Dark Circles and puffy eyes are due to a build up of toxins under the thin skin around and under the eyes. Some peeps suffer from this build-up more than others. But your diet and sleep should be looked at if you, all of a sudden, get circles and puffy.
Here's a good remedy:mix equal parts [1 tablespoon/1 tablespoon] of filtered or bottled water with plain old corn starch-- then slather a little layer of the white paste mixture under your eyes. The corn starch will naturally pull out the toxins and quiet & sooth the area around the eyes. Leave it on 5 to 20 minutes every morning or right before you go out. This is very safe for your eyes. When you rinse off the now-dry paste, your eye cream and make up will go on smoother and your eyes will be refreshed and clear.
You can use this mask on your entire face too. Great for all types. ESPECIALLY ACNE Skins! Normal/Dry Oily. It calms the skin and lets the impurities loosen up.
For extra dry skins you can mix low-fat milk instead of water. But never use the low-fat milk mixture around the eyes. Only the pure water formula. For skin that is extra oily: you can mix carrot juice with the corn starch. But never use this formula around the eyes either! Only the pure water formula.
Yeah well, you're welcome.
Love ya,
Mafia Hairdresser.
" Best hairdresser in Chicago "
Thank you to you and Yelp and City Search
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This blog has moved to Wordpress. I’m an environmentally conscious writer/hairdresser with a heart. I may write fiction, non-fiction, and anything my clients talk about. Read my eBook novels, Mafia Hairdresser, and, The Glow Stick Gods or I'll cut you! MafiaHairdresser.com Watch for my non-fiction humor eBook, "50 Days of 50," and my How-To book: "Social Media for Stylists, Salons & Spas."
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Thursday, March 4, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Green Cleaners
These are my two favorite recipes for green cleaners that I use regularly at home. They are the first two recipes that I learned how to make when I became a C-3 leader* in Chicago and I have taught friends and classes of people how to make them.
Oh: Why would you want to make you own home cleaners?
Because cleaning products make up the bulk of our indoor air pollution. Even when they are dry or have dried, carpet deodorizers, window cleaners, tub and toilet scrubbers and disinfectants, and more, can interact with your nervous system, aggravate or activate asthma, irritate skin, eyes, nose, throat, lungs. Vapors and gases emitted from these products constantly release carcinogens into the air and may cause pulmonary edema, and inhibit reflexes. It doesn’t matter if these products cause only temporary headaches or dizziness, or short-lived skin irritation, or if you experience a fleeting slight narrowing of blood vessels or an momentary increase in blood pressure; UNLESS you know that cancer is has gone from 1 in 8000 to 1 in 2 people and Cancer is caused by irritation. Cancer is caused by irritation of an organ or a whole body system. Different cleaners irritate different organs and systems in the body.
Agh. We’ve made the connection. Enough said.
(Mafia Hairdresser will always get to the point quickly, unless I’m writing my “fictionistas.”)
Basic Cleaner:
½ teaspoon baking soda (or 2 teaspoon of 2o Mule Team Borax)
½ teaspoon liquid soap/cleaner (**this is the one I use the most)
2 cups hot water
Mix ingredient to together in a spray bottle and you can clean floors, countertops, kitchens and bathrooms and you will have no headaches, nasal or throat inflammations and your home will begin to smell cleaner and fresher. Add two drops of Tea Tree Oil for extra disinfecting. (I get my Tea Tree Oil at The Aveda Store on Michigan Ave. Tea Tree Oil is a natural disinfectant and there are other bacteria-busting essential oils that you can customize your cleaners with.)
Basic Window Cleaner:
½ teaspoon liquid soap/cleaner **
¼ cup white distilled vinegar
2 cups of water
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle and go. I like this on stainless too.
I had a room-mate who did not like the smell of the white vinegar (although the smell wouldn’t hurt him like a VOC laden product) so I switched to apple vinegar. That one was good, and once it dried, he couldn’t smell anything at all--and that is the point.
**Mrs. Meyers Clean Day http://tinyurl.com/yfdut67
Seventh Generation http://tinyurl.com/2p7up
www.Ecos.com
Try making your own cleaner. Or try buying the environmentally-safe and health-conscious alternatives to your toxic unhealthy old products.
Here are some links to more in-depth articles if you so desire to read on. You can always come back here once you start breathing easier.
This is from Care2.com, Healthy & Green Living: http://tinyurl.com/yodpym It has more recipes for oven cleaners and carpet cleaners and more. I love Care2.com
A wonderful article about VOC’s and Asthma: http://tinyurl.com/mlfr49
NaturalHomeMagazine.com
Did you know that some of the very grass roots looking websites are funded and operated by big corporations that make new healthier and environmentally friendly products? Go to green-clean websites and keep clicking. Companies like Johnson & Johnson know that you are interested enough to want to make your own green products which means that they know that you will be abandoning their old products.
Most makers of products that currently have VOCs and carcinogens are now making healthier and less environmentally toxic products. They are gearing up for their “regular consumers” demanding to have VOC’s and bad elements taken out of their old products. They just aren’t ready to stop making their old products because most people are not quite up to speed on why we all need to buy healthy and be more careful as to what we pour down the drain. I’m ok with that, right now; so long as I know and you know and we spread the good word.
Two more helpful cleaners:
Hydrogen Peroxide: Typically found in the medicine cabinet, this disinfectant can also be used as an effective bleach alternative in the laundry room. Because it’s also a powerful oxidizing agent, it works especially well on food, soil, plant, blood and other organic stains. Just make sure to spot test in a discreet area because, like bleach, hydrogen peroxide may lighten fabrics. For each average-size load of whites, add 8 ounces of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide after you have filled the washer with hot water.
Salt: Perfect for cleaning grungy ovens, this natural abrasive is also great for soaking up fresh carpet stains such as red wine, coffee or ink. Pour salt on the wet stain. Let dry, then vacuum.
* http://tinyurl.com/ygrbkk6 c-3 Chicago Conservation Corps I'm a graduate and you can be too!
Don't forget to supscribe to this blog and order Mafia Hairdresser, the novel at MafiaHairdresser.com on sale 1-1-11
Oh: Why would you want to make you own home cleaners?
Because cleaning products make up the bulk of our indoor air pollution. Even when they are dry or have dried, carpet deodorizers, window cleaners, tub and toilet scrubbers and disinfectants, and more, can interact with your nervous system, aggravate or activate asthma, irritate skin, eyes, nose, throat, lungs. Vapors and gases emitted from these products constantly release carcinogens into the air and may cause pulmonary edema, and inhibit reflexes. It doesn’t matter if these products cause only temporary headaches or dizziness, or short-lived skin irritation, or if you experience a fleeting slight narrowing of blood vessels or an momentary increase in blood pressure; UNLESS you know that cancer is has gone from 1 in 8000 to 1 in 2 people and Cancer is caused by irritation. Cancer is caused by irritation of an organ or a whole body system. Different cleaners irritate different organs and systems in the body.
Agh. We’ve made the connection. Enough said.
(Mafia Hairdresser will always get to the point quickly, unless I’m writing my “fictionistas.”)
Basic Cleaner:
½ teaspoon baking soda (or 2 teaspoon of 2o Mule Team Borax)
½ teaspoon liquid soap/cleaner (**this is the one I use the most)
2 cups hot water
Mix ingredient to together in a spray bottle and you can clean floors, countertops, kitchens and bathrooms and you will have no headaches, nasal or throat inflammations and your home will begin to smell cleaner and fresher. Add two drops of Tea Tree Oil for extra disinfecting. (I get my Tea Tree Oil at The Aveda Store on Michigan Ave. Tea Tree Oil is a natural disinfectant and there are other bacteria-busting essential oils that you can customize your cleaners with.)
Basic Window Cleaner:
½ teaspoon liquid soap/cleaner **
¼ cup white distilled vinegar
2 cups of water
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle and go. I like this on stainless too.
I had a room-mate who did not like the smell of the white vinegar (although the smell wouldn’t hurt him like a VOC laden product) so I switched to apple vinegar. That one was good, and once it dried, he couldn’t smell anything at all--and that is the point.
**Mrs. Meyers Clean Day http://tinyurl.com/yfdut67
Seventh Generation http://tinyurl.com/2p7up
www.Ecos.com
Try making your own cleaner. Or try buying the environmentally-safe and health-conscious alternatives to your toxic unhealthy old products.
Here are some links to more in-depth articles if you so desire to read on. You can always come back here once you start breathing easier.
This is from Care2.com, Healthy & Green Living: http://tinyurl.com/yodpym It has more recipes for oven cleaners and carpet cleaners and more. I love Care2.com
A wonderful article about VOC’s and Asthma: http://tinyurl.com/mlfr49
NaturalHomeMagazine.com
Did you know that some of the very grass roots looking websites are funded and operated by big corporations that make new healthier and environmentally friendly products? Go to green-clean websites and keep clicking. Companies like Johnson & Johnson know that you are interested enough to want to make your own green products which means that they know that you will be abandoning their old products.
Most makers of products that currently have VOCs and carcinogens are now making healthier and less environmentally toxic products. They are gearing up for their “regular consumers” demanding to have VOC’s and bad elements taken out of their old products. They just aren’t ready to stop making their old products because most people are not quite up to speed on why we all need to buy healthy and be more careful as to what we pour down the drain. I’m ok with that, right now; so long as I know and you know and we spread the good word.
Two more helpful cleaners:
Hydrogen Peroxide: Typically found in the medicine cabinet, this disinfectant can also be used as an effective bleach alternative in the laundry room. Because it’s also a powerful oxidizing agent, it works especially well on food, soil, plant, blood and other organic stains. Just make sure to spot test in a discreet area because, like bleach, hydrogen peroxide may lighten fabrics. For each average-size load of whites, add 8 ounces of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide after you have filled the washer with hot water.
Salt: Perfect for cleaning grungy ovens, this natural abrasive is also great for soaking up fresh carpet stains such as red wine, coffee or ink. Pour salt on the wet stain. Let dry, then vacuum.
* http://tinyurl.com/ygrbkk6 c-3 Chicago Conservation Corps I'm a graduate and you can be too!
Don't forget to supscribe to this blog and order Mafia Hairdresser, the novel at MafiaHairdresser.com on sale 1-1-11
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Blackhawks Harris Club and the Cheese-Pretzel Cough
First of all, let me say how awesome the Harris Club at the United Center is. I posted a link (below) for the official brochure, but the finished room and décor is far more warm and ritzy than the computer graphic brochure depicts. Four of my friends were guests of Vienna Beef. They are generous sponsors of many of our Chicago sports teams.
The four of us snubbed the snow storm last night to watch the momentous Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars in overtime—no way were we going to pass up a chance to see a game in these special seats. And let me tell you, what a place to watch the game. We snacked on Vienna Beef hot dogs, complete with all the Chicago dog condiments, celery salt, pickles and tomatoes. We grazed on Caesar Salad, Braised Ribs, Prime Rib and snacked some more on cheese and pretzels. Jennifer, our waitress, kept us hydrated with cocktails and beer. And we had Bananas Foster for desert. Thank you, Vienna Beef!
Now for the real story.
My small band of four gluttonous drinkers were having the time of our lives. And we were acting like First-Time in First-Class kids. Each time Jennifer brought us a drink we bowed and tipped generously. We joked how terrible it was that some of the people in the $100+ dollar seats, just one row below us and behind a glass partition, felt the need to get up and get there own pizza. Pizza! De-classah….
We weren’t obnoxious and everyone around us had fun with us as well and we all watched the game as fans.
