har har har. :)

Lately I've been feeling this urge to get rid of all of the objects in my life that I don't need. I don't really know why; maybe it's because I am getting older and realizing that things aren't that important to me... maybe it's because I am sick of moving piles of stuff from one apartment to the next every few years... maybe it's because there are poor people freezing this winter and they could have the clothes I don't use... or maybe it's because I am a huge fan of "What Not To Wear" and I watch Stacy and Clinton throw away piles of hideous old clothes all of the time... :)

Over the past few months I've purged my drawers and closet of about two garbage bags full of clothes and about another one of odds-and-ends (including about 4 belts that maybe fit me when I was 12- why was I keeping those??) and it just didn't seem like enough. So I threw in a few more t-shirts cropped above the belly-button (ew!) and a few more socks that didn't fit over all of toes and a few more stuffed animals that I never played with... but it still felt like I was missing something. Then I looked in the mirror and saw THIS:

Yuck! Get rid of it (including that shirt)!

Have you caught what it is yet? Did you already scroll down and see the other picture? :)

Yes, I am giving 11 inches of my hair (which is currently in a bag on my desk) to Locks Of Love, who will hopefully make a wig out of it for some child who needs it. Though, I don't feel like I am doing something nice for the kids as much as I am doing something nice for myself:

Hecks yeah!

(I would have put the transformation into an animated gif, but I accidentally uninstalled Photoshop from my computer. Yep, I accidentally uninstalled it. Look, I've had a lot on my mind lately!)

I seriously feel like my head is lighter with this haircut than it would be if I had no hair at all! I understand that's not physically possible, but it's my haircut and I can think what I want!

When I was about 3 or 4 years old, my dad and I had the following conversation on videotape:
Dad: "Ciara, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Ciara: "I want to be like mommy, but with long hair"
Dad: "Like mommy with long hair?"
Ciara: "Yes, I want my hair long to my butt and to my toes!"

Aw, cute, naive Ciara. Clearly that video was taken at a time in my life when I wasn't the one responsible for washing, drying, and styling my hair! :) I can't even tell you what a difference my haircut makes in my daily routine. I mean, I can't say that I always make my new shorter hair look good, but it's definitely easier to manage and more fun to play with. So I probably won't be mistaken for a high-schooler anymore... I think it's worth it!

Anyways, I just wanted to fill you in on my personal "What Not To Wear" experience (although I didn't get the $5000 to buy a new wardrobe but, who am I kidding, I probably would have spent it all on pajamas anyway). It's fun being transformed. Well, transformed from the scalp up. :)

Oh, before I go, to clear up any misconceptions you may have had... actually, let me clarify this by sharing with you a conversation my coworker David (whom I've known for about 8 years) and I had yesterday:
David: "I can't believe you cut off your long hair"
Ciara: "Why?"
David: "You've always had long hair! It was your 'thing'"
Ciara: "Well, it won't be short forever. I'll grow it back longer soon, just not as long as it was"
David: "That's true"
Ciara: "And, by the way, I like to think of my sparkling personality as 'my thing' and not my long hair, okay? Thanks"

:)