prillalar | I chose plastic on Earth Day and other tales of my existence.

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i like robots better than you

I chose plastic on Earth Day and other tales of my existence.

I would like a t-shirt that says: I will fucking curse you and you will fucking die. But not enough to actually make one. And I'd never be able to bring myself to wear it.

When I grow up, I want to be Donna Noble.

Girlification Question 1: Is it possible for the hair on your legs to be too long to wax? Is it ever worthwhile to try to do the waxing yourself at home so that you don't have to let a stranger touch your body?

Girlification Question 2: Is there a good way to minimize the appearance of grey hair without wrecking the rest of your hair? I have a bit of grey at my temples which will probably look lovely eventually but which currently is short and straggly and makes me look untidy whenever I pull my hair back. I've only ever coloured with Kool-Aid previously, which doesn't seem like the best option here.

I have been pondering the best way to order coffee. When I go to my favourite coffee place, there are four atoms of information I have to give the counter person: size, roast, room for cream, to-go. It seems rare that anyone, unless they know me from repeated visits, can absorb all four of those at once. I've been wondering what the optimal order of atoms is and whether I should stick with two or three at first and then add the rest in a second sentence. (Let's not even get into places that have a size "medium" and a roast "medium".) What information do they need first, to give them a context for the rest of the information?

I should probably be drinking less coffee.

I am currently re-watching, with various people, Prince of Tennis, Bleach, and Supernatural. It's so much fun but I feel like I'm using up all my fannish squee in realspace, thus depriving the internet of my squee. (I'm sure you've noticed an overall drop in the amount of squee online.) Though maybe that's just because I'm lazy.

But here's some squee after all: 8 MORE DAYS UNTIL SPEED RACER! I so cannot fucking wait. Even if it's bad, it will be good. I just hope Racer X is cool enough.

Eventually there will be fic here again. My brain is back on track but I took on a freelance project to oblige a friend and so I haven't had the time to get anything down yet. Plus, writing is hard.

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I've been using henna for 20 years. This page -- http://www.hennaforhair.com/ -- has a lot of info on how to use it to cover gray, and how to adjust the color to match your own closely enough. Personally, I use it to make my hair less ashy, but I've done henna in the past to make it brown and it does work. If you're interested in details on what I do, email me and I'll tell all.

I read up quite a bit on henna at the weekend. I'm tempted, but it sounds like you need to leave it on for quite a long time to really cover grey and I'm not sure I'd be willing to commit to that as often as I'd need to. It does seem like it's really good for your hair, though.

Well, that's where my experience differs from the received wisdom. I've never left it on more than an hour, usually about half an hour; to compensate for this, I make sure my henna-packed head is warm. Sit in the sun, sit next to the heater (in winter), or aim a hair dryer at it. (Not directly on the henna; it's covered by plastic (recycling old bags) and an elderly towel.) I haven't used the henna from this site but from health food stores, herb stores, co-ops and Whole Foods, and have never had problems with it.

I can answer all your girlification questions!

Yes, your hair can be so long it looks like old growth forest. However! This is a good reason NOT to wax, as the pain will be akin to a 200 year old tree savagely being torn from the ground. Plus, it's winter here and if it was winter over there you'd need the extra insulation.

Also, don't worry about your grey. I have what I like to call my 'Einstein tufts' growing out of the side of my sideburns and I've given up on hating them- they're endearing now. Except when I want to look good.

I don't mind pain. And I'm femming it up so much this year that I'm actually considering buying some skirts for summer wear.

But I must look good! What if Drew Barrymore came by and I was all straggly?

Drew loves bad girls. You'd be so different from the rest she couldn't help herself. :D

I still don't know what you look like, btw. 8D

As a Barista, all I can tell you is to start with "This is to go" and only if the place makes a habit of serving "for here" as default. Most places don't so it could be unnecessary information.

The size is the first thing they need to know. For charging and for serving. Then the type of drink. Then the toppings.

So... "(This is to go.) Small coffee, medium roast, room for cream."

Personally, I hate when I take the order and halfway through making it, the person goes "Oh, that is with skim milk, oh, and could you use sugar free syrup and also, could you add sugar before you put whipped cream... on second thought, I don't want whipped cream" ...90% of the time, they tell me this when I'm making someone else's drink, which is just distracting and annoying. Heh.

If I'm the one taking the order, I ask them every possible request they could have and type it all in the order. It serves as both reminder and evidence.

Also, I know nothing about Speed Racer and I'm pretty sure it's going to be silly, but I saw the trailer at the theater and felt an uncontrollable NEED to see this movie. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Although you do know what it is.

For North Americans of a *cough* certain age (ie, starting to wonder about colouring the grey in our hair) Speed Racer was our first exposure to anime. Badly dubbed anime. I ♥ it so.

I vaguely remember the anime, but I'm not sure if I watched it or not. I remember some song? Go speed raaacer, go speed raaacer.

That's the one!

This is good information! Thanks you. So, the "to go" part is broken off into a separate sentence -- interesting. The main place I go to does a lot of "to stay" business with real mugs, so it's important information.

I think we have too many coffee choices. It causes too much stress.

I only broke it as a separate sentence because we don't use it at my coffee place. I think we get one "for here" request every other day, so we do things "to go" by default.

Yes. I was dreadfully... equal parts annoyed/scared by all the choices. Now I pretty much think in broken sentences and remember long, long orders as if learning the lines of a poem.

Like saying:
Large Latte
Soy
Extra Shot
Sugar Free Vanilla
1 Splenda
Foam
No whip

(and three other drinks, for the same ticket/order)

all in one breath, while making the first drink. I'm sure I look like someone that escaped from a mental institution but it helps me get the orders right. And it's also the reason why I get all frowny if someone interrupts me while I make drinks. (My short fuse temper thing really means I should not work at coffee places. Sigh.)

This is extremely helpful to me as well! I've been surprised and vexed to find Seattle baristas, despite their fabled skill in all other areas of the job, largely unable to process the phrase "for here", no matter where in my not-very-complex order I've tried placing it (including in a separate sentence after the other information). It hadn't occurred to me to put it first.

I developed a massive bruise from waxxing, so it is a no go in my book.

I think kool aide is perfectly acceptable in this time too.

I just order it size, roast, room for cream. The places always assume it is to go anyway.

I am watching One Piece and Rononoa Zero is my new boyfriend (of the moment)

Bruises! I never even considered that. And I bruise if anyone gives me a sharp look. Hmm.

The don't make Kool-Aid in "Mousey Brown" flavour.

I might do some experiments on the baristas with the, um, order of my order and see how they react. Maybe I'll take along a clipboard and a stop-watch.

I never got into One Piece. But it's always good to have a new boyfriend. I think I need one.

When I have a time I don't want to be shaving my legs, like the three weeks in Japan, I use that hilariously-named stuff called Nads instead of actual wax, because I'm convinced I'll burn myself if I use actual wax. :) I find the bruising and pain is minimized by stripping the hair off in 2" sections, instead of full strips. Takes a lot longer, but overall, less pain. The drawback to that stuff is that you end up completely sticky. :) After a few times, the endorphins kick in, too, so while it still hurts you don't mind it quite as much.

And the more you wax, the less it hurts because you damage the hair follicles a little bit and the hair grows in lighter. If you can suck it up for 3 or 4 times, after that there's little pain. (At least it did that with me.) The areas of your leg with more fat and meat hurt less than the areas right over bone.

You can take an NSAID half an hour or so before you wax, to lessen the pain a little bit, but it increases the chance of bruising.

You should go Strawberry Kiwi.

and stop watches are always a bonus. *leers*

It is childish and a bit old skool style, with bad cuts. I am not sure why I am watching it other than I downloaded 30 episodes, and it has swords.

I find that wax-strips do the job pretty well, for at-home-waxing. And if you have a relatively high pain tolerance, then hair is never too long to wax. ;)

I laugh at pain! Or maybe I'll just get drunk and then try it. :D

I have a t-shirt that says 'Jesus Cock-blocked me'. I support offensive apparel.

