Year in Review 2012

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

What's going to happen in 2013? Exciting stuff, hopefully!

Arrojo Underground

Finally did something other than writing the other night!

As you all probably know, I went to Arrojo's cosmetology school last year, where I learned all my mad hair skillz. Some of my classmates work at Arrojo now, and they were part of Underground, an annual hair fashion show. In it, they showcase the upcoming trends and mountains of creativity.

Check out this video from Fashion News Live, where Rocco explains the event better than I can:

Outside before the doors opened

Bangs that go waaaaaaaaaay back

Probably my favorite one ... creepy cool!

crazy awesome braiding!

Hair models needed!

As of right now, the models I need are:

One Length line haircut - $30 February 3 or 7 at 9am
Blow Dry - FREE February 9 at 9am (already taken -- but there will be plenty more. Details as they come)

These services will be done at Arrojo Studio in SoHo by a licensed professional.

Please email me if you're interested! melanie (dot) surani (at) gmail (dot) com

HAIR MODELS!

Because I'll be starting work at Arrojo soon, I will need hair models pretty desperately. Once I get the schedule, I'll post it here and on my HAIR page (above). The apprenticeship program will be going on for at least a year, and I'll need between 3-5 models per week (so you can do the math how many people that comes up to in total!).

Stay tuned ... 

Congratulations, Class 14!

Thursday was my graduation day at Arrojo Cosmetology School. It's been a lot of hard work, and I'm going to miss everyone a lot.

When I started, I knew nothing about hair (except how to put mine in a ponytail because that's all I could make it do). I learned about the history of hairdressing, how to keep my tools and station sanitary, and most importantly: what to do with someone's hair.

After trying color, perms, and relaxers, I realized cutting was my love. Something about changing the shape of hair is incredibly satisfying. The methodical way I section and snip is therapeutic in a way that only drawing and writing have been to me. I can't believe I'll be doing this for a living instead of filing paperwork, inputting numbers, and devising any way to get out of the office.

I've updated my HAIR page with more current examples of my work. I'll be posting openings for models once I get a schedule.

Congratulations, Class 14! I'll miss some of you, and I'll see some of you at work...

The End = The Beginning

Just hanging with Nick

Preparing for my graduation at Arrojo Cosmetology School has me full of mixed emotions. On one hand, I'm excited to be on my way to getting a job I'm actually going to love (not tolerate--LOVE) ... to be able to do something with my hands that will make me happy to go out every morning. On the other hand, I've made some great friends at the school, and I feel like I could work in the student salon forever with the way we get along. Unfortunately, in about a week, we'll say goodbye.

It's crazy that the 7 months I've spent here have gone by so fast, and yet it's almost like I've been doing this my whole life. ... Like working in all those offices never happened.

So what's next for me? Not sure yet. The moment I get snagged by the best salon in town, I'll let you all know so you can come get a gorgeous haircut from me.

Meanwhile...

I've been editing like crazy on The Silent Treatment, getting it ready for whatever is next. Also starting to brainstorm about future volumes in the series -- and if that isn't a good use of my subway time, I don't know what is.

Year in Review

Magazines are good at this: recapping everything that happened during the year to make you feel nostalgic for something that's only just gone. I won't be doing that, but I will be saying goodbye to 2011 with a kind of bittersweetness that I don't often experience.

The bad could very well outweigh the good if I let it. My job as an office money finally got the better of me (and if any of my former coworkers are reading, I don't miss it), and I found myself hastily putting together the puzzle of what would ultimately make me happy. The answer wasn't in another office position or in nursing or in graphic art: it was hairdressing.

As a result of my hasty decision to go to one of the best schools in the country, I'm once again living alone (or rather, in a roommate situation), struggling to keep on top of my responsibilities while retaining everything I'm paying a small fortune to learn. New York is not the easiest city to live in, especially after having spent my life in spread-out places. On the other hand, it's freaking New York, and I've been having a great time exploring and getting to know the place that will be my home for the next chunk of time.

This year also brought me one of the greatest triumphs of my life: a publication for sale. Even as I form myself into the next great hairdresser, I've been furiously writing for whatever gets accepted next. It remains to be seen if my sales extend past my family and close friends -- but even if not, I'm PUBLISHED!

Next year will tell me a lot about the decisions I made in 2011. Maybe I'll have a job that doesn't make me want to kill myself. Maybe I'll garner a following in the writing world. Maybe my little family will be secure together, not to be separated again.

It's been a difficult year, but one that's (hopefully) been leading up to something great.

Changes for Melanie pt. 2

As it turns out, when I don't update for a while, lots of stuff happens. Perhaps this is an accumulation, or maybe so much is going on that I don't have time to write. (My poor novel knows all about that!)

Bollywood themed entry

At school, I participated in an up-do competition and lost. But it got a lot of positive attention, which I enjoyed.

Additionally, learning more cuts and color theory is making my head explode, so I decided to stop commuting from Philly to NY every day and rented a room. It sucks very much being away from home, but the extra hours of sleep I get are making it worthwhile (I think). Not sure if I'll ever get used to the sheer volume of people in New York (I've never liked crowds).

The long weekend is the perfect time to get some writing done since I've promised myself not to think about hair in these three days (except for the little bit I wrote in the paragraphs above).

Still no release date for The Morning After (with Untreed Reads), so I'll continue to keep you updated as I learn more. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get some work done on Awake, which is taking forever. This is either going to be my best story every, or I'll waste so much time on it I'll fail to get anything else written and ruin my career before it gets started. In the meantime, though, I'm taking notes on all the crazy city behavior I'm witnessing on a daily basis and saving it up for something spectacular. 

Cosmetology, Publishing, and other Stuff

So, jeez, where to begin?

It's been a crazy month or so. Started cosmetology school at Arrojo in New York -- commuting every day from Philly. It's a lot, but about a fourth of the people on the bus every day are regulars, so I'm not the only one doing this. Cosmetology just kind of happened all of a sudden. I couldn't be in the cubicle any more (they say office work is soul-crushing--I found that to be horrifyingly true).

Some things have been more challenging than others (getting the blow-dry right, for example), but for the most part, I love going to school, and I'm so glad I made this decision! The teachers are extremely knowledgable and helpful, always telling us why something is important rather than saying, "Oh, don't worry about it, just do it." Genuinely nice, too.

In the Writing World...
Can't give any specifics yet, but one of my short stories is about to see the light of day! The Morning After, the "little novella that could", finally piqued someone's interest when I chopped a few thousand words out. Not sure if the title will stay the same after it's gone through the final edit. Super excited! My first real foot in the door! Rest assured I'll keep you all updated on the release date once I have one. Until then, share in my happiness.

Awake is getting such a big overhaul that it's almost not the same story it was when I started. Granted, that's not all bad, but it's always disheartening when someone doesn't like your characters or doesn't enjoy a particular plot point (particularly when someone says a decision your character has made was stupid ... because really, it was me making the decision for him ... ouch). Nevertheless, all the comments and critiques I've gotten so far have helped develop both the characters and the plot. Every time I rewrite this story, I think it's finally the last time, but now I'll just let it go where it needs to. Each time it gets better, so in 50 more drafts, it'll be quite okay. Reassigning a few character traits, adding some backstory and suspense. Yeah, it'll be fine.

Other Creative Stuff

Because I can't leave well enough alone, I've decided to make and sell some jewelry and amigurumi. I've always enjoyed making things, and now I'm pushing them on you fine people! I mean, look at that bear in my hand. She's practically begging you to take her home. Don't make her cry!