I monitor my credit score regularly.  While I wouldn’t say that I live in fear of identity theft, I am aware of it, and would like to avoid it.  Carrie has had some problems just because there is another Carrie Martin in Tacoma with her same birthday who is not a fine, upstanding citizen with good credit.

The scoring method has been shrouded in mystery and I have always been intrigued by the process.  (You know I love to know how things work!)

Ron at the Wisdom Journal (a great blog that I have repeatedly suggested you should investigate) has a great article that is an interview of a FICO expert that explains this stuff in simple terms for those of us who weren’t finance or economics majors.

I recently had the great pleasure and honor to conduct an email interview with Barry Paperno from www.myFICO.com. Barry is an expert in the field of credit scoring. My questions were selected from things I personally wondered about, as well as some questions I’ve been asked by readers in the past. Here is the interview in its entirety.

1. What EXACTLY is a “credit score?”
A credit score is a number that summarizes your credit risk based on a snapshot of your credit report as of a particular point in time. The credit score that matters is the “FICO” credit score, developed by Fair Isaac Corporation and most commonly used by lenders, which uses a range of 300-850 with the higher the score, the lower the risk.

2. What are the components of a credit score? (what information is evaluated and how is that information weighted?)
The five main categories of information that FICO scores evaluate, followed by their estimated weights, are:

• Payment history (35%)
• Amounts owed (30%)
• Length of credit history (15%)
• New credit (10%)
• Types of credit used (10%)

It’s a great interview.  Read it all here.

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I was on the radio, and I have a link for the file of the audio, but I can’t seem to dowload it, just play it.  As we already discussed, I am not a MP3 expert.  Any of you care to help me learn this?

Here’s the link to the page.

Here’s the link they gave me for the MP3. When I click on it it opens a page and starts playing.  I tried right clicking to download, but I am not given that option.

Feel free to explain to me why I am an idiot.

If you want to listen to the show, I am the first guest, so I come on right after the hosts do their welcome.

Carrie and I went to Los Angeles this weekend to attend the American Board of Certified Haircolorists‘ annual Energizing Summit.  We go every year.

I taught two sessions of the same class on branding and marketing for salon owners.  Carrie and I both assisted at two sessions of Correcting Haircolor Disasters with our buddy Jessee (kadusguy) Skittrall.

When we weren’t busy with teaching, we grabbed some classes on motivation, creativity and coloring dark & textured hair.

Carrie also participated in the speed foiling contest.  She did not win any prize money, but her mannequin got high marks, and she will be giving it another try next year.  Last year’s winner was competing and she didn’t place this year.  The competition is stiff, I tell ya!

Getting back from LA was a little grueling. You know the drill: delayed flights, crammed full of passengers, getting home in the middle of the night and rolling into work pretending to be awake in the morning!

We are glad to be home, energized and ready to try new things to make your salon experience even better. See you soon!

When you are in the salon, you may feel like you are in a different country where a different language is spoken. Hairdressers speak a language of color that may be unfamiliar to you if you have had no art training.

I found this amazing, in-depth article at Colour Lovers that explains the color wheel (the basis of all the work we do with hair color.)

Not only will this help you understand what we mean when we talk about your hair, it will help the next time you need to pick paint of fabric for your decorating needs.

The first color wheel has been attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, who in 1706 arranged red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet into a natural progression on a rotating disk. As the disk spins, the colors blur together so rapidly that the human eye sees white. From there the organization of color has taken many forms, from tables and charts, to triangles and and wheels the history.

Read the rest of the article here.

I have read lots of books that talk about the practice of foot binding, and I have even seen illustrations. I had no idea, however, that their were women alive in our time who had been involved in this, and I had no idea there were photos!

I pondered whether to share this with you because it might be disturbing for some readers. But I decided that the opportunity for fully understanding the lengths to which humans will go in the pursuit of beauty was greater than the “eww!” factor. Feel free to disagree in the comments.

Ah, hair shows.

Much more fun (and much more work!) for the people who put on the show than for the people who attend.

The audience gets to sit for hours and (with any luck) be educated and entertained (I think they call that “infotainment.”) while the staff runs about in controlled chaos making the magic happen. It is a long, exhausting process.

It started Sunday afternoon in Seattle for the model call (that’s where the models come to be screened and consulted so that we can build the show around them.) These were all volunteer models that come from a craigslist post. In stark contrast to many platform artists I have seen over the years, my group will go out of their way to please the models. We want no crying here!

Sunday is also setup day. Pack in all the color and other supplies we will need and take over a hotel guest room to use as the salon.

Monday morning (bright and freaking early) we set the conference room with all the literature, AV equipment, and plastic for the floor of the stage area. Between the guest room and the stage, we use two rolls of plastic sheeting to protect all the floors and furniture. (Getting haircolor on the hotel property means we have to pay to replace it. Yikes!)

Show starts at 10:00 AM. We were setting up at 8:00 AM. We vacated the hotel at 7:00 PM. (And then we went up the road to have a drink and a wrap-up meeting!)

Since I was working the back room at this event, I was able to take pictures of the process. I have posted them (including a number of before and after shots of models) on Flickr (which is completely new to me and I am giving it a try, so I haven’t yet figured it all out).

You can see them here.

I wore myself out just telling you about it! I think I need a nap.

As any mother knows, a little nagging is helpful, but too much is counter-productive.

If you need nagging but don’t want a loved one to be the nagger, you can use HassleMe!

It will randomly email you reminders (nags) of your choosing at an approximate span of your choosing.

I think mine will be: Did you exercise today?

I just read a story (with pictures) written by a young woman about her devastating salon visit and her oath to never visit a male hairdressser again.  Objectively I can say that a.) she is percieveing her end result differenly than most of us would and b.) the gender of the hairdresser had nothing to do with what happened.

I want you to read it because it will help you understand that what you see and what the client sees are often different.

This client states that she only wants a maximum of 2″ cut from the bottom.  She also makes it a point during the cut to chat about past cuts that had gone awry where she ended up too short.  When you have a client in your chair that is giving you these signals, please heed them!  Hairdressers have a reputation for being scissor happy and for wanting to chop off long hair.  Please do your best to listen to the client and when they give specific requests, please grant them.  If you think the client needs more length removed, explain what you think and why and then let them make an informed choice.  My favorite technique is to turn them around and use a hand mirror to view the back of their hair.  I show them where the cape can be seen through the hair and suggest that the hair might look thicker if we trimmed it up to that point.  It is often effective.  (I know that to us their is no difference between a “cut” and a “trim” but to many clients there is.  Try to pick up on their cues.)

When they say 2″, I grab my old-school plastic comb from the back of the drawer (you know, the one you used in beauty school that has the inch markings on it) and I show them 2″.  Then, using the comb as a guide, I cut 2″ off the bottom and show them the hair I removed.  Next I ask them if that is OK.  Now we can proceed with the rest of the haircut and the client can relax.

When you meet a client who has already had bad salon experiences, handle them gently.  Talk them through the process so that they feel that they are being heard.

Anyone disagree?

ANNIE OAKLEY (from Annie Get Your Gun)
Got no diamond, got no pearl,
Still I think I’m a lucky girl.
I’ve got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
Got no mansion, got no yacht,
Still I’m happy with what I got.
I’ve got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night

Sunshine gives me a lovely day,
Moonlight gives me the Milky Way.
Got no checkbooks, got no banks,
Still, I’d like to express my thanks.
I’ve got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
And with the sun in the morning
And the moon in the evening
I’m alright.

Got no butler, got no maid.
Still I think I’ve been overpaid,
I’ve got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
Got no silver, got no gold,
What you’ve got can’t be bought or sold.
I’ve got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.

Sunshine gives me a lovely day,
Moonlight gives me the Milky Way.
Got no heirlooms for my kin,
Made no will but when I cash in
I’ll leave the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
And with the sun in the morning
And the moon in the evening
I’m alright

There has been a lot of press lately on The Secret and the Law of Attraction. Whether you believe in such things or not, there is something that I find in all of these philosophies with which anyone would be hard pressed to disagree:

The first step to getting what you want is wanting what you get.

Here is another article from Lifehack:

How to Be Happier with What You Have

“There are two ways to increase your wealth. Increase your means or decrease your wants. The best is to do both at the same time.” - Benjamin Franklin

Misery shouldn’t be the price for ambition. Somewhere I believe many people got the idea that to want more, you have to be dissatisfied with what you have now. Believing this, your choice is either to dampen your passions or become miserable with what you have.

I think this is a false dichotomy. You can be satisfied and ambitious. And while many self-help books have covered the topic of ambition, fewer cover the idea of becoming immensely satisfied with what you’ve already got.

Beyond affirmations and beliefs, I think there are some practical tips to do this. Engineering your daily life can be a great way to maximize your current fulfillment. Best of all, it isn’t incredibly difficult to do. Here are some tips I’ve found useful in becoming happier with where I am:

Read the rest of the article here.

I have an excerpt here from Lifehack.  If you haven’t seen them before, I suggest you add it to your reading list.  Click here to read this particular story (be sure to read all the comments to get the full discussion) and while you are there, click around and read some of the other articles.  I am sure you will find it both educational and interesting.

Exploring Happiness

I know, I know; I’m either stupid or brave to even think about tackling this topic. Alright, we’ll go with stupid.

Before I start today’s chat, let me say that I know there is no ‘answer’ or consensus to this discussion. No sh*t Sherlock. I’m not stupid enough to think there might exist one universal standard or school of thought when it comes to this topic, perhaps just a bunch of different thoughts, ideas and philosophies. Like most of you, I’m still exploring it, which is why I have chosen to make it just that; a discussion, an interactive chat, a group exploration. I’ll open the door on it and you guys can come in and chat. It could get messy, so buckle up. I’d love to know your thoughts and feelings on the subject because it’s an issue which is relevant to every person on the planet. It’s probably the one topic which commands universal interest.