Then, at the end of the first period (around the time I was on my second helping of prime rib with extra horsey sauce), one of the two guys in Blackhawks jerseys to our left coughed. He must have had a little food in his mouth because something came out of his mouth and went over the little glass partition in front of him and landed on two other guys in the $100+ side. It couldn’t have been too gross because the two coughed-on guys turned around to see who threw or spilled food on them. They weren’t too mad. They just didn’t want it to happen again.
The dudes with the Blackhawks jerseys on my side of the partition immediately went into, it-wasn’t-me mode. And none of us in the “swells” section that saw the cough said a word either. It just goes to show ya how we of the upper levels stick together. But we jokey-snotties were soon going to question our communal silence by the second period.
One of the guys in the Blackhawks jerseys must have had a cold or something because he had a real big mouthful of pretzel and cheese and he had a cough spasm that buckshot his whole mouthful of food onto the $100+ers. About ten people below us in various rows stood up and they did look mad. (Fortunately the two gentlemen who were victims of the original cough were out of there seats getting pizza.)
The game between the Hawks and the Stars was just beginning to heat up. Point for point. A few nasty fouls. The tension in the air was great. But after the big chunks of yellow cheesy pretzel were blown from my section into the seats below, all hell done broke loose. From the middle of the second period, until we walked out of the building, the ten people who were affected by the rain of disgorge began pointing to us in our ivory tower. People with radios were called and mad people began lengthy dialogue with the FBI looking United Center security task force. They seemed to be calmed by having someone to talk to. They certainly couldn't get to any of us behind the glass. And I thought all was well when they were given green “Guest Comment” forms to fill out and return. They were also issued clear plastic bags in which to put their contaminated items into and the bags were then whisked away to what must have been an underground lab in the building for analysis. It was like watching an outbreak-terrorist movie. I think everyone wanted to get examined by a doctor immediately and lynch the perpetrators. Again, thank god for the glass partition.
The four of us snubbed the snow storm last night to watch the momentous Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars in overtime—no way were we going to pass up a chance to see a game in these special seats. And let me tell you, what a place to watch the game. We snacked on Vienna Beef hot dogs, complete with all the Chicago dog condiments, celery salt, pickles and tomatoes. We grazed on Caesar Salad, Braised Ribs, Prime Rib and snacked some more on cheese and pretzels. Jennifer, our waitress, kept us hydrated with cocktails and beer. And we had Bananas Foster for desert. Thank you, Vienna Beef!
Now for the real story.
My small band of four gluttonous drinkers were having the time of our lives. And we were acting like First-Time in First-Class kids. Each time Jennifer brought us a drink we bowed and tipped generously. We joked how terrible it was that some of the people in the $100+ dollar seats, just one row below us and behind a glass partition, felt the need to get up and get there own pizza. Pizza! De-classah….
We weren’t obnoxious and everyone around us had fun with us as well and we all watched the game as fans.
Then, at the end of the first period (around the time I was on my second helping of prime rib with extra horsey sauce), one of the two guys in Blackhawks jerseys to our left coughed. He must have had a little food in his mouth because something came out of his mouth and went over the little glass partition in front of him and landed on two other guys in the $100+ side. It couldn’t have been too gross because the two coughed-on guys turned around to see who threw or spilled food on them. They weren’t too mad. They just didn’t want it to happen again.
The dudes with the Blackhawks jerseys on my side of the partition immediately went into, it-wasn’t-me mode. And none of us in the “swells” section that saw the cough said a word either. It just goes to show ya how we of the upper levels stick together. But we jokey-snotties were soon going to question our communal silence by the second period.
One of the guys in the Blackhawks jerseys must have had a cold or something because he had a real big mouthful of pretzel and cheese and he had a cough spasm that buckshot his whole mouthful of food onto the $100+ers. About ten people below us in various rows stood up and they did look mad. (Fortunately the two gentlemen who were victims of the original cough were out of there seats getting pizza.)
The game between the Hawks and the Stars was just beginning to heat up. Point for point. A few nasty fouls. The tension in the air was great. But after the big chunks of yellow cheesy pretzel were blown from my section into the seats below, all hell done broke loose. From the middle of the second period, until we walked out of the building, the ten people who were affected by the rain of disgorge began pointing to us in our ivory tower. People with radios were called and mad people began lengthy dialogue with the FBI looking United Center security task force. They seemed to be calmed by having someone to talk to. They certainly couldn't get to any of us behind the glass. And I thought all was well when they were given green “Guest Comment” forms to fill out and return. They were also issued clear plastic bags in which to put their contaminated items into and the bags were then whisked away to what must have been an underground lab in the building for analysis. It was like watching an outbreak-terrorist movie. I think everyone wanted to get examined by a doctor immediately and lynch the perpetrators. Again, thank god for the glass partition.
And then the hats and free beers started coming.
And there it was. These people may have been a little mad, but they certainly wanted free stuff and whatever the United Center would give them if they claimed they were infected with H1N1 or Hepatitis A through Z.
And when the original ten began to get free hats and beers, the people around them seemed to recall how they had been affected as well, like they all had delayed post traumatic spittle memory recall. So then they all began to fill out green forms too and hats and beers followed.
To their credit, the two guys who were originally hit with cough-spew came back with their pizza, sized up the situation, and ignored the grabby gabby people around them and watched the rest of the game like true sports fans.
What happened to the two guys in the Blackhawks jerseys who sat next to us and caused all the extortionary procedures? They were nowhere to be found. They must have ran as soon as the pretzel left one of their mouths.
Since they were long gone and the fact that there was a little bit of orange evidence on the glass in front of their seats, none of us could really cover for them.
But we did put a good word in for the vanishing guys. All of us in the Harris Club who sat around the two fans told the United Center FBI that we didn’t think the guys projectiled any food on purpose. In fact, we were all sure that they were just embarrassed about coughing up dinner so they left. I hope they don’t loose their seats over a cough. Besides, the cough-ees were more than compensated. And most of them didn’t even watch the game after they were coughed on so I felt good about sticking by the guys in ‘our club.”
