paper

Well this is a first. I made the newspaper, only this time its not on the police blotter (just kidding...that only happened once). But it is kinda cool to have my achievement chronicled in the local paper.

Pretty as a picture

The kids spent the afternoon with Grandma. They had fun until Emery got his finger shut in the car door. Emma escaped unscathed, as you can see here.

Graduation Luncheon

I had my graduation luncheon today. This is not my actual graduation, merely a luncheon in honor of the upcoming event. Think of it as Senior Day. Anyhoo, this is me (in the middle, as if you needed the help) with my instructors and Lois, the owner. From left to right: Lois, Susie (she's the Jimminy Cricket of my ego; whenever I think I've finally got this whole cosmetology thing under my belt, she comes along and quickly deflates my ego), Kathy (she's the salon manager), me (duh!), Brandi (she is in charge of new students) and Connie (she alternates with Brandi with new students). Collectively they comprise the instruction staff at the school. I have to say that they are a great group of women and darn good instructors to boot.


Roll Call. From left to right: Tracy, Me, Nikki and Chrystal. All of these folk have been featured in my blog before. Tracy will graduate first amongst us, about the 1st of July. I'm next on the 8th and then Nikki and Chrystal fight it out for who goes last. Why don't we all graduate together? Unlike a regular university, where you get hours for classes even if you miss some days, we only get hours for actual time attended. So, since we've all missed days at different intervals, we all graduate on different days. And yes, I'm wearing my cheesy grin. Seriously folks, I simply don't smile. And no, I'm not that tall, these girls are simply that short.

Birthday party overload

Man, am I birthday partied out. We celebrated Courtney's birthday today at Incredible Pizza. It's one of those fancy pizza parlor/arcade venues. And it's also in Oklahoma City. So after an hour and a half drive, we got to dine on some interesting pizza and watch the festivities. I do have to say that they put on a good show. One of the interesting things that they do is gather everyone in the hallway and then toss tickets (redeemable for prizes) and candy in the air then watch as the kids scramble like mad to gather them up. Then it was off to the arcade. Emery and Emma had a blast though.







Then it was back in the car for the drive back to Enid for my nephew J'son's party. We dropped off Heather so she could go to work then it was over to my sister's for hot dogs, hamburgers and pinatas. They got J'son a jungle gym/play house for his birthday and the kids climbed over that thing for at least an hour. Emma in particular spent most of her time going down the slide. Emery tried his hand at the pinata (with very limited success) and we finally said goodnight. Man, am I beat.

The results are in

Emma had another evaluation yesterday for her hearing. This one was to determine her eligibility for a speech development program. While she is fine in most areas, there is enough of a development lag in others that the therapists felt she would benefit from the program.

So, in the near future, a therapist will be coming to the house to work with Emma on things like speech, coordination and such. She is starting to vocalize more (She can pronounce Spongebob and calls out her Aunt "Coco" by name) so this therapy should help catch her up with kids her age.

Of course, this just means that now, instead of screaming in a shrill voice, she'll be able to say, "Emery, NO!" when her brother smacks her on the head with something.

Well, I'm glad that's done

I got a job and I haven't even graduated yet.

We had our senior field trip yesterday, whereby those of us that are about to graduate take a tour of several salons in town to both get an idea of where we want to work and make possible employment inroads. After cruising through several salons (and cruising is the operative word as most of those places barely offered the time to glance in our direction), I decided to take up the salon manager at SmartStyles on her offer.

A few weeks back I ran into Rhonda, the aforementioned manager, at Walmart (curiously enough, this is also where SmartStyles is located). She basically offered me a job on the spot but I deferred until I was closer to graduation (Not to sound narcissistic, but men in the cosmetology industry are in high demand. I could completely suck at cutting hair, which I am proud to say I don't, and still make money). Hers was not the only job offer that I entertained either as at least one other salon made an offer of employment directly to me. But after looking over my prospects, I decided to take the SmartStyles job for a variety of reasons.

First of all, they came to me. That speaks volumes in terms of sincerity. Rhonda laid it out pure and simple: she wanted me to work there, no questions asked. Most other places practically told me to put up a security deposit before they would even consider interviewing me.

