Or asking him "who's a pretty cat?"

Ese chatul yafe! (My Hebrew teacher made me learn it. Because that's a phrase that will help me communicate with my family-in-law and persuade them I am not crazy.) Yay Shooky doggy! Rescue animals are awesome. Enjoy!

Hair color question: Do you find that your hair is in better condition if you go to a salon than if you color it at home? My hair is a lot drier than it used to be, and I'm wondering (a) if commercial home color might be the culprit, and (2) if a salon is worth the cost.

Zen, I am totally on board with salon color. The color sticks better on my resistant greys, though I touch up the roots in between main color appointments at home with the L'Oreal Root Rescue kit.

I tried to do my own color three years ago to save money. My hair didn't feel as healthy, and the color wasn't right for my skin tone. I pay three figures for one-step color and partial highlights, and it's worth every penny to me.

This pouring rain is definitely making me feel better about my decision to lay low until later tonight.

Color is often better at a salon because they have more skill at combining colors to achieve the one you actually want. But I've found the biggest improvement to my hair condition isn't where I color it so much as how. My hair is much softer and nicer now that I use demi permanents (which only deposit color I think, no lifting, but Plei will know better than I). I've been doing my own hair for a couple years, but I'm just going with brown. Hard to fuck up brown.

Maria, resistant grays are a problem for me too. That's certainly worth adding in to the equation.

burrell, which demi permanent? I was using Natural Instincts, but I had to do it every couple weeks, and I felt like any advantage to the gentler process was outweighed by how often I had to use the stuff. I finally switched to permanent color just so I could longer without having to color it.

Zen, I've just switched to demi-permanent color, and I like how it's treating my hair. I'm using Wella Color Charm, which you have to get at someplace like Sally Beauty Supply.

Of course, I'm also bleaching two streaks in my hair to as pale as I can get them so I can dye them cotton-candy pink, so my baseline for what damages your hair may be different.

I still don't have a plan for the parade... working on an outfit. Some kind of random superhero thing, but I can't find my red fishnets or my tiara! Dammit. I think I got rid of the former when I moved, but not the latter. And the outfit just isn't coming together how I want it to.

Zen, I tend to buy my color at Sallys, I think it's Clairol? You have to buy the color and the developer separately and then mix them yourself, which has the advantage that I can mix a red and a brown, or a brown and a gold, or whatever. And I've decided I like the look better too; as it fades my greys start to look like blonde highlights, which means I can go about 8 weeks between color. [Note that I usually go about 12 weeks, but that's just me being lazy, the grey starts to assert itself around 8 weeks.]

All right, I'm going with a "Wonder Woman's day off" kind of look. Red shorts with a waistband of white stars on blue, tights of white stars on blue, black tank top, and a white kimono with red and blue flowers tied with cord that could pass for a golden lasso. IDK. I'm running so late, I am not going to be able to find parking. Blecch. But I'm going, dammit.