Olympia and the City

Hello Everyone,

Greetings from Greece, the land of ruins. I have, after some time, come back to the place where I was born, for a long needed vacation. The town is called Kamena Vourla, and is about 90 miles east of Athens. A breathtaking lovely resort town with world renowned hot springs, that brings people with aches and pains from all over the world.

Amid this lovely setting, I sit and people watch….I  watch very carefully, and the scene here reminds me of a play that became a movie long ago…..Shirley Valentine. Remember that movie? No?

Its a story of a middle-aged, working class woman that leaves a note to her husband on the kitchen table, and goes to Greece on a holiday. An uplifting story of a woman that gets the courage to let herself feel again. It’s pretty close to what I feel. Everyday  life, can get in the way of a persons journey to self awareness. So, amongst the land of ruins…..I allow myself the luxury of thinking like……….Shirley Valentine.

I ask: “What happened to me?”, “when did I become stagnant?”, “is this as good as it gets?”

In the movie, Shirlie finds love, what would happen if I too found love on my vacation? Would I run for the hills, afraid of getting hurt?  OR would I run over him and make him the next roadkill ? Lucky man, no? Would this man have the emotional intelligence and be brave enough to love a complex woman? Do any of those men exist anymore? IF and WHEN I do meet him……..I would tell him that……..I now love myself and that HIM loving ME, would be welcome, and I would try to be normal…….whatever that is.

Life is funny, you never know what can come your way. The main thing, is to believe and trust, love will one day come to you. So, here I am, come and find me……I AM READY!

Hello Everyone,

Fathers Day is June 21 this year, and as always, I start to think about and miss my father more than usual. He passed away about nine years ago and it still hurts. As I watch my daughters play-fight and abuse their own dad, an enormous feeling of loss envelops me. My father was a womanizer, a gambler, a drinker and a smoker……………I WORSHIPED THE MAN. I am a grown woman now, but still a little girl that adores her dad in my heart. Remembering him can be overwhelming…….but, I would like a to share a story about him with you.

In April 1999, I called my father in New York City, where he lived and ran his business. I had some very bad news. I was pregnant AND going through a divorce. I told him “Dad, the man is gone, and I am pregnant, what am I going to do now ? ” He started to laugh so loud, I thought for sure he was making fun of me, HE DID TELL ME THE MAN WAS NO GOOD. This is what he replied ” my daughter, don’t be sad, this child will make your life seem like a work of art, and besides…..I will be there to help you raise him “If my father was fine with my predicament, then why shoud’nt I, right? I hunkered down , took care of my little girls and the store and waited for my first sonogram to see what i was being blessed with.

On September 1999, I went for a sonogram and upon arriving and checking in I was told to fill in some forms. As I read , my eyes caught something on the page. ….under reason for the sonogram, they had listed: ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE …….What ? Me? But I am a fertile goddess you people. So with my ego bruised , I laid down and…………I saw the most beautiful boy I had ever laid eyes on. I ran home and called my father. Upon hearing that he will have a grandson, he bought everyone at the bar a drink, and right then and there he………. QUIT SMOKING AND DRINKING.

On October 1999 , he was diagnosed with bone cancer. I could not believe it, this strong happy man was terminally ill and there was nothing much that we could do about it. Within six weeks he was in Hospice Care and I was totally helpless. Thats when the nice hospice folks gave me a book called: FINAL GIFTS. I read it all within hours, and it was a GOD SEND. It explained why my father was telling me strange things like : ” When the boy is 15 he will forget to come home, Make sure you tell him who’s the boss” OR he would look as if he was seeing people that I could not see. SAD STUFF. Not being able to help loved ones , is hell, isn’t it ? Thankfully, it did not take long. Looking back, I think he was trying to die fast, so as not to make me suffer. On November 27, 1999 my father died.

On December 9, 1999 My son Elias was born.

Life is full of suprises right? You never know what a new day will bring. I do know how much he mattered to me. He was the man that knew it would be allright, and it is. He was the man that gave me courage and strength when he had none. He was the man that knew I could do this…………..and like most fathers………did not have to say so. Happy Fathers Day, thank you for reading my post, and, if you will excuse me……………….I have to go resolve a paternity case !

