Diary of a Manicurist

Close Call = Wake Up Call

2011-08-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, not long after falling asleep, I was jolted awake by a crackling sound and a vision of the curtains in my bedroom catching on fire. I sat up in bed with my heart racing as if I were having a panic attack. I sat there in the dark room thinking, "What would I do if my house caught on fire right now? I would be lucky to get dressed let alone grab anything of value." Then I started thinking about a small handful of things that are important to me and wondering how I ever acquired so much useless stuff and what a waste of money all those things were. I thought about Butch Walker and how he lost everything in the Malibu fires and about my birth mother who the same thing happened to many years before I met her. I eventually mellowed out and fell back to sleep.

This morning I put Joyce Meyer on the TV while making breakfast and she was telling the story of the rich man asking Jesus what he must do to get to heaven. After Jesus answered him, the rich man said he was a believer and had already done all those things that believers do. Then Jesus told him he must take all his possessions and give them to the poor and the rich man went away very sad. He loved his "things" more than he loved God. It's not wrong to have an abundance of nice things, it's about how attached you are to those things and if getting more things is more important to you than serving and honoring God. Hmmm...much to think about.

So I went off to take a shower and after I emerged, I could smell a strange electrical, plastic-like odor. I investigated everything in the bedroom and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I dried my hair and decided I would just unplug everything in there before leaving for work. As an after-thought, I stepped on the plastic switch to my floorlamp just to test it and it was really hot on my little bare foot! I bent over to take a closer look and when I touched it, sparks flew and zapped me. The switch was melting into the carpet and the carpet was smoldering underneath it! I yanked the plug out of the wall, grabbed a wet towel and smothered the smoldering carpet. Thank God I discovered this before heading off to work!!

That was a scary experience but there's so much more to it than that. I have been consumed with thoughts for years about simplifying my life and getting rid of old clothes and all the crap I'm so afraid I might need some day. The task is so overwhelming I never seem to get very far and I give up. I believe God is being extremely patient and gracious with me by giving me this giant neon warning sign. If I don't sell or give away all this junk, He could easily get rid of it for me--all of it. One thing I know is true: God is not going to allow anyone to have great things if they don't appreciate and take care of the little things they already have. The great changes and miracles I've been praying for are not going to manifest if I don't start doing a better job with what I already have. I must clean up the stuff I need and appreciate, sell off what I can and give away the rest. Anybody want to have a garage sale?? Quick??

New Hybrid UV Nail Polish: A Dream Come True For Manicure Clients!

2010-05-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Nail polish lovers: How many times have you wished it didn't take so long for your polish to dry? How many times have you waited patiently for it to dry, only to smudge, scratch or get "sheet mark" imprints on it within the first hour? How many times have you wished it would stay on for more than a few days without chipping or peeling?

Your wish is my command!
Some brilliant people found a way to make a hybrid nail polish using UV gel technology. A million nail techs are kicking themselves right now for not thinking of this first. Here are the specifics about this professional-only nail polish hybrid:
It doesn't air-dry like regular nail polish. It cures for a couple minutes under a UV lamp. Once your hand is removed from the lamp, the polish is completely dry and ultra-shiny. It is guaranteed to wear on natural nails--yes, natural nails--for 14+ days! My clients are wearing it successfully for even longer than that. This new hybrid nail polish cannot be taken off with polish remover. It is removed by a simple 10 minute process at your nail salon. There is no "catch" or down-side to this new nail polish service. Your nails will not be roughed up or acid-primed before application and removal is gentle and completely non-damaging to the nail. The polish is light-weight and has a slight rubbery feel to it. It will even flex with your nails when they get wet (perfect for hair stylists)! It protects your nails and therefore promotes nail growth. This is truly an answer to prayer for frustrated nail polish wearers!

I am now offering this new service at my salon! I currently have 8 Nail Harmony Gelish colors and 17 CND Shellac colors to choose from. I plan to acquire more colors as soon as possible.

My prices are affordable. Add $10 to any of my natural nail services or $6 to any artificial nail enhancement service. Just call and ask for Shellac! Please be advised that I frequently book up as far as 2 weeks in advance. My service price list is here, just click on the photo to enlarge: http://diaryofamanicurist.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-new-salon-service-menu.html

Goin' To Vegas by Sin City Sinners:

2010-05-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

A Story Las Vegas Transplants Can Relate To...

Last night at Green Valley Ranch Casino, Sin City Sinners premiered a video for their first single "Goin' To Vegas" from their new album Exile On Fremont Street. As I stood there watching it for the first time along with the hundred other people in attendance, a large knowing smile came across my face, tears welled up in my eyes. It was my life up there on the screen. As vocalist Todd Kerns sits there, defeated-looking, while a pretty girl talks non-stop about her expectations for their future, porn star Ron Jeremy plays the angel & the devil on Todd's shoulders. Ahhh...how familiar. I thought back to my lovely little townhouse in Indiana, my comfortable job, my boyfriend of 10 years who talked incessantly, every word from his mouth making me feel inadequate and unappreciated. The only difference is in this video, Todd follows the advise of the devil. Me, on the other hand...I knew it was the devil telling me to stay in my mundane life. It was the angel telling me to go to Las Vegas, where a whole new life was waiting for me--a life where I could shine!

The video goes on to show Todd walking out with his guitar and record collection and picking up bandmates Brent Muscat, Rob Cournoyer & Mike Ellis on the side of the road. When they arrive, they partake in many of the tempations this city has to offer...gambling, partying with rich, famous & beautiful people, hanging around in divebars (THE Divebar in this case), etc. But unlike so many that come here and get sidetracked by the glitter and lose sight of their dreams, the main focus of the video is the band's live performances. Rock N Roll is their goal. Goal accomplished.

I came here with a dream and a goal too. One year after moving to Las Vegas, I met Sin City Sinners guitarist Brent Muscat and his friend Jason Green back when Brent was still playing guitar for Faster Pussycat. We became instant friends. Jason was writing a book about Brent's life and I would sit with them for hours and hours listening to Brent's stories. Now here we are, 10 years later...Jason is Sin City Sinners manager and he directed the "Goin' To Vegas" video. Brent is still living his dream with a wife & kids and a fresh new band. I'm doing what I came here to do as well. I bought a home, run my own little nail business, have countless friends who encourage and appreciate me and, best of all, I have the freedom to be myself in the greatest city in America. I did it my way. Viva Las Vegas!

"If you need to find us, The Divebar's where we'll be. That's where we drink for free...I don't need her, I got a whole lotta new friends. I'm goin' to Vegas and I'm never comin' back again!"

Open letter to a sweet Jehovah's Witness friend

2010-04-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Becky,
From the minute I met you on my doorstep I liked you immediately. I could see the gentleness of Jesus in your eyes and hear it in your voice. As an Evangelical Christian, I am very sure of my own faith. Nonetheless I learn something new every day and I hunger for Truth, which is why I took the time to read the books you gave me. I totally welcome different perspectives as long as they are Biblically based. After reading everything, I was very suprised to discover that Evangelicals and Jehovah's Witnesses appear to believe exactly the same thing. I've come to a conclusion concerning what I've learned....

