Hair Appliances

Of course, I remember these fondly. In my never ending quest to make my hair look like a normal person, this particular appliance was my best friend through high school and college. Hot rollers had not been invented. Or, if they were around, I had not heard of them yet.

This is me as a freshman in college. I washed my hair and put it in a Pebbles-type 'do and strapped on my hair dryer. If a group of people decided to study in the lounge or in another room, I unplugged it, transported it and set up shop elsewhere.

This other photo is me as a sophomore in college. That's the 'do I wore under the hairdryer. I find it hysterical that the background of this photo is a gigantic Valentine's Day card taped to the wall. It's kind of hard to imagine that anyone would feel the urge to send me a V.D. card after seeing me in that get up.

Recently I was trying to make my hair calm down and running through my various brushes, rollers and curling irons. I had serious longing for my old dryer.

The Dance

Any joy or relief I used to find in music is temporarily on vacation. I can't enjoy music because every song and every artist evokes a memory. It's my own fault; I married a music man.

Of course, I enjoyed music long before I met him. But, when you are with a music man, it goes to new heights. You get absorbed in his knowledge. You associate songs (and especially lyrics) with happier times. You marvel at his mind and his talent. Happier times involve singing around the piano or dancing on the patio. You remember every concert, every dance, every quiet moment -- and what song was playing at the time.

My iPod hasn't been on in months. I have broken two nails jabbing the radio station buttons in the car. I turn it off but then the music in my head is worse than whatever they might play next.

I love country music and I thought I was safe with that. Unfortunately, they are playing Garth Brooks' "The Dance" a lot lately. This is a song the husband learned to play on the piano for me, even though he is not a fan of country music. It is sad and haunting. It is appropriate but we didn't know it at the time.

From The Dance:

And I, I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go.
Our lives, are better left to chance.
I could've missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance.

Big Hair Jobs

I can make my hair look like this. In fact, it probably looks like hers right now. Plus, I"m pretty sure this job is in my future.

Phone calls from my temp agency cause two immediate feelings: happiness and dread. I prefer working and get a little excited at the possibility of making my car payment or having the money to get my roots done. (It all comes back to hair!) But I also have learned to live with the feeling of dread. Companies don't use employment/temporary agencies to fill jobs that I am interested in or qualified for. Especially in this economy.

Happiness and dread go hand in hand in lots of situations. But let's not go there.

"The trouble with unemployment is that you wake up in the morning and you're on the job."
Slappy White

Bye Bye Babies

My assignment with the 12-year olds at the not-for-profit agency is over. They make assignments based on upcoming events and for me to continue I would have to commit to a 6-week period. I can't do it. Maybe I'll be sorry but I think not. It does not give me any time to pursue employment that I am actually able and willing to do.

So, it's back to the temp agency for my next assignment. There's no guarantee that they'll have one. If they do, there's no guarantee it will be any better than this one although I did ask them to refrain from telephone sales. We shall see.

I might even miss some of my little (and big) coworkers for a minute. At least I have my coffee mug for a souvenir.

"Hope is the feeling you have that the feeling you have isn't permanent."
Jean Kerr

More Questions to Ponder

This is going around the Internet and my cousin sent it to me. I love these questions. If you have some witty answers, let me know.

If you have sex with a prostitute against her will, is it considered rape or shoplifting?

Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

The Economy

Isn't it scary? Are you, like me, skittish about how much worse it might get? So many people are in completely awful situations. Yes, many could have handled things differently but who foresaw the Wall Street and financial industry fiasco? Who imagined the possible demise of the Big 3 automakers? Who thought we'd all know people who have lost their home, their job, their retirement or all three? The disparity between the haves and have-nots is larger than the grand canyon.

Much of this mess I call my life can be traced right back to me. Even with the mistakes that were not mine entirely, I was an enabler. I also fell into my awful habit of looking the other way or total denial about financial matters. Trust me. It's not a smart solution.

I am still a pollyanna and I do believe we will recover. The economy will improve. I will get a full-time job. Consumer confidence will slowly return and we will find a new normal. I shed my rose-colored glasses along the way but I do realize my situation is a friggin' rose garden compared to some people I meet.

Permission to Be Afraid

Some of you have expressed genuine concern about my safety due to my cracks about my coworker. Worry not. She only snarls; she poses no real threat.

On the other hand, some situations can be threatening. I read "The Gift of Fear" when it came out in 1997. I have reread portions of it many times. It is geared toward women but I know many men who have also found it helpful. This is from the flap:

True fear is a gift because it is a survival signal that sounds only in the presence of danger, yet unwarranted fear has assumed a power over us that it holds over no other creature on earth.

True fear is primal. It is the voice in our head that says, "No!" Many people, especially women, ignore it for fear of offending someone. It's a good way to wind up dead.

I do trust my instincts now. (I will be the first to admit that I've done some pretty dumb things in my youth that could have gone way wrong!) I am also super cautious. I rarely go out alone after dark. Whenever possible, I take my dog along in the car. If I am out and about alone, I let someone know where I will be and I keep my cell phone on my person. I do not hesitate to ask someone I know to escort me to my car.

No one is ever completely safe and I refuse to live in a bubble. But when those little hairs on the back of my neck go up, I pay attention.

This quote was written before the digital age but it still fits:

"If you want to be safe on the streets at night, carry a projector and slides of your last vacation."
Helen Mundis