Bend me, shape me anyway you want.

I have since taken out my braids after having them in less than a week. But no worries, I shall have my hair braided again for my birthday. That is the plan.

There were a lot of reasons why I got my hair braided in Ixtapa. Main ones were price and time.

Calgary: 3+ hours at a cost of $400+.

Ixtapa: 1/2 hour at a cost of $20 dollars and even NO TAX

Tough call. Sure it wasn't a professional job that would last me 6+ weeks. Hell, it didn't even last me one, but I'll get to that in a minute. I thought it was a small price to pay, though, to try it out and see if I'd like it. And now that I've tried it, I'm more willing to shell out the mucho dinero it's going to take to braid this puppy up proper.

All my agent friends ooh'd and ahh'd over my hair, and they ooh'd even more when they heard the price and how little time it took. I was happy, lil attention whore that I am. I loved it. I was meant to have braided hair. It was the hair I was meant to have a long time coming.

My baby sister even went as far as to gush "You look like Alicia Keys!" upon my return home. Well thanks! *grins* Though I thought my hair resembled more Da Brat from her Funkdafied years rather than the talented Ms. Keys.

I tried to keep my bartered budget braids in as good a condition as I could. I was so careful with the shampoo. I conditioned the tips as best I could. No dice, though. The shoddily finished ends of the braids were jutting out of the elastic and the beads and scratching at my poor tender neck and jawline. It got so bad I needed to cover up with a scarf for protection.

Just a little longer, I thought to myself. Hold out until all your friends and co-workers have seen it.

But it was not to be. Sunday nite I regretfully undid every single braid on my head (40 of them!!!), resulting in a massive 'fro. That in itself, was fun as well. The only witnesses to my braided days would be my family, Daisy and Latina, my coworkers at Fletcher Travel and a few coworkers at the Bay. No worries, though. I intend on braiding my hair again for my birthday in March, no matter what the cost or how long it takes. Donations graciously accepted. *giggles*