I loved the show, both on and off the rink that night. But I’ll tell you one more thing: I’ve been to Sox games, and Cubs games and Bears games. I’ve been in the plush seats and the bleachers. I’ve been spit on, puked on, spilt on and kicked and pushed. But everyone gets over that stuff at the games and gets on with it. We’re all drinkin and watching the game, right? This was only my second Hawks game. I was just surprised to see a few spectators acting like they came to sue and get free stuff rather than to see a sports game. I’m just glad they weren’t in my section.
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And there it was. These people may have been a little mad, but they certainly wanted free stuff and whatever the United Center would give them if they claimed they were infected with H1N1 or Hepatitis A through Z.
And when the original ten began to get free hats and beers, the people around them seemed to recall how they had been affected as well, like they all had delayed post traumatic spittle memory recall. So then they all began to fill out green forms too and hats and beers followed.
To their credit, the two guys who were originally hit with cough-spew came back with their pizza, sized up the situation, and ignored the grabby gabby people around them and watched the rest of the game like true sports fans.
What happened to the two guys in the Blackhawks jerseys who sat next to us and caused all the extortionary procedures? They were nowhere to be found. They must have ran as soon as the pretzel left one of their mouths.
Since they were long gone and the fact that there was a little bit of orange evidence on the glass in front of their seats, none of us could really cover for them.
But we did put a good word in for the vanishing guys. All of us in the Harris Club who sat around the two fans told the United Center FBI that we didn’t think the guys projectiled any food on purpose. In fact, we were all sure that they were just embarrassed about coughing up dinner so they left. I hope they don’t loose their seats over a cough. Besides, the cough-ees were more than compensated. And most of them didn’t even watch the game after they were coughed on so I felt good about sticking by the guys in ‘our club.”
I loved the show, both on and off the rink that night. But I’ll tell you one more thing: I’ve been to Sox games, and Cubs games and Bears games. I’ve been in the plush seats and the bleachers. I’ve been spit on, puked on, spilt on and kicked and pushed. But everyone gets over that stuff at the games and gets on with it. We’re all drinkin and watching the game, right? This was only my second Hawks game. I was just surprised to see a few spectators acting like they came to sue and get free stuff rather than to see a sports game. I’m just glad they weren’t in my section.
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I've written two novels and you will be the first to know when they are published.
I write about anything that “ Chicago’s Best Hairdresser ” might talk about.
(Thanks Yelp and Citysearch commentors!)
I write about anything that “ Chicago’s Best Hairdresser ” might talk about.
(Thanks Yelp and Citysearch commentors!)
Don't forget to supscribe to this blog and order Mafia Hairdresser, the novel at MafiaHairdresser.com on sale 1-1-11
Thursday, February 4, 2010
A Hairdresser Remembers the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
I know it's a weird thing to talk about, a disaster that happened, back in 1986. But I'm a hairdresser and disaster comes up a lot. I listen to disaster stories from my clients all the time. Disaster will happen to us, around us, and can touch our family and friends. All of us, young and old will be affected by them and it will influence our future decisions and shape our characters. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded, it was one of those events that changed the way I thought and therefore changed the way I made choices, even up to today.I had come into work that morning, at the crack of 11 a.m. (I’m not a morning hairdresser-person!) and there was a hush in our usually bustley busy salon, Jon-Don’s, located on Naples Island, Long Beach, California.
My co-stylist, Carla, who’s hairstyling station was next to mine, had tears in her eyes and knew instantly when I had come into work that day that I had not yet listened to the news because I had my normal morning-dumb smile on my face, happy to start my day.
When Carla told me what had happened, that the Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded shortly after lift-off with all seven crew members on board, I did not believe her. You see, she had actually had a dream the previous night and then told all of us at Jon-Don’s about it. She had dreamed that the Space Shuttle had blown up and told us about it the day before the actual event. And so when I walked into work in my usual peppy mood, I thought she was joking.
I don’t remember how long it took for the clients, my boss, and my first client to actually make me believe this disaster had happened. But it took a while. I really thought they, all the clients and co-hairdresser’s, were playing a joke on me. Space Shuttles just didn’t blow up, and I had played some pretty good practical jokes on my co-workers in the past, so…
Do you know what convinced me? It was the emotion and empathy that the clients and my co-workers had for the crew and their surviving families and for the larger ramifications of the tragedy itself. A teacher by the name of Christa McAuliffe was on board for a Teacher in Space Program. The clients in my salon actually wept for the children of the world that had no-doubt been excitedly watching the live television feed in the safety of their own classrooms. This was the day when space missions were not common and kids had no cell phones and cable was not common, so watching the Challenger take off on TV at school was a big thing. And no one ever thought that NASA’s space ship with a teacher would explode while taking off. Things like this were just not common! That day, the women in my salon cried and shook their heads for all the people that were affected by the tragedy and they stayed in the salon for hours after their hair was done. It was as if the salon was a part of where we needed to be to help, to mourn, to understand. That salon experience made me think of how I thought small town barber shops were: a place where men would hang out, discuss town policies, celebrate and mourn.
When the two planes struck the buildings in New York City, it was a work day, yet I was still at home. I think I even saw the second plane hit, almost live. I remember thinking I’ve got to get to work. My room-mate at the time thought I was crazy. She knew I had to take the Red Line Chicago Train, from the Bryn Mawr station and get off at the Chicago Avenue stop. She tried to talk me out going because the trains went underground for three of the last stops and the world was surely coming to end (for all she and I knew) and we had no idea if planes were going to be dropping from the sky directly onto downtown Chicago.
I did go to work that day. And I comforted clients and expressed my own horror and dismay. We all talked about what we knew about what happened in New York, and then DC, when that news came in. We cried and said our silent prayers for the survivors of the tragedy and for their families, as well as for the safety of ourselves and our own families.
Tragedies have taught me that we need to stick together and talk about the disasters that strike us. We as human beings feel deeply for our fellow men, women, children and animals, and we honor that by doing things like going to a hair salon and talking about it. Crying about an earthquake in Haiti and then laughing about Lady GaGa’s last outfit while getting your highlight touched up is so right. So good and healthy.
What made me think of this was a tweet posting of an amateur video recently found showing the Space Shuttle disaster. I watched it and I cried. And then I remembered where I was after it happened. And it was then that I realized that this particular disaster changed me. It was one of the tragedies that affected my life and had made me go to work on 9/11 and then do things like donate my time to Haircuts for Haiti.
I’ll always be at the salon when you need me.
If you appreciate this blog: Read on. And subscribe to this blogspot and comment. You can always get more inspiration, chuckles and good information from this hairdresser at MafiaHairdresser.com
http://tinyurl.com/ycwpna2 this is the video of the disaster.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Haiti Relief-Giving-It takes nothing from you.
I know. I know. Life in these United States is not so united and some of us are barely making a living. More than 3 million people in our own country experienced homelessness last year. And depending on whether you were a Republican or Democrat, the blame was put on the last white President or the current African American President, Obama.
We're still trying to get the word out to Americans to boycott puppy mills and to save shelter dogs. New Orleans morale may have been recently uplifted by Saints, but the city still needs a few more patron-saints to repair the damage that Katrina had wrought.
And then along comes an earthquake in Haiti. It's a situation. The kind of situation that we cannot ignore. It would be nice if I could stay focused on "my things" and just keep plugging for the dogs or raise money for breast cancer research and then relax in the evenings and watch The Situation on MTV's Jersey Shores. But that's not going to happen. Haiti's plight is everywhere. The devastation and human interest stories and relief efforts are big news. So that means that the problems and charities that we have been trying to address and raise money for, and even the mindless TV that we like to chillax to, is being invaded or taken over by news of Haiti.
As I was cutting and coloring one of my Gold Coast clients the other day, she mentioned how she was just sick of hearing about Haiti.
"Everything is for Haiti,” she said, as I began weaving pieces of her gray hair to lay on foil packets and then brush with honey color. “I’m just sick about hearing about Haiti. We have our own people we have to take care of. The silly Americans who’ve borrowed more than they could pay back and used their credit cards to live on have bankrupted our country. We have to concentrate on that. Not Haiti. And what about our own homeless children?”
Normally, I could have kept my mouth shut. I would have nodded silently and folded up all the little foil packets and then got her some regular coffee, instead of her requested decaf, and then let her read her People magazine in heart palpating silence for the next thirty minutes while her color developed.
But this particular day I wanted to say something. Maybe a direct rebuttal or at least, throw out a few non-neutral thoughts which is what a good hairdresser should do so as not to piss of your clients too much. I could have chosen to tell her that I was a Silly American and that I still had way too much credit card debt. But I decided to take umbrage to the whole theme of her dislike of the Haiti media circus. Of course I said it with a smile and layered with a veiled directness.
“The whole Haiti thing reminds me of the 80’s,” I said. “I was trying to put together a cut-thon-for AIDS when we in the U.S. were just learning that you couldn’t get it from a kiss and that it wasn’t just a Gay disease. There was sentiment out there that was like, ‘why should I give my money to people who probably did something to get the disease?’
Well, eventually, there was an AIDS Walk and an AIDS ride. And Liz Taylor had worked magic and put a popular giving spin on the situation. And people began to give to the AIDS cause and continue giving to this day. What I’m saying is that I think the ingenuity and the giving spirit took over and Americans eventually came together to give and to help their fellow man.
I’d very much like to think that, like Christmas season, this giving spirit is ignited and then trickled into the rest of the year. Not just for Christmas beneficiaries, such as Homeless shelters but for the World Wildlife Federation and the Red Cross Haiti Relief fund.”
“But we have to take care of our own,” my client said.
Obviously my client and I were speaking from deep seated passions from opposite spectrum's of political hues of red and blue. If I was a still a Republican, I would have still disagreed with her and said, “Look bitch, Haiti is our own. We are totally going to be buying up that real estate with what they are going to owe us. And then we’re going to build big fucking hotels and golf courses and make the damn villagers work for us so they can afford to live in the shacks that we’re building for them now.”
Or I could have gone with the: what about We are the World – one-world theory. Spiritually speaking, aren’t we all just one people? One person on the other side of the Earth is just as important as the one standing right next to me. Human life = precious. Maybe I could have expanded on that very thought and added an Americany imperialistic twist on the world thing so that she could digest it better. “Look bitch, we use up ¼ of the worlds’ resources and energy, and spew out ¾ of the worlds trash and pollution. It’s like we have been shitting on these people for years and they haven’t asked for much.”
I think I had too many cups of coffee that morning myself and I just wanted to pick a fight and call my client a bitch. But my natural tendency to keep my client comfortable as well as keep her coming back to me won out.
“What I’m saying is,” I said, “maybe Haiti is igniting that giving spirit. Maybe the gift, if any, is that the situation in Haiti has to offer us is to see our true human character emerge. I mean, how cool that even Americans out of work, and poverty-level Americans are giving and average of ten dollars apiece to Haiti. And George Clooney and his friends helped raise more money in a telethon than any other in history.”
My client started to talk, but by now, the other stylists and their clients were listening to me so I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to let my fine caffeine fueled opinion get its due.
“Listen,” I said, “beyoches, [I got it in] when this whole Haiti thing is better, we’re going to be taking long look at ourselves and we are gonna say to ourselves: job well done. We are gonna feel good about the giving and we are gonna start to think, hey, if we can do that, just think of what we can do for our own homeless. Our animal shelters. Pollution!
I don’t think Haiti is taking away from us. No. The devastation in Haiti has awakened our passion to help and to see that we are one people and one world. And we Americans have opened our eyes to our own humanity and we have opened our hearts and we will never again close our eyes and hearts again!”
Okay, so maybe I had three cups of coffee and my memory of the conversation may have sieved through my “blue passion.”
My point was and is, is that giving to Haiti doesn’t take away anything from us Americans. This is an opportunity to be thankful for what we have and to give what we can. And bitches, you can certainly continue to give and love and take care of your fellow people, and animals, long after we help to take care of our neighbors in Haiti.
Feel free to comment about any of my blogs and do suscribe.
Go to MafiaHairdresser.com to find out what I'm doing with my writing and help me keep up with Chicago and The Green Ministry.
We're still trying to get the word out to Americans to boycott puppy mills and to save shelter dogs. New Orleans morale may have been recently uplifted by Saints, but the city still needs a few more patron-saints to repair the damage that Katrina had wrought.
And then along comes an earthquake in Haiti. It's a situation. The kind of situation that we cannot ignore. It would be nice if I could stay focused on "my things" and just keep plugging for the dogs or raise money for breast cancer research and then relax in the evenings and watch The Situation on MTV's Jersey Shores. But that's not going to happen. Haiti's plight is everywhere. The devastation and human interest stories and relief efforts are big news. So that means that the problems and charities that we have been trying to address and raise money for, and even the mindless TV that we like to chillax to, is being invaded or taken over by news of Haiti.
As I was cutting and coloring one of my Gold Coast clients the other day, she mentioned how she was just sick of hearing about Haiti.
"Everything is for Haiti,” she said, as I began weaving pieces of her gray hair to lay on foil packets and then brush with honey color. “I’m just sick about hearing about Haiti. We have our own people we have to take care of. The silly Americans who’ve borrowed more than they could pay back and used their credit cards to live on have bankrupted our country. We have to concentrate on that. Not Haiti. And what about our own homeless children?”
Normally, I could have kept my mouth shut. I would have nodded silently and folded up all the little foil packets and then got her some regular coffee, instead of her requested decaf, and then let her read her People magazine in heart palpating silence for the next thirty minutes while her color developed.
But this particular day I wanted to say something. Maybe a direct rebuttal or at least, throw out a few non-neutral thoughts which is what a good hairdresser should do so as not to piss of your clients too much. I could have chosen to tell her that I was a Silly American and that I still had way too much credit card debt. But I decided to take umbrage to the whole theme of her dislike of the Haiti media circus. Of course I said it with a smile and layered with a veiled directness.
“The whole Haiti thing reminds me of the 80’s,” I said. “I was trying to put together a cut-thon-for AIDS when we in the U.S. were just learning that you couldn’t get it from a kiss and that it wasn’t just a Gay disease. There was sentiment out there that was like, ‘why should I give my money to people who probably did something to get the disease?’
Well, eventually, there was an AIDS Walk and an AIDS ride. And Liz Taylor had worked magic and put a popular giving spin on the situation. And people began to give to the AIDS cause and continue giving to this day. What I’m saying is that I think the ingenuity and the giving spirit took over and Americans eventually came together to give and to help their fellow man.
I’d very much like to think that, like Christmas season, this giving spirit is ignited and then trickled into the rest of the year. Not just for Christmas beneficiaries, such as Homeless shelters but for the World Wildlife Federation and the Red Cross Haiti Relief fund.”
“But we have to take care of our own,” my client said.
Obviously my client and I were speaking from deep seated passions from opposite spectrum's of political hues of red and blue. If I was a still a Republican, I would have still disagreed with her and said, “Look bitch, Haiti is our own. We are totally going to be buying up that real estate with what they are going to owe us. And then we’re going to build big fucking hotels and golf courses and make the damn villagers work for us so they can afford to live in the shacks that we’re building for them now.”
Or I could have gone with the: what about We are the World – one-world theory. Spiritually speaking, aren’t we all just one people? One person on the other side of the Earth is just as important as the one standing right next to me. Human life = precious. Maybe I could have expanded on that very thought and added an Americany imperialistic twist on the world thing so that she could digest it better. “Look bitch, we use up ¼ of the worlds’ resources and energy, and spew out ¾ of the worlds trash and pollution. It’s like we have been shitting on these people for years and they haven’t asked for much.”
I think I had too many cups of coffee that morning myself and I just wanted to pick a fight and call my client a bitch. But my natural tendency to keep my client comfortable as well as keep her coming back to me won out.
“What I’m saying is,” I said, “maybe Haiti is igniting that giving spirit. Maybe the gift, if any, is that the situation in Haiti has to offer us is to see our true human character emerge. I mean, how cool that even Americans out of work, and poverty-level Americans are giving and average of ten dollars apiece to Haiti. And George Clooney and his friends helped raise more money in a telethon than any other in history.”
My client started to talk, but by now, the other stylists and their clients were listening to me so I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to let my fine caffeine fueled opinion get its due.
“Listen,” I said, “beyoches, [I got it in] when this whole Haiti thing is better, we’re going to be taking long look at ourselves and we are gonna say to ourselves: job well done. We are gonna feel good about the giving and we are gonna start to think, hey, if we can do that, just think of what we can do for our own homeless. Our animal shelters. Pollution!
I don’t think Haiti is taking away from us. No. The devastation in Haiti has awakened our passion to help and to see that we are one people and one world. And we Americans have opened our eyes to our own humanity and we have opened our hearts and we will never again close our eyes and hearts again!”
Okay, so maybe I had three cups of coffee and my memory of the conversation may have sieved through my “blue passion.”
My point was and is, is that giving to Haiti doesn’t take away anything from us Americans. This is an opportunity to be thankful for what we have and to give what we can. And bitches, you can certainly continue to give and love and take care of your fellow people, and animals, long after we help to take care of our neighbors in Haiti.
Feel free to comment about any of my blogs and do suscribe.
Go to MafiaHairdresser.com to find out what I'm doing with my writing and help me keep up with Chicago and The Green Ministry.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Pope and I agree on being green.
http://tinyurl.com/ye7m9ar
The Pope and I finally have something that we agree on. Being Green is our spiritual duty. I have always thought that much of the Catholic rhetoric has been divisive. But because of the Pope's urging of Green consciousness and recent green dialogue, I feel that I can sit at the same table with him and get something positive done. If all faiths came together and agreed to honor this creation, Earth, I believe we'd reverse global warming and, in the process, find the commonality in our societies different faiths. We'd also be putting our faiths into action (do not judge...?) and we'd be doing a little god-like creating ourselves. How about a Utopian co-existence, and clean air and water for our children. Count me in. Let's get started.
I belong to a Science of Mind church. Our belief is that there is one God. And we don't moralize what we call God; Him... Her... Universe... Martini... And we don't care if you don't want to call "it" anything or believe that there is a God at all. We believe that everyone is part of this God, so every individual is perfect in our God's eyes. That means that we are all the same, whether it looks like it or not, or whether you believe that or not--so we appreciate and try to remember that daily. Pretty neat, huh?
But, just like many churches, the people of my congregation have been attending services and classes where we learn how to be better individual spiritual persons and then we take the teachings and try and work them into our daily lives.
There are a few Ministries in our church, like the Animal Ministry, that actively puts to use what they've learned within the community and out. The Animal Ministry serves the "outside" community at-large by collecting funds and donated items and disperses them to needy animal shelters in our area. And they do their own brand of spiritual prayer treatments for pets and their owners and have parishioners sign petitions for better laws for treatment of animals. (I just set up a FaceBook group page, ANIMAL MINISTRY, for them.) I like this ministry because it practices "faith into action," and it allows members and non-members alike to practice our spiritual principals.
But, like many churches, temples, and synagogues etc, I believe my church has been coming up short on the spiritual message to actual action where it concerns being green. Up to now we have not been walking the talk, or actually doing what we preach. Our new-thought and ancient-wisdom has taught me that we humans are stewards of this Mother Earth and we here to take care of this planet, ourselves, and all of Earth's inhabitant, human and non-human alike. But we have not fully made the connection that to change laws which protect our children from drinking tainted water or making sure that we all have clean air in the future is actually spiritual practice and not necessarily politics. We say we should love our fellow man and take car of our bodies but we have continued to buy energy wasting light bulbs in our church and we still use Styrofoam cups and we still buy bleached white paper towels, all of which adds Co2 into the air.
My spirituality says this human existence is the manifestation of our collective spirituality. This is our world. We made it this way. So when are we going to collectively going to make this world of form the beautiful place we desire it to be? It will take everyone to do it. Christians, Jews, Muslims.... The Pope is just one more dude realizing that we got to come together.
Look, I know all churches are worried about the dollars to keep our doors open. How do we get more people to attend church? How can we empower our congregation to be better people? But I don't think that we should have to worry about the bottom line. We should let God do that. I also believe we can attract people and empower ourselves by putting our faith into action. Here's an example:
There is a Rabbi Rosen of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation. He and his core council had a choice when their old building was no longer big enough to hold the growing congregation. Either they had to tear down and build a bigger building on the igniting site, or move and buy or build another larger Temple elsewhere. Sometime and somewhere along the way of deciding, Rabbi Rosen had a spiritual epiphany. He had caught the "Green bug." Rabbi Rosen realized that being green and being a steward of this earth was a spiritual edict of his own religion.
By studying the Jewish principle of Bal Tashchit, which appears in biblical text as well as in later rabbinic interpretation, he gleaned that a Jewish environmental ethic teaches "do not destroy or waste."
"God led Adam around the Garden of Eden and said, ‘Look at My works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy My world — for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.’" (Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13)
Rabbi Rosen and his core council decided to stay on the same site, tear down the existing building, recycle the demolition, and then make the new building the very first LEEDS Synagogue. http://tinyurl.com/2xqdgy Of course, this was going to take millions more to do this than had they only decided to tear down and build traditionally in this bad economy.
Well, today he preaches that the money for the tear down and build-out for their new building came easier and faster because they chose to go green. The money poured in because they chose spiritual over practical or traditional. Faith and spirit won. Fear lost.
The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation is a beacon of faith into action and attracts followers, admirers and has shown the religious communities that being green is the way to go. I'm definitely an admirer.
If you'd like a tour of the now famous LEEDS certified Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation:
303 Dodge Avenue Evanston, Illinois 60202-3252
Phone 847-328-7678 info@jrc-evanston.org
Every congregation has to have a pastor or priest or rabbi that gets nipped by the Green Bug. Then the blessings can start happening in our temples, synagogues, churches and mosques. And may that good fortune happen for all of us who run green groups in our churches. Maybe now with the Pope on board it's going to get a little easier to make the connection that this earth and we humans are spiritually connected. (Did you see Avatar?) I never thought I'd say this, but thanks, Pope. I look forward to working with you on this one. Maybe we'll find some other things to work on together. Solar Energy? Feeding the worlds poor? And maybe by working together I'll find out that you aren't so divisive and maybe you won't think I'm so bad and that I'm one of God's treasures just the way I am.
I am the leader of The Green Ministry at Bodhi Spiritual Center in Chicago. WE are GREEN and we are Getting better at it, every day. And we belong to Faith in Place, an interfaith group of like-minded green organizations in different churches, synagogues and temples etc in the greater Chicago Area. http://www.faithinplace.org/
The Pope and I finally have something that we agree on. Being Green is our spiritual duty. I have always thought that much of the Catholic rhetoric has been divisive. But because of the Pope's urging of Green consciousness and recent green dialogue, I feel that I can sit at the same table with him and get something positive done. If all faiths came together and agreed to honor this creation, Earth, I believe we'd reverse global warming and, in the process, find the commonality in our societies different faiths. We'd also be putting our faiths into action (do not judge...?) and we'd be doing a little god-like creating ourselves. How about a Utopian co-existence, and clean air and water for our children. Count me in. Let's get started.
I belong to a Science of Mind church. Our belief is that there is one God. And we don't moralize what we call God; Him... Her... Universe... Martini... And we don't care if you don't want to call "it" anything or believe that there is a God at all. We believe that everyone is part of this God, so every individual is perfect in our God's eyes. That means that we are all the same, whether it looks like it or not, or whether you believe that or not--so we appreciate and try to remember that daily. Pretty neat, huh?
But, just like many churches, the people of my congregation have been attending services and classes where we learn how to be better individual spiritual persons and then we take the teachings and try and work them into our daily lives.
There are a few Ministries in our church, like the Animal Ministry, that actively puts to use what they've learned within the community and out. The Animal Ministry serves the "outside" community at-large by collecting funds and donated items and disperses them to needy animal shelters in our area. And they do their own brand of spiritual prayer treatments for pets and their owners and have parishioners sign petitions for better laws for treatment of animals. (I just set up a FaceBook group page, ANIMAL MINISTRY, for them.) I like this ministry because it practices "faith into action," and it allows members and non-members alike to practice our spiritual principals.
But, like many churches, temples, and synagogues etc, I believe my church has been coming up short on the spiritual message to actual action where it concerns being green. Up to now we have not been walking the talk, or actually doing what we preach. Our new-thought and ancient-wisdom has taught me that we humans are stewards of this Mother Earth and we here to take care of this planet, ourselves, and all of Earth's inhabitant, human and non-human alike. But we have not fully made the connection that to change laws which protect our children from drinking tainted water or making sure that we all have clean air in the future is actually spiritual practice and not necessarily politics. We say we should love our fellow man and take car of our bodies but we have continued to buy energy wasting light bulbs in our church and we still use Styrofoam cups and we still buy bleached white paper towels, all of which adds Co2 into the air.
My spirituality says this human existence is the manifestation of our collective spirituality. This is our world. We made it this way. So when are we going to collectively going to make this world of form the beautiful place we desire it to be? It will take everyone to do it. Christians, Jews, Muslims.... The Pope is just one more dude realizing that we got to come together.
Look, I know all churches are worried about the dollars to keep our doors open. How do we get more people to attend church? How can we empower our congregation to be better people? But I don't think that we should have to worry about the bottom line. We should let God do that. I also believe we can attract people and empower ourselves by putting our faith into action. Here's an example:
There is a Rabbi Rosen of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation. He and his core council had a choice when their old building was no longer big enough to hold the growing congregation. Either they had to tear down and build a bigger building on the igniting site, or move and buy or build another larger Temple elsewhere. Sometime and somewhere along the way of deciding, Rabbi Rosen had a spiritual epiphany. He had caught the "Green bug." Rabbi Rosen realized that being green and being a steward of this earth was a spiritual edict of his own religion.
By studying the Jewish principle of Bal Tashchit, which appears in biblical text as well as in later rabbinic interpretation, he gleaned that a Jewish environmental ethic teaches "do not destroy or waste."
"God led Adam around the Garden of Eden and said, ‘Look at My works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy My world — for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.’" (Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13)
Rabbi Rosen and his core council decided to stay on the same site, tear down the existing building, recycle the demolition, and then make the new building the very first LEEDS Synagogue. http://tinyurl.com/2xqdgy Of course, this was going to take millions more to do this than had they only decided to tear down and build traditionally in this bad economy.
Well, today he preaches that the money for the tear down and build-out for their new building came easier and faster because they chose to go green. The money poured in because they chose spiritual over practical or traditional. Faith and spirit won. Fear lost.
The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation is a beacon of faith into action and attracts followers, admirers and has shown the religious communities that being green is the way to go. I'm definitely an admirer.
If you'd like a tour of the now famous LEEDS certified Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation:
303 Dodge Avenue Evanston, Illinois 60202-3252
Phone 847-328-7678 info@jrc-evanston.org
Every congregation has to have a pastor or priest or rabbi that gets nipped by the Green Bug. Then the blessings can start happening in our temples, synagogues, churches and mosques. And may that good fortune happen for all of us who run green groups in our churches. Maybe now with the Pope on board it's going to get a little easier to make the connection that this earth and we humans are spiritually connected. (Did you see Avatar?) I never thought I'd say this, but thanks, Pope. I look forward to working with you on this one. Maybe we'll find some other things to work on together. Solar Energy? Feeding the worlds poor? And maybe by working together I'll find out that you aren't so divisive and maybe you won't think I'm so bad and that I'm one of God's treasures just the way I am.
I am the leader of The Green Ministry at Bodhi Spiritual Center in Chicago. WE are GREEN and we are Getting better at it, every day. And we belong to Faith in Place, an interfaith group of like-minded green organizations in different churches, synagogues and temples etc in the greater Chicago Area. http://www.faithinplace.org/
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Best Sangria Recipe
This recipe is from one of my buddy, Evin.
4 bottles of red wine
2 litres of Ginger Ale
8 oz vodka
8 oz rum
4 oz Grande Marnier
2 cinnimin sticks
You can add some sugar. But I left that out because I add peaches later.
Add all of the above and then let chill/set overnight (24hrs).Before serving: take out sticks. Add fresh fruit.I like sliced peaches frozen in sugar water and then broken/chopped just before adding. Also fresh sliced apples, oranges and frozen blue berries.
4 bottles of red wine
2 litres of Ginger Ale
8 oz vodka
8 oz rum
4 oz Grande Marnier
2 cinnimin sticks
You can add some sugar. But I left that out because I add peaches later.
Add all of the above and then let chill/set overnight (24hrs).Before serving: take out sticks. Add fresh fruit.I like sliced peaches frozen in sugar water and then broken/chopped just before adding. Also fresh sliced apples, oranges and frozen blue berries.
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