How to Remove Too Much Dark Hair Color

You may be surprised to know just how many hits come up on this Google search. Many, many people have asked this very question, and many many hair experts have answered. I'm telling you this on my second day of battle, sitting here with an odd combination of hot EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil for those of you not familiar with Rachel Ray jargon) and mayonnaise with plastic wrap rather loosely spun around my head.  This after spending $220 plus $35 tip to get my hair to it's "natural warm, dark tone."  Well, it is Halloween week and I could go Trick or Treating as Mortisha, which would be fun -- except that black hair does tend to make women of a certain age look a bit tired.....Brother Rupert out in Maine would say "to heck with the hair color, go natural, sis,"  but it's just not that nice and easy.

I'm a bit concerned about the hot EVOO/mayo treatment right now, as by the time I was able to actually touch the oil and get it on my head it was lukewarm - and the mayo congealed in the oil, which didn't look quite right.  I've now removed the plastic wrap (didn't really seem to be doing much good) and applied Selsun Blue (any medicated shampoo will do) on top of the oil/mayo combo and will wait 5 minutes.  Actually, last night I spent a cumulative of 90 minutes with Selsun Blue in my hair (it was Wednesday, a good TV night for ABC) and did see dark dye rinse out, so I am hopeful that this new application will have some merit.

Next will be another home remedy, that of the yogurt, beaten egg and lemon juice.  This could be tough, as yogurt in general gives me the willies -- it's just so slimy - I'm a cottage cheese person when it comes to coagulated dairy products.  And I don't have any plain yogurt, just the peach that Grandpa Jerry bought last week when he was here....thinking that maybe the added fruit will contribute some acidity and help strip the color.

You may ask why, after $220 plus $35 tip I don't go right back to my hair stylist and demand a redo.  But Girlfriends everywhere know what I'm up against.  Stylists are just never at fault -- after all I did want to go dark.  And I know that the only real option is to put more color on my already challenged hair follicles.  Plus which, do I really need a confrontation right now?  All that judging by those salon people - you really have to be up for it.   Anyway, it's just chemistry, simply put, and with enough hot oil, egg, yogurt and harsh shampoo I should be able to have some effect. Possibly 2% or so. 

The last suggestion is to just go with it -- enjoy the new look, buy some new lipstick, get a tan and be confident.  And I could possibly do this, except now that my hair is dry I'm noticing an unusual purplish tint -- hmmmmm...what to do? 

Let's Google it:  "What to do if your hair has an unusual purplish tint......."

Oy vey.

Snowe Lands one for Indecision

I am just loving the front page article in today's Washington Post on Sen. Olympia Snowe, Republican of Maine.  Of course I pretty much love anyone from Maine because that's where Brother Rupert lives, but Snowe's waffling on health care reform should be a model for indesisive people everywhere.  Needless to say, I've been known to noodle around a decision or two until I am incapable of any level of sound reasoning -- but with Snowe's strategy, I'm thinking that I may just be on to something.

The brilliance of Snowe's indecision is that "...for the past several months, (she) has been unable - or unwilling - to take a position on health-care legislation.  The longer she held out, the more concessions Democrats made to win her over...."  She refused to make up her mind, complaning of this and that in the bill until the Dems drafted it to her liking -- sort of.  She said  "Is this bill all that I would want?  Is it all that it can be? No, but when history calls, history calls."  She voted for the bill, the only Republican to vote with Democrats, but added a warning:  "My vote today is my vote today.  It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow."  Way to keep 'em guessing, Senator!!

The piece, written with outstanding color ("Snowe forecasts" and "Mount Olympia" -- just lots of great puns and word plays) by reporter Dana Milbank, goes on to explain exactly how Snowe gained control over the legislation, and what it means for the future of the bill.

 But what I love about Snowe's strategy is that in refusing to take a position, she showed true power and skill - she negociated by non-decision, "They've got me voting yes, preserving my leverage.  Voting no, preserving my leverage."  How often does someone who can't make up their mind have leverage and power?

In my world, indecision shows weakness and lack of information; a waffling that looks to someone else to decide.  But I'm reading Snowe like:  I'm going to take my time to decide, get YOU to throw out the parts of the puzzle that feel wrong to me, and by the way, I won't cave just because you are pressuring me. She takes the adage "I'll need to sleep on it," (a parent's saving last words) and expands it to "I'll let you know when I am good and ready, when I have all the facts, and when the facts fit what I am trying to accomplish."

BOOM!

 Let's hang in there, Olympia, and get what we need:  America wants your indecision!

Find the article on:
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101301771.html

Nick's Enthusiasm Takes the Field

I haven't written much about Nick -- Strauss Football Player #2 -- so thought I would put out some good vibes for him and his Oakton Freshman team.  The OHS Freshmen were undefeated until last week, when Westfield beat them.  Nick came home disappointed and tired -- he played a tough game.

  I love to see Nick on the football field - the word that his three's preschool teacher used to describe him still fits in almost any situation and especially on the field:  ENTHUSIASTIC!!  Nick loves the excitement of being on the team, being a strong player, and mostly being a teammate.  It's all about the peeps for him --  way to go Nick! When he recovered that fumble two years ago for Chantilly,  little did we know that we would have so much more exciting football in our future with him.

Nick recovers a fumble at the goal line - 9/07

At the T. C. Williams game last month, Nick paved the way for this handoff by quarterback Kyle Downer(#10) to Gerick Charles (#26).  I f you can't see Nick's number, it's because he's blocking his man to the ground.  Chris Durant (#69) gets in the play as well.

Nick makes the tackle against T.C. Williams - 9/09

The OHS Freshman are working hard at being a team and their effort is paying off.  I look forward to finishing up the season with them AND to three more years of fantastic Oakton High School football! 

GO COUGARS!

Bill Cosby and Me

How old is Bill Cosby?  Anybody care to wager a guess? No?  Why not?  Could it be because you've simply lost track of good ol' BC? Yes, I'm thinking that's it.  Yet he filled an entire basketball arena for the Miami University Parent's Weekend -- pretty much filled it. 

Saturday was a wonderful day with Jake on the beautiful campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  All five of us were together again.  We walked and toured and talked and ate, and after a long day, we were ready to sit and enjoy an evening of laughs. We snuggled into our seats in Millet Stadium (stadium seating does tend to challege the Strauss girth and long legs), and we waited for Bill.

Alan asked, How is old IS Bill, do you think?
Maybe 80, Jake replied.
I think you might be right, Alan responded, he's a great storyteller.

I really, really just froze.

80?  I don't think he's that old, I said.  But I feared it was true because Jake and Alan are usually right about this kind of thing.  I  booked tickets to listen to an 80 year old man tell stories, for an entire evening?  What was I thinking?  I have a hard time listening to engaging, young, interesting people. I have a hard time sitting through a good movie. As we continued to sit and wait for Bill (the stage was set in the middle of the arena with a folding chair and a small table on which were a box of tissues and a bottle of water), I began to panic.

I'm too hot, I complained.  I'm thirsty, I need to get out......
Relax, Mom, I was told.  Take off your jacket, your down vest and your sweater and relax.

But really, I thought, how long can an 80 year old talk?  An hour?  An hour and a half?  Possibly there would be an intermission so he could collect himself and I could get a glass of wine.... Alan was already snoring next to me.  The boys were elbowing each other and smacking their gum.  I can do this, I thought.  This is lovely family time.  Bill must still be very good or they  wouldn't have booked him for such a large event.  He must do this all the time.  He must have new material.  He was really funny on the Cosby Show back in the day, sort of cute, I guess....or maybe that was his little girl, his daughter or granddaughter....

The curtain to the stage finally separated....and there was Bill in his Miami University sweatshirt and Crocs; the crowd whispered, then stood and applauded with so much love that I retreated - this was just going to be something else.  But I did feel a teensy bit discourgaged when Bill walked through the audience holding on to someone's arm, then tripped up the steps to the stage.

He did look pretty much like 80.  He could blame the tripping and the arm-holding on cataract surgery that he'd had a week ago....somehow someone forgot to tell him how long it takes to recover from cataract surgery.....Bill, you need new people, is all I could muster.

So, FYI, Bill is 72.  He can tell a story, he really can.  And while I didn't laugh as much as the rest of the audience and certainly not as much or as loud as Al, there were some cute lines that made me smile. 

Two hours and 10 minutes.....that's how long an 72 year old story teller can talk....who would have ever thought?