7 quick takes: My hair, Cars 2, Tree Skirt, Steve Jobs

1. I got my hair cut a few weeks ago and it's the best haircut I've had in YEARS. The lady that did it took her time and I could tell that I was getting a very good cut with no room for swoopy "I'll just take some off....here!" garbage. She followed directions, took no creative liberties and it's amazing how that resulted in the exact haircut I wanted.

Then she blew it dry with a round brush and, wow, I had forgotten how GOOD my hair looks when someone else blows it dry. My hair was awesome for about 36 hours and then it turned into a grease ball (guessing it was all the extra product in there). I tried to replicate the look at home and sometimes I'm about 80% successful and sometimes the baby is screaming and it air dries and it looks....not the same. I get a D+ in Blow Drying With A Round Brush. It is not one of the talents God bestowed upon me.

Here's what it looked like the evening after I got the cut. I will definitely be going back to her.

2. The weather has changed here in Texas and it is cold outside at night and lovely and pleasant during the day. I was sitting on the sofa this morning with my coffee (Starbucks Breakfast Blend, which I am newly in love with) and I was thinking about how much warmer and cozier my house feels when it is not hot outside. This sounds really stupid, I know, but the effect is profound on my attitude. The house feels warmer and better and happier. My mood has changed and it might be the season or it might be the baby getting to that magic 6-month mark but things continue to slope upwards, getting better every day, more organized, less frenzied...less newborn-y.

3. We rented Cars 2 on Amazon and within 20 minutes Claire was watching Sesame Street on my iPhone. That's all I have to say about that.

4. I have become bored with DIY fro-yo. I have tried all of them (in my very educated opinion, Yogurtland is the best) and eaten so much fro-yo in the past 90 days that the thought of any more DIY fro-yo kind of grosses me out. So, that's kind of sad.

5. I bought a $5 red felt tree skirt at Target the other day and I have grand plans for it. I have wanted, for years, a nice tree skirt but I do not care to pay $80 (or more, omg) for a tree skirt that will be covered up with gifts pretty fast. So, I will take my new $5 red felt tree skirt and I am going to dress it up with some green pom-poms around the edge or maybe some contrasting satin ribbon. Perhaps grosgrain. THEN I will take it to my mother and she is going to take her embroidery machine to it and write "The S____ Family" and then our first names all the way around the edges, evenly spaced. I have this exaggerated vision for how classy and sentimental and lovely it will look and I am really hoping it works out because, dudes, FIVE DOLLA TREE SKIRT. (I will keep you posted.)

6. I switched from Crest to Colgate, for no particular reason, after 30-odd years.

7. I bought and read the Steve Jobs biography and, holy cow you guys, this is a great book. I wouldn't call myself devoted to Apple but I do own several devices and I have an appreciation for them. Jobs' life and the creation (and turnaround) of Apple are FASCINATING.

What was most riveting is that I found my own life mirrors that of Apple's quite closely. (Apple introduced the Apple II in 1977, I was born in 1979.) I thought the first time I'd really come to "know" Apple was when I bought an iPhone in 2007 but it had really been much, much earlier.

I logged significant hours on early Apple products with phosphorescent green letters (Oregon Trail, yo!), and even more on later models in 7th and 8th grade newspaper classes. In high school we had THREE Apple machines for the entire class and we TOOK TURNS typing our stories. At one point, we got 30 new machines (one for each student, OH THE LUXURY) and they were all Apples. In college I laid out the Athletics section of the Aggieland for two years on a Power Mac G4 and as a professional I worked in advertising agencies that were some of Apple's first and best customers. As an adult I'm already on my second iPhone, I have an iPod nano, a Macbook and an iPad. Chris has the same, plus there's a Mac Mini in the living room running the TV. I hadn't even realized it until I read this book, but I've been interacting with Apple products since (at my earliest recollection) third grade. THIRD GRADE!

The incredible story behind the development of these products is really amazing (to the point that you think it's a miracle they exist at all) and until I'd read this book I had never really given much thought to how Apple and Jobs' timeline parallels my own. But, as I read the book and remembered the products, it rooted me firmly in those years. As the author was describing an early Apple machine, I could hear the distinctive clacking of those beige keys and remember exactly what it was like to cram a 5" floppy in the drive when Oregon Trail locked up (which it frequently did). There is an entire section devoted to the way the GUI allowed open Finder windows to layer upon one another and, yes, I remember that screen shot from seventh grade! I remember thinking that it was SO SIMPLE to just drag an item where I wanted it to live. (I actually remember thinking "Hey, that's cool.") When I really take in the idea that my elementary school had 28 Apple IIe machines and we all went to the Computer Lab once a week and thought it was a very "gee whiz" thing and now? Now, this company and their products fit in my back pocket and perform thousands more tasks? That's amazing. AMAZING.

I came away feeling impressed by Jobs' intuition, devotion and uncompromising attitude. I also came away thinking he was realllllly weird in some areas but all genius has a little bit of crazy behind it somewhere. Highly, highly recommend this one.

Comments

[Erin]

Super cute hair! I too suck at blowdrying with a round brush, but I have found a trick that works for me -- Velcro rollers. I separate my hair into 2-3 inch sections, and wrap them around Velcro rollers, then dry each section at a time, re-rolling after I'm done. It may not work for everyone, but man, does it make a difference for me.

[Jen]

I love your hair! Did you bring her a picture or just describe it to her? I could really use a new cut, and this is so nice on you!

Will definitely be picking up the Steve Jobs' book now. Our first family computer was an Apple, and I fondly remember evening games of Frogger with my brothers!

[Roberta]

Cars 2 sucks. That is all. Except that clearly, I must read the Jobs bio. We drink the Mac Crack in this house, and I am currently embarrassed to admit to the number of Apple devices that are in this house. I also have total recall of those same Apple computers in school - it was 6th grade for me. So vivid! And your hair is AMAZING. Keep playing with it - you'll get the hang of it.

[morgan s.]

Cars 2 was the worst ever, the end.

Your hair is lovely.

I bought a $12 tree skirt post Christmas at Safeway and it has been the best purchase. Not as good as your twitter post purchase, but close.

I will have to read that book now!

[ANNIE]

Your hair looks so great! Beautiful A'Dell. :-)

Also, I love love love your tree skirt idea. I have wanted a beautiful tree skirt FOR YEARS, but also refuse to pay all that money for something that is going to be covered up for three weeks and then stored in a box for the rest of the year. While I've considered making my own, it never occurred to me to start with a cheap one and then make IT my own. So smart.

I have to go. I have some sewing to do.

[Jessica]

I hated Oregon Trail. It was so long! Pre-trip shopping alone took a couple hours (including time for all the freezing up). I kept playing it because I thought I must be missing whatever made everyone love it and eventually it would click. Never did.

[Elsha]

Your hair looks great!

We watched Cars 2 for the first time the other day. Didn't hold the kids' interest AT ALL.

Apparently we are spoiled when it comes to tree skirts. We have one that my grandma handmade.

I definitely want to read the Steve Jobs book.

[Erica H.]

I seriously feel like a whole new person since it stopped being 108 degrees every day. I find indoors and outdoors much more pleasant.

[HereWeGoAJen]

I want a good hair cut soooo badly. And your hair looks really great.

The best part of Cars 2 is the Toy Story short.

[Raven]

Your hair looks lovely!!

I also have life long memories of Apple stemming from the library at my elementary school playing Oregon Trail :-)