Really?! Part 5

I haven't written a "Really?" post in a while, but this week I was given some material that I think was worthy. I have hmmm'd and hawwwwed on whether to share it, but I have decided that why not?

This week I have been scheduled- to.the.max. One day stood out among the others and this is why...

I was having one of those days. I was trying to catch up on laundry, house cleaning, you name it and did so at the expense of no shower, no make up and no plans for dinner. I was exhausted and decided to heck with it, threw my hair up in a pony-tail and took the kids to dinner at a local burger joint. I mean who am I going to see? Oh, I can answer that for you! My ex-boyfriend's parents! They were seated next to us the whole time and thank goodness I did not see them until they got up to leave. You know how that report back went-"Oh, and guess who we ran into? She looked awful...I don't think she showered and her hair pulled back really showed how gray she is getting...and I think she may have had some guacamole in her teeth...but her kids are cute." Back in high school I repainted my boyfriend's room. It looked like you were sitting in a field, I had clouds on the ceiling, tall grass coming from the floor...it looked pretty cool. Flash forward 20 years and his father said to me as they left "Hey, we finally painted over the room upstairs. Now there is no more memory of you." Even my daughter said, "Wow, mom, that was pretty mean."

Really? It took you 20 years to paint over that?

I'm sure he didn't mean for it to come out the way it sounded, but it left me with an "uhm, yeah, great to see you too."

At that moment, I think I would have been the perfect candidate for Stacy and Clinton on What Not to Wear.  
 
Have you ever been in that situation?

On to some good news:

Tomorrow, March 27th is the last day of our Think Spring Giveaway! The response has been great! If you haven't entered yet, be sure to leave your comment on the giveaway post stating "What does spring mean to you?" for your chance to win a $25 Visa Gift Card and First Aid Kit. Winner will be drawn randomly from the comments and announced on Monday, March 29th.

Really?! Part 4

I may get a lot of flack for this post, but it is not a reflection on anyone as a person or a dig at one's holiday spirit, it is just my opinion.

In my travels to and fro around town to do holiday errands, I have started to see a lot of autos with this "car costume". I never knew there was such a term until I Googled it just a few moments ago. I have seen wreaths on front grills in the past and have said "okay..." but this latest trend is making me instantly turn into Scrooge like Jekyll turns into Hyde.

I am a big fan of Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer and I love to snuggle down and watch him profess "She thinks I'm cuuuuuute!!!" as he leaps into the air upon learning Clarice's affection for him. But to decorate your car?? Many reviews say "it's cute".

Uhm. No. It isn't. It looks ridiculous.

But if you strongly feel like channeling your inner Rudolph, you can purchase your own at Taylor Gifts. And as I pass you on the road, I will not be saying "Oh, how cute is that?!"

Bah! Humbug!

Really?? Part 3

Grooming habits should be kept private. Period. When a person decides to share these habits with the public, it makes one say ‘Really?? Are you kidding me?” Honestly, it’s nasty.

I used to work for what I would equate to an insurance “sweatshop”. My husband was laid off from his job quite a few years ago and our youngest was riddled with health issues. It was not a time to be without health insurance, just in case we really needed it. So, as my husband made his way through the job search ocean, I went back to work for a medical claims processing company. It was horrible. Employees would clock in with a “Morning.” and clock out with a “Night.” Most would wear headphones and listen to music with no interaction with anyone. Being a social person, the monotony was brutal. If I removed myself from the life sucking vortex of the computer screen long enough to rub life back into my eyes, all I could really hear was the constant tapping of 100+ computer keys. The only sound that could rip through that white noise was the clip-clip-clip of someone cutting their fingernails. It wasn’t just a ‘let me fix this hangnail’ kind of thing, it was all ten fingers and I swear maybe some toes. Every other day, my stomach would turn when I heard that noise. I could not find the culprit at first but did not have to wait long to find the pile of nail clippings alongside the wall of someone’s cubicle. So that I would not vomit at the thought of hearing that again, I brought in my own set of headphones and became another drone; only I listened to books on tape rather than music. I believe I made it through 12 books by the time my husband found a job and I happily gave my resignation.

I recently witnessed another faux-pas at a very public event. I would say that this habit is something I see most often and sorry to say it fellas, but you are 9 times out of 10 the offender. I was standing in a “food room” and helping myself to a cup of soup when walking toward me was a group of 4 college guys. One in particular had his finger so far up his nose that I didn’t think could be possible. He dug for a few seconds, but I looked at him with a “Ewww” look. He was oblivious to both my look and his action that was prompting my facial contortion. It made me think of Jerry Seinfeld saying “It wasn’t a pick!” As a viewer, we all knew that; but from the angle seen by his latest lady friend, it most definitely was a pick. There was no mistaking this either because it was a full frontal view for all to see. This happens as I am in traffic too. As I drive by guys in a car or see them at a red light, they are picking away. Do you not realize that I can see you? You are not invisible when you do that! I didn’t eat for the rest of the day from that room and stuck to my nicely wrapped granola bar stashed in my coat pocket.

Over the summer I had a friend share his experience of a “Really?” category. He mentioned that I should use it for one of my blog posts. Well, Dan here it is!
Dan was at a gas station and fueling up for the day when he noticed something that didn’t quite register at first. The person close by, also filling up their gas tank was brushing their teeth. When would you ever feel the need to load up the toothbrush with paste of your choice and use bottled water to rinse and spit? Most rest areas have bathrooms that you could use. If you forget to do this most basic thing in the morning, buy some gum. This is not a good example of multi-tasking; it’s just gross!

All of these things cannot be hidden by the Harry Potter’s Cloak of Invisibility. It’s not real, unless you are a character in the book. All of these personal grooming habits should be kept in the privacy of your own bathroom. I don’t want to hear your clippers or see if you can make it to the next knuckle on your pointer digit or jump out of the way of your Colgate swill. Take note all public hygiene offenders: I just heard on the news that today is the official “Global Hand Washing Day”.

Thank goodness.

Really...?? Part 2

I am faced with asking another question in the “really?” category.

Since when is it ok to wear curlers in public? That’s right folks, I said curlers.

Once again while driving in my car I witnessed a sight that made me say out loud “what kind of hat is that?” As I got closer, I realized it wasn’t a hat at all, but a woman retrieving her mail with a head full of blue and pink curlers. Her car was in her driveway, driver side door open as she flipped through her pile of letters. My guess is she was just returning or she was on her way out somewhere. Either way, she was in public with these things in her hair for all to see!

I can remember when I was a kid, my mother would “set” my very long hair in the Pepto-Bismol pink foam curlers. She would roll my hair, then fold over the fastener and clip into the end of the curler and then send me to bed. It was so uncomfortable to sleep all night with plastic things assaulting my scalp! The next morning, the pain would begin when she would start to pull the curlers out of my hair. Some would be hanging a little because of the tossing and turning from the night before and would come right out. But others would have my hair entwined in the end of the curler- like a string stuck in a vacuum roller- and would hurt like the dickens to untangle and pull it from my head!

I always thought my mom was braver than me, because she would sleep in the small hard black rollers that were held in with a plastic “pin”. I would play with them and can remember how spiky they were and when I would close my hand around them and squeeze a little, it would hurt! I could never imagine sleeping in those!

Back then, all ladies would wear their curlers or “rollers” in public and cover them with a scarf. But as time has passed, I saw less and less of this practice and honestly have not seen that sight in a good 15+ years.

The past shot back in the few seconds it took for me to drive by. I cannot believe in this day and age of curling irons, flat irons and the other myriad of hair “utensils” that someone would resort to curlers, let alone wearing them out and about!

Hence my question: Would you ever wear curlers in public?

Really??

Since when is it OK to wear a bathrobe in public?

I was driving home the other day and did my own little version of rubber-necking. I could not believe what I was seeing. Now mind you, this all happened in a mere 30 seconds as I drove by and craned to see the aftermath in my little side-view mirror.

Out of my passenger side window, I witnessed a person trudging slowly down the sidewalk. The street is located in a small city which has a rich history. Many old row houses and brownstones line either side of the two lane road with trees perfectly spaced and mom & pop stores seem to make up the cornerstones of each block. It’s not the best area in town, but I would feel safe to walk down the street….during the day.

As I pass by, my immediate thought was “what kind of sweater is that?” until the brain registered that it was a baby blue terry cloth robe that fit over this woman’s thick body, reaching her calves. My eyes quickly surveyed the site- slippers, pajama pant bottoms, bed-head hair. As I passed, I see a cigarette barely balanced between her lips and she was scratching a lottery ticket! It’s 5:30 in the afternoon! At the next corner 3 boys turned onto the sidewalk, two walkers and one on his bike. They looked maybe 10 or 11, I’m sure on their way to the same corner store that bathrobe maven had just come from . What kind of example is that setting for those three kids?

Had I been walking on the street with my own kids, what would I say to the question I know I would most definitely have heard, “why is that lady wearing a bathrobe?” I’d have to give an honest answer- I have no idea.

When did it became fashionable to wear pajamas in public? I see it all the time. I see pajama pants everywhere: kids sports practice, highway rest areas, even supermarkets.

I ask you- when is it ever OK to wear your pajamas in public? My answer- When you are on your way down to the end of the driveway to pick up your morning paper. The end.