tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21581827686291270882024-02-18T18:35:22.110-08:00Try, Try AgainKristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-80138306680023949872013-02-04T10:51:00.000-08:002013-02-04T10:51:40.225-08:00Moving It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So like a lot of people, I have a hard time finding the motivation to work out consistently. Whenever I start a new thing, I'm pumped about it- like, I'm a runner! This is my life now! I'm gonna be the kind of person who needs a good jog when they're stressed!- but it tends to peter out when laziness prevails. I've noticed that the "this is my new life" mentality when I try something different is something that's pervasive in almost all areas for me. I tried smoking hookah for the first time the other night and I liked it, so automatically I was mentally like oh shit, I have to get a hookah now, I'm gonna smoke it while I watch tv at home and some of my friends are gonna think it's kind of weird but it's just my thing, whatever...but then like so much hookah smoke, the dream dissipated when we were done and I realized I wasn't all that interested.<div>
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I started working on running a couple of months ago with eventually doing a 5K in mind, so I've been using a Couch to 5K app on my phone (<a href="http://easeinto5k.bluefinapps.com/" target="_blank">this one</a>) to gradually work my way up. It's taking waaay longer than the 8 weeks it suggests, because of my inconsistency as far as gym visits and general physical weakness. I have a love-hate relationship with it- in the beginning it was muuuuurder, but somehow I got myself to keep working at it and feeling progress was encouraging and even a little addictive. But now I've been unable to run for longer intervals of time without feeling like I'm legit dying, like going to throw up and die and then faint after I'm dead, so I'm frustrated and finding excuses not to try. Plus I found out you can't wear headphones during a 5K- are you fucking kidding me? No distraction from my heaving breath, no Beyonce and picturing myself dancing with my friends, just focusing on how apeshit my butt is bouncing right now? I might be out of the 5K thing. And without that to motivate me, I'm not sure I see myself keeping up running- trying not to mentally throw in the towel, but real talk.</div>
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So what do you guys do? I'm not necessarily looking to lose weight but being active makes me feel good- at least afterward, and if I can find something that I don't hate while I'm doing it, mazel. My brother and his girlfriend got me a Blu Ray player that's hooked up to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus and YouTube so I'm especially curious about any videos that you work out along to online, yoga in particular. But there is something about being at the gym that keeps me from stopping 5 minutes in because I'm bored or it's too hard so if you have any suggestions that are more oriented in that direction, routines, classes you like, etc, I'd love to hear them too. Help me balance out all the cheese I eat!</div>
Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-76461614885318922042013-01-17T17:39:00.001-08:002013-01-17T17:39:27.296-08:00xojane!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple weeks ago I submitted a few things I wrote to a website I really like, and it turns out that the feeling was mutual! I signed a writer's agreement and the whole shabang earlier this week but I wasn't sure when the article would be going up, so I got a little thrill when I was scrolling around on my phone between clients today and me and my scrubby pajama top showed up. It's really been fun so far interacting with people in the comments and I feel really good about the whole thing. I'll have another post popping up there in the future as well and I plan to keep submitting things if they come to me so hopefully I'll be around there every once in a while, spreading knowledge and seeking validation (let's be real, I'm not writing this shit in my diary for a reason.) You can check it out <a href="http://www.xojane.com/beauty/how-to-cure-dry-scalp" target="_blank">here</a> if you like.</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-63568493477471952222013-01-06T18:22:00.001-08:002013-01-06T18:42:08.952-08:00Wishes Do Come TrueSo, there was this one time I had an admirer who lived in my apartment building. He slipped a Cinderella card under my door and we lived happily ever after.<br />
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NOT, he totally weirded me out and I spent a bunch of nights double checking my locks and yanking back my shower curtain afraid to find him there. You can here me elaborate on this story as well as some of my online dating history (I'm a lucky lady) by listening to this week's episode of Will and Bobby Know Everything! Click <a href="http://www.willandbobby.com/" target="_blank">here</a> to check out my dulcet tones.</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-53649909923681554522013-01-04T19:57:00.000-08:002013-01-04T20:37:39.848-08:00Hey Whoa Is It Coming Down Out There?? Getting Rid of Winter FlakesI just realized I have some important, seasonal knowledge to drop! So many people deal with itchy scalp issues around this time of year and because of the flakes, they assume that it's dandruff and reach for the Head and Shoulders or other such products. However, dandruff and dry scalp are two totally different things, and treating one when you actually have the other can exacerbate the problem.<br />
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Here's the deal: in my experience, far fewer people actually have dandruff than those who think they do. It's totally understandable because the most recognizable symptoms are so similar- itchiness and flaking. The vast majority actually just have a dry scalp, which is exactly what it sounds like. Dandruff is actually a fungal condition and rather than small, white flakes, yellowish clumps of tissue form on the scalp. If you're not sure which you're experiencing, don't hesitate to ask your hairdresser- seriously, I understand why you might be embarrassed but it's so not a big deal. Everybody's got their stuff; bodies are weird.<br />
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If you've actually got dandruff, then by all means use something to treat it- preferably containing tea tree oil, which is anti-fungal and a natural exfoliant, meaning that over time it will treat the dandruff as well as gently sweep it away from your scalp. I love and work with Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo, but be aware- if you color your hair, tea tree shampoos are best used right before you'll be getting color done again, as they can cause fading. Sometimes we gotta pick our priorities, and I'd personally pick not waking up in the middle of the night scratching my scalp.<br />
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But if you've just got dry scalp, using something meant for dandruff can really work against you- it will clear away flakes but also dry your skin further, only making things worse. Most people don't realize this and create a cycle where they have a dry scalp, they try to help it but dry it out further, and on and on. But you don't have to! You're smart, and also you're pretty. <br />
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Here's a plan you can customize based on whether you've learned you have a dry scalp or dandruff. It's super easy and cheap, and when done regularly (try once a week) you'll be able to ruffle your hair again without worrying about a gentle snowfall. I actually thought to write this post because I'm doing it right now and looking damn good too.<br />
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All the steps are the same for either situation except that if you have dandruff, add a few drops of pure tea tree oil into the mix.<br />
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Find any oil you have around the house- olive oil works great, as do coconut and grapeseed oil. <br />
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Heat it up a few tablespoons of it in the microwave, just until it's warm. It helps the oil absorb a little better but it also just feels nice and spa-y, even if it's in a thrift store coffee mug.<br />
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Bring it into the bathroom with you and over the sink, start applying it to your scalp. I find it a little less messy to press in with a sponge brush, the kind you can get at any craft store, but your fingers work just as well. Start at your natural part, then keep making parting parallel to that and applying the oil to them going all across your head. When you get to the back, honestly, just do the best you can- my technique gets dicey once things are out of my field of vision but so far I've lived.<br />
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Now wrap your hair in a towel, put on a shower cap, wrap your head in saran wrap or in a target bag (I've done both) and go do your thing around the house for at least 20 minutes- it could really stay on forever, you could binge on a season of a tv show everyone's been telling you about! While I let mine sink in I'll be watching the new episode of American Horror Story: Asylum.<br />
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When you're tired of going to play with your hair and remembering it's full of oil, hop in the shower and shampoo a couple of times until you get your usual lather and condition your hair as normal. I promise you that your situation will improve.<br />
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If you guys ever have any hair questions for me, please feel free! I love to spread the gospel of good hair. It's often easier to achieve than you think.Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-71679334005186728142012-12-18T23:12:00.000-08:002012-12-18T23:27:48.802-08:00The Last 2-ish Weeks in 10-ish Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First of all, haaaay guys. Second of all, this picture is kind of gross blown up, unless you're into tattoo goop residue and sock indentations. At my friends' shop they did a benefit for the victims of Hurricane Sandy where they set up a mostly Jersey-themed flash sheet of tattoos you could pick from, in various sizes and priced either $50 or $100, and all of the proceeds were donated. It was totally packed so my friend Amanda and I waited for a long time, but it was totally worth it. I went to Ray, who I'd never been tattooed by before, and he pulled out a couple extra stops with the shading and everything- Chuck, the owner, came in and started a little friendly smack-talking about how he knows these are supposed to be kind of quick, simple tattoos but he had just knocked one out of the park, and Ray was like "Oh that's how it is?!" and pulled out a couple extra colors. I ain't mad. They raised a ton of money, I'm not sure what the grand total is but there were 6 people working and I know Evan raised $1,050 on his own, so I'd say the whole thing was a success and I'm glad I got to be a part of it.</div>
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So it hasn't come up before but my family structure is a little unique, age-wise. I have 2 half-sisters from my dad's previous marriage, and since my dad is a lot older than my mom, my half-sisters are a lot older than me and Will. Karen is 23 years older than me and Lynne is 21 years older, to the day! We share a birthday, and this year she had a big one- 5-0, baby. Karen had the fucking genius idea to have her throw her own surprise party and it was perfect! Lynne thought she was just hosting one of the bingo nights she and her friends have from time to time, but the doorbell just kept ringing and more and more people from her life kept pouring in. She seemed awestruck and thrilled all night and it made me so happy to see. Sarah was awesome and took the trip to Long Island with my parents and me and Lynne burst into tears when she saw our Dad- the whole night was just a lot of happy. I got to meet my nephew's girlfriend, who seemed sweet, and see him for what's going to be one of the last times for a long time since he's going into the army. Ugh, that's a whole other thing. Also I saw my niece Audrey who's loving college, and my other nephew Robbie who seemed like he was doing great too. Oh yeah and I sang a heinous karaoke version of "New York, New York" with my dad and got to realize that I don't really know that song and that weirdly I don't have the same vocal range as Frank Sinatra about 30 seconds in. The perfect time to realize that.</div>
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Ryan, Jim, Joe and I headed to Hoboken to see one of Yo La Tengo's Hanukkah shows- they play each of the 8 nights, every time with an opening act and a special guest that doesn't get announced until you're there. We came into the city a little early and grabbed food and sangria at a banging tapas place before settling in at Maxwell's and finding out that Sun Ra Arkestra (didn't know them) and Fred Armisen (felt lukewarm about) were opening. Well, that shit changed! Sun Ra turned out to be a jazz band of mainly old men wearing spangly robes and headdresses singing about the solar system, and I was into it. Check out Exhibit A up there for Duh. They just seemed really psyched on what they were doing and it was infectious, plus glittery robes. And then turns out, Fred Armisen is hilarious. I mean I didn't have a huge aversion to begin with but I couldn't specifically say I was a fan, and then he killed it. He definitely knew his audience, a lot of indie-rock/music nerd based jokes, like impressions of people trying to be polite when a boring band is playing. Then Yo La Tengo was just so good. You could really hear a pin drop during quieter songs, they definitely spoke quietly and carried a big stick, or whatever that one dude with polio said. Really glad I got to see it. Oh yeah, and then right before we left Fred Armisen grabbed my arm when I was on my way to the bathroom, and when I turned around he went from smiley to smiley-but-confused, and I was totally taken aback but quickly knew this was a mistaken identity thing so I just kept it moving. Me moving was also related to panic stemming from a famous person touching me- I lose my mind in the presence of anyone I know from the teevee. </div>
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I can't really summarize this time in my life without mentioning that I have been just annihilating any food that crosses my path, seemingly regardless of whether I really like it that much or not. I mean those Pretzel Crisps up there I liked MUCH- one of my coworker's relative's works for the company and brought in a huge bag that I shit you not had about 20 bags of different flavored crisps in it, and the back room of the salon became a serious taste testing war zone. Even though it wasn't pretty and they were about 80% of my food intake that day, that at least makes sense because I love crunchy, salty snacks. But what the fuck is up with the chocolates I'm eating? We all keep getting boxes of chocolate from clients for the holidays which is sooo nice but not necessarily my bag, and yet I'm totally dipping in. Also pictured above is a pastry I bought from one of my coworker's daughter's for a fundraiser, and which I ate about a quarter of on my way home from work in the car like a sticky fingered animal and the rest that's missing by cutting off multiple tiny slivers when I got home. Good thing I'm totally confident with my body and I don't believe in denying myself pleasure within reason and as long as I exercise I'm totally fine with it, really, and yadda yadda yadda (but seriously mama, chill.)</div>
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This past weekend was very laid back- I walked to the bar with Sarah on Saturday night to meet up with Ryan, Will and Allie and bumped into some other acquaintances, then the next morning got Vietnamese food including some really pretty Thai iced tea. It was dreary on Sunday so I mostly parked it on the couch with Ryan to watch a bunch of episodes of Boardwalk Empire. I was about to say that "we" made baked pasta and meatballs for Sarah to take to her family's house when she went over for dinner but that would be a dirty lie since Ryan did almost all the work- he's a much more seasoned meatballer than me so I thought it best to let him go for it. <br />
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On Monday we walked around Metuchen, which is a really cute town that I hadn't really checked out before. We ducked into a super crammed used book store that was just a mess with piles and piles everywhere, and I sort of loved it. Later that night we had plans to go to my parents' to watch a movie and decided to grab dinner first at a brewery nearby, which included a beer sampler and wings- you can't really tell but I am the absolute messiest wing eater with serious Sauce Face in that picture. My face and my napkin were a disgrace, I tried to trade napkins with Ryan so the waitress wouldn't know how disgusting I am but he wasn't having it. It was torn up, how did I even do that? <br />
And today I hung out at my parents' house listing a few really great designer purses of my aunt's on eBay (they're <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/kristenvsmothra/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686" target="_blank">here</a> if you'd like to see, I still love Etsy but it just seemed to be more the market for them) and putzing around. All in all, world class weekend. And all in all, I need to go to bed because WEEKEND'S OVER, time to make the donuts.<br />
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-81894529807815505132012-11-26T15:17:00.000-08:002012-11-27T15:46:43.972-08:00God, Take Me Instead!!!! : My Dog DiedSo you know how in my last post I said that Harley had to take a trip to the vet but that it was okay he'd be okay? I guess he's okay in that he's in a doggie heaven, but not thaaat okay because he died. UGGGGHHHH. I can't even stand much I loved that little dog. When we took him that night the vet, who we love, told us he had bladder stones and he'd need emergency surgery to remove them right away, and that after recovery he'd be just fine. But it turned out that when the doctor started the surgery, he realized that the reason the x-ray he'd taken of the stones was blurry (he'd had to really enhance it and up contrast and all that stuff when he showed us the night before) was because there was cancer covering about 3/4 of the inside of Harley's bladder. He called my parents to let them know and recommended that since Harley was already sedated, they let him go. Treatment was just too risky and it would be too painful. I really miss him- a few times in the last week I've caught myself being excited to see him when I went to my parents', or when I was there glancing at our other dog Penny and thinking it was Harley for a quick, sad second. I do definitely take comfort in the fact that I don't think he was in much pain- there were a few things that seemed off but even on the last day, when we took him to the vet, I was playing with him and he was snorting and flailing around and wagging his tail and generally going nuts the way he always would. I'm grateful that we stopped it before anything really started.<br />
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As is customary, I made a short slideshow of pictures of him set to a karaoke version of "You're Simply the Best" by Tina Turner. As is also customary, I didn't know how to save or send it so I had to just take a video of it. Enjoy this one on Harley.<br />
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-27212136647073086462012-11-20T19:38:00.003-08:002012-11-20T19:38:42.985-08:00:( / :)With Thanksgiving coming up, I recognize that I've got a lot to be thankful for but the last 5 days were total bullshit. Ughhhh. I took a picture of myself before I went for a walk to visit Evan at the tattoo shop during a calm spot on Sunday, which I planned to scrap because I look pissy, but I guess it pretty much sums it up.<br />
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There's a silver lining to the cloudy things that went on: my parents got in a scary car accident but didn't get hurt, I got a worrying call from my dad and my car stalled out simultaneously (and I had to sit in a really busy intersection for 2 hours while people honked at me, and for a surprising moment I lost it and yelled that one especially bad curse word out the window) but I didn't get rear-ended, our beloved Harley boy had to have a scary trip to the vet but he's going to be ok. But seriously, way to kick me in the nuts this weekend, Life. I'm exhausted.<br />
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HOWEVER: Will and I rallied the way we always do when the shit gets rough, Ryan took care of my dad by picking him up when I couldn't and then Ryan's dad took care of car stuff for me, my friends kept me upbeat and feeling like they had their eyes on me with texts, when I left my parents house tonight they were sitting in their matching recliners holding hands, I'm drinking a glass of red wine in bed with a kitty at my feet, and I'm making plans with Mike to walk to a hotel bar tomorrow night and have Thanksgiving Eve drinks. Silver linings all over the place; fuck clouds.<br />
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But I'm still going to bed before a piano falls on my head or something.Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-62733332035678097282012-11-14T20:36:00.000-08:002012-11-14T20:36:14.846-08:00DO THIS SHIT: Sears Portrait StudioAssemble your crew. Figure out an outfit theme, preferably involving something unflattering. Haul it to Sears and get your pictures did.<br />
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I'm unclear on any copyright laws that may come into play with these watermarks, because I didn't look into it, because I desperately want to share these with you. Mike, Sarah, Katie and I had been talking about doing a weirdo photo shoot for years so when I was browsing Groupon and a package for a family portrait at Sears popped up, I practically broke a sweat and dropped my phone out of flustered excitement.</div>
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Jeans, athletic sneakers and turtlenecks tucked in only at the front, with some sort of brooch or lapel pin, seemed the obvious choice. Who wouldn't? We waited until the last minute because we figured hey, when in Rome- we'll just browse Sears for outfit inspiration a little before our shoot. Katie was meeting us there and stopping at Goodwill for pins on the way, and when she texted us "American flag pins?" plus we found this beauty of a polo for Mike not far from coordinating 'necks, an idea was formed.</div>
