I'm a Pantenologist (& an EWP Giveaway!)

Today I was greeted by this ginormous box. I was so excited!
What was inside, you ask? Why, my Pantene Scientific Hair Test Kit, of course!

The folks over at Pantene identified four distinct hair structures and started developing products for these different hair types.

1) Curly - I can tell you right now this is me. No testing necessary.

2) Color - hmmm.... maybe I'll need this since I got my new highlights...

3) Medium-Thick - Oh, but I have medium-thick hair, too!

4) Fine - Okay, this one I for sure know is not me.

And to make this whole process very official and scientific, the folks at Pantene included these handy scientist glasses...

.....and a lab coat! I can tell you right now, I'm going to wear this lab coat everyday.

Don't I look very smart and sciencey? I'm a pantenologist!

Let the testing begin! Pantene sent me some tests to conduct to figure out my hair type.

First up, pull my hair in a ponytail and see if it's thicker than this coin they sent me. Check! That means I have medium-thick hair.

Then I brought out the curly card for the curly hair test.

I yanked a hair out and placed it on the card. I think this means I have tightly wound curls. Definitely not a surprise.

Testing complete! [Note my husband's penchant for taking pictures from a seated position leading to super unflattering pictures. What a jerk.] Now all I have to do is use the shampoo/conditioner corresponding to my hair type(s).

Want to try Pantene's new line for yourself? You can find it any local drug store or grocery store or wherever Pantene products are sold. Or you can go to Pantene.com for a free sample.

And to make things even more exciting, Pantene has provided me with a $25 gift card to Wal-Mart to give away to one of my lucky readers!

Just leave a comment with your email address or not if I know who you are and let me know what you think your hair type is:

And, no, I will not judge you for wanting to win a Wal-Mart gift card. My favorite pair of underwear is from Wal-Mart. "WHAT?" Long story involving flat tire in the middle of nowhere and killing time at a Wal-Mart til my tire was fixed which resulted in the purchase of many random things, including a pair of Halloween boy shorts that glow in the dark. I love them and wear them all the time.

Winner will be announced next week Monday when I get back from DC.

This is a compensated giveaway. Pantene has provided me with the Pantene Scientific Hair Test kit, information, and a $25 Walmart gift card to giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

Texture Tuesday: April 27, 2010

Urban Outfitters sequin cardigan:Doo.Ri dress:Ports 1961 geisha sandals:

Fox Biped and Weighting

In order to animate my Fox - I will need to add a biped the to the model, along with suiatble weighting of the joints to get a realistic movement effect.

I started off by creating a new biped through.. Create > Systems > Biped. Then rotating the skeleton to a horizontal position. Next using "Figure Mode" in the motion rollout, I positioned the arms and legs to fit inside the model.

*Hot Tip - freezing the model prevents accidental movement when attempting to align the Biped and prevent the model from being selected.

This is a fairly simple process and can be done in a short space of time if done correctly.

---

Weighting

The fox model required fairly extensive weighting to simulate clean movement of the joints. What makes this type of model particularly difficult to skin properly is the fact that mistakes can easily be seen through small movements and the structure of the skeleton affects a large number of smaller section of each leg.

Testing consistently after small sections were weighted was the best approach to this task - eventually I was able to weight the model to a standard that allows the model to look very realistic with the right use of lighting.

The fact that I needed to keep going back over the skinning process to correct errors has allowed me to become quite proficient using the weight tool and blending the vertices.

1979-80 Minnesota North Stars Al MacAdam Jersey

On this date in 1980, Al MacAdam scored a goal and an assist to lead the Minnesota North Stars to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup Quarter-Finals in Montreal, ending the Canadiens drive for a fifth straight Stanley Cup.

In 1976 the Canadiens dominated the regular season, finishing with a 58-11-11 record for 127 points to win the Norris Division by 42 points over the Los Angeles Kings and lead the NHL in points with nine more than the Philadelphia Flyers. Thier 58 wins and 127 points were new NHL records. Canadiens Right Wing Guy Lafleur lead the league in scoring with 56 goals and 69 assists for 125 points. The Canadiens cruised through that year's playoffs by sweeping Chicago in four straight, eliminating the Islanders in five and sweeping the defending champion Broad Street Bullies in four.

As dominant as they were in 1975-76, the following season of 1976-77 saw Montreal put even more distance between themselves and the competition. A 60-8-12 record gave them 132 points, 49 more than the Kings and twenty more than the Flyers in the race for the league's best record as they eclipsed their single season records for wins and points as they outscored their opponents by 216 goals, an average of 2.7 per game!

Lafluer captured the scoring title with 136 points from 56 goals and 80 assists. Steve Shutt's 105 points were third overall in the league.

The playoffs were more of the same, as it took Montreal just two games over the minimum to defend their championship, as they swept St. Louis in four, defeated the Islanders in six and swept the Bruins in four.

1977-78 was yet another dominant win for the Canadiens. Their 59-10-11 record for 129 points was best in the league for the third consecutive season and 51 points up on division rival Detroit and 16 more than second place Boston.

