An update.... and an attempted return to bloggery.

Hi folks! It's about that time for another mediocre attempt at returning to my blog! Huzzah!!!

Things are excellent -- I started my new job at Cole's Salon at Eagan Station on Sept 7th and have been totally and completely happy with my decision to work there. I'm chock-full of reasons why it's a great company, and I'd love to share:

1. They're extremely successful.
Cole's Salons have been in business for 31 years now. That's a long time. And the company is littered with people who've been there for 20, 25, 30 years who love what they do, and love for whom they do it. In fact, Star Tribune listed Cole's as the #2 Mid-size company to work for in Minnesota. And because of the ESOP program, we all get to have shares in the company stock. Cole's is 44% employee owned. We work our butts off AND reap the rewards.

(If I could have my way, I'd beef up their website and marketing, expand further INTO the cities - say Bloomington, even - and really make COLE'S known as a high-end group of salons. We sell amazing products, and staff extremely talented people! Let's tell the world!!!! My biggest pet-peeve is when people hear "Cole's" and think "Kohls"......)

2. I fit there very very well.
There's just something so perfectly balanced about it.... laid-back, but high-quality... family-friendly, but theraputic.... efficient, but personal.... Cole's has mastered the art of treating clients like family. Growing up in the area and going to Cole's as a child, I experienced this first hand. We have many clients under the age of 18.... and many under the age of 8. They see the same hairdresser from their first day of Kindergarten until their high school prom, and beyond. Some now bring their own children with them. And that is EXACTLY the kind of place I want to be. I want to bring my own friends and family who are now my clients into a place where they feel welcomed, served, and treated like guests. I can't tell you how many trainers I've had tell me "your station is your home, and your client is your guest - bring them in, and always ask them back."

The thing about my coworkers is that I not only enjoy them personally, but I also get a great deal of guidance and mentorship from them professionally. These ladies (we have no guys at our location!) know how to WORK. IT. OUT. I'm not kidding you. It's intimidating and inspiring. And also intimidating.

3. They are committed to ME. As an employee and a PERSON!
There's a big piece of our new staff training where they talk about being a "lifelong learner" and developing yourself personally and professionally. The beauty industry is not one that likes to stay the same for very long, so that concept is extremely important professionally. But on a personal level, Cole's has something called "Golden Nuggets." When I started, they provided me with a small "nugget" notebook and the book Life's Greatest Lessons by Hal Urban (READ IT). Every day, we spend time reading this or other books of the self-help, inspirational, motivational sort. And as we read, we are encouraged to write down statements from the book that resonate. As we add more and more, we go back and read them, and continue to develop ourselves, whether it be bettering our habits, philosophies on life or achieving goals. It's a wonderful practice, and I like to add that tidbit of inspiration to my workday, if only to fend off a case of the Mondays.

A favorite Golden Nugget: "Pain is inevitable..... but misery is optional."

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Now, I need to address another piece of this, and that's Spalon Montage. While I did interview there, and was "in process" as an applicant from March to August, I was turned down for a position. By email. ? I interviewed very well, I've never ever ever had a problem connecting with someone in an interview, and I had a *fantastic* resume for a new graduate from beauty school. And, after being told in one interview that they don't do technical interviews but hire based on personality (a philosophy I support), it stung a bit.... The only reason that I could think for not being selected is that I would not fit in with their aesthetic..... 50th & France can't employ anyone that can't fit into Anthropologie's overpriced-yet-girlishly-adorable offerings. Pfffft. So what if I want to wear MuMus to work and smell like fried chicken??!? lol lol

But honestly, I really don't care! I'm SOOO happy at my salon, and I'm happy to work for a company for which I'm truly passionate. I'm PROUD of the work we do, the people we staff, the clients we serve and the ways we do it.

So here's my suggestion for our new marketing campaign:


Cole's Salons: Turning Clients into Family since 1979

:-)

OOOH, and #4 - the products are the BEST: Aveda, Bumble & bumble and Oribe? Yes please!

Let's get our church on!

I left the house tonight for choir feeling like total crap. The onset of a cold, horrible cramps, general malaise. Sucksville. I had taken a nap upon arrival at home and just did NOT want to get out of bed to go to choir. Le sigh.

But you know what, it's really frickin' hard to stay pouty and pitiful when surrounded by some fabulous people, making incredible music and preparing for the ultimate of spiritual experiences. It's as if God doesn't allow it. I went from mopey and near feverish this afternoon to dancing down the aisles to galavanting around the church during breaks. Thank God! ;-)

If you're not familiar with the concept of Holy week, it consists of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Tenebrae, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. A quick overview of each:
- Holy Thursday: the Last Supper, the washing of the feet (as Jesus did for his apostles), the last opportunity for Eucharist (communion) before Easter
- Good Friday: Jesus is crucified, Veneration of the Cross
- Tenebrae (friday also): Jesus is buried
- Easter Vigil: people gather to await the rising of Christ... starts very dark with candlelight, the great Alleluia is proclaimed again (Alleluia is not sung in the church throughout Lent), and everyone sits for a really long time as new Catholics are baptised, communed and confirmed.
- Easter Sunday: the fun parts of Vigil but in pretty pastel clothing (and little girls in frilly dresses in white patent mary janes with ruffled socks!)

While most "CAPE Catholics" (Christmas, Ashes, Palms, Easter) come for mostly the fun stuff (Ash Wednesday obv not 'fun'.... you can kinda tell by the name) - Christmas Carols, Easter lilies, rainbows, puppies, all that is happy - we in the choir know when the REALLY good stuff happens..... FRIDAY.

All Catholic churches will have a Good Friday service. This is very central to our Christianity, as it is the moment where Christ dies on a cross for us. Heavy stuff. It's a very introspective, meditative atmosphere as you ponder that reality. And then they pass the cross. Literally - it's essentially 'crowd surfed' over the congregation. From a choir perspective, we watch from above as each person bears that weight. Then everyone has the opportunity to go forward to genuflect at the cross, each silently expressing their gratitude, and leaving, singing "Stay here and keep watch with me... the hour has come."

Oh but wait.... there's more....

A very special and unique experience happens at 7pm -- The Office of Tenebrae. It's maybe not something you've heard of before, but it is a spiritual experience unlike any other.

Traditionally, Tenebrae was celebrated on Wed, Thurs and Fridays. From wiki: "Lighting was gradually reduced throughout the service. Initially 15 candles were lit and placed on a special stand known as a hearse, which were extinguished one by one after each psalm. The last candle was hidden beneath the altar, ending the service in total darkness. In some places the use of a strepitus (Latin for "great noise") was included as part of the service. The great noise was usually generated by slamming a book closed, banging a hymnal or breviary against the pew, or stomping on the floor, symbolizing the earthquake that followed Christ's death. This custom seems to have originated as a simple signal to depart in silence. Following the great noise a single candle, which had been hidden from view, was returned to the top of the hearse, signifying the return of Christ to the world with the Resurrection."

It's seriously unbelievable.... but you can't forget MUSIC.....

At Tenebrae, the Basilica Chamber Choir sings the Miserere by Allegri. Now, this piece is absolutely beautiful and instantly gives the feeling of meditation. But there's more to that story.... a pretty cool history, in fact (from wiki again):

Miserere by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri is a setting of Psalm 51 (50) composed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, probably during the 1630s, for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins on Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week. It was the last of twelve falsobordone Miserere settings composed and chanted at the service since 1514 and the most popular: at some point, it became forbidden to transcribe the music and it was only allowed to be performed at those particular services, adding to the mystery surrounding it. Writing it down or performing it elsewhere was punishable by excommunication.

Although there were a handful of supposed transcriptions in various royal courts in Europe, none of them succeeded in capturing the beauty of the Miserere as performed annually in the Sistine Chapel. According to the popular story (backed up by family letters), the fourteen-year-old Mozart was visiting Rome, when he first heard the piece during the Wednesday service. Later that day, he wrote it down entirely from memory, returning to the Chapel that Friday to make minor corrections. Some time during his travels, he met the British historian Dr Charles Burney, who obtained the piece from him and took it to London, where it was published in 1771. Once published, the ban was lifted and Allegri's Miserere has since become one of the most popular a cappella choral works now performed.

Mozart was summoned to Rome by the Pope, only instead of excommunicating the boy, the Pope showered praises on him for his feat of musical genius.

All in all, it's an amazing experience and, in my opinion, the best service of the entire year. I've managed to get Andrea and Ana to commit to joining us, so hopefully it'll live up to my hype!

And there you have it.

Nuns with glaucoma love BO

I sat today in my eye clinic, watching the tiny tv tuned to CNN - the pomp and circumstance of the presidential inauguration - and the thoughts of future generations came to mind. What will they ask us of this day? What will I have to tell them?

My experience today was not entirely inspirational. It was quite usual, with a visit to the eye clinic in there to mix up the otherwise routine workday. I hadn't thought in advance of when the inauguration would take place, or how I would catch it, but did know of it's occurence.

I spent a great deal of time in and out of the waiting room at the clinic with a curious cocktail of drops in my eyes, and though I had very poor sight, I had great vision. I was surrounded by an ecclectic group of clinic visitors and couldn't help but take in the great sight: all of us gathering near the television to take part in this day in history. As old as 90+ and as young as 2. A teenager with her iPod earbuds out of her ears (!!) and a light in her eyes, a group of men speaking Hmong with an interpreter to assist, a middle-aged woman giving her seat to an elderly woman with a walker, a group of nuns escorting a fellow sister.... NUNS! I couldn't even make this stuff up!

Today was an inspiring day. Despite our various "classifications," we gathered as American citizens and hopefulls - proud and free - to take in the sights and sounds of history being made. I can honestly say that I do not recall the last time (if ever) I've watched a presidential inauguration. And yet today I longed to be a part of it; I felt the desire to smile at strangers as if saying to each other "I appreciate you and support you, fellow American."

This day.... this beautiful day marks the beginning of a new era, and the renewing of hope and the American Dream.

:::small tear rolls down cheek while waving tiny American flag:::

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S INAUGURATION SPEECH

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