Promises and Poetry

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I’m a wee bit sickly,

How about you?

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Yep, that’s right, the dreaded sniffles have returned and Whiney-Tara once again reigns supreme! I’m sleepy, and stuffy, and sinus-y, and yuck! GRRRRRR.

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Anyway, it’s currently day three of Sniffles-Watch December 2015 and while I’m incredibly thankful that my throat no longer feels like the burning depths of flaming Tartarus, I now have nearly no air passing through my Rudolf-esque nostrils — resulting in the fact that I now sound like a semi-adorable cockney version of my southern self lol. Yeah, go-figure that one. I was literally sitting here watching the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, quoting along with it as per usual, when I suddenly heard myself saying: “Stap bla-wing hoe-wels  in moi sip!!!” It was entertaining and frightening all at once.

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But sudden onset-accents aside, I’ll muster up the strength and determination (mostly the determination) to type up new posts for you soon (aka tomorrow). But right now I’m still Whiney-Tara, and Whiney-Tara just wants to rewatch old episodes of Full House and keep sipping nice, cold sweet-tea like the nectar of the Gods that it is. ‘Til tomorrow my lovelies 😀

Harry Potter MASH

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Alright my lovelies, time for a blast from the past with one of my all-time favorite games…MASH! That’s right, the future-predicting phenomenon that has foretold the numerous men I am going to marry…you know, one day (though as of now I have currently married none of them, but I live for hope lol), as well as the awesome exotic locales I’m going to call home (again, nothing to show for all this oracular knowledge but I have faith) and pretty much everything in-between. I don’t know if you guys played this in school but this was the one that has stuck with me over the years and I have taught it to not only my younger brother but pretty much every younger cousin of mine as well as any friend I’ve ever had. So I figure it’s time that I bring that wonderful, suspenseful, and miraculous game to you my lovelies! Now the rules may vary depending on who you’re with, their playing preferences, and just how evil and vindictive they want to be that day, but I’m going to keep it simple. Each category gets three slots to be filled in with answers of your choice and we’ll work from there.

Now as great as this game is normally, my brother and I amped it up a notch (due to sheer boredom) and now we’ve created our own themed versions, including The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, The Tudors, Star Wars, X-Men, Disney, Pretty Much Anything We Want At The Moment, and of course, Harry Potter! And tonight my lovelies, I’m thinking what better than the great Mr. Potter himself?! So let’s begin shall we…

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Right off the bat (though you’ll see it lower on the list here, but I’m changing a few things to make it easier for us to play), choose Up or Down and pick a number between 1 and 20. That number is your Tally number. Now I choose Up and my Tally is 18, so I’m going to start from the lowest option and count up, repeating the tiers until I hit 18. Whatever option I’m on when I hit 18, that’s my future! (These are just my answers so make sure you right down your own as we go along!)

Harry Potter MASH

M = Malfoy Manor

A = Azkaban

S = Shrieking Shack

H = Hogwarts

Future Spouse:

1. Sirius
2. Harry
3. Lupin

Wizarding Profession:

1. Daily Prophet Journalist
2. Magihistorian (I don’t know if this is real, but I’m going for it lol!)
3. Hogwart’s Librarian

Mode of Transportation:

1. Norwegian Ridgeback
2. Disapparation
3. Firebolt Broomstick

Color:

1. Gold
2. Bottle Green
3. Purple

Magical Creature:

1. Snowy Owl
2. Gem Turtle (I know it was just a small reference, but I’ve wanted one since!)
3. Fang

Nemesis:

1. Umbridge
2. Voldemort
3. Bellatrix

Ally:

1. Hermione
2. Kingsley Shaklebolt
3. Dobby

House:

1. Slytherin
2. Gryffindor
3. Hufflepuff

Family:

1. Weasley
2. Potter
3. Lovegood

1. Magical Blood  or
2. Muggle

1. Wealthy or
2. Poor

Up or Down

Tally: My tally is 18

Alright my lovelies, let’s count it up…I’ve got all my first option choices! That’s right, I’m going to marry Sirius, work as a Daily Prophet Journalist, have a gold Norwegian Ridgeback for transportation and a snowy owl for a pet. My nemesis will be Umbridge herself, and my ally will be Hermione and I will be a Slytherin Weasley!!! (No hate for the Slytherin’s please, it’s where I was sorted into on Pottermore and after the initial devastation/self-doubt/what kind of person am I really DAY or so it took to recover from the shock, I slowly became proud of my Hogwarts house!) And I’m of magical descent and wealthy to boot! Whoot Whoot!!! And yet with all that apparent wealth, I find myself living in the Shrieking Shack of all places. Well you win some, you lose some 😀

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Make sure to comment below and tell me what you’re future looks like my lovelies! I cant wait to see what the future holds for you all! 😀

And a big thank you to J.K. Rowling for writing such a perfect, epic story and for introducing us to all these unforgettable characters, places, and ideas! You’ve truly changed my life. Thank you 😀

Loving Those Epic Romances!

Happy Valentine’s Day my lovelies! I hope you’re all having a wonderful relaxing day full of love and happiness, whether you’re single or taken, personally I’m having a movie day at home with my wonderful Mom and we’re starting things off with the third Twilight movie, Eclipse. I was hoping she would put the first one in so I could type in peace (I seriously dislike the first movie) but she put one in that I like and now I’m trying to think, type, and pay attention at the same time so if you get some random movie quote in here somewhere, you know my mind caved from the strain for a minute! What can I say, I’m not a gifted multi-tasker 😀

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As an uber fan of the romance genre in general, I’ve come across my fair share of great love stories over the years that have stayed with me (way to many to count trust me, I usually won’t watch or read anything that doesn’t have at least a romantic sub-plot!). But only a handful of these stories and characters have been truly epic and risen above the others to become more to me, becoming a part of what that makes me who I am. So like the great Moonstonemaiden Valentine’s Day posts of the past (which you can revisit here and here), we’re celebrating this day of love with a list of epic romances! For this year’s list, the characters and stories come from books, plays, movies, and musicals, pretty much any source that yields awe-inspiring love stories other than the drabness that is the real world! So in no particular order of favorites (because I’m not that cruel to myself and I already have a headache to deal with), I give you:

Moonstonemaiden’s List of Epic Romances:

1) Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague- From Shakespeare’s unforgettable and immortal play,  Romeo and Juliet to me will always come to mind whenever I think of epic romances. Sure they were young and stupid and only knew each other for three days, but I’m a firm believer that these two experienced the most debatable and unexplainable forms of romance: love at first sight. This story has ranked as one of my favorites since I first read the play when I was 14 and throughout all its incarnations in both film and the written word, I have found it to remain epically beautiful.

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2) Mary and Matthew Crawley- The central love story of Downton Abbey, the love between Mary and Matthew survived jealousy, rivalry, social class differences, initial hatred, and World War One. Matthew breaks down Mary’s outer shell and reveals the softness at her core, and she in turn loves him with a strength and honesty that I envy. Though their story was ultimately tragic, I can’t forget the way I felt watching their romance unfold over the seasons. Their lives weren’t perfect or easy but they fought for one another and ultimately they found each other, even if for only too-brief a time.

3) Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark- From Suzanne Collin’s phenomenal Hunger Games trilogy, this epic romance is set on an epic stage that few others would desire or even dream of. I’ve mentioned my love for Peeta before, but it’s his love for Katniss that is truly beautiful and inspiring in this series. Peeta’s heart shines throughout the books and movies and it’s wonderful to see a love like theirs grow.

4) Margaret Hale and Mr. Thornton- Elizabeth Gaskell gave the world this epic romance in her amazing novel North and South, and their smoldering love first caught my attention in the form of the 2004 BBC film adaption. Margaret’s naivety and Thornton’s rough demeanor lead to countless misunderstandings and a tension that just permeates the whole of the novel and movie. Simply put, Thornton and Margaret are glorious together.

5) Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester- Thank the heavens for Charlotte Bronte’s incredible novel Jane Eyre and the epic love story of unloved but independent Jane and her mysterious, tortured, and delicious employer Rochester. This epic romance is always at the top of my list and it never disappoints. If you have a spare four hours I suggest watching the BBC miniseries version, trust me, one episode in and you’ll be irrevocably hooked by the haunting drama of this ghostly love story.

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6) Elphaba and Fiyero- This Wicked epic romance has one of the best soundtracks of all time! I mean Defying Gravity and As Long As You’re Mine, really could this romance be any better? I think not. The bookish outcast and the popular airhead make such a breathtaking pair and from the first  moment they meet, you just know they’re going to change each others lives For Good.

7) Christine Daae and the Phantom- THE MOST EPIC OF THE EPIC ROMANCES: THE PHANTOM  OF THE OPERA, or at least I think so anyway. 😀 I can never get enough of the Phantom, his muse, and their tragic romance (and the soundtracks aren’t bad either!). He’s disfigured and she’s beautiful, he needs her and she fears him. The pain, the drama, the MUSIC. There’s just something so real and haunting about their love and it never leave you once you experience it.

8) Cathy Earnshaw and Heathcliff- Oh my stars for the love of Wuthering Heights, bless you Emily Bronte for this epic romance gem! In my mind this romance, the Phantom of the Opera, and the Beauty and the Beast tale, are all very similar, distinctive but connected in someway and I love every one of them. Heathcliff is brutal and Cathy is wild and their story is heartbreaking!

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9) Belle and the Beast- My favorite fairytale romance of all time is definitely the most epic as well. There’s just something so endearing in the Beast’s plight for love and Belle’s discovery that she has found someone to understand her at last. I swoon every time I watch the Disney movie or read the book by Robin McKinley. And really, he gave her a library…you can’t get anymore epic than that!

10) Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler- Gone With The Wind is timeless and it’s love story is simply epic. No more needs to be said for this Southern charmer. Really…just go watch it 😀

11) Rose Dewitt Bukater and Jake Dawson- Titanic was the biggest movie ever when I was eight and it first came out. Ever since I saw them together for the first time, I knew Jack and Rose were the real thing and their love was epically legendary. Granted I think Rose could have let Jack float on the door and live as well, but other than that tiny miscalculation on their part, these two are pretty much perfect. Every rich girl needs a handsome poor artist to dance crazily with and to draw her wearing her new diamond necklace…only her new diamond necklace.

12) Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker- George Lucas gave us a galaxy far far away and a love story so epic that it can never leave our hearts, or mine anyway. I will forever heart Anakin and Padme and I doubt I will ever watch the third movie without hoping Ani chooses to remain a Jedi and not go on a destructive spree. I mean he became a Sith to protect her…epic much?

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13) Bella Swan and Edward Cullen- Despite my being a firm Team Jacob fan nowadays, I wasn’t always. It took many years for me to see that Jacob was the man for me, but all that aside, once upon a time I was in love with Edward and Bella’s romance from Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight saga. It took me on one helluva emotional rollercoaster ride and became one of my favorite book series. My mom also fell in love with this epic romance and remains a staunch Edward fan…needless to say it gets a bit tense whenever we watch the movies. I don’t think she ever forgave me for going to college and coming back a Jacob fan, lol!

14) Calahada Saiiai and Mytheous Cadvarous- And last but certainly not least, the Epic couple from my own novel Believe!!! I’ve had this epic romance in my head since I was thirteen years old and their love story brought to life so many others as I have a whole list of WIP’s that are being written as quickly as I can write them. Which is admittedly slow, I’m not the fastest writer ever 😉 This really is the Epic Romance that changes my life the most! To read more about this epic romance please click here!

So what did you think of my list my lovelies, do you agree with my choices? Did I leave out any of your favorite Epic Romances? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Discoveries And New Adventures

Hello my lovelies!!! I’ve missed you all like crazy, I just haven’t been in a blogging mindset of late, but hopefully as fellow writers, you all understand and forgive lol 😀 I’ve been keeping busy writing my novel, revisiting some of my favorite books (The Tortall Universe by Tamora Pierce and The Lost Continent series by Catherine Asaro!), and discovering new T.V. shows to LOVE and slightly obsess over (Once Upon a Time and Reign!)  Please no spoilers for season four and season two thanks! I’m totally loving Rumbelle and the epic-ness of pretty much everything in OUAT and looking forward to more awesome historical escapades on Reign but more on those two in an upcoming blog.

