Bed Head Control Freak Shampoo and Conditioner Review

     Before I started, I want to share with you some background on my hair. It is long (reaching the bottom of my shoulder blades, or bra strap length for the girls). It is a medium brown, and I have only dyed my hair twice; once chemically, and another with henna. I hardly ever do stuff to my hair like straightening and curling it, so I guess you could say that my hair is really healthy. I have type 2a-2c hair depending on the day, and if I scrunch it, and leave it alone or comb it through, and mess with it. The waviness of my hair also depends on the weather. Where I live is quite arid, so most days it is a 2a type wave if I don't do anything to it...so everyday pretty much. For the last year I have been noticing a lot of my hair is falling out. Not that I am going bald, but it was an alarming amount, and I could never figure out why.
     Now that you know a little bit about my hair, time for the review. Normally, I just buy cheap shampoo at the store, so this is a little out of my reach. I will review the product on  categories. So here we go:

Price
    Holy smokes this shampoo and conditioner is expensive. Normally it retails for about 20 dollars a bottle, so in order to buy this, you really have to wait until they have a sale on it, or look online for a better price. The first time I bought the shampoo and conditioner, it came in a set at Costco with a special price for Christmas. I can't remember the price from the first time I owned these products, but I do remember that they were expensive. More recently, I found a Black Friday/Black Weekend sale on the set at a local beauty supply store in my area retailing with a discount for 7 dollars a bottle of the same size (which I took advantage of). Like I said before, you need to be on a lookout for the sales that are on these products. Although the price is out of this world without the sales and coupons, the shampoo and conditioner last a long time considering there is 26 oz, and because it costs so much to own, you don't really want to waste any of it.

Does it follow the claims?
     Control freak has three main claims that it makes, and we will be discussing them individually.
1.) Control the frizz
     From my experience of using the shampoo and conditioner, I didn't notice any difference in using this product from another cheap drugstore shampoo and conditioner. Honestly this claim is a little too presumptuous. I haven't found one shampoo or conditioner in all of my experimentation that actually controls the frizz. Naturally, my hair is more poofy than downright frizzy, so for me I did not see this claim follow through.

***Just a quick note: my hair is completely unique to me, and because something does not work for me does not mean that it will not work for you. These are just my opinions.***

2.) Stomp the Curl: 
     Again the claim seems too high. Like I said in my introduction, I have 2a-2c wavy hair. I don't necessarily want to stomp the curl, so I was a bit worried the first time I bought these products. I also did not see that claim following through.

3.) Help dry hair faster:
    Out of the three claims, this one really holds true. I have noticed that my hair dries faster when I use the shampoo and conditioner, though it is really too bad that out of the three claims this is the only one that follows through.

The product itself:
     The shampoo and conditioner have interesting textures. The shampoo is really thick and I find the it struggles to go through the pump. You have to pump several times just to get enough product out to use. The conditioner boasts that it has a new texture called "slickquid", and that is what it feels like. I rather like the texture of both the conditioner and shampoo, although it's a little tricky to work with. The scent is pleasant. It lingers between apple, pineapple and pina colada. As far as the fall out goes, I notice it is not as severe as before, and my hair is not so snarly as it used to be.

     Overall the product is nice. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. The scent is nice, the product lasts a long time and it helps dry hair faster. It helps with my fall out and tangles, but other than that it is as good as a shampoo and conditioner from the drugstore. I like it, and I will use it, but I will only buy it if it is on sale or a coupon is going on.

     That's all for now!

Henna - What you need to know and some FAQ

     "Henna, is that like a sort of hair dye or something?" This question always seems to pop up when I mention that I henna my hair. I have done my research before I decided to henna my hair and I had many questions that were not always answered. I suggest that if you are considering using henna, do your research first and then make your decision. Today I want to talk about some FAQ I receive, myths, and tips that I have from my own experience,

What is Henna? - Henna is a plant that is grown in the arid climates found in the Middle East. It's leaves, when crushed and mixed with an acid, release a red/orange dye that can dye fingernails, skin, and in this case, hair. The more arid the climate in which a plant grows, the more red dye will release. It is also known as Lawsonia Inermis. Henna that is labeled as blonde henna, black henna, or neutral henna is not pure henna. There is no such thing. Henna can be mixed with other plant based dyes such as indigo (gives it a blue/black color), cassia (which will give shine and a minimal amount of a golden hue to hair) or amla (which will turn hair brown). Different ratios of the plant dyes can be mixed to find a good color for you, however as with all dye, it can not lighten your hair. If you have dark brown to black hair, your results will be less noticeable as a blonde's results.

Will my hair melt off? -  No, this myth is common because when someone asks a hairdresser about henna, they usually think of henna mixed with other metallic salts and chemicals that could damage hair. Pure henna was actually used as a deep conditioning treatment in India, and other Middle Eastern countries hundreds of years ago. If using 100% pure lawsonia inermis, your hair will not melt off.

Will the color fade like all other red dyes do?  - This is completely up to the type of hair you have, and what you use on it. When you first rinse out the henna from your hair, it will be a shocking red/orange-ish color, but like an apple when freshly cut, it will oxidize and turn to a deeper color. After the first week, generally henna'ed hair will maintain the color until the roots begin to show through.

What will my hair feel like? - Unlike all other dyes that coat the hair, the henna is actually absorbed into the hair (thus the reason for the long lasting results). Your hair will still feel like your hair once the process is complete, and not like straw.

How long should I leave the henna in my hair? -  This is completely up to you, but I do recommend taking a few samples of hair from your brush and testing them. This will take a few hours so set aside time to complete the strand test. I left my henna mix in for about 3 and a half hours.

Can I henna my hair over chemically treated hair? - Yes, however you have to wait at least a month before and after you henna your hair to dye or chemically treat your hair. If you don't then you may have some terrible results. You can't fade henna. Once you henna your hair, you're stuck with it until it grows out or you cut it off. Luckily enough for me, the color was so natural that unless you knew me for years previously, you could not tell that I died my hair. For example, everyone at school and work did not notice that I died my hair. (it may also have to do with the fact that I have very fair skin and ruddy cheeks like a naturally born redhead would) You could use bleach to fade the henna, but the results can vary and you will have extremely damaged hair for years.


Some Friendly Tips:

• When mixing the henna (either the Lush block method, or the powder method) try to achieve the consistency of a thick cake batter, or brownie batter. Stay away from too runny or too thick as it will be difficult to apply to hair, or run down the face if too watered down.
• Make sure you apply some petroleum jelly around you hair line and ears to prevent the henna from dying your skin before you have a chance to wipe it off. 
• Apply the henna in your bath tub to avoid a lot of mess. 
• Your head will feel heavy once all the henna is applied to your hair, so put an old raggedy towel over your pillow and you can lay down for a few minutes.
• Partition some of your henna to put into a Ziploc bag and apply it to your roots that way. It saves a bit of time and doesn't make such a big mess. 
• Have someone to help you if you can.
• Dunk your head in a bucket of warm water to initially rinse most of the henna out and dump the water outside so all the gunk will not go down your drains.
• Have a bunch of leftover conditioner on hand - you hair will feel extremely dry and tangley in the shower. ( I conditioned about 4-5 times)
• If you don't like your hair on the first day, remember that the color will darken over the next few days.

     I hope that you learned something new today. If you are considering henna-ing your hair, do your research and be fully committed to being a redhead for a long time.

May smiles and giggles surround you always,
-Amy


The method I chose and my review:
I chose to purchase a block of henna from Lush. I chose the caca Rouge block. I accidentally added less water than I was supposed to, but I feel that this point will not be a huge difference in the actual product.
 
Price -  It was expensive. I paid around $26.00 for the one and only block they had available at the Lush store in my area. I was dissapointed that they didn't have more for backup. I kind of felt nervous about only buying one block.

Ease of Use -  This is tricky. As I mentioned, I added less water than I was supposed to. Melting the block of henna took about 15 minutes and even then it wasn't smooth. There were tiny grain like particles in my mixture. It was quite annoying having rice sized things in the paste. It felt, to be honest, like there were flies in my hair. But on the upside, when I was rinsing out my hair, I could tell if there was still some stuck somewhere. The henna was barely enough to cover my then shoulder blade length hair so if you have long hair, be sure that you buy two blocks, just to make sure.

 Color Payoff -   I have never used henna before, so I am unsure of the color payoff, but the color was definately more muted than what I expected. I don't know if it was the oils that Lush put in the blocks that prevented more color from absorbing, or something else, but I was a little dissapointed.

Overall Impressions - If you have never henna'ed your hair like me, then this would be a great stepping stone to using henna powder. I am on the fence with this one. The price was out of this world, and the grainy thingies in my block turned me off, but the color was nice and natural, so I think that this would be a great starting-to-henna product.




Three Days and a half later:
As I mentioned above, my hair was supposed to darken to more of a reddish auburn color, however, the red in my hair seemed to darken and become less of an orangey orange, and more or a reddy red. Holy Cow! Did not expect that. (No offence meant to the Hindu's) My hair has had a chance to regain all of it's natural oils so my hair does not feel like straw, but I do still deep condition about two times per week anyhow.

6 Months Later - Final Impressions:
My overall experience with henna'ing has been positive. It faded as all dyes do, but the color is still strong in my ends. I have noticed that when I chemically dyed my hair, it not only made it feel like straw, but in the rare occasion that I actually styled my hair, the style didn't hold no matter what products or heat settings I used. ( I didn't go overboard on the heat though) This is not the case when I henna'ed my hair. As I said earlier in the post, my hair still feels like my hair. I was able to style it normally without any kind of a struggle. When it comes to fading, it is noticeable (at least for me) if you really and I mean really looked for it. It is a gradual fading. My hair has been the topic of envy with my mom who also dyed her hair (chemically) red the same day I did. My results were more natural than hers, and my hair actually felt better afterwords. Overall, when I have the time with school and work, I will definitely use henna again! 

College Advice from a Freshman

     I don't know if you've noticed or not, but the new school year has begun. I have decided to attend a community college near where I live so I can stay at home and work. I have a few pointers that can help you on your first week of college.
     First, do your homework and find out which books that you need before class starts. Often the professor will start the class with an overview of the syllabus on the first day, but be ready on the second day to start learning. I made the mistake of waiting, and I was without my books my first week of school. If your required material is not specific to the college or university, try to find your books on the internet. I found all of my books on Ebay and Amazon, and I saved over 100 dollars on books.
     Second, if you are female, please don't wear high heels unless you were born in them and have been wearing them since 6th grade. It will just make you look like a freshman, and not to mention the pain. Try to look nice, but here at college, for the most part, no one cares what you are wearing. Men, there is a point in life where you realize that the saggy gangsta pants were not a good trend to follow. I suggest that you change that now. I do not want to see your plain boxers no matter how cool you think it is. Believe me when I say that saggy jeans are not attractive.
     Third, you absolutely need a laptop to survive college. If you can't afford one, I suggest investing in a tablet or setting money aside for a few months and consider purchasing one. I am taking 12 credits right now, in addition to my work hours and most of the time, my homework and tests are done online. If you need to wait, check out your local library or college library, and they should have some that you could use.
     Fourth, do your homework as soon as it is assigned. There will not be reminders about class assignments and tests given to warn you. If you get behind, it is extremely difficult to juggle both the current assignment and the late assignment in the time given to finish both of them. I have the lucky experience of AP classes and concurrent enrollment underneath my belt to know that there will be homework every single night. You should be checking the class syllabus regularly to stay on track. When you have a break before your next class, there is ample time to finish or begin a homework assignment, and you won't have to stay up late to finish it on time.
     Finally, and perhaps the most important, be yourself and make new friends. You will not find your high school friends here in college, so start fresh with a clean slate, and be the best you can be.
     I hope these tips will help you in the future to be ready to tackle the first week of college. In the meantime, relax and find joy in the moment.

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease is a strange and difficult thing to go through. Commonly hereditary, it scares many people, as the fear of the unknown. For the last 3-4 years, my paternal grandfather suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and it's compatriot in crime, Dementia. Although many people joke about Alzheimer's Disease, it is a serious ordeal that many people have to go through.

Alzheimer's Disease is silent but deadly. Most people do not recognize the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease (from now on referred to as AD), and pass it off as a normal aging behavior. AD is a disorder in the brain that effects memory, decision making and language skills. It is a non-reversible terminal disease. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. If caught early, preventative medications can prescribed to help slow the advance of the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease, however not stop or slow the progression of the disease itself.

In the case of my Grandfather, we caught it in the Moderate stage of the disease, which meant that he had some difficulty in recognizing family and friends, accomplishing daily tasks and having the ability to communicate freely. We decided that our next step was to put him in a care center. Like many who struggle with loved ones with AD, we patiently helped him eat and visited him as often as we could.

AD is not fun. It is hard to see a loved one not remember who you are, and how to communicate their joys, pains, happiness and sorrows. It is hard to watch as they slowly fade away and become trapped inside themselves. It is especially hard to wait for their right time to go.

Although this disease is the cause of much sorrow and hardship for families, there is a sense of peace when the time comes for them to leave this pain riddled world. They are now free and completely capable of doing whatever they want to do. I know that without the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I would have little to no hope of seeing my loved ones again, but we will someday. Next time you hear someone joking around with Alzheimer's you now know that this disease is not to be messed with. It is a true struggle, for those affected directly by it and family members.

Fast Food Restaurants 101

     As I lay in bed last night trying to drift off into blessed sleep, I began to think about fast food restaurants and the courtesies that are starting to fade away. I soon became concerned with the behaviors that I have seen first hand in fast food restaurants, both behind the counter and as a guest. It seems because fast food restaurants are not really considered restaurants, the courtesy and hospitality expected at a regular sit-down restaurant, are not being carried over. I want to briefly touch base with expected hospitality and courtesy that needs to be reintroduced to the fast food industry and it's consumers.

