02.01: Don't Drink The Poison.. not even from a friend!

Good evening Rockstars + Lambs!

Tonight, I'm sitting at the laptop sipping a luke-warm cup of Godiva coffee and updating my online life.  I've taken the past 12 days to break from this blog and begin a new thought process.  I find it so appropriate because of the fact that I am starting a brand new chapter of my life.

Since my last blog, I received the OFFICIAL phone call that I will be working for the haircare company, Joico.  Til that point, we had been courting each other with the idea of bringing me on as an educator for the brand.  It is official now and we will start work together in January 2013. 

In the meantime, we are kicking off holiday season at Rockstars + Lambs.  We have alot of really cool deals coming up in our retail and lots of fun has been had planning Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and then come January 4th, I'm flying to Napa! 

We are also working on a bringing a toy drive to the salon.  Starting the week BEFORE Thanksgiving, we will start taking donations for the Pueblo County Department of Social Services.  All donated items will be distributed to high-risk families and families in Pueblo County that are in an impoverished state. I really feel that even though my investments have all been tied-up with Rockstars + Lambs that my holiday season should not BE ABOUT ME or PRESENTS.  My family is aware of this and I am going to focus on GIVING to others.  My family is very blessed.  We all have fabulous homes, own our own businesses and can pretty much make things happen VERY FAST when we want something taken care of.  With that said, I am not focusing on materialistic items for Christmas, I just want to give.

The holiday season means alot to me because of the fact that this used to be a time of sharing and experiences shared with my extended family.  As the years have gone by, my family has moved away or lost interest and instead of looking at celebrating with just the "four of us"... I'm going to turn the frown upside down and involve my clientele and friends in giving to those that just don't have as much.  

In the past few weeks, I have probably only seen my group of friends a handful of times.  As I announced the fact that I was working on my book, a possible radio show/podcast and getting ready to tour with Joico, I noticed the criticism coming in from a large majority of my friends.  I can count compliments or congrats on one hand.  That's it.  

When I talked about my book, my friends shrugged, "when do you have time to work on that and IS IT expensive?" 

-I'll worry about that.  thank you.

When I talked about a podcast/radio show, I had a very jealous friend say, "that pisses me off". He had found out that I was negotiating a wage and contract agreement for the show.  Honestly, how do you expect me to pay an engineer and producer plus pay for my time as a radio personality?  

-nothing is ever personal, it's business to me.

When I announced my partnering with Joico, I had dead silence for days from my friends.  My clients were happy. Some concerned, "are you leaving for good?"

-Nope.

For me, the clear stain of jealously and envy on people's faces and actions have REALLY ignited my Garbo-ways.  Staying clear of their negativity is all I do.  I had a client critique the salon the other day and she made a comment to her friend that was with her and they just laughed and made fun of an element of the salon.  I simply didn't acknowledge their catty malice and went on with the session.  What I have found is that NOT ACKNOWLEDGING criticism allows someone to feel their own stupidity in their words they project. 

If you want to say something half-assed, fucked up or critical, swallow your own poison, bitches! I'm not Snow White and that ain't NO APPLE you're serving up!

I was invited to alot of Halloween parties this year and for those of you that know me well, you know damn well I do not celebrate Halloween.  For someone to REPEATEDLY invite me over and over again is offensive.  I've explained myself in the past.  I do not believe that Halloween has any spiritual significance or life lesson attached to it to even validate it. So, I stayed in, put my jammies on and watched old 80s reruns.  That's fun to me!

My time has been spent with my two favorite individuals and actually I've really enjoyed getting to talk to my sister these past few months!  She has lost 30 lbs, is in great shape and is beginning training to become a personal trainer.  I'm proud of her!  When someone sent her a shitty remark on Facebook, she called me and said, "what should I say to that?"

I said, "delete the bitch! Don't swallow their poison, baby sister."

You know what?  She did it and it worked.  She also did what I have been doing and has not even responded to some nay-sayers.  LET THE HATER SWALLOW THE POISON!

If there is any advice I can give you all reading this is to #1: do not accept a malicious comment from ANYONE ESPECIALLY a friend and #2: do not allow your friends to peer-pressure you into a box... you know what that's called? BULLYING!

In the grand scheme of things, I do love my friends, however, I do feel as though a great deal of them have acted inappropriately or have made me feel shunned.  I simply won't have it.  No poison for me.

In the meantime, I'm starting a juice/sushi diet and buying new clothes for Napa!  It's time to tone-up! Get in tour shape.  The Rockstar Stylist is back!  This time... things are gonna change.  I don't want one ounce of negativity.

My grandpa Gerry said it best, "if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your damn mouth shut!" 

Remember, lambs... don't drink the poison.  Not even from a friend.

Josh

Tweet me @studiojry

Visit my lifestyle/beauty blog rockstarslums.blogspot.com 

Volume 01 Hiatus - 10/21-11/1 2012

What's up Rockstars + Lambs!

Thanks for checking out my award-winning blog "Pretty World, Fabulous Life: Inside Studio JRy".

As with all volumes I've ever written, there are 13 entries and a short "hiatus" or break.

Volume 02 debuts November 1st, 2012.

In the meantime, check out
"Rockstar Slums" my hit lifestyle blog
Http://rockstarslums.blogspot.com

I'll be appearing on "After Dark with Dr. Mike" 10/22 on AM 1480 or stream live at i25talk.co 9-11pm. Tweet me live on air @studiojry #joshafterdark

Visit my official website www.Josh-Cooley.com

Thanks for visiting!

01.13 : YOU are YOUR best teacher

Good evening my loves...

I am sitting at Studio JRy reflecting on the evening.  I just returned home from the SCEA Harvest Banquet.  I am so pumped up and so proud to have went.  Tonight, two humanitarians  were honored with "Pride of Pueblo" Awards for their contribution toward bringing awareness to the LGBT community and their rights.  As an equality alliance, I am proud of them and their efforts.  I am also very proud of who I am as a person and a friend to the LGBT community.  

For me, tonight means so much.  The fact that in 110,000 population Pueblo has a banquet for their gay community means the world to me.  For me to live in a rather conservative state from conservative parents and see an event that personifies the gay community the way I know it makes me proud.  Not everything is stereotypical or made-for-tv.  Not all gay people are flamers or masculine-looking lesbians.  Not all gay supporters are gay.  Not all politicians care if they are gay-friendly.  To all these people, gay is the furthest from the brain... it's ONE part of who we are.  To have straight allies makes us stronger and to make it a time of celebration and seeing us as humans and not as "gay people" warms my heart.

Tonight, my best friend and I attended and as I sat there and we ate, listened to the key-note speaker and watched the awards ceremony, I was so proud to call him "friend".  He is my favorite person.  It is well-known.  I do not have to "train" him to be a civilized classy man.  We both want the same rights as any other partnership and to know I have his back and he has mine is comforting.  Alot of people will never understand the bond I have because they haven't had to live life as a Mediterranean gay man.  They never had the lives we had growing up.  They didn't take hours out of their day to break bread and council each other like we do.  For that, I love him most.  And as his friend, I want only the best for him.

Tonight, was also the night of my 100th video blog on the ShakeYourCooley channel (visit http://www.youtube.com/shakeyourcooley) - after 100 video blogs, all I hope people understand when viewing them is that I am on an adventure called life and my mission to learn more about me, share it with the world and hopefully help someone reach their true identity and love their authentic self. 

The point of THIS very blog has been the same thing . I don't think people really care what I'm drinking, who I hang out with or what happened me.  They like the stories.  They like the autobiography of my writing.  I am, obviously, not ashamed of who I am or what I've learned or how I learned.  I want my journey to be a "wake up call" to some and comforting and eye-opening to others.  For the haters that read just cos they want to dog me, let them have that!  They're cowards and fakes.  You know how I feel about those assholes...

My life lately has been about taking care of me.  Tonight, we left before 10pm.  In the day, I would have hooped-and-hollared it up with everyone and had an afterparty.  I can honestly say... those days are pretty much done.  I like to hoop and hollar on my own time.. not in public. (There goes the Garbo-talk again)

My livelihood and taking care of me starts here: in my thoughts.  My thoughts translate into writing. My writing is inspired by me.  That's not ego, that's self-examination.  For me, I AM my best teacher.

I hope that I can grow and move on to become a teacher to many.  As 2013 approaches, the internship program at my salon is growing, my interns are graduating to other salons and Joico comes calling in January.  That means lots of traveling.

The other day I tweeted that I would take my best friend or my mom with me.  I wasn't kidding.  I have two loves of my life:

-my career and every facet of it 

-my love of sharing with my family and friends.

Through this platform called the internet, blogging, tweeting, Facebook, etc... I hope to share the most concise, true, intimate piece of my knowledge I can with each of you.  I want you to be your authentic self.  I want YOU to be the best you and I want you to be happy and content in your own skin when you lay your head down at night.... just as I am.

Sometimes my mouth and it's words are raw and the knowledge I share is naked and unfiltered, but ultimately, I am a teacher at heart.  I want the best for you and I will share what I can in the hope that you understand that YOU are YOUR best teacher. 

Warmly,

Josh

Visit josh-cooley.com 

Visit my lifestyle blog http://rockstarslums.blogspot.com

Tweet me @studiojry

01.12 : Cooley is the new Garbo

Good evening lambs!