Hello Everyone,

It has been a Wild Spring in the salon, clients have been coming in and the long hair cuts just dont work any more. I hear it all day long “what should I do with my hair ? ” That is not an easy one to answer, not because we  hair stylists do not have ideas, trust me we do, its because the new look should be easy for you to do at home AND make you  look good . So I have compiled a list of the most popular hair cuts and styles for this season. If you are thinking of a new spring makeover , I do hope this list will help:

HOT HAIR TRENDS

1. SHORT HAIR CUTS  as in a crop with simple lines, tons of texture, and a long side fringe to add interest and spunk. Keep in mind that a short crop can be changed from tom boy straight to curly and wavy by just using a bit of gel or pomade. A few well placed foils around the fringe to add dimension to the new cut should do the trick. A good  haircut should’nt break the bank, and  at Miracles Salon we  strive for value AND style.

2. SHORT LAYERED BOBS  Think of a page boy bob but with tons of razor cutting in the back/sides and a bit of a soft wave around the face. Clean fundamental lines infused with the fluid razor strokes. A pastel or ice brown color gloss makes this hair cut free spirited and perfect for warm weather. We have also been doing a rich dark red color base with cinnamon and honey high and low lights that is out of this world delicious. What is also DELICIOUS is the price for womens haircuts….$30. The price DOES include the blowdry ladies.

3. MULTIDIMENTIONAL COLOR  The Colorista’s in the salon have been going crazy with this seasons latest trends:The Spring Collection haircolor is multidimentional, richer, based on the colors of nature herself-chestnuts ,auburns, caramels, brandys,and cool blondes to awaken the senses. We have developed a process to do everything at once: color the base, lowlights and highlights which not only saves time but saves the hair from dryness and double processing. Miracles is having a Spring Special Coupon which you can access from www.miraclesinthecity.com/beauty-product-coupon.html

4. NATURAL TEXTURES  As in lovable mop tops, are huge with men’s haircuts this season, especially the well groomed kind. The inspiration comes from the urban music scene AND the techno savy hipsters in our town. Our men haircuts start at $20…..cutting edge   WITHOUT   the attitude.

5. CHIC CHIGNONS  As an attempt to escape todays abysmal economy, Stylista’s are going back in time and creating chic chignons from the 1920’s and 1930’s era. The updos are classic and yet with shades of the extreme: Boxy, rolls, embellished and a little bit of “I have a hangover from last night” . We…at the salon call it :mixed media updo. A Very fresh look for Proms.

Well thats about it for Spring Hair: Cut it short, add a fringe, enhance the color and dont be afraid to evolve and change. Remember that beauty is skin deep and hair DOES GROW BACK ! Visit us at Miracles Salon soon. We are located at 1501 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, Virginia, 22209. Or call to schedule your appointment 703-516-9800  www.miraclesinthecity.com You can also read our awesome reviews at www.yelp.com

Hello everyone,

It has been a long day and its only 1:14 pm. Seems to me that when chaos rules, there is only one thing to do: GET ON A PLANE TO NEW YORK CITY. The salon air conditioning system is down, the boy’s father wants a DNA test (great defense for not paying child support),  I have just broken the car tail light backing out of the driveway, and Ihave spent the last 20 minutes (while on the phone) looking for the darn phone.

CAN YOU TELL THAT I AM STRESSED ?

So, I was so very glad that a friend of mine is having his art exhibit in New York tommorow. Meet Marko Panas everybody. www.markopanas.com This young talented man will be at the Mark Hachem Gallery on Madison Ave & 77 th St. Marko uses fire to RULE over CHAOS………my kind of man. The kind of man that challenges nature and the elements, knowing full well that he can never control them .

Marko Panas, Untitled 2008

This artist is full of energy and spark(excuse the pun) so if you are in the area ,go and see him, you will not regret it. Besides………we all need a little fire in our lives …dont we? www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/48983-marko-panas 

Hello Everyone,

A very happy spring to all. May is my favorite month of the year, all the senses seem to be running on full blast, and I cannot wait to get a new cut, color and a spring purse and shoes. I also like to discover new places to see and be seen -in ( wearing my new purse,of course).

I think that I have found this place,and its all because of this lovely young lady that came into the salon to get her hair done.Meet Christiana Sargent , she is the assistant general manager of Domaso Tratoria, the restaurant at Hotel Palomar at Waterview at 1121 N. 19th Street, 4th floor. For reservations call 703-351-1211. www.domasotrattoria.com

Christiana, is also the Beverage Director for the awesome little wine shop in the lobby level of the Hotel Palomar. We Greeks love wine, but our selection is a little limited, with Retsina being the favorite of most Greeks that I know. So I cornered Christiana and asked her about a hundred questions about her favorite wines and food. Let me tell you that the girl has it all together and is very passionate about her craft….I was impressed. The Hotel Palomar has made a fine choice in her. I also asked her what her favorite dinner -for- two is( think sexy) and if Massimo De Francesca ,the chef, is single.( Not only can the man cook;he is gorgeous) Forget it girls……he is married. But Christiana did give me a lovely dinner menu, here it is.

