Whip it Rock it Fro it Chop it

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Not since the days of the fistest black afro pick has the concept of going natural been so widespread. Of course everything is relative. I mentioned "natural hair" to a friend today and found it a bit humorous as I tried to explain the paradigm shift that has allowed more and more african american women to embrace their God-given coils and curls, just as they arrive, with both arms, a willing spirit, a search engine, detangler and an arsenal of bobby pins. I jest now but when I coupled growing out my natural hair with morning runs before work, I quickly realized why they call it a "journey". A journey it has been. And while there are many variations of a few reasons to grow and live with yourself without alterations, for me I think the biggest is just to be able to firmly tell myself "you can fry it, die it, cut it and buy it - but just know: you're perfect just the way you are".

If you are natural, contemplating a transition, wanting a big chop or just want to come see what all the new vocabulary is all about, come out to the Carolina Natural Hair Expo in Columbia SC on Saturday October 29th 10am-4pm - Advance Tix are 5 bucks - you can get those here -- I will be shooting the event and selling my photog wares including some new images from my recent trip to Aruba! Hope to see you there! - toj

I got a feelin

Exactly what is it about the coming of fall that creates a ch-ch-chill up my spine?  ummmm the chill up my spine perhaps.?. nooo it's not that cool in the south yet. I just left caribbean waters and am back on dry - very dry - land. But now I've gone back to an added little chill in the air. Just enough to be totally refreshing and exciting. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just memories of daddy taking us to the fair or ma wearing her infamous cookie-monster rope. The smell of a sweet potato baking in the oven as I looked for the missing foot to my beloved fuzzy socks. The promise of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. Oh, I know it's not even close to being that cold but the first little chill in the air reminds me of chilly times gone by. I hope my nieces and nephews have bright colored robes of their own and look for their fuzzy socks and curl up in from of the tv at night with a cup of hot cocoa. It's just one of those things you gotta do. Like bubble baths and roasting marshmallows. Like having someone to scratch your back or comb your hair until their arm gets tired.You certainly can live without them but life's so much sweeter when you don't.

To all the little kids with no mommy or daddy - I hope one day you get your fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, trips to the fair and someone to embarrass you with a cookie monster robe.