Behind the Counter

     I have been working at a fast food restaurant for the last year. The restaurant that I work at emphasizes in hospitality for our "guest" and to provide a sit-down atmosphere, whilst enjoying a great meal. Because this mentality has lodged itself into my brain, I begin to expect the same hospitality at other fast food restaurants. Naturally that hospitality did not carry over. I was shocked at the uncleanliness that I found, the snide comments that the workers made about the customers, and the unhelpfulness that dominated the very air in the store. Sometimes I felt like the employees took my order and then stopped caring about me after they got my money. Sadly this ideal has become the norm for most fast food restaurants.
     Here are a few tips for the employees behind the counter. First, remember that you are getting paid to be welcoming and hospitable to the customers. They are spending money on gas to get to your store, then they are paying for the food that they order from you. Just because you don't like their appearance does not mean that gives you the right to be snide to another. Second, your guests are expecting a clean atmosphere. That desire is quite hard to appease if your bathrooms have toilet paper on the floor, and who knows what smeared on the stalls and mirrors. Oftentimes, when I walk into a restaurant I judge the cleanliness of the store as a harbinger quality of the food served. Third, just because you don't like your job, or have sore feet from standing too long does NOT mean that you can treat the customers poorly. Try to have a smile on your face, if not for you, for the customers
     Those are a few tips of many for those who work behind the front counter in a fast food restaurant.

The Guests

     Okay guys, I have a bone to pick with you. As I mentioned earlier, I have been working at a fast food restaurant for over a year. I have a few things to say to you. First of all, if you chose to come to a fast food restaurant that is known for the higher prices, be prepared to spend more money. Believe me, I hate it when I have to ask for the total amount from you. It is a lot, I know but I promise that the food is worth it. Second, as Albert Einstein once predicted, a time has come where everyone is too ensnared by technology that the art of socialization is beginning to fade away. While working at the drive thru window, I see too often that when I hand drinks and desserts to the customers that they are still texting. I often have to clear my throat just to hand them their receipt and credit card. That is inexcusable. Seriously, you can't put down your phone for 30 seconds? Third, at my restaurant, it is correct procedure to pull anyone who has food forward, even if there is no one behind them. I know that it can be frustrating, but lashing out at the person at the window is not fair, and often hurts more than you know. Fourth, prank calls. It may be fun for you and it may be amusing to watch on YouTube, but it costs the restaurants money, and time. Yesterday, for example, a young man came through the drive thru. All was fine, except when he asked for fry sauce (mayo + ketchup = Deliciousness) he quickly sped away. Not only was the food that he ordered waste, he could have seriously injured someone. Fifth, we are willing to remake food if something is not to your taste, but when you ask for fries and other things that were clearly not on the order to begin with, you are cheating the restaurant from money and that is stealing. No matter what.
      I know that I said some heavy things, but we all need to remember, no matter what side of the counter you are on, we are all human. The demise of courtesy and hospitality is depressing. I hope that we can all strive to become more charitable when we go out to eat.

A New Bedroom and New Beginnings

     For the last year I have been gradually, and not to mention slowly, working on my room. My ideas for a new room included possibly moving into the basement however, it did not work out. As I continued my education through high school, I began to understand that my room would possibly become a guest bedroom for relatives when they come to call. That particular thought kind of jumpstarted me into actually doing something. During general conference (April 2012) I began to take down the wallpaper and the trimming around the top of my room.
     It took another six months for me to have the time to get all my school stuff done, but by then I had a job...Another 6 months later I began to smooth out my walls, clean off doors, and walls and get the initial prep work done for painting. Another three month break and here we are again with all the trimmings and stuff done. I guess my mom was right; hard work and patience does pay off in the end. Here are a few pictures of my before and after. My room after a year of procrastination... :)

Before

 

 

After:

 

 



 

     Yup, there is my room for ya!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Go or Not to Go - That is the Question

