When I was little, all my Barbies had short hair. Their hair would get tangled and I would get tired of brushing it, so I'd give them a hair cut. It was to set the tone for the rest of my life. I had long hair once. Really long hair. But you know that scene in Uncle Buck where the big sister is brushing her little sister's hair and when she finishes, the little sister messes it all up again? I was that little sister. I hated having to brush my hair. My mom would wash it and put it up in french braids so tight I'd have slanty eyes and she'd leave it like that for a week just so she wouldn't have to deal with my hair. At the end of the week, she'd take it down along with all the other debris that would collect in it over the week like twigs and leaves and little toy soldiers (not really, but it could have happened). Finally, she just cut it off and it's been short ever since. I come from a long line of do-it-yourselfers. I don't know how many times I sat on the edge of the tub watching mom cut, color or perm her own hair. So it should be no surprise that I tend to cut my own hair on occasion. Usually, I just trim my bangs, but I have been known to get a little nutty with the scissors particularly if left unsupervised. (Side note: I have the same problem when left to fend for myself for dinner. If unsupervised I will eat a bag of Skittles or a carton of ice cream or both.) The craziest unsupervised haircut I ever did was the time I put pony tails all over my head and then cut them off. To be fair, the cut didn't look that bad. It was only when I went in to have Misti cut it that it was really noticeable. Misti would get to particularly wonky section and go "What the Hell happened here?!?". That's when I shamefully tucked my chin and told her about the pony tail incident. I remember seeing Misti's reflection in the mirror as she closed her eyes and then pressed her fingers to her forehead. Let's just say there hasn't been a pony tail incident since then.

This was my hair a year ago.

And this is my hair now.

No, I didn't cut it, but I did trim my bangs. By my calculation, twenty years from now, my hair will finally be long enough to cut off for charity.

And on a sad note. Our friend lost her beloved Penny today. Funny, little Penny who could sneeze on demand. She was well loved and will be terribly missed. Treats for everyone!