Daily Archives: February 18, 2010

Loathe:

* Junk mail. Since I’m getting old and persnickety, I simply don’t have the tolerance or fascination for all the catalogs and crap that companies send out. I used to make phone calls and request being discontinued, but nowadays, that’s no longer effective. So, I’ve resorted to ripping off the back page of the catalog (or whatever shows my address), sticking it in an envelope and mailing it back to them with “REMOVE FROM YOUR MAILINGS” written across in big, red letters. It really makes me happy if they’ve included a postage pre-paid envelope.

* Bill collectors. Especially the ones from Chase. Even moreso because they’re trying to collect a debt from someone named “Neil or Christine Trudeau” and I’ve advised them that I am “Jammie” and have been “Jammie” my whole life and there is no one at my number by the name of Neil or Christine and to please stop calling. I’ve been nice to them, I’ve tried being grumpy, I’ve tried sending them to my fax machine. I’ve called Chase back and told them the story, I’ve talked to every department possible, including their legal department, all to no avail. I now call them “my boyfriend” because I talk to them more than I talk to my husband during the day. Seriously, 4-6 times a day is the normal number of times they call me — every single day. At least my phone skills are staying up to date!

Love:

* My husband. He has been and continues to be one of the biggest rocks in my life. No matter what scary path my life takes me on, he is intuitively supportive and a great communicator. I respect him and cannot even begin to put into words how much I love him. I know I’m being mushy, but it’s Valentine’s week, so I’m entitled.

* I have an interview next week with a company that would totally kick ass in the “cool” department and would look great on my resume if I land it. The phone interviews have gone well, and it’s everything I’m looking for in my next position… except for the pay. It’s half of what I was making before (ouch!!), but we all know, jobs these days seem to be an endangered species.

* Organizing. Gosh, do I love organizing things and things are never organized enough, so I’m always tinkering in my brain with ways to organize things even better. Problem is, the external processing of my internal genius oftentimes looks messier than I like.

* Our neighbor’s little girl gave us a little bag of candy for Valentine’s Day. GAH! Be still my heart from the cuteness of it! I don’t remember if I ever told you the story about how she came over with her dad and didn’t want to leave (about a year ago)? He finally left her here after we told him it was OK with us, and then checked on her a bit later, and she STILL didn’t want to leave. She was pretty low maintenance, actually, just wanted crackers and toys. hehe

* We’re going to the mountains this weekend. A quick trip, but still, I always look forward to that.

* Showers. Never undervalue the pleasure of simple things, and I do love my showers. Nice hot water with good smelling soap? 10 minutes of pure bliss.

One Last Thing:

I realized it’s been awhile since I wrote a hair (no shampoo) update. It has, as of yesterday, been 9 months since I stopped using shampoo. Instead, I use a mixture of baking soda/water which I rub into my scalp, when needed, and then rinse it completely out. If I’m swimming daily, I’ve found that I only need to use the baking soda/water mixture every 4-5 days. If I’m not swimming daily, it takes about 2 days before the grease starts to bug me.

For a “conditioner,” I use a mixture of apple cider vinegar, water, aloe vera juice and a stalk of rosemary. This mixture acts as a clarifier, removing the chlorine from all the swimming I do. I use this mixture immediately after I get out of the pool.

Occasionally, if the tangles get out of control, I use L’oreal’s sulfate free conditioner.

This process is now just as normal to me as using shampoo was for years and years. Although, apparently airline security didn’t feel it was normal at all. They inspected my luggage, and opened the two bottles when I traveled in January. I know this because they didn’t securely close the top on the baking soda/water bottle. Thankfully, they did return it to the plastic bag I had it in, so it only leaked a little onto my packed clothing.

9 months, no shampoo: