The Beauty Denominator

Seasons Greetings to everyone and I hope everyone has had a very happy holiday. I haven’t been on the computer for awhile so I am very sorry I haven’t answered the comments that were left. When things settle down I will get a reply to those of you that need help. This is always a hectic time of year so please understand that I will get to them very soon.

I had a nice Christmas and we shared Christmas Eve and exchanged gifts with Bills’ family then watched the Grandbabies open their gifts from their parents Christmas morning. My son called from Kentucky and gave me a great Christmas present. Seems they are expecting and the baby should arrive around my birthday in August and also Bills’ daughter let us know that she will have a second child due in Sept. So we are all very happy about these blessings

South Carolina Question And Answer:

Cassandra: I have my license in Mass and I’m going to be moving to SC, I have had my license for 2 years and I have been working full time for a year and a half since then. I just wanted to know what I’m going to have to do to do hair there.

Answer: This is South Carolina’s application for reciprocity Since you have been working that means that you have experience that will makeup for the 500 hour difference in courses.

South Carolina says:If an applicant for a cosmetology license from another state, territory, or the District of Columbia has completed less than the required one thousand five hundred hours (1,500) of training, the Board may give credit of three hundred hours (300) for every six (6) months of proven work experience with a maximum credit of one thousand (1000) hours.

Besides getting in touch with your state board and having your license certification sent to South Carolina you would also need the place you work to sign an affidavit of your working hours and sent also. I would shoot them an e-mail to make sure of all requirements that are needed in the affidavit or if they have a special form that your employer needs to fill out.

North Carolina Question And Answer:

Jasmine: I am a licensed nail tech moving from New York to North Carolina wake forest . What do I need to do to transfer my license to NC?

Answer: I am in the process of moving comments to their own post so it will be easier to find the answers instead of reading through all comments, please see NC reciprocity answer.

The Perfect Pillow as advertised on tv made of Visco-elastic foam is not actually perfect for me. I have been looking for the perfect pillow all my life and I seriously doubt that I will find it. I saw the pillow at Walmart and thought what the heck it’s only 17 dollars, I’ll try it. I actually believe that there is no perfect anything

At first I thought this is great, but by the end of the night it was totally flat so that makes it less perfect right off the bat. The memory foam does plump back up after I remove my head, but it was very disappointing, it feels great when you touch it, but just didn’t live up to my expectations for my neck and head support.

I looked on line and found some web sites that sell them for 50 dollars and higher, but I’m afraid to spend that much money if this cheaper version is any indication of what this memory foam will or will not do. Of course we all know that Walmart supplies inferior products for less money, but most things made now a days are inferior to the way things use to be made.

It really hasn’t mattered which stores I have worked in, you would not believe all the stuff people bring back. It amazes me how shoddily products are made and actually pass inspections, but of course in the times we live I really don’t hold out much hope for quality, with instant this and that and if it actually is quality the common people simply can’t afford things without going into debt.

I will try to remove comments about New York reciprocity to this post today. Hopefully I can get this done before my computer starts acting up.

Jen: If I have a current NJ license and over 15 yrs experience, will NY accept that?

Answer: NJ isn’t on there reciprocity list so you would probably have to take their exam, but it would be best if you send them an email and find out what you would have to do.

Heather: I started schooling in VA and I am moving back to NY… will my hours that I already have banked be lost or can I transfer them to NY?

Answer: Since both states have reciprocity I would say your hours would be good, but you would have to speak with your director to make sure and get a transcript or have it sent. She/he will know how to handle it for you.

CCong: I am in a situation where I went to school in NY 15 years ago and completed 500 of the 1000 hour requirement. I took a very long break and have decided to get my license. I am now again at the 500 hour mark. The school I am attending stated that they cannot grant me the other 500 hours that I had from 15 years ago, although I have been in the business for the entire 15 years and have proven beyond a doubt that I am more than capable to pass the state board. Is this legal? Can they choose to not give me my hours that I worked for and paid for?

Answer: Yes it’s legal. Even if you had taken the whole course and graduated you only have a certain amount of time to take your exams in most states. Each state is different. I’m in the process of finding out the time limit for each state. 15 years is a long time.

I just checked with the board and so long as the law stays the same your hours are still good, but I was informed that you should have taken your transcripts of the courses you had finished to see if the school would accept them, but they can legally refuse to accept those hours.

Maria:I have a worker from Dominican Republic and I wanna know if she has to take the test in New York or is her license good in the state of New York? Does she have to take a test again for New York to be able to work here?

Answer: This is what they say: # Education Outside of New York State
We may waive the New York State schooling requirement if you can document an equivalent level of schooling from another state or country. You must submit all three of the following documents (foreign language documents must be accompanied by an English translation certified true and accurate by the translator):

(1) a school certificate;
(2) a school transcript listing subjects and hours completed; AND
(3) a current original Certification of Licensure from your state board or, if not licensed, a current Certification from your state’s board verifying the hours claimed.
After your application is reviewed and accepted, you will also be required to pass both the New York State written and practical examinations to obtain a Cosmetology license in this state. You will receive information that explains the exam process in detail.

# Experience: 5 Years Outside of New York State
Any individual having five years of legal experience in an occupation equivalent to Cosmetology may apply for a New York State license by submitting satisfactory evidence of education and experience.

It seems like I have been reading motivational and inspirational resources all my life. I have always strived to improve something about myself or surrounding. It seems I was just never good enough for myself until I finally accepted me. Do we really think money and success will make us happy? Well, it wouldn’t hurt to be able to be debt free and not have to worry about financial burdens, but is that the key to happiness?

I have known many people that were successful and I knew them to be unhappy. As far as I’m concerned the only way to be happy is to find peace within, yes I know that’s easy to say, but you have to learn to love yourself and be happy with who you are and not who everyone thinks or wants you to be. I was always trying to be someone other than me. Maybe you don’t know who me is and if not then I would suggest some form of meditation.

Over the years it seemed I was attracted to negative people, I guess it’s like the old saying that misery loves company, but that is the worst company to be in or like attracts like. Whatever, if you are around negativity it will pull you down and if your not negative then you can be sure that those that are, are very needy and they will pull you down before you will lift them up. Get away from them now! Let some sun in and appreciate that you have choices you can make to improve your happiness, life is too short.

Seek out inspiration for your life, find those positive people and embrace living, self pity is very destructive, but we all tend to wallow in it from time to time. Whatever circumstances that happened in my life gave me experience and the chance to choose something positive instead of negative, each day is a new day to begin again, so make this your new day to start over and love yourself, forgive yourself for anything bad you hold on to in your mind and heart. Remember this, if you can’t forgive yourself for something then you hold all of your brothers accountable also.

I have been wanting a hot tub for a long time, but I simply don’t have any room for it until we move. The more I read up on hot tubs and the benefits of soaking in warm water up to your neck for about 15 or 20 mins. a day with all those jets soothing away all my stress and aches and pains just makes me feel like that would be heaven, especially at my age.

I’m sure everyone knows the side effects caused from stress that can come in all shapes and sizes for most of us and we make a lot of unhealthy choices for our bodies like drinking, smoking, overeating, and so on. How can we deal with our stress without bringing any of the questionable forms of relaxation into the mix, too? A hot tub will do the trick and you can reap the benefits of de-stressing in a hot tub by using it just a few times a week for 15-20 minutes.

It makes me wonder why all homes aren’t equipped with a hot tub already built in. With the way the popularity of the hot tub is increasing and the need for us to have a way to de-stress is always an issue, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to start seeing just that happen, homes will be built with the hot tub all ready to go when the owner moves in!

The medical communities have addressed the issue of everyday stress and the harm it can do if it’s not taken seriously and dealt with. It is widely recommended for a portion of the day, if it were to be spent in a relaxing and/or meditative manner, that the benefits will be amazing to the individual. Just getting into a hot tub can do the work of de-stressing for just about anyone and the great relief in being able to let go of some of the everyday stress is priceless.

What makes the idea of de-stressing with a hot tub and not just some quiet time is that when you sit in a hot tub, your blood is able to move more freely in your expanded veins and capillaries and your body is no longer being affected by 100% gravitational pull. The fact that your body is able to have a buoyant affect can take up to 30% of the pressure you carry around all day when you are not in a buoyant state that adds stress to your physical body all the time.

There are hot tubs that come with lounging chairs and are equipped with jets to blow water and air at any of your ailing parts that need the attention. Any number of hot tubs can be specifically and personally equipped to address any areas of your body that are particularly stressed. For some people it is their neck and back. There are hot tubs with just that de-stressing component in stalled; where the jets that are going to do the work on those parts of your body are custom-fit for a specific seat in the hot tub.

Maybe the issue you have is that the bottoms of your feet are achy at the end of the day. There are hot tubs that have the jets directly on the floor where you would sit upright and feel their healing power. I know you can buy those small foot spas, but it’s not quite the same. No matter where stress takes its toll, a hot tub will help the de-stressing process.

I heard about a couple in Texas, he is 100 and she is 99 and they just celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary. I find that totally amazing and inspiring in the times that we live in, where we can get a divorce for no reason at all so easily. These 2 people had to have faced a lot of things together and I’m sure they weren’t all good, but through it all they stuck together and persevered.

