Salon Whore

Every Friday (well, most Fridays), I work behind the chair at a Salon.

The daily happenings of the salon are inevitable and never change:

• straight boys that act like gay boys (or vise versa --we have yet to get it all figured out),
• someone's mom wearing pink hair,
• chicks complaining about their weight as they stuff their faces with Jucy Lucies & French Fries,
• someone rockin' the Frye Boots,
• at least one chick crying (over a stalker boyfriend OR a scandalous remark made about themselves),
• a chick that farts (loudly),
• AND multiple guests that are currently in or just out of the recovery program.

Every month(ish) the salon features a local artist, by hanging their artwork throughout the salons massive white walls.

Last night, the artist currently being featured hosted an opening party to kick-off his "I'm-being-featured-at-the-Tease-Salon-and-I-want-all-my-friends-and-family-to-see" night. To prepare for the lavish affair the salon closed it's doors early, which meant that instead of doing hair and making money, we (the stylists of Tease Salon) were expected to clean the place from top-to-bottom.

Due to the fact that I am not in the salon every day, it happens quite often that I am not in-the-know with all of the happenings at the Tease Salon. When I walked in to the salon Friday morning, I had NO idea that we would be closing our doors early, and expected to pull out our Maiden Aprons to prepare for 5 artists that would be displaying their artwork to approximately 200 guests that evening.

Despite my saltiness, I would declare the evening a great success.....

MINUS the SHIM (she/him/it) heedlessly discussing his(?)... errr... her(?)... flogging/bondage/fetish hobbies with any and everyone ....whether they were ready to hear it.. or not.

AND Mr. Important in the Art Community... who's retired and rich, spends a lot of money at Nordstroms, and who's body has not changed since college.... who blatantly said (among plenty of creepy things that came out of his mouth) that if I were wearing a swimsuit, dark tan, and coral lipstick that he would be stalking me.... in a good way. (Oh god, the visuals in his mind.... he did want to clarify what type of swimsuit I would be wearing. eek) Mr. IITAC made a few attempts at positioning himself as my sugar daddy. I think. Did I mention Mr. IITAC wears cashmere?

Never a dull moment at the Tease Salon.

veggie porn

[photo yanked from DailyCandy.com]

Veggie Porn During the SuperBowl?

“Studies Show Vegetarians Have Better Sex” — coupled
with the fact that one of the lingerie-clad models is seen “licking pumpkin” and “touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli” ruffled the Peacock’s morally-staunch feathers.... as shown in a PETA commercial that was denied Superbowl airtime.... [flavorwire.com]

me against the world

stab me once. stab me twice. then call yourself my coach. my mentor.

my work life becomes more and more unpleasant every day. i am on the verge of tears more often than not these days...

have you ever watched a movie that contains characters that are referred to as"bad guys"? have you ever found yourself crossing your fingers that the bad guy would pull through and come out on top? The Score, for instance. DeNiro and Norton, playing characters that are working together to rob a bank. i know that anyone robbing a bank would be considered a bad guy, but throughout the entire movie, you are hoping they will be successful at the robbery, and find relief of anxiety when they pull through.

for the simple reason that i am relocating to chicago against my boss's will, i have become the bad guy. the one causing controversy. the one everyone is talking about, but not talking to.

i am not robbing a bank, i am not killing anyone, i am not committing any crime, i am not stealing.

yet, i am ignored, i am snubbed, and my situation is talked about as if it were the juiciest bit of gossip this year. it's almost as if everyone is anticipating every move i make to prove i am the bad guy.

i am simply RELOCATING. working for the same company in a different division. (heavy gossip material, apparently)

my boss, and my boss's boss consider themselves my coach's, my mentors. one of them actually made the statement that she only cares about the future of my career. yet, she is full of lies and deception. she will do anything within her will-power to hold me back from relocating to chicago, the exact place she pulled me from.

it's me against the world. just me fending for myself. there is no one left to turn to. no one to support me through a decision that is absolutely right for me.

if i don't look out for me, who will?

In a land far away where the sun doesn't spare a soul
and a twisted tradition has a girl in a strangle hold
Lies a desert with the footprints of little girls with a secret
of a pain
that you and I could never know

Little feet running fast as they can like the bird in flight
through days of sand with a fire in the sky
And through indigo nights
she runs away from a life spent
Being witness to other unwilling participants

of a pain
that you and I will never know

[Chorus] Your'e a bravebird (bravebird)
of the rarest kind (kind)
You may be one of the
walking wounded
but still you fly
You're a bravebird (bravebird)

you put yourself on the line

When you shared your secret with the world
You saved another mother's child

As she speaks, you can tell that the words are not easy to say
They hold the power to transport
her back to that impossible day

but she hasn't any regrets
'cause' she won't become a woman with a secret
of a pain
that you and I could never know
you and I could never know
you and I could never know

[Bravebird by Amel Larrieux]

this is a the time that losing my phone (i did last weekend in vegas) or laptop (my best friend did -at an airport yesterday) would be nice -- disconnect my connection to the outside world for a while....

It will all work itself out... but not without a little heartache and stress

"Don't be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life." - Bertolt Brecht

Sin City + Wonderlust

I heart the W


new news to me, but old news to some:

DEVELOPMENT: W hotel takes Sin City spin $1.7 billion luxury condo-hotel aims for hip clientele

Starwood Hotels and Resorts plan to make its W hotel in Las Vegas a flagship property for the upscale brand's "global footprint," W Hotels Worldwide's president said Tuesday while giving details about the $1.7 billion project.

The hotel at Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane will have a mix of 3,000 hotel and residential units, more than 10 restaurants and nightclubs, a 75,000-square-foot casino, 300,000 square feet of meeting space and a spa and gym, W's Ross Klein said. It's scheduled to open in 2008.

Klein said Las Vegas has been at the top of W Hotels' development strategy for years, ranking No. 1 or No. 2 on the request list of W guests along with South Beach in Miami, where a W Hotel is already under construction.

"It's also an opportunity for us to redefine and reinvent what an urban oasis is," he said. "The W in New York came into an urban environment with a different point of view. When you come in off the street in New York, it's a retreat, an escape. That's going to be the same design point of view we put into the W in Las Vegas."

Adam Frank and his partners at Edge Resorts started talking with Starwood about developing a W hotel in Las Vegas at the site of Bourbon Street casino on east Flamingo Road. Even after acquiring an adjacent apartment complex for a total of 8 acres, it wasn't enough land. Edge Resorts sold the Bourbon Street property to Harrah's Entertainment last month and bought 21 acres at Harmon and Koval, including the existing Ice nightclub and two separate parcels from Fort Worth, Texas-based home builder D.R. Horton, for $108 million.

Edge Resorts entered a joint venture with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and will be a 75 percent owner of the W hotel. Starwood owns the remaining 25 percent and will manage the hotel.

"They wanted a bigger property and they really wanted to be on Harmon," Frank said. "Twenty-one acres really gives us a lot more flexibility to do what we want to accomplish. We want to build a destination resort, but at the same time, we want to have an intimate feel to it, that signature W feel with great night life and a blend of restaurants."

Frank said the project combines the hottest, most sought-after hotel brand in the world with one of the most vibrant hospitality markets in the United States.

"We really think that location is the future of Las Vegas," he said. "There's so much happening right around us."

With some $20 billion in planned development, from the Hard Rock Hotel
expansion to MGM Mirage's Project CityCenter to the Palms' new hotel and condo towers, the Harmon corridor is poised to become a hip, happening location, Klein said.

"I think it's going to be a destination with a very specific offering, sort of a pop culture, and I think we're going to be sort of an anchor," he said.

W Hotel Las Vegas will offer guests "extraordinary experiences" at every turn through the brand's lifestyle elements, including indulgences and experiential surprises that will be unheard of even for Las Vegas, Klein said.

Klein said he expects the new resort to compete with the Hard Rock Hotel, Mandalay Bay, the Palms, Wynn Las Vegas and Four Seasons.

Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone said it was important for W to finally land in Las Vegas. "I think W needs exposure in Vegas given what the brand stands for," he said. "It's going to be a strong fit for Las Vegas. This is a very powerful location."

Condo-hotel and residential units will go on sale in the fourth quarter, priced from $550,000, offering a combination of poolside cabanas, studios and one- and two-bedroom condominiums, all attached to the W hotel.

Klein said the project is in the final stages of architectural plans and design reviews.

The first W hotel opened in New York in December 1998. There are now five hotels in New York and 20 more around the United States and worldwide with another 20 under development, Klein said.

PROJECT CANCELLED as of 5/12/07

W was coming to town. (no, not Bush) Edge Group and Starwood's 'W Hotel' brand of chic-modern-hip-ultra cool resorts has confirmed that they have cancelled their plans of building a 4000-room resort and casino at the NE corner of Harmon and Koval.

FUCK.

Obamanation

Barack The Vote

Mr. Obama goes to Washington

Green Inaguration

REAL Issues

ReMiX

Obamicon.ME

No More Mr. Eloquent

FlavorPill

what goes on in Vegas. . . .

After 5 days in Vegas with 8000 hairdressers, The Mix, 5 nights of heavy drinking, tequila shots, Natasha Beddingfield, Redken Platform Artists, Fremont Street, Japonais, The Fashion Show Mall, serious shopping (much better than in the minne city), all of my co-workers, a lil Gossip, room service, table service, runway shows, beautiful hair, a few good workouts at Spa Mandalay, a lack of privacy, and a lost cell phone, it is tough to step back in to the redundance of my little life in Minnesota.

My mailbox is overstuffed, the bills are unpaid, the money in my bank account in untouched, my clothing is unpacked, laundry is undone, and the pooch finally came home.

I am forced to face my move to Chicago. To face the people that are unsatisified with my decision. My boss is not happy, my co-workers are not happy, they would all love for me to stay in Minneapolis. Me moving to Chicago complicates their lives. They will be forced to find someone to replace me - which (all jokes aside) will not be an easy thing to do.

I want to be happy. I want to feel excitement. Instead, I am often reminded of the disappointment I am causing others to feel. I am letting my team & my friends down.

Since my move to Minneapolis almost 2 years ago, my friends in Chicago have been sitting on the edges of their seats awaiting my come back.

You win some, you lose some.

I watched 2 people cry this weekend, in anticipation of my departure from the Twin Cities.
On the flip side, I watched people celebrate with excitement due to my relocation back to the Chicago market.

This is not going to be an easy year for me.

I opened my e-mail to find this:

Hi Crista,
It was so nice to spend a little time with you at Symposium- Im as sooooooooooooooo excited to bring you on board in Chicago . Please keep in touch with me and let me know how I can help you with any transition. Im looking forward to working with you and I just know you are going to be amazing for us in Chi town. If you ever want to spend some time with me in the field, please let me know.

However I can help you – Im there for you.

Crista Takes On The Minne City

Shopping

No doubt, I am an avid consumer of material goods.

The Mall Of America (MOA):

• is the second largest enclosed mall in terms of retail space but is largest in terms of total enclosed floor area
• has a gross area of 4.2 million sq ft., with 2.5 million sq ft. available as retail space
• over 520 stores are arranged along three levels of pedestrian walkways on the sides of the rectangle, with a fourth level on one side
• opened in 1992, the mall received 40 million visitors in 2006

All that being said, you would think that one would be beside themselves to reside downtown Minneapolis, within 10 miles of this absurdly gigantic shopping center.

In view of the Redken Symposium happening this weekend, and a lack of spare time, I found it necessary to take a quick shopping trip to the MOA* – in search of a few swank & voguish pieces/accessories to wear.

After all, RS09 is THE place to be noticed, being that there will be 10,000** hairdressers in attendance. I am unwilling to show up unrehearsed and ill-considered, providing a perception of the mid-western Minnesota girl that is flourishing within me.

*Options for shopping in the Twin Cities:

• Mall Of America - the LARGEST selection of shopping
• downtown Minneapolis -which includes Macy’s, Off Saks, and Banana Republic
• the Premium Outlet Mall in Albertville -Puma, Banana Republic, BCBG, K. Cole
• Southdale/Edina that provides the option of Len Druskin.
• TJ Maxx
• OR Buffalo Exchange (the Minneapolis edition)

Plenty of money in hand (OK, daddy’s credit card that I am responsible for paying), I was ready to purchase any and every voguish item that caught my eye.

After hitting Bloomingdales, Nordstrom Rack, H&M, AND Forever 21 – using ALL of my resources @ MOA- I walked out of the mall empty-handed, forced to head back home to my closet full of yesterdays clothing.

(There was NO DOUBT at the very least, I would find a few disposable, on-trend items at Forever 21. WTF )

I went ahead and packed every piece of yesterdays clothing I own, and will make do.

**give or take a few thousand – we’re in a recession.

Chi-Bound

Although nothing is official, I am 100% sure I am moving back to Chicago before the summer hits. Just in time to enjoy the lake ....

It is impossible to forecast what my exact moving date will be, as dates are being thrown around between all of the people who have control over my life - Big Boss Daddy # 1 & Big Boss Daddy #2 & Big Boss Momma 1 & 2... seriously, there are that many people in control of my life.

In order to show enthusiasm (uh...) about my return to the Chi... I received this note (via facebook):

Hey, good to hear back from you. Thta's cool that you're in the CHI. Great time to be here..... What kinda job are you looking to get here? Tired of the minnie city? It would be nice to have you back in the CHI even though I'm sure I wouldn't see you. How's BJ* doin? Tiger** is doing great...he's really grown up and maturing. He'll be in 5th grade next year! :)-K

*BJ is the pooch. my pooch

** Tiger is the cat. HIS cat.

RS09

The Redken Symposium is the industry’s premiere educational event and gathers over 10,000 Redkenites from all across the world!

The REDKEN SYMPOSIUM atmosphere is unconventional and unrivalled by anyone else in our industry. This time, there are no rules to hold you back… no formalities that tie your need to twist tradition and adjust reality. Our talented artists will work without rulebooks to encourage you to entertain your innermost aspirations. Using your mind over attitude, you’ll sharpen your intellect with focus that inspires you, network with individuals who can think on your page, bring creativity from the outside in… and exhibit whatever you feel, whenever you feel it without judgment, attitude or compromise.

Las Vegas, a city which reinvents itself daily- and where color, energy, innovation and nightlife never end - will once again host the Symposium.

Join us at its most eclectic hotel, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in 2009. redken.com

This is a small visual of what my world will look like as soon as I step off of a plane in Vegas on Friday. The Redken Symposium only happens every 2 years and is probably the largest event I will ever attend. Year after year, the Symposium is voted the #1 Educational Event by hairstylists across the nation.

I am proud to be a part of it.

But what the hell am I going to wear?? I will dress simply and let my personality do the talking. . .

ALSO, I apologize for the lame content of my blog since the turn of the New Year. I'm feeling slightly understimulated and I've been in a funk. The Symposium will drag me out of the funk I have been in and will be sure to load me with content to spill Crista From The Block* style.

Please do not forget to check your reactions at the bottom of the blog.

Peace, love & unicorns. xox

north bound

Unwillingly, and not without kicking and screaming, moaning and complaining.... I am headed to Duluth this afternoon. Driving. Here is the weather forecast:

Today: Sun and clouds mixed. Cold. High 2F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low -6F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulating 1 to 2 inches.
Tomorrow: Variable clouds and windy with scattered snow flurries and snow showers. Cold. Dangerous wind chills as low as -25F. High 2F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of snow 40%.
Tomorrow night: Bitterly cold. A few clouds from time to time. Dangerous wind chills may approach -40F. Low -19F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph.

WTF (in bright red to represent my terror)

The only thing that I am moderately excited about is scoring a pair of Minnetonka Moccasins while cruising the lands of Minnesota. Nina Garcia recommends that every stylish woman should have a pair of MM in The One Hundred.

I will not fail to mention the recent headlines:

Minnetonka moccasins soar in fashion world
By Sara Glassman,
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
Monday, November 24, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS -- When it comes to shoes and boots this season, fringe is on top. Soft Minnetonka Moccasins, with their signature hanging strips of suede, have inspired designers and urban bohemians for decades. Over the past year, their popularity has been soaring.

In light of the uncertain economy, they are relatively affordable -- basic shoes start at $30, and more elaborate boots with three tiers of fringe are $86. Plus, every style is completely flat, making them far more comfortable and practical than stilettos.

With these populist perks, it's not surprising that moccasins are having a fashion moment. But even trendsetters who theoretically would be able to afford much pricier versions by Jimmy Choo ($495) and Michael Kors ($475) favor the Minnetonka brand. Fashion muse Kate Moss has been sporting them for years. Last month, she was spotted in brown knee-high Minnetonka mocs with a pair of denim cutoffs in London. Young stars Lindsay Lohan, Blake Lively and
Mischa Barton also have been photographed in them.

That said, the footwear-of-the-moment isn't a one-season wonder. In the recently published "The One Hundred: The Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own," authors Nina Garcia and Ruben Toledo identify must-haves such as pencil skirts and red lipstick, but recognize Minnetonka Moccasin by the brand name. They wrote: "Many people have made fashion versions of the original, but the original is still the hands-down favorite."

Those originals, as the Minnetonka implies, have Minneapolis roots. However, there are a few misconceptions to be cleared up about them, starting with the fact that the company is headquartered in Minneapolis and never has been based in or even affiliated with the city
identified in the moniker.

"Minnesota, Minnehaha, Minnetonka ... the name sounds Native American and local in origin," says David Miller, president of the family-owned shoe business.

His grandfather, Philip Miller, started Minnetonka Moccasins in 1946, after World War II, as a
gift supplier for resorts. "There was more automobile traffic because of the growing highway system in the United States," David Miller says. "Wherever people went, from Yosemite to northern Minnesota, they would buy trinkets, and the moccasins were part of that."

Tourist souvenirs aside, are there any authentic Indian roots? "No, we've never associated ourselves with a Native American product or been made by Native Americans," Miller says. "Moccasins are part of the Native American culture. I'm sure at one time there was an authentic product being sold, but not by us."

