I visited Ross Dress for Less today. It is one of my favorite stores to shop at. Not today. I walked in, strolled the store, walked back out. Didn’t buy a thing. I was OK with that.
Category Archives: We're all searching for something
Shoe Implosion.
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Filed under I Judge Bad Marketing, I Stimulate the Economy, We're all searching for something
Airhead
A few months ago, when I booked our trip to Hawaii, having been there several times before, I had in mind several activities I wanted to do while there, snorkeling being at the top of that list. When in Hawaii, one should always make it a priority to snorkel. Especially when sea turtles are a part of the aquatic scenery. Tropical fish and sea turtles, how could snorkeling get any better?
I wasn’t sure how that priority would work out… I mean, you’re really not supposed to snorkel alone, because… uh… you know, sharks! Also, the places you find tropical fish or sea turtles is usually around the coral, because fish like to eat! But coral is also sharp and the ocean can sometimes be rough. So, what to do with a toddler while both parents are out snorkeling?
Well, that challenge was resolved when my mom said she’d love to go to Hawaii with us and even offered to watch William while we went and did some stuff. But the question remained of how to allow William to see some of the underwater scenery without snorkeling apparatus. And then we went to LegoLand. At LegoLand, in their waterpark, they have transparent tubes with a seat — perfect for toddlers who want to float around but not fall through into the water. Also perfect for parents who want to take their toddler out in the clear waters of Hawaii with the hopes that he might be able to see a fish or two in their natural habitat.
So I tracked down the manufacturer and went on their website intending to order the item… except I couldn’t and I thought it a glitch of their website, but it wasn’t. The problem was, I’m not a waterpark. Shocking, I know, given how much time I spend in the water. I should either be a waterpark or a mermaid!
So, since I couldn’t order the tube on their website, I called them. The representative I spoke to was so sweet and as I explained my dilemma, she interrupted me and told me that she would mail me one for free, as long as I promised to tell the world what I thought of their company.
So, here’s William at LegoLand’s waterpark enjoying his ride on their tube.
Here’s William floating in the ocean while we visited Hawaii in his very own Airhead tube. The water was so clear and there was a fish or two that he got to see through the tube.
All of which is to say that If I were a waterpark, I would definitely buy from AirHead (or visit AirHead on Facebook). Since Legoland already has, I think that serves as a pretty high testomonial in and of itself. If I ever want any of their products as a consumer, I wouldn’t hesitate to order from them. Their products and customer service are top notch, and I foresee lots of floating fun for William in the future. Thank you, AirHead, for your unexpected generosity!
Santa Fiasco
With it being William’s first Christmas that I don’t have him under lockdown and house arrest (i.e., meaning that people actually get to see more than just the top of his head while I’m wearing him), we decided it would be a good opportunity to get his picture with Santa. He has no issues with strangers, in fact he reels them in with smiles and laughs. In particular, he loves older people — the grayer the hair the better the experience is. Glasses? Bring them closer. Shaky voices, stooped shoulders and frowning wrinkles that melt into smiles upon beholding William’s radiant smile — perfection! So we figured Santa would be a non-issue.
We went to the mountains earlier this month, and there is a Santa that makes appearances in a little shack up there by their big Christmas tree. Not just Santa, but Mrs. Claus, too. What could be better? So we’re walking up to the shack and William is all smiles and happy. We get to the entrance, and he lost it. Hated it. Didn’t want to be in that shack or near the shack or anywhere around that shack. If he saw the shack, all smiles disappeared. We know this because we tried twice, once with Tony holding him and once with me holding him. Oh, and since this Santa and Mrs. Claus are Hispanic, they are clearly imposters. Anyone in the know knows that Santa and and his wife are as white as snow and, obviously, William is a genius, so he knows.
Later, walking the town, we came across a window painting of Santa and in the interest of familiarizing him with the colors of Santa, we allowed William to get close to it. Getting close then evolved into William laughing while punching the window painting’s nose. While probably not something we should have encouraged (Imaginary conversation: “Hi Santa, Can my son pop you in the nose so he’ll smile while we take a picture of you two?”), we considered this an improvement.