     As the school year is winding down, many of us are faced with the same question...to go to school or not to go to school. Honestly if it weren't for one simple fact, I would not be coming to school. You see, I have some teachers who are just plain mean when it comes to taking attendance for the last week of school. If not for that lonely fact, I would be home asleep or reading whilst eating a popsicle or working. Instead, I am here and writing this post to save me from wandering to the depths of my mind which I am not sure I can ever return once arriving there. My mouth is hanging wide open and my eyes tearing up from the boredom. So has the last month of school been. Had the school Library still been open, I would be reading now. All of my classes are boring. Nothing to do in them. The only exceptions is Physics, which so kindly decided that we would do a series of labs instead of watching movies, no matter how difficult the labs are to complete, Mythology which we have finished last week, and ASL level 2 in which we had our final today. Again, NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING is going on.
     Yesterday we had the day off of school for Memorial's Day, and today is Tuesday. Tyr's day in Norse Mythology. See I do know something about Norse Mythology. I can only hope something happens, even if Fenrir does bite my right arm off.
     Today is a day of boredom. Tomorrow will no doubt be a day of boredom, and so will Thursday, and Friday. Monday will surely be an adventure seeing as I am practicing walking for graduation for the whole day(!!!), and Tuesday will again be interesting as I finally walk to recieve my Diploma from my principal who is pretending to know who I actually am and what I have done while I was attending his school and giving me fake praise, and walk down the line to other people whose hands I will have to shake and pretend to be honored to meet them even though I have no idea who they are nor they, I. Suffering though a bazillion million photographs while I am "crying". (Stop being sarcastic Amy...)
     Such is the way of life. Boredom, hectic, boredom, hectic all over again. Thankfully I have a computer that I can write this on to keep myself awake! To answer the question at the beginning of this post, I believe that we should not need to go to the last week of school, no matter how "important" it really is. Thanks for reading my terribly sarcastic and stupid blog. I must return this laptop now to the teacher so I will say Au Revoir, Tchao!, and Au Beinto! as well as signing bye at the same time...because I am multi-talented.

'Cause Our Baseball Team's Stupid...

     Tonight we decided to play Parcheesi with my family. This game is one of merciless strategy, and ruthless actions. We all had a blast. About half way through the game, my mom pulled out our little community newspaper and began to read. While we were playing, she mentioned that my high school was hiring a new football coach, and at the same time, it was my turn to move. With my mind in another place, I responded, "'Cause our baseball team's stupid!" About half a second later, I realized my mistake. I meant to say our *football team is stupid. Everyone was silent, as we processed what exactly just happened. Then at the exact same time, we all busted out laughing. This line then became the answer to everyone's questions for the rest of the night and was quickly correlated to an old classic, Napoleon Dynamite. This has probably been one of the best nights that I had in a long time, I only wish that we had done this more often...Well, that's all for tonight!

And We All (Supposedly) Lived Happily Ever After (Maybe)

      Have you ever been so busy it feels like you were never able to sleep? Well that is how I feel now. The end of the semester is today, well technically tomorrow but you know what who cares, and I have literally been a buzzing bee. I have been in and out of classes for the last four days, and staying after school to help tutor ASL students. Once I got home, I then had about 3 hours of homework left to do, plus the normal daily chores, and responsibilities. Today has been a good day. All of my hard work has paid off, and I am proud to say that I have maintained my good grades. A few of my classes that I have were easy, while a few of them were hard. Then there were some of  those oddball classes that you take on a whim, and ones that relate to your interests but are not directly related. One of those unrelated classes was COMM 1010 or Communications at Work.
     For COMM 1010, we were supposed to complete several projects during the second quarter. Mostly, the class included a lot of note taking, and lectures. Typical for a college class, however once the semester came closer to the end, projects were beginning to pop up. One such project was to interview a professional in my career choice. Now, if you didn't know, I have some serious social anxiety. It has gotten better over the years, but I still can't shake the paralyzing fear that I have when I need to talk to some random person that I have never met before. My interviewee was a pathologist in a local hospital and the boss of a family friend. I spent weeks preparing for the interview. Needless to say, I felt pretty confident in my preparation. I could do this! Once I arrived at the hospital, however, I had to wait for 20 minutes for Dr. Smith (name has been changed). We began the interview and I asked my first question. How did you become interested in the medical field. The answer that she would say would change the atmosphere of the interview completely. She, one of the more knowledgeable individuals in the building, gave a literal two word answer. "My dad" .
     Not only was this a terrible answer, but I felt the coldness and the unfamiliarity seep into the doctor's voice as she answered. I moved on and asked more and more questions to literally wrestle more answers out of her mouth. She was just as reluctant, maybe more, than I was when we were first given the assignment. Once I was finished, I felt like I needed to find someone else to get the answers that I was hungering for. She kindly guided me to, surprisingly, her department head. Mr. Knight (name also changed). Running through my mind was, "Oh dear, here we go again!" Dr. Knight entered and immediately felt the difference from Dr. Smith. I was more relaxed and the interview went better than I could hope for
     Today I got Dr. Smith's evaluation back from the teacher. Apparently I have a lack of interest in the subject, when in reality, it was she who harbored a lack of interest, or willingness to tell me her history in the midical field. Now you know my frustrations, and with this I leave you. K bye!

I am Hard of Hearing...You Got a Problem With That?