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And what an idea it was. We were a little worried about not getting a photographer who "got it," but dude was loving it. We just straight up told him we were looking for a cheesy photo shoot and that half-closed eyes or unflattering angles were not a deal breaker and that every corny pose he could think of was on the table.</div>
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We found him responsive.</div>
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It was a fairly brief but extremely prolific photo shoot, I assume books have been written about it already. To narrow it down to the few prints that our package included we had about 150 shots to wade through and absolutely LOSE OUR SHIT over- I seriously laughed so hard. We are ridiculous looking people. Mike in particular fucking kills me. Please look at his face in the fake running picture up there, please.</div>
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I cannot recommend this experience more to anyone. I cannot wait to put all the prints in one of those large, multiple picture frames. I cannot wait to hang the 10x13 copy of the first picture above my bed, and then on a mantle in my first house, and then in my future childrens' rooms. I cannot get over my friends.</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-5781790984190665892012-11-06T08:07:00.000-08:002012-11-06T08:07:25.854-08:00Hurricane RealnessIt's been a long time since I've posted, and I can't believe how much has happened since...weddings, shows, parties, hurricanes...there were a million pictures of things on my phone that I planned on posting, like a step-by-step through a meal that was probably 2 weeks ago but feels like a month. I feel like if I try to write about some of those things now it's going to ring a little hollow because there's either been too much time that's passed or they're just overshadowed by current events, one of them being Hurricane Sandy hitting New Jersey last week. So let's take a look at that.<br />
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Luckily my town wasn't really hit too badly- I "suffered" super minor inconveniences, like only losing power for about one day. My internet was down for about 5 days and continues to be a little spotty, along with my cell phone service, but I really don't feel the need to complain much when I compare it to what other people have lost. In my area the rain was less a factor than the wind, and checking out the aftermath the next day was full of uprooted trees, power lines and branches thrown all over the place.</div>
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Monday night was when the hurricane touched down and started wreaking havoc. I decided to hunker down at Ryan's for the weekend with his roommates Jim and Joe rather than spend any time alone in my apartment with the power out, because that shit is scary. W were pretty well stocked with non-perishable junk food and non-perishable beer, so we got to work on that while we played cards...</div>
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Then an impressive game of Jenga (After Dark) (that's not a thing, it was just dark)...</div>
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And capped off the night by watching Back to the Future on Ryan's laptop until it died about 3/4 of the way through. I died about halfway through, falling asleep on Ryan's lap either by natural causes or because the stink of the million scented candles we were using for light finally suffocated me.</div>
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The next day the storm had blown over and we decided to go on a hunt for warm food and warm coffee. Luckily we were more curious about what was going on out there than we were actually optimistic about finding anything, so it wasn't a huge disappointment that hardly anywhere was open. A convenience store in town was open but without power, and it felt surreal and a little apocalyptic to be wandering around picking up bags of chips in the dark with a bunch of other quiet, kinda freaked out people. The liquor store across the street had the same situation going on so we got some warm beer for later. We were thrilled when we saw that a bagel place in town had set up a little station on the sidewalk with some of the salvaged items from their fridge and COFFEE they were making pot-by-pot by boiling water on the gas stove and pouring it over the grounds in their machine, and jumped right in line.</div>
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I thought it was awesome that they were doing what they could for people and I think most everyone else felt the same way, but I would occasionally hear someone in line go "Ugh, you only have Hazelnut??" all pissy or groan when they ran out of coffee and had to wait a few minutes for the next pot to be brewed. Are you kidding? It made me a little homicidal, which was probably a combination of blind rage at home ungrateful and rude people can sometimes be, plus I needed caffeine. Coffee :: Kristen as Chocolate :: Cathy. </div>
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I headed home while it was still light out to take a shower, change, and have a little alone time reading in bed with Chloe. The water was freezing so I took a 10 second shower like a psychotic. It was not refreshing. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but Sarah and her boyfriend Dan live upstairs from me in our apartment building, which is directly behind a big river and next to a park, so we decided to take a walk to survey the damage there along with Mike.</div>
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I was surprised at how little the river had flooded because I think I was comparing it to Irene last year. Now there was a shitshow, water-wise.</div>
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These were all over the place. Johnson Park is pretty big and runs along the length of the river, it's really nice and I feel lucky to live right next to it. It also has a small...I don't know if you would call it a petting zoo, but a small area with animals in it? Whatever. A section with pigs, chickens, a peacock, goats, horses and llamas. We didn't walk far down enough to see what was up there but I'm kind of glad we didn't, because I'm not sure what they do with the animals in these situations and I'm not sure I want to.</div>
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I was going to head back over to Ryan's after our walk but I needed to pick up a couple things from the apartment first. It had started to get dark and this is what I was confronted with when I walked into my hallway:</div>
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FUCK THAT. I decided I could live without my chapstick or whatever it was I was stopping in for and hightailed it out of there. By the way I was half hoping that when I blew this up I'd see a ghost or something, but no dice.</div>
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I had put the word out to Sarah, Dan and Mike that at Ryan's the stove was working and he'd be doing some cooking so if they wanted to come over and hang out to feel free. I also texted Will and Allie, and Sarah got in touch with her brother Tommy, so we ended up having an impromptu hurricane party. Ryan whipped up some candlelight mac and cheese, vegetables, mashed potatoes with parsnips and salad.</div>
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We ate and then decided to hit the games back up. What else are you going to do? We played some more Jenga and then some game I don't remember the name of. Too many games! But it was fun. It was really nice to have a lot of people all together, a good deterrent from the antsiness of everything going on.</div>
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About one minute after everyone left for the night, the power came back on. I couldn't believe how easy we got off! Sarah and I texted each other at the same time to tell each other, meaning it was on in my apartment too. So awesome. I still stayed over and the next morning Will, Allie and Mike came back to have some hot coffee and to charge up their phones. They didn't end up getting power back until a few days later- it's so strange that even though the town we live in is so small, the power returning was so staggered. But there are people in Princeton, where I work, who are on day 9 without power so it really goes to show you how little control there is over those things- I would think the town is bougie enough to bounce back pretty quickly.</div>
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There's my Sandy story, I really got out unscathed but there are plenty of people who haven't...it's worth looking into donating to the Red Cross to help out people who aren't as lucky. I'm off to Rock the Vote MTV style, hope you guys are doing the same! But only if you're voting for Obama. If not then I hope you're just not feeling it today, I mean what's the big deal, right??!! In which case I also hope you don't have a lot invested in the maintenance and care of your junk (ladies.)</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-54766700758930101422012-10-06T10:02:00.001-07:002012-10-06T11:20:19.496-07:00Packed Sched. Roundup Life has felt a little hectic lately! I'm used to answering "nothing" more often than not when asked what I'm doing over the weekend and being beyond fine with it, so looking at my iPhone calendar and seeing little dots on the majority of my days off is crazy. To be honest I'm looking forward to a free weekend to catch my breath, but I'm looking forward to the next activities even more- being in the weddings of 2 of my best friends next weekend, practically back to back! While being a bridesmaid feels like child's play to me at this point (3 times in the last 3 years), I'm getting a little nervous about the one I'm officiating. A friend of the groom and I are gonna tag-team it, but I seriously think I'm in danger of crying and flubbing lines. I married friends of mine once before but it was small and sweet and in a living room, this is gonna be the real, crowd-present deal. We'll see! Because there's a dot on this day as well and I'm off to a wedding (AS A GUEST, how indulgent) in a couple hours, I want to just put up some pictures of what life's looked like lately with little descriptions. By the way, have any of you ever had a flood of weddings all around the same time? By the time it's all over it'll have been 4 for me in a month and a half's time! I think maybe late 20s into 30s tis the season. Maybe I'll go through withdrawal afterward and wear my bridesmaid dresses all stacked on top of each other and sit on the floor crying, eating wedding cake that I snuck out in my clutch with my hands and singing that song that goes "I'll be your crying shoulder..." through mouthfuls and tears. That is probably what will happen.<br />
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The signs when you get off the elevator of the Chelsea Hotel, where we stayed in Atlantic City last weekend for Rosie's bachelorette party. Sign 2 chilled a little bit too hard.</div>
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The decor style in the hotel was all over the place but I really liked it separately. The first 2 pictures were from our room and the last was from the diner inside the hotel. Surprisingly, the margherita pizza from the hotel diner sucked. It was an outrage and I called the president.</div>