Specific styles of Minnetonka Moccasins have had moments in the spotlight in recent years: In 2005, it was the classic with beaded eagles, and a few years before that, it was the lace-up boots.

Many of the styles, from shoes to ankle boots to knee-highs, are hot now, especially in Los Angeles and New York. "We've been involved in fashion cycles, but this is very broad," Miller says. "We're honored, amused and flattered."

Much of the credit is because of the celebrity connection. Miller is very familiar with the impact that model Moss has had on business. "Kate will be in a magazine, wearing boots identified as Minnetonkas, and our distributor in Japan will call the next day," he says. "That's the world
today -- small and instantaneous."

EDITOR NOTE: Jan. 13th 1:30 PM update: I NEVER made it to Duluth. My garage door would not open due to -19 degree weather. it only gets better with time....

i'm going down.

i just spent the last half an hour attempting to de-frost my freezer with a blow dryer.

i spent the last two days driving to Iowa* and driving back home from Iowa. in a snow blizzard.

i have spent the last 3 days with my freezer hanging open, hoping that it would thaw it.

i came home to an open, frozen freezer after being in Iowa for 24 hours.

i experienced two mondays this week. sunday was monday and monday was monday.... and it is still monday.

tuesday means that i am obligated to drive to Duluth**. wednesday means that i will still be in duluth.

forget getting off of work at 5 and going home to the fresh food that is spoiling in my fridge, the pooch, or the boyfriend. this week, i have no time for a personal life.

friday means that i fly to Vegas. for the biggest Redken event on this planet. i should be excited. but instead, i am exhausted.

i just spilled a bottle of water all over my bed. the bed that i so badly want to cuddle up in and cry myself to sleep.

and it is still monday.

*No Man's Land

**No Man's Land

amazon.com

i heart amazon.com. i fully understood that feeling shortly after the purchase of my iPhone. the amazon app. was one of the first to be downloaded in to my phone.

i have an obsession with books. amazon allows me an oversized wishlist full of books, dvd's, and an occasional handbag or iPhone accessory. the iPhone allows me to add items to my wishlist all day every day (via the app.)

i will not fail to mention that i am a habitual list-maker.

despite the many amazon purchases that i make on a monthly basis, the list keeps growing.

for my own entertainment (not necessarily yours), i blog my amazon.com wishlist (as of Jan. 06, 2009 12:06 PM - by the time I have completed this blog entry, there is a major possibility that more items will have been added to the wishlist):

• Flipping The Switch...: Unleash The Power of Personal Accountability using the QBQ by John G. Miller


• Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race & Inheritance by Barack Obama


• Vintage Fashion: Collecting and Wearing Designer Classics, 1900-1990 by Emma Baxter Wright


• New York Look Book: A Gallery Of Street Fashion by Amy Larocca


• Street: The Nylon Book of Global Style by Editors Of Nylon Magazine


• Haircutting for Dummies by J. Elaine Spear


• Real City New York City (REAL CITY GUIDES) by DK Publishing


• Real City Chicago (REAL CITY GUIDES) by DK Publishing


• Dreamgirls DVD


• Beverly Hills Cop (Special Collector's Edition) DVD


• Naked Ambition: An R-rated Look at an X-rated Industry by Dave Navarro & Larry Flynt


• Toilets of the World by Morna E. Gregory


• Monday Morning Choices: 12 Powerful Ways to Go from Everyday to Extraordinary by David Cottrell


• Covert Persuasion: Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game by Kevin Hogan & James Speakman


• Building a WordPress Blog People Want to Read by Scott McNulty


• The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson


• Darkside Zodiac by Stella Hyde


• Sex and the City - The Movie (Special Edition) DVD


• The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene


• Transsiberian DVD


• Junior Drake Zip Wallet -Denim*


• The iPhone Book: How to Do the Most Important, Useful & Fun Stuff with Your iPhone, 2nd Edition by Scott Kelby


• Hair Heroes byMichael Gordon


• Daily Candy A to Z: An Insider's Guide to the Sweet Life by Editors of DailyCandy


• The DailyCandy Lexicon: Words That Don't Exist But Should by Editors of Daily Candy


• Fictionary: Words That Don't Exist But Should by Editors of DailyCandy


• Vintage Fashion: Collecting and Wearing Designer Classics, 1900-1990 by Emma Baxter Wright

*randomness

naturally, all books on my "to read:" list have been put on hold until the Twilight Saga has been fully completed.

told you it was completely ridiculous and out of control.

i can feel you judging me based on the information that i have just revealed.