Last week I came down with the typical beginning-of-the-school-year cold/flu, and like any other time that I get sick, I lost a little bit of my hearing. Usually I regain my hearing within a couple of days after recovering, however this time it was different. This year, I came down with a really bad cold, and a slight fever, and as predicted, I lost a little bit of my hearing. I dealt with it for the last week. It wasn’t until today that I noticed that things have not been improving at all over the week, in fact I didn’t notice it until this morning that I only had about 15% hearing in my right ear. I had met up with a few of my friends, and we were talking when I realized that I was only catching a few of the things my friends were saying. I noticed that I was mostly reading their body language and facial expressions. Once I asked them to repeat themselves and they looked at me as if I was a three year old. Not only was this annoying, but it terrified me. I was stuck in the middle of the hearing, and deaf worlds, and I was alone. Here are a few things that I can think of to help those who are Hard of Hearing and Deaf:

•  Look at the HOH or Deaf person when you talk to them. Not only does it signal that you are talking/signing to them, but it also eliminates the confusion that can sometimes rise from glancing at someone else, or looking somewhere else.
  
•  Make sure you have their attention. If you don’t we won’t hear you and you will feel ignored when that is not the case at all.

• If you are talking to someone who is HOH and know ASL, when they ask you to repeat what you said, sometimes it is very helpful to sign as you repeat what you were saying to get the message across. 

• When we ask you to repeat yourself, speak a little louder and a little slower. 

• When an interpreter is present, still maintain eye contact with the person that you are talking to, not the interpreter. 

I learned these the hard way…by experiencing it myself. Please give these suggestions some thought when faced with these situations.

Happy Birthday's and Happy New Job's

     So yesterday was my birthday and I am proud to say that I have a bunch of wonderful and amazing friends. It was ironic as they were trying to have a surprise birthday party, but I knew better than to not suspect something, however we had a lot of fun. We had cute individual strawberry shortcakes, ironic because I am short, then we played a lot of fun games in my backyard. It was a pleasant day, and I couldn't ask for anything more.
     Moving on, my mom was called as our ward employment specialist - someone who finds jobs and encourages those who need one to pursue  it. And being dutiful as ever badgered me to find a job (which I was anyway). I finally got an interview at Culver's - a gourmet fast food place typically found in the Midwest and is now spreading elsewhere. Any way...I was hired to work and so now I have a job...Yay!
     So I thought that I should catch everyone up for the summer...Sooo go swimming and eat ice cream...you deserve it

Amy

What does Society Teach Us Today?

     Society, the one thing that most teens are looking, striving and thirsting to fit into. High School is a prime example of this concept of being acceptable to society...Unfortunately, many people have a hard time understanding that society will always look down upon you no matter how hard you try. There is a time when we realize this and decide that having a mile of makeup on your face to cover any "imperfections" is unreasonable. The only one who can criticize  you is yourself.
     Society today teaches the teenage girl that their hair has to be black, pin straight, or have perfectly formed spiral curls in order to even be noticed. How sad is it that the girls begin to notice when they have gained a single pound. I think that this is absurd. There is no reason that you should maintain a 135 physique throughout your entire life. I have heard of stories of women today that they wake up before their husbands, straighten your hair, and pile on the makeup, just so their husbands don't have to see their true personality, and face. Isn't that just sad?
     Now, don't get me wrong, I do not mind when a girl's hair is nicely done, and looks clean, and makeup is refreshingly light, however, it is when they begin to become obsessed with their appearance that they forget who they truly are, and don't spend time developing talents. Unfortunately there are men out there who begin to do the same. There is a delicate line between beautiful and revolting. In my high school, I notice these things all of the time. Occasionally I do my hair, and possibly add a little more makeup to my daily routine, but only for a special occasion. Usually I am a mascara only, tee-shirt-and-jeans, and pony tail kind of girl. When all I see is the makeup and false eyelashes, and the mile high teased hair, only then do I get extremely annoyed. I want people to see who I really am but a teeny tiny bit enhanced.
      All of the supermodels out there today have normal lives and look like one of us, it is the hours spent in front of a mirror with teams of professional makeup and hairstyle artists surrounding them do they become the person that we see advertising toothpaste. Even then they are computer generated and altered. Apparently the acceptable thing is to be stick skinny, have perfectly white teeth, extremely blue eyes, and not have a pimple in sight. I bet you that if you met a supermodel that wasn't doing a photo shoot, you wouldn't think of them as a supermodel.
     Now can you see the difference in standards the society today teaches? Instead of serving others, gaining an education, and doing your best in everything you do, you spend hours getting ready for school that you will just wash off later in the day during your shower. Personally I find it a waste of time and money that you could be spending for something more lasting than false eyelashes and hot pink lipstick.

