A decision...

The hair is the richest ornament of women.  ~Martin Luther

I've finally decided - I'm going to get my hair cut.  Well, not cut so much, as styled.


It's incredibly long, and incredibly pretty, if I do say so myself, but it's just sort of - there.   All one length, long, straight - except when it decides to do this wavy/curl thing that I can't control, but is really cool.


So, I want to keep the length, but add a little "oomph" with some layering.   Something I can either style and make all gorgeous, or still pull back into a bun when I need to.


Yep, the decision has been made.

Now, I just have to go do it.

Which means finding a stylist.


And the time to go.


-sigh-


I'll keep you posted.  Right now, I have to go to work.  Which I *don't* feel like doing, but hey - I have $400.00 worth of college textbooks ordered.  Have to pay for those somehow! 


~Zahrah

Musings on - life?

Standing calmly at the crossroads, no desire to run.

There's no hurry anymore, when all is said and done...


That's one of my all-time favorite songs.  Yeah, I know, it's ABBA.  So what?   For that matter, I even like the movie version with Pierce Brosnan singing it the best.  It's just - beautiful.

Anyway, that wasn't the point of this, actually.

The point was "Crossroads."

Which is an awesome Eric Clapton song:

But that wasn't where I was headed either. 

What I came in here to write about, before getting musically distracted,  was my own personal crossroads, which is pretty darn exciting.

I'm about to start on a college career I've dreamed of for years, and have finally been able to make a reality.  Work is going great, and I'm excited about the coming year at the dance studio.    Life is good, and I'm glad to be able to say that again.  I haven't been this inwardly happy, this content with myself and the state of my life for years.

The last nearly 10 years have been - well, interesting for me.   There have been good things, and there have been bad, but everything I've been through in that time has brought me to where I am now.   There can be no present without the past, and no future without the present.   

Anyway, I won't get off into a bunch of deep philosophical meanderings, suffice it to say that I have, quote, "found myself", end quote, and really like the person I found, and this path she's wandering off on.   It may not make sense to anyone else, but it does to me, and that's what counts in the end, I guess. 

I don't know what the point of this post is, or if there even is one - just seems like something that needed to said, and if it's worth saying - might as well blog it, right? ;-)

~Zahrah

"Popcorn Brain"

I have a serious case of "popcorn brain" right now.  If you could do a cross-section of my thoughts, you'd get something like this:

Black Space = My Brain.   Everything else = Thoughts.  Yes, I do think in multi-color.

So, as you may imagine, I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on anything.  Most especially the Algebra that I really need to be looking at before I take the COMPASS test at 8:00 am Friday.  At the rate I'm going now, I'm going to get placed in the college version of "basic arithmetic for dummies".  

So, in avoidance of Algebra and other things responsible - like school shopping,  I need a backpack, and all that jazz...  Anyway, short of doing those sort of things, I'm blogging.  But hey, I promised a friend that I'd keep up with it, so it has to be done too.  So I'm still being productive. 

Right?  Right.  Good.

Amidst the hub-bub currently going on inside my brain, I am immensely happy.  I have something of the feeling of hanging on to a carnival ride for dear life, but I'm ready to face the adventures ahead.   I'm also scared stiff.  But, that too is part of the adventure of life, so I guess I'm ready to face that as well.  Thank goodness for stage fright training, is all I can say!

Until another time, when my brain actual allows a full and insightful post...

~Zahrah

Musings on: Singing

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song.”

I love to sing.  Music is a huge part of my life, and singing is a natural extension of that, I guess.   I'm even a decent singer - I don't think anyone is going to hand me a recording contract, but I can hold my own.

Problem is, I'm scared stiff of singing in front of people.  Well, of actually performing, anyway.  I sing randomly all the time, generally just for the heck of it to annoy people....  *evil laugh*  But as far as just standing up in front of an audience to sing - you want to talk about stage fright.  I've done it - and I always enjoy it after the fact, but that wait before you open your mouth for the first time is sheer terror.

So, that means that the shower and the car get the benefit of my singing skills.  I will admit to having gotten some strange looks at traffic lights - but really, who doesn't sing along with the Eagles?  Isn't that a rule?  I thought it was...

Once I get settled into the college routine, I'm going to take a look at joining the choir, if I can fit it in yet another major time commitment - I've already sold my soul to the drama department!  In the meantime, I'll just have to keep singing because I love it.


Huh.


Maybe that's not a bad thing though, eh?


