the internet is made of cats

Years ago, I spent a chilly winter's night with friends in Portland, OR. Their little cat Bella decided it was SO chilly that even though she did not know me, she buried under the covers and slept snuggled up between me and my (then) boyfriend for the entire night. The rest of the time we were visiting, Bella was always around us, chirping and purring and snuggling and generally being the Cutest Cat Ever. After I headed back home, I remember telling our gracious hosts that I actually missed little Bella. It was then that they told me that they would consider re-homing her with me, since she was not getting along with their 3 other cats. I drove up a few weeks later to bring home my new Teacup Kitty, and 7 years later, the rest is history! Bella still keeps me warm in the winter and is the best companion anyone could ask for. She's never met a stranger and is the friendliest cat I ever met. I'm so lucky to have her in my life. <3

Google+ is pretty nifty!

So, just in the last week, I seem to have gotten a Google+ account and 100 new friends. Wait, they're not new friends! So, why am I there? Well, here are a few reasons.

1. The friends circles thing is just awesome. This is something I wish Facebook would implement in a more user friendly way. I love being able to post one thing to family and another thing to acquaintances - this way you don't bombard the wrong audience with something they'd rather not read about.

2. The hangouts thing is awesome. This is a great feature to use if you need to have a meeting on the go and can't get up with someone in person. I used it with my webcam and had a live voice/video chat and it worked seamlessly. Awesome!

3. Integrates with Google Talk. Sweet. I use that a lot. It's also not all buggy and annoying like Facebook's chat.

4. Killfile! Well, sort of. If someone adds you that you do not want to interact with on Google+, you can add them to a banned user circle. Voila! Problem solved.

5. It works seamlessly on my iPhone in the Safari browser. I mean seriously, it rules. I'm already signed into Google and so I have access to G+, Talk, and all of the other Google products I'm signed up for (except for Google Sites, unless I'm a dolt and just can't find it). The interface is pretty darned flawless.

So - are you on Google+? What do you think so far?

Emily Rachel Gilley

what I've learned about long hair care

So, I'll be writing on here about all sorts of stuff that interests me like world events, my career, my kitties (crazy cat lady here!), beauty and fashion, and lots more. Today, I thought I'd write a little bit about my long hair quest.

Something like 4-5 years ago, I had hair to my waist. It was super long, but not in the best condition because I colored it with box dyes and used whatever shampoo and conditioner I could find. Later, I went through some major life changes and decided to cut it off into a short, chin-length bob and I wore it like this for several years.

Recently, I've been missing my beautiful hair forks that I bought on Etsy, all the great updos I learned, and the feeling of long hair when it's cold, so starting earlier this year I began growing it out again. I cut out all of the dye gradually and then I went back to an old haunt of mine, the Long Hair Community. I have gotten an amazing amount of information from the forums and made some good friends there!