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The next day Ryan, Joe and I had a fun day in the cit-aaay. We went to Murray's Cheese Bar, which is pretty much what it sounds like and it was amazing. I wanted to ransack that cheese bar with my mouth, which I guess I basically did.</div>
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We also went to the bar at the Nomad Hotel for more drinks and snacks. Check out that bathroom! It was very fancy and delicious (the drinks and food, not the bathroom), and the day after we went it got a Michelin star. I still only partially understand what that means, basically it's a big coup for high end restaurants and they're given out really selectively. I guess it's like a Zagat's rating on crack.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This is from Thursday night, when part of my salon went to a kick-off party for New Jersey Fashion Week (I can't even re: this being a thing.) Some of my coworkers did the hair and makeup for it last year and are doing it again this year. I love having nights out with my coworkers but events like this, where there's only a short presentation and the rest is basically a schmooze fest, set my teeth on edge. It's just not my wheelhouse, I feel self conscious and embarrassed by how seriously everyone's taking themselves. Not my salon, which I'm so grateful for, but most everyone else...I mean, there was a mini red carpet with professional photographers. As I said, I just can't. But my friend Amanda and I got our jollies by photo-bombing (video-bombing?) on-camera interviews that were going on by walking by in the background and shoving a bite of cupcake in our mouth as soon as we were in frame. We probably did it 4 times each. Very cool. </span></div>
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Well I'm going to start getting ready for today: I have a flats vs. heels war being waged in my head, I'll keep you guys posted on any developments. I'm thinking flats because Mike and I are going to leave the reception a little early to race to Princeton because Sarah's family 80s cover band, The Emulators, is playing a show! Since it's right by the salon some clients are coming in addition to coworkers, family and friends, and I feel like it's gonna be a big love fest of people having fun and supporting them- I don't know if I've mentioned it but Sarah's the receptionist at the salon, and when I told a lot of clients they seemed all about it, not just because it's a good time but because who doesn't love Sarah? Warms my heart. Ugh I need thicker skin, if I cry at an 80s cover band show because of a swell of emotion I dont know where to go from here. </div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-13276912020347251912012-09-30T10:37:00.001-07:002012-09-30T10:52:26.433-07:00YouTube Kinksters, Parking Problems and Psychopaths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I talked a little in <a href="http://trytrydiary.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-mom-and-i-know-everything.html" target="_blank">this post</a> about the podcast my brother and friend (pictured with me above looking all good) do weekly, Will and Bobby Know Everything. In this week's installment I'm the guest host and things get nuts! We zig zag all over a wide range of topics including the web of video dominatrixes I stumbled on, what mundane, normal stuff drives us crazy and a story about a woman I know who's got a touch o' the evil to her (seriously.)<br />
I'm thinking it's going to be as fun to listen to as it was to record- I crack up in it a LOT. I listen to podcasts a fair amount now because it's basically like listening to talk radio, but you get to decide what's on. It makes me a little more productive because boring chores become a little less so with something interesting on in the background. So check something off your to-do list with my new episode of Will and Bobby Know Everything! You can find it and a lot of other cool stuff by clicking <a href="http://www.willandbobby.com/" target="_blank">right here.</a>Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-4013264704889859382012-09-21T17:04:00.000-07:002012-09-21T17:04:06.242-07:00Why I Think "You Look So Skinny!" Isn't the Best Compliment<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you've read the "About Me" section of the blog, you might remember my saying that I used to write things in Gmail and save them in the drafts folder, just because I enjoyed it. I'm copying and pasting one of those things below, and because I wrote it a while ago and in a different context it sounds a little more article-y than blog-y. I thought of it because I spoke to someone today who was telling me about her teenage daughter who was trying to lose weight by doing Weight Watchers, and that she was only eating half of her daily points. I said that she should probably be eating more because if she pushes herself too hard she's more likely to regain the weight she lost, on top of it probably not being super healthy, and the mom was kind of like "eh, she looks great, if it's working I'm not going to discourage her." It got me wondering if maybe the girl could sort of feel that and how she felt about it- kind of getting positive reinforcement on maybe not-so-positive behavior. I don't know them personally but I have enough context on their family over the years and know the mom's a little appearance driven- what if the girl doesn't even give a crap about losing weight, but feels like she should? Again, reading a ton into it, for all I know I'm way off. But it made me think of this thing I wrote and I thought I'd share it here.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers to good body images! (Ok it's a stretch but I couldn't think of an apropos picture to post)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm having a hard time taking a compliment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Like many women, my weight has fluctuated most of my life. I've been primarily chubby, occasionally tipping over to the not-as-cute "chunky." This isn't a new story. My weight has gone up and down, and my attitude along with it- sometimes as a teen twisted up in my sheets late at night, face puffy, red and wet, crying at the injustice and irony of my giant fucking Jncos not fitting in the hips, other times more ambivalent. Rarely feeling more than fleetingly good, but sometimes feeling not so bad. Until recently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In about the last 2 years, a shift started to happen and I started to accept myself. Rather than swing from "ugh" to "eh", I started to swing from "hmm..." to "daaamn." This has been a change independent of actual weight, one I can only assume has been brought on as a result of wisdom through age and the confidence (or "fuck it" 'tude) that can bring. I wasn't becoming the kind of person who was wearing defiant, roll-exposing crop tops or anything but I was eating what I wanted and saying things like "maybe this is just the way I'm built and I'm fine with that", even if it was sometimes in a voice that was just a little too loud and sounded like it was a little more for my own benefit than others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And then I hit a downswing. All this eating what I wanted and not doing any exercise that wasn't incidental, while delicious and fun, caused a weight gain that I tried to ignore but my jeans wouldn't let me. When I found myself crying in the shower like a living Lifetime movie I decided it was time to face some facts and make some decisions. I weighed myself, found I had gained 20 pounds and decided I'd like to lose it. As someone who had been waving the fat flag, albeit at half mast, it felt like a tiny betrayal to want to lose weight but one I realized was necessary to feel better about myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Through eating more carefully and exercising on purpose/witchcraft, I've lost most of the weight I'd gained and I've gotten a lot of complimentary encouragement along the way that I've found a little internally confusing. As a hairdresser I see a lot of different people regularly but not necessarily on the daily, and those people have a tendency to say variations of "You look great! Have you lost weight?" when they see me at their monthly appointment. And while, yes, I have, and yes, I'm trying to, and so yes, it's a compliment...a small part of me doesn't completely see it as one. I don't resent the individual paying me the compliment and looking at me expectantly, but I do resent the fact that it's an assumed positive, that since I'm chubby I must, of course, be trying to lose weight. EVEN THOUGH IT'S TRUE. There inlies the conflict, as well as the awkwardness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This actually became an issue, if you can call such a thing an issue, before I was even interested in losing weight. I'd wear a dress that was a little less flowy and people would excitedly tell me I looked thinner, and I didn't want to say "Thank you." Not to be bitchy, not because it made me mad, but because I wanted to somehow get across that it's not a compliment across the board and that I wasn't actually trying to lose weight, that I was happy where I was. There were a couple times that I just went "Oh really?" in reply to "You look so skinny!" but it felt like being rude by omission. I usually caved and said "thank you" out of politeness, and because they were paying me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now that I actually am trying to lose weight, I find the issue complicated further. I thank them because I am happy to hear it, but almost always clarify it with a rushed "...but I just want to lose the weight I gained, nothing more, I'm cool being chubby," still just a little too loud and a perhaps still a little bit too directed at myself. What's the best way to accept a compliment you're not sure you want to be paid? It's a question I don't have the answer to. But I'm trying to answer it as graciously as possible.</span></div>
Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-42421221577244331902012-09-18T18:44:00.000-07:002012-09-18T18:47:20.205-07:00A Weekend for the Books, if the Book's About CheeseThis weekend came in like a lion and out like a lamb who's got a sore throat. Since last night I've been all scratchy and crappy, so for today I've pretty much laid low and cleaned my apartment like a madwomen, taking frequent hot flash breaks. But earlier in the weekend! Oh, the fun. Come join me.<br />
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Katie's bachelorette party was on Saturday and pardon my french but it was the TITS. Mike, Sarah and I took the train into New York to meet up with everyone else for Scott's Pizza Tour, which was a 3 hour jaunt around the city to 3 different pizza spots with a lot of pizza knowledge dropped along the way. This dude knew his stuff and was so infectiously enthusiastic about it! And I didn't realize it was possible for me to get much more enthusiastic about pizza.<br />
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I learned how to tell coal fired pizza from electric oven cooked pizza, fresh mozzarella vs. low moisture mozzarella on sight, what makes a margherita pizza a margherita pizza, and why the idea of New York water making the pizza better is a myth!<br />
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We also detected the safest pizza temperature to avoid top-of-the-mouth burnage with the aid of a lazer gun, and Scott offered up a pocket-sized fresh pepper grinder to garnish our slices...very profesh. Scott is so into pizza that the tour has become his full-time job, he's appeared as a pizza expert on a couple of tv shows and I think he should be handed his own- he's super charismatic, I'd watch the hell out of it. Seriously can't say enough good things, if you're in the area and so inclined definitely give <a href="http://www.scottspizzatours.com/">Scott's Pizza Tours</a> an afternoon of your time.<br />
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While we were at one of the stops my friend Kitty took a jokey picture that was supposed to be of me being blah and disinterested in the middle of a bunch of people, and it came out very fashion-y. Just want you to see my big debut, look for it in an issue of Bust coming soon.<br />
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After the tour we headed to The Blind Tiger for a beer, and it might have turned into a couple of beers if it wasn't crowded as hell. In some small ways I get spoiled by working on Saturdays- I forgot how crowded places get! Especially places in the city. After that we went to our room at the Carlton Hotel to hang out for a bit, which was way swanky. I wish I had taken better pictures but Katie's sister basically laid out a full bar on the dresser and put bachelorette paraphenalia all over the place, my favorite being the "Caution: Wild Girls!" tape criss-crossed over the windows. We hung out, had drinks and girlied up for our next destination. This was one of my favorite parts of the day, just jammed onto hotel beds with my friends, bullshitting and semi-dancing and using each other's hairspray. I spent so much of the day giddy, I already feel nostalgic for it.<br />
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The next destination was a speakeasy-style bar called Bathtub Gin that you enter through a backdoor in a coffee shop- Katie didn't know where we were going and her sisters and friend Holly gave everyone 20's style headbands as a clue. Seriously, bridal party nailed it. It was great! I got a Sloe Gin Ginger Sling, which was strong and tasty, and Sarah and I split a cheese plate. There was a big copper bathtub in the middle of the room that you could take pictures in, so duh, we did.<br />
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After Bathtub Gin we had our eye on McSorley's, which is an Irish pub that only serves beer and only 2 kinds, light and dark. It ended up being packed though- Saturdays, am I right?- so we improvised and went somewhere else. This is around the time my light started to dim- I was still having a good time, but starting to feel the effects of that bitch who hovers over my shoulder and tortures my uterus monthly, my period. I was trying to hang but I felt like I was starting to give off a weird half-assed vibe amongst my party mode friends, and I decided to take the train back that night with my friend Susan rather than tough it out for a couple more bars and stay at the hotel as I originally planned. It definitely gave me a little of a "womp womp" feeling- I was not thrilled about leaving unexpectedly and felt vaguely guilty, even though I know Katie didn't want me toughing out something that's supposed to be fun. I'm still a little regretful, truth be told. But seriously, before that I had the best fucking day I've had in a long time, so I plan to keep those 12 or so hours strong in my memory and try let the last couple take a hike.<br />
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Ryan and I had the last couple of days off together and spent them the way I like them- with a cheese plate, wine, and a lot of reading.<br />
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You tell I'm not used to composing blog-y, pretty pictures yet- keys and wallet in the picture? Tighten it up, Rog. But seriously, that was our jam this weekend- we spent a lot of time separate but together, reading outside on the deck of his house or comfy inside, usually accompanied by something delicious. Right now I'm reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn because this summer I ripped through her book Gone Girl (along with most of the Princeton population judging by my clients' book clubs' selections) and wanted something similar. Ryan's been blowing through a lot of chefs' autobiographies. We went to Wegman's for the above cheese and accessories, and passed my brother and his girlfriend Allie pulling in while we were pulling out- my mind was as blown as it can be by something so small because I didn't even know there was a Wegman's by us! Oh god, that was the most boring anecdote ever. Moving on.<br />
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The first hints of fall have gotten me entirely too excited and I find myself dressing too warmly almost every day. It's seriously stupid. About 10 seconds after I left the house in this yesterday I ditched the scarf and wished I'd opted for a t-shirt or something instead of the Canadian Tuxedo, stylin' as it was. The Ry Guy and I went to the Spanish farmer's market downtown because they've got great deals, did more reading on the couch and then decided to walk to a bar nearby that has a really great rotating selection of beers for a cold one. I got something yummy, then a pumpkin beer after that? Even though I've grown to love beer, I still don't know a ton about it, but there are now keywords here and there that I've picked up on so I generally know what to order or not. I hope the vocab grows on me a little more in the sneaky way that food stuff has- before I met Ryan I already really liked food (duh, who's like "Yeah no thanks I hate food"?) and knew a good amount about it but I've definitely learned more about the fancier side of it since we've been dating. Recently I said something that prompted Ryan to go "aww, you know about foi gras!" or whatever it was in a voice like a proud preschool teacher and I think I punched him in the arm and told him to shove it but I have to admit, dude has taught me some things. Like how to love again. RALPH, kidding.<br />
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That's pretty much it! As I said, I'm feeling a little like a cold is oncoming so I've been trying to hold it off with what seriously must have amounted to gallons of Gypsy Cold Care and Echinacea tea all day while I cleaned my apartment and started to put out some fall decorations. In about 2 weeks I'm going to roll out the Halloween goodies...can't wait! For now I better get back to uh, Masterpiece Theatre, definitely not Pretty Little Liars season 3...Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-45417226093983445762012-09-06T20:43:00.000-07:002012-09-06T20:43:07.721-07:00Pretty Little Liars/Black Tar Heroin, Same Diff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That little grey box on my big grey box (my tv, it sticks out a foot and a half from the wall and let's call it "old school") has got me pretty cheezed. And I wish I could tell you it was because I'm on the edge of my seat over something cool and adult like what Walter White is going to do to Tuco or what whoever Steve Buscemi plays on Boardwalk Empire is going to do to...prohibition? Is that what that show is about? No, in the last 3 days I've gotten hooked on Pretty Little Liars.<br />
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And when I say "hooked" I mean hooked, blowing through 10 episode in a way that feels more like a compulsion than something that I'm fully enjoying for the pleasure of it- although there is that, too. I imagine that hitting the button for the next episode is satisfying the same nagging need that trichotillomania sufferers give into by pulling out their hair. And I'm none too pleased that the episode I'm super annoyed I don't get to watch has a description that says the girls go "glamping." OH, UGH. What have I become? Maybe I'm regressing because one of the witches from Charmed plays a mom on it (I'm 100 years old) and since that show was my preteen jam it's soothing to me on the same subconscious level that sleeping with your childhood blanket might be. Or maybe I'm over thinking the fact that I'm into a show where attractive young people are caught up in a mystery- duh, I love anything spooky or who-dun-it-y. I could probably get into a show where people just mouth things to each other so I can't hear or understand, but I'm pretty sure someone's been killed.<br />
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I got started on Monday when I was feeling a little couch-bound after my friends Evan and Emily's wedding, which I figure I'll probably write about a little more when I have more pictures than these:<br />
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The next of the 4 weddings I'm attending this fall is in 3 weeks...I hope I don't keep spiraling further backward and develop an iCarly obsession afterward. Or do I? I don't even know myself anymore. I need to go do something really intellectual and pretentious, like read a book written in Latin for fun. Or maybe I'll just try to refresh Netflix.<br />
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-85313702939762442692012-09-03T12:32:00.001-07:002012-09-03T12:32:25.703-07:00My Mom and I Know Everything<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My brother Will and our friend Bobby do a weekly podcast called Will and Bobby Know Everything where they have a different host every week and basically just talk about whatever- sometimes it's a specific topic, like crime, and sometimes it's just something the guest host has going on that's interesting. Even though it's my brother and friend so I'm biased, I think it's a really, really funny show and I listen to every single one the day it comes out. Which brings me to my point- this week's guest host is my mom, and I pop in for some of the action too! I was actually just stopping over at Will's apartment to drop off a bag that sold from the shop because my mom helps me out with shipping, and they asked me to stay and talk. Unfortunately the first thing that came up was an incident involving a bag of Raisinets and grocery store security guards from my teenage years, but oh well. Check it out if you're interested!<br />
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<a href="http://www.willandbobby.com/">Will and Bobby Know Everything</a><br />
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-54850453492859671892012-08-29T21:48:00.000-07:002012-08-29T21:48:03.403-07:00A Shower, Spies and SweatThis weekend was a live one! I can't remember the last time I had each day was fully packed like this was, boom boom boom. So packed I didn't even have the energy to write about it while it was still going on! Let's go back in time, shall we?<br />
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Sunday was the bridal party for Rosie, one of my oldest friends, and it was held at what turned out to be a pretty classy and beautiful place, so I'm glad I didn't wear my overalls and dirty Nikes or something (I own neither of those.) It was so nice! Rosie was genuinely surprised and it was so nice to see. She got a lot of great loot, too! I was the wrapping paper throw-er away-er in the line of bridesmaids chipping in so I had a front row seat, and I'm stoked for her to have all the condo fixin's she could ever want. Rosie loves fish so there was a fish/sea theme, including live fish centerpieces...</div>
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So pretty, right? They were given away as prizes for the shower games, which was pretty cool. All in all it was a nice brunch and I was so happy to see my friend happy.</div>
