Sandra,

While I understand where you are coming from, sometimes there are unexplainable events in the universe that go far beyond coincidence.  Paul the octopus has been observed by both scientists and astrologers alike, and they all agree that Paul has a special ability that we must simply learn to accept.  There are things unexplained in the world that go beyond our understanding, like the fireballs in southeast asia that jump out of rivers, or aurora borealis.  I do think that these things are worth our observation, so we can find greater appreciation in the wonders of this realm of existence.

SmartArt

oh my god that is weird!!!  Have you thought of maybe getting your palms read?  I'm guessing there are serious answers behind this, if you'll just seek them out.  I can do online tarot readings.  No charge.  iammilk022@aim.com  e-mail me.

X marks the spot

Abby, wow that's really unusual, I think.  Is it a pretty discernible "x"?  It could just be a coincidence.  I don't know.  I saw a show once about the Virgin Mary appearing in people's wallets and stuff.  It happens in places like Portugal more than not, so probably not real, but who knows?  It could be a fungus maybe?  Or ringworm?  Or maybe some chemical that somehow got smeared onto the side of your head in an X shape?

Josh

michael stipe = not hot?

turtles = pretty damn cute

meatballs = delicious

E.T. = never saw it

Oh em gee!!  Coolest dream ever ;-)

sup playas and playettes.  i'm anthony.  i have a bald head.  yup.  it's tragic.  i know.  actually, i'm here to spread acceptance of baldness because i like the look on me, and i can't imagine why you'd want to pay thousands of dollars to avoid what your body decided on its own to do.  especially you dudes out there:  don't be an A$$.  shave your effing head and wear it proud.  there are plenty of bros like you, some who are models, actors, gym bunnies, you name it.  if you look like E.T. well then maybe you should get some sun.  if you look like a turtle well then maybe you need to hit the gym or see a chiropractor.  if you look like Michael Stipe well then you're probably gay, and at least gay men will find you hot.  if you look like a meatball well then you've got some problems even i don't have an answer for.

Anthony

Hechysera, congrats on decoding the ultimate balding algorithm!  Now none of us will ever have to worry about baldness springing on us.  Nope, now we can plan for it.  Tuesday, gonna watch the game.  Wednesday, my kids' Thai boxing match.  Thursday, going bald again.  Check check check.  Get a life.

Are you kidding me?  This is like when that octopus in Germany kept predicting that Spain would win soccer matches.  Then they conveniently "retired" him with a perfect record.  A top news headline?  This kind of crap makes me bonkers.  I bet if I were dropped into an aquarium and could only see a blurry yellow and red flag, I would chase after it too.  Heck, I would turn anything yellow and red that I could reach.  There has got to be more to life than this.

Welcome to what my hair was like before it all fell out.

That is indeed frightening, Hechysera.  But at least you had hair in the dream?  ;-)

Ava

Mel, stop digging for blame!  The more you think it's your fault, the more it will be.  You've got to settle down.  Some people like to say "everything happens for a reason."  Hay un motivo para todo.  I don't buy it.  You can reason it, but it's as pointless as trying to dig to China.  You've got to accept that some things are nobody's fault, or how you can ever love someone?  Or even to love yourself.  You'll just keep digging, and eventually you'll hit an iron-nickel core.  Hay una tortuga que se había refugiado medrosa en ese carapacho.

Oh my God you guys, I had this dream last night that my hair all came back but it was the same scraggly thick strand of hair--you know, the one you always want to pull out--but all of my hair was like a bunch of clones of that one strand, and they were all bent and curled in the exact same places.  AhhhhhhhHHH

Hi everyone.  I've been losing my hair again recently, and though that's not a new thing, I'm worried.  For some reason it's been falling out in the shape of an X kind of.  It starts in the center of the back of my head and goes towards the right side.  People must think I'm either in a gang or that I'm really Christian.  I really don't want to grow my hair out because I look bad with my hair longer.  That's the hardest part for me.  It's an obvious solution but I just really hate having my hair longer.  I'll look like an ugly shaggy boy.  People will think I'm a lesbian who looks like Justin Bieber.  What do I do!!

Abby

Wow, Lucy.  I wonder if you're on to something.  It's like Fibonacci numbers.  These patterns occur so much in nature.  Sometimes when I'm watching clouds drift towards the flint hills near my house, I see, just for a second, some exacting forumula.  It's weird.  When I have moments like that, I find a strange acceptance.  It's all just 0s and 1s.  Maybe you can find this feeling in your finding, to help you feel better.  Or at least different.

I spent my youth going hiking all day alone, biking across the town with my friend Val's little brother, building out of wood, climbing on the walls between houses pretending to be a spy.  I was pretty butch though if you saw a picture of me you'd never guess.  I guess it was in my teenage years that I realized my girlie side.  I saw boys, and at first I thought it was kinda weird, but then I accepted it.  I was into boys.  At a young age, I found that weird place between being who I am and being who I want to seem like.  I am now fully aware of the gradient scale between the two and how to explore it.  I can never really be one or the other completely.  I will always be part projection.

I often thought of myself as a younger, less famous Gwen Stefani.  I guess she helped me feel comfortable with myself.  I loved how she spoke up for herself, dressed in sportswear yet wore bindis, only hung out with the guys.  I could relate to that.  She inspired me to explore my own expression.  It was her hair most of all.  Always her, and always her hair, no wigs like many contrived stars.  It made me appreciate my dichotomies.  It was an art.

And now, starting to lose my hair, I wonder how I can be an individual anymore.  Nothing says cancer patient like a bald woman.  I don't want to be that, I want to be ME.  My history is in my hair.  Now I'm sitting around writing on forums to probably no one.  Who have I become?

STacey

it's so nice to see all these new faces!  =D  i'll tell my story again since it's been a while.  i suffer from alopecia.  all my hair fell out a few years ago.  i'm fine with it now, though it was hard to accept.  you've just got to be brave and realize that your options are wide.  you don't need to make sense of why, you just have to find a happy place in yourself.  that's what i'm doing.  we want to live life thinking that we haven't wasted any time, didn't do anything without a reason.  in the end, nothing is pointless.  we should think fondly of the few times that things worked out.  that's the beauty of being human

lots of love to all of you,

olivia

Hey greatscott, I heard from a friend that vinegar could be a solution for seborrhea.  You've got to dunk your whole head in for about a half hour.   You can come up for air whenever necessary.  Just keep your scalp under.

hi everyone.  i am in my late 20s and have been suffering from alopecia for a few years now.  it comes and goes in patterns.  sometimes i feel like i can predict the days it'll fall out.  the time between each is either half or twice as long as the last, plus 26 days.  for example, there were 196 days between the first two major hair fall-outs, and then the next time was 124 days, and then the next was 88 days, and then the next was 202 days.  am i insane?  maybe it's happening at those times because i expect it to.  but right on august 14th, just like i predicted, i combed my hair, and almost everything just came out in one big clump.

Lucy

alo alo alo alo alo peeeeciiaaaaaa

you come and go

you come and gooooo