A couple weeks later, we went to a neighborhood that decks its sidewalks and houses in seasonal accoutrements. One of those houses had a realistic robotic Santa, William was in his stroller — a contraption that he’s familiar with and loves, so we thought we’d give the picture another try. Even a non-living Santa was an epic fail. (sigh)
We decided to stop messing around with imposters and robots, and just go visit the real one at the Queen Mary’s Chill event. We’ll consider this a success and one that I’m happy putting in the baby book.
Or maybe this one.
Or maybe both. I do like to agonize over these things, you know.
From our family to yours, Merry Christmas! (More Christmas pictures: LINK)
Imagine Happiness.
I had arrived to the restaurant early. The wait staff was completing the setup for my girlfriend’s bridal shower brunch. We were all waiting in the foyer to be called to the party area, chatting softly amongst ourselves or just people watching.
A couple in their mid-thirties entered, spoke to the hostess and put their name on the list for a table. When they completed the task, the man reached out and gently stroked his wife’s hair away from her face, briefly massaged her neck, then caressed her back and his arm came to rest around her waist. She leaned into him and turned to smile at him. He was nondescript, average height, brownish hair, soft around the middle… just average. Nothing really stood out to me about him except the obvious love and tenderness he held for the woman who stood beside him.
She was not attractive. She was overweight, and her clothing was not intended to conceal or compliment her figure… a tight-fitting tank top, stretch jeans and flip-flops were her attire. Her hair was colored a harsh, unnatural black. Her arms were heavily tattooed and as she reached for his hand, I noticed that the soft inner skin of her arms, from her wrists all the way to her armpits, were covered with long-healed “cutting” scars.
In that moment, I wondered what her story was. She displayed those scars, and everything else I noticed about her, without any apparent self-consciousness. I admired her for her confidence to simply be herself in a world that judges appearances harshly. But I wondered what it had taken for her to get to that point.
Our group was called to be seated shortly after that, and throughout the breakfast brunch buffet and, later, the walk on the pier, I never saw that couple again.
That was 2 1/2 years ago, and I’m not even sure why, but that moment impacted me deeply… I was thinking about them again tonight. Pulling it out of my memory and examining it.
I like to imagine that she loved herself enough to allow his love help conquer whatever fears, anxieties and hurts caused her to cut herself. I like to think that he fell in love with her because she had a depth of personality that they could stay awake all night talking and never run out of things to say. I like to imagine that despite her visible imperfections, she was a perfect match to his heart and that they’re still together, happy and they go out to brunch every Saturday morning.
Imagine happiness. Imagine that.
Love & Loathe – 01/06/11 (Late)
Loathe:
* I’m at an age now where I feel as if conversations with my elders should start with, “Now they’re still alive, right?” For example, I sent a Christmas card to former neighbors of mine, of whom I am quite fond. They’re getting on in years, I know, but the letter I received in response from Mr. K sharing that his wife had passed on mid-2010 just made me so very sad. Something tells me this age thing isn’t going to get any better.
* Got a letter in the mail today from a real, live attorney who represents my HOA. Apparently, they felt the conversation I had with their painting vendor last month, wherein I expressed how upset I was about them screwing up my plants and stomping our Christmas decorations, was threatening. They want money to pay for a different vendor to paint our house. There’s so much that’s wrong with this, I don’t even know where to start, except it wasn’t a good ending to my Saturday.
* Knee high nylons that fall down. While I dislike getting to work and tugging my knee highs up, it does make me think of my Grandmas and I love thinking about my Grandmas, but I’m not sure I’m ready to follow in their footsteps quite this early in my life.
Love:
* My latest snack of banana chips and vanilla yogurt. The banana chips add an interesting crunch to the yogurt. There’s a way to make yogurt out of raw milk and I’m thinking that I may need to investigate doing so given the “distress” I’ve been having as a result of my foray in the pasteurized dairy products.
* Cuties. Whoever came up with the marketing ploy of fun, cute little stickers on the outside of Clementine oranges? Genius. Pure genius. Everyone wants a sticker for positive reinforcement, right? Well, I do.
* Our vet who saved Slasher. I took my two boys (Tug and Snug) in last night and she was soooooo good with them. Even though Tug was yowling and hissing and wiggling all around. I’m not thrilled that I need to spend extra $$ on Snug, who has inflamed gums and a bit of infection. So, he gets a dental cleaning under anesthesia. Ugh. All in all, though, it might be a good thing, because everyone knows dental problems are the gateway to a lot of other health problems. Since bacteria on the teeth, among other things, compromises the immune system, it also increases vulnerability to catching upper respiratory infections. Let’s hope it helps him.
* Four day work weeks, just finished the third 4-day work week in a row.
One Last Thing:
Sometimes it seems as if we’re all carrying such heavy loads every day. I know for me, it has certainly felt that way. I go a couple of days feeling as if I’ve just gotten a handle on it, and then something else happens and I’m left with a tottering load. I’m looking up at this big pile of concerns teeter-tottering over my head and, above it all, I’m not seeing the One who can truly help me carry it.
I know a lot of people are struggling with their relationship with God these days. I confess: I am, too. I also confess that even when I’m not struggling with my relationship with God, it’s difficult for me to give my concerns to God because I want to be in control.
It’s so hard for me to accept, that more often than not, there’s not one single thing I can do to change the outcome of situations. So I do all this work and research, trying to figure out a way to change things, and time goes by and absolutely nothing changes, except that I wasted a bunch of time researching and thinking about stuff. I wonder why I bother, why I even try at all. Which then, why don’t I give it to God in the first place? Is He really my last resort?
Lately, I find myself wondering why I even bother praying. It seems as if His answer to my prayers these days is always a big, fat “NO.” Which makes me ask myself how it is that all I’m praying for, the desires of my heart, are so misaligned with His will for me and my life.
I find myself searching for hope and joy, thankful for the love that’s in my life, but overall feeling confused, conflicted, overwhelmed and just tired of it all lately… and I’ll probably regret hitting the “publish” button right now. But here I go, being brave and baring my heart.
Please be gentle.
August’s Searches.
A little late, considering it’s already the middle of September, but I thought I’d give you the most popular Google searches that have brought people a-visiting here at the Jammie J House.
Starting with the zinger of “cat throwing up and clenching stomach.” Now let me say this about that, if your cat is throwing up and clenching his stomach at the same time, your cat apparently has hands, not paws and belongs in Narnia. I assume Narnian cats get fur balls, too.
“dead hummingbird” — dear heavens above, please don’t let me see that. I love those little birds way too much.
“husband gyn appointment” — ummm, not sure what’s going on here, but if you’re trying to get pregnant and it’s not working? This could be your problem.
“no shampoo hair” — nope, no shampoo hair here. For reals.
“jammy siting on the tolit.com” — we all sit on the “tolit” at one point or another throughout the day, most of us multiple times a day. Not sure I’d buy the domain name for it, though, and really not sure I’d be Googling it –“toilit siting” is not that special or unique.
“poop largest” — you might find something about that in the Guinness Book of World Records and I can tell you that I wouldn’t want to be the one taking measurements.
“j clips for hair why so expensive” — probably because the inventors have bills to pay?
“price “deep scaling” 94107” — I don’t live in the 94107, but for the zip I live in, it was pretty expensive.
“she gently rubs my bald head” — *ahem* Good for you. I’d say she’s probably a keeper…
…and it’s Thursday! We’re heading to Disneyland tonight just to hang out and enjoy the Mickey Mouse ambient goodness.