Appetizer:

Lobster salad with crab meat and shaved fennel served with a lobster cream sauce

Champagne Couvee St Anne

Cod fritters with horseradish cream aiolli

Roanne River White

Main Course:

Braised Short Ribs

Yukon Gold mash potatoes

Basil/siso sauce

Desert:

Sweet and savory chocolate tart with espresso sauce

Coffee ice cream

topped with(get this) a crumble of Blue Cheese

Christianna tels me that her favorite chocolate is AMADE’E a brother/sister company based in Tuscany, that is out of this world. They have a Fruit bar made out of dried cherries, rasberies and dark chocolate, that you should pair with a sparkling Shiraz from Australia called Paringa.

The must try new wine is Mark Tente from Alsace .The company follows the Farmers Almanac,is Bio-dynamic, organic, and the Pinot Blanc vines produce an almost surreal amber-gold colored wine with some frisante.Wow…is this girl a great Somalier or what? Go  see Christiana, tell her I sent you. Sit at the terrace and look out at our amazing city and have a drink. Life is short my friends, live it and be happy. Turn off the news channel and stop stressing. Trust me when I tell you that we really have no control over fate.

SWINE FLU ? …..WHAT SWINE FLU ? GO LIVE EVERYBODY AND HAPPY MAY DAY TO YOU.

Hello Everyone,

Today marks 15 years at Miracles Salon. It has been quite a ride……a good one. Alot of people ask me why I named the store Miracles…….I will tell you.

The year was 1994, I was a divorced mother with two little girls, an old mom to take care of, and  myself. The previous year my taxable income was $ 12,500. We were living on very little, but that was ok, I was young and never afraid of work.

A friend of mine, Theodore, told me of a hair salon that was for lease in Arlington. I drove past and I fell in love with the place. The very next day I called the landlord and scheduled an appt to go and see him to talk about the lease. Anthony was his name and he was the son of the building owner : Westfield Realty. Anthony was very nice and polite, he gave me a financial statement to fill out……..and I did.  He came back in to see if I was done with the form……only to see me laughing. He asked me what was so funny and I told him that if his father approved of this lease…….IT WOULD BE A MIRACLE. You see my net worth after all expenses was $83.00. He took the form and went to see his father, he came back about 20 minutes later with a SIGNED LEASE. Anthony told me that his father was happy to have someone like me take over the space at 1501 Wilson Blvd, He said that it is people like me that make this world a good place, and that I deserve a chance to work and raise my kids. I have never forgotten those two men and I remain very grateful.And that is why I named the store Miracles and NOT 1501 Hair Design. So I had a store…….but still no money to open it. That is when I called an old friend of mine Rich Barkett. I said “Rich I need a loan” , ” I will pay you back within a year I promise”.

Well…….he was on his way out of town, so he told me to go to his mailbox later on that night to get the check. I thought he was kidding…..until my little girls and I drove up to his home, opened up the mailbox in the shape of a huge cow, and found a check for $ 10,000. That is another person that I will be forever grateful for. I hear people all the time say that they are “SELF MADE” what a bunch of crock. We all need help, everyone of us. Yes, I was in the right place and the right time, But it took alot of help and support from others to accomplish this.

SO WHAT DID I LEARN FROM 15 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS ?

1. Trust in God

2. When in doubt…do nothing

3. Dont wait to ride out the storm……..do something

3. If you want to be self employed…….dont expect a paycheck

4. There is no “get rich quick “formyla

5. Finding the right balance between work and home is very hard

6. If you dont love what you do…….do not do it

7. If you are doing it for money…….you will fail

8. Take care of humanity and humanity in turn will take care of you

9. It takes 15 years to become an over-night success

This is my time to finally accept the slice of pie that life has given me. It has not been easy, but it has been exciting. I have, like all people, been through my share of pain…….but its OK. I was never promised a bed of roses, besides, who wants that? So boring, dont you agree? Thank you for reading my post, and thank you for helping me these last 15 years. The salon is doing well and that is because of you and my staff.

Hello Everyone

It has been a while since my last post, and I am very sorry about that. Thank you for the nice emails and concern. We have been so busy at the salon, trying very hard to stay on top of our game. I have NEVER seen an economy such as this. I have lived through Coup D’Etats, Riots, Chicago’s East side,the gas crisis of ‘77/78, Baghdad the day before the invasion, Herat, Afghanistan during the war with Russia, BUT THIS IS BAD.

