By Hoggarazzi Photography (originally posted to Flickr as my boy Carrot Top) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Every summer, starting last summer, that is, I dye my hair auburn, wait a week and then frost it, giving it strawberry blonde highlights. Last year, I did it with the semi-permanent (lasts about 28 shampoos) coloring I usually use. I loved the results so much, but they only lasted a couple of weeks before the auburn started to fade I and I was left with my natural dark blonde and yellow-blonde highlights. So, I decided to use a permanent color for the base auburn this year.
Well, I bought the wrong color. As of about 11am this morning, my hair is a mix of dark and light carrot red. On the one hand, it does bring out the green in my eyes and highlights my Scottish-Irish heritage. On the other, I look like Carrot Top’s sister.
Oh, well. Easily fixed. Next week, I buy the right color and re-dye. I just have to live through a week of comments from my co-workers, and possibly my husband.
On to the trip. I’m buying all this really cool travel paraphernalia: a clothesline made from braided surgical tubing, a universal sink stopper, travel laundry soap (20 loads in one bottle!) and more. It’s kind of like Christmas. I’m loading up my travel box (I haven’t decided which piece of luggage to use yet) like it is a Christmas stocking. Fun. Fun. Fun.
Oh! And I really wanted to tell you about this last week, but just didn’t have the time. My wonderful husband bought me an early birthday gift (I age another year later this month): Karaoke Revolution for our X-Box and a mike. I’m totally addicted. Once I start playing, I’m hard-pressed to stop. The first time I played, I started at 10:30pm and the next thing I noticed it was 1am! I only stopped because I had to!
I’m starting off at beginner mode, easy judging and I’ve already gotten a perfect score on two songs: “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer and “I Don’t Know Why” by Nora Jones.
I always loved doing karaoke, that is once someone dragged me up on stage to do it in the first place. This game brings the fun up a notch, adding a touch of competition: Can I beat my last score? The second day after I got it, I tried to play quietly while my husband slept. I won’t do that again. It kind of hurt my vocal cords and I had a raspy voice for couple of days.
Another day, I thought I’d just play one game and then go to bed. So much for that idea. Three games later I forced myself to put the game away.
I think about it at work – telling one of my coworkers who is a singer about my triumphs and tribulations with my matching the pitch and making the audience cheer.
I think about it when driving the truck. When a song that is included in the game comes on the radio, I enjoy singing along so much the better.
And I’m learning a bit about my singing abilities. For example, I’m in the habit of harmonizing and changing the pitch to better suite my vocal abilities. And I’m not always aware I’m doing it. The game requires that you match the pitch. Well, in some songs the pitch goes down, and I naturally harmonize by going up. That wrecks my score!
I also find my self pleasantly distracted by what my avatar is doing on the stage. When I do a particularly good set of phrases, my avatar will sparkle and the mike she holds will leave glowing trails. And the backup band will sometimes really get into a particularly interesting guitar or drum riff. It is so cool. However, if I’m not paying attention to what’s coming up next for the song, that can throw off my score, too.
Any way, that’s the bits and pieces for this week. Until next time – probably after I get back from Europe – have a spectacular life!
