I spy with my little eye...

.......Something that is black.


Oh right, that's my new coffee table from Ikea. Twenty bucks is a very low price to pay for something to actually match in my living room. So thanks Ikea for saving my sanity. Next is curtains, bed linens, throw pillow, and whatever else they will make and sell in mass production so I can make my house a little more "homey".

I have been a little mia lately. I know. I'm sorry. This happens every year at this time. All of a sudden i feel a little...hmmm...ho hum i guess. Now I don't want to say depressed because then people get all worried, everyone calls and asks you to "go on walks" with them, and try to do anything to get you out of your funk. I'm OK, I promise. No need to commit me just yet. Its more like being just a little blah. I wanna sleep a little longer, eat a little more, and watch a lot of TV. It occurred to me today what this phenomenon is...May Gray, and June Gloom. It only took me seven years of living in San Diego to make this connection. Hey, I never claimed to be the most observant of people. This is what it looks like on a daily basis for two months:



So some tips on avoiding what I like to call San Diego's spring blues. Upbeat music is key. Try wearing brighter colors, even if its just silly socks. Hug the people you love. Get a pet. Watch comedies. And as Ikea can thank me later for, shop!! I think I'm gonna buy these:

And maybe this:

Everyone needs a cupcake apron, dontcha think?


While googling, i came across this and I thought it would be rude of me not to share:
Funny Shopping Bags


Speaking of shopping, I just got a new phone (dude, nothing beats retail therapy). This phone is awesome. It does so many things, i don't think i even have a need for friends anymore. (kidding, relax) But in all seriousness, it is a Samsung Moment, on the sprint network (I'm gonna be in contract with sprint til about 2057, so I might as well get a good phone out of it). It uses the Android system so i have been having a blast downloading all kinds of apps. I have an app that will look up every dog breed there is and give me photos, bios, history, if I could get it to wag its tail and lick my face, I wouldn't need to ever get a dog! I also have an app that when i am in a place I am not familiar with, it will locate every Starbucks in a near by radius. Since i am an official junkie of Starbucks Chai, this will come in quite handy. I can use the phone as a metal detector, bar code scanner, map, music player, star finder (the kind in the sky, not the glittery Hollywood ones, although I am sure there is an app for that too), diet tool, compass, oh and I can even use to it make calls too. See what I mean...



I have never been a purse girl, or a shoe girl. I have always been a phone girl. It mystifies most people in my life. I suppose it is a little strange that I get more excited over a new phone than just about anything else, but i cant help it. The even stranger thing is that I'm not really even that much of a techie. I don't even know how to do most of the stuff that the phones can do. Unless its super obvious (remember, I'm not very observant), i probably will never know how to do it. That's why this one is so great. Click here, the phone does this. Click there, the phone does that. Perfect.

I have one fish in a very large fish tank in my living room. Seems kinda like this fish is living in what would be the equivalent to a single person living in a twenty bedroom house. But he seems happy in there. Well he did until my cat discovered there was actually something in there. She sits in front of it all day, batting at the poor fish. I don't know who I feel worse for. The fish who is being batted behind glass, or the cat that hasn't figured out that she will never be able to get in there to actually get the fish. Ive tried to tell her its a lost cause, but she apparently is a masochist.

I tried to take a photo of this for you, but they are both being uncooperative. Sorry.

Well, I suppose that is all for now. I am planning on getting some little paw prints tattooed somewhere on my body in the near future. I'm thinking the foot. I will post pics when I end up doing it. Plus I think there is a girls brunch at a good restaurant in my future. All well be documented for your voyeuristic pleasure :)

Oh, April is almost over. Last chance to get a free conditioning treatment with highlights. May is approaching, and I am cooking up ideas for promotions. Check back.

xo,
case

This was me a few years ago:




And this is me now:



What do we like better?

I can't decide. A lot of people say I look so grown-up and sophisticated now. Soft and pretty. But the previous image seems so fun. There must be something in between? What do i want to do with my own hair? This is a question I rarely think about. Its not my job to worry about my own hair. I am supposed to be thinking about what to do to your hair. But Im at a loss and I need something new!!

Suggestions gladly accepted!!

xo,
case

POKE Me....

Last Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of attending the First Annual Poke Festival at Bali Hai with my friend and photographer extroirdinaire, Stephanie. For those who dont know, Poke is a traditionally Japanese or Hawaiian dish. It is made mainly of raw Ahi tuna, spices, green onions and seaweed. Every where you go, they do it a little different. So this festival was to celebrate Poke, but also a compitition for who had the best. I ate so much fish, I thought i might sprout gills. It was amazing and delicious and everything you would hope a Hawaiian festival to be.

They didnt just have raw fish. They had lots of other traditional Hawaiin foods such as Spam Bruschetta. Yes you heard tht right. Spam. It was one of the most amazing things I have tasted. They had pulled pork, slow roasted pork, musubi (rice patties, with seasonings and sometimes toppings such as spam, egg, or chicken. They had guava cake, dessert Poke made with mango, papaya and coconut. They had Primo beer, which was a first for me and really good. They had rices, sliders, fish tacos. I really didnt need to ever eat again.

Here is a photo montage of all the goodness.

WARNING to my vegetarian/animal rights friends: There are photos of a roasted pig. It is not my intention to offend, or disgist any of you. I am sorry if you find it offensive, but it is in true Hawaiian fashion and thus documented.















Make you hungry?? If you have never experienced Poke and want to, some of my favorites came from

Zenbu Sushi

Banbu Sushi Bar and Grill

Seau's Raw Mana


So in the hair world, I dont want you to forget that we are more than half way through April and the free conditioning treatment with all highlight services is still going on. Get that hair healthy in time for summer!!

And if April is your birthday month, you will receive 20% off your service! Just for being born. Woohoo!!

And the best of all......send me three of your friends/co-workers, neighbors, people on the street....and receive a FREE haircut. Thats super easy!!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

xo,
case

You win some, You lose some..

Im gonna keep this kinda short today...

Well unfortunately there were no winners in the game. I guess i made my answers too hard :/ But as promised I will give you the answers so you guys can see which ones you guys right and which ones you got wrong. Here it goes:

1. My favorite isle at Target, is the camping isle. Now I know this doesnt make sense to you since i admitted my inexperience with such things, buuuuut....have you seen how cute those miniature tents and sleeping bags are ;)

2. My (other) dream job is to be a professional cake tester. Now I know this one wasnt really fair, since most guessed it had something to do with animals, however, i did say "dream" job. Haha.

3. If I couldnt have a pitbull, my second choice of dog would be the papilion. Dont judge me!

4. I am obsessed with all things japanese. Including japan. SO that would be the one and only place I would give up all other travels for.

5. I am so happy that all of you got this one right. If you hadnt I would be seriously worried.

6. I am from Santa Cruz, Ca

7. I have always, no matter what, preferred the rain to anything else.

8. I am not afraid of large cats. The just look like big kitties to me. My boyfriend is sure this is what will kill me.

9. 90120. Past, present and future ;)

10. Brianna. But Brianna Ferrara sounded ridiculous.

So there ya have it. Im not so exciting am I? Haha.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. ( I am really into using the word "fantastic" right now so you may see it repeatedly, I will try to keep in at a minimum).

Possible raw fish excursion tomorrow...Keep posted.

xo,
case

Game On...

When I was a teenager I worked at Deli. I didn't just come out of the womb doing hair ya know. There was a whole point of self discovery involved in my early twenties that led me down the Cosmetology path. So before that, I slung ham and cheese and turkey on rye. I had a certain amount of control there. I was young, but responsible, pretty reliable and I could make a mean sandwich. Every once in a while I used that control to benefit myself.

You know when you are trying to think of something, but no matter what you do, it doesn't come to mind? Its the most annoying feelings in the world. You know you know who sang "The rhythm is gonna get you", but for the life of you, you cant remember. These occurrences often abound during some sort of bet. The stakes are high, and your brain is out drinking a mai tai on the beach. This would constantly happen to me at work. (mind you, there was no Internet, no iPhone in those days). So I would do what anyone would do with Deli control would do in my position. The first person to answer my question got a free sandwich. I got my answer, and they got free lunch. Harmless, well I guess not to the person doing inventory, but MY problem was solved and I could go on thinking about something else ;p

Fifteen years later and I still like to play games, and I still like to give away free stuff to the people who can answer my questions. So how does any of this relate to you? Do you like free hair services or product? Do you like to brag about how well you know the people in your life? Well now is your chance to do both: Game On....