Lafleur again led the league in scoring, this time with 60 goals and 72 assists for 132 ponts, nine ahead of the Islanders Bryan Trottier. Jacques Lemaire's 97 were good for fourth overall.

In the playoffs Detroit fell first in five, the Habs ended the rival Maple Leafs season in four straight and once more defeated Boston in six to capture their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

The dynasty rolled on in 1978-79, but signs the Canadiens were coming back to the pack began to show. The Islanders pipped the Canadiens for the best overall record by a single point, 116-115, as Montreal (52-17-11) lost more than 15 games for the first time since 1974. Lafleur relinquished the NHL scoring title, as Trottier (134) and Marcel Dionne (130) surpassed his 129 points.

The playoffs though saw the battle-tested Canadiens dump the Maple Leafs in four straight for the second season in a row, outlast the Bruins by the barest of margins, as Game 7 went to overtime on a famous Too Many Men on the Ice penalty against Boston allowed Lafleur to tie the game with less than 2 1/2 minutes remaining. Yvon Lambert scored the game winner to return Montreal to the finals yet again where they won their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup, and 10th in 15 years, by defeating the New York Rangers in five by winning four straight after dropping Game 1 in the last cup final between two Original Six clubs.

Still a serious contender despite the retirements of Lemaire and Ken Dryden and a coaching change away from Scotty Bowman, the Canadiens won yet another Norris Division title in 1979-80 by 33 points over the Kings and finished third overall in points, nine back of Philadelphia. Lafleur led the club in scoring with 125 points while finishing behind Dionne and NHL newcomer Wayne Gretzky, who tied at 137.

With the four former WHA teams joining the league, the playoff format was changed and Montreal entered the playoffs with a 21 game unbeaten streak, and easily defeated the Hartford Whalers 3-0 to advance to face the Minnesota North Stars.

The North Stars had been one of the league's doormats since 1973. Their 13th place out of 16 in 1973-74 set the tone for the following six seasons, as they would only qualify for the playoffs once (and with a dismal 23-39-18 record!), getting ousted by Buffalo in two quick games in the best-of-three preliminary round. The low point came in 1977-78 as the North Stars finished in last place overall with just 45 points from an 18-53-9 record, 84 points back of Montreal.

Things were about to change for the North Stars, and in the most dramatic of ways. The moribund Cleveland Barons, who began life as the California Seals, merged with the North Stars, adding a number of key players to the North Stars roster in the form of MacAdam, Dennis Maruk, Greg Smith and Gilles Meloche.

Additionally, the North Stars last place finish allowed them to draft forward and future Hall of Famer Bobby Smith first overall and Smith's junior linemate Steve Payne in the second round. US Olympian Steve Christoff was also taken in the second round and joined the team following the 1980 Olympic Games. Future captain Curt Giles was selected in the fourth round and joined the club mid-season following a minor league callup.

The new reinforcements were added to an already existing core of Tim Young, Glen Sharpley, Brad Maxwell and Fred Barrett. While the team failed to qualify for the 1978-79 playoffs, they did improve by 23 points that season and another 20 in 1979-80 following the additions of draft picks Craig Hartsburg and Tom McCarthy.

The North Stars 88 points were good for third in the Adams Division behind Buffalo (110) and Boston (105) and they were paired up with the Toronto Maple Leafs (75 points) to open the playoffs. Three games later the Maple Leafs season ended and the North Stars advanced as the #6 remaining team to face the Canadiens juggernaut, seeded 3rd of the remaining clubs.

The upstart North Stars, with only one player over the age of 30, shocked the hockey world with a 3-0 shutout of the Canadiens in Montreal to open the series followed by a 4-1 win, also at The Forum. Montreal turned the tables by pounding the North Stars twice in Minnesota, 5-0 and 5-1 and took a 3 games to 2 lead back in Montreal after a third easy win 6-2 to restore order in the hockey world. In three games they had outscored Minnesota 16-3.

In a series that had yet to see a close game, the North Stars got up off the canvas back at home 5-2 to force a seventh and deciding game back in The Forum on Canadiens home ice where they had gone 30-5-3 during the regular season and were riding a streak of 13 straight playoff series wins.

Game 7.

Montreal Forum.

17,465 faithful filling the building to the rafters.

"The Drive for Five" on the line.

Montreal opened the scoring of the deciding game at 9:12 of the first period on a Mark Napier goal but Montreal goaltender Denis Heron misplayed a shot meant to ring around behind his goal, and when the puck hit his own net and deflected out front, Tom Younghans was able to knock it into the unguarded net for a shorthanded goal at 14:43 of the first.

Minnesota took the lead at 16:46 of the second period on the power-play but Rod Langway evened the score at 5:23 of the third. The North Stars, even in shots on goal through two periods, were badly outshooting Montreal in the third period and finally were rewarded when Bobby Smith broke in wide on the left side. He centered a pass, which was tipped toward the net by Payne. Herron got his arm on it and, while the puck was still about four inches off the ice, MacAdam got his stick on it and swatted it into the net with 1:26 remaining in the series.

