the domestic zoo

I love my little lion mane.

e-mail from Dad to Emily (1:54pm): updateyourblogyouslacker

reply from Emily to Dad (1:55pm): stophasslingmeoldman

reply from Dad to Emily (1:56pm): butineedsomethingtoread

Well, Dad…now you’ve got something.

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in other news: my dreadlocks are 10 months and 10 days old today.

As of August 21st, the dreadies are three months old. They’re really beginning to tighten up now, and no one dread is the same as another. Some have tightened up smoothly, others have lost about half their length and become chubby little buggers, and others have tightened up partially, leaving large bumps and loops. Beads and threading have helped to control some of the messiness, but most of the time they’re just doing their own thing. Their own, ugly thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my dreads and I have never once wished I didn’t have them. But it’s a process, a journey if you will, and I still have a long way to go. My little dreadie children are just hitting puberty – things might get crazy for awhile, but I know it’ll all work out in the end.

As mom and I were walking in downtown Rockport, Massachusetts, yesterday, I heard someone call out, “Nice dreadlocks!”

I turned just in time to see a woman and her daughter in their car, and I quickly said “Thanks!” as they pulled away. The woman had dreadlocks and the back of her car was covered with a myriad of environmentally conscious and pro-peace bumper stickers.

One of the larger stickers simply said: got Jesus?

And I smiled.

A kindred spirit…

While I was in the park last Saturday shooting photos of the band, a guy came up to me and started talking about dreads. Allow me to impress upon you that it is VERY rare to meet a fellow (or former) dreadhead in this area.

He said he’d had long dreads for over fifteen years before he finally ended up cutting his off, and he’s regretted it ever since. He also said that mine were looking good for being just a few weeks old, which I have to admit, was pretty nice to hear.

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And here’s my Seussian dread, à la Gertrude McFuzz: