Change on the horizon

I have been silently (and sometimes NOT so silently) aching for a change in my hairstyle for the past few months. Its too red, it's too long, too frizzy, too complicated and I could bitch about it for HOURS, but I wont because through all my months of belly aching, I have learned that most of my bemoanings fall on deaf ears. I guess the current follicle crisis I am tortuously enduring is no more important than the state of my mothers jasmine plants.

So of course......what better to do than bitch about it to the Internets?

Here is my hair on a good day:

Mind you, this is prior to stepping out into the thick of Florida humidity that attacks every strand with such enthusiasm that by the time I make it the six steps to my car my 'do has lost every semblance of body that it once possessed.

Also, this photo does not accurately portray the amount of red that is in my hair color. The bathroom lighting is much too kind to me. However, the sun is not so nice and makes it appear as though I am wearing a brilliant helmet of fire which does not compliment my skin so well.

As for the remedies to these problems, I am at somewhat of a loss..........

I know I want to color my hair lighter, perhaps even back to my original color (!) Something my scalp has not seen since I was 14 (!). I want to destroy the red that has rooted itself to my head, I want to extract it, tie it up and throw it into the trunk of my car and beat it silly with a shovel while I wear ridiculous lingerie; much like this.

I also want to loose some of the length. I do appreciate the longer strands, especially at times when I am subjecting myself to the heat outside and the nape of my neck is longing for a breeze. Those days I appreciate the length and our mutual partnership. However, most times it hangs limp and unstyled, frazzled and forlorn. It is time we make our peace with each other and cut.

So speaking of cuts, I would like something like this:

However, I would go slightly longer so that the bottom layer would be long enough to pull up into a pony tail. Alas, I have been advised that perhaps the texture of my hair would not be best suited for this cut. So, I continue the hunt for an acceptable hair cut.

UPDATE: I did it! I chopped it all off and the results: