Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Boredom and my hair.

English: Young black woman (cropped version)
English: Young black woman (cropped version) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I'm bored today.  I should be working, but in actually, I just woke up.  It has been one of these mornings where I stayed up until the cows came home, really.  They went out, had a good time, came home and asked, "are you still up?"  Now seriously,  do cows really talk?  Anyway, I set out and finally did what I am supposed to do for the past 2 1/2 weeks...call my beautician to redo my hair.  It was supposed to be done...in...June.   For those who wear them, yes you can shoot me, and no my head is not itching.   My other beautician, Althea, would probably look at me in shame.  I have been going natural for about almost two years, and my last relaxer was in October 2009.  Since then, I have been either braiding my hair or taking a straightening comb to it.   What or who started me doing this?  Chris Rock that's who.

Ok, I do not totally blame him for the situation.  After all, Chris was on Oprah when his movie called Good Hair came out.  It started me thinking.  Whenever I get my hair relaxed, I have this one little spot on the back of my head that always burns.   Only African American women can relate to this.   Well I was sick of it, so that January 2010, I told Althea that I was going to let the relaxer grow out, and go natural for a while.
OK, in case some of you are wondering what the heck I am talking about, African Americans (most of us) are born with kinky hair.  In order for women to have that neat looking, European styled hair, we have to do something to our hair.  We have to straighten out the hair either with heat or with a chemical process.  I am not a beautician, so I cannot begin to tell you how to do the chemical part.  All I can tell you is to go to the drug store, walk to the African American hair section (yes we have our own hair section), pick up a box marked relaxer and read the back of the box.  The heated version of straighten, I will have to explain that in another post.  All I can say is I have been going through that process since I was about 5 or 6 years old, and that started as a Saturday night ritual.  Other than that, my hair was braided or twisted for the week until I was old enough to have my hair down at 12 years old. (these days, some girls start wearing their hair down at age 8 or sooner).
I experimented with every type of hair style, because I had (and still have) long hair.   Some women have to add extensions to their head in order to achieve that look.  I will not explain this, because now all women does this.  As for braiding, my first experience was when I was 11 years old and my cousin Tina braiding my hair in what they called in the '70s Cornrow Braiding.  Think of it as a lot of french braids on one head.  My next experience did not come again until around 1995, and then I started getting my hair braided once a year around the summer months, when I did not feel like doing my hair every day.   Yes, there is still some upkeep involve with braiding for African American women, like applying oil to the scalp because it gets drier than everyone else's, and spraying the braids.   I was getting the latch-hook style braiding, where you would braid your hair in cornrows, and add already braided hair on top.  Last year, I started wear a version of that called tree braids.  I did not like it, so this year, I am wearing individual braids for the first time in  my life, and love it.  they are not braided all the way to the ends, There are some loose hair (curly) and it is cute.  I bought enough hair for two rounds.  This is the reason why I waiting on my beautician to call me back, so she can take the old braids out.
Ok, so now I need to do something productive since I have contacted my beautician.   I think I will go de-clutter something.   


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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Dreamland-Review




Hello,

I originally started this post on Friday, but I was a little upset because I could not get access to my computer.   Columbus Ohio had a storm blow through and the power was knocked off, so I did the best that I could with the business center at the hotel I was staying at in Tuscaloosa, AL.  Thank God, Blogger saves drafts.   So below is my review about the barbecue place my family stopped at for dinner.

Today, I am making a brief post.   I am making a visit to my family reunion in Tuscaloosa, AL.  No, this does not stop a gal for making a post, but I went to a barbecue place called Dreamland with my parents, brother and nephew.   Now for a little family history:  My youngest aunt's husband loved this place before he passed in 2003, so I always wanted to try it.  When I first saw the food as a teen one summer, I did not think much of it.   The reason why I did not care at the time, was I love the way my father grills, and nothing can take away that feeling.   My father cooks it just right.   I have also had Kansas city barbecue as well.  I ate there in 2007 at another family reunion.

The outside does not look like much, and neither does the inside, which has license plates hung all over the walls.  The place looks like one of those hole in the wall type places.   You know the kind.  This is the kind that makes you wonder what the owner was thinking when they built this place.  One thing that I ask  you to do is to look past the decorum of the place.  If you are not willing to try to do that, I suggest you drive past to a nice, neat place for your barbecue.  Oh and another thing, when you sit down,and you have a large group of more than 2 people, you will eating family style.

My father order for the family a whole slab, which cost around $20.  In fact, not counting that we did not order any drinks, which was $2.19, the total bill was around $34.  Now this is for the people who also follow my other blog, My Crafty Couponer Deals:  for 5 people that averages out to $7.50 per person.   Not bad for a family who has two hearty appetites, my brother and my nephew.   The food was delicious. The best thing about it is the ribs, while the Cole slaw and the potato salad being ok.  As far as I am concern, I will be making another trip to this place, providing that my relatives who live in Tuscaloosa do not find out.  By the way, this article is in memory of my uncle.


I do recommend this place when you visit this town.  

Address:  5535 15th Avenue, East
Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
(205) 758-8135