baby got black

Or, "succumbing to the dark side", "heart of darkness", "black like me", "I still get a little shock every time I look in the mirror"...  Sooo many options for the title of this blog post.

The point: I went darker! Yeah I know, it's not black, but it is to ME, by comparison. And so, apparently I'm committed now to being a brunette (at least for the next six months, to some degree). I had to go darker, though-- the initial two dye layers/shade of brown was moving rapidly towards a disgusting greenish-puce tint as the blond base began to shine through-- first time I've ever preferred my roots, they remained reddish instead of pukish.

So I kept my Safety Appointment (appointed exactly two weeks after the first one, in case I HATED the brown) but didn't use it to go back to blonde, rather to have her dye me up with another layer and go DARK! Soooo much better. Though, I'll admit, pretty drastic now and it kinda looks like I have "dyed" hair. And I feel like I'm hiding behind a disguise. And that I've lost my identity. And I really do get a little shock just about every time I see myself in the mirror. And, okay, sometimes I hate it. But other than that, I love it! 

This time, I went in with a plan and a photo example on my iPod: I wanted my color to be the same as HERS... so luscious, so deep and mahogany-reddish, and so much more likely to attract a smokin' hot vampire.

I think she got it pretty close! 

So I'm well on my way to becoming Bella. Plus, my new darker hair color really brings out the color of my eyes. Which, I might add (and which is in fact the only reason I'm bringing this up), are the melting honey-topaz color of --oh, I don't know-- the modern vampire?

I can even claim purple shadows underneath my eyes, Cullen-style, as shown here. If I were you, I'd be a little scared right now about my mortality, except for one dead giveaway-- I don't think the purple shadows are supposed to include the bags and wrinkles and the lines of age and stress and sleepless nights (esp. that last one--vampires don't need sleep--which means no lack-of-sleep bags), also shown here, albeit somewhat camouflaged by the blurry photo. Intentional, yes. 

Am I obsessed with my hair? Yes. 

Am I obsessed with Twilight? No.

Really, Jennie?

Well, okay... but just a little bit.

an unexpected beautiful moment

...on my way to work at the WS last night, after 5.7 seconds of driving and

just before my U-Turn... gorgeous.

(I take a lot of pictures through my windshield. Always helpful to have
a camera on the passenger seat, as well as superior multi-tasking skills.)

ChangeFest '09!

Not... the Obama ChangeFest. (It's Hope Day 22!!)

Also not referring to... The Change. (eew, I'm not THAT old, yet.)

Of GREATER importance -- and maybe significance -- and perhaps an even scarier plunge than the aforementioned -- is my own personal recent change in identity.

Let me know what you think-- and I mean HONESTLY (- what's the point of A New Era if there's no honesty? Because then... there's no HOPE...). I can change it back.  In fact, I have another hair appointment exactly two weeks after the one that gave me what you're about to see, in case I totally hate it and want to go back.

BEFORE...

a little worried

(sorry, stupid mirror photo-- it was the best I could do at the last minute, as in the last minute before my drive to potential Hair Death)

... AFTER!

very stupid expression on my face, but it's the only decent "after" photo. I was too upset at the time to really smile.

My brother Allen (on the right) said he prefers brunettes. His wife's a brunette. His daughter is a pale blond. When he said brunette is better and she protested (she was standing right there), he said, "Don't worry... your hair will go brown someday." 

Later on, he and my other brother Chad reminded me of how my teeth used to look. I love them.

My backyard. My niece. My hair shimmering in the (overcast) sunlight.

My little sister had blondish-brown hair the last time I saw her... almost a total coincidence!

So after a few days to get used to it, I'm kinda digging the look, but am also mourning the loss of my blonde identity. I figure I'll go back someday, but enjoy this for now. Pending public approval, of course :) (I think that blondes might really have more fun...)

Oh, and the student response today was priceless:

"Your hair's dark, Miss Doezie. You look better."

"You look nice today, Miss Doezie. Something's different..."

and

"WHY did you DO that??"

All of the above comments from boys, of course.