Minnesota held on, behind the goaltending of Meloche and MacAdam's timely offensive contributions, to win the game 3-2 and end the Canadiens dynasty at four straight Stanley Cups, clearing the way for the rise of the New York Islanders dynasty of their own.

Today's featured jersey is a 1979-80 Minnesota North Stars Al MacAdam jersey as worn when he ended the Montreal Canadiens dynasty in Game 7. Notice the treatment of MacAdam's name on the back, with it split into two distinct sections, rather than all capital letters or making it one continuous name with the "AC" smaller than the rest of the name. This style is from the third generation of North Stars jerseys out of the five basic styles they used throughout their history.

Here is footage of Denis Heron misplaying the puck, which resulted in the first North Stars goal of the game.

From Chest to a Desk

On Wednesday night, my friend Ashley and I went to the filming of America�s Got Talent with judges Howie Mendal, Peirs Morgan and Sharon Osbourne. While the show itself was really funny and entertaining, it seemed all of the reporters and press at the filming wanted to know about was what Osbourne was going to be doing with her 34DD breast implants.

Osbourne recently revealed to the Today Show on NBC that she plans on having the removed and is apparently even giving them to her rock star husband Ozzy to use as paper weights.

Here are some tips about how to go about removing silicone or saline breast implants:

Carefully make an educated decision to remove your implants based on your health, self-esteem, economic situation and advice from your medical professionals.

Consider the option of an implant exchange: a procedure to replace older implants of the same size or to a smaller size.

Ensure that you are economically secure to afford the cost of surgery.

Prepare yourself mentally for the change in your external self after you have the surgery.

Old-In Young-Out

It has always been a challenge to keep up with the constantly changing dos and don'ts of life. Who can forget when eating anything non-fat was all the rage, giving all of America a false sense of how to stay slim regardless of portion size. Did we really think eating the ENTIRE one pound bag of twizzlers was going to be good for our waistline? So America gets fat and what's the solution...low-carb! Overnight being within 10 feet of a piece of bread would up you a size.

It has been the same with exercise over the years. I remember a time when fitness experts everywhere promoted cardio until you were literally blue in the face. Then all of a sudden if you weren't lifting weights to build muscle mass you didn't stand a chance of losing weight. First it was heavy weights and now it's light weights at high repetition. How is one supposed to keep up? Which changes are based on scientific breakthroughs and which to avoid moderation (something Americans seem to do at all costs)

As presented in a great article in the New York Times Styles section yesterday, the latest society 180 is that celebrities should be 'less tucked' than the current crop of Hollywood actresses. Casting directors have grown frustrated with actresses auditioning for the part of a middle aged woman when they look 30. The same goes for the young sector when someone with Heidi Montag's breast size shows up to play a character in a period piece. Breast implants didn't even exist before the 20th century! One casting director is replacing the old fashioned head shot with required bathing suit shots, regardless of what the role calls for the actress to wear. This helps avoid any surprises in the bust area after casting is complete. Movie producers want their movies to be an escape from life for a few hours, however they also want their actors to be believable in the roles they play.

I sympathize with the women of Hollywood...well most of them anyway. For years they have been told to stay looking young or they would be washed up before their 35th birthday. Women didn't want to wait 20 years for their next role as somebody's mother so they fought back with needles and scalpels. Some of the results we've seen have been better than others, but for the first time there are lots and lots of leading roles going to women over the age of 40. A generation ago this was unheard of. Of course just like with anything else, moderation has become a problem (remember that bag of Twizzlers?). The people of Hollywood have had a hard time stopping after the right amount of "tucks" and plastic surgery restrictions are now being placed by casting agents. Women who have had work done are being sent away without roles they would've otherwise been given, and often times are not told the reason why. The word is now getting out and it will be interesting to see how Hollywood reacts. I mean, is Meryl Streep really going to stop getting Botox? Not a chance.

My theory is that we will start to see fluctuations in age on and off the big screen just like we do with weight. Actors and actresses temporarily gain and lose weight for roles all the time. Renee Zellweger didn't exactly decide to keep the weight on when she was done playing Bridget Jones. She must of gone straight to the gym after the wrap party because she was back to a size 2 in no time. I think we will see the same pattern in the Botox department. Actresses will time their injections to be worn off by the time shooting begins. If you want Susan Sarandon to look like a Grandma then so be it, but you better believe she will be at her plastic surgeon's office the second her last line is delivered. As always, Hollywood will conform to get the role, but being skinny and young will always be required outside the editing room. Hopefully one day societal standards will be more attainable, but I won't be giving up my gym membership in the hopes of this happening anytime soon.

Until we can sit down and eat a handful of chips, request a "Full B" at a breast augmentation consult, and not use the whole vial of Botox at one visit, we will be faced with rule changes without warning. I guess it will keep us on our toes...doesn't that at least burn calories?

*To read the New York Times article I am talking about click on the title of my blog. Feel free to comment with your opinions on the subject!

love this...

Rebecca Taylor sundress:Micheal Antonio sandals:

Kate Spade picnic quinn bag: