Plot, subplot, Monkeys and facials...

I know what I said, believe me! I said "...every day, or couple of days." So, I got busy, meh... no one really reads this anyways, so what does it matter, right?

But on the same token, you're reading this, so not all hope is lost!

Okay, back on subject. Plot and subplot. I don't know why or how or whatever might have prompted this, but I've been thinking a lot about story structure lately. Could be the story percolating up through my subconscious of late... who knows?

The bare bones of a through story, or a series especially, is plot. There is a problem that needs to be solved and it needs to be something people care about. People will get sick or something, someone with lose their house or their livelihood, or maybe the world will be stuck by a meteor... whatever.

The plot comes from the progressive trials, discoveries and journey through to the resolution of this objective. This is also where sub-plot lives. Subplot is the side-bar objectives and trials-discoveries-journeys that eventually lend themselves to the main plot, but they are their own smaller, contained pieces of the larger story.

A really good example of this can be seen in the show "Burn Notice." The show is based on Michael, the protagonist, in his quest to get back to being a spy, after being "burned" and cut out of the profession that he loved. Every episode has its own sub-plot that contains the main elements of his spy skills that he uses to help whomever it is in trouble that week.

In addition to this, there is the underlying plot where the objective for Michael is becoming a spy again, and his girl-friend pushing for him to quit and rebuild with her.

Without both plot AND subplots, and a strong objective that the protagonist or whoever is striving for, the story is limp and sad.

Moving on...

Monkeys!!! ...and other figurines! I've finished Nicole, Sean's drummer, last night. Henry is still in the fridge, but I'm still working on him, don't worry. He has a lot of muscles, actually, and is taking massive amounts of clay. www.seantiffany.com

Here are some pics:

Nicole, no paint with Henry wire frame:


Nicole, with paint, and Henry with basic body:


Now a quick note about facials...

Have you ever had a facial? I mean in a Spa, performed by an Esthetician or a Cosmetologist and probably between $50 and $100. Well, then you know how great they are... and not to toot my own horn, but I'm really good at them.

If you know someone who needs a facial, we have facials, body treatments (whole body salt scrubs are out of this world great) and other things available at my school: www.longspeakacademy.com

If you call me and ask nice, and its a night that I'm allowed to have models, its FREE!! Let me know if you're interested, I have to do lots of these things before I can graduate, and I love helping people feel good!

Well, until next time... Best wishes and good health!

Rats...

...even a rat knows when to desert the ship.

If you've watched enough pirate/sailing/sailor movies, you've no doubt encountered this adage. As I survey our general lack of staff at work (even though we're inundated with a large variety of customers) I'm irresistibly reminded of this line. Actually, its haunting me.

Why does a rat desert a ship?

My managers that I've mentioned this to, and even my friends - insist that I'm looking too hard at this and probably I am. But like it or not, the 'rats' are jumping ship. Planes with the most cancellations or no-shows tend to be the ones that crash. In the next month, we're losing 2 employees. The month after that? 2 more are slated to leave. The next month? Who knows?


On a lighter note, the movie rental for the week was "Roman Holiday" featuring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

According to the Netflix wrapper: "Audrey Hepburn (in an Oscar-winning performance) stars as a cosseted European princess who goes AWOL in Rome and is soon taken under the wing of tabloid journalist Gregory Peck and his photographer sidekick Eddie Albert. She thinks the boys don't suspect who she really is... but they're clued in the sense a sensational story if they can just keep Audrey's handlers from retrieving her too soon. The essence of 1950s chic."

Super cute movie... they sure don't make em like they used to, ya know? I liked it a lot, actually. I've been curious about this movie ever since I was a kid watching "Only You". In that movie, they re-enact a scene from the movie "Roman Holiday" in which they go to the Mouth of Truth... very enjoyable! Good stuff...


Random thought for the day: Why do fat men ride cheap motorcycles? I can understand the tough factor and all, but the jig is up! I'm not scared of a three-hundred pound dude on a rice-cooker, especially when its all fat and no muscle. Craziness...

I now pronounce you...

Wedding stylist!

Ok. So I've been busy. Big whoop... Sean is busy and he blogs almost daily. So no more excuses! I'll be blogging again much more often now. At least once a week, if not more.

Granted, no one actually will read this, but still... if nothing else it gives me an outlet and an excuse to write.



This week I finished a mauquette of one of Sean's figurines (I'll post pictures tomorrow). Also, today I helped my friend Audrey, who I met in Cosmetology school, to do the hair and make-up of the wedding of a friend of hers.

Here are some pictures:



Tomorrow I'll try and post the pictures from the mauquette... Oh! I have to go get her out of the oven...

...until next time...

Ps. This week, I'm weighing in (ala weight watchers, btw) at 167. Last week was 171

Sure, I don't NEED them... :D

I know its been a while since my last update, but to be fair, I've been really busy. Its funny, I thought once I'd given up faire for these next two years that I'd have more time and more money to do things...

Not so much...

Actually, its the other way around. I have less money, because I'm paying as I go (and buying extra supplies along the way...) and I go to school three nights a week and Saturdays all day. The payoff is that I have Sundays off to spend with Sean or clean our place.



Also, one of the girls overheard the teachers talking about me the other day! Turns out, everyone is REALLY impressed at how well I'm doing (the term "natural talent" gets tossed around a lot around me) and their only regret is that I haven't finished much of the program yet, so I can't officially do much in the way of client services.

I'm not letting it get me down, though. I can perm now, and do up-dos and shampoo sets (gel curls that older ladies get once a week).




Not to mention the occasional make-up session. Sometimes we get little girls in for special occasions like their birthdays and they get "glamour girl" makeovers which includes nails, make-up and some sort of pretty hairdo. I did one this last week.




She was eight years old and I gave her a crown braid with half her hair and the bottom curled pretty. In the braid I put some gold glitter (she called them sparkleys). We also did her make-up with pink glitter, some pastel purple eyeshadow and light pink blush. She was pleased as punch! So very cute!

Here is my friend Audrey in pincurls (gel curls, except dried with pins holding them instead of curlers)



So, you're probably wondering what this has to do with "I don't need them"... well, as with most fun occupations/hobbies, there are cute t-shirts that people can buy. Since I can't really afford them, I thought to let people know about them on the off chance that someone is at a loss for what to buy me for my birthday or whatever... :D They're from "behindthecurtain.com" I wear a Woman's Medium.

...a little perspective?

I guess with all the excitment between going to school now... and working, a little perspective is good.

Here's a quick link to my new school: Longs Peak Academy of Cosmetology

Music has been my "me" time lately... and I thought I'd just share some:


...and this song has been stuck in my head for about a week... I wish they played out here!

Much news...

As anyone who has known me over a summer can attest, I love the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, Colorado. Whats more, I love working there.

Yes its hot, and hiking in a dress (with a corset) can be exhausting... much less singing and hiking at the same time. But I loved working there... yes, I typed that right... past tense.

I'm taking a hiatus. I don't know if its a "much needed" hiatus or if this is even the right choice for me, but I really need to get out of Kinkos... which leads to major update #2.

I'm going to Beauty School, beginning next week (Tuesday, actually) I'll be starting at Longs Peak Academy of Cosmetology. Its a part-time, two year program in which I'll learn hair, nails and skin. It is my ticket out of Kinkos, and believe me, I'm excited about it!

Sean and my Mom are being ultra supportive during this major upheaval. When I told Mom my plans she actually hopped happily and told me how perfect she thought this would be for me. Sean offered to help pay some of the schooling if I couldn't get a loan. He said he was proud of me for going back to school "for us.."

This is my thought: I'm going to try and stay at Kinkos through school. When school is over, I'll get a job at a full-service salon and work up some clientele. If that goes well, I'll rent a booth and take my clients with me or possibly open a new salon with a collection of others of like mind. To augment my income, I have some ideas about in-home spa treatment parties. It would be great for wedding parties or a "girls night in" kind of thing with wine and a movie.

The big thing would be that I could make my own hours... which means that I would have more time and energy to do the Faire or anything else that I wanted to do! I could go for hikes on a Tuesday, or walk the dogs on a Thursday... or go to lunch with Sean on a Wednesday! Plus, I'd be able to use my creativity to help people.

I guess it doesn't hurt that I'm good at that, either...

Don't worry... I'm not giving up on music. Actually, I play Guitar almost every night and I'm singing with it when Sean goes on his evening bike-rides. Playing and singing are great relaxers for me, and the only way I'd give up music entirely would be if I were in a coma, and even then I'd probably dream music...

January the eighth... uh-huh-hunh!