Cass Gets Bang-ed (a/k/a My New 'Do)

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Happy Friday all! Hope your weekend is off to a rousing start.

As the title indicates, my weekend began with a trip to the hairdresser to get my 'do done. :) It's been two months, and the color definitely was in need of a serious tune-up.

Last time we went with a really, really dark red, which was a lot of fun. But this time we opted to go back to the strawberry blonde look we'd been using previously.

I'm really pleased with the results, as usual. J, my stylist, is a true artist, as I tell her every time I see her. She is wonderful. She was amazed at how long my hair is getting, as were the other stylists, none of whom have seen me for two months.

It has to be the hormones; I've read that hair growth is a potential side effect, and that is the only reasonable explanation for both how fast it's growing and how much thicker it's become. I am not complaining, believe me!

We dug out a photo of me from my first visit 18 months ago, well before I was full-time. As J noted, "you're a totally different person now." Even I can sense that, although I clearly don't see all of the changes they seem to see. (More on that another time.)

Anyway, the reason I wrote this post is alluded to in my perfectly innocent, not-at-all-a-double-entendre title. ;) After the color was done, J got to work trimming the split ends so my hair continues to grow "like weeds," as she put it.

Suddenly she became very animated, stepping back with widened eyes.

"You know what we should try, hon?" she said. "Bangs! I'll bet it would look super-cute!"

S, another stylist, immediately chimed in, saying she thought it was a great idea.

I said what the heck? You only live once, after all. :D And as J pointed out, I can always just pull them to the side if I decide I don't like the look.

Well, that turns out to be a moot point. :) Once I put on my glasses to see the finished product, I gasped. I look *so* much like my sister, who also wears bangs, that it was uncanny. (As April sagely noted, "It's almost as if you two are related!")

J straightened my hair, something I usually don't do, mostly because I like my hair wavy. But I like this enough to want to replicate the look fairly frequently.

In any case, you can judge for yourself right now. :c)



Next up is getting my eyebrows shaped. Several of the other photos I took convinced me that it is past time to get 'em done. My electrologist did a very good job, but several friends whose opinion I respect a great deal all have told me separately over the past 7-10 days that there is still room for improvement. So I will get it done. And soon.

Hope everyone has a nice Saturday! Stay tuned for more posts in the days to come!

***

I celebrated my new look by stopping off at Starbucks across from the mall where my salon is located for some baseball chat and iced coffee with my barista friends. R was in charge of the soundtrack for the evening, and happily he decided it was a Who kind of evening. Far be it for me to buck that trend!

I've always linked these two songs together in my mind - as does Townshend, apparently, since they close Side 1 and open Side 2, respectively, on the original LP:



I always marvel at the contrast between Daltrey and Townshend's singing styles. It's remarkable how well Daltrey's gruff, blunt tone contrasts so beautifully with Townshend's more fragile, vulnerable voice. It renders them capable of capturing a range of emotions neither of them could reach alone, which is what makes them such a great team.

One last track, this time Pete's original version of "Pure & Easy," which Daltrey quotes so memorably in the vocal tag at the conclusion of "The Song Is Over":

Lovely Blogger Award (Plus Seven Things About... Me!!!)

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying the weekend! I have several posts nearly ready to go, but I wanted to start with this one - because I, of all people, was given an award!

Yup, it's true, and it came courtesy of my Canadian friend Ashley, from beautiful Edmonton AB, who included me in her list of bloggers to receive this honor:



Thank you so much, hon - that was so sweet of you!

Nothing in life is free, however, including this award. :D Happily, though, the strings attached to this honor are a pleasure:

  1. Thank and link back to the person who nominated you. (Done!)
  2. List the rules and display the award.
  3. Include seven facts about yourself.

  4. Nominate 15 other bloggers and let them know about the award.
 (OK, I punted on this one, but I did my best!)
  5. Display the award and follow the blogger who nominated you (if not already!). (I am no Cass-come-lately lol, since I was smart enough to begin following Ashley months ago!)

Coming next: seven facts about... me!!!


September Gurls

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'm hard at work on what is turning into several lengthy posts, but in the interim I had to share something.

I watched a stellar documentary over the weekend: Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me. Big Star was one of the best bands to emerge in the Seventies - and one of the unluckiest bands of all time. To say they were snakebitten would be putting it mildly.