The Case of the Missing Screen Protector

     Last September I had the oppertunity to go to a science fair at a local and well known university, and for the reasons of keeping where I live vague, I will not disclose the name of the University to you...anyway, freebies were given away with information about the school and the different areas of study. While waiting for our buses to come and pick us up we took a tour of the massive campus...Okay, going back on track, they also gave out a flyer for a contest. The contest was basically a survey that you would complete and a lucky person would be given a brand spankin' new 4th Generation iPod Touch. Well not really thinking about the winnings, I completed the survey and entered it into the contest. Well 4 weeks later, I got emailed saying that I won the iPod!!! Well, I got it as a Christmas "gift". So now that you know, here is the perplexing case...Once we were settled down after Christmas, my family went to a Best Buy and got a Zaag screen protector for the iPod. On Tuesday last week, I also got a new slip case for the Ipod, and plugged in the thing for the night. I guess you could say that I was tucking in my iPod, and went to bed. I sometimes have a hard time waking up and often wake up after my alarm, so I have a backup alarm on my iPod, so when it went off , I noticed that the ipod was feeling smoother than normal. I thought nothing of it, rationalizing that my sheet's texture made my fingers used to them, and then on my school bus, I realized that my screen protector was completely gone! I remembered having the protector the night before, but there I am sitting on the bus without an screen protector. So after school, I searched endlessly to try to find the screen protector. Then I decided that my growing mass of laundry in the corner needed to be addressed, I tackled that project. About 40 minutes later, I was putting the clothes into the dryer when  there it was...my screen protector!!!Stuck to the side of the washer!!! So there it is, my story for the day!

What Irks Me the Most? Ah Well Where to Begin...

     Lets just say that life is full of people with certain habits, and certain behaviors that sometimes annoys the golly goodness out of people! Something that really annoys me is the simple fact that what ever you do, try and work hard at, there will always be another that does that very same skill without any effort at all on their part! How hard is it that when you work your patubies off and are proud of what you do until you realize that your competitor and ultimately your better has done nothing to prepare compared to you. For example, lets just say that you are unhappy with your body image infront of others. You try your hardest to exercise, stay active, and eat good foods. You get adequate sleep and closely watch your stress levels. Yet, as much as you try, you still have those extra 20 pounds that you wish would be gone. At school, you see your perfectly fit friends laughing away, and secretly you wish you didn't take up the whole desk at school. Then you get depressed, because you heard one of your friends mention how little sleep they get, and not to mention the junk food that they are eating all of the time. What even drills in the depression is the fact that they are still stick skinny. WHY on earth does that always happen?
     What also bothers me is that those sick thin people also worry about fitting into their prom dress...yeah right...like they have anything to worry about. I am not neccessarily the fittest person by today's vouge magazine standards, but of course I face ridicule at school, at the store, and sometimes even the church I go to. As I am involved in the Deaf ward, I am constantly faced with a more blunt community. Yes they will discribe me as fat. That is the simple truth. Do you know how hard it is to find a prom dress with sizes above 10 and modest? Do you know how annoying that is?  Anyway I am finished for today...definately more rants later...Haha

Is the Stop Kony Campaign a Scam?

     I am sure that most everyone has heard of the STOP KONY 2012 campaign that has been circulating all over facebook, which began last Monday the 5th of March. I, having the uncanny ability of  not checking facebook, email and even, ahem, blogging as much as I should, did not see the KONY 2012 until Wednesday. When I saw the video, I was, indeed, very emotional as many of you that I would assume would also be. The video consisted of a young man with a wife and son who, for the last 10 years has tried to stop Joseph Kony who has kidnapped and forced many children to become soldiers and sex slaves. The presentation of the video on facebook was extremely well done and professional. The one thing that lingers on my mind is, "Where on Earth did this man get the money to create and produce this movie?" Indeed this has weighed heavily on my mind for the last week. If, as the movie claims, all proceeds go to Uganda and help build schools and shelters for the children, then where does this middle class man get the financial provisions to create a multimillion dollar video?
     On Thursday this week, a news article was published in a newspaper that states the mission of the STOP KONY campaign, and in the last third of the article it states "Less than 40 percent of donations are spent on direct services, according to the organization's financial statements. The nonprofit's three founders collectively make $262,000 a year." (Stuart) Oh my goodness! That's why there is the money to make the video to make even more money! If these figures are correct, then the founders have made enough money to create such an expensive video that has become YouTube's top pick for YouTube Trends.
     Another blog, authored by a 100% pure Ugandan person, has stated her opinion of the campaign. She believes that Invisible Children Corporation does not seem exactly as helpful as it calims, and,according to her, there is no talk of the atrocities of Kony as she visits family in Uganda. She also stated that Kony has not attacked any villiage for the last 6 years.
     So, for my final opinion of the STOP KONY 2012 campaign is this: Kony should be stopped for his heinous crimes, however, I do not trust my money to go to the ICC. The STOP KONY 2012 campaign is playing off of the emotions of naive and caring teenagers, hence the location for the video launch...the one place where most teens today are found...Facebook and Twitter. All in all, I will personally choose to not donate my $30.00 to the ICC and will. instead give it to the LDS humanitarian fund. While I do support the cause for the arrest of Kony, and not donate doesn't mean that I do not care, when I really do, BUT PLEASE note where your money is going and invest it wisely.
                                                            Amy

P.S. I just realized that I actually wrote something serious....well, until next time y'all! (emoticon cue now)

YEESH I Met a Potential Predator....

