Henry the Crow

 Evidently the white crow that lives on my block is named Henry.  He's well loved by the patrons of the Farmer's Barn tavern across the street.  Here's some shots of him that don't look like Big Foot photography

 

 

And here's me next to the track record board with my team sprint record from 2009.

Morning curls

Last time I tried pincurls, I made them super tight and small.  They left my hair frizzy with bobby pin marks.  Last night I put my hair up in big, loose curls, probably eight total.  The result is quite nice.  This is an early-morning photo of me, pre makeup, but you get the gist.  I'm pleased.  We are leaving for LA on Tuesday and I'd wanted to figure out a way to get curly hair when we're there without schlepping my curlers down.  On October 21st I'm heading to Portugal for Per's racing, and the less I can bring, the better.  A handful of bobby pins and a hat to sleep in almost as good as hot curlers.

Birthday Fun

We had a small birthday party for Per last night.  It gave me a perfect opportunity to try out my cake-making skills.  Instead of making one of my two favorite cakes, I combined them into one fabulous, layered cake.  I think we might have missed taking any pictures of it, but it's turned out pretty nice.  And it tasted great.  And I got to answer the door when guests showed up still wearing my super-cute polka dot apron.  The hair worked out well.  Per took an iPhone picture, but it didn't really show the hair very much.  I managed to redo the do that was done when I had my hair dyed and styled last month, but I added a little curl in the front.  It held all night, too.  It was like a sculpture, stiff with hairspray.   You can't see, but I got a nice bump in and a ponytail where I wrapped the base with hair from the bump, and it all held!  Even the ponytail curls stayed bouncy all night.  A success!

Pincurl results are in.

Not so fabulous.  When I took the pincurls out they were just kind of frizzy.  I think I need to put just a little bit of pomade into the mix before putting them up.  I put my hair into a ponytail and they have added some nice bounce, and I think they'll last longer than hot curls.  But nothing fabulous at all.  And here's my non-fabulous shot to illustrate the point.

Pincurls!!!

 I decided that it was high time to try pin curls instead of hot curls or wet-set curls.  Hot curls fall quickly, and the wet-set took sooooo long!  Not a fan of having them on my head for 6 hours.  So we'll see.
The process was pretty simple.  Same theory as victory rolls, but more of them, and making them flat instead of a stand-up roll.  And I didn't have to hide any bobby pins.  They're kind of sloppy.  If I can get it down better, I could wear them as a style on their own.  It wasn't easy, though.  My burly arms got sore holding them over head.  My wrists, that made it through three madisons with Per last night got tired with all the twisting.  Yup, I'm tough.

 

This was my going-to-the-store-for-cake-ingredients outfit.  Thanks to Lisa Graham, I finally went out and bought some skinny jeans that fit sprinter butts.  And don't they look hot with heels.  The facial expression is in response to Per saying, "Show me concern for the national space program!"  So there you have it.

I try to be my best.

I managed a cute outfit today, even though I was in a rush.  Cuffed, tight jeans.  Sleeveless button-up.  Jean jacket.  And to tie it together, mary-jane heels.  I was too rushed to do any more than a pony tail, but the look still held together with the help of liquid eyeliner, rouge, and cherry-red lips.  All this while trying to cook dinner and pack for madison practice at the track.  I had to leave by 3:45 to pick Per up in Hillsboro, and didn't start getting ready till 3:20.  But it all worked.

The one catch was that I was left with only my heels to strut around in at the track.  My track cleats don't do well on pavement.  Fortunately I was wearing my knickers, which almost look like capris, so you'd almost not know the difference.  Almost.  But really, there I was in spandex and heels.  It's not too bad at our super-insular little Alpenrose family, but shopping for post-race munchies is a different story.

Jocks in heels never set well with me.  It's like seeing your butch PE teacher all dressed up to chaperon a dance.  Not hot.

On the plus side, I made it through 30 minutes of madison racing without a stomach ache!  My Crohn's is the best Crohn's I've ever heard of.  If I didn't hate it on principle, we could almost be friends.

Don't Cry

September is here.  That means it's time to shop again.  I've got to get suited up for rain.  Any suggestions?

My dad and I built a bench.  Out of wood.  With real tools that run on electricity.  This is the first thing I've EVER made out of wood.  The staining is taking a long time, but I'll put pictures up when I finish.

I have to go eat now.

Quiet Day

It felt like fall today, which I combated by wearing a short skirt and a tank top.  I'm not ready.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: A must-see.  I've watched this film a few times before, but not in a while.  I'd forgotten how fabulous Jane Russel is.  I love her down to business attitude.  And the musical number with the US Olympic Team working out where she sings "Isn't anyone here for love?" is just perfect.  Also I like how the team is outfitted in very short, skin-toned shorts.  Those men were ripped for their time, but by today's standards, what they have would be bare minimum for any male actor.  The men got bigger and the women got smaller.  Marilyn's waist is pretty itty bitty, but that's got to be due to a corset.  I bought one, just to see.  It certainly improves how dresses hang, but, to be honest, it hurts my Crohn's, so I don't wear it.  Maybe later when I'm all better.  I'll wear my corset while enjoying half a dozen vodka tonics and munching on a tofurky sandwich.  Till then, tofu. rice and steamed veggies.  Um, yum?