Here's to being Real

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

"The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."

Hair History

This is is the begining of my hair history. I had just cut my hair, that was about mid-back lenghth. This is circa 1997, jr. high. This was before I learned that it wasn't a good idea to dye my own hair. I was really into using Manic Panic...
I got rid of the color, most likely by dying it black (closest to my natural color) and did this really cute angle cut, it was really short in the back. I liked this. (Don't mind the cheesy high school sweet heart pic) ca. 1999, 10th-11th grade
Then I did this. Ca. 2000, 11th grade. I loved this! Lots of my friends thought I looked liek a twelve year old boy, but still I liked it.
Yay for hs dance photos!This was when I was trying to grow it out, and experimenting with color. I still really love baby bangs, they look so cute with this cut. I hate the growing out phase, but this doesn't look bad. Look how cute and thin I was. ca. 2002, senior year.

Senior prom, no more color, back to black. Still rockin' the bangs.



Freshman year of college, fall 2002. I was totally going for the why yes I am a freshman in college look.

This is straight from the hair stylist, I love it when my hair is big like this, going back to bangs, black with blonde streaks. This is January 2003, home for the holdiays.

Then I went blonde, I don't think I would do this now but it looked ok. These are no more than 2 months apart but look very different. I had really great black/brown/blonde streaks. Summer 2003



Summer/fall. This is my all time favorite cut/color combo. I wish I had a better picture. This was short lived, I am not sure why.
Back to natural color, growing it out for the wedding. I don't normally put this much work into my hair, but I really like this do. May 2006

This is a more typical hair style for that time period. Vishnu is so little.

Growing out my hair, hair trial for wedding. May 2007.
May 2007, natural color, braids, so cute. Our move to Denver

I really wanted to donate to Lock for Love, so I did. 11 full inches of almost virgin, untreated hair. I really hated the cut though. But it was for a good cause and unlike all people I was able to grow it back. November 2007
Ahh, the joys of growing out hair, baby bangs. August 2008

Growing it out, bangs, I am not sure I am a bang person, I really like them on other people... December 2008.

Winter Clearance

I bought these on clearance a while back and have been waiting for warmer weather to finally wear them. Today was the day!

Love

This was in an old church in Santa Fe, I really love it.

Yay for Iowa!

Liberty trumped democracy in Iowa gay marriage decision

Laura Fefchak, right, and Nancy Robinson, center, react to the ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates constitutional rights. (AP Photo/David Purdy)

With the addition of Iowa and Vermont to the ranks of states that recognize the marriages of same-sex couples, gays and lesbians are now free to have their relationships legally sanctioned in four states. But while Vermont opened up the institution the old-fashioned way -- through the legislature -- Iowa joined Connecticut and Massachusetts in disposing of bans on gay marriage through court decisions, fueling charges that the judiciary is trampling "the will of the people." Well maybe it is -- and that's a good thing.

Article from Examiner.com