Anyway, today mum and I went on a hair salon finding mission. A while back we decided to stop using the hair salon that we had been going to for a number of years. There were many reasons for this, but it was mainly due to a decline in the quality of service and an increase in prices. So we tried a salon in our nearest town, which is a little market town. Things didn't work out at the new place because they had bad service as well... twice my mum's hair was cut on the wonk and twice they left her waiting for ages and made her run late. They also charge high prices and it wasn't worth it, so the hunt began again for the perfect hair salon....

It seems quite ridiculous that there are so many hair salons in the Yellow Pages or the Thomson Directory, but when you look at them they are all mediocre and seem to be staffed by either a group of teenagers or a group of half-wits� or worse still� BOTH! I know this sounds bitchy and potentially stereotypical, but every time I go to a hair salon or call one up they never seem to know anything about their products or the services they offer. On the rare occasion you do find one that knows what they are talking about, they charge about �70 or more for the desired services and when you try them out� they just don�t provide �70+ worth of service. So mum and I have become pros at salon-hunting. Today we started off by perusing the local phone directories to try and find a rich hunting ground. Town decided upon, I then made notes of all the hair salons within an M.E.-walkable area from the car park, which proved to be 4 salons. Once we arrived there, after stopping for a bite to eat, we headed for the first salon, which was ok. On to the second salon and this was much more hopeful as it was staffed by a middle-aged couple (the owners) and a couple of girls� we haven�t booked appointments yet as mum and I wanted to mull it over, plus she had to have a skin patch test for the hair dye. I am really hoping that I can get my hair cut within the next couple of weeks at this salon as my hair (or what�s left of it) is driving me nuts� it feels all out of shape and long and straggly.

Millie, I am pleased to report, is feeling much more her usual self. She is back to tormenting Cleo and trying to kiss Mr. Pips (the cat). She also likes to have a t�te-�-t�te with Moppa the guinea pig and has been indulging in her usual naughtiness so it seems that the poisoning didn�t have any long lasting effects. I am a bit of a pet-shopaholic and I found myself drawn to a pet shop in the hair salon town because it�s not a town that I would usually go to� it�s a bit small and out of the way� anyway, this shop was GREAT. Everything was such good value, the shop was clean and presented in such a way that I felt like I wanted to peruse the shelves and buy things. They had a good selection of stock for a shop in a small town and my eyes happened upon a Burberryesque doggy carrier that was in the sale and reduced to �15. Ever since I informed OH about the existences of �Chavs� and their penchant for Burberry he has not been very keen on Burberry or Burberryesque patterns. In fact, when I pointed out a Burberryesque collar and lead set the other day, he forbade me from buying them for Millie as it would make me (and her) look like a Chav. Aside from this fact, I rather like the carrier and Millie doesn�t seem to mind it either; OH wasn�t there to prevent me buying it so I got away with it� although he didn�t seem very impressed when I told him earlier.

Last night I called a friend whom I have known for a few years� she�s from online and lives in the US. For varying reasons we drifted apart and haven�t really had any meaningful contact since this time last year. I suddenly got the urge to contact her a while back, but I tried to email her and it came back with a failed delivery notification. By chance I asked a mutual friend if he had a valid phone number for her and he did, so I called her and we had a long chat. It was really nice to talk to her and to know that she was ok, but somehow I feel a bit strange since talking to her� I guess I feel that maybe I was a little foolish to call her seeing as she had effectively cut contact with me, but I don�t know. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do in order to feel right within yourself I guess� even though my pride could have got the better of me.

Aside from all this, I have been feeling mentally a lot better recently. I have my ups and downs as usual, but generally I am feeling more in control of my emotions and thoughts that I had been during the past year. I find that I just cannot cope with a lot of thoughts and feelings. Situations come and go and it is as if I need to block them out or stand in a bubble in order to deal with them, which in reality is not dealing with them at all� but I guess what I mean is that for me to exist and to be ok� I need to protect my brain and myself. I have been facing some challenging, tough situations and potential future situations; I just don�t feel old enough or experienced enough to deal with all this. I have come to the conclusion that maybe this is what most people feel like, but they just don�t express it� or perhaps this is because of my health issues� I just am not equipped for it. Life is very strange and it seems as if everything built up to just come and hit me all in one go, rather than a little at a time. I am not sure what I would prefer� a year or two of mostly misery or a few years where I kept having bouts of misery and extreme stress. On reflection, I think that I would rather just get it out of the way!!