Second, the foot traffic is very, very high. I stopped by there the other day and, at 9 in the morning, there was a line of people waiting. This is a very good thing. High traffic is one of the key ingredients to success in this profession.

Third, and this ties into the previous reason, I stand to make a ton of money. Like most places, SmartStyles works on commission sales. Which, if you are fresh out of school, can be a huge detriment. But since they have enormous traffic (and its on a first come, first served basis), I'm am assured of staying busy. Combine that with my ability to bust out a really nice haircut in about 30 minutes and I will pull in the equivalent of about $30 an hour.

Finally, I can build my clientele. I will own my own barber shop one day and to have any kind of success with my own business I need clients. And it takes about 6 months to a year to build a steady reliable client base. There are some opportunities right now where I could purchase an existing barber shop and make it my own. But I would run the risk of going under before I even got a chance to start because I won't have a large enough client base to support even my most basic expenses. This way, I can build up a hundred or so clients and then have them follow me to my own place.

So, the job search is over and I really didn't even put in that much effort. I signed the paperwork today and will start two days after I graduate. Now, how often do you hear that in the post graduate world?

Bedtime Monster

I have a little monster in my bed. Every morning, around 4:30 AM or so, he creeps into my room and burrows himself into my back. I no longer have a need for an alarm clock as this little monster wakes me, without fail, at least an hour before my alarm clock goes off.

Here is a picture of the little monster, relaxing in his natural habitat.

Watching Spongebob

My kids love Spongebob Squarepants. Love him. Almost an entire shelf of our DVD rack is devoted to Spongebob videos. Without fail, the best way to calm them down and pass a quiet hour is to put on a Spongebob video.

Emma's New 'Do

The picture didn't turn out as good as I would have liked (I took it with my camcorder) but here is Emma's new haircut. Really it's just her fringe (that would be bangs for the lay person) that I cut but it has been bugging me for some time now.

Anything you put in her hair to hold it out of her face will be pulled out within five minutes. So I decided to give her a trendy little 'do. Actually her haircut is extremely popular right now (there are scores of models with the same fringe cut...it's called fierce bangs) plus it keeps her hair out of her face. Fashion setting AND functional. Yep, I can cut some hair.

Blogging is like free health care

And you thought I was doing this as an existential exercise. News from the medical world shows that blogging can actually help to keep you healthy. Read all about it here:

http://www.switched.com/2008/05/30/blogging-may-offer-health-benefits/

My hyperlink isn't working so you'll have to copy and paste.

Hungry, hungry children

I fixed some pork cutlets tonight for dinner (The George Forman grill makes a mean pork cutlet). Evidently my children have a hollow leg with a hole in the bottom as they ate practically ALL of the pork (and every last one of the green beans too). I actually had to fix something different for myself as there wasn't enough left for me to do more than look at. If this keeps up, we are going to have to start a farm just to feed the kids.

Better than a tip

There is a saying that goes something like this: "Satisfaction is it's own reward". I got to experience that first hand today.

I had a perm scheduled for this afternoon. At this stage in the game, perms are old hat for me. I can knock them out in about two hours. The woman I had this afternoon was older (actually, I have yet to do a perm on someone younger than 50) and pretty much blind. She had a ton of hair too. The perm she wanted rolled was on yellow rods, which are about 1/8 of an inch in diameter, in other words, really small. Combine that with a ton of hair, it was all set up to be a LONG afternoon.

I got started and we chatted amicably whilst I was rolling her hair. After I was done, I set her under a dryer for a few minutes while she called her son to come pick her up. Turns out her son got called away for work and wouldn't be able to pick her up for several hours. The soonest she would have a ride was when her daughter-in-law got off work around five.

Here is where the satisfaction part comes in. The woman wanted to pay with a gift certificate she got as a present (the school offers gift certificates...they are actually quite popular) and give me the difference as a tip (It would have came out to about a five dollar tip). Well, the school has a policy that prevents cashing out a gift certificate in exchange for money. So, I got no tip. When I informed the woman of this, she was crestfallen. Then she asked me something that actually brought a tear to my eye. She wanted me to sit with her while she waited on her ride. It was about 3:45pm at this point in time and her ride wasn't due for at least an hour. I didn't even hesitate to say yes.

I have a brother who is blind and my own eyesight is slowly but surely going south. So I can relate, on some levels, to not being able to see. As I sat with this woman, we chatted about books we had read and TV programs we watched (I was surprised to learn that she was an American Idol fan...where does the reach of that insidious program stop?). Several times in the conversation, she asked me for my name and address so she could send me a tip. Each time, I politely declined. Finally, about 10 to 5, her ride showed up. As I escorted her to the door, she told me that this was the best afternoon she had in a very long time.

So, yes, a tip would have been nice. But the satisfaction of making a nearly blind old woman's day was more than any amount of money would have equalled.

Memorial Day Swimming

We spent the day with Heather's parents. After lunch, the kids got to play in their inflatable swimming pool. Emma had fun splashing around while Emery spent most of his time filling up the pool. Hopefully they are worn out from all the festivities.

No nap time for me!

Very funny moment today. Emery has always resisted taking naps and going to bed for the night. Today was no different. After I laid Emma down for a nap (she goes down like a third rate boxer in the second round; that is, easily), I tried to get Emery to sleep. Nope, wasn't happening. Finally after about two hours of him playing peek-a-boo around the corner of his bedroom, in a moment of exasperation, I said, more to myself than anything, "You're not going to sleep, are you?". Emery replied, "Nope". I couldn't help but laugh and told him to come out and play.

Lunchtime

We had some lunch at McDonalds today. We were waiting for Grandma at Walmart and picked up a quick Happy Meal.

Some pics

Emery is very busy taking conference calls.



Emma's new favorite game is peek-a-boo.

Emma's Hearing Test

Emma had her hearing test today. This was a much more comprehensive test than she had previously had. The results are...inconclusive (you'd think in this day and age of technology that just a few things from science fiction would be here by now...like a hand held machine that can accurately pinpoint an ailment). The doctor said that she has some slight hearing loss in her right ear, but not enough to justify or warrant hearing aids. The most probable cause is all of the ear trouble she's had in her 18 months of existence. She will PROBABLY grow out of it, but then again, maybe not. Like I said, inconclusive.

They want to do a check up in 6 months to see if there has been any progress. In the meantime, I'm going to start working with her of an evening on developing her speech. Emery will talk your ear off if you let him and I figure that I can save my sanity if I can get Emma to start talking to him as a substitute.

The countdown has begun

Actually, the countdown began a long time ago, but I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. That's right, I'm almost graduated from school. Just a shade under 7 weeks to go and I'll be done with school. Of course, then I have to find a job (my previous employment arrangement appears to have fallen through, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of) and gather in enough clients to prevent living on welfare but I'm not even worried about that. Not to be egotistical, but I cut a pretty mean head of hair. And I've been seeing a lot more referrals from people I've previously serviced (that just sounds bad, don't it?).

So this is your first notice. Prepare the congratulatory cards and emails. I'll be beautifying the hair of millions (hundreds? Okay, 10 people) before the Fourth of July.

Playing in the sand

I'm at my mother's today. Heather had to work so I brought up the kids to see "Nana" and "Pops". Emma discovered the sandbox about an hour ago and Emery decided to join her. They've been there since then, refusing to move from it.

Tri-state

We have an annual event here called Tri-state. It's held on the first weekend in May. Schools from all over Oklahoma and other states come to compete in musical events. The highlight of the event is a parade on Saturday morning. I shot some footage of Emery and Emma between bands. Lisa and Courtney were with us (Courtney had already marched in the parade earlier...she was twirling).

Home and Garden Show

I've made mention before that I don't take pictures well (above is exhibit A).

What we have here is Brandi and I at the Home and Garden Expo. Basically its a show and tell for businesses in the area to rope in new customers. The school set up a booth to tell everyone about our new building and present information for prospective students. I volunteered to help out for a few hours (longest 4 hours of my life) this afternoon. It was fun, for the most part, but I was really starting to hate people in general by the time I was done. Has idiocy become the new chic? Man, people ask some stupid questions. Anyhoo, I got some new potential clients myself (I had a stack of my own business cards that I was handing out like candy) so it wasn't a total waste of time.