For most of this past week we have been doing corrective coloring and conditioning treatments on people that have BURNED their hair trying to do it themselves. Let me back-track a moment and tell you that since I am now an Internet mogul, I placed one of those Google Ads online that said “Hair Loss? I Can Help” . OH MY LORD the amount of phone volume crashed my phone lines and Verizon was out twice this week to fix them. NOT FUNNY. We are officially out of the Collagen Hair Treatments, they went like hot cakes. I called Clairol and Wella and they told me that the Hot-lines for them were also overwhelmed with calls.

I do not know if I should laugh or cry people. I DO know what being poor feels like, fear grips you and does not let go. The thought of hunger, homelessness, jobless, no health care is all depressing. A few years ago we never had these thoughts, if we did, we brushed them off as groundless. So what’s happened? I can blame many things: Cable News Media, Greed in Wall Street, Ineffective Government, and the ABILITY of all of the above TO HOODWINK US.

They say that if one does not ACT against a WRONG, then it is perceived as accepted. This is me taking a stand and saying I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS. I refuse and rebuke all fear, America IS and WILL be just fine. All of the economic indicators, except housing , have nowhere to go but up. Housing will take a while because the American Dream of owning a home had become a Fantasy instead. YOU CAN’T AFFORD A MILLION DOLLAR CONDO ON 100K SALARY PEOPLE. Get a grip, live within your means, do not do your own hair, turn off the news, look closely at your children’s faces and smile. As for me I have to go now…THE PHONES ARE RINGING OFF THE HOOK.

Hello everyone,

Winter is almost over, the North wind is blowing, and Spring beckons, can you feel it ? I sure can, It is driving me mad. I know, I know, its still cold outside but there is that smell in the air that says “wake up”. February is the month that we celebrate love :Valentines Day. I wonder if Saint Valentine intended for us to celebrate love the way we do today, considering that the Romans killed him for performing marriages when he was ordered not to. Imagine that, a world where being married to the one you love was not allowed. Today , we show love with chocolates, cards, flowers,jewelry and fancy dinners on Valentines day. Much easier than a clandestine marriage performed by a Heretic ,huh ? OR IS IT ?

Love is hard. Love in this city seems to be really hard. Maybe its not that hard, but we make it seem that way. Washington D.C. is a very hard place to find a mate, many girls at the store complain about not being able to find a man here. Loneliness is a very bad place to be in, the problem with being lonely is that you get used to it. It has a tendency to creep up on you and before you know it….you have become a recluse. HARD TO FIND A MAN IN YOUR LIVING ROOM.

Dont get me wrong, I am not saying go out and pick up any loser in the bar. NO, do not do that, Loneliness makes for very bad judgement calls( I know all about that one) . What I am telling you is that you need to make an effort to go out with your friends,co workers, family and start to meet people face to face. Match.com is fine but dont you think spending MORE time infront of the computer is STUPID ? lets not forget all those cheesy ads on there about sunsets, fireplaces,long walks on the beach COME ON ALLREADY if those guys were so romantic WHY ARE THEY ALONE ?

I THINK I KNOW WHY

We have lost TRUST. Thats right: TRUST. We no longer trust ourselves to make the right call when it comes to our hearts. We have been hurt and we do not want to be hurt again. This is true for both men and women. It has become a vicious cycle of being afraid of falling in love and falling in love with the absolutely wrong person OVER AND OVER.Thus the recluse and the confort of being LONELY. It is very easy to do. You must stop, human beings were meant to go in packs, like wolves we are social animals.We are not meant to be alone. Go out and meet you some good people, they do exist,are you not one of those good people? Or do what I did : I HAD AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE

I will tell you all about it in my post tommorow. In the meantime, Go out, play, laugh and be young.

Hello everyone,

It seems to me that, with all the big industry lay-offs, that a lot of folks are looking to reinvent themselves. I think that is great news. I am hoping that people want to become hairstylists, makeup artists, manicurists and estheticians. The “makeover” shows have done a lot to promote our industry, a very good thing indeed, considering that we sometimes feel demoralized (more on that later on).

Continue reading Want To Reinvent Yourself? I Can Help!

Hi, Voula Here:

Coloring your hair can be a big step, particularly if you’ll be lightening or darkening your hair more than a shade or two. While hair coloring can be done successfully at home, it carries with it a certain degree of stress and headache. There are so many factors to consider from selecting the proper shade, selecting the right products, to using them effectively. Sometimes you need the help of a professional hair colorist to get the results you want without falling victim to a “bad dye job.” If you need professional consultation before taking the big step, here’s how to find the right hair colorist:

  Continue reading Where are all the great hair colorists hiding?