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Later in the day I headed over to Ryan's house for a barbecue and helped prepare some of the food, and by "helped" I mean turned over the ears of corn or chicken on the grill whenever he had to go to the bathroom. It was fun to hang out with his roommates and a bunch of my friends came too, the only bummer is that I felt like we were kind of in different camps for no other reason than geography because they were playing beer pong on the driveway and we were mainly in the backyard. </div>
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Worlds colliding stresses me out sometimes but our peoples blend really well so it's usually a good time. Whatever, I'm lucky enough to know people who even live in a place with a driveway and a backyard rather than a parking lot so I shouldn't complain! I hope the next hangout has more overlap though.</div>
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The next morning Ryan and I got up and headed right to DC for a quick trip! As I think I mentioned in the "About" section of the blog, Ryan is a chef with a rotating schedule so we don't always have days off at the same time and when we do, especially a few in a row like this week, we like to do it up sometimes. Washington DC is only about 3 1/2 hours from where we live so it seemed like a good destination for a quick overnight trip that we could get a lot out of. And get stuff out of it we did! After we checked into our hotel we walked around and explored a bit, stopped to grab a snack and while we were eating I did a little internet wheeling-and-dealing to get us super discounted tickets to the International Spy Museum. Score! Photography wasn't allowed but I absolutely loved it. Did you know that the gown Queen Elizabeth Tudor wore in her favorite royal portrait was embroidered with eyes and ears to imply that she saw and heard all? I know that, now, because I went to the museum.</div>
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After the museum Ryan and I went back to our room to snazz up (which on my end was thwarted a little by a toothpaste explosion on my dress, very cool) before heading out to dinner at a tapas place Ryan had made a reservation at called Jaleo. It was good! Tiny, tasty food, you know the drill. The decor was pretty weird for a high end place but I was into it. Take, for example, this table:</div>
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Pretty sweet, right? Fancy places incorporating not-so-fancy stuff can either sort of annoy me or I can get into it, and I was into this. Afterward we went to a speakeasy-style bar called The Gibson, which had really delicious cocktails. Ryan and I had googled speakeasies in the area because we really liked a couple we had gone to earlier this summer in Chicago, and from the outside this one was so nondescript that for a second we thought it was the door to an apartment and we'd messed up. But nope! It was a small, super dark bar with a blacked out front window that served 'em up tasty, just the way we like them. On our way back to the hotel to call it a night with some Chinese takeout (tiny food was too tiny) we stopped for a last beer at a bar with shuffleboard tables and skeeball machines, both at which I showed my ineptitude. Who am I over here, Wayne Gretsky? (That's like, the only sports guy I know. Daryl Strawberry?)</div>
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The next morning we woke up early with plans to hit the typical tourist-y monuments, food trucks for lunch, and the Smithsonian and the Crime and Punishment museum...and got our asses handed to us by the sweaty hot weather. We had to sacrifice checking out all the monuments because we were doing some serious walking just to the museums, and you could practically see those wavy bacon-looking heat lines coming from the pavement. Oh well, it's an excuse to go back another time! The museums were awesome, I was a little disappointed that The Puffy Shirt from Seinfeld was no longer at the Smithsonian, but totally geeked out over some original Muppets being there! </div>
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The Crime and Punishment Museum had slightly fewer Muppets and slightly more John Walsh, but it was still awesome. I very unexpectedly felt slightly weird at the museum- admittedly, probably the majority of the media I consume has to do with true crime (the entire broadcasting lineup of the Investigation Discovery channel, books), and maybe it had to do with the contrast of just having seen Dorothy's ruby slippers behind similar glass an hour before, but it felt a little icky to gawk at John Wayne Gacy's oil painting set alongside a family from New Hampshire. I really did enjoy it but it was unsettling in a way I didn't expect. I did get to see and say "no thanks" to a confiscated prison tattoo machine though!</div>
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Oof, looks pokey. All in all it was a great trip, and if you're curious to see even more pictures you can check out my TripColor page! Do you guys know about this? It's an app you can use to upload pictures and tag your locations so they show up on a little map. I like it because there are plenty of you-had-to-be-there things on trips that I want to document, but I don't want to necessarily clog up everyone's Facebook and Instagram feeds with. It's free and I've used it twice now, I highly recommend! Here's mine, where you can also see my Chicago trip if you're curious: </div>
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Thanks for reading down this far, what an endurance test of a post! So have you guys shoehorned in any last minute summer trips? Were you also caught on camera by America's Most Wanted (not pictured)?</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-44095544507186236262012-08-25T16:10:00.000-07:002012-08-25T20:52:12.592-07:00Why I Think "TMI" is Total Bullshit<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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I try (and fail) not to think too much about what other people must think of me, but I would imagine that one of the things that might come to mind is that I'm an oversharer (or, if the person is more generous with their adjectives/likes me more, I'm "honest.") Sometimes it's an inadvertent, diarrhea-of-the-mouth sort of situation, but more often I've given it the 2 seconds of thought required to decide that I'm cool with whatever gross/uncomfortable thing it is that I'm about to say. I think the more honest that we all are about our idiosyncrasies or perceived shortcomings, the less we'll come to think of them as flaws and think of them more as just another one of the things that human beings do.<br />
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Have you ever been talking to someone about something that's supposed to be fun but you're stressed about, and they make a remark about being stressed, and you breathe this sigh of relief and go "Oh, thank GOD" because you feel the same way? I kind of work on being the kind of person who provokes that sigh, even if there's a risk that it might make me seem dumb/bitchy/disgusting. I try not to be overly precious about my "stuff" to maybe encourage people not to be so precious about theirs. I joke and talk about how I hate myself the morning after I find myself binge eating vanilla ice cream with crushed up potato chips poured on top at 11:30 at night when I wasn't even hungry because I'm starting my REAL diet tomorrow and Oh What The Hell. When people compliment my eyeliner I might say "Oh thanks! It's so weird, I fell asleep in front of Forensic Files last night and just touched up yesterday's makeup this morning." I sometimes rush out of the salon apologizing for not being able to stay while we close up and walk out with everyone but I've had to poop for the last 5 hours so Sayonara. I half-hate any large social gathering where there's not at least an 70/30 split of my immediate friends to strangers, so I might talk about how I drank too fast because I felt anxious when asked how a party was.<br />
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I do wonder sometimes if it's a problem that there's not a whole lot that I take seriously, and this goes beyond the jokier examples above. But I also think the less weight we give our issues, big or small, the less they might weigh on us (you can find that embroidered on my Feelings Pillow.) I also sometimes wonder if people think that I'm walking TMI and that I don't realize what I'm doing, but I do. For sure there are times that I've cringed because it was too much or I've been blunt past the point of heroic, shiny honesty. But I talk about stuff like this because...well, primarily because I usually think it's funny, but secondarily because I know that when other people are open about things that I feel some shame or embarrassment about, it kind of wipes it away a little bit and makes me feel like maybe I'm not the worst. We're all weird fuckups and we're all amazing, and I think we should cop to both. Unless you guys are perfect in which case yeah, me too, totally.Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-48894935706457576792012-08-21T18:33:00.003-07:002012-08-21T21:03:56.694-07:00Free Drinks from Temporary Friends, Tacos and a Doggie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">On Sunday Sarah, Katie and I headed to the Asbury Park beach nice and early...we left around 9, which for me as a very passionate sleeper is a near miracle, but if the motivation is there I can pull it off. The motivation was that peaceful scene up there and it totally delivered. Not for too long though! The beach got steadily more and more crowded, and fate brought us some new friends- at least for the day. A group of guys parked it in front of us and we basically laughed at things that we couldn't help overhear from each other until we were talking and introducing ourselves and they were giving us the recipe for the margaritas that they had brought in their cooler. They were so fun and nice that by the time one of our new friends turned around in his beach chair and said "When are we going to go get mojitos?" we were totally ready to say "NOW" and head to the Beach Bar just a staircase away from our towels. I feel like it's worth mentioning that these were gay gentlemen so the creepy vibe you might get from a bunch of dudes offering you drinks was null and void.</span></div>
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Danny, he of the pink shorts on the right, bought us margaritas because they were out of limes for the mojitos and we talked about all kinds of things- our pets, random Grindr hookups, gay cruises...now that I think about it I think Katie, Sarah and I did most of the listening, but it was fine! We also did a lot of the laughing and however that comes is a-okay with me. Danny bought us a second round of drinks and we just kept talking to him and Will on the left there while their friend Vincent would come up from the beach occasionally with handfuls of the pretzels or Goldfish we had by our blankets asking if it was okay that he was eating them, while he was eating them. It was hilarious and very okay. Eventually it was getting late and we had to go so we hugged and said goodbyes, and not to sound cold but I thought it was kind of awesome that we didn't fake that we were all going to do this again sometime. We had a really fun day together and we left it at that, and I thought it was pretty perfect.</div>
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The next day Ryan was off so we slept in for a while and made up for the time I had lost getting up early the day before. Actually, I just slept in...Ryan woke up earlier than I did and tried to see if I wanted to wake up with him but it wasn't happening, so he sat in bed and read next to me for an hour or so until I roused myself. Look, that's what he gets for having a down comforter. We bopped around for most of the day doing whatever and then went to Costa Chica for an early dinner, which is a pretty legit Mexican spot in the town next to us. When I saw legit, I mean both in the sense that it's awesome and that the menu is entirely in Spanish. It's crazy good and very simple, I usually get chicken tacos which are just soft corn tortillas with chicken, raw onion and cilantro, and then I put some of the fresh salsa they put out with the chips when you sit down. Aye caramba.</div>
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After that we went to my parents house for another round of the Lethal Weapon Die Hard Face Off. This time Die Hard 3: Die Hard with a Vengeance was up, and it was totally sweet. Did you know that Samuel L. Jackson was hot? I didn't. My brain has totally replaced any Samuel L. Jackson it used to know with the one wearing a fuzzy backwards Kangol hat and yelling about motherfuckin' snakes, which okay, is awesome. We decided the next movie series we're going to do is alternating between Mel Brooks movies and Woody Allen movies and I'm way into it. Mel Brooks is practically a member of my family as far as I'm concerned. Woody Allen's got enough family stuff going on to need anything from me, I think he's good.</div>
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Today I got a lot of things listed for the Etsy store and it felt really good...man, is it a lot of work! I love doing it but it's definitely time intensive. I'm really glad that I decided to bring everything over to my parents house and work on it there, my brother Will was also over helping our dad with some stuff and our mom was fooling around with her new sewing machine so it felt nice to be all sitting around the dining room table, doing our own things but doing them together. Of course when I took this the "own things" we were working on were ice cream sandwiches, but don't worry about it.</div>
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Happy Midweek, y'all!</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-75154237533428354382012-08-14T11:01:00.000-07:002012-08-14T11:01:22.080-07:00Ruined Sheets and a New TattooYesterday I got a new tattoo and mama likey. I decided to get a beehive- I'd been rolling it around in my mind for close to a year, getting a couple other things in between, but I decided I really wanted it and scheduled my appointment a few weeks ago. I'm very lucky because one of my closest friends is a tattoo artist so it makes the whole thing as close to enjoyable as getting tons of tiny needles poked into you gets! Here's what went down yesterday.<br />
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This is what Evan had drawn up before I got there. I loved the general shape of it and especially the bees with the trails, but I wasn't super into the eye- which I told Evan and he said he wasn't sure I'd feel it anyway. Eyeballs pop up all over traditional style tattoos and I actually do like them and might have one incorporated into something someday, but it wasn't this day and it wasn't this beehive! I wish I had pictures of the different iterations the tattoo ended up going through, but since he was sketching on the light box the pictures didn't come out right and then frankly I forgot to take some when it was off. Some of the things we (yeah, like I did anything) tried out were having a bigger bee in the middle of the beehive or a bigger flower in the middle of the beehive. It just didn't look right without something breaking up the lines so we tried a bunch of different things. Finally Evan played around with the placement of the flowers and struck gold!</div>
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Here's the stencil on. A foot or so above it, out of frame, just imagine my face being like "Ugh shit this is gonna hurt why do I think the ouchiest spots look so good ugh ugh ugh."</div>
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Here it is almost done- we had to take a break before doing the blue flowers, because the yellow ink was so fresh and light in color that it could have gotten stained by the blue. The more you know! The little beehive door was only red because of blood, which is disgusting. Raise your hand if you've shown pictures of your blood on the internet! I wanna give you a gross high five. During the break we watched a clip of Honey Boo Boo from Toddlers and Tiaras because I couldn't believe he hadn't seen her in action, even though she and her mama June are the screensaver on the shop's computer! Have you seen their new show? No joke, I love it. I think they seem like a nice, loving family and I'm not being sarcastic. Open your minds!!!</div>
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Here's the finished product! Ryan took it for me at home after I took off that gross thing that comes in the bottom of packages of meat that they wrap your arm in. I'm really happy with it! Less happy that this happened to my sheets last night:</div>
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What a dumdum! I definitely knew better, Ryan's sheets have a perfect imprint of my butterfly tattoos on them, which is both gross and awesome. No matter! I'm the proud owner of bitchin' ink (I don't really talk like this) and if a couple of sheets get hurt in the process, well, so be it.</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-7634273363060723652012-08-12T19:31:00.000-07:002012-08-12T19:35:17.380-07:00What the Hell is 2 Inches? Real Talk Tips on Salon Trips from a Hairdresser<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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As many of you no doubt know, working in an industry where there's a lot of interaction with an assortment of people on a day-to-day basis can be...interesting. Totally awesome, but interesting. Oh, the stories I could tell about near-tears at half inches, highlight-related trauma and sudden belly button ring exposures. But I won't. I can't betray my hippocratic oath as a hair doctor, at least until you get a couple drinks in me. However, I can share some things that I think can benefit you as a client and make the entire salon experience as successful as possible so you come out bouncing around like a babe. For a little context, I work in a fairly high-end salon so these may or may not apply where you go. In fact as a disclaimer, they may not apply to anyone, though I suspect they will.</div>
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<b>Be On Time</b>- This may seem like no-brainer life advice, but I think it applies double in the salon. Stylists schedules tend to work in blocks of 15 minutes, and many of us customize the time we schedule in our book for different services based on the length we know it takes us. Haircuts are often 45 minutes or an hour, so let's say you have your haircut booked and you come in 15 minutes late...to you 15 minutes might not sound like much, but to us a third of your appointment time has passed. Because it's a domino effect, depending on the stylist they may still take you and be late for their clients for the rest of the day, or they may ask you to reschedule in fairness to the day's clients. Neither situation is ideal, so please be mindful! It's always advisable to come a little early but especially if it's your first visit, as any hairdresser worth their salt will have a good consultation with you. It's courteous, yes, but mutually beneficial.</div>
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Another quick note on time- if you know that your hair tends to take extra time because of thickness or you're curly and you know you'd like to get blown out super straight that day, let the receptionist know so that they can book accordingly. On the flipside, if you're unsure of how long your total appointment is going to take because you're concerned about your own schedule that day, ask when you book it- not much is worse than when someone sits down in my chair for color and says "So I'll be able to meet my husband for dinner in 25 minutes, right?" Gulp.</div>
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<b>Bring a Picture</b>- I think people sometimes worry that this is dorky, but honestly it's a huge help. Some people don't have the words to get across what they're looking for easily, plus there tends to be so much magazine talk that confuses people- "Ask your stylist for side swept, inverted feather-touch bangs", etc.- that pictures really help us get on the same page. Don't worry if it's a celebrity that you don't like, I'm barely looking at their face anyway! Also if there's even just as aspect of a certain cut or color that you like, that's okay too- every little bit helps. </div>
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<b>Don't Get Too Hung Up On Specifics</b>- When I say this I don't mean that you shouldn't have a good idea of what you want- although if you don't that's okay too, we'll hash it out in the consultation! I only mean that sometimes people will get something in their head that's subjective and really want to stick to it, which isn't always productive. For example, your idea of 2 inches could be very different from my idea of 2 inches, so I always ask people to show me on themselves where they would like to see their length to be rather than asking how much they'd like off. That might end up being more or less than 2 inches, and that's ok! No one ever compliments anyone on their hair being 2 inches shorter, they just compliment them on their haircut. Similarly, sometimes someone will be married to the idea of say, "chestnut" colored hair...but what does that mean? Be open to talking about ideas and figuring out what will look best on you and what you'll love, even if it turns out to be, I don't know, "walnut"!</div>
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<b>Don't Feel Pressured To Talk</b>- I'm lucky in that while I enjoy being a Chatty Cathy and learning about my client, I'm also totally cool with silences and making them comfortable, not awkward. Clients who prefer their Me Time on the quiet side have intimated to me that they're grateful when I don't press conversation and just let them chill, which makes me think this might be a common problem. It's totally understandable- a lot of people feel silence weighing on them as awkwardness and try to be polite by filling the gap. Some cues that cause me to play it cool and just get Zen in the act of putting in foils are when clients grab a few magazines on the way to my station and start reading, have a book with them, or just don't really go into lengthy answers when I dip my toe into small talk. It's truly, truly fine- don't worry about it being rude. Your time at the salon is your time and if you don't feel like talking, you don't have to! On the flipside, of course if you do want to talk, let's do this thing, I wanna hear about the weird documentary you just watched on Netflix.</div>
