Caleigh O'Shea's Blog, page 32

Caught Ya!

I’m not asleep… but that doesn’t mean I’m awake. ~Author Unknown

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Let sleeping dogs lie

It’s hard to wake them, you know

Dogs are sound sleepers.

A Bad Hair Day

Admit your errors before someone else exaggerates them. ~Andrew V. Mason, American surgeon and author

I imagine it’s happened to all of us at some point, but it never stops being annoying, aggravating, frustrating . . . you pick the adjective.

By ‘it’ I mean a bad haircut.

I’ve been going to the same stylist for the last 15 years or so.

She’s knowledgeable and accommodating, and her hours of operation and prices are in line with the average for my location.

About a year ago, I decided to grow out the layers I’d been so enamored of when I first got them.

I didn’t have a clear idea what style I wanted to move toward, but I trusted we’d figure it out together when my hair got long enough to do something with.

Now hair, on average, grows half-an-inch per month, so I prepared myself mentally for the long(!) haul.

Like running a marathon.

Eventually, I started to see results. The bottom layers were hanging below chin level, almost to my shoulders, and I thought I was ready for a proper style.

Armed with a dozen or so photos of ‘dos I liked, I went to my hair appointment, sat in the chair, discussed pros and cons of each, and finally decided on one.

I was a little leery, but she assured me my hair would cooperate and it would look cute.

Then she spun me away from my reflection and started cutting.

And cutting.

And texturizing, which is basically chopping with thinning shears into the straightness to add volume.

And before I knew it, all my hard work lay in a heap on the floor, and the Debbie in the mirror had short hair.

Disappointed that I didn’t look anything like the photo, I paid and left, telling myself I’d fix it when I got home and washed it.

Nope, didn’t help a bit.

All the advice online about how to deal with a “bad” cut says you’re supposed to let the stylist know, so I texted her my unhappiness.

I expected her to apologize.

She didn’t.

I expected her to urge me to return so she could tweak it.

She didn’t.

I expected her to offer a discount on my next cut.

She didn’t.

We all know that hair, once cut, can’t be glued back on.

Nor can I wear a bag over my head, and winter stocking cap weather is nearing an end.

So my question is, how should I handle this.

Change stylists? Invest in some baseball caps? Try extensions?

Or just offer up my angst for Lent and pray Easter bonnets come back in style?

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in the darkness. ~Author Unknown

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‘Red sky in morning

Sailors take warning.’

A fiery red in the morning sky is said to indicate a high pressure system (good weather) moving away, leaving rain in its wake.

‘A dappled sky, like a painted woman, soon changes its face.’

Mackerel skies (which resemble fish scales) foretell a changing weather pattern.

Looks like more rain.

Sunday’s Gem — Emerald

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein

We’ve already talked about two of the “Big Three” colored gemstones — Ruby and Sapphire.

Now it’s time to move on to the other one, Emerald!

A member of the beryl family, Emerald gets its distinctive green color from small amounts of chromium or vanadium. Ranging from bluish green to yellowish green, a true Emerald must display a rich color (weak hues are relegated to the term “green beryl,” which generally doesn’t cost as much).

Be careful buying Emerald online as I’m told many sources consider any green stone to be Emerald!

The word “Emerald” is believed to come from the ancient Persian. Records indicate it was sold in Babylonian markets as early as 4000 B.C.

Today, most Emeralds are found in Colombia, Brazil, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Just look at this 11,000-carat raw emerald found in Colombia:

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Thanks to Luxuo for the photo

A 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness (10 being the hardest), Emerald is considered a fragile stone because of its many inclusions. Set your Emeralds in earrings or pendants rather than rings or bracelets, unless you don’t plan to wear them regularly.

Legends abound over Emerald — the Holy Grail of King Arthur’s tales is said to have been fashioned from Emerald; Emerald was one of four stones God gave to King Solomon; and Cortez tried to bring home Emeralds taken from the Aztecs but one of his ships sank, losing the stones forever.

Ancient peoples associated Emerald with the goddess Venus and believed it boosted fertility. Rulers, including Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, were fond of Emeralds; so are celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie.

Emerald is listed in the Bible’s Book of Exodus as the fourth stone in the breastplate of the Jewish High Priest. The Emperor Nero used an eyeglass of Emerald to watch gladiators. Emerald was used as an antidote for poison and to drive away evil spirits.

Emerald is the traditional birthstone for May and the zodiac birthstone for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Libra. It’s the anniversary stone for 20 and 55 years.

Associated with the Heart Chakra, Emerald is said to bring love and loyalty, abundance, serenity, and clarity. It’s the stone of deep, mature love.

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This stunning Emerald and Diamond necklace is available for $350,000 at 1st Dibs, based in New York

Aristotle wrote that owning an Emerald is beneficial for business, helps settle litigation, soothes eyesight, and helps prevent epilepsy. Used in the workplace, Emerald promotes creativity and harmony.

Feng Shui experts consider Emerald as Wood Energy (health, growth, and new beginnings) and recommend placing it in the East and Southeast areas of a home or room.

Note: The claims here aren’t meant to take the place of medical advice. They’re based on folklore and other sources, and likely “work” best if one’s belief is strong enough!

Party Time!

Laissez les bon temps rouler — “Let the good times roll” is the motto for the city of New Orleans

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Let’s do this — Happy Mardi Gras, everybody!

P.S. Mama said to tell y’all her concert went beautifully! Even the video portions, which she’d had her doubts about. They were informative and tasteful, and folks seemed thrilled with the performance. It was great learning about the unsung heroes of the space program, such as the African-American women coders who helped put man on the moon, self-taught female programmer Margaret Hamilton (credited with designing software to prevent a last-minute abort of the landing), and a tribute to American and Soviet astronauts who died in the line of duty.

Approaching Concert

If I were to begin life again, I would devote it to music. It is the only cheap and unpunished rapture upon earth. ~Sydney Smith, Anglican cleric

Our symphonic band concert is this weekend.

We’ve worked hard — some harder than others! — and we’re ready to share our talents.

It promises to be an out-of-this-world performance — our theme is “outer space.”

This time, our director is trying something new, the addition of audio-visual aids, in the hope our audience will get more out of the experience.

Gone are the days when people listened with their ears to a spoken topic on a radio. Now everything — from the teacher in the classroom to the preacher in the pulpit to the concert band on the stage — requires special effects for visual stimulation.

I think over time, we’ve all become more visual, don’t you?

Anyway, despite the relative newness of this approach, we’re not pioneers. Even major symphonies have found that listening with the eye results in a greater appreciation of the sound.

When we started working together last month, we learned this concert is a tribute to the 50th(!!) anniversary of the lunar landing. We’ll have an immense screen behind our band on stage, and a crew has been working zealously to time the “show” with what we’re playing.

One piece, Lullaby to the Moon, will feature ooh-and-aah-worthy photos of full moons over cities, rivers, mountains, and so on.

We’ll also do One Giant Leap, with news clips of a young President Kennedy urging the U.S. to send a man to the moon, of Walter Cronkite detailing the landing of Apollo 11, of Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin walking on the moon’s surface, planting the Flag, and saluting it.

Fascinating how one piece has brought the generations together, as those who watched the 1969 landing reminisced for the young’uns who only got to study about it in history class!

Another of our pieces is Space and Beyond, with the theme from 2001: A Space Odessy, bits of Gustav Holst’s Mars, the theme from Star Trek The Motion Picture, and highlights from the motion picture Star Wars.

I still get nervous playing in public, but being part of a group is way easier than performing solo — wish us luck!

Note: The links are NOT us (sorry, but they don’t let us be recorded or photographed!)

Jumping to Conclusions

In God we trust, all others we virus scan. ~Author Unknown

Dallas here.

You’d have thought the world was coming to an end.

My mama and grandmama were racing around the house, hollering accusations, and acting crazy.

If I’d been a bit younger, I’d have loved the commotion.

It started when Grandmama announced that one of her cleaning ladies had lifted a pair of her earrings.

And we’re not talking el-cheapo costume stuff either.

Of course, Grandmama had no proof of the theft, but she insisted the baubles weren’t where they were supposed to be. She said she’d tried them on a few months ago, and nobody had “borrowed” them, so it had to be the maid.

One of many maids, I might add, since getting one to stick around is akin to putting socks on a rooster.

So Grandmama scoured her room looking for them but found nothing.

She called Mama in on the search, but Mama didn’t find them either.

Then the Blame Game started.

Mama said Grandmama has too much junk and needs to periodically weed some of it out.

Grandmama tore apart one drawer before deeming it too much work.

Then Mama hinted that Grandmama had misplaced the earrings, and the ruckus got going good.

Grandmama said she wasn’t going in a home, and Mama said she didn’t mean that.

Then they started in on the cleaning gals — how hard it is to find a good one, how many folks can’t be trusted, and so on. I’ll bet the ears of those maids were burning good by this time!

Mama was calling on St. Anthony, finder of lost things, when Grandmama wondered aloud if she’d placed the earrings in her safe deposit box at the bank.

For safe keeping.

Mama didn’t remember taking them there, and neither did Grandmama.

But it was moot because the bank isn’t open on weekends.

So everybody spent a restless, sleepless two days.

Even me.

Because I’m a Sheltie, people, and I’m very sensitive to my mama’s moods.

By Monday, I was plumb exhausted and ready for a nice snoozle.

But not Mama.

She went to the bank first thing, and there in Grandmama’s safe deposit box were the earrings!

Imagine that.

Maybe next time they won’t be so quick to blame the help (but that’s always the first place to point at, isn’t it?)

Never say, “oops.” Always say, “Ah, interesting.” ~Author unknown

A Feathered Chorus

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.  It sings because it has a song.  ~Chinese Proverb

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There once sat a bird on a wire

Who wondered if he shouldn’t go higher.

Three pals came along

Each singing a song

And so they became a choir.

Sunday’s Gem — Amber

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein

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Polished Amber stone, thanks to the Gemological Institute of America, Inc.

Neither a true crystal or a mineral, Amber is an organic gem (others include pearl, coral, and petrified wood) deriving from the fossilized resin of now-extinct evergreen trees over millions of years.

The oldest Amber on earth is estimated to be 320 million years of age!

Amber typically is found in shades of yellow to orange-brown, although white, green, blue, and black specimens appear. Remains of insects or plant matter suspended within Amber’s structure are seen by metaphysical healers as indicators of the gem’s healing power.

The best-known Amber comes from the coast of the Baltic Sea. Other locations where it’s found are the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Burma, and Indonesia.

Prized for its ability to draw pain from the physical body, Amber is said to transform negative energy into positive energy. It cleanses the environment, benefitting convalescence, easing depression, and soothing grief. Amber reduces stress and boosts confidence. It’s thought to help with organs of elimination (liver, kidneys, etc.), as well as the throat, colds, dental pain, and other issues.

Amber is a natural birthstone for those born in midsummer (July 22-Aug. 21) and a zodiac sign for Taurus (April 20-May 20).

According to legend, Amber was created by tears of seabirds or goddesses. Ancient peoples saw it as droplets of the setting sun; in the Far East, it was believed to be a metamorphosis of the souls of tigers. Native Americans said Amber represented the east wind of grandfather sun. Roman author Pliny wrote that Amber necklaces were hung around children’s necks to protect them from witchcraft and ease teething pain.

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Unpolished raw Baltic Amber baby necklace from Lithuania, $24.95 at Amber Goose

Amber is said to heal the Solar Plexus Chakra (controlling the immune and digestive systems) as well as the Sacral Chakra (the body’s life force center regulating intuition).

Feng Shui experts classify Amber as Water energy (quiet strength and purification) and recommend placing it in the north area of a home or room.

Besides its use in jewelry, Amber has seen a growing popularity recently as a teething pain reliever for babies (though experts warn of the choking hazard associated with placing necklaces on little ones), a pain and anxiety reliever for adults, and as the subject of intrigue.

Clean your Amber with lukewarm water and a soft cloth, drying completely. Polish with olive oil and remove the excess with another soft cloth. Store away from other pieces of jewelry, keep away from direct sunlight and harsh chemicals, and don’t use commercial cleaning solutions. (With a Mohs hardness of 2.5, it’s very soft!)

Note: The claims here aren’t meant to take the place of medical advice. They’re based on folklore and other sources, and likely “work” best if one’s belief is strong enough!

Coping in Difficulty

People get so in the habit of worry that if you save them from drowning and put them on a bank to dry in the sun with hot chocolate and muffins they wonder whether they are not taking cold. ~John Jay Chapman, American author

My mother is a worrier.

And by that, I mean she worries over everything.

I don’t remember her being so caught up with fear when my sis and I were little.

Oh, sure, she fretted over whether the house was clean, whether we were eating properly, and whether she was raising us right.

Those seem like reasonable concerns though for a woman who at the time didn’t work outside the home.

But I noticed early on that Mom was different from Dad. She was more emotional, more dramatic, more delicate; he was more rational, objective, and sensible.

After Sis and I grew up, went to college and started our own careers, I assumed Mom would relax.

Her job was done and done well.

But she didn’t.

And Daddy’s death a decade ago added to her stress.

Today, in what should be her golden years, she’s caught up in an endless cycle of worry.

Fear of falling and having to go into a nursing home. Fear of illness and death. Concern over politics, the weather, and whatever else she believes needs her attention.

While worrying is learned behavior, it’s also inherited. There’s a gene for fretting, and it’s passed on to subsequent generations, much the way blond hair or dark skin is.

I don’t like that.

It’s enough of a challenge being the caregiver for a nervous, anxious, Chihuahua-type of person without becoming just like her!

Especially when I so desperately crave peace.

So when Mom flies off the handle, I employ some coping techniques:

 Avoid stress by taking care of me. Focus on healthy living, eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising. Refuse to be caught up in drama or situations I cannot control.
Surround myself with kindness and compatible, supportive friends. Partake of retail therapy, even if all I do is window shop. Decorate my personal space with candles, flowers, and things that make me happy.
Spend time alone. Time to contemplate, pray, meditate. Afterward, everything’s better in Debbie’s World.
Immerse myself in work. Write, do web design, play music, read, interact with the dog. Staying busy is therapeutic.
Realize that genes might be hereditary, but anxiety is controllable. Or, more accurately, my reaction to stressful situations is.

Any coping techniques you’d like to share here?

Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night. ~Author Unknown