I know I said I was going to update more regularly. When was that, back in February? Yeah. This year is going – has gone – super-fast. I’ve been writing, writing, writing, if that means anything. (It should mean something. I am a writer, after all.) So this is just a check-in to show my face. I changed my hair recently, in late September. (Y’all care. (beat) Fuck yeah, y’all care!)

I got sooooooo tired of picking out that afro, making sure it was shaped right, symmetrical, as spherical as it could get, etc. It was pretty, but it was work. I nearly had a right arm like Popeye from all that picking. I’ve got braids now. Last time I had them was in 1999. Hey, remember that innocent look I had on the back cover of my first book in 1997? I had a variation of braids then…

Awww, look at that doe-eyed Lo! All that corporate experience (she, I mean, I was the National Communications Manager for the KinderCare Corporation when that pic was taken), but no idea of the savagery – SAVAGERY, I TELL YA!!! – that awaited in the worlds of publishing and entertainment. *sigh* Those were the days. Doe-eyed Lo was expecting nothing but happy mind-romps with fellow creatives and readers and what-not – which did and does happen – but, wooh lawd, all the other stuff that goes with those worlds! The business of it all. It grows you up cat-quick.

Anyway, yeah, so the braids. They’re easy maintenance and show more of my face. Can you believe there were people who actually didn’t know what I really looked like because of the ‘fro? My own writing partner didn’t recognize me as I approached him, even though I was waving wildly at him saying, “Hey! It’s me!” He side-eyed me all, “Look, ma’am, whatever it is you’re selling, I don’t want any. Wayment. Okay, how much is it? I got…” (*counts out money*). It seems The ‘Fro (yeah, that bitch gets capitalized at this point) was like, I don’t know, this entity that had taken over. The volume of it must have cast a shadow on my face or something because when I showed up with braids, more than a few folks who’d only known me with *church organ* The ‘Fro reacted with downright “who ARE you?!” shock (in a good way, but shock nonetheless), followed by lots of, “OMG, you look sooooooo different…” It was comedy, pure comedy. So yeah, the braids free up time for me to get more work done. More writing. Less picking. Hmmm. I like that. I think that’s going to be my motto from here on out.

[click image to enlarge and be awed by the, er, transformation. (I guess.)]

We’ll talk about those ginormous glasses I’m wearing some other time. As for now, back to the salt mines…