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Another little cue that we pick up on is at the shampoo bowl- at least in my salon, a nice scalp massage is the default because the majority of people seem to enjoy them. But if you're the type who just wants to get on with it, keep your eyes open or start chatting a little bit- I'll assume you're just not into it and git r dun. Again, conversely, if you do want your mind melted, close your eyes and try to keep the talking to a minimum so I can tell what mode you're in.</div>
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<b>Know What You Don't Want</b>- I think this is the single most important thing I learn in any consultation. If someone comes in and I ask them what they're looking for and they say they don't know, asking this next is an automatic for me. You know how Michelangelo said that David was already in that block of marble, he just chipped away to reveal him? Doing hair is like that, chipping away at little facts until I get to the core of what's going to make you look great. I am EXACTLY like Michelangelo.</div>
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<b>Trust Us</b>- Sometimes you may head into the salon with a clear idea of what you want, which is fantastic, but your stylist may want to steer you in another direction. From time to time I feel the things people want might not suit them for whatever reason, but I always explain it. For example, a client might want to go very light with her haircolor but I don't recommend it not because it wouldn't look good, but because I know that she can't commit to coming in every 4 weeks to get her regrowth touched up and she'll spend the majority of her time with major regrowth and looking less than great. In a situation like that I'll always explain my reasoning, and if it really comes down to it and the client is super insistent, I will do it. But she would probably be better off taking my suggestion and making a compromise, such as just brightening up with some lighter pieces around the face or going just a couple shades lighter as opposed to dramatically lighter, rather than having a dramatic change that only looks good for a few weeks every 6 months. So be open minded! A good stylist will be taking into consideration not only what will be aesthetically hot but what works with your lifestyle (how much time you'll realistically spend on it daily), budget and time (how often you'll be coming in for touchups.) I promise, sometimes I may tell clients things they're not dying to hear, but it's never because I'm getting a kick out of it. My life would be a lot easier if I just "yes"d everyone to death, but everyone would look a lot crappier.</div>
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Is there anything else you're curious about, from over on that side of the chair? I thought it might be interesting to put some things out there than the usual magazine wisdom of "bring a childhood picture to get your best blonde," which okay, isn't half bad. Let me know! Having your hair done should be fun!</div>
Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-10882771580533129932012-08-08T20:44:00.000-07:002012-08-08T20:44:10.626-07:00Corporate America Takes Facebook (and I Love It!)Lately have you seen sly advertisements on Facebook in the form of "Your friend Joe Blablabla commented on a picture"? Like me, have you ignored them? You might wanna snap to because there is a whole lot of awesome going on right under our noses, if the Campbells Kitchen Facebook account is any indication.<div>
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I saw that my friend had commented on a picture of dip and clicked to find it. I never did find his comment...maybe he got shy at the last minute and deleted it? Maybe the attention heaped on him by Campbells Kitchen put him off? These guys do play it personal. Whatever the case, I'm grateful because it caused me to plunge into the depths of the comments (and the dip.)<br /><div>
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My contribution is pictured above. And look, yes I am hilarious and YES it's a big deal, but let's move on. Above my comment, Campbell's refers to someone as being "chip-deep" in their dip. Eyebrow raise.</div>
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I've noticed that depending on your perspective, Campbell's Kitchen could kind of be coming off flirty- "extra delicious with your special touch"? Come on- or like a desperate, clingy friend- "Of course, Julie! :)"</div>
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Things turned a little dark on the comment thread when friend of Campbell's Janice Hebert got excited about the dip, but moments later realized she would never be able to enjoy it herself...</div>
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Until the the clouds parted for Ms. Hebert and Campbell's Kitchen offered some alternative scrumptious dips! A little more customer interaction and what looks like a King Charles Spaniel at the bottom there round us out. I wonder if they ever did find out whether Tfaith will be testing the dip soon.</div>
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I'm so curious as to who's manning this account...maybe it's an intern writing goofy responses while a bunch of other interns look over her shoulder egging her on and laughing, or maybe it's a guy in a cubicle just trying to do a good job. Maybe it's Campbell himself! All I know is I'm hooked and I want more. Do you know of any other corporate Facebook accounts really going the extra mile to stay connected? It just occurred to me that Ben and Jerry's might warrant a look...</div>
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<br /></div>Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-83575749908557031172012-08-07T13:27:00.001-07:002012-08-07T20:03:04.308-07:00My WeekendWorking in a salon makes my schedule different than the typical Monday-Friday 9-5, so my weekend doesn't line up with the weekends of a lot of other people. This may seem like a strange time for a weekend roundup post but just roll with it!<br />
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On Sunday I went to the bridal shower for one of my best besties, Katie. It was great and very much "her", which was awesome! She's not the type for lots of games or that bonnet made out of wrapping paper so it was nice and simple- beautiful restaurant, great wine and food, and awesome decorations. Katie works part-time at a restaurant so for the last few months she'd been collecting empty bottles from the bar to use as these centerpieces and it totally paid off. I got to bring home a root beer bottle with little papery purple flowers in it- me gusta! I'm actually going to be performing her marriage ceremony (online ordination, it's very real) in October and I got a little teary just looking their names on the menu, so I might be one blubbery Reverend of the Universal Ministries on the big day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLNTdXxXAC8o-OTqNyO_3OO9cQuX4ApysG2pEW-64L2L9qOvfj9xSajD2qlESwiNoxvcFDIclx5T5FRW5Z9b_6hG6Ok8PJjbdAoX-tbWhM0Q15Y8AOKT4ciSg4LXdZvvdpO6MRPx-Uck/s1600/duemaribar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLNTdXxXAC8o-OTqNyO_3OO9cQuX4ApysG2pEW-64L2L9qOvfj9xSajD2qlESwiNoxvcFDIclx5T5FRW5Z9b_6hG6Ok8PJjbdAoX-tbWhM0Q15Y8AOKT4ciSg4LXdZvvdpO6MRPx-Uck/s640/duemaribar.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Later that night Ryan and I went with our friends Meg and Joe to get drinks and snacks at Due Mari, a restaurant nearby. We're super lucky to live within walking distance of a lot of good restaurants and bars, so that's what we did- walk over even though it was sweaty-hot, and then watch through the window as it rained cats and dogs! Luckily the rain let up long enough for us to walk to a bar with cable that we could mooch off of to watch Breaking Bad- it's a little loud there but the show is so good that I'm content to just get the gist in exchange for seeing it in real time.</div>
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On Monday I wanted to hit a few thrift stores and Ryan had seen some on his way to work that I didn't know about, so we decided to get some lunch and then go together. The one above was crammed full and had a weird employee who just kept standing in one spot and staring at us, or peeking his head around the furniture-created aisles at us if we were out of view. Ryan was engulfed enough in a crate of VHS tapes of Demolition Man or whatever to ignore it, but I was totally weirded out and wanted to split tout sweet! I think I kind of let myself get overcharged out of the primal urge of flight but oh well.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I looked to my left, saw this and died. Dead now.</td></tr>
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At night my brother and I went over to my parents to continue the movie night series we're deeply invested in at the moment. We watched the first Lethal Weapon one week, then the first Die Hard the following week to compare/contrast, and this will continue throughout the sequels to both. I'm going to go ahead and call this The Die Hard/Lethal Weapon Face Off, which I understand is confusing because of the movie Face Off. Nevertheless, it is a completely badass thing to do with your parents. Could have lived without that chick's nipples in Lethal Weapon 2 while sitting next to my parents last night though, if we're nitpicking.</div>
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And that brings us to today! Since I'm not really going out for public consumption I'm wearing my gym clothes as an optimistic gesture. This is the kind of outfit shot people get inspiration from, right? Just keeping it real. </div>
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What are you up to? Did you enjoy your weekend, which in all likelihood was days ago?</div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2158182768629127088.post-61670206507469384602012-07-29T10:28:00.001-07:002012-07-29T11:38:02.156-07:00the maiden voyageI'm typing on an actual keyboard for the first time in a long time and so far it's a little clunky. I keep having to backspace and capitalize things, then things flipped and for a few seconds I couldn't get it out of caps lock...I'm rusty. Well actually, I'm new. I'm mushing my dumb fingers all over the computer because for the last year or so I just used an iPad- I've only ever been an internet looky-loo so it was pretty perfect, auto-correct and all. But I decided I wanted to jump in the screen and get in on the action, so here we are!<br />
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It's all been hypothetical so far but shit's about to get real...I'm heading over to my brother Will and his girlfriend Allie's apartment in a little while so Allie can take pictures of me modeling some wares for the Etsy vintage store that will be partially set up by tonight, Try, Try Again. She's also taking a snap of me to sit up in the corner of this blog somewhere, which I'll send along with a design questionnaire to get things looking fresh and profesh around here. I'm stoked and a little nervous, it's a lot of stuff that I've never done before...clearly if I can't remember to hit the shift key (eh, it's kicking in a little now), how easily am I going to navigate shop listings and shipping costs and blog entries? We'll see! But first things first, I've gotta figure out how to turn this...<br />
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into this.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I foresee no problems.</span></div>
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<br />Kristen from Try, Try Againhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512918732127907228noreply@blogger.com0