Mancut Trend

I get asked by my male clients more often than my female clients, what should I do with my hair? A few months back I printed out a bunch of pictures of different haircuts to give them some ideas and to figure out what their likes and dislikes are.

I noticed that more guys in movies and on TV were going after what I call the Don Draper look(Mad Men). It's basically a sharp conservative look--parted, slicked, short. I think that it has evolved from there though. It's almost a mix between Jersey Shore and Mad Men now.

Here is "The Situation". High fade, short and clean cut but no part.

When I saw Crazy, Stupid, Love, I went crazy and stupid over Ryan Gosling and fell in love with his short, high fade, but parted hair.

When Jonah Hill walked out all trimmed up with a new cut on Jimmy Fallon, I decided that this trend was for sure happening.

Here is yet another variation. I personally really enjoy Joshua's hair from this last season of Project Runway. I am dying to do this on some guy out there that is totally confident in his sexuality....Joshua is clearly gay but that doesn't mean his haircut has to be associated with that, right?

I have the greatest friends and family.

I think it's finally time I write about this even though it has nothing to do with beauty. The last two weeks have felt like a year. I have been on an emotional roller coaster of heart break and sadness. I cried for 7 days straight. Just when I thought I couldn't cry any more, I would start back up again. (Eye puffery eye cream from Origins helped with the dark circles and puffiness. There is your beauty tip)

I lost my friend Mark on September 30. It's all very complicated and it might as well been a crappy movie but I don't want to go in to the details of it all because most people wouldn't understand. In the end, it doesn't matter because Mark is gone. I can't call him up and tell him I miss him. I don't get to tell him how much he means to me. I can't tell him how amazing his family is and how much I loved spending time with them and helping them out while they were trying to get his funeral ready. I kept wishing he was there through it all. I'm not going to see his truck parked in front of my house to go to the movies or anywhere else. We don't get to play golf anymore or sit and talk for hours or trade massages. We can't make fun of each other anymore and I don't get to tell him to stop bringing up awkward topics. I don't get to hear his voice or his contagious laugh. He has definitely left a huge hole in my life--more than I realized he would.

However, I know that I will see Mark again after I die. I know that our lives on earth are temporary and I really believe that my perspective is going to change once I am gone from the earth too. It will seem like it went by so fast because time will be so different. I can picture Mark looking down on a crying me and saying, "It's ok Trace, I'll see you in like an hour!" --just like a parent would tell their small children when leaving them with the sitter.

As much as I want him to still be here, I am trying to not wish him back. C.S. Lewis said in A Grief Observed, “What sort of a lover am I to think so much about my affliction and so much less about hers? Even the insane call, ‘Come back,’ is all for my own sake. I never even raised the question whether such a return, if it were possible, would be good for her. I want her back as an ingredient in the restoration of my past. could I have wished her anything worse? Having got once through death, to come back and then, at some later date, have all her dying to do over again?”

I know that Mark is in a better place. That sounds so cliche but he really is. He's free from all of the pains of having a body. I don't want him to come and be back in the middle of all of the 'terrible awful' he was in the middle of. It really would be selfish of me to want that.

My perspective has so severely shifted in so many areas that it's kind of overwhelming. Here are some things that I have learned about grief though--because everyone grieves differently which is at the top of my list...

-Grieving is different for everyone.

-Even though it might seem awkward, I want people to acknowledge my grief but only briefly.

-I appreciate the offers of people wanting to do things for me even though I have nothing for them to do.

-It's nice to have a lot of people around but I don't want to have to talk the whole time. I want them to talk to each other more.

-The reason why you take food over to people after a death is because they would forget to eat otherwise

-Tears and emotion come unexpectedly and in waves.

-It's ok to cry.

-Each person has a different purpose on the earth.

I don't know why Mark had to leave the earth when he did but I will miss him terribly. I have never lost anyone this close to me and it's truly surreal. I always think I'm going to wake up from a bad dream or that I somehow got caught in the middle of that movie Sliding Doors--somewhere there is an alternate me living it up and things are perfect and Mark is still alive, right? Hold on to your loved ones a little tighter today because you never know if you're going to see them tomorrow.

The other day in the salon a few of us got in to a discussion about having a woman as president. I said that I would not vote for a woman because women are crazy. Dina was adamant that not all women are crazy. I think this is mostly true but all women are subject to premenstrual syndrome and it is what it is. In an average woman's life she can get away with being crabby for a few days out of the month and she may make some rash decisions and the world will keep on turning. But can you imagine if the president of the United States was crabby for a few days, maybe even a whole week out of every month? Let's look at some of the symptoms of PMS.

• Confusion

• Difficulty concentrating

• Fatigue

• Feelings of sadness or hopelessness (See also: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder)

• Feelings of tension, anxiety, or edginess

• Forgetfulness

• Irritable, hostile, or aggressive behavior, with outbursts of anger toward self or others

• Loss of sex drive (may be increased in some women)

• Mood swings

• Poor judgment

• Poor self-image, feelings of guilt, or increased fears

• Sleep problems (sleeping too much or too little)

• Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement

As a country can we really afford to take the risk of having someone in office that has a 75% chance of experiencing all of these symptoms every month for 4 years? That's 48 weeks of their term=almost a year.

"I'm not going to make my inaugural address--I'm bloated."

"The Prime Minster hurt my feelings. I'm locking myself in the oval office until he can come up with a proper apology."

"Why is that congressman looking at me like that? What does it mean?"

"I'm calling in all of the leaders in the middle east for a slumber party and we're going to talk about our feelings and cry."

"Dear China, I'm sorry about that missile launch on your country last week. PMS!"

The president can't lock them self away for 5-7 days every month. A crisis could happen at any time and we need a person that is emotionally up for the task. I realize that not all women experience all of the symptoms of PMS and even if they do, it doesn't necessarily happen every time but the risk is there and I'm not willing to take it!

I am searching for a story I wrote years ago about a certain incident while in Switzerland. I haven't found it yet :/ however I did go back and re read some of my first blog entries. I used to write about anything that I wanted to with no fear of the wrong people reading my stories. Since I have been working in the salon I have really had to hold back because sometimes I really want to write about the crazy things people say while I'm doing their hair and I know I can't. I didn't think about all of the crazy things that other people say to the other stylists though until right now. Those people will never find me! (insert evil laugh) I overhear a lot of stuff and to be honest, I don't really know who has said what because I don't ever really look at these people's faces as I am working on the head of hair in front of me. So now it's on like donkey kong! I can't wait to go to work tomorrow!

No Retreat No Surrender Training Scene

Here is to staying fit this summer...

Sometimes I have insomnia and sometimes I do crazy things in my sleep. Last night I got up at around 430am and walked out to the kitchen. On the way, I passed my dad watching TV(he is also an insomniac) causally waved, got a plastic grocery bag out from under the sink, took the bag into the bathroom and threw it on the floor, and went back to bed. I woke up this morning and remembered all of this, wondering if it had actually happened. Seeing the plastic bag on the floor was evidence that it had indeed happened...but why? Why had I needed that plastic bag in the middle of the night? I can only assume that it had something to do with whatever I was dreaming about. For the life of me, I can't remember!

Sometimes I like to go on Hulu and look through their movie selection. Most of the time they are B side flicks so I have found some pretty rad movies. This week I found this little gem:

It's a total disco era film complete with polyester, afros, disco dancing, and live performances from Donna Summer and The Commodores. It reminded me of the movies Dazed and Confused and Can't Hardly Wait--a lot of individual story lines that merge together and it all takes place in one night. I love the disco era so this was really fun for me to watch!

So happy Friday! Here is a link to the movie!

It's kind of a funny story.

I went to Margi's wedding with Kelly tonight and it was lovely. However, have you seen the movie Picture Perfect? Watch the first 20 seconds of the movie trailor below...

This pretty much happened to me tonight. The DJ said, ok all the single ladies come on out to the dance floor! I looked at Kelly horrified. I was literally the only single girl there. I tried to duck and hide under the table. Margi saved the day however and ran over and told the DJ to just have all of the ladies married or single come out to the dance floor for the tossing of the bouquet. Margi tossed it over her head and after hitting a little girl in the face, it landed right at my feet. So I picked it up and smiled in to the cameras with their bright lights shining in my eyes. Meanwhile everyone was consoling the little girl who was sobbing from the trauma of getting hit. At least I think that's what happened. Either way, I didn't know what to do because no one seemed to want to get my picture with Margi as tradition would have it. I tried to help console the little girl by breaking off one of the loose roses from the bouquet and handed it to her. She was screaming bloody murder and wanted nothing to do with anyone but her mom. I debated on handing the bouquet off to someone else but who? So clutching the bouquet, I turned and ran.

America's Next Top Model.

I don't watch it because Tyra Banks drives me that crazy. I can't even watch her for ten seconds without cringing at every word and facial expression. So with that being said, I don't have any idea what is happening on that show. All I know is that I was at the gym today and this was on the TV.

It's really disturbing. I looked over at my friend, pointed at the screen, and laughed. I was speechless at how completely insane it is to see a bunch of women posing erotically

with

a

sheep.

What is she trying to sell here? Is this really what modeling has come to?

I went snowboarding with Scott and Michelle a few weeks ago. It's been about 5 years since I went the last time and I was surprised to see that this fashion statement of a hat is still on the slopes.

All the way to the right. The jester of the slopes. oh my, you're so goofy and funny.

I hated this when it first came out. To me it's the equivalent of wearing a goofy hat...when you're not at disneyland. Wearing it at disneyland is bad enough. I'm sorry if this is a habit of yours. You look stupid. I said it. That goes for all of the eye patch, jack sparrow braided, hook wearers too.

xo peace and love

Olivia Newton-John - Physical

Let's Get Physical!!

Isagenix

I've heard of it--my cousins and friends have done it and had great results. It wasn't until my sister Michelle tried it that I decided that I needed to do it too. I have an inferiority complex when it comes to my sisters but that's another story. Isagenix is basically a weight loss system. I did the 9 day cleanse and fat burning system. I thought, it's only 9 days. I can do anything for 9 days! I was really limited to what I could eat in those 9 days and I had to drink this crazy liquid and drink a lot of water. At the end of day two I thought those little 9 days would never end! I have never thought about food so much in my life. I was really really choosy with what I was going to eat and I did my best to eat as much as I could and still stay in my calorie limits. There was a lot of celery involved. I never knew how tasty fresh raw celery could be. I need more raw vegetables in my life. Anyway...

I lost 8 pounds!!!

I know...what?? Thank you to all of those who said I didn't need to lose weight in the first place! It was nice to hear! I was only in it to lose a few but now I'm going to keep going just a few more. This system was a great jump start. My stomach is smaller and I can't eat as much. I don't crave any sweets or crappy food...although I ate pizza, a hotdog, and nachos today...oops! But I only had small portions and kept it within my calorie limits.

To all of those who said, "Oh that won't work, why are you doing that?" or "That's not healthy" or "Oh we'll see what you'll weigh in a week after you've gone off the diet." You can all SUCK IT. What ever happened to the phrase, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything"?

I am happy with my results and am super excited to use my new APP: Lose it. My cousin Sharon told me about it and then I remembered that my cousin in law used an APP to lose weight a while ago. So I guess it works! Check it out! I mean hello! it's free! winning! It tracks your calories and puts you on a schedule with a weight loss plan or just a weight maintaining plan.

So now I have to leave you with a video from my idol...enjoy...

Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs!

Wigs for cats. I don't know what's better, that someone came up with a line of wigs for cats or that the video promoting the wigs looks like a fashion photo shoot and the cats are being treated like human models. a-m-a-z-i-n-g

31 and up

31 and up

Get your wheelchair, walker, oxygen tank, and/or IV bag all shined up and ready to go because it's time for a 31+ Single Adult activity! I'm not sure as to why I attend these things other than nothing better to do and it's been long enough that I've forgotten how lame the last one was. It is the closest thing I can think of to child birth. A pregnancy can be really uncomfortable, the actual birth very painful (or so I'm told) and once enough time passes it's a good idea to go through it again. Single Adult activities are in that same category for me only I don't ever receive any kind of reward like a baby. I go through the pain and discomfort over and over and instead of a baby I get creepy, old, or awkward men staring at me and asking me to dance. They small talk me to death trying to find something in common with me but all that is going through my mind is "I think that's the same year my dad graduated from high school" or "It rubs the lotions on it's skin" or "Run, Forest! Ruuuuun!"

I'm glad I have friends that I can have fun with no matter where we are. We really make the best of our situations. At this last activity or "Jungle Jam" there were actually a handful of normal dudes there close to my age. I also got to dance it up to Rihanna --Only Girl-- which is my favorite dance party song right now...I might have sang it at the top of my lungs too.

I had a rough day. I was attacked at work. Have you ever been hit in the back of the head with a board? Yes? No? Now I can say yes! I suppose I am making it out to be a little more dramatic than it is. I was washing my client's hair so she had her head back, eyes closed, and she was relaxing to her little scalp massage. After I finished I turned and slid the cupboard door open, got a towel out and turned to dry her hair. All of a sudden the cupboard door slammed down on my head, bounced off and smacked my client, still lying back with her eyes closed, right on the face. Somehow that little door fell of the track and it is the real deal, heavy duty wood so I was seeing stars for a moment. The adrenaline kicked in pretty quick though so that I could attend to my client who was forming a nice red mark on her forehead. Hey have you ever tried to use sharp scissors after an adrenaline rush? I had to concentrate on keeping my hands still. It was like trying to put tiny clothes on an ant. (what? I have an ant problem in my house) I made it through the haircut and the rest of my day although I was totally spacey but even now, almost twelve hours later, my head hurts and I feel slightly dizzy. I'm just glad my head broke the fall of that stupid door. I really think it would have caused some serious damage to my client's face otherwise. As is, she is doing great! Now we'll see if I fall in to a deep coma tonight...

Has anyone seen the new movie out, Just Go With It? I laughed through pretty much the whole thing so I kinda loved it. I decided that Jennifer Aniston has a smokin hot body and I want to look like her. The woman is like 42 and there isn't an ounce of fat on her. I have to give her props because she was up next to Brooklyn Decker in a bikini who is only 22 years old and a swimsuit cover model for Sports Illustrated. Jennifer Aniston definitely held her own. I had to see if there was something online detailing JA's work out regime. I knew she did Yoga a few times a week but I was thinking there had to be more. There isn't...well not much more. She does 22 minutes of cardio before yoga three times a week and she's on the zone diet. So I decided to try it out today. I did 30 min of cardio and then started the yoga. I got through about 15 minutes of it and I was done. I totally get why JA looks the way she does! I'm on a mission though to get through the session. I don't know what I'm going to do about the diet part. Yesterday I had two gigantic sugar cookies for lunch and today I had a cherry coke and a BRC burrito from Miguel's JR...again...just went there on Saturday. I keep hoping that if I work out more, I can eat whatever I want...within reason of course.

sigh

I found a mask that I really love. It's from h2t(head to toe) dermAstage and it's a 'natural pumpkin and multi fruit complex peel'. Erin, my lovely esthetician, has been using this mask in her facials on me for a while now. The one she uses has 30% glycolic acid so it's major. The one I got to use at home in between facials has 15% glycolic acid. It gently gets rid of the dead skin cells that tend to build up on your face and it calms down inflammation from 'spots'. I just put it on and was debating on taking a picture but it kinda looks like someone puked all over my face so I'm going to go ahead and be picture free for this post. (If you really want to see me in a mask look here) In case you are wondering, it really has pumpkin in it. It smells like Halloween! It's so yummy that you almost want to taste it BUT believe me it tastes bad... I might have accidentally tasted it when I rinsed it off my face once. I highly recommend it so long as you do a few things along with it.

1. scrub your face for at least a full minute first. It doesn't sound like a long time but you try it and then you'll see.

2. dry your face with a fresh and clean towel and make sure it's totally dry.

3. leave it on for the recommended time. do not leave it on longer or it will wreak havoc on your face.

4. rinse and dry with a clean towel.

5. moisturize. if you don't, your skin will fight back and it will win.

Ok so maybe I couldn't help myself and had to take a picture of the mask.

Don't mind the hair color stains on my fingers!

The stars at night! Are big and bright! Deep in the heart of Texas!

I've always been obsessed with Texas. Was it because of Peewee's Big Adventure? I have no idea. I have always thought it would be awesome to live there...and I had never been there until last week. So here are some highlights from the week.

I'm so lucky because I had someone with all of the Texas pride you could ask for, touring me around Dallas. (And he's totally hot. Bonus!) Even though it was the coldest it's been in 30 years, complete with iced over roads and then seven inches of snow, we had a marvelous time.

I wanted to see the famous grassy knoll and the street where JFK was shot. We took on the 19 degree weather and walked the streets of Dallas.

Nate trying to keep his face warm...

I decided it would be a good idea to take a walking tour of the public works of art. (Yeah Tracy, let's go walk around in ice cold weather to look at art. Good one!)

The only maps they had left were in spanish so...

"Escultura Flotante"

"The Trail Boss", "The Cutter", "The Vaquero"

We saw a few others but my hands froze every time I would get them out of my pockets--taking pictures became painful.

cold hands!

The day turned out to be really fun! I was excited to get back in doors though so we headed to the mall where I bought my favorite mascara from MAC. It's a newer mascara that they came out with around May last year. I bought it then and have really liked it.

Opulash

We went to some really great places to eat, one of which was called Dickey's. Had to get me some Texas BBQ! Oh and thanks to Nate, I have the cup to prove it. Good stuff!

I loved Texas--even though it was cold and the water tastes like metal and dirt mixed together. I can't wait to go back someday!

On New Years Eve I was feeling a little sad. So I attempted to do things that I know I wouldn't be able to do if my circumstances were different--say I was married with five kids. I took a bubble bath, worked on my puzzle, watched Bridget Jones Diary, and ate Truffles. If I would have had 12 cats to feed, my night would have been complete.

There was a reason I didn't go out and do something totally awesome. I spent the day doing hair and make up for a wedding in San Diego. My cousin Andrea's really good friend Brittany Pierce got married in the temple down there at 10am so it was an early morning! It didn't help that my sweet insomnia kicked in and I was awake at 4:25am. Suck! So after the initial hair and make up application, there were a couple of touch ups plus 8 bridesmaids to fix up. That was not a typo. EIGHT. haha it was fine though! The theme was kind of nautical so I did some fun braids on everyone. They all seemed to like it and it didn't take me too long!

This is Brittany and Scott outside of the temple--totally stole this picture from someone on facebook...

The reception was at the Admiral Kidd Club,right on the water. The San Diego skyline was right across the bay and the buildings were glimmering in the afternoon sun. There were also a ton of sailboats cruising by, one of which the bride and groom went for a ride on! After the guests had arrived, they came riding up for a grand entrance. It was so cool!

I can't wait to see the photographer's work on this shot below. This was from someone standing there and once again, stole it from facebook... The photographer was showing me a few of the shots he got though and they were pretty sweet!

Gina took me on a walk in Balboa right before Christmas so that we could look at all of the Clark Grizwald houses. I'm not kidding, it was Christmas Vacation at every house! It was so fun!

These people had reindeer and a santa spinning on something on the roof. How freakin sweet is that?

These people loved Bears. There were literally bears filling every window. It kinda creeped me out.

Here is Gina and I!

After the long walk, Gina decided to go for a horsey ride...

I guess I kinda did a lot of Christmas stuff this year--I also went to the LA temple to look at the lights and see the new visitor center. I, along with a bunch of leaders, took the young men/women. We had Tito's Tacos before so it was kind of the best night ever.

My friend Kathy decorates a Christmas tree every year and displays it along side many other trees at the Riverside Convention Center. She's so creative so I had to go and check it out. Michelle, Zoe, Kya, and Jada came along with me.

This is Kathy's tree!

This one was called To Infinity and Beyond!

I loved the ornaments on this one...

Zoe petting the reindeer...

This has to be my favorite picture.

Jada was being a total nut. She saw a lady handing out those reindeer hats and ran over to see if she could get one too. She didn't say anything and just looked up at the lady. This lady was a dr or a nurse from a local hospital and when she looked down and saw Jada standing there she totally melted. She asked Jada if she wanted a hat and Jada nodded her head and jumped up and down saying Ya! Ya! Ya! She then asked Michelle if she could take a picture with Jada for the hospital and Michelle said it was ok. All of a sudden there were 4 other ladies from the hospital lined up in a half circle taking pictures. Jada was quiet and smiled all through it. Then the lady looked over at Jada and said something like, Aren't you just the cutest thing?! To this, Jada screamed/growled like a deranged lion child, scaring the crap out of all of them. They literally jumped!