Man, I love it when research proves my existing beliefs!

I have told you all before that while some people are naturally happier than others, everyone has the ability to make adjustments in their thinking and behavior to become happier.  Now here is some research on the topic (by real live scientists; you don’t have to take my word for it!)

A question of nature, not nurture?

Our level of happiness throughout life is strongly influenced by the genes with which we were born, say experts.

An Edinburgh University study of identical and non-identical twins suggests genes may control half the personality traits keeping us happy.

The other half is linked to lifestyle, career and relationships.

However, another expert said despite the research in the journal Psychological Science, we can still train ourselves to be more content.

Read the rest of the article here. 

These photos are from America’s Top Model.

In my two decades of doing hair, I have been to many a hair show. I have attended, assisted and presented. In these capacities, I have been a witness to many crying models. This morning I read a post from someone who’s experience as a hair model did not meet her expectations. Depending on your perspective, you will find it either sad or funny. You can read it here.

If you are a civilian (not a professional paid model that has been hired for the show) here are some things you need to know:

Prepare to be bored. Bring a book or a video game. There is a ton of down time during show prep.

For example, here’s the time line for the even I am doing on Sunday (and it is a tiny event!)

11:00 Model Call
4:00 - 6:30 Stage Presentation

7 1/2 hours is a long time to sit and have nothing to do. The hairdressers will be busy and can’t entertain you. Plan wisely.

You must be open to anything. Yes, you heard me. Anything. Don’t walk in and say “You can do anything as long as you leave the length.” or “I just want my highlights touched up!” The person doing your hair is there to demonstrate a specific technique for the audience. What you want is of little importance. A kind Guest Artist will consult with you first and if you aren’t open to what they have in mind, they will ask you to leave. Not all are so kind. And that is why some models end up in tears. You might spend the next two months getting your hair back to the way you like it, but the Artist has moved on and forgotten you even exist.

I know this sounds harsh. But better you listen to me now than end up crying in the model room later.

The comment section is open for any heart-wrenching (or hilarious) stories you would like to share.

My father got his pilot’s license and joined the Civil Air Patrol last week. For the record, he is 61 years old. Read the rest of this entry »

A friend of mine (you may recognize him from my post on skin tone) has been putting up a selection of haircolor technique videos on YouTube. Click on over and subscribe to his feed, then you can get notified by email when a new one goes up!

Here is the newest one.

Don’t tattoo your boyfriend’s name on your body.

Don’t tattoo your boyfriend’s name on your body.

Don’t tattoo your boyfriend’s name on your body.

A new client last week has “Matthew” on the inside of her wrist. (The photo above is not the client’s wrist. She is not that hairy!)

Problem is, Matthew is no longer the love of her life. (I know, you are stunned. This never happens.)

Laser removal of the tattoo is:

a. painful

b. expensive

c. not guaranteed

She has found a resolution that will mitigate the damages.

Under “Matthew” she will add 7:7. Biblically speaking, Matthew 7:7 reads:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

I am sure that someday the tattoo will mean that to her. But for a long time every time she looks at her wrist all she will see is a reminder of her short-sighted impetuous youth.

When will we learn that a relationship is far more likely to fade away than a tattoo?

At least the boy’s name wasn’t Fred.

Click on over to the StyleBell blog for an easy to understand demo of how to use your flat iron to make curls.

It is a sad fact that many young women put off big events in their life, waiting until they are married (or have a partner) to plan for retirement or buy a house. We old women would like to give you some valuable advice: Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t be like rat number two!

As a haircolorist (if you want to put the most flattering color on your clients) it is important to be able to determine skin tone. I thought I’d give you an illustration of the difference between warm and cool. Feel free to vote: Who is pink, Jessee (left) or Aura (right)?

Now, I am not saying that you must always put cool colors on cool skinned clients, but if you want to give them a warm color, you might want to incorporate some cool tones around the face to make it look like the color belongs on the client, and not like they are in costume.

And always remember what the Ziploc® people have taught us: yellow and blue make green!

(While I do occasionally have clients who want green hair, no one wants green skin!)

Not everyone has lived as many exciting places as I have. I know you are all envious that you didn’t live in Death Valley or in West Texas, or both! To make up for the distance from a hub of civilization, we rural folk have to entertain ourselves with things that happen in the dark.

Death Valley:

Giant rocks that slide across the dirt. The tracks are there and the rocks show movement on satellite, but no one has seen them move.Read about it and see more photos at Geology.com.

It is so interesting that someone wrote her Doctoral dissertation on the rocks. Really.

West Texas:

Marfa Lights. Read the rest of this entry »