January 19th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

Well folks, I’m now “that girl” who has a guy for the color and a guy for the cut.  I adore them both and I’m keeping them.

Today was the much anticipated cut.  He took off about six or seven inches, which at first was frightening and a little emotional considering I haven’t had more than a trim since 2002 and I’ve sort of decided I like being “the girl with the long hair,” but I am SO happy with the results.  It’s a drastic change without being cut so short that I feel like it will take years if I decide to grow it out again.  It has awesome layers that I can choose to show or hide as I please and it’s truly a haircut I can style exactly the same way he did at home.  He showed me all kinds of little tricks (ex: he NEVER uses conditioner.  I’ve really only used it on the ends of my hair but now I might reconsider!) and made it very clear that I need to allow it to be “messy” because it’s “just sexier that way.”  (Said in a Lebanese/French accent.  SO great.)

I will admit I was a bit intimidated and frightened by the signed headshots of some of my heroes (Bernadette Peters, Barbra Streisand) hanging everywhere, and I’m not certain but I think he might be the guy who gave Jennifer Aniston “THE” haircut back in the day, but the guy is famous for a very good reason.  Plus he’s hilarious. When I walked in he said “it’s a good thing you’re pretty and you have amazing hair.  Sometimes these ugly people with two strands of hair come in asking me to make them look like Heather Locklear and I just smile and nod then secretly hate them with my eyes.”  Kate=wrapped around his little genius of a finger.

Without further blabbing, here’s the new hair — just note that it’s POURING rain here and there’s a leeeeetle bit of static.  OK a lot of static.

See?  STATIC.  Also, the Photobooth lighting on this computer is no bueno.  Hello, fluorescent blue face!

January 14th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

In a year that’s been very hard for many Americans, Matt and I have been extremely blessed and when a tragedy like the earthquake in Haiti strikes, it makes me feel even luckier . . . and makes me wonder what I can do to help.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the first place I look is to the church.  Due to our amazing welfare program, the LDS church is often the first on the scene after a horrible tragedy like this.  Haiti is no different.

Here is the LDS Church’s press release on what they are doing to help. Besides the help that is probably already set up in Haiti through church members and programs already in place, they are sending two planes with 80,000 lbs of food and mobilizing trucks from the Dominican Republic with hygiene kits, newborn essentials and probably tons more food.

The church uses regular donations from it’s members (not tithing donations) to fund projects like this, but they can always use a little more help.  If you’d like to donate to help you can go here .

I’ll also be donating to the Red Cross and other relief efforts, some of which can be found in this post by Chris Sacca.

January 13th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

Lately everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) in my office has been sick.  The flu and a nasty bronchitis that takes two rounds of antibiotics have both been circling.  My boss and I seem to be the only ones who were immune to the plague.

I felt pretty awesome about it.  I was like “yeah, I exercise and eat my veggies.  My immune system kicks your immune system’s BUTT!”

Well, my immune system can consider itself served because yesterday, after eight hours of feeling awesome and normal, at about 5:00, right as I was leaving to go home, I went from totally fine and healthy to “ohmagosh I think I’m going to die.” 

It hit me just that fast.  One minute I was chipper and happy and the next, I was ready to curl into a ball and cry.  My ears were popping, my throat was screaming in pain and the snot was a-comin’.  I went home, ate some dinner, took eight hundred vitamins, a decongestant and four advil, snuggled into the couch with a blanket and made it through exactly ten minutes of Scrubs.  Then I was out-ski.  I woke up for exactly ten minutes at midnight after dreaming of giant black sores on my throat (sssiiiicccck) to take more advil, a dose of NyQuil and get a cough drop.  I slept until 7:15 this morning.

I decided to come to work for one (well, sort of two) superficial reasons.  I’m getting my hair dyed today.  My blondish roots are starting to make me look pretty white trash.  Normally, I would just reschedule the appointment but not this week.  Because next Tuesday?  I have an appoinment for a haircut with a hair GENIUS.  My boss is married to a celebrity hair artist and he has agreed to cut my hair.  AND I AM SO EXCITED!  He was the stylist for Melrose Place back in the day, and he continues to work wonders on Heather Locklear and a bunch of other uberfamous peoples.  My haircut with him is absolutely contingent on the fact that I get my hair dyed prior to my appointment with him.  The only time before Tuesday I can get in to get the color done is today.  So I’m pretending, whilst unable to breath and swimming in Jell-o brain, that I’m not sick AT ALL.

So, to sum up, I’m so sick I think I’m dying but I’m at work because I’m superficial enough to be worried about getting my hair dyed.  Sickness: 0 Kate: 10.  If I’m dead tomorrow, I have my beauty to blame for it.

January 5th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

I really hate the days I wake up on the “wrong side of the bed.” 

{Begin Tangent}  Why do people say that?  Only once in my life have I literally woken up on the wrong side of the bed.  My head was where my feet should have been and I even had a pillow.  I woke up because I kicked my husband in the face.  For reals.  And it didn’t make me cranky, it made for an awesome start to my day because I kicked him in the face and laughed for like an hour. {End Tangent}

Today is one of those days. 

I stayed up late last night waiting for my husband and some of his friends - both of whom I’ve never met - to come home from the Fiesta Bowl, and I had to give up at midnight.  Then of course they came home shortly after that riiiiiight as I was drifitng off.  Matt came in and got in bed and proceeded to wiggle for what seemed like ten years.  At first I just heard his foot slooooowwwlllyy rubbing across the sheet.  Then he itched his leg.  Then his arm.  Then what seemed like his whole body.  He was trying to do it gently but it was causing wiggles in the bed.  Then he rolled over, which in Matt land is sort of like a walrus THROWING himself off a rock into the water.   The man doesn’t slowly roll, he flails around, bounching me off the bed as if we’d been playing trampoline games.  Then his phone vibrated on the bathroom counter and he absolutley HAD to get out of bed at 1 AM to see what it was.  Then he got back in bed (felt like jumped) and proceeded to do the whole wiggling thing again.  Finally I couldn’t take it and yelled “GOOD HELL MAN!”  He meekly apologized and said his skin was “crawly.”  In my half asleep grumpiness I explained that I didn’t care and he needed to HOLD STILL FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY.  This apparently meant “put your hand on my butt” because that’s how he responded.  I was annoyed until I realized that doing that apparently causes immediate paralysis in “crawly skinned” husbands.  (I’ll note that for later.) I was finally able to drift off to sleep.

Until about ten minutes later when I remembered a huge work project we have to get started on and complete in two weeks.  During my busiest time of the month.  And we have a regional meeting here the day before it’s due.  AND I have Jury Duty the day after.  So then I was wide awake going over the details in my head.  For about two hours.  GAH!

Needless to say I pushed snooze for an eternity this morning, causing me to be late to work as well as be smack dab in the middle of the worst part of rush hour.  Shoot me now. 

Now I’m here and I’m alllllll sorts of grumpy-pants.  I am so grumpy I have no desire to eat the delicious Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake sitting on my desk.  Yeah, it’s bad.  I have no idea how to get out of the grumpy funk.

How do YOU guys do it?  Any great ideas?  Help a grumpasaurus out!

January 3rd, 2010 by Kateastrophe

 . . . there is just too much to write and try to catch up on.  Christmas was amazing.  We were spoiled rotten.   My one regret might be the HD video camera I gave Matt.  I’m starting to understand why movie stars are anorexic.  The camera adds WAY more than ten pounds.  And it adds zits.  And weird hair.  And a double chin.  Ok, maybe that’s just me.

Our New Year was rung in with style at my Birthday/New Year’s Eve Party.  We had a homemade photo booth, Rock Band, Wii, a delicious, custom make cake and the best friends we could ever ask for.  And we’ve been lazy ever since.  So far 2010/my last year in my twenties has been fantastic.  I am blessed beyond words and I can’t wait for the amazing things this year has to bring.

Thanks for sticking with me through this crazy year.  I love you all and wish you a Happy New Year!