So, what are some of the main things I've learned?
1. Stop with the blow drying and flat ironing. Just stop. Maybe for special occasions it's ok, but otherwise, STOP!
2. Box dye is the devil.
3. Sulfates in shampoos strip the hair and absolutely kill it. I now use only sulfate-free shampoo (and even then, I rarely shampoo, but more on that in a later post).
4. Silicones may temporarily give hair slip, but they also coat hair keeping moisture out along with any oils or moisturizing treatments you use to treat dryness. If your hair is crunchy and dry, try a clarifying shampoo (you can even add baking soda) to get the silicones out (most of which are not water soluble, so this is tricky) and then treat it with a nice oil (I prefer argan oil).
5. Even sulfate-free shampoo is a bit much for my delicate hair, so I have gone to conditioner-only washing. Use a very lightweight and silicone-free (I cannot stress this enough) conditioner and apply it all over the head and scalp. Comb through with a wide-toothed comb. The gentle surfactants in the conditioner will get the hair clean without stripping like shampoo does. Try to avoid conditioners with protein as these can make the hair brittle and crunchy. Also, go for cheap conditioners for this as you have to use a lot of product. I am now using shampoo only once about every 2 or 3 weeks and conditioner washing the rest of the time.
6. Never. EVER. Brush wet hair. Repeat after me: Never, ever brush wet hair. You know that "snap" you hear when you do? That's your precious hair breaking off. Just leave it alone, or finger comb it. If you must, you can use a wide-toothed comb, but it's best not to even comb it until it's dry, unless you have a problem with tangling.
7. Stretch time between washes if you can. I have learned that I can't stretch quite as long as some people because I have an oily scalp. I wash about every 3 days. Some that stretch their washes can go a week if they have a dry scalp. Make sure you brush frequently if you do this, but do it with a boar bristle brush. This will loosen dirt and it will also distribute your hair's natural oils from the scalp through the ends of the hair.
8. You try to keep your hair looking clean and fresh and then you go and use those filthy brushes? Shampoo your brushes at least once a week! I do this on Sunday when I wash my makeup brushes (which keeps me from breaking out).
9. Ditch the elastics once your hair is long enough. I'm still using them right now since I can't get it into a bun, but once I can, I will be putting it in buns and using spin pins or braiding it and using a gentle clip. Elastics cause tons of damage. If you must use them, use the kind without the metal on them. When my hair was very, very long a few years ago, I used only spin pins and my wooden hair forks from Etsy.
10. I got myself a satin pillowcase and I am amazed at the reduced hair breakage. I thought Oprah was ridiculous when she suggested this on her show, but then I just happened to get one for my dreamy Tempurpedic pillow and yeah, I noticed the difference.
11. Box dyes are evil (I think maybe I said this already...). I used them for years and then tried to condition the crap out of my hair to make up for the abuse. Recently, I discovered Lush henna. Not only does it impart a lovely color, but it makes the hair stronger and super shiny and silky, since henna coats the hair shaft and this particular henna is in a cocoa butter base. Love it!

So, in a nutshell - baby your hair! Try ditching sulfates and silicones and using protein sparingly. Try experimenting with oils such as coconut and olive oil (millions of gorgeous Indian women cannot be wrong). Stop frying it with dyes and heat styling. Stop ripping through it with a brush when it's wet and for the love of Pete, don't rip out rubber bands and bobby pins. Just because your hair has nerves, that doesn't mean it doesn't feel the pain of abuse! And now that I've put my hair in an oiled damp braid, I'm ready for sleep. I'll wash it out in the morning and it will be soft and awesome. Goodnight, everybody!

Emily Rachel Gilley

Welcome to my new personal blog! I will try to make it back here as often as possible to update; however, I am really quite busy! Hopefully I can keep this place updated with my thoughts on the medical transcription industry and keep you all posted as I muddle my way through the medical billing and coding program at Career Step.

First, a brief introduction. My name is Emily Rachel Gilley and I am a medical transcriptionist. I originally got into this field because I was caring for a sick parent and felt that I should work from home in order to be close to them. Many people who get into this field are parents and enjoy working from home so they can keep an eye on small children. This job is great for this, if you can manage your time and the distractions that come along with working from home around small children (and in my case, pets!).

Many people ask me how to get into the field and if it is possible to make good money. The long and short of it is, you must go to an AHDI approved school and get your certificate before the vast majority of companies will even look at you as a possible hire. It is a good idea to get credentialed as either a Registered Medical Transcriptionist (this is what I am) or Certified Medical Transcriptionist (you can sit for this exam after 2 years of clinical experience). I found that once I got my RMT, it was easier to get my foot in the door; however as a "newbie," it is still quite difficult to get hired, although it is certainly possible! I will certainly help any of you that have questions about getting that experience that employers are looking for.

The other thing to be aware of is that most work-at-home MT positions hire as independent contractors, not employees. This means filing your own taxes and either going without health insurance or buying your own (this is much more costly than having a group plan through an employer). There are some employee positions with benefits out there, but the vast majority of jobs are contractor positions.

I do love doing medical transcription, although I am a quite social person, so I am taking the medical billing program at Career Step with the hopes of getting an in-house position locally. I will continue to work as an MT from home after that, probably as a part-time independent contractor.

Feel free to ask questions!

Emily Rachel Gilley