Tuesday, September 20, 2005

From Favorites to Life Lessons.....

My favorites list is burgeoning! After counting my list of blog links recently, I was amazed to discover that it has grown to NINETY-ONE! Since then I have added even more. That does not include other types of links, only blogs. No wonder it takes me so long to read through all the posts. Thank Heaven that you do not all write new posts everyday, or I'd never get any sleep!

It has reached the point that I ought to delete one for every new one added. Problem is, I hardly ever want to delete any - unless you go weeks without adding a new post - and then you are in danger of being erased from my memory bank. So get busy (and consider youself forewarned!)
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My cat Storm has taken to laying on her back beside my desk chair, with all her tender underparts exposed, in hopes I will take pity and rub her big fat belly. It works, of course, I always do it. There is something about a fat, fuzzy cat's belly that fairly begs to be rubbed. I've even buried my face in them sometimes, though I probably shouldn't admit that....lol....
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That adult-onset dyslexia I wrote about before is alive and well this morning. When I typed "big" and "fat" above, it came out as "gib fta". Maybe my fingers are getting too fast for my mind? I have never had a typing course; learned all I know about it through the typical hunt and peck system. I am getting pretty fast now that I blog so much. Perhaps I should shoot for accuracy as well.
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I went to the nail salon yesterday and treated myself to a manicure and a pedicure, which I don't do often. The salon is run by a family of people from Vietnam, who chatter incessantly in their native tongue while they are working on you. The wife was doing my hands, while the husband was working on my feet and she ran on and on about something, and he never said a word the whole time (probably 20 minutes). I really wish I knew some Vietnamese words so I could interject a few into the conversation. Can you imagine their surprise if I suddenly began talking to them in their language?
I've been thinking that I should go to another salon; one where English is the native tongue, so that I can really understand what they are asking me - and I won't inadvertantly agree to some treatment that might remove my toenails and cost me a fortune for the privilege. I do think I need to ask her to shut up when he is doing my feet; he bore down on my right big toe with the file and nicked my skin in the process. I just know it was because he wanted to verbally slap her out of her harangue, but refrained from doing so in front of me. Those Asian men are so polite!
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I'm off to the hair salon today (this is a take-care-of-Judy week, you might say) for a cut n' color. The guy who has been cutting my hair for 25 years has had a lot of physical problems lately, such as heart attacks, Rocky Mt. spotted fever and a host of other things, many of which I fear are fueled by prodigious alcohol consumption. In 3 out of the last 6 months, he has cancelled my appointment at the last minute., like calling at 8 am for a 9 am appointment. So, while I am sometimes a patient woman - I am rapidly losing my patience with this man - and I have decided to switch to the owner of the salon for my hair needs. It may be that the old stylist will be there today, and see me with the competition, and I am not looking forward to the possible confrontation or having to explain why I am "beating him while he is down" (as he is sure to see it). ***update below.
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***Luckily my old stylist was not at the shop today, so the confrontation I thought may happen was all a figment of my imagination. The salon owner told me he has not seen my guy in almost 3 months, nor has he been paying the rent on his space. It will be given to someone new at the first of October. See what happens when you let depression drive you to alcoholism? I like a good drink as much as anyone, but I don't understand people who let it (or drugs) take over their lives and ruin them. This guy has been a first class hair stylist for 35 years; he studied in London with Vidal Sassoon when Sassoon was at his peak. He could have really gone far in his life, but he let two failed marriages be his downfall. It is so sad to witness a life thrown away, especially at a time when he should have been looking forward to retirement and leisure. File this one under "life lessons for the rest of us".

21 comments:

Kim said...

The nail salon story reminded me of the "Seinfeld" episode when Elaine goes to her usual Korean nail salon and never realizes that they are saying insulting things about her in Korean...until she takes George's father for a pedicure and he DOES speak Korean! LOL! Funny stuff!

Anonymous said...

adult onset dyslexia...I love that! What will become of us who already had it though? Also, I just posted a comment somewhere and had to redo the word verification 3 times!!

Blog listing is hard work. I so often mean to add someone and then lose the scrap of paper I wrote it on. I didn't want it to get so long...but it starting to! I'm going home now to count.

poopie said...

How typical...even men from another country never open their mouths while their women chatter!!

Mahala said...