     Don't freak out I am still here but let me tell you a scary tale....So while I was reading my textbook for AP US History, my new Ipod blinked and showed me that I had a text message. I am using the free app called TextFree by Pinger. I all of a sudden saw a number that I didn't recognize, so I asked who it was. I conversed for a while and then went to show my mom what had just occurred. I then saw what kind of danger I was really in. Well he/she/they never did text back from the moment that my mom set them/him/her straight. So now you know...NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION!!!! IT COULD CAUSE HUGE POTENTIAL DANGER!!!! NO MATTER HOW VAGUE YOU ARE, YOU COULD STILL BE STUCK!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Whoo this month has gone in a flash. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we were able to stay home. While we had the traditional thanksgiving dinner, there was an element of simplicity of this years annual feast. Today we went to the care center where my gradfather stays. He has Alzheimers and cannot remember who we are and cannot feed himself so either my dad, uncle and grandma go to feed him lunch. After we fed him my brother and I played an intense game of scrud, a sort of pool variation where the goal is to keep the eight ball moving and use the other ball to hit it. It is a lot like tornado or horse in basketball where whenever you let the ball stop or it goes into a pocket, you get a letter. Once you spell out scrud you lose...duh duh dunnnn! So obivouly my brother beat me in almost all rounds...emphasis on almost...but then we went to a local Navajo diner, and we had navajo tacos etc. After that we went to my grandma's house and watched 17 Miracles....if you have not seen it go see it, where I, of course, balled my eyes out. We returned home and now we are here and I am typing this for entertaiment...YAY!!!

My Dramatic Enterance to the Deaf Ward

     So today, my mom and I went to the deaf ward that is in our neighborhood, and we watched the primary children do their primary program. I learned a lot of new signs that is used in the ward/church language. After the Sacrament Meeting, we talked to a brother in the ward and asked where you can learn sign easily. He recomended that we go to the comunity college in our city. While we were talking to the man, I reached down to grab my scripture when...(dramatic music cue now...) I lost my balance and fell. Apparently everyone around us saw me fall and jumped, and my mom looked over to see only my empty shoes where I was standing only moments before. As we were walking out another brother in the ward asked if I was okay, and when I confirmed that I was fine, he replied with kind of a cheesy grin that he knows CPR. Need I remind you that this converstation was in pigeon signed english? Of course I could understand some of the signs, but most of the time they were too quick to catch...except the CPR bit. On the way home my mom and I laughed the whole way home about my clumsiness, and how much I tend to drop things and fall over.( sometimes I even fall on somebody else, and my friends never let it go...sigh...Yesterday I went to a local university and when I fell again, I ended up in a guy in my class's lap... and now my friends are convinced that "I fell for him"...I swear that it wasn't on purpose....but he was kinda cute...:0) ) All I need to say in my introduction to other is three facts:
1. I don't understand a lot of ASL
2. I am clumsy...
3. Did I mention that because of my clumsiness I am a great source of entertainmant for others?
Well we will have to see what else will happen today and in the very near future...

Wow it been quite a long time...

     So today I went to a science fair at a local universtiy for those who were interested in science...which I am. I loved today...it was so much fun to hang out with all of my AP Chemistry class, and when I mean all of my class, I mean all of my Class. We seriously have like only 5 people in my class. I was pleasently suprised when all of us were in the same semiars. The different seminars that I went to were the Computer Aided Drug Design, Genomics, and other possible pathways with science. There were about 850 people there today, and we all went for a campus tour. Overall this day was so much fun, and I would like to do it again next year.

My Fun Trip Around Town...Taking Pictures...

     So today my dad and I went over to the trax station and took pictures of the train coming. I also took pictures of cars and later went to the dog park to take even more pictures. I am taking a photography class and my assignment this weekend was of motion and action. So the train was an example of motion action, the cars were an example of pan action and the dogs at the park was another example of stop action. Below are some of my aboslute favorite pictures that I took today...Hope you enjoy.



For some reason red just seems to show
up better...



TRAINS!!!!!





This was at the dog park...and my personal
favorite



Just another random picture of yours
truly



This little girl was soooooo cute!!!!!