I can't answer the girlification questions as I am vain and too well-preserved to know anything about lapsed upkeep.

I've been sitting here staring at a blank word doc for so long that I'm sure I'll be happier if I just go lay down and read some H/D.

S'up, big balla?

I wish I had the nerve to wear stuff like that. I think I'm more distantly scary than in-your-face offensive, though.

I am not surprised. ♥

I wish life would just stop for about 24 hours so I could churn out some mediocre InuKai. I think my days of mediocre H/D have passed.

Way too much. How do you do a flist cut on real life?

I agree with this. It's very right.

I'm a ponce. :(

*sniffle*

You stay home and nap. ♥ And thank you for the icon nod. I had some really good brie the other day and I thought of you.

Girlification Question 1: Is it possible for the hair on your legs to be too long to wax? Is it ever worthwhile to try to do the waxing yourself at home so that you don't have to let a stranger touch your body?

Ye-es-ish. And Nair leg wax strips (comes in 20 packs for about $11) actually work nicely and are...not so painful. Do-able by yourself, at any rate. Even kneecaps.

Oh, good to know! Maybe I'll get some and make the attempt while watching TV. I will grit my teeth against the pain. Thanks, Allison. :)

Speed Racer? Mutual squeeing like mad.

In re: the coffee order, try this for maximum efficiency and ability of over-caffeinated staff to remember: size, roast, to go, room for cream.

Like this: "I'll have a double tall espresso to go with lots of room for cream, please." Mostly they ought to get it, unless you start adding things in:

"I'll have a double tall lo-fat mochachino on ice to go, leave room for cream, and please put lots of chocolate sprinkles on it. Oh, and I need the wide straw."

We have some DVDs of the original series -- just a few selected eps. It is so much fun to watch! And I'm in love with Racer X like I cannot tell you.

Sometimes they get it, sometimes I have to call "to go!" as they start filling up a mug. I'm kind of fascinated by the process of short term memory here.

There have probably been studies on this. I wonder if you did the two sentence thing, like this, if it would work better:

"I need a tall Columbian roast to go. Please leave room for cream."

AFAIK leg hair is never too long to wax. I have let mine grow out to its full length and in fact the waxing usually goes best that way.

I have never home waxed. I imagine you'd be macho enough to get it done, but it doesn't seem worth the hassle to me. And it'd be hard to get the right angle.

WRT head hair and the coloring thereof, OTOH, a DIY solution can be the way to go. I recommend the semi-permanent colors for covering gray. In the US, levels of permanence are numbered (1 for the most temporary, 3 for it's gotta grow out and be cut off before it's gone) -- I don't know if that's true in Canada as well, but if so, I'd go with a level 2 product. They wash out gradually in 6-8 weeks, depending on how often you wash your hair, and unlike a level 1 they won't come off on your pillowcase. They have no peroxide, unlike a level 3, and so aren't very damaging to your hair. And you can use them in spots rather than all over. An at-home coloring kit will run you about ten bucks, and it only takes about 45 minutes to deal with.

All my squee lately is going toward baseball. Boy, do I have squee over baseball. Complete with mad, mad love for ~~minor character~~ obscure middle reliever. SO MUCH LOVE.

Alas, I cannot help with the girlification questions, since I a) do basically nothing to my legs unless I have some very important reason to wear hose, b) use permanent dye and my hair likes it, and c) wish it wouldn't cover my grey anyway. And I can't help with coffee either, because I've been mostly off caffeine for about a decade.

I've never been able to make home waxing actually work, pain or no. The hair likes to stick. :\ I use those nasty hair removal creams instead.

Whatever you do, don't pluck the gray hairs out. They grow back all wiry and sticking out in every direction.

I've liked the Clairol root-touch-up kit that comes with a little tray and a little brush. Their instructions say to mix the whole amount that's in the kit, but you don't have to; you just need to put a bit of color gel and roughly the same amount of developer cream in the little tray, and stir it around with the little brush.

Women with grey at their temples are hot.

That is all.

Re: waxing:

I'd say that hair about 1/8-1/4 inch long is the best length for waxing: long enough for the wax/honey/sugar/nads/whatevs to get a grip on it, short enough that you are not in horrible pain/bleeding/bruised from the angle at which it is ripped out. Everyone's hair and skin are different though. (I know a person who can't wax since their skin just bruises all over.)

Also: probably do not want to wax right before/during your period (for pain reasons). I also take a painkiller 15mins or so before as well.

I have a friend who waxes every bit of herself she can reach (even armpits!) and has no problems doing it herself at home. Myself: I've tried waxing at home (nads and sally hansen) but neither worked well for me: maybe I just don't have a good technique/angle... or I have very stubborn hair? I do know that you don't want to be even a little sweaty/oily since that'll make it harder for the wax to work (some people even use a little powder/corn starch to get their skin drier before waxing)

It's not that expensive to get it done at an average neighborhood salon/spa/parlor, though; it's more a matter of finding a person/place where you feel fine with someone waxing whatever bit of yourself you want waxed. How I chose: get something small, like eyebrows, waxed and see how you feel about the place/person/service/price. Only then move onto legs, other bits...

Laura is clearly reading my mind tonight, or I'm reading hers.

I use Clairol's Natural Instincts for hair color--like Laura said, it's semi-permanent (no bleaching), usually lasts about 2 months for me (though the grey does peek through sooner), and you only have to leave it on for 10 minutes or so. The conditioner that comes with it is worth the purchase price alone. Which is only about $5, but anyway :D. So I'd recommend that if they carry it there, or something equivalent.

I've never tried total leg waxing, but I get my bikini line waxed. It's not that pricey--about $30 at the place I go to, and lasts maybe 1-2 months. I've tried doing it myself without much success (but lots of pain *g*). Having it done is still ouchy, but much much quicker. I've tried Nads before on my eyebrows, and it does work well if the temperature and humidity are right--it doesn't seem to work well in high humidity or hot weather. But it works better than it looks like it would, if that makes sense.

Wow, I'm girly :). Should we be talking pedicures now? Because I really need one.

If I haven't waxed for a while, I shave about a week earlier and let the hair grow out a bit before using the Veet wax strips - the pain is less. That said, I only wax up to my knees and shave further up, since using Veet now means I get a nasty chemical for my troubles.

Being a girl is hard. :/

*hugs* Hi. :D

I tried waxing my legs once and...no. Just no. I'll stick to shaving, even thought I hate doing it. So I am not help with your question!

Speed Racer! I will admit, with trepidation, that I have never seen the original anime. I mean, I know the logo but that's about it. Still, I'm looking forward to the movie from the trailers alone. So shiny! So many colors!

My sister is on the verge of disowning me because of how excited I am for Speed Racer. I just can't help it! It's got Susan Sarandon! And cheesy special effects! And Rain! What's not to like about that? :)))))))

Go Speed Racer, go!!! Oh, my youth...

I didn't like the main chara too much (and his girlfriend, whatshername, was annoying). But dude, I had a VERY SERIOUS CASE of the hots for Racer X. I hope he rocks just like in the series.

... even though his "mask" resembled some briefs XDDDD

Girlification Question 1: Is it possible for the hair on your legs to be too long to wax? Is it ever worthwhile to try to do the waxing yourself at home so that you don't have to let a stranger touch your body?

The only one I can try and answer :)
No - the longer, the better. You can do a pretty good job at home with cold wax strips if your hair is long enough, only I end up getting bored and half-assing it on hard to reach places (like the back of my thighs). Short answer - yes, it's worth it if you're disciplined.

I find lower legs are easy to wax at home but the hair should not be too long when you do it. As a commenter said above, waxing really long hair hurts. If I've left it too long on my underarms the beautician will trim with scissors first, if not you can ask them to.

It was fun.

Hey! I've been thinking of you! I hope things are going okay.

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I chose plastic on Earth Day and other tales of my existence.

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