~Zahrah

P.S.:  Readers, if you're actually out there - please feel free to follow my blog via friend connect, and/or to comment - sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself.  Not that talking to myself is at all an unusual state of affairs for me, mind you.  ;)
  

Travel Journal: Gatlinburg, Part 3 (photo heavy)

So, as I was saying a couple of days ago, (sorry for the delay, that whole "real life" thing popped up when I got home), I actually went out and played tourist, not only living to tell the tale, but enjoying myself at the same time!

We started out the day, after breakfast of course, by leaving the Park Vista hotel via the Gatlinburg Trolley System: Winding down off the mountain where the hotel sits, and through the streets of Gatlinburg via trolley

Park Vista Hotel, with trolley approaching

is a beautiful and relaxing way to see the city, (hold on tight though, some of those corners are killer!) not to mention getting you from destination to destination.  You can board the trolleys at over 100 stops throughout the city, so if you get the unlimited pass as we did, you could conceivably ride it from one end of the street to the other.  However, once we got down into the city, we departed from the trolley, and started wandering around on foot.  Everything is quite close to everything else, and with all the stores and attractions opening onto the street, it really has the feeling of one giant carnival.

Travel Journal: Gatlinburg, Part 2

Well, I've done it.   I joined the hordes, hit the tourist center of Gatlinburg head-on, and lived to tell the tale!  One thing we refused to do, however, was attempt driving and parking, so we made good use of the local trolley system.  At 50 cents a ride - or, even better $2.00 for an unlimited day pass - plus it runs straight to the hotel door - plus over 100 trolley stops through the city - there's really no better choice.   Not to mention the pleasures of being able to see and talk to fellow tourists.  It's hard not to strike up a conversation when you're piled into a small bench seat together, being slung around corners by an enthusiastic trolley driver!

I'm going to save details until I have the pictures to go with them, so for now let me just say that I truly have enjoyed this trip, on many levels.   It's a beautiful place, and even if the tourism is still, for me, a bit overwhelming, I think I would return again.  Indeed, plans are being made for this to become an annual Gatlinburg conference for the church.  I hope it is so.

Farewell for now,
From Gatlinburg,
~Zahrah

Travel Journal: Gatlinburg, Part 1

Point one about interstate travel - semi trucks are scary. 
Point two about interstate travel - ever since I started driving, being a passenger seems odd.
Point three about interstate travel - driving, while more tiring, is quite enjoyable.  And my GPS is a lifesaver - I love you, "Fred".

On the whole though, it was an un-eventful trip over.   We drove through some simply gorgeous countryside - Ireland may be famous for the "Forty Shades of Green", but Tennessee runs a close second!  I ended up driving a good part of the way, so didn't get as many pictures as I was hoping for, but I have some nice ones to share.  Unfortunately, the camera connect cord did not make it with us (note to self for future: if it's something you need, double-check) so unless I find one to buy here, they'll have to wait until I get home.

By about 15 miles out, the tourist chaos was closing in, starting with stores prominently advertising "2 t-shirts for $10.00!!!" and gradually getting worse and worse as we entered Pigeon Forge.   Never in my life have I seen such a mish-mash of bright neon signs, laden with explanation points.   A few that stood out for me:

• #1 Importer of Indian Moccasins!  (Isn't that a domestic product?  You know, "Native Americans"???  Anyway...) 
• National Champion Elvis!!!  (okay...)
• Petting Zoo and Pony Rides - and Exotic Wedding Pictures.  (...)

Honestly, about halfway through, I was fighting the urge to dive under the seat and begin meditation practices.

Between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, you actually see a bit of *gasp* NATURE, via the Smoky Mountain National Park.  It's a lovely few minutes, trees on one side, and a creek running down the other. 

Gatlinburg itself seems much less commercial-touristy and more fun-touristy.  The main street on the way in was incredibly busy though, and I was glad to get up to our hotel.  It's on a mountain over looking Gatlinburg, with simply stunning views of surrounding mountains and the city.  

Tomorrow, we're going exploring a bit, as we have the whole day free before the conference meeting at night. Driving and parking is difficult, so we're planning to use the trolleys as much as possible for around-town.  I would like to drive over to Clingmans Dome, though at nearly an hour away, we'll probably end up staying around here.

That pretty much concludes my adventures for the day, so I'll just mention how much I truly enjoyed "attending church" in true face-to-face lesson form, rather than via tape, and how nice it was to finally meet my pastor in person.  

Farewell for now.

From Gatlinburg,
~Zahrah