The main difference between your church and mine is that yours takes to the streets to spread the Gospel to strangers. Nothing wrong with that. I believe that my ministry is right here in my everyday life as a manicurist and music scene girl. I believe God put me in the occupation I have and made me who I am so I can be a witness to a unique demographic of people that rarely get to meet Christians, especially Christians who know what they know, like what they like and are considered to be "cool". Edgy, artsy, rocker types think of Christians as nerdy, conservative, prudish wimps...and when they meet me, they get quite a suprise. I haven't infiltrated their world--I have always been an active part of it, only now I am a sheep in wolf's clothing and I know that's what God wants me to be! I can't trick anyone into wanting to know Jesus but I can be an example that plants a seed of curiosity in a mostly atheist & agnostic slice of the world. Honestly, I would never have the guts to talk to strangers but thank God there are people like you who can!

I ask that you read just one thing: Romans 14, all verses 1-23.
http://www.allaboutgod.com/truth/romans-14.htm
From this you will see that you are my sister in Christ and although our ways are different, neither of us is wrong. I don't wish to change my church affiliation but I do hope we can be friends!
Love, Cari

My New Salon Service Menu

2010-02-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

Is it a poem? Is it a song? I have no idea.

2009-10-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

A fun, silly tribute to the memories I have of someone I'll never get to keep. And I'm totally okay with that.

Good Luck Week

I met you on my good luck week.
You sat there bored in a crowd.
Had no idea where you'd take me.
Red wine limo ride, the night was wild.
Grabbed our bags and we ran from the pack.
I was lost in that space in your smile.

Haunting the Drake, shakin the Palms.
Fuzzy slippers, hotel rooms, airports and pools.
I was a hard rockin mess but you made me calm.
Tears in my eyes, taxi rides, Thanksgiving sodas.
You're always so quiet and cool
then you flash me that space in your smile.

Hey you. The smile's in your eyes.
Chicago, how you light me up.
When you say "oh you're gonna."
The smell of midwest rain and California skin.
Intoxicating, breath-taking
Peaceful in the thunderstorm haze,
I cherish that cute little space in your smile.

My good luck week went on for years.
Now you sit there with your cigarette out the window.
After confessions are made, I wonder will it ever be the same.
I can't look away when I see your face.
Just one more time, can I light up your eyes
And get lost in the space in your smile?

Poetry & Pain

2009-07-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

I have tons of hand-written journals. Today I was reading through one of them. I stumbled upon one of the most poetic things I've written, though at the time I'm quite sure it wasn't my intention to be artistic. I remember exactly how I felt. I wonder if anyone else has ever felt this way.

"Once I had his undivided attention, I became extremely self-conscious. I realized there was nothing I could say or do to impress him or make him like me more than he does, and yet I was getting sucked into the spiraling vortex of his beauty and energy. I felt as though I were dying slowly and yet needing his very presence beside me every second just to stay breathing. When he's near me, I need him like air and I want to be with him every second, every breath forever. Yet knowing I can't be with him is the heaviest suffocating choking pain."

Wow. I guess I should put my old journals away and go exercise or something.

Grease 3

2009-06-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

This afternoon while grilling veggies on the balcony, I turned on the TV to find Grease 2 playing. Most won't agree with me but I liked the second Grease movie better than the first. The first Grease by far had the best music, I'll give ya that. The music in Grease 2 was indeed a little wimpy, but for me it wasn't about the music. To this day I still don't like motorcycles, and for me Grease 2 wasn't about the bikes either. It was about a man who was smart enough, determined enough and creative enough to do whatever it took to win a special girl's heart.
In 1982, the romantic 12 year old that I was completely fell for actor Maxwell Caulfield's tough, smart and dreamy character Michael. Michael was everything a man is supposed to be. So, there I sat on my sofa with my grilled veggies, butterflies in my stomach, feeling like I was 12 again, wishing God would make my life into a Grease 3.
So, what would MY "cool rider" be like? He would definately play guitar. He might enjoy restoring old cars. He'd definately have great hair and a unique, eccentric, retro-vintage 1970s style. He'd be one who reads a lot and is more cerebral than physical (that means smart for those of you who aren't). But most importantly, he would put God above all else in his life. When a man does that, it shows in his work ethic and it appears as integrity in every area of life.

So anyway, I'll stop dreaming now and share this related random observation. While watching Grease 2, I realized immediately why I'm just smitten stupid over actor Robert Pattinson (Twilight)! Instead of "Michael", this guy is "Edward" but it's the same kind of character--nearly identical!! They even look alike:

SEE??!! Crazy isn't it! At least I finally understand my obsession with Twilight now. I realize these guys play fictional characters but I believe that men like this do exist in a less dramatic way. Maybe I'm not 12 anymore but I'm still looking for my cool rider. He'll find me someday....

Minx Nails!

2009-06-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Since April I've been feverishly practicing a new trendy nail service called Minx Nails. I'm proud to say that I'm one of only a handful of nail technicians in the Las Vegas area providing the service!

Minx has positioned themself in the industry as couture for nails. Minx nails are the green alternative to nail polish, made of a flexible film that is not a liquid and does not use any hazardous chemicals during application. Minx requires no drying time, doesn't smudge or chip and there are no fumes! Removing Minx is easy and will not damage your nails! Minx is sold to professionals only and is applied to natural nails with the use of a heat source, much like the shrink wrap advertising you see on cars. Minxed toenails should last at least 4 weeks or longer! However, Minxed fingernails are best left for special occasions as they only last anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks, depending on your lifestyle, which is why this premium service is usually found only in high end salons around the country. Nonetheless, my prices are still a lot less than what you would pay elsewhere.
This new service is quite a treat for those with natural nails, but don't be sad artificial nail clients--you can get in on the Minx craze too! Minx has a competitor called TNU that manufactures Minx-like french tip designs that can be covered with gel or clear acrylic for more permanent wear.

Cari's Minx Nails Menu

Minx Manicure $45
Minx Pedicure $70
Application per nail $6

There are over 200 different designs to choose from. I send my clients to http://www.minxnails.com/ to choose the design they want. I prefer a $10 deposit per design before booking an appointment, as all designs must be special ordered, however I do keep some of the more popular ones in stock.

Call (702) 798-3070 (ext 26) for an appointment now and be one of the first in the Las Vegas area to get Minxed!

Photo of my own Minxed toenails (above) by Stacie Frazier. http://www.hauteshots.net/

Special Guest Appearance!

2009-06-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello loyal readers! I'm excited to tell you that I've made a special guest appearance at: http://www.hauteshots.net/blog/! Stacie did a fun little photo shoot of me last week and asked me to be a guest blogger on her website. In this blog I wrote a little about my career and explain the new Minx Nails trend.