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Basically, I just wanted to let you guys know that I haven’t forgotten you all and I will be posting more in the coming month, so look for new Adventures of Ratha James installments as well and Photo Challenges, new poetry, and more! Until next time my lovelies, I hope you’re all having a great 2015 so far and oh by the way before I forget…my bestie’s getting married and I’m gonna be a Maid of Honor in a few weeks!!! So yeah, there’s all that I’m doing as well… 😀

This one reminds me of Ratha! Image From Google. All rights Belong To Artist.

The Lure of the Unknown…

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Hello my lovelies, hopefully you’re having a lovely and relaxed Sunday morning/afternoon (Vampire Diaries marathon anyone?). I’ve been busy making breakfast — cheesy omelets and sweet tea, mmm southern goodness — playing on Pottermore, and now I’m settling back to watch some good old Damon and Elena love/hate/drama fest, season four edition! Delena fan forever people ❤

But vampire love triangles and angst aside, you’ve probably noticed I’ve given the blog a little facelift. I got bored last night and the urge for change was just too much so I just had to tinker! I think the new look is more mysterious than the last, a bit more unknown and magical as opposed to a faery land.  I’m always a bit slow to change things because I like knowing when you visit the site, you feel welcome and at home, but I also don’t want Moonstonemaiden to get stagnant because I’m a bit like Stewie and can’t handle change. Really, I almost had a fit the other day when I noticed my brother moved icons on my desktop, I just, I just can’t…

But sometimes I actually do crave something new and here’s the result lol. So I want to know what you think my lovelies, do you like the new look or do you miss the old? Can you appreciate the lure of the unknown? Shall we take a walk on the wild side together? Let me know! 😀

Here There Be Snakes!

Ok my lovelies, I’ll have a real post for you tomorrow but today I just wanted to share with you a little snippet of humor I experienced last night! Oh and I just want to apologize for the last week or two if two of each of my posts have been showing up in your Reader but only one being clickable. What can I say, WordPress is giving me hell and not posting right, but I am sorry 😀 And when in doubt, usually click the second link! But ok I promised you a funny, so here you go, (it was my Facebook status last night after I calmed down enough to type lol):

That moment you go outside in flip-flops and are confronted with a snake on your porch blocking your retreat and must resort to flashlight code and wildly elaborate hand signals to get the people inside to notice your distress and reopen the door wide enough for you to barrel back in like a freight train with the leaping grace of a gazelle, but not wide enough to let the snake inside the house…oh yeah.

Hilarity Ensues

Hello my lovelies, I just wanted to let you know that my little brother has finally made his own blog!!! Check it out, it’s going to be hilarious (I can tell).  And later on there will be a series of interviews between us that will be posted on our pages 😀

http://wtf2that.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/the-struggles/

Movie Quotes And Disney Lyrics

When I read the daily prompt this morning my lovelies, I knew this was one I had to do: Tell us the origin story of your best friend. How did you become friends? What is it that keeps your friendship rockin’ after all these years? I’ve told this story a million times over the years but never here on my blog, and since I mention my bestie so much, I figure it’s only right to tell y’all the story as well!

Here we are near the end of my Senior year in high school at the Serendipity book release, an anthology we were both published in and both worked on!

My best friend and I met the summer before my Senior (and her Junior) year in high school at the pool in the apartment complex where I (and she) lived. I was taking my younger brother swimming because 1) I LOVE to swim, and 2) there was this stupid rule about how old you had to be to swim at the pool (which we broke all summer because at sixteen years old I apparently could not swim without someone twenty-one watching me but considering I’d been swimming confidently since I was five, I figure this rule was a bit silly, but I digress…). Now I should probably tell you my lovelies, that I’m not the most trusting person in the world and I don’t really take to new people well, I get defensive or stand-offish and usually just ignore everyone that I don’t know. Or rather, I used to. I’m a lot better know, since I was bombarded with new people and new situations when I went to college a few years ago and it was an adapt-or-live like a leper or social pariah for a few years kind of thing and I chose to adapt. But when my bestie and I met, I was still rather anti-social and not at all a fan of new people, especially not new people who wouldn’t take no for an answer, and good grief was she stubborn.

I can’t remember if she was already at the pool when my brother and I arrived or if she got there later, but I do remember thinking “Crap, now I have to deal with her…” So I put on my best Fear-Me look and pointedly would not give her the time of day (other than a few curt replies) although she kept swimming by what I deemed my-side-of-the-pool and asking pesky questions like how old was I? What school did I go to? Have I lived here long? All I could think was WHY DOES SHE NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS?!!! So with narrowed, blatantly untrusting eyes and a palpable aura of disapproval and distrust I answered her as icily as I could and hoped she was smart enough to take the hint that her inquiries and her presence (if she was going to keep talking that is) were not welcome. It seemed to work…for a moment and my temper began to settle.

Then she began speaking to my little brother.

Who did this little pool stalker think she was?! If I dismissed her then she had no right to speak to my brother (who I later learned already knew my bestie because she baby-sat for some of his friends)! My over-protective big-sister instinct flared to life with righteous indignation, but before I could do or say anything, here she was showing him how to stick his legs out of the pool and lean back underwater until his back touched the wall. THE BITCH WAS TRYING TO DROWN HIM!!! I sprang into action, rushing (as fast as someone can rush when they’re up to their shoulders in water) to save my brother and get him as far away from this nutter as possible, but he resurfaced before I got there and was grinning proudly. “You’ve got to try this Tara, it’s so cool!” he crowed, happy as can be, oblivious to the fact that moments before I’d been on the war-path looking for blood. I stopped and stared first at him, making sure he really was okay, then at her, then back at him. Maybe she hadn’t been trying to drown him after all?

Noticing perhaps, the severe and sudden drop of hostility on my part, my future BFF made her move and struck up a conversation when I was too confused to put her off. I still didn’t fully trust her (that was the weirdest swimming move I’ve ever seen) but she had refrained from drowning my brother and that meant she couldn’t be so bad. I guess. I mean right? So we talked for a while, she happily gabbing away and me thawing out bit by bit until it was time for us to go. We planned to see each other again (a plan I fully didn’t intend to keep) and went our separate ways until I made the mistake of telling my mom about my new “friend” and how I didn’t plan on going over to visit like I promised. Big mistake on my part because mom had me out the door in five minutes flat telling me I better go say hello. Sigh.

And so the awkward friendship continued until after a while it grew into genuine friendship and then into full-blown bestie awesomeness. And now 8 years later we are once-again approaching our friendiversary, a little older, a little wiser, and a lot nicer (on my part at least). Life has taken us for one helluva ride so far in the relative short time we’ve known one-another, but still our friendship remains strong. We lasted through the separation of moves, college (and me crying on the phone for an hour telling her how much I wanted to come home because I didn’t like all the new-ness), the addition of family members, deaths, divorces (my parents’), living together (which was better in theory because we never actually fought until we lived together, though I think if anything, it strengthened our friendship), distance, and time. We went for months (amicably) not talking because I’m always reluctant to actually call people and life was a bit rough, but I could only go so long before I needed my bestie.

Time and time again she has been there for me, always with a cheeky comment or just the right thing to say, even if we only speak in movie-quotes or Disney lyrics. I can say the weirdest things to her and know that she understands what I mean and vice-versa, I don’t have to be prim or grim, I can be goofy and outrageous.  And for someone, who by choice, does not have that many close friends, it’s nice to know that I have one person outside of family who truly gets me and who truly cares.

Our friendship isn’t perfect, we have our ups and downs but no matter what, we fight though and I think that’s why we’re pretty freaking awesome, because I won’t fight for just any friendship, I’ve let other dissipate and fade away, but I can’t imagine my life without my bestie. She’s worth fighting for, even if she is a pool stalker 😀

I had just proclaimed myself a “Pretty Peacock”…that’s what no sleep and too much sugar will do! I could only ever be this goofy with my bestie!

(And P.S.  my bestie is also on WordPress: BecomingEllipsisMark ) Go check her out, she’s got some great poetry!

The Plague! And Egg-Drop Soup

After carefully avoiding getting sick this past week taking care of my little brother (aka the outbreak monkey) who had a wicked cold/flu/sinus thing, I do believe I have at last succumbed to the inevitable my lovelies. I think I have the plague. I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat and a bad mood the likes of which hell hath no. *Long brooding sigh* I hate being sick, I turn into the crabbiest, whiniest person alive, lol. See what I mean, I’m already whining…

I think I need some egg-drop soup, purely for health reasons, that don’t at all relate to my love of chinese food! For those of you unaware, egg-drop soup is a miraculous restorative with magical throat-healing powers that I think border on the divine! Seriously, there’s nothing better to sooth a dragonish sore throat than a blissfully hot quart of salty egg-drop soup…mmm.

So while I embark on the arduous task of securing healing-soup, I hope you all have a lovely, plague-free day!

Note to self: must find a valiant steed for my travels. Preferably one who will enjoy soup.

The Wisdom Of A Hair Stylist’s Daughter

Having grown up in numerous salons my lovelies, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn some of life’s most valuable lessons in a setting where — as a woman, and the daughter of a hair stylist — I feel most at home. Some of my earliest memories are of the smell of hairspray and perm solution and the joy of being the center of attention as a crowd of loving faces told me how cute I was and how much I looked like my mom and/or dad. I know for most,  hair salons are just a place people visit once or twice a month to blissfully relax, beautify themselves, and gab freely with their therapist stylist, but for me, they’ve always been my favorite playgrounds. I visited the shop nearly everyday of the week and everyday there was a new adventure to be had! I was probably that annoying kid who sat next to you and talked the whole time your hair was being cut, or who sat there in contemplative (creepy) silence and watched you get your hair done, or the especially evil one who stopped your session twenty times by going “Momma! Momma look at this!”

But it wasn’t all fun and games I can assure you. Sometimes major life lessons were learned going to work with my mom, and today (considering I’m visiting the shop) I feel like sharing some of these lessons. Hopefully they enrich your lives with their sound wisdom and undeniable truth 😉

Let’s begin shall we…

1) The sink is a perfectly acceptable place to launch epic naval warfare.

Image from Google.
Some of the most awesome naval battles have been fought here!

With a rag to plug the drain, an intrepid and brave Styrofoam cup, and the spray nozzle to supply the raging oceanic storm and hurricane-like rain, a life at sea is within your reach… Until your mother sees you splashing water clear across the shop in an effort to make the voyage look more realistic, then run…just run.

2) Gossip is the stuff of life.

Image From Google.
“Did you hear about…?”
“No! But did you hear…?”
“That’s not what I heard!”

Whether it’s from rag-mags, E News, the grapevine, or straight from the horse’s mouth (facebook), gossip is the goods. Be ready to fully explore the sociological, psychological, philosophical, metaphysical, and spiritual meaning of Miley’s (horrid) new hair cut, Bieber’s arrest (don’t care…I just don’t care), and the next-door neighbor’s fascination with garden gnomes *shocked gasp*!

That being said…

3) Everyone you meet in a salon will already know everything about you before you even introduce yourself, including what you should be doing that day.

Image From Google.
“So what are you writing today?”
“Actually, I’m just on facebook.”
Uncomfortable silence.
“Well how can you get any writing done on Facebook?”
More uncomfortable silence.
Quietly whispers something that rhymes with duck and clicks off of facebook.

I cannot tell you how many times my mother has introduced me to people and the first thing they say is Oh, the writer! I’ve heard all about you! All the while staring at me as if they know the very secrets of my soul, which they might.

4) It is never permissible to clip the Nail Tech’s brushes with fingernail clippers…ever!

Image From Google.
Just don’t try it…trust me!

I don’t really thing I need to explain this one. Suffice it to say, I’ve done this and it did not end well…

5) The spiral hairbrush is to be avoided at all costs!!!

Image From Google.
To this day it strikes fear into my heart just to see this brush sitting out.

For the love of all that is beauty, stay away from this brush, it’s the most dangerous thing in the entire shop and if you see it (out of the hands of a trained stylist), RUN! RUN!!!!! It tempts you with its spiral-ness and just waits for you to innocently wrap a tendril of your luscious hair around its treacherous bristles before turning on you and snagging a hellacious knot so badly tangled that it cannot be undone without frantic tears and bitten-back screeches of horror. Over the years, I’ve become immune to the charming allure of this brush and I can now see it for the villain that it truly is.

And there you have it my lovelies, I hope this list was helpful and will make you think of things a little differently when next you visit your stylist! What about y’all, any tidbits of salon wisdom, or stories you’d like to share? Let me know! 😀