They recorded three albums: #1 Record (1972), Radio City (1974), and Third/Sister Lovers (recorded in late 1974/early 1975, but not released until 1978). All three are masterpieces - and all three were utterly ignored when they were released, for reasons the documentary covers. They were touched with tragedy as well, in particular Chris Bell, one of the co-founders (along with Alex Chilton).

But...

Their music is timeless, in the best way. Great art endures, and finds its audience. Their influence can be heard in hundreds and hundreds of bands who followed in their footsteps (R.E.M., to name one, has always been forthright about the enormous debt they owe Big Star).

So... with that in mind, I thought I would share one of their very best songs here, in part because the title is appropriate for the time of year, but also because it is an utterly transcendent song. "September  Gurls" was written by Alex Chilton, and appears on Radio City. It really does not get any better than this:


Here's another masterpiece, "Thirteen," written by Chris Bell, from their first album, #1 Record:


I could go on and on... but instead I will invite you to explore them on your own. You won't regret it - promise. :D

Oh, and here's a picture of this September Gurl...


This was taken earlier today, pre-electrolysis (and yes, this is my favorite blouse, as you can tell from how many pictures show me wearing it! :D). I'm a bit less chipper at the moment, needless to say! lol

Radio, Radio

Friday, August 29, 2014


Hello everyone! I am happy to report that your humble blogstress is writing this on the very first evening of her vacation - yea!!!

My plan is to do some serious writing next week while I am off; we shall see how that goes. :c)

In the meantime, though, I thought I would do a catch-up post about my recent radio miss-adventure, since it was, you know, nearly two weeks ago at this point. It even resulted in some good news - and totally unexpected good news at that!

But before I do, and at the risk of ruining the suspense of whether I did, in fact, single-handedly bring down an entire radio station… I want to mention that I will be on the air again with Mike on the Mic, this time from 9:00-11:00 AM Eastern here in the States. You can listen online at www.wmfo.org; I will also post a link to the archived version (as a comment to this post) once it’s available.

With that bit of business out of the way, I invite you to follow along below the fold! :D

On The Radio

Friday, August 15, 2014

This is just a heads-up for anyone who might be interested. I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow on WMFO-FM (91.5) here in Boston with my good friend Mike on the Mike. In addition to his regular 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM show, he's filling in for the next shift as well. 

So, listen in as we take turns playing songs, telling terrible jokes, and making libelous comments (not necessarily in that order) from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM (EST). The show is called Something About the Women, so expect lots of great songs from female artists.

You can stream it live online (http://www.wmfo.org/) or check out the playlist in the archives (added several hours after the show ends) here: http://www.wmfo.org/?page_id=3

***

Speaking of great female artists, an appropriate song from Joni Mitchell's classic 1972 For the Roses album:


And here's my favorite song from the album, "Cold Blue Steel & Sweet Fire":


Pics & Thoughts from Newport 2014: Pt. II

Friday, August 8, 2014

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a good week.

To be honest, I simply haven't felt like writing lately. I have lots to write about, and lots of half-written posts... I just am not feeling the need to work on any of them at the moment.

I'm still pretty beat; it's been a long, less-than-fun... well, few years, as a glance at the blog would show. I'm fine, but I suspect the toll of that journey is a big part of feeling this way.

But instead of feeling guilty, as "the boy" would have, I'm just going with it. I'll start writing again when the mood strikes. Perhaps it will be tomorrow, perhaps a week, or a month, or more. I don't know.

I have things I want to write about, because it helps me process them. But right now, I want to simply be. I've been consumed by a number of activities and episodes, both professional and (especially) personal that have required expending a great deal of energy, but have offered little - or, if I'm honest, no - return.

Well, that is going to change. And the beginning of that process is learning how to take some of that energy that I've been expending on other things and other people and start spending it on myself.

It's about time, to be blunt.

Because if I don't do it, then no one else will.

So... I will.

Pics & Thoughts from Newport 2014: Pt. I

Tuesday, July 29, 2014



Hi all! I returned from Newport post-festival last evening, and wanted to share a few photos I took with my iPhone. I have more on my camera, but I'll need to transfer those to my laptop later today. I guess I'll share those in another post.

Follow below the fold for all of the exciting details!

 

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