My New Look

Yes, my hair is purple. I have been getting some very interesting looks in the halls at school. And I even had a young "gentleman" make some suggestive gestures toward me yesterday- which hasn't happened for years, so here's the story. . .

Last May or June a bunch of the marching band students were hanging around and fantasizing about how cool it would be to win state and how teams sometimes shave their heads or bleach out their hair. After they suggested that I could shave my head if they won, I said there was no way I would shave my head but I would dye my hair purple if they won at the Red Rocks Competition in St. George, which is the closest thing we have to a state championship. At that moment in time I was looking at a rag-tag bunch of musicians who were having a hard time marching- even without their instruments. I didn't think they could do it and I never really thought about it again, but apparently the band did.

A few weeks ago they started teasing me that they were going to win Red Rocks and I would have to dye my hair. I was still pretty unconcerned because our show had not totally clicked and the judges were not seeming to love us. We continued to work hard and make changes to our show that we hoped would please the judges. . . So, imagine my surprise last Friday night when the band stepped onto the field at Dixie College and delivered the best performance I have ever seen from them! It was almost magical! When they announced that we had won the music caption, the visual caption, and the Color Guard caption, I knew we were going to win. About 20 seconds after they announced our first place win and I let the band break attention, the chant began. . . "Pur-ple hair, pur-ple hair!"

We got the band back to the hotel and Ed drove me back to Sally Beauty Supply in St. George. A very helpful salesperson helped me find the products that she felt would work the best to produce a luxurious, purple coif. I was armed with items that brought a look of wonder to the cashier's face and was out of the store in under ten minutes. Later that evening I donned my rubber gloves and got to work. First I had to bleach my hair for about 30 minutes. It was a good thing that the salesperson had given a warning about the results AND that Ed was asleep when that process finished. My hair was a terrible shade of bright orange and felt like straw. Then I applied the semi-permanent "Vicious Violet" tint and left that on for 20 minutes. I was not happy with the results at the end of that process, so I had to repeat it. By then, I felt that I was sufficiently purple.

It was hilarious to watch my students' reactions as they came to breakfast on Saturday morning at 6am and realized that I had kept my word. The real fun began at about 8:30am when the sun topped the mountains and my hair began to glow with color. I lost track of how many people stopped me at the competition to tell me that they liked my hair and that I looked good with my lavender locks. A lot of people wanted to touch it to see what it felt like. Too funny. I am sure that most of the male band directors with whom I work and compete thought it rather silly and unprofessional, but that didn't bother me at all. I said I would do it and I did.

I will probably be back to normal this weekend although Colby thinks I should have it purple at church. I think I will let the professionals handle the next round of color treatment. Hopefully my hair doesn't fall out.

UPDATE- It seems that purple hair dye appears somewhat bluish under flourescent lighting, so you may want to go on the pinkish side. Just a tip for all you crazy people who may want to dye your hair purple, too!

And no. . . I am not hiding out while sporting my school pride. . . last night I attended a City Council meeting and a joint meeting with the Alpine School District Board of Education. Most people think it is cool. Some people are too afraid to ask. . .