I'm going to ask ten questions about myself (ranging from pretty easy to downright challenging). The first person who gets all ten right, will receive a free service of their choice. Since I am doubting anyone will be able to accomplish this, I am going to give fifty percent off of a service of your choice to the first person who can get a fifty percent or higher. ( I encourage all of you to play, even if you don't know me that well, you never know...) Not a client of mine? Don't worry, if you win, I will send you twenty dollars worth of salon quality product of your choice. Are you ready?? GO...

1. What is my favorite isle in Target?
2. What is my (other) dream job?
3. If I couldn't have a pit bull, what would be my second choice of dog?
4. If I can only travel to one place in my life, where would it be?
5. What job did I do as a teenager? (ya know how on the SAT's where they ask a question about what you just read to see if you were paying attention?)
6. Where am I from?
7. What is my favorite weather?
8. What group of animals am I not scared of, but should be?
9. What is my guilty pleasure TV show?
10. What was the other option for my name, if I weren't named Casey?

So there ya go. You have 5 days to complete this and send me your answers to Crzyluck@Hotmail.com or my Facebook inbox.
I will announce the winner Monday afternoon as well as the answers. Good Luck :)

xo,
case

It's dog's world, we're just along for the ride

I had such an eventful weekend. I am exhausted and my house is in disarray, but it was totally worth it. On my agenda was Woofstock 2010, Buju's 1st Birthday party, and an awesome girls brunch at the Naked Cafe in Solana Beach. Here is my photo diary of how it all unfolded.

Woofstock 2010. A festival with a 60's theme, full of vendors, food, agility events and some great dog (and I guess people too) socialization. Take a look...


















Buju's 1st Birthday Party In Ocean Beach. I am sure you guys remember her from my post on Mum's Tattoo. Hers is not a face you would soon forget. Well she turned one year old yesterday and I felt honored to be invited to her birthday party. She had so much fun and is such an ambassador for Pit Bulls. Her human parents (Briana and Adam) have done such a wonderful job of training and socializing her, that where ever they take her, they can show off their hard work. She truly is a special girl. (note her fancy pink collar, only pretty princess birthday girls get to wear them). All she wanted for her birthday was a football, and eventually she got her wish. There are also pictures of all of her doggie friends invited to her birthday bash."Whiskey", the four month old Australian Shepard, who was enjoying her first time to the beach. And Lucy, a fellow pit bull, sharing in all the fun. See for yourself...













The Naked Cafe Breakfast in Solana Beach. All I can say is, YUM! This place is amazing. They have a very similar menu to the Mission Cafe, due to a past partnership. They focus on healthy, mostly vegetarian, (with vegan options as well) hearty food for people with a sophisticated palette. I ordered soy chorizo burrito with egg whites and avocado, garnished with black beans and tomatoes. Man I wish I hadn't forgot my box of leftovers on the table, because I would love to revisit this meal again. My breakfast partners ordered the Ying Yang (egg whites, avocado, jalapenos, black beans, sour cream, potatoes, cheese and salsa) and the Green Transcendence Wrap, with a giant side of quinoa. Oh and lets not forget the Blackberry and Banana pancake for dessert. Enjoy for yourselves.....









Well that pretty much rounds out my weekend. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

xo
case

to you, live from my living room...

I am currently on what you would call a "stay-cation". Is it a beachfront cottage in Jamaica? Is it a villa in Italy? Is it an action packed Vegas trip? Well, no. Its my living room, right here in Poway, California, but it is relaxing nonetheless. When it comes to vacation, beggars cant be choosers. So I am catching up on my neglected dvr, organizing my closet and napping when ever I feel fit. It is amazing how content I can be doing absolutely nothing. So many people would become restless, or even go stir crazy, but nope, not me. As long as I have Starbucks and Netflix, I'm good.

Speaking of catching up on shows, I just watched the finale of Shear Genius. For those of you not familiar, it is a reality show about hair dressers. It is on Bravo and has the same concept as Top Chef, only its about hair. I was seriously underwhelmed with the winner. I mean in all honesty, you have to be immensely talented to even get on that show, so of course they are all way qualified to be the winner, but I felt some outshone others. But it is reality TV, and they do want ratings, so I am sure that was their motivation. It was just disappointing. This is who would have been my pick

Janine


So inspiring!!


Well I have some exciting things going on this weekend, so be on the lookout for posts including : Woofstock 2010, A girls Brunch (restaurant review), and the good, bad and ugly on bangs!!

Bye for now...

xo
case

thirty something

This will probably be my most personal post to date. If you would not like to know me on a deeper level, feel free to skip this. But people are natural voyeurs, so I am assuming most people will carry on ;)

I turned thirty a couple of years ago. When the date was approaching, I didn't get antsy, or nervous, or scared. I was actually pretty excited. I had heard that your thirties were soooo much better than your twenties. All the "what am I doing with my life, who am I really, how do I want people to perceive me?" kinda just all falls into line as you cross into the new statistical bracket of 29-35. So I was ready. I wasn't exactly what you would call stable in my twenties. I floated from city to city, job to job, apartment to apartment, and bad relationship to bad relationship. So yes, I was ready to leave all that behind. I went into my thirties with a pretty good sense of myself. I wasn't exactly a grown up ( I did have pink hair and multiple facial piercings) but people seemed to respect me a bit more since no longer being a "kid".

Fast forward two years, incorporate a stable job, a long term living situation, solid relationship and the suburbs and you are looking at my life. There is one thing that when people who told me about their thirties forgot to mention. (Disclaimer: if you are not quite into your thirties yet, you might wanna skip ahead, it is scary and you may not be ready to hear this yet). Something happens that I never saw coming and lately its thrown me for a loop. They forgot to tell me I was going to grow up!! I wasn't prepared for this, no one told me this was going to happen. An when exactly did it happen? I'm so confused ;p

Yesterday the boyfriend was removing a sticker he had on the back of his truck. It was a Misfits sticker ( its a band, for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about). He has had this sticker on his truck for ten years. When I asked him why, he just looked at me and said "Its time". So it got me thinking about my own relationship to growing up and how it is effecting me. I no longer have spiky pink hair, I no longer have multiple facial piercings and I'm thinking about purchasing a more family accommodating car. What?? Who is this person?? Me, buying and SUV and living in the suburbs? This is something that never in my wildest imagination could I comprehend happening to me.

Some of you know and some of you don't that my life has changed a lot since I met my boyfriend. He has two little girls. Eight and seven. I never wanted kids (and still don't want my own), and now I find myself making decisions about things that may or may not effect my family. Now for some this is very normal. You get in your thirties and you start a family. I never expected it to happen to me and it still sounds weird when I say "my family" out loud. Don't get me wrong, I love being part of a family, it is just a little different from my past with go-nowhere relationships and drive thru meals. Now, I think about what fruits and vegetables to incorporate into dinner and how much sugar is appropriate for children. (However, if it was up to me, I would still have frozen yogurt for dinner)!!

I would never give up what I have with my boyfriend and kids for nights of bars, the dating scene and frozen yogurt dinners. I feel so lucky to have met someone who truly completes me. I just feel insecure going into this stage of my life. I question whether my lifestyle change is part of the growing up process, or if I am somehow resistant to it out of fear of change or some pre-conceived notion of how I thought things would end up. I feel like myself on the inside. I just look different on the outside. One of my biggest fears in life was to be the stereo typical mini-driving soccer mom. I have no idea why, but it terrified me. ( for the record, I have nothing against mini-van driving soccer moms, I'm just sharing an irrational fear) Luckily our kids do gymnastics and karate ;) And why do I abhor mini vans? Why is there such a stigma to them? They are practical when you have a family. But I still loath them. And people still make fun of them. (PS, the boyfriend has one, and it really does make things easier) Maybe its just our generation that fears "growing up"? I have no idea, but I know it is happening to me, and it feels slightly awkward.

With all that said, I am happy. I am stable, more responsible and in love. Which are four things that don't come so easily, so I'm taking it and running with it.

I still listen to music that would make my parents ears bleed, have an affinity for tattoos and spiked belts (even though they are in the closet), and make some pretty irresponsible financial choices. There is hope yet....

Here's to our forties!!

xo
case

The zombie is shaking things up...

In 1989 there was this little thing called the Loma Prieta earthquake. You may have heard of it. It struck the San Francisco Bay area at 5:04pm and measured 7.1 on the richter scale. And I was in it. I was 11. It is something that I will never forget. If you were also in this earthquake, then you know what I am talking about. Its kinda like 911 in that way, where you knew exactly where you were when it happened. ( I am not comparing the devastation of 911 to the Loma Prieta earthquake, just the similarity of the way memories work).

Strangely that earthquake didnt scar me. In fact I am not sure if phased me at all. Due to the recent earthquakes in San Diego, there have been a lot of talk about them lately. I watched people freak out, run under doorways, get under desks, ya know, do all the things you are supposed to do in an eathquake. ( I am not saying that you shouldnt do those things, and I totally understand why people are afraid of them). But I never even got off the couch. I just think thats funny, and may say a thing or two about me.


EASTER EGGS HAVE MONEY IN THEM?? SWEET!!

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. I had a nice time with my families. Yes, families. I have three. But my absolute favorite moment of the day went something like this:

Nephew: I love Easter, so much candy.
Me: Well, that is not really what Easter is about.
Nephew: Uh-huh.
Me: No, it is about Jesus, and his resurrection.
Nephew: Explain...
Me: Well, after Jesus died, he was reborn again today.
Nephew: So what you are saying is....Jesus is a zombie?

Ha. Yes. Exactly. This will be my new reason for celebrating Easter. All kidding aside, I hope everyone had a nice day, regardless of your religious beliefs.

Don't forget about the on-going promotions at the salon. If April is your birth month, come on in for 20% off your service.
And...dont forget if you send me 3 friends (neighbors, co-workers, random people off the street) you will recieve a free haircut! Woohoo!

See you soon!

xo
Case

Unconditional Love

Most of you know me pretty well by now. You know what my interests are at least. But there is one thing that I have wrestled with talking about here because it tends to be a controversial topic. Well at least for some. Ultimately I decided that I am who I am and with out this huge part of my life something would be missing, and so I decided to share it with you.

I am an animal advocate. Specifically dogs. More specifically Pit Bulls. And here is where I feel like I need to defend that. But I am not going to. I am not going to throw a bunch of facts at you. I am not going to tell you how the media plays into this, and I am not even going to tell you about all the injustices these dogs are facing. I am going to tell you that they were just banned on the military bases and now craigslist and then shelters are scrambling with people being forced to give up their family pets. And also I am going to share a story with you. This is a story written (very well I might add) by a fellow animal advocate. Her name is Kim Leary Smith and she is a huge source of inspiration for me. I know that there are a lot of parts to this story, but no matter what your opinion is on these dogs, I URGE you to read this. If not for them, then for me.

Journey to Rescue- Installment 1

Journey to Rescue-The Stay in San Diego

Journey to Rescue-The Trip to Indiana

Journey to Rescue - Looking to the Future

Journey to Rescue- Home!


Ok assuming you made it through all of those, I just want you to think about it. This is just ONE dogs story. I refuse to be all self righteous on my blog, so like I said, I'm not going to bombard you with it. But I would like to ask you how you would feel if Nico's new parents lived on a military base and were forced with the decision to move or give him up. And if they were forced to give him up, back to a shelter, do you think he would get a "second, second chance"? And now I would just like to leave you with MY experience with this breed.
























Thank you for taking the time to look at these. I am not a drug dealer. I am not an ex-con. I am not in need of protection. I do not live in a seedy neighborhood. I am just a girl who fell in love with a dog, or two.

xo,
case