A clearer shot of my hair during the homecoming.  

This is me with one of my fav teachers in high school. She taught Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
The date is wrong. It's Jan 2004. 

Me with relaxed hair freshman year. Most of the time I'm around campus like this. In this pic, I'm hanging out with one of my Japanese friends, eating there. 

This is me and Geo pre-relationship when we still were in that "I wonder if he/she likes me".
We went with a large 30-member group of friends camping. It was so much fun. A bunch of us went and played Sardines in the woods with no flashlights around a river. Snakes galore!
This is proof that black people like camping. 

The first day of the comb coils that came apart 3 days later. They took six hours. 

Christmas Party Dec. 2005
My hair is flat twisted here. I'm actually wearing make-up and dress up clothes. My mom would have been soooo proud. 

This is me April 2005. We were on the Great Wall. I bought the "North Face" jacket from a street vendor. I want to go again. 

Go to class no matter what, even if you don't feel like it.
Even when you are sleepy, tired, or sick.
You still paid for it.

You can't always count on notes from others.

My first class was at 8 and I just wanted to sleep in, but I like physics so I went anyway.

My second class was at 12. I went, but I felt really sick and left early. Still got something out of it. I'm going to the doctor to see what's wrong, because this has been going on for the past 2-3 weeks.
(I'm mean to my body.)

Last Friday night, Amber, Cynthia, and Geo went up to B'ham to see Vicky and Vickese for my consultation. We saw the video. All 4 of us were trying so hard not to laugh. It was 80'rific. I wish Amber, Cynthia, and Geo could have seen a more recent DVD with more recent hairstyles. When the photo album with more recent pics was passed around, they felt better. "We were scared for you for a minute there, Joy". We spent about 2 hours there talking about Sisterlocks.

Geo (my Indian boyfriend) was shocked. When we got back on the road, he asked, "Why do black women spend so much time on hair?"...........

He's been really trying to figure this out and I've been trying to explain to him about importance of straight hair in AA culture.

Amber and Cynthia (both AA) tried to explain to him the history of black hair care and how straight hair is viewed. It's been a learning curve for him. He's a trooper for hanging in there.

I got some test locks put in and

I haven't updated in the past few weeks. I haven't written in my hardcopy journal for almost as long. I'm learning a very important lesson now: put on your "big girl" panties and do what you have to do.
This semester, I've seen how absolutely passive I am with the situation with my boyfriend, my feelings about the whole situation, how I've let it affect my school, how my mom might feel about the whole thing, and how things will work out this summer. I've got to take charge and do what I need to do!
I always see things as happening to me with no recourse I can take to do take care of it. I'm used to people telling me what to do, but now I'm technically an adult and responsible for myself (not completely, but at least in some capacity). When people dictate your life you can blame other people. When you have to make serious decisions, you are responsible when the crap hits the fan. But what about when things go really well? How am I supposed to feel about that?
I've also been really worried about school. I spend more time worried about school than studying (100:1). Also, I keep feeling that I can't do this even though everyone around me tells me I can. Background: I've been a chemical engineering major for the past 4 years. I've hated the past 2.5 years. I would change majors, but ít's to late, so I'll just add another: physics. It's closer to what I want to do in graduate school anyway. I've done relatively well in ChemE (3.4/4.0), but I hate it with all my being. (lol)
Anyway, I'm taking physics now, and I'm scared. I'm easily intimidated (another thing I can deal with), but everyone around me encourages me that I can do it. Honestly, at this point, I feel dumb. In high school, I didn't feel this way. I tied for the highest standardized test score at my high school *ever*. I was in the top four in my class. How did I go from so confident in myself to not confidence at all? Who did I listen to?