Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A Predictable Affair

Having a cold is pretty much a predictable affair, albeit unpleasant. It usually begins with a slight pressure in the roof of the mouth or a sudden sore throat. From there, the nose begins to run, and run, and run, and if you are particularly unlucky a cough develops. Contrary to popular opinion there is absolutely nothing to do to get rid of a cold aside from the "tincture of time" as my old buddy Dr. March used to say. As such the last week has not been nearly as pleasant as I would have liked. I managed to go about my business pretty well until Sunday night after the market. The crash occurred resulting in my being asleep by 8 o'clock with Vicks Vapor Rub rubbed under my nose and on my throat. I slept very fitfully last night because the cough has caught up with me. Cold--please go back to where you came from--you are an unwelcome guest.

Bruce has been home every night for weeks now, but with the inspection yesterday, the day was long and we decided he should stay in The Villages overnight. This meant that instead of him picking up more tissues for my runny nose on the way home, I had to go out. I'm a baby sometimes; what can I say? I'd completely emptied parts of four boxes! Anyway, of course I brought my camera and on my street I found a tree with only blue lights in the bare branches. I'd read about a technique of photographing lights while moving the camera. Here are two different versions of the same lights minus the blue.

Pretty cool huh?

Hair washing, now that is a controversial subject. You don't think so? Through all my years I've had so many differing opinions on this seemingly straightforward subject. Remember when the bottle of shampoo said to lather, rinse, and repeat? Maybe you are too young. In my humble opinion this was a great marketing ploy to get people to use more shampoo although my current hairdresser insists the first wash is to remove the oil from the scalp with the second removing the oil from the hair. I must say I don't believe him. Can you imagine washing dishes twice? As well, most folks think you should wash your hair every day, which I suppose is true for people with severely oily hair, but I don't think it's necessary for most. In fact, I think the opposite is true; hair can become too dry when washed too frequently, especially when you get older. Take note young ones. I remember an old (I'm referencing ours from when we were teens) World Book Encyclopedia article stating for good hygiene wash hair once a week. I'm not advocating that, but caution should be used when washing too often. Plus how weird is it that our hair is washed, then coated with all manner of product? And then there is the water temperature issue--hot wash, cold rinse? I could go on.....

Nearly two months have passed since I got the Element which is hard to believe. I still miss my MINI Cooper terribly, however the new vehicle does a great job with our show stuff. I've had a three month trial to XM radio which has been more enjoyable than I'd expected. Maureen had been raving about it; she was right. I've been listening to French and British pop, bluegrass, electronica, and indie music mostly. Sur la Route is the name of the French station--I love it! Whether or not I'll keep it, I haven't decided just yet.

Tying up loose ends from last week:
Matt went to Glasgow the day after Christmas for a short holiday. We had a lovely chat on Christmas day. I'm pleased to report he was delighted with his gifts.

Jonathan and Alissa struggled to get to Iowa, what with their train being towed back to Chicago during a storm, and struggled to get home but all is well now. Bad weather prevented them from doing as much as they'd like while there. FINALLY, the packages arrived on the 29th, fully two weeks since I shipped them! They enjoyed a second Christmas last evening.

Dinner with the family at Lisa and Danny's house was great. Her table was even more beautiful than when I saw it earlier in the month, and Danny outdid himself with the roast beef. Neither Bruce, nor I were up to speed but it was great to be with some of our family.

I received many thoughtful gifts from my dear ones and I thank you. I'm listening to one of them now...


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Listening to: Adele - Chasing Pavements
via FoxyTunes

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Listening to: Adele - Daydreamer
via FoxyTunes

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Listening to: Adele - Daydreamer
via FoxyTunes

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Great job on those lights. Looks like a spirograph drawing.

Gail Peck said...

Thank you Jeremy--coming from you, now that is a huge compliment!

A Week Ago Tuesday