Crazy random thoughts at 3AM

During a long sleepless night, I was fascinated by the random hair-related concerns that popped into my head.

Will my hair grow back differently -- different texture, etc? No, dumbass, that's only if your hair loss is related to illness or treatment. Isn't it? Started obsessing over what kind of doctor could answer a stupid question like that. God forbid I go into any situation without all the relevant facts at my fingertips.

Will my scalp be paler than the rest of my skin, considering its been covered with hair for 45+ years? Spent the better part of the morning peering into the mirror to assess the color of my scalp relative to my forehead.

Was I ever hairless? Apparently I had longer hair in utero than I actually have now, if the beauty shot above is any indication.

White scalp+tan face=lots o' fake tanner in my future this fall. Lovely.

wow. Wow. WOW.

Sent out some emails this morning alerting people to my wild head-shaving adventure. Within 10 minutes, what a humbling experience. Wow. Words can't express my gratitude for the emails, the calls, the kind words, and most of all, the donations.

I am grateful anew for the wonderful people in my life -- clients, colleagues, family, friends -- who opened not only their wallets, but their hearts in support. Any misgivings I may have had were washed away in the flood of "You go, girl!" cheerleading I received today.

Come winter, my head may be cold but my heart will be warmed by your generosity. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And so it begins

I've never been a girly girl. My purse never matches my outfit, I despise mascara, and the whole Carrie Bradshaw shoe fetish thing eludes me.

So how hard could it be to shave your head, especially when it's for such a good cause -- raising money for childhood cancer research?

An organization known as St. Baldricks works with a local group, the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh Club, to host an annual event here in West Orange, NJ. Volunteers (known as "shavees") raise money and have their heads shaved to demonstrate solidarity with kids who lose their hair during treatment. Saw a brief press mention last year and was intrigued, so I mentioned it to Raymond, my husband. Unexpectedly, he decided to take the plunge with me for the 2010 event, growing his hair over the last few months "so it would be more dramatic." I suspect it was just a dodge so he could justify not getting a haircut the entire summer, but that's another story.

Ray & I have talked about it for months, but never actually committed until this week. Now we're officially registered as "shavees" and accepting donations. And the misgivings are flying fast and furious. What if my head is shaped like a dented melon? Will strangers assume radical fashion statement or brave cancer patient? Where's the line between bold and crazy?

In less than two months, I will discover just how much an impact a woman's hair has on her self esteem. Stay tuned...