TMI in marketing

As you may or may not know, I have a fair bit of curl in my hair. I've spent decades fighting it and the other decades trying to learn how to live with it. Of course, this means that the quest for hair care is an ongoing one. And usually about the time I find a product I like, they stop making/selling it. Obviously I don't buy the high end brands that have been available since Eve first realized her roots needed some attention.

The other day I ran out of a personal favorite and asked SG to pick up some more. They didn't have it. They didn't even have a space on the shelf anymore. (I know, I've checked to confirm this.) So he brought home another brand.

Standing in the shower the next morning, I glanced over to see this slogan:

"I'm deliciously bent and your hair is, too."*

That's getting a little personal, don't you think?

*The dilemma now is that I like the conditioner. But if I buy it again, will the makers take that as a sign their marketing approach is working? Do I dare encourage that sort of behaviour? Or do I just put black tape boxes over the slogan so I don't feel so mildly violated every morning?

Work that kazoo!

Today I found this clip from one of my favorite bands, NewWorldSon:



Love it!

Spring already? Spring already!!

Spring is popping out already here in Oregon. The "experts" tell me that it's 11 days early.

How do they know that?

Who sent the memo? And why does it matter? I mean, are they going to try to call off spring? Will they jump out in their white coats, wave their arms frantically and watch nature grind to a halt and then withdraw shame-faced because of their early cue? Do they want her to try again in the hopes of getting an 8.5 from the German judge this time?

I have my doubts.

So while they fret over the date, I've got daffodils, crocuses, irises, tulips and primroses starting their show and I think I'm ready.

Brasseur & Eisler

I watched some figure skating at the Olympics tonight and will say I enjoyed it but nothing for me beats the absolute jaw-dropping fun of watching Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler. They always chose fun music, they wore great costumes and the way he tossed her around was simply unbeaten.

I saw an interview with their coach once that said Brasseur's first reaction when asked to try out with Eisler was, "No way! I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair."

I'm glad she changed her mind.

Getting old ... my way

I celebrated another birthday an indeterminate number of days ago, and one of my children topped off the day by informing me, "You're only 9 years away from being old, Mom."

Ha! I'm way further than that from being old.

Right?

Then this morning I discovered that my routine has gotten a little more solidified these days.

*I like a certain type of spoon for my breakfast cereal and will dig through the drawer/dishwasher to find it.

*I have an optimal "milk moment" for that same cereal - when it's not too crunchy any more but not yet approaching soggy.

*I prefer when the comics and crossword are on the back page of a newspaper section and not hidden in the middle where it's harder to find and fold to my specifications. And if it's hidden for too many days in a row, I get a little testy.

*The shower can be before or after breakfast, but preferably not before 7am or after 9am (the beauty of being a writer is that I can choose to work in my PJs if I want to, but I've found there's a limit to the amount of warm fuzzy my brain can take before it just wants to sleep again.)

*I do have at least a fleeting thought about comfortable shoes each morning. Don't always give in but there's mental math sometimes about # of hours on feet x type of activity x chances to rest - is this a place I can kick my shoes off if need be + what lingering effects I might be feeling after yesterday's shoes ...

The good news is I'm still pretty flexible after 9 am. But maybe I should start writing these things down so the kids have the list ready for the home.

When it's time, of course. Because I'm not old yet.

Hagiography

I learned a new word today:

hagiography

noun - 1. a biography of a saint
2. an uncritical biography, treating its subject with undue reverence.

Why does this interest me?

Well, just so happens my nickname is college was "Hag." (If you know my maiden name, you'll get it.) And the recent death of a good friend had me thinking about the kinds of things that might be said after I die. You know, the old what-do-you-want-people-to-say-at-your-funeral approach to life. It seems to me that it would be entirely appropriate for someone to write, not just a biography, but a hagiography about me. It's considered polite to speak well of the dead, so just step it up a notch to "undue reverence." Or maybe just say I'm a saint.

I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?





















*added 2-26-10: I read Fifth Business for the first time last weekend (I know, still working through my college text required reading. Don't think the teacher will accept the paper 20 years after the fact though ...). Anyways, who knew there was a novel that actually uses this word? A LOT, too?

Okay, probably my college professor ...

The secret to lasting happiness

Having a bad day? All you need to do to lighten your mood is find a funny cat video (or a funny cat). There's really nothing funnier than watching a cat do something - well - cat-typical ...