Also, feel free to stop by my salon's humble Myspace page and add us as a friend: www.myspace.com/dhairtobedifferent

Hints from the Manicurist--Dry Winter Skin

2009-02-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

After 17 years of doing nails, I've run across some ridiculously easy home remedies for dry cuticles, heels and skin in general.
1) olive oil 2) lip balm/chap stick

One of the most important things I learned from my years of working with Aveda is why some moisturizers work and some don't: molecule size. Any moisturizing product made with a synthetic ingredient like mineral oil or petroleum is nearly the most useless thing you can buy unless you're looking to prevent chaffing or wind burn. Plant oils/plant-based ingredients are the answer. The reason why is that plant oils have a much smaller molecular structure than mineral/petroleum oils. The smaller the molecule, the deeper it can absorb into the skin. Some plant oils, like jojoba, are so similar to our skin's natural oil that they can help dryed out skin repair itself. Mineral oils just sit on the surface of the skin and can sometimes end up drying it out even more. So that's why no matter how much you reapply that Vasolene Intensive Care lotion, your skin just keeps feeling dryer! It may protect the skin and make it feel better temporarily but it can't penetrate the skin deep enough to help repair it in the long term.
If you are fortunate enough to have the money in your budget to afford Aveda's products, run to your nearest Aveda Concept Salon now. http://www.aveda.com/templates/products2/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY10691&PRODUCT_ID=PROD5908&PSID=true&cm_mmc=Google-_-Exact-Brand-Body-Aveda-_-HandRelief-Lotion-MW-X-5908-_-Aveda+Hand+Relief%7C-%7C100000000000000719695&cm_guid=1-_-100000000000000719695-_-3649381189
If not, just grab some olive oil from your kitchen. I once healed a painful crack that was starting on my own heel by rubbing olive oil on it twice a day for 6 days. Hangnails or dry cuticles on hands/feet? Put some olive oil on a Q-tip and apply it twice a day. If your dryness is severe, dedicate an old tube of chap stick/lip balm to your skin care routine and apply it to the severely dry area every night before you go to bed. The olive oil will start the healing process by soaking in deep and the chap stick will coat the surface to protect from further chaffing. Chap stick is great for those office workin' people whose fingertips are dryed out from touching paper all day.

And of course, while such home maintenence can make a huge difference in how your hands & feet feel, nothing can replace the aesthetic perfection you get from a professional manicure & pedicure!

Summer Vacation in Indiana 2008

2008-07-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Every year I go back home to Indiana in July to enjoy the weather, have fun and visit with my beloved old friends and family. The trip home also helps me get my head together. (Wish I could do it more often!) Every year is a new adventure and 2008 was a great one, productive too I might add!

Thursday 7/17
I had a pleasant flight on the fabulous Allegiant Air. When I arrived I was able to organize an early dinner with my folks, my godparents, Aunt Carol and my fav cousins Larry & Suzanne at the best authentic Mexican restaurant in South Bend, La Esperanza. After that I settled in for a peaceful night at the home that I grew up in. I spend almost every night by myself in the back yard with a Blue Moon hangin out with the lightning bugs & crickets.

Friday 7/18
I'm going to call this "the day I over-did it". I got very little sleep and jumped out of bed early to run to Vikie's salon, Illusions, to get my hair cut & colored. I swear I drank a gallon of Aveda calming tea while my hair processed. I would just like to add here that Vikie is the greatest hair stylist in the whole freakin world!! From there I hit the ground running and spent the entire day eating. I hit up the beauty supply, went downtown to pay off my car loan in person (woohoo!) and slid through Rally's drive thru for a banana shake and the most killer french fries ever. The same pretty black girl is always there and every time she compliments me on my nails, hair or shades, this time it was my hair. :)
Vikie picked me up later and we drove to Lake Michigan for the start of the Venetian Festival where we ate kettle corn, Chicago hot dogs and wandered through the cobblestone streets of St Joseph, MI shopping in the over-priced boutiques. I was now experiencing sensory overload from all the visual stimulation and the memories jumping out at me from behind every building. I passed out briefly in the car. I took a 20 minute nap when I got home and then headed right back out to meet Vikie and her new boyfriend at Hacienda for dinner. Oh, that orange margarita that tastes like a push up from the ice cream man! How I missed that! Afterwards we sat at the pool having blueberry mojitos. I gained 6 pounds that day. haha
What an amazing day....but later that night a migrane headache kicked in. It traveled down the back of my neck preventing me from being able to lay down. I curled up on the floor and rocked back and forth in the fetal position. Finally after several hours of praying in agony I ran to the bathroom to throw up. As I look up with tears rolling down my face at my parents standing there in their bed clothes, I said, "I wasn't drinking! I promise!" Yes, I'm still 16 years old you know!

Saturday 7/19
This was the day of my 20 year class reunion. I was so fragile and weak and still nursing a dull headache. I took it easy all day and was able to pull myself together in a fabulous mod dress with brown patent leather boots. Although a light breeze could have knocked me over, I looked vibrant and couldn't wait to meet up with my great old friends Mike & Mandy. We met at Mike's house first for a Blue Moon and a pep talk. I think everyone was worried that everyone else would be judgemental. Once we got there and realized that everyone else was worried about the same thing, everyone seemed to lighten up and have fun. Some people got married and had kids, some pursued careers, some did both. Just because one path is right for one person doesn't mean a different path isn't right for somebody else. I wish I was married and could build a home. I'm sure somebody must have wished that they lived in Las Vegas and could have had dinner with Robert Plant or walked around on the arm of a few rock stars. My old crush Mike Copenhaver mailed a 3 page letter to us detailing his life and regretting that he couldn't be there. Mike and his letter were the talk of the evening. The best comment said to me by a few people when I told them I live in Las Vegas was "of course you do." I guess I'm still proud to be the rocker chick of the class. Those who made an impression on me at the reunion were Karl Roemer (what a catch he is, his wife is a lucky lady), Mike Hover and his wife, sweet & funny Nick Macri, Lori Myers, Ann Balint, Stacie & Gail (who remember all kinds of crazy things about me). A huge thanks to Michele Thompson for reading my blog--I wanted to talk to you about having fond memories of all the slumber parties at your house listening to Donna Summer records and stuff! Honestly, everyone who took the time to talk to me that didn't get a special mention here have a new spot in my heart. I was way more tickled to see everyone than I ever imagined. I'm really looking forward to our 25th.
The reunion was on the campus of Notre Dame University and after they kicked us out we took the party to the Linebacker (the lamest place in South Bend) but something about it felt just like high school all over again. It was suprisingly cool. After that, Mandy & I went out with a couple classmates for cheese fries at Steak N Shake.

Sunday 7/20
Aunt Carol is going to be 70 years old in August. I wanted to celebrate her birthday early while I was home so my parents cooked up some lobster tails and king crab legs and we had a little dinner for Aunt Carol on Sunday afternoon. Afterwards we went shopping! Later I met Vikie & Veronica at the dollar movie theatre to see What Happens In Vegas. Listen people, that was not the cheesy movie it appears to be. It was the sweetest funniest love story I've seen in a long time. I was just swooning over Ashton Kutcher. It was hard not to cry at the end. Totally awesome chick flick with no cheese factor--go rent it when it comes out on DVD in late August! After the movie, we grabbed a bite to eat, Veronica went home and Vikie and I had some good deep talkin' in the back yard with the beer, lightning bugs and crickets. It's times like these that I cherish most about my friendship with Vikie. She owns my heart. (PS: I'm SO glad she didn't sell her house move to the Netherlands!)

Monday 7/21
I had planned to go up to the beach on Lake Michigan today but it rained. My cousin Cheryl couldn't go with me this year so I guess it wasn't meant to be. I made the best of the day and met Mike for lunch back at La Esperanza again. While in the parking lot, I spotted a new little boutique across the street called Deviant Couture so I zipped right over there and discovered a tiny slice of rock n roll heaven. I bought another Rolling Stones shirt for myself and got a cool Beatles magical mystery tour shirt for Bobby. That evening, my parents and Aunt Carol took me out for some REAL pizza (Vegas people, you have NO idea) from Barnaby's downtown. Then I went to see Sara & Cheryl from my old salon (Salon Nouveau). Sara just moved back to South Bend after being in Montana for 7 years. I had so much to talk with them about I nearly hyperventilated. Wish I'd had more time to spend!
Later that night while having my usual back yard rendevous, the answer I've been searching for finally came to me. At 1am I made a phone call to my boss at Beauty Bar and with that one tiny baby step I set the course for changing my life completely. You'll have to read my next blog to find out just what I mean by that. (sorry!)

