This is Beth. A friend and colleague commented on the blog, “I am intrigued (and slightly afraid).”

I, too, am afraid.

Do I have what it takes to do this? For a whole year? Will I really end up with a platinum crew-cut-I-mean-pixie? Will Liz really do the lizard? We’re lookin’ at lots of months of thinking and writing about hair. Will it stay interesting (to me and others)? What’s the point?

While learning about logic models this week I had the opportunity to think about outcomes for this little project. I hadn’t really articulated goals beyond having a few laughs, creating an amusing distraction from the seriousness and sadness in the world. Just making it through the year (“finishing is winning” or so they say [thank you Singers]). Is that enough?

From the metaphor exercise: It’s not how many times I post or how many people read my posts, it’s how many likes and comments and followers the blog gets. But really, it’s how many times people laugh and think while reading my posts (I can measure the first; don’t think I can measure the second).

And… Do I have longer-term goals? Am I willing to admit that selling rights to the screenplay has crossed my mind? That I want to meet Ellen DeGeneres?

Really, if I anticipate a finale of very short and blond, who better to emulate?

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Or, maybe I just want to keep it close to home. I might copy my other idol Michelle (seen here with artist husband Brad and his art):

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P.S. I learned this on the Internet: Geena Davis said the famous line “Be afraid. Be very afraid” in the movie The Fly (1986).

This is Beth. It’s my birthday and I’m going to a party tonight. The party is not for me, and I hope not to cry.

I do expect to cry during 2013, however (and probably sooner). Sometimes over my hair.

I wanted to take this opportunity to document the starting do. This is how I look turning 44 on 12/10/12:

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(Thanks photo’ers Jilly & Mae)

What will I look like turning 45 on 12.10.13? Whatever the do, I do promise to redo the bow-on-head pic.

P.S. Links to the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsYJyVEUaC4 Lesley Gore

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gceGGSSxDqo Amy Winehouse

P.P.S. I just learned (thank you Google) that I share a birthday with Ada Lovelace. From opensecrets.org: “Female bloggers owe a lot to Ada Lovelace, the imaginative and intelligent “enchantress of numbers.” As the first person to envision the use of computers for purposes beyond mathematical computations — and considered by many to be the first computer programmer — Lovelace not only paved the way for all those who use the Internet to communicate and educate, but continues to serve as a hero for women and girls involved in math, science and technology.” Also, a nice do.

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This is Beth. The girl and I were surfing styles. “Why is Justin Bieber there?”

haircuts-justinbieberJustin-Bieber-shag

“That looks like Justin Bieber too.”

And Emma Watson:

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Not sure the message here. Except that it helps to be young and attractive. Maybe that’s why this is a good experiment for the rest of us.

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P.S. Did you know there were boys in New York (luckily back before my babes were old enough to notice celeb styles) getting Bieber-inspired blowouts? And not admitting it had anything anything to do with Justin. The original with flip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe00S22Fa0Y

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This is Beth. I love Denver. I love love living where I live. I have a humongous (possibly out of proportion) sense of pride having been born in Denver.

The connection I have to my city – and, well, the whole damn state of Colorado – has nothing to do with my do. Or does it?

Liz and I are both from Denver. That means we came into the world and spent our child-through-young-adult-hoods (until college for both of us) in a very dry climate. We both, by the way, have naturally curly hair.

As a youngster I recall having hair-related issues while traveling. Eventually, on this very blog, you may see evidence of humidity-induced bad hair days from around the country and world. Don’t hold your breadth, those pics have to be physically removed from photo albums and scanned. It’s not that I’m ashamed of how crazy my do looked on those trips though. Actually, again, I’m proud. And others feel the same way. Check out Reason to Love Denver #22 by Lindsey B. Koehler in 5280 December 2012: http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/12/reasons-love-denver (to get directly to #22 click to page 4, though I recommend reading other rockin’ reasons as well).

But, don’t move to Colorado. While in many ways we’re happy to share the dry air with frizzy-haired friends, we’re already sharing with more folks than ever before. Already we’re dealing with problems of too many people, particularly in Our Mountains. The impacts go way way beyond hair. As Colorado becomes increasingly hotter and drier, what choices will we make?