Living in so many parts of the USA I always liked to watch and meet new people and until I settled down in PA. and worked at a certain restaurant I had never met so many people in one place that had been married for so long. We had mostly seniors that would come in almost everyday because for 2 people to eat, it was much cheaper eating there than to cook at home.

I was very inspired by all the couples that had been married for 40, 50, and 60 years that has to be some kind of record for longevity marriages. Up till then I had a very distorted view of marriage because of my experiences and those of my friends. I don’t know if they put something in the water here that keeps so many older couples together or if it was because of a different upbringing. At any rate it was wonderful to see and very encouraging that couples could endure together for so many years.

Life can be a very beautiful thing if we choose to change our perspective about how we view something and in my case I totally changed my views about matrimony.

Find out what your GreenIQ is. How much do you understand about going green or even what it is? I am not talking about the color of the Jolly Green Giant or The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno.

Take this simple quiz to find out exactly how green you are and find out a lot of information and tips to help our environment. The quiz will ask you some specific questions and will then give you a lot of ideas on how you can be more proactive in helping to protect the environment around us.

I realize that there is a lot more that I can do to actively help my environment and help preserve it better for our children and Grandchildren. We take so much for granted that we shouldn’t and if we want to have a brighter future for our children then we need to do more to protect their future.

You can also sign up to win a recycled gold necklace with a Canadian diamond, now how cool is that? They give so many tips for all areas of your home and even show you how you can enjoy organic wine, if you like that type of thing. Lots of great ideas to help us improve, make sure you read how to make your beauty routine more natural and organic.

They give some of their favorite beauty brands that are green friendly, but I have never heard or used them so I really can’t comment there, but I do believe there are a lot of professional products that are used especially when coloring hair and other processes that could use a few more organics included.

This has been a busy week and I’m sure it has been for you also, I managed to get my tree up and a few other decorations. We are keeping it very simple this year and we did manage to get some Christmas shopping done, so that’s almost finished, just a few odds and ends here and there.

We just need to clean and do some baking and fix Christmas Eve Dinner and exchange gifts on Christmas Eve with the family then settle in and get through New Years Eve and day and then we can buckle down for the 2008 year and WOW start all over again. Time really flies for me the older I get, seems like only yesterday I was 12. I can honestly say I would not like to go back and do it all over again.

Bill and I have so much to be grateful for and we do really appreciate all the richness in our life’s with our family and friends and the good health that we share. We are so thankful that our loved ones are all doing okay this Christmas season and we really do feel so blessed. I wish blessings on everyone and hope you all have a stress free holiday and a Happy New Year.

Baby boomers which are those of us born between 1946 and 1964 may not have a corner on the market for an urgent desire to stay youthful but we have certainly set a high standard for creating a virtual avalanche of products and services to attend to that need. The quest to look young for baby boomers has resulted in an explosion of profits in the cosmetic and plastic surgery markets. It’s easy to criticize the desire of baby boomers to want to see themselves as youthful as simple vanity, but it goes a lot deeper than that.

It doesn’t take a lot of research or analysis to see that baby boomers grounded their identities in the youth movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Before the boomer generation erupted like a generational volcano, there really was no youth movement. But in the 1960s, when youth culture virtually took over American and indeed world culture, everything changed for baby boomers and that change was never really reversed.

The culture of that time that now seems very long ago, was one of the adoration of youth. That desire to put age on a pedestal and worship everything about being young has permeated the culture even as the boomer generation moved into middle age and now is on the verge of creating the largest retirement generation ever.

Not all of the youth worship that is easy to document in baby boomers is just about looking sexy and dreading the physical changes of growing older. Some of what boomer’s love about the concept of youth has to do with the idealism and the commitment to causes that is common in young people. The desire to change the world and to be a force to make mankind better was part of what made the new youth culture in the 1960s so unique. And because those values are laudable, we really can’t completely condemn the desire by baby boomers to stay youthful.

So the quest to stay young often manifests itself in cosmetic attempts to look young. You can almost understand the appeal. We all like to look good. But the real source of youth is not a tight butt and abs and smooth, wrinkle free skin. The phrase “you are as young as you feel” is often scoffed at by baby boomers as a cheap cop out. And it can be used to have an excuse to behave younger than you are and perhaps want to socialize with younger people in an inappropriate way. But it can also reflect that an inner youthfulness which is fueled by a youthful outlook on life and a basic policy of good health and exercise will keep anyone spry and vital well into their senior years.

It is when baby boomers combine those elements of “inner youthfulness’ with their cosmetic efforts to stay young that they really do retain much of their youth beyond what their years would report. We all have met an elderly man or woman who is so full of life and fun that they leave you feeling older than they are. The sparkle in the eye, the curiosity about everything life has to offer and that optimism and idealism that you ordinarily associate with teenagers is truly inspiring when it is being expressed by a senior citizen.