Tuesday 7/22
This was the most lovely day I had during my whole vacation. I drove up to Buchanan, MI to see my old friend Jane who couldn't make it to the class reunion. Lord knows how I love to drive and I love to drive fast! I flew up the bypass, flipping between the classic rock/metal radio stations and some oldies channel that played mod 60s stuff singing my head off, wind in my hair! Jane has a beautiful house on the St. Joseph river. Her husband made strawberry daquris for us and we sat by the pool with big ol' daddy long leg spiders and dragonflies everywhere. We talked about everything--God, men, books, school, family... This was the first time I've seen sun since last summer. Since I've been back in Vegas, everyone thinks I lost weight when really, I just got a little tan! haha Later on we sat by the banks of the river for a while before I had to head back to South Bend. With the decisions I made the night before, this couldn't have been a more peaceful, perfect day. When I got home, my parents and Aunt Carol were waiting to take me to my favorite Japanese restaurant Hana Yori for dinner. That's the last dinner I'll have with my family til I head back again at Christmas.

Wednesday 7/23
I got rested, I got packed. Then Vikie and Veronica swooped me up and we headed south to Indianapolis! My beloved friend Stefanie hooked me up with a great deal at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indy. We checked into our posh hotel and scrambled to get ready. We had just enough time to eat at a cool restaurant with outdoor sidewalk seating and still make it to Conseco Fieldhouse for the FOO FIGHTERS concert. We missed the opening act but who cares? It's all about Dave Grohl you know! That's when I realized that every guy I've dated in the past 3 years (with the exception of Mark) looks like some Dave Grohl/Jesus/Chris Robinson hybrid. Well, at least I'm consistent! The Foo Fighters ripped my face off. I even looked in the dictionary under 'rock star' and there was nothing more than a photo of Dave Grohl. That explains everything.

After the concert we went to a very cool bar called Radio Radio to meet my friend Mike Farmer whose band was opening for the Mother Truckers. The girls were wasted, I was sober (what's new) and we all had a great time. My Twilight Zone moment came while sitting on a ramp outside the backstage door. The drummer for the Mother Truckers, knowing I'm from Las Vegas, asked me if I knew any of the Blue Man guys. I said I know most of them and he asked if I happened to know MK. There I am in an alley in Indianapolis talking to a guy from Texas and he asks me if I know MK! Surely the world cannot be that small...oh, but it is! So we got MK on the phone and had a laugh.
When that place closed, Mike and his friends took me and the girls to Broadripple Village per my request. 10 years ago when I decided to move, my choice was between Indy and Vegas. I chose Vegas and have always wondered if I made the right choice. After walking through Broadripple all these years later I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I had made the right choice. So there I was in this dirty alley outside the Alley Cat bar with some chick peeing behind a dumpster, her friends were hollering some kind of shitty stuff at me. Someone else was puking around the corner and Mike was more drunk than I was comfortable with so I rounded the girls up and we cabbed back to our amazing hotel. It was the best night's sleep I'd had in months. If only I could take that bed with me! In the morning we went to an organic breakfast/lunch place downtown and ate breakfast on the sidewalk cafe watching all the business people walking by. It was the perfect end to my trip.

I flew back to Vegas the next day and I almost got on my knees and kissed the filthy sidewalk upon returning. There's no place like Vegas, there's no place like Vegas, there's no place like Vegas....

GIANT THANK YOU's to: Vikie, Veronica, Mike Nespo, Mandy, Jane, the John Adams class of 1988, Sara, Cheryl, Stefanie (for the hotel), my whole amazing family, Mike Farmer and Amy (for picking me up at the airport)!

Small Miracles

2008-06-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago, I received 2 free nights at Hooters Hotel through a 944 Magazine email promotion, all I had to do was sign up for the players club. The nights they offered were not the best choices for my schedule but I decided to take advantage of it anyway and booked them for Monday 5/26 & Tues 5/27. I would still have to go to work those days but I pictured myself ordering room service for breakfast, going to work and coming back to chicken wings, beer and penny slots. Woohoo!

On the Sunday afternoon before my Hooters mini vacation, I noticed a puddle on my balcony and went to investigate. My water heater had created a waterfall that was running off the edge of my balcony! I stared in disbelief. (It was very lovely, actually). So, I shut off the water and a plumber came out the next morning to assess the repair work. Not only were they charging me a hefty amount of money, they couldn't complete the work until Wednesday morning. 48 hours with no hot water heater! (Don't even get me started on the plumbing company thing, I was totally ripped off.)

I was really in the dumps as I packed my bags for Hooters, but then suddenly reality hit me! GOD knew that my water heater was going to break when it did so He provided me with this free hotel room to take a hot shower in for the exact same 2 days that I was without a water heater in my home! I couldn't have planned such a thing if I tried! I went from bummed to grateful in a split second. I simply can't deny the obvious hand of God in this whole situation. A big miracle in my little world.

Because of the pending plumbing expense, I didn't order much room service but I did enjoy talking on the phone and drinking a beer while soaking in a most fabulous bubble bath one night. The next night I turned $20 into $90 while playing a Megabucks penny slot machine. I tried really hard to make the best of it all and had a fun little time all by myself.

Just as the Lord took care of keeping me clean and comfortable during this inconvenience, I know He will also take care of the bill. I don't know where the money's gonna come from but I believe if He took care of that, He'll take care of this too. Amen!

Frustrated, Burned Out & Helpless

2008-05-10T03:16:00.000-07:00

I am grateful on so many levels for my job at Beauty Bar. The job has helped keep my finances level ever since I left the Hard Rock over 3 years ago. To begin listing the amazing people I would have never met if it were not for that job would be a task I couldn't even begin. So, why? WHY? WHY??? Why am I tired of doing something that has only brought me good things? I still need the money and I wish I didn't. Why can't I make enough at the salon to not need any extra jobs? I'm so ready to kick Avon and Beauty Bar to the curb just because I'm so tired, overworked and frustrated. Life gets really sad when you can't even enjoy something you love anymore. I don't know how to fix it. I don't know what to do about it.
I sit here thinking about all the wonderful people who visit my table at Beauty Bar every week. I love them all. I get to connect with them for 20 minutes then like a revolving door, 20 minutes later there's someone new sitting there. I only get to scratch the surface. And I come home knowing that so many people genuinely like me yet I'm so totally empty. I've been fine with this as long as I've worked there but not anymore. Ever since Mark moved I'm starving for emotional connections. I never seem to notice it that much except for the days I work at Beauty Bar. And tonight sent me straight over the edge into bad attitude zone...
All I wanted to do from the minute I got to work was talk to this stranger with blond shaggy hair and eyeliner who had caught my eye. He came over and spoke with me for a minute and after every nail customer I told myself that when I was done I would take a quick break and go talk to him. But after every customer I had 2 more waiting in line and I was literally trapped at my table as hours dragged on. My attitude got crappier and crappier as I filed and polished as fast as I could. It was like fate was preventing me from talking to this guy. I was beyond frustration's breaking point and of course by the time I finally closed my shit up at 2:30am, he was nowhere to be found. All I know is that his name is Christopher and his birthday is June 6th. I'd give anything to see him one more time. After 7 months I think I'm kind of ready for another boyfriend. But more than anything I just want to work less than 40 hours a week and still have enough to pay my bills. I'd give anything to get 8 hours of sleep every night. What can I do to not feel cold, empty and frustrated? How much longer can I keep doing this? Helpless...

Confession of a Fast Food Addict

2008-03-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's me...well, it used to be me. When I stepped on the scale February 20th and it read one pound shy of a weight I said I'd never weigh, I got angry. Thankfully, anger and I are good friends and when I get angry I get motivated. I decided right then that I was gonna go for 30 days without eating fast food. At that point in time I had been eating fast food between 4 to 8 times a week. I've been eating fast food this often for the past 22 years!

Here's how I got to that point:
I was born with a very high metabolism and was always so skinny that people would ask me if I was sick. In college, I barely weighed 100 lbs and could eat 2 full plates of food in the dorm cafeteria while the heavy girls sat there with two peas on their plate, hating me. All eyes would watch me if I ever got up to go to the bathroom after eating. I swear I've never thrown up my food purposefully nor have I ever been anorexic. I was born skinny and I was teased and tormented about it but instead of gaining a low self esteem like the heavy girls, I got an attitude. Damn right I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound. Food was a best friend, a comforter and a source of pleasure. My boyfriend back then was super skinny too. Every weekend we would eat at places like Outback, Pizza Hut, Colorado Steakhouse, Fondue Parlor and the people that worked there knew us by name. During the week, we kept Taco Bell and Burger King in business. We each gained a few pounds over the 9 years we were together but it wasn't a big deal and I shrugged it off as normal age-related weight gain.
In mid-2004, I left my job at the Hard Rock Hotel to be full-time self-employed. That's when it all started catching up with me. I was now in my 30s, never exercised and had the craziest, busiest schedule. Although I shopped at health food stores and cooked good nutritious food for myself when I was at home, I wasn't at home enough for it to make a big difference. My life was changing in other ways as well. Instead of hanging out all night partying with rocker friends every weekend, I'd go home early, swinging through Jack In The Box for a large order of stuffed jalapenos before bed. I was steadily gaining around 3 pounds a year which is a lot on my little frame and at that rate I'd be looking like Jabba the Hut by the time I was 55 years old. No more, I screamed!!

I made a complete diet/lifestyle change overnight. Thankfully my good eating habits at home made this easier for me. It was lunch that was killing me. So now, instead of deciding which fast food joint was going to see my smiling face at lunch time, I now nuke up a frozen dinner by Amy's Organics (or sometimes a Budget Gourmet or Lean Cuisine) and have some fruit. I also have a Nutrigrain or Soy Joy bar an hour before lunch and a snack 2 hours after lunch and that keeps me from starving.
I promised myself that I would go for 30 days with no fast food. I had to prove to myself and only myself that I could kill this habit. The first 2 weeks were SO hard. I was physically sick. I was consumed by non-stop thoughts of Jack In The Box and In N Out Burger. I was lethargic and sleeping 10 hours+ a day. I thought I was going crazy but then I found a study online about fast food addiction that was done overseas. It seems that the extra sugar/fat additives that all fast food restaruants put in their food to make it taste good are recognized in our brain the same way nicotine and heroin are. I was, by all definitions, an addict!

Today is day 29 and I would like to proudly annouce that I have so far lost 8 lbs. I have so much energy I don't know what to do with myself, I'm sleeping less and I'm more alert. It sounds silly but I can't deny that I feel like a different person. I am going to treat myself to In N Out Burger (hoping it doesn't make me sick) this week because I love it, I really do, but I will never, ever go back to eating at places like that every day. My overall plan is to practice moderation from now on but I had to go cold turkey for a month, just to say I did it.
I should probably stop by the Taco Bell drive-thru just to let them know I'm okay--I'm sure they're wondering what happened to me.

----------------
This blog is dedicated to my client friends Wendy & Carrie, who shared with me their nutrition & diet knowledge, without which I wouldn't have had the tools to accomplish this, and to my friend Jizzy who let me cry on his shoulder with a broken heart in the Griffin one night and convinced me that the answer to all my problems was to just lose a little weight. Thanks!

Angels And Airwaves @ The Joint: Concert Review

2008-02-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

A short concert review I wrote after seeing Angels And Airwaves a couple months ago....

I attended Area 107.9's Big Damn Holiday Jam on 12/11 at the Hard Rock Hotel. I was so excited to finally see headliners Angels and Airwaves and they gave a performance that surpassed my expectations! Angels and Airwaves is the new project of former Blink-182 vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge and former Offspring drummer Atom Willard. They first caught my attention with their 2006 hit "The Adventure" which remains one of my favorite songs to this day. If you listen to alt-rock radio, you've heard the chilling lyrics: "Hey oh, here I am/And here we go/Life’s waiting to begin/I can not live/I can’t breathe/Unless you do this with me". The most recent single off their new album I-Empire called "Everything's Magic" is currently in heavy rotation on 107.9 fm.
DeLonge spent a lot of time telling jokes and stories to the crowd as it was obviously very important to him to let everyone know the inspirations behind their songs, things like the death of his grandmother, for example. Not only do I hear a major U2 influence in their music but also mixed into their powerful rock sound is a lot of trippy spaceship synthesizer sounds a la Pink Floyd, very conceptual and anthemic. That and their WWII themed props and visuals give them a larger than life stage show. The youth already adore DeLonge's emo vocal style (and so do I) but with this interesting new direction and Willard being such a beast of a drummer, I hope they will attract other rock fans too. Angels and Airwaves is an impressively mature departure from the members' former bands.

Something About Fridays

2007-12-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

There is something about every Friday that fucks with me. If I knew why, I probably wouldn't be writing this blog. Yesterday however, took f'ed up Fridays to a whole new level.

I went to see Louis XIV perform at the Rio Thursday night and while driving home there was an eerie fog over the city. The top of Mandalay Bay was actually invisible, hidden by clouds. It was beautiful in a creepy way. When when I woke up Friday morning I went to the window wondering if there might be snow on the trees...I LIVE IN LAS VEGAS. What was I thinking?? I have greater odds of being dealt a royal flush on a video poker machine than I do of finding snow on trees here in November. However, it was raining like hell which is also something quite rare.
So I went off to work in the rain and haze and I don't usually work on Fridays but it's mortgage week and I needed to make up for having Thanksgiving weekend off. In the break room was a plate full of these tiny lime-looking fruits. They were certainly citrus but I had no clue what they were. I snacked on these little things all day and eventually learned that I had been eating kumquats. Go ahead and laugh and say that wasn't the first time I had a kumquat---ha ha, right, whatever. Someone needs to re-name that fruit.

After work, I drove to the Tropicana Hotel where they were auditioning for the TV show Don't Forget The Lyrics. From the day it started I said, "That show is for me! I have to get on that show!" I get so annoyed when I see cover bands around town and the singer gets the words wrong. The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin has to be the most botched song of all time by lame cover bands. I pride myself on knowing the words to everything. It drives me crazy if I can't figure out the words to a song and have Googled more song lyrics than anything else over the years. So I bravely walked into that audition and filled out ridiculous amounts of questionnaires. After waiting 30 minutes for my interview, I became very tired and bored. I didn't even have nervous energy. So by the time my interview came up I appeared much like a depressed lump and I could not snap out of it. I needed a coffee fairy! Despite my suddenly melancholy mood, I belted out a Butch Walker song and "Stone In Love" by Journey. The interviewer said I was a pretty good singer and I definitely have no problem with lyrics but they're looking for a bouncy, animated person with a lot of energy. (Nobody told me that.) So the insane amount of music knowledge I have, plus the fact that I can sing well, and that I'm not so bad looking was still not enough to get me a spot on the show because I don't have a bubbly personality. You know what??
FUCK PEOPLE WITH BUBBLY PERSONALITIES!
So I went home and watched the only band I liked (Tres Bien) on Next Great American Band get voted off and then watched this bubbly little contestant bitch on Don't Forget The Lyrics NOT know the words to "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner. I almost threw a candy dish at the TV.

On my way to work at Beauty Bar later that night I could see that Mandalay Bay was still lost in clouds. The MGM was making one whole section of sky glow bright green. I got to work late, which I've never done before. The bar was slow and I was hoping to leave early but then a nice (although extremely drunk) woman with Billy Idol hair sat in my chair. As we talked I found out that she was from Hollywood and lived in the same townhouse building as 4 of my friends. She called over her whole group and they reveled in amazement the rest of the night at how I knew so many of the same people that they knew. By this time I decided I must surely be in the Twilight Zone.

When I finally got to bed that night I was so thankful that this bizarre day was over...but wait...it wasn't! I woke up 2 hours later to a text message and decided since I was awake I'd get up and pee. I guess I wasn't awake enough to realize my leg was asleep. I took one step out of bed, my leg buckled and I fell flat on the floor, cell phone still in hand. I hit my iron night stand with my thigh and I guess I didn't really feel it much since my leg was numb. While on the floor I read the text message from my friend Adam that made no sense, something about being nice to meet me...wrong number I guess?? I dragged myself to the bathroom, managed to get my leg working again and got back in bed.

When I woke up Saturday morning to that bright gorgeous Las Vegas sunshine, the only thing left to remind me of the most fucked up day I've ever had is this blue bruise on my thigh.

Kumquats!

Me...The Lonely Ghost

2007-11-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

There are lots of reasons I haven't been around lately. These reasons have been brewing for a year and I'm tired. I'm so tired of so many things...

I decided in October that I'm indefinitely boycotting concerts. I am beyond sick of paying exorbitant concert ticket prices. Never in my life have I ever missed the following performers when they've been through town: Collective Soul, Marilyn Manson, Alice In Chains. I missed all of them in one month's time and it would have cost me over $200. Not to mention I would have also liked to have seen Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades when they were here, add another $35. There were a handfull of small shows as well like Winger, Warrant, Kings of Leon, add $65. That doesn't even include having a couple beers at each show. So yes, I missed them all in just 8 weeks. I've been wondering for years why I can't ever seem to get my credit cards paid off and now I know. I just paid one off last week. If I continue the boycott I'll have the other one paid in a few months. By not being a slave to concerts I have broken the chains of credit card debt.

For the last part of 2006 and majority of 2007 I have spent most of my time with guy friends instead of girlfriends. Having Morpheus as my "out on the scene" buddy from December-February, Tore as a companion through March and Mark as a boyfriend from April-October, it was easy to justify. Now that they've all moved on or moved away I'm back to rolling solo again and I have to face the disappointing truth about my dear girlfriends.

I find a great friend every few years...Christina, Andrea, Stefanie...and then they move away. I will never understand why the people I get the closest to never stay in Las Vegas.
Some of the girlfriends I have now are such beautiful people and I want nothing more than to be closer to them but because they have husbands/families, or spend all their free time at concerts that I can't afford (or more often listen to bands I simply don't like), or they have hobbies that I can't participate in like motorcycling, they are not always able nor comfortable with going places that I like or doing things I do. I wish I could find a way to spend more time with them somehow without feeling like a 3rd wheel or spending a ton of money on activities that I'm not into.
Other girlfriends I've had are either competitive & self centered or complete whores that get their self worth out of fucking everyone so that you literally can't go anywhere and actually meet a guy they haven't been with. If I were to go by the rule of not taking interest in a guy because one of my friends fucked him/dated him then that would rule out pretty much every single guy everywhere I go, even guys in other cities.
So, this is why I roll solo. For some reason I am unable to find female friends who like the same music/hangouts that I do or who aren't whores on a mission to create pissing territories everywhere.

Sometimes you might see me floating like a ghost all alone on a downtown street, or standing in a corner with a beer nodding my head to the music. I'll be taking applications for friends who have morals, a positive attitude, who like the groovy alternative rock bands, who like meeting up for dinner or coffee before going out, who can have a good time without getting plastered drunk and who have something else to talk about besides who they fucked last week.

A Lesson In Appreciation

2007-09-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Back in Indiana I have a best friend named Vikie. Vikie and I have lived parallel lives for the past 20 years. We always seem to be going through similar experiences at the same time. For example, the day before I jumped on a plane to start a new life and be self-employed in Las Vegas, I helped her paint the walls of a new salon that she would soon be opening. During my most recent visit with beloved Vikie I learned that her life was going in a completely different direction than mine for the first time ever. I took a look around me and felt like I had fallen into stagnant waters. With the way I set my life up I have already reached the "glass ceiling" and can't get any further. I'm stuck with no way to achieve my future goals without sacrifices that wouldn't be worth it. I went into panic mode--a full blown mid-life crisis. I had myself so stressed out that the veins in my neck were twitching and throbbing visibly. I've never felt this helpless and hopeless. I felt like I once again wasted more years of my life on bad decisions.

Mark and I took a trip to Hollywood a couple weeks ago. When I got to the intersection of Ventura Blvd & Coldwater Canyon, I burst into happy tears, rambling on about how much I love this place, I wish I could live here, I'm so happy to be back, etc. Wow, that came outta nowhere. The next day, I met up with Stefanie, my closest friend in L.A. She said to me, "If you want something bad enough in life, you'll do whatever it takes to get it." I am always grateful for her perspective and advise but I came away empty from that conversation. It wasn't until the next day that I suddenly got angry. And that was the answer I was looking for...

Let me just say that I wrote the fucking book on "if you want something bad enough you'll do whatever it takes." Back in Indiana, I left behind a boss that took me for granted, a family that loved me but never understood me, friends I adored but had little in common with and a 9 year relationship with a controlling, abusive guy. I moved to Las Vegas alone, knowing nobody with the goals of being self-employed, owning a home, and finally finding friends that I have things in common with who will understand and accept me. Not only have I accomplished all that but I also netted several bonuses like the privilege of working part time at the Hard Rock Hotel, the excitement of being whisked across the country to spend the Millennium celebration with Collective Soul in Chicago and the unbelievable thrill of hanging out with Robert Plant for an evening.

Although Stefanie's well-meaning advise sent my temper into motion, that's exactly what I needed to remember who I was, where I came from, and what God has allowed me to accomplish thus far. My crisis has gone away, my stress has disappeared. I just needed to stop for a minute and allow myself to be thankful for everything. So what if for the first time in 20 years my peer Vikie and I are not living parallel lives? It doesn't change our friendship! This may not be all that I want for my life right now, but at one point it was, and if I don't appreciate it and be a good steward with the things God has given me, I don't deserve to do any better.