It’s not too early to plan a visit to the History Colorado Center to explore real (way beyond hair) climate-related issues. Living West opens November 2013. And meanwhile, tour the exhibits already on display – including Denver A to Z, a love letter to my city. And, hell, go on up to Our Mountains, I hear the snow’s great. (Well…)

*THANKS to Michelle Jeske for sending link to article. Thank you to HCC for allowing us to think about the health of our state in way-more-important-than-hair ways; and to SMM, Jeff Hayward, and Janet Kamien for helping us do it.

This is Beth. Still R&D phasing. I say no Kate, yes Katy.

NO Kate from Jon and Kate Plus Eight

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YES Katy Perry blue bob

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But, will my bangs grow out in time to do anything? Ooh, Google image search reveals varieties on the blue bob: with bangs, crinkly, soft waves. Nice.

This is Beth. Arriving at work today I was met by disappointment. I have the same old hair. Boo. Boring. But we’ve only just embarked on the information-gathering, idea-getting, possibility-exploring part of the project. (Check out Liz’s More inspirations post!) We have much to consider. For example, until five minutes ago the vegetal/avian options hadn’t occurred to me.

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What else will surface?

Plus the planning – we’ve got to carefully chart a course. Implementation Phase begins 2013 (exact date tbd).

Meanwhile, progress has been made – we accomplished the not-so-simple task of titling the blog. Rejects include:

  • Year of Hair
  • Hair: not a musical but accompanied by music
  • Hair TBD – you know if you were in that inspirational meeting
  • A year of doing dos
  • Hair Change by Month
  • Hair Time
  • On My Head
  • Top me off
  • Fringe
  • Hollywood Hair in Denver
  • Just (Hair)Do It
  • Anything But Gray

Liz here, with a few inspiration pics. I’ve had short or shortish hair for much of life, so while I’m definitely looking forward to the short cuts, I’m also very excited to do some long styles:

Extensions and blow out:

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This color

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The K$sha:

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This is Beth.

Some potential dos:

  • Shag
  • Headband/ponytail month
  • Shaved with tattoo
  • Scarf month might be combined with shaved/tattoo month
  • Natural no product air dry (with roots?) might be scarier than the mullet
  • Mullet
  • Mohawk
  • Pattern (color)
  • Bob
  • Afro

The first few visual reference pics I collected (besides the crew cut [more innocuously referred to as pixie by Monica] pics in the last post):

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Some theories to explore (can’t measure, will gauge reactions and share anecdotes):

  • blonds have more fun
  • straight hair is more attractive than curly
  • long hair is sexier than short

And what about Samson? (I learned as much about Samson from this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhRJK6W7Oic as from Wikipedia by the way.) The first comment to this blog from Michelle – with super-cute, super-short hair – said maybe she’ll grow hers out. Maybe Brad will too.

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What will their Ball pics look like next year?

Will we find strength or creativity in changing dos? Maybe not. I do hope for a laugh now and then.

Who else will play?

Will people – friends and strangers – react? How? For example, will the Doc who diagnosed the boy with strep yesterday be less likely to refer to my (nonexistent) husband when I have a less traditional do? Maybe not.

Oh, the places we’ll go. Possibly looking like a Dr. Seuss character (thanks for that one Jillyaunt!).

I’m no Halle, Michelle, Natalie, or Mia. Oh well, what the heck. Will be ready for it by next December.

The Hottest Short Haircuts001popular-short-pixie-haircuts-for-women-natural-hairstyles-womenimages

Monica, the superstar haircutter, told me that Vidal Sasson cut Mia Farrow’s hair, the most photographed cut in history.

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Of course there’s controversy. Googled: “It’s still the most famous moment in haircut history, when Vidal Sassoon flew in from London in 1967 to give long, blond haired waifish star Mia Farrow her pixie cut for Roman Polanski‘s big movie, Rosemary’s Baby. But now a tweet by Farrow seems to disavow the whole thing.”

The girl wanted an asymmetrical cut so we Googled it and told friends. Liz said people in Hollywood change their hair all the time, wouldn’t it be fun. . . So – crazy idea, new project: Liz and I will get new hairdos every month for a year and blog about it. Silly and irrelevant in this world of much seriousness and sadness, plus time consuming, but potentially fun, distracting, and hopefully entertaining.

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The girl picked this pic to show the haircutter. Her $12 cut – not so short, not so red, and looks a bit like she cut it herself. But we like it.

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The boy got his hair cut too, based on this pic.