It's close to midnight as I type this.  I'm sipping a cup of fresh coffee and contemplating a hyaluronic acid facial before bedtime.  Today was a gorgeous fall day.  A gorgeous Sunday with my mom.  We went to a local cafe for breakfast and went shopping, attempted to make pizza and failed (oh well), drank a little, shopped a little and watched some New Jersey housewives.  All in all, a great day.  The scent of autumn-themed candles has dressed the air and Studio JRy is dimly lit for total fall effect.  I am adoring this calm space post-Award, post-busy week in the salon.  In abou 13 hours, I will be back to life in the salon and for me, it will be hard to NOT think about the salon and focus on sleep.

My life has changed dramatically since taking on my internship program and since one of my interns has been hired at a very large salon in town.  I am mixed with emotion as I was part of this organization some years ago and left on rather unfulfilled terms.  Whatever the case, I hope she does well and uses her integrity and mind and is not jaded like most of the staff she is joining (harsh words, but really, my wish for her is to succeed and overcome peer pressure).

Lately, I have taken to pulling myself away from all my online mediums and pulling away from unnecessary visits and communication with friends.  I find it sad to say that I find 80% of the people in my life dressed in acting out the "charade" of life: talking to fake friends with fake words and forming fake bonds.  Gimme a fucking break!  I have important things to do like worry about my own success and how to get there, not by licking someone's ass or chasing after something that doesn't belong to me! I am quite happy alone in my studio and alone at Studio JRy.  Fakebook (aka Facebook) is the least of my concern and frankly, I'm annoyed by political posts and drama between exes and angst-laden adults that act as if they were fifteen year olds.  I graduated freshmen year YEARS ago.  They should as well.

I have had a few friends talk to me about how they have disdain for other "friends of [mine]" and frankly this is how I feel about the situation----------------

If you can't all be grownups and get along, share your time with me and don't ask of each other.  Truly, I don't care if you like him/her/it/they.  Grow up.  

This past week, I went to dinner with one of my closest confidantes and was contacted by FOUR friends asking me my whereabouts and why I haven't come around.  Also, WHO was I with!  I was rumored to be on a date, be depressed, be drinking at a local bar and ignoring everyone.  Well, no, I was sipping a class of wine with a person I will refer to as "The Universe".  

There are two people in my life I call "The Universe" and I WILL drop ANYTHING for them.  They know who they are and as a favor and respect to them, I do not mention them online or in my blogs . It's not important and will only cause issues later on. Truth be told, there's reasons for protecting each identity and no, that is one aspect of my life, I WILL NOT share.  

My fascination with Greta Garbo is always of public interest.  About a year ago, I started posting #cooleyisthenewgarbo as a trend on Twitter.  It caught on.  It's on my youtube channel and I even talked about it on Facebook.  In true Garbo fashion, I want to tell you that "Garbo" is code word for "alone".  Sometimes, I am actually alone and sometime I am actually in the company of "The  Universe".  Either way, it's not your business.  The blog is, my life outside the salon and what I chose to share online is not.

As Garbo was to cinema, I am to hair and the beauty industry.  With the whirlwind of recent radio appearances, talk of a book, the trending of "Rockstar Slums", my beauty blog on Blogger and new marketing campaign, I can only tell you this...

Just as Garbo disappeared from cinema is the way I wish to vanish from my persona.  Oh yes, a book will come, a blog will always be around as well as limited hairshow appearances, but truly, retiring in a penthouse and keeping only the company of friends I love as my family and leaving my love-life to no one's confidence is how I have envisioned the remaining years of my life.  I do not want to work as hard as I do now at the age of 60.  I want to be known, stay known and only be relevant enough to be remembered as an icon in this community and my industry.

There is an event coming this week in which I was proud enough and able enough to donate a large sum of both silent auction items and philanthropic contributions.  If people know that's fine, I've only shared what and how much with certain people and a select audience.  For me, people that constantly donate out of ego are not my idea of philanthropists or passionate.  I very much so am learning to be frugal in my spending for both the salon and at home especially.

In the next five years, I have envisioned a new home, a new salon, a large staff and a very enigmatic way of performing my business.  The new business venture coming in 2013 will require me to be bi-coastal at least quarterly and I am certain my writing and new found love for radio will take me further.

After all, who doesn't want to be successful and after all, isn't branding a busy game?

Greta had her quite moments, but never built a brand.  You know I admire that branded herself? Gloria Vanderbuilt.  What a powerhouse!

Those women had it... power and penthouses.

That's where I'm headed.

Silently and alone tonight,

Josh

Tweet me #cooleyisthenewgarbo @studiojry

Best of Pueblo Winner!

Tonight, we took home the bronze prize for Best Blog or Blogger. "Pretty World, Fabulous Life: Inside Studio JRy" is the award-winning blog!

Thank you to all that have read and follow my online presence!

-Josh Cooley