I have successfully completed my first henna hair dye experiment. Not only did I do my full scalp with henna/indigo mixture of equal parts for a dark brown that matches my natural color, but I mixed a lot of henna with a little indigo to give my sister BEAUTIFUL red highlights on her reddish-auburn hair.

My blonde tips are gone, and my hair looks and feels amazing. Soft, sleek, shiny, no frizz, and all natural.

My sister and I went outside to take pictures, but my camera died halfway through, even with the new batteries I put in it. It’s so dead I am unable to get the awesome pictures I took of even her hair, let alone the one I wanted to take of mine. So it looks like purchasing a new camera is on the list for sometime fairly soon.

I have found a new obsession.

I also started doing more research on Roth IRA’s this morning, and should hopefully make my decision this weekend on whether or not I will be going through Vanguard, TRowePrice, or ING for my IRA, and putting a large portion of my bonus towards that.

In addition to this, I have ordered my virginal order of LUSH products, as I have never ordered from them before. But I wanted to treat myself to something, and it was either that or an order from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. But before I can make an order from BPAL, I want to make a list of scents I’m interested in, and find some cheaper imps for sale to check and see if I like them. That way I will be sure before I spend the money on the more expensive sizes.

I just paid my bills for the month, and noticed that for some reason, my Comcast bill had $55.84 more than usual in the total. The charge had already gone thorugh, but I went ahead and called up their customer service department (which I must say, was answered near immediately compared to the hour + from before. Perhaps Saturday mornings are an ideal time to call), who pulled up my account. Somehow I was double-billed for internet service only. She will have a credit issued for the amount on my bill for next month, but isn’t sure why it happened.

I should probably expect to deal with this again next month as well, simply because they never seem to get their shit together. But I will look for a credit of the $55, and then an additional charge of the $55 if they screw up again.

Saturday: Midsummer ritual at the Grove. Our Midsummer rituals are always considered a Fools right, because we like to have fun with them. This one was still fun, but on a slightly more serious note. It was influenced by Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, calling deities of seership rather than specific deities of choice. I was able to spend time with my good friends, and spend the majority of the day before ritual cleaning and purging things around the Grove, being overall productive. I also got two tarot decks out of one of the purges, and set another 15 or so out for sale to help support the Grove. I’m not particularly interested in tarot or divination, but it’s something I like to look into once in a while.

When I got home and opened my mail, I had a citation from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for not stopping fully at a red-light before turning right. There is $75 down the drain. A lesson learned. Especially since I have put so much effort into frugality, getting my raise, and optimizing my bills lately. It’s somewhat of a slap in the face.

They’ve thrown me into a .NET environment at work. It’s somewhat interesting, but I imagine I will frustrate myself as I attempt to learn and understand.

My sister is over now, playing WoW while I mess around on my new laptop. She got her period today, and seems somewhat scared and unsure about it. They taught her about it in school years ago, but she still asks me questions. At one point in time I had wanted to do a Rite of Passage for her once she finally got it, but her disinterest in paganism in general changed my mind.

However, tomorrow I will be doing all of my hair in henna, and will also do a stripe of hers for her. I’m not sure if she wants to go the deep red route or what, but it will be her choice. Our mother will be fairly pissed off about it, but that’s what I do best. She has naturally red hair, so straight henna should do a very interesting dark red.

Homemade Facial Scrub

Ingredients
1 Lemon
1 dish of organic yogurt
Salt

(they didn’t provide specific measurements, so play around with them)

Best to use when you first get out of a warm shower due to all pores being open.

Homemade Facial Mask (anti-aging)

Ingredients
6 tsp of Evening Primrose Oil
1 tsp of melted honey (still warm)
2 drops of neroli essential oil
2 drops of mandarine essential oil
2 drops of orange essential oil
Enough Ground Almond to make a smooth paste (about two teaspoons)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, add enough ground almond to make a smooth paste, and apply as needed. Leave on for at least 20 minutes, rinse with warm water.

11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination by John Place Online. A decent list of ways to help beat the inevitable procrastination blues. #11 is my biggest competitor because once 3pm hits, my brain shuts down.

Fundamentals of Personal Finance - The University of California, Irvine provides an online introductory course to Personal Finance.

Working Woman’s Guide to Finanicial Security - The University of Illinois offers quite a few resources on financial information, this is just one of them. Others include tips for thrifty living, credit card smarts, and consumer and family economics.

How to avoid getting ripped off by a Mechanic - These should all be obvious, but we all know people who have no idea what to do about automobiles. Fortunately I do most of my own maintenance myself, so I don’t particularly have to worry about mine.

7 Secrets of the Super Organized. Though, they don’t really seem like secrets, just things we tend to put off.

Turn a C Battery into a D Battery with Quarters - Now if they could just turn AAA to AA, I’d be golden.

40 ways to reduce your monthly required spending - Several easy tips and ideas that people just don’t seem to think of for the most part.

I’ve decided I want to rant about something, and I imagine it may or may not piss some people off.

I think that child molestation charges are thrown around too generously. I think they’ve become a weapon of preadolescent brats and immature, horrid women. And here’s why.

When I was 8 years old, and my mother left my father. In order to get full custody of me, she accused my father of molesting me, and she won the case. But it never happened.

When my sister was 8, her father and my mother split up, and she got full custody at first and a (so far) almost 10 year custody battle ensued. In 2002 I testified against my mom in court because she tried to accuse my sister’s father of the exact same thing in order to get custody. Fortunately she lost complete custody due to her psychotic husband, and because of my testimony and copies of my fathers custody case for me.

A close friend of mine had a younger sister that accused their step father of molesting her. At first he believed her, because really, you can’t -not- believe your family or children if they make that type of accusation. But later on she told him that she only made the accusation because she didn’t want to live at home anymore, she wanted to live with her brother.

I think it’s ridiculous how it’s become such a weapon, but at the same time, you have to at least investigate the matter for the sake of the supposed victim. If my daughter came to me with an accusation like that, I’d have to believe her, I’d have no choice as a mother. But the court’s should not be biased on the situation. There should be as thorough an investigation as possible on both sides, because cases like these are often guilty until proven innocent.

Especially if the victims are spoiled brats that are known as thieves and liars.

Makes my head hurt.

Courtesy of GetRichSlowly. I’m all about the DIY techniques and recipes, naturally.

Ingredients:
1 chicken carcass with some skin/meat left on the bones
1 yellow onion with skin
2 carrots, ends trimmed off but not peeled
1-2 ribs celery, preferably with the leaves
1 bay leaf

Preparation:
Put the carcass in a 4-quart pot. Cut the onions, carrots and celery into a few large pieces and add to the pot. Cover with cool water. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Let it simmer away until you have about 1 quart of liquid left (about 90 minutes or so). Then cool slightly (for safety) and strain the stock into a freezer-safe container (be sure to leave room for expansion as it freezes). You can also let the broth to cool in the fridge so you can skim off the fat. Discard bones and vegetables.

Tips:
The onion skin adds a rich brown color to the stock as well as flavor. The celery leaves add a depth of flavor too. I sometimes keep a Ziploc bag of onion skins and celery leaves in the freezer so I will be sure to have them when I’m making stock.

The holy trifecta of carrots, onion and celery is what the French call mirepoix (pronounced “meer-pwah”), but feel free to experiment. If I have leftover scallions, parsley, shallots, turnips or other vegetables handy, in they go. There are no real rules for making stock — only guidelines.

Carrots add sweetness; reduce them if you like an even more savory stock.

Play with herbs and spices. Add a few peppercorns if you like a bit of spice. Thyme goes well if you’re using turkey bones. Think of what you’ll make with the stock and season accordingly.

I prefer to make my stock without adding salt (although there is some in the store’s spice mix) and then salt to taste later when I am using the stock in a recipe.

Set a timer to remind you to check the stock periodically.

If you’re in a climate where you can grow your own bay leaves, this recipe is even cheaper to make.

Toss the mirepoix in olive oil and then broil in the oven for a bit until just beginning to brown. This will give your stock an extra dimension of flavor and earthy fullness. This will also darken the stock so don’t do it if clear stock is needed for presentation.

The first raise I ever got was when I was 18, I received a 15 cent raise working as a clerk at a rock and gem shop.

The second time was at Terminix, I got a $1 raise, which is the max they allow for their “really good” employees.

Today I received a raise for 10% of my gross salary, plus a $350 bonus. The “normal” raise rate is 4%, and I more than doubled that.

I have to be honest and say that I fought back tears during my year review. I’m constantly wondering if I’m good enough for my job because I’m surrounded by such intelligent people and feel infinitely inferior. And given my past experiences with employment, who can blame me?

I’ve never had a “career”, heck, I never went to college. I had no hope of affording college, and despite everyone saying I could get financial aide, I would have had no hope of paying that shit back either. There’s people I know that owe $80,000 in student loans, why would I put myself in that situation?

But because at 14 years old I decided to fuck with html, I’ve landed myself into a dream job with great people making decent money for a 20-something female. I’m saving for retirement on my own, I’m learning how to take care of my finances and live frugally. And I’m growing more and more confident that I will not end up in my fathers position. That I will be “okay”.

That takes a lot for me to say that. And it’s such an amazing feeling to be given that chance.

I don’t know what I’m going to do with the bonus. I’m torn between putting it all into a Roth IRA, or putting half in and half into the auto loan for the mustang. I may do the former, to help compound the interest.

My next goal is to look for some classes in object oriented programming, and work towards bettering myself for next years review.