Someday I might just end up living in Studio City, CA with a loyal, honest, artistic Christian man as my husband. But until that or whatever else God has planned for me happens, I'm going to be kicking back in my cozy condo, appreciating the people and things in my life a lot more than I have in a long time. (And after the snotty little outburst I had at my own birthday party last week, this attitude comes not a minute too soon.)

Concert Review: Jet @ Hard Rock pool 4/2007

2007-09-11T23:49:00.000-07:00

I decided that the best thing I've written so far is my review of Jet's concert at the Hard Rock pool this summer. It was originally published online at Glam-Metal.com (http://www.glam-metal.com/jet.html) It was also printed in the June issue of Vegas Rocks Magazine. So I thought I would share it here as well, minus the photos. Enjoy...

On April 27th Jet took the stage again in Las Vegas, this time at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino pool. I was so thankful to be in the front row since the Hard Rock crammed so many fans into the pool area I was almost afraid to look behind me! If you really crave guitar driven rock, the live show from this 4 piece Australian band will hit the spot every time. This performance, although shorter than their usual set, was no exception.
Jet hit the stage with a squealing guitar opening with "That's All Lies" from their newest album, Shine On. If drummer Chris Cester's pounding industrial machinery beat on this song doesn't get you moving, nothing will. They continued their groovy guitar rock onslaught with "Get What You Need", "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"--undeniably the best song on the new album, "Holiday", "Rollover DJ" and finally reaching the height of heaviness with "Take It or Leave It" *whew* before slowing down the pace with "Look What You've Done", their Beatles-esque hit ballad from the first album, Get Born.
I always get goosebumps when the crowd sings along with a great rock ballad. One slow song was enough for Jet tonight as they obviously came to rock! The second I heard bass player Mark Wilson jingling the tambourine I knew what was coming next...my favorite Jet song "Are You Gonna Be My Girl! The fans around me were singing every word, chicks on the cabana level were all dancing. From there they went into "Last Chance" and "Rip It Up". Is there no end to the solid catchy groovy guitar hooks from guitarist Cam Muncey? Let's hope not. And of course, it wouldn't be a Jet show without vocalist/guitarist Nic Cester climbing on top of any sturdy thing that he can find. Tonight he found his way to the roof of the sound booth! I was getting exhausted just watching him running around everywhere. He has a such a confident and comfortable stage presence that really commands attention and that's a mark of a truly great frontman.
At last they finally played arguably their biggest hit so far, "Cold Hard Bitch" a song which is unmistakably recognizable from the first note. Even the sticky 90 degree Las Vegas heat wasn't stopping this crowd from going crazy! Next they played "Stand Up" from the new album, a song that's not only personally motivating and to me but I also just love that Zeppelin inspired riff! They closed the show appropriately with "Get Me Outta Here". Because of the strict rules of the Hard Rock, they could only perform one hour instead of the usual hour and a half plus and so there was unfortunately no encore.
I stuck around after the show talking with Gilby Clarke's sister Michelle just long enough to spot guitarist Cam Muncey mingling in what was left of the crowd. He's my favorite member of Jet so I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I'm such a sucker for talent and a pretty face. He was so kind and spoke with us for quite a while. Aside from mentioning how he wasn't looking forward to his ears popping all the way to Denver the next day he also said that this would probably be their last tour of the States for a while as they were ready to work on a new album. I sure hope they'll come back with more meaty riffs and big hits like the tunes on Get Born. Thanks to Jet for an incredible evening and for keeping the rock n roll torch shining bright. Shine On!

Memoir #2 ~Guns N Roses 1988~

2007-07-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

"Hey lady you got the love I need~maybe more than enough~oh darlin darlin darlin walk a while with me~oh you've got so much..."

July 30, 1988
In the summer of 1988, a few friends and I took a long road trip to Val-Du-Lakes Amphitheatre in Michigan to see my new favorite band, Guns N Roses, who were the opening act for an old favorite band, Aerosmith. We arrived very early and wandered around the grounds in the sweltering heat. I walked up a hill with a friend hoping for a better vantage point to view the area where the bands' tour buses were parked behind a tall fence. At that moment a bus door opened and someone came out. The next thing I knew Guns N Roses' guitarist Izzy Stradlin was propped up over the top of the fence pointing at me and wiggling his finger to come over. I looked all around me in disbelief but he really was pointing at me! I ran down the hill to the spot where he instructed security to let me through. We spent the afternoon talking to each other through the fence. Security wouldn't let him take me to the other side without a pass so he sent a crew guy to find one. Izzy kept running back and forth from the bus like a show and tell, displaying clothes and jewelry he'd bought on tour and telling me stories about some of the places he'd been. Right before he had to go on stage, one sticky pass was found and given to me.

My friends and I went out into the crowd and watched the show. It was a typical Guns N Roses live performance for that time--really bare bones, raw and raunchy sounding. This was only a short time before GnR Lies was released and they tried out a few songs none of us had heard before called "One In A Million" and "Patience". When the time came to leave my friends behind in this huge crowd to meet Izzy backstage, I was really scared. I was taking a big risk leaving them behind--we didn't have cell phones back then you know!

Izzy was there at the fence waiting for me. As he was digging for the bus key in his pocket, he unknowingly dropped guitar picks in a trail behind him. Something about that was incredibly adorable to me. This must have been during his short sober faze because he had no drugs or alcohol and he offered me a 7up to drink on the bus. He showed me more stuff he'd collected on the road and some live photos of Guns & Roses in LA. He had me pick out a photo and on the back of it he wrote "to Cari with lust...Izzy." He kept playing with my hair, piling it all up on top of my head then leaning back to look at me. Was he trying to see how I would look with an up do?? Strange but lovable, that Izzy. He told me his real name and that he grew up just a couple hours south of where I was from in Indiana. He had just gotten the newly released Cinderella tape "Long Cold Winter" and put it on. We were having some serious music and philosophy talk and he said that I'm not like the other girls he meets on the road, that I actually have a brain and was really cool to talk to. He had me write my contact info in an address book for him.

At one point he started to kiss me but I was chewing gum, so in a very parental way he put out his hand for me to spit it into and went to throw it away. Hello awkward moment! I couldn't have felt less sexy. Then again, what does a 17 year old really know about sexy anyway? Izzy and I had a lot of fun and even took a little nap as the summer heat had worn us out. We kept getting pestered by Steven Adler (whom he lovingly referred to as "Stevie"). Steven was bouncing around excitedly, pounding on the bus windows yelling that there were 4,000 people in the crowd! This must have been one of the biggest crowds they'd ever played for at that time.

It was dark by now and Izzy changed into some running pants and a jean jacket and we went outside for a walk on that perfect, magical, warm summer night with the full moon over our heads. We stopped by the hospitality tent for some pizza and there were Slash & Duff, kickin' back on a sofa having a deep conversation about drugs. Ok, now I was starstruck, and I stood there staring like a dumbass.
Duff: "You still have that shit man? What are you saving it for? If I had that *sssssnniiiiifff* it woulda been gone a long time ago!" Slash: "You can't do that much, man. You only need a little bit." I interrupted with "Slash, dude, you are so cool." (Somebody shoot me! I'm an idiot!)

Slash said thanks and Izzy dragged me out of there to the side stage to watch Aerosmith's encore under that amazing full summer moon. I'd never seen so many people in one place in my life--a sea of faces as far as the eye could see! Standing on the stage just a few feet from Joe Perry, I could imagine how it felt to be a rock star. Suddenly I realized in that moment that out of the 4,000 fans in that crowd, I was the only one backstage. Why me? And that's when the magic feeling came over me, showering me like fairy dust...Why not me?! I was different. I wasn't like anyone I knew, not family nor friends--no one saw the world the way I did. I knew that for the first time I was amongst my peers there backstage. And if I had the privilege of spending a day with the hottest band in the country at age 17, someday I would be doing a lot of other cool things all the while making my own dreams come true too!

Izzy asked me to ride on the bus with them to the next city but in the days before cell phones I had no way to reach my parents back home nor my friends who were waiting in the massive parking lot to make the 3 hour drive with me. What if he wasn't able to get me a plane ticket back to South Bend like he promised? He begged a mounted security officer to escort me to the car--maybe I could tell my friends and then go back to meet him--but the Mountie was a jerk and he refused to help us. I had no choice but to say goodbye and that's my biggest regret to this day. I'll always wonder "what if".

The phone woke me up the next morning and it was Izzy. He said, "Listen...." I heard him press the play button on a tape player and then heard a clip of "Over The Hills and Far Away" by Led Zeppelin, a band we'd talked much about the night before. Then he clicked the tape off and said, "Bye...." and I never heard from him again.

That one magical summer night is what led me down the path to becoming the independent, confident, dream chasing woman with rose-colored, heart-shaped glasses that I am today. I'd like to thank Izzy for making me feel so special...he might not remember me but I'll never forget him and how for one day I was "one in a million".

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Flight Attendant

2007-07-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

You know when you're on an airplane and the flight attendants go through their routine information about seat belts and emergency exits? Most people don't pay much attention but there is a valuable life lesson hidden in all that safety info. In an emergency, the oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling and you are instructed to secure your own mask before helping others with theirs. I think that advise can be extended to everyday life! If I don't take care of myself first, how can I be of good use to anyone else? For example, if I don't stop in the middle of my 10 hour work day to leave the salon for a bit and eat lunch, you're going to have a crabby manicurist with a bad attitude by hour 5. (Do your cuticles hurt just thinking about that? haha) If I don't attend to my own emotional needs by spending some time alone thinking, praying, journaling, etc. then how can I be of any support to a friend who wants to talk about her problems? Remember the flight attendant's oxygen mask advise the next time you feel overwhelmed. Make some time to take care of yourself!

Fast Food Rant

2007-07-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Let's say you go to a fast food joint and want sweetener for your iced tea and ketchup for your french fries. They'll throw sweetener in your bag like they're giving out Halloween candy to the best costumed kid in the neighborhood, yet they'll ration out only 3 ketchups for an entire order of fries like ketchup is some highly valuable commodity. Isn't one packette of sweetener more than enough for even the largest size drink? But how can anyone expect 3 little ketchup packets to cover a huge order of fries? Seriously, do these employees never stop to think about that? I always feel like a jerk when I have to specifically tell them that "one sweetener is enough thank you, but I do need at least 8 ketchups please" like I'm some neurotic control freak ketchup monger. Shouldn't that just be common sense? Or perhaps I'm the dumbass in this equation for eating at fast food restaurants in the first place?

Memoir #1 ~Kick Axe 1986~

2007-07-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

"Please allow me to introduce myself..."

I was born into this world as the love child of two hippie teenagers who hitch-hiked to the Woodstock Festival. I was given up for adoption and grew up in northern Indiana near the border of Michigan. As a small child you could always find me with a radio in one hand and a Barbie doll in the other...I was born fascinated with both music and the beauty industry! Soon the little radio gave way to a big stereo, tons of albums and a guitar and the Barbies succumbed to a drawer full of nail polish and make-up. Although I tried for years to play guitar I finally gave it up, deciding it might be more fun to spend time with people who already knew how to play--and I could grow my nails long again!
Never very starstruck, I always thought of musicians as nothing more than just regular people like me--perhaps a little more exciting to talk to maybe. I liked hanging around talking to them because they were usually either eccentric, flamboyant show-offs or quirky, sensitive deep thinkers. I was not easily intimidated by either personality type and both have a way of making a girl feel like she's the only one in the room. People like that gravitated to me naturally and I to them as well. This innocent and genuine confidence that I displayed around people in the spotlight led me like the pied piper to some of the strangest places...

March 16, 1986
When I was 15 years old, I attended a small rock show--Autograph & Kick Axe--with a friend named Rusty Cobb who now lives in Atlanta and works in Butch Walker's Ruby Red recording studio. After the show, my dad was late picking us up so I walked up to Kick Axe's tour bus and knocked on the door. I just wanted to say "Hi" and tell them they should be the headliner because they're way better and cooler than Autograph! I have no idea why I thought they would care about what I had to say! Sure enough, they opened the door and let me on the bus. Maybe it was luck of the draw that Canadians just happen to be so darn nice and easy to talk to? There was nothing wild, indecent, vulgar or illegal going on, just people drinkin' and talkin' and some people in the back room doing an interview for a high school newspaper (okay, and maybe a little weed smokin' too). I sat there innocently chatting about music with assorted band members and with a really haggard looking woman who might have been their management. "Oh, my dad's here, gotta go! You guys are so cool! Thanks for talkin' to me! Bye!" I jumped off the bus as quickly as I had gotten on, so excited to tell about everything! To my suprise, with the exception of Rusty, I was greeted with jealous stares and whispering. What was the big deal?? (Jeez, it was just Kick Axe. Who? Exactly.)

That's the day I started to learn that I was a natural at being a rock muse. It's all about being comfortable with yourself and real with others. I was brave enough to step up to the plate, be assertive and be the one who dares! And so my adventures began...

Rock N Roll Memoirs Introduction

2007-07-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Diary of a Manicurist. I've been searching for the right place to publish my rock n roll memoirs and other humorous and ironic observations. Finally my writing has a home!

About 2 months ago I was asked to write my own column for Vegas Rocks! Magazine. I began writing feverishly only to be told that another memoir is not exactly what the magazine is looking for. *sigh* I guess I'll just write up an occasional concert review for them when I feel inspired.

Back in 2005, I was interviewed by Miss Pamela (DesBarres) for her newest book, "Let's Spend the Night Together," only to have my already well-known story get edited from the book for being too long. I was not, however, disappointed. Okay...I was disappointed for about 12 hours...and then a dear friend helped me realize that I don't want the world to know me as "the chick who f***ed Izzy Stradlin" because that's not what nor who I am at all. That was just one day in my life (and I was only 17 for cryin' out loud.) It was one day that changed the course of my life...but still...just one day. Had my story been published in the fabulous Miss P's book, it would have only caused me grief because what I really wanted was to tell my whole story, not just the story of one day. I want the world to know that not only was I a pretty cool rock chick who did a lot of wild and stupid things but also that I am now an evangelical Christian and I'm a damn good nail technician/manicurist who works with passion and integrity.

So, out of frustration and the nagging need to purge my past so I can stop looking back and start looking ahead, this blog was born. I was not always a classy respectable woman. I'm not always a good Christian, even now, but I really do study the Word of God and I pray every day. I do see myself turning away from sin, growing wiser and becoming a better person--and more than anything it is my goal to inpire others to do the same for themselves. I may not be proud of all my experiences but I'm proud of who I'm becoming. I hope you enjoy reading this candid blog as much as I enjoy writing it.

All my love,
Cari