time for a new do

i've decided that it was time to get my hair cut....short.  it's been long for oh so many years.  but several months ago i felt that it was time to be rid of the hair and the emotions and baggage imbedded in it.  so it's 4:15 pm on friday and in 15 minutes it's "put up or shut up" time.  i have also been preparing people that the time is coming.  not so much to hear what they have to say but to soften the blow for me when they see it.   i keep looking in the mirror today and saying to myself that this is the last time you will see it like this.  it's time to leave....talk to ya later.

well, after almost busting into tears, the weight has come off my head. after the first cut, i was fine. i know that it's only hair and i know that it can grow back but having long hair for a long time and then cutting it short is like saying goodbye to an old friend.
after she started cutting i could feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders. i kept sighing in relief and tina thought i was sighing because it was taking a long time. but the question is-do i like it? yes and no. yes it looks better and healthier and no not so much right now because my hair is in shock and it's taking a little bit longer to style. oh well, it's only day 2


onto saturday-
my sister and i drove to our family home in cleveland to attend our brother and sister-in-laws 25th anniversary surprise party. my nephew who works at the mall there had reserved the "community room" for the party and our brother and sister-in-law(myles & janie) thought they were coming to the mall for free family pictures that my nephew cliff had received from his work. cliff was the ring master of this party by the way- it was his idea and orchastration. cliff had told them that they couldn't come early because the photographer wasn't getting there until 6:30 and wouldn't be ready until 7.
everyone has known about the party for months. and after it was all said and done we were surprised that NO ONE had spilled the beans about the party. about 15 people on janie's side of the family was there, they came from west tennessee and had managed to keep it a secret.
getting them there wasn't that hard but myles couldn't understand how a good photographer could get set up in 30 minutes. myles had worked for a great photographer and knew that it look longer than that to set up. and also that they have a friend of the family that is a awesome photographer, and could get him anytime, so why waste time on pictures by someone else. janie kept wondering if she was dressed o'k. but they came on time and when the door was opened they in were shock. we all said surprise and happy anniversary but the first thing janie said was "well there's my momma and daddy" they couldn't quite put everything together. then janie got it and started crying like we all knew she would. now my brother on the other hand just stood there with his mouth open and was speechless, which doesn't happen a lot in my family, but he was speechless for about 5 minutes. he then started joking that everyone had known for months and everyone had lied to him. i reminded him that we didn't lie we just didn't tell him.

so the party was great. the night was filled with hugs, kisses, tears and happiness. and to myles and janie's joy-presents. at the end janie thanked everyone for coming and my brother cried his thanks. my brother has gone through a rough several years. waking up in the morning wondering if he had any friends left to stand by him. but god kept telling him to count the small blessings in his life. and last night was a confirmation of those small blessings.

when myles and janie first met it was in december. myles told her that she was the one he was going to marry. janie blew him off. they married that next march and have been together for 25 years.

thanks gerry

me and brad went to see "300" on thursday. if you are not familiar yet with this movie, it is a semi-historical tale of the battle of thermopylae in 480 b.c. based on the graphic novel by frank miller. frank miller also wrote "sin city", i saw "sin city" and have decided hands down that "300" was much better for many many reasons. the biggest reason was gerard butler. i've been a fan of gerry's (apparently he likes to be called gerry because he doesn't like the way americans pronounce his name) since he was in "attila" in a tv miniseries. he and his soldiers and their air brushed abs won me over, not to mention that the movie was great to look at. it was visual pleasing in so many many ways. yes i know i'm being redundant but you had to be there.
it was a "dick" and "chick" flick all rolled up into one movie. eye candy for the women and fighting to the death for the men.

last night i watched on the history channel the historical tale of the battle of thermopylae. it is thought that without this battle at the pass of thermopylae and the heroic deaths of king leonidas of sparta and his men, the infant idea of democracy would have been stamped out by the persians. it also gave the greeks more time to get there shit together and organize against the persians. this epic battle also helped glue together the city states of greece to become a nation. of course there were more that 300 men in this battle but it was the 300 spartans and king leonidas who led this battle and were the trained fighting force behind it.

and as a ending thought-movies are our cultures way of storytelling. if i wasn't a fan of gerard butler i wouldn't have gone to the theatre to see "300", without seeing this movie i probably wouldn't have watched the show on the history channel and without watching the show on the history channel would never have heard the story of the 300 spartans and the battle of thermopylae. thank you gerry for leading me to this information.