The End of an Era

I have mixed feelings about change. I know it's inevitable, and that most times it's the result of circumstances beyond our control, and sometimes I'm okay with that. In fact, I revel in it, rejoicing in the opportunities it presents for growth and exploration. Other times, like today, I'm not such a big fan.

You may remember, loyal blog readers, that back in January we were getting ready for the arrival of Cousin P, who has been living with us as she studied to become a makeup artist. Well, time has flown by and last night Cousin P left to go home. The apartment now feels kind of empty. She's been gone less than a day and I miss her already - though she did leave something for us to remember her by:

This is Judy, the head on which Cousin P practiced all of her hair styling homework (currently sans hairstyle). It comes with a clamp, which you can use to attach it to various level surfaces. Tres creepy, non?

Seriously, though, it was so much fun having Cousin P stay with us. I've learned a lot about the world of makeup artistry that I didn't know before, mainly from watching various TV programs with her and listening to such comments as: "She's wearing a wig" or "His nose is actually huge - look, you can see where they've shaded the edges to make it look smaller." Did you know that they put a darker patch on the underside of Jay Leno's chin to make it look less pronounced? Or that in many of those workout machine infomercials, the ripped abs and pecs are basically painted on, and the sweat is actually an oily makeup product? I will never watch TV the same way again!