I had some harrowing tales to tell when I was getting my nails done. With me, it was the man I usually got stuck with, who would be talking on the phone and yelling at his kids the whole time, in Vietnamese. Since he wasn't paying attention, he knicked the CRAP out of my pinky once.. drew blood, got up and washed his hand but left all that lovely acrylic dust in my gaping wound. Okay it wasn't really GAPING but it was my PINKY for goodness sakes!!

utenzi said...

I know what you mean, Judy. I keep a couple of pages on my homepage on RR just to keep track of the blogs I visit frequently. The first page is for everyday and the second page is for when I have time. And every time I add another blog there's less time! *sigh*

Anonymous said...

You really should try bloglines. It's the best for keeping up with a bunch of favorites. My list is at 159 and growing all the time, and they are a breeze to keep up with. Try it! Seriously! I love it.

www.bloglines.com

Anonymous said...

I too have been known to rub my face in my cats soft fuzzy belly :-)

Traci Dolan said...

Your hair guy sounds like Nate's dad.

Good for you for taking care of you!

Daisy said...

I got my hair cut and colored today too!!!

I hate when you go into a nail salon and they talk incessantly in their native tongue while they ought to be focusing on you the paying customer!!!

Julia Reffner said...

I hate watching other people make poor decisions too. Always makes me want to sit them down and try to talk some sense into them. I get the cat treatment too although my kitties dont like to have their bellies rubbed they are very insistent when they want petted. Many have been the day that my cat would come up and sit on my keyboard while I was typeing refusing to move until I payed it its obligatory scritch.

The Lumpy

srp said...

I have Mr. Rhett laying on my feet right now, giving me a little cat massage. He doesn't have front claws so he just presses on the feet. An extra bonus...his tummy is so warm, especially nice in winter. Shoo-shoo time is in one hour. They will retire to the sunroom for the night, pick one of ten or so sleeping areas and sack out. Max the dog loves this time of day, he has friends to talk too through the screened windows.

The strangest thing I ever saw or heard was at a Chinese restaurant in Linz, Austria. Yes, your read correctly. The Chinese owners spoke German to each other with a Chinese accent. That is something to hear.

Jamie Dawn said...

Hair all styled and pretty finger/toe nails. You are all dolled up!
I think you should learn a few Vietnamese phrases just to see their faces then you use them.
That would be great fun!

Raehan said...

Very sad about your stylist.

That was a fair warning on the blogroll editing. I've only been able to post about every other day, sometimes more. That should help you out.

Anonymous said...

boy, I bet you look purty :)
I've had rather bad experiences at the nail salons locally, so I've stuck to one where English is the spoken language so that I can make sure i'm completely understood. I don't get a chance to get my nails done very often at all, so when I do, I at least want it to be a pleasant experience!

Karan Simpson said...

Pedicure, manicure and hair cut! I need a week like that!

I lost my hair stylist of 18 years when I moved to Nashville and it has almost done me in! I have been known to drive for 2 hours (one-way) just to get her to do my hair again from time to time.

Love big, fat cat bellies, too. They are irresistable!

Karen said...

Hi! Michele sent me! Love the nail salon story. I always think the same thing when people speak another language around me. Then I wonder if they're talking about me. Funny!

Bec said...

Hi Kenju,
Here via Michele. I've put my adult-onset dyslexia down to being able to type faster than I can think: neither activity, I hasten to add, approaches 60 words per minute.
Bec

Anonymous said...

It's so colorful over here, Judy! With all these nice updates. Sophie (Storm's look-alike in gray) does same and so do I. Typing- I do same (in fact that just came out as smae).
I love a good pedicure more than just about anything! I will get one before heading off on my NIG vacation next month.
Hair guys can be, frankly, weird. Like tempermental artists run amok. It's one of life's problems- keeping yor stylist stable.
Pleas, please,please don't cut me from your list. I love living almost next door to you!

Anonymous said...

Bad typing- that was supposed to read BIG vacation. See?

OldHorsetailSnake said...

What blogroll? I don't see any blogroll?

The Viets treat you like a football running back:

"I'll take her low, you take her high."

Badaunt said...

Thanks for the reminder - I MUST make an appointment to get my hair cut! I haven't had it done since April. Or was it February? I've forgotten, and it's a mess. This doesn't matter in the summer when I wear it up, but the weather will cool off soon. (I hope.)