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Ok so on a lighter note..im at my one month mark of my twist and rip/neglect dreads! Not really much going on but progress.. very slow progress. It doesnt seem like a lot is going on because i dont look that often i do feel a lot of loops and im still having trouble on the sides of my head with them wanting to congo at the roots. I popped some beeds on some of them and it seems tpo be helping a little bit, even if only to know where some of the dreads are! yes it gets that bad. The right side of my scalp feel like a big fuzz ball. the left isnt as bad.. wich is weird actually cuz i sleep on my left side more.Other than that they are soaking up the love!

One other thing i noticed doesnt even have anything to do with my hair its self..

ok ill try not to ramble

one of the reasons i decided to lock up was because im not eally all that happy with they way ive been living my life.. i dont know how to say this so here goes.. this isnt a sob story or nything lol. im just a mean person. I dont know what in my life made me that way but i just have up all theese walls and the biggest part is anger, and im just not ver nice. I wish i wasnt like that and im trying to change.

so anywho the other day at work i noticed that this one lady had been on the phone ssince she got there. she came in.. got on the phone. ( an i work at fedex so u cant take ur ohone into work. so she was on the work phone/s) then we had pre work.. then she got on the phone.. then we were going to our work stations.. she was on the phone. my first thought was damn get off the phone and do some work... jeeze thats all uve dont since uve been here. Now mind u she was smiling and carrying on in theese conversarins.. so thats why i got up set.. but then i stopped my self and said hey u know what mayne she has a sick kid or somehting is going on in her life why do u have to be such a negative nancy. just let her be.. let it be.

normally i would have never stopped and thought about it like that. so my dreads are teaching me! they really are.. and i love them : )

(i feel like i made myself look like a bitch in this blog.. im not i just have a problem with poeple.. i dont really like most of them and a lot of them are judgemental and ass holes.. and unfortunatly those people seem to flock to me..)

I am so happy :0) I have been wanting dreads for 4 years, and have been hesitating because I didn't really understand the process and thought that my hair was to thin and silky and wouldn't look good at all (I used dreadhead hq last time, so I had big spaces in between each one from banding and they were skinny and sticky from the wax) but 2 weeks ago after my husband and I had decided that I would be staying at home with our boys and homeschooling them for the foreseeable future (I'll worry about employers and their prejudice later) I put them in via twist and rip and I have been washing about every 3 days with a nice tea tree bar soap I found at trader joes, and using sea salt. I think it is actually starting to work, I have some loose hair, but the roots are starting to feel like the knots are sticking together (after some root rubbing). The only thing is that I feel like some of them want to grow together, I'de rather they didn't, as I only have about 20 or so, so I keep separating the lovey ones and I'm sure they will figure it out. :0)

I decided to write this because sometimes its difficult to relate to people, they make so many assumptions. I suppose its something we all do for convenience, but the past few years Ive begun checking myself--somewhere between studying logic, epistemology and personal experience Ive begun leaving the assumptions behind. For all intents and purposes Ive been on the street for the better part of about 20 some odd years. I got used to being treated like a second class citizen a long time ago, and this definitely affected how I saw the world. Even though I squatted and traveled I had to recognize that most of the people in these groups came from nice middle class families and had left home to have an adventure. Im not saying theres anything wrong with that, I think its great, but my experiences and their experiences were radically different. In 1988 when I was 12 and eating out of dumpsters there was nothing cool about it. The local schools would have nothing to do with me, and most kids werent allowed to be around me. I was considered "scummy" by most, and it wasnt until much later that being a dirty kid became a cool thing--and that was only cool in a very limited sense. I crossed the law a bunch and was on a serious habituary offender list at 13, my first arrest was a home invasion. This high school kid was making a 12 year old run away girl 'put out' for shelter while his parents were out of town. I went up in his house with a gun and a couple homeboys and got her out of there as well as robbed him proper. Ive never felt all that bad about it. I was kind of jealous that other kids got to go to school and after sort of re-teaching myself how to read in juvenile (back then I never did more than 90 days-but it was all cell time,no yard or movement) I began reading everything I could get my hands on. I spent about 7 months in the DSHS system, but after calling CPS on a facility that was beating (and later I found out raping) the kids, CPS told me to shut up or they'd shut me up, and then sent me to a boys ranch/work camp run by wherehauser. After i escaped the DSHS system basically let me go and I never had trouble with them again. Later in my life when I was selling dope and living in SF I would get a call from a lawyer to tell me I was the only one to ever say anything about the OK boys ranch in Olympia Wa. and that there was a class action lawsuit going on-thats when I found out the workers were raping the kids. One kid won a million dollars from that place but killed himself about a year after the suit. SF was the first place I ever paid rent, I tried to do it the legal way at first, I was squatting this shit-hole church on 15th and delores and working at a movie theater making 4.25 an hr.-that wasnt getting me anywhere, so I invested. I sold speed (never used it, never liked it) and eventually grew weed as well. Later I would move on to heroin, cocaine (hard and soft) as well as guns. Im sure this all sounds horrible and hypocritical, after all, I was and am an anarchist--and I dont mean I listened to too much punk rock, I learned about real anarchism from a college kid that put me up for awhile when I was 13-14 and began directing my thoughts and research in that direction. In my teens I was organizing demonstrations--all that good stuff. I did get really disillusioned though, where I constantly questioned and searched others seemed to accept whatever as a part of their identity, and if anything was brought up or a position taken that conflicted with those identities....well, Ive seen people basically blacklisted over straight bullshit. As angry as I was, and still am, Ive always had a strong compassionate and empathetic side as well.--anyway, at one point i moved to TX cuz it looked like the dea was about to catch up with me. TX sucked. I got locked up so fast in TX over such minor shit. Dallas was the worst, the neighborhood I was in was right next to a street with a bunch of clubs, several of them were gay clubs and one night I came across a small crowd of people standing over this poor guy who had just taken a brick to the head for being gay. "dont touch him he probably has aids" I heard one of em say, there was blood everywhere and the guy probably thought he was dying--I did. I took off my shirt and used it for a pillow and to try and stop the guys bleeding and held his hand while I tried to make them call an ambulance-which they finally did. I just didnt understand people. Not more than a week after that I come across this Asian guy being beat with bottles being called a communist gook-I used my body to take the bottles so he could get to his car. A couple days later I tried to bum a cigarette on that same strip in a crowd of people outside a club, as I put a cigarette in my mouth I got slapped blindside by this lesbian and people cheered as she cussed me out for being a bum and a mooch. This type of mob hatred for the downtrodden was pretty common, I'd go in a coffee shop to buy a coffee and be told my business wasnt wanted (homeless people not allowed)-cuz at that point I was back to being homeless--I got my apt. raided when I was living in austin for distribution (it was pathetic really I was peddling dime-bags to make rent) While I was in state jail in TX I refused to get with my "race" as your supposed to. I saw this poor white boy sold to the BGF for a bag of coffee cuz he shared his commissary with a black. I stuck to my guns though, I dont get along with nazis, I dont get along with any of that. After several confrontations with various whites the Gangster Disciples brought me into their organization, they liked how I carried myself and that I fight for mine.I was also pretty open and outspoken about my politics and made some good friends with alot of the older gangsters--we'd chop it up about the black panthers and I loved to introduce folks to revolutionary perspectives that they hadnt been aware of. When I finally left TX and went up north I was having trouble finding work-shit I was having trouble getting an ID, I ran into my Dad, he was living alone and dying of dementia, I wanted to help but I was living in the woods. Sooo, I started doing the only thing that had ever consistently got me on my feet, I was snitched out and did another year. That sentence wasnt that bad, as far as time went. I told the prison I was a buddhist and was vegan for religious purposes. There were alot of swastica tattoos at classification, but since I was GD I just found the G's and did my time with them. The whites hate that. In TX even the guards got in on it, stripping me down on the main line to chow. Washington wasnt as bad though, I did have to go before a security threat board where they asked me about my anarchist politics--they were more concerned with that then my gang affiliation (cuz its all on file) When I got out though I had the stuff i needed to get an ID so I could work. I got a place and moved my Dad in, but after he broke his hip I had to quit my job because he needed round the clock care--thats when I got into school, I figured financial aid could help with the bills and I could do what I enjoy most-- learn stuff. School was alright, a little on the eazy side, but having to take care of my Dad at the same time definitely made things difficult. I watched as he grew more and more frustrated because his mind was turning on him--and the world around him no longer had use for a human that couldnt create profit for somebody. He died last August, and I moved here. Now Im living in a borrowed RV, Im getting the chance to buy it though for 1500, a good price. Never had a drivers license, thats on the list. Since Ive been here in portland its alot of the same old shit, I dont sell drugs anymore, Im sick of going to prison, but if someone with money says "move that thing" its time to move, ive gotten $150.tickets, tow notices....its illegal to sleep in a vehicle, they'd rather have you under a bridge where they dont have to look at you. A few weeks ago a couple homeless guys were shot while they slept. Its ironic, the system that instills these types of relating to one another uses these examples as an excuse for why we need it. We dont though, its a common misconception that how we currently act is "natural" or a result of "human nature"--but these are cultural constructs. As I continue writing articles (Ive already written the education one) I hope that it will become clear that a considerable amount of time and resources are dedicated to upholding these constructs. For something we'd supposedly do "naturally" it sure does take alot of work to keep us on task. Particularly in the U.S. where we are all immigrants, what we lack in traditional culture has been replaced by capitalism. Capitalism is a way of relating to one another. It carrys the ideal of authority throughout every institution, after all, there is always a boss and a hierarchy, and the american dream is to become the boss, to climb the social ladder-stepping on everyone that gets in the way. Competition and greed have become the center pieces of our social, political and economic system. When people say-oh thats human nature, I say thats a cop-out, cuz human nature is very diverse, so much so that there have been cultures and systems that do not work like this. Nothings perfect, but to base our entire system on our worst traits is insane, not only are we glorifying them, we are refining the worst we have to offer. When I say these things I dont say them glibly or easily. This is based not only from a life of experience, but that life has been aware, nearly from day one, of what was being experienced--and Ive also violated statistical probability, statistically I should be barely literate and emotionally disturbed--Im one of the most intelligent, happy, and emotionally healthy people I know ( I couldnt think of a modest way of writing that so I figured fuck it)--but in this sense Im lucky, because things are organized so that those who would normally gain the most insight about our culture are cruelly marginalized and simply cant articulate how, why, or what. This is to say nothing for the fact that information is managed so that on the one hand there is a cacophony of opinions and theories competing, and on the other, a slow repetitive clear voice of official "reason."

Hopefully I'm not just writing this to myself. There is a simple solution. Its taken me 20 years to understand it, and its already here after a fashion, its been emerging though cloaked in alot of useless sophistication.--and no its not love, while yes thats a good thing people have been telling people to love one another for freakin ever and things are still screwed up. Its not Jesus, at least not for me and a good portion of the world, if religion could solve our problems or even get us on the right track we'd be there by now. It isnt some complex system that requires everyone to get on the same page and do things the same way, that will never work-and as the population grows we get further away from that possibility. No, Im convinced we need to work toward anarchism, but thats not it either-cuz we'll never get everyone to go for that, they need to get there themselves. We need something simple that doesnt require alot of explaining, something that allows everyone to do things however it might work best, something that allows failure but not ruin, something where success spreads rather than being horded. A simple principle that has real active applicable results, one that changes perception as it spreads. Something we can actively work with, something we can do that demonstrates what the world could look like. Something that gives results we'll want to defend.------------As soon as I figure out how to present it, I will. Its something Im sure everyones heard of in a way.Ive been mulling it over and the more I think about it the better it seems. Its not perfect mind you, but its a way to start, to get our foot in the door of real change.---Jakk

I was doing a little research on why my baby dreads are flat and I found out that it is called flapping and that I should palm roll them twice a week but really I DON'T feel like it! hah! Be FREE baby dreads!

Received 3 compliments on my hair today. My hair was tied up but I had beads showing and some of the dreads were loose and kind of sticking out a bit. And the loops were doing their thing of course...

The first compliment came from my 72 year old coworker...I was floored. She has no idea that I've done anything to my hair as far as I know but she did comment positively about my hairdo today. So that was kind of awesome.

The other 2 were customers. They're usually quite complimentary about my clothes and jewelry but in the 3 years I've known them they have never gone out of their way to compliment my hair. Made me feel most excellent.

I'm still waiting for any kind of acknowledgement when my hair is down but so far there's been nothing positive or negative from anyone other than 2 friends who haven't seen my hair and just have pre-conceived notions. One with good notions and one with bad. And another friend who is on the fence about dreading herself. Everyone else hasn't even acknowledged. I'm pretty sure they're practicing what their mammas taught them and not saying anything when they have nothing nice to say. ;p

Anyway, today was just a pretty good day for the self esteem and since it revolved around my hair I felt the need to share!

Hope everyone else had similarly positive days as well.

• hello i have a question... i am currently in life guard training at my school and im getting my dreads on sunday. we swim almost everyday. will the pool hurt my dreads and should i use a swim cap? or will it damage them?

• please help

Truthfully I haven't brushed my hair in several months, maybe even a year...but I heavily used conditioner & if my hair wasn't in a ponytail it was being played with. Twisting strands, running my fingers through it, tucking it behind my ear, constant touching & messing with it. That kept it "brushed" looking enough for me. It's been difficult to stop messing with my hair, I've done it unconsciously for so long. I do feel I've stopped for the most part, every once in a while I catch myself starting to touch it & I have to stop before I run my fingers through it or twist a section. It won't be too long before the habit is gone, but I'm sure once I have true knots with lumps & bumps I'll be running my fingers over the lovely textures. I'll have to keep it to a minimum.

For me dreads were first an idea of beauty &convenience. I've admired them for at least 10 years & the thought of lessmaintenance also appealed to me. Short hair cuts were easy but didn't feel or look right on me (i felt my face looked too round). Longer hair required styling which wouldn't hold or a ponytail which pulled at my head & if worn too often or long would start to ache. I felt my only options were chopped off or ponytail, both of which I didn't enjoy, but both kept my hair out of my way & out of baby fingers. I revisited my old admiration of locks.

I came here, I learned a lot. I read & read, I asked questions & helpful kind people answered. No one had a hidden agenda, they only wanted me to have happy healthy locks & share in their own joy of them. The positive energy here was amazing. I had been in a very down spot in my life & having positive people around me for once really helped me look up again.

I'm continually learning. Not just about dreadlocks forming & caring for them but about myself as well. They are teaching me more patience & calm. I'm able to just let go. I'm usually a mellow person but I can get caught up with things & worked up quite easily, I'm already noticing a change in that...my calm lasts a bit longer...& hopefully as my dreads form & grow so can my calm. I've always been somewhat spiritual but I hope that dreading helps open my eyes, mind & heart more to the spiritual side of things.

There is only one things that worries me about my dreading journey, it's not how they will look or how fast they'll form. It's the reactions. Strangers I don't care about, it's my parents & my in-laws. My mother is extremely closed minded sadly, I know she will have plenty of negative things to say. I dread seeing her next. My conservative father may not say anything but he will have his silence ofdisapproval. No amount of information will help them understand, they refuse to be open-minded. My in-laws will probably voice their opinions based on misconceptions, & I will educate them. They will learn but that doesn't mean they will accept. It's hard when some of those closest to you are your biggest critics. I will try to teach them, I will try to ignore the evil things they will say, I will stay positive because this is something that brings me great joy.

Most of my hair is sectioning, the sections seem quite small & stringy but at the roots they seem to be of decent size so I'll let them do what they will. The sides & front top layers still are silky & smooth as if I've been brushing them all along. I'm not worried, it will all catch up in time. The sections in the very back seem to be starting a bit of knotting, but not enough that I would say I have any dreads yet. Slow progress is still progress.

I turned in the first batch of over 1776 signatures to the US Coast Guard Recruiting Command on Feb. 29, 2012... leap day! (I am petitioning to keep my dreadlocks as a protected article of faith should I be accepted into the USCG.) A rare opportunityon a rare date!

www.dreadygocoastguard.us

First, Happy Leap Year Day, everyone!

As I type this, my eyes stray up to the mirror set up behind my laptop. What am I going to write, regarding this happy mess of hopeful dreads? These past coupla weeks have been wonderful. Got up the gumption to comb out a couple of the smaller two-strand twists, T&R them into more desirable-sized locs.

Now that I feel more comfortable with my hair in the locking process, it boggles the mind that I was so dead-set on having uniform dreads. Nothing about me is ordered, anyway. It's beautiful to recognize the hang-ups on programmed insecurities. So much easier to see them at face value, then wipe it out. Lots of deep breaths, always. Tons of growing to do, on so many levels.

What else have I noticed?

My dreams have been amazing. Running the gauntlet fromterrifying to edifying.

Living with vegetarians has made me one by default the past three months, and I can say here and now, I don't think this is going to be a permanent thing for me. My body doesn't feel the same, and I don't dig it. Cutting out factory farms at every turn, for certain, but I think this means I have to get a jump on the rabbit hutch construction. Our chickens won't be ready for the chop til April, and if they turn out to be hens we're keeping them all. We're buying baby ducks next month, and I couldn't be more stoked. I realize that I may have lost a few of you with this paragraph, but I'm not going to defend myself besides saying that I've been a vegetarian/ vegan cook for the better part of six years. I research my own dietary choices and don't push my decisions on anyone else, so keep all self-righteous/preachy comments to yourself, pleaseandthankyou. If you'd like a good book that parallels my dietary beliefs, read The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith. Good Stuff.

Anyway, I'm drifting. I'm really happy this site has a blog space, my hair isn't the type of thing I can go on and on about in my other blogs, and there aren't too many dreadies in this town. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one. It's alright though. As the bumpers say, "You stare at me because I look different, I stare at you because you're all the same."

Peace

I hate the fact that I can't walk through the hallways at school without being whispered about or stared at or I even get fingers pointed.

C'mon, we are how old?

I made the choice to have dreads because I am tired of being like everyone else. Everyone are clones of one another. I feel as though my dreads represent myself as being carefree and worry-free, but it's hard to feel that way when you are being talked about for being different...

I know I shouldn't worry about what people have to say about me, but they are so rude. They ask questions like:

You don't wash your hair?

Won't you smell bad?

Do you shower?

All I see is complete ignorance, and honestly if you don't have anything nice to say, just don't say anything at all because we are all human, and feelings still get hurt no matter the beliefs.

People are cruel, but on the plus side, I love my dreads as far as they have come and I wouldn't change my decision given the chance<3

ONELOVE

Karabeth:)