Filed under We're all searching for something
Catch Up & July’s Searches
The GYN Appointment — I had my annual GYN appointment this past week. With a different GYN from last year. I liked the GYN I saw last year, but there were a couple things that irritated me. The most insulting part was the nurse who came in to prep the room for the next patient before I was finished dressing after the exam. That just stuck in my craw. Second was, I had to pay for parking. As the year wore on and I tried to get prescriptions for the vitamins I was taking, it was a big hoopla because it took the doctor a week to approve the prescription (for a vitamin!!), then their office wouldn’t fax or call the prescription into the pharmacy, they wanted me to come pick it up… drive 40 minutes round trip AND PAY PARKING? I think not. I was pretty sure I was going to move on. Then it took them a month and a half to fax an authorization to my insurance company so I could be referred to a reproductive endocrinologist. My insurance company (!!) was even badgering them for it.
Then I worked with my RE’s office and I saw how gynecological care should be and I realized there really is no excuse for the shoddy treatment that so many women endure to get such an important annual exam. I asked so many of my female co-workers if they had a GYN they liked and would recommend, most of them just waved their hand and said, “Well, I guess he/she is OK, but I should probably search for a new one…” I think it’s kind of like if you’ve had blurry vision your whole life, you just deal with it. You know that corrective lenses could probably make things better, because you’ve heard about it, but you have no idea what crystal clear vision is like until you experience the difference for yourself.
Anyway, as someone who’s received stirrup-care of one sort or another 21 times (at best count) since June of last year (more times than some couples have sex in a year — giddy up!!), with a full-spectrum of paraphernalia & caregivers — some of the absolute worst and thee absolute best — I can honestly say that I am optimistic about the “new” GYN and his staff. His bedside manner is awesome. The exam part of it was quick (fastest I’ve ever had — a good thing in this instance) and second only to my RE for gentleness. The exam part of it was so fast, that I have no idea how he had time to note the things he told me afterward. In fact, I intentionally didn’t tell him a couple of things and he figured them out. He was good and he knew his shit. I was impressed. He also knew all the caregivers I’ve worked with over the years, and his opinions of them validated mine. I told Grace that it was as if I’d stopped by see an old friend that I’d forgotten I knew, which is really weird considering what I was there for. Oh, and parking was free. We’ll see how it goes over the next year.
The Wedding — On Friday night, we attended the wedding of some long-time friends. Well, one of them is a long-time friend, Tony’s known the guy since junior high (if not longer) and Tony was instrumental in getting his friend and the lady he married together. It was in 2006 that Tony and his buddy flew to Arizona. While at the airport, they met this lovely lady in line at security. They got to talking and his buddy flustered her so much that once she was through the line, she grabbed her shoes and left her purse and laptop on the conveyor belt. Tony urged him to go after her and get her phone number, he argued against it, not thinking she was interested, but at Tony’s insistence, he ultimately followed her, got her information… and the rest is history.
There’s this magnetic connection that I love to see in couples, the best way I can describe it is to say that it’s an unconscious body language thing. When one person in the relationship talks, the other leans in to hear. Or there’s always some sort of contact, whether it’s holding hands or knees resting against each other. Or there’s the eyes, when one is across the room the other is always seeking them. It’s a second-by-second intrinsic magnetic balancing act and the couples don’t even realize it’s taking place. It’s a mutual giving, adding to each other, rather than taking away. Tony’s parents have it with each other, Tony’s brothers have it with their wives, Tony and I have it, several of our friends have it in their relationships — and these two have it.
We’re so happy for them, and excited that they took this step together.
July’s Searches (listed in bold):
“my poor toe” — nooooo, MY poor toe. Funny thing you should mention that, yesterday I went to Walmart and pulled a deodorant off the rack to purchase. The spring loaded distributor shot the next deodorant in line off the shelf and torpedoed it with great force directly onto the toe I injured about a month ago. Man, that hurt so bad I stood there for a minute while my ears felt like they were going to explode and my eyes watered. Interesting about pain, huh, no matter where it is on the body, it always goes straight to the head. Then I ever so gently put the torpedo back on the shelf, along with the one I was going to buy and limped away.
club soda good for oily scalp?, shampoos for imflammed scalp, club soda or water after swimming? after swimming club soda hair treatment, no poo asian hair, is it okay to do an apple cider vinegar rinse after swimming? — OK, look. Here’s the deal, people, chlorine is probably one of the worst things you can do to your hair and scalp, aside from burning or frying it chemically, that is. So, yes, club soda, apple cider vinegar or just plain water is FINE. Shampoo is the second worst thing. I use a baking soda/water concoction. But if you must use shampoo, go with baby shampoo. Expect an adjustment period while your scalp figures out what the hell you just did (stopped irritating it) and expect any inflammation (or imflammation) to clear up within a couple weeks.
i got a hard black mole on my scalp — Are you sure you don’t got a tumor?
life’s oddities — well, thanks for that one, Google.
bad show mariah — her show wasn’t just bad, it was horrible. Save the cost of a concert ticket and just buy her CDs. You’ll actually get to listen to complete songs (instead of medleys) and she’ll likely even do some vocal acrobatics (instead of making your eyes water because her voice is so weak).
metrostyle model with the gap in her teeth — Look, if you’re trying to hire her, let me just tell you, Metrostyle lost sales from me because I got so distracted by her teeth. I’m not saying gapped teeth are bad, I know some very lovely people who have gapped teeth. What I’m saying is that if one chooses modeling as a profession and said model is displaying clothes, it might be a fine idea for the model to keep her gapped teeth concealed behind her lovely, closed lips.
“someday i’ll laugh” — Why wait?
June’s Searches.
Last month there were some search terms that truly made me laugh out loud. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to see what people actually search for or how impressed I am with Google’s search engine — a search engine that will correct spelling by asking you, “Did you mean to search for…” Love it, an endless source of amusement.
Here we have the search requests for the month of June, by category:
boy rarely see father || the little boy space travel sad story || story about a little boy who can’t hear
Those do seem sad to me. I guess if you send a little boy into space, he would rarely see his father and might become deaf? Just trying to link ’em all together in my head, that’s all.
where can i get dermaswim || dermaswim at longs || is it safe to use dermaswim pro lotion?
I bought mine off their website. As far as I know, it’s safe, safer than all those steroidal creams the dermatologists are so fond of prescribing. Have to say, though, I didn’t see it at Longs.
where is pomona || where is pamona?
You had it right the first time, it’s spelled POMONA and it’s a bit of a drive to there from here, especially if you throw in the unpredictability of traffic. Friday night traffic in particular. Why IS Friday night traffic worse than the rest of the week, anyway? Anyone?
cornhusker city
Driving there from here would be an even longer drive than to Pomona.
dentman 09@gmail/com || dentman ga
The dentless ding removal company who took care of my car came to me. I don’t think he came from Georgia, though.
chinese needle torture || needle torture || needletorture
Acupuncture is a Chinese thing, while it may look like torture, if you have a good acupuncturist, it’s very relaxing. .
put an end to endo — Yes, I would like to.
faith goes up the stairs love has built, is this a love quote? I don’t know, it was in my book of quotes that I use for my Weekly Quote section over there —–>
buscar py love chat — there is no love chatting going on here. No love chatting.
gross crystal gayle hair — do you really think her hair is gross? I think it’s marvelous. Although the question has crossed my mind of how does she keep it out of her butt crack when she goes to the bathroom. That thought is a little gross, I guess.
movie scenes unpinning hair — would you like me to dim the lights and turn on some Barry White music?
sea salt and conditioner — I wouldn’t do that to my hair.
acv rinse black people’s hair — This is not something I’ve had to research, but you might find your answer somewhere in this website: KISS
scalpicin dried my scalp — not mine. It kept my scalp from having allergic reactions to products.
why club soda to rinse after swimming — because it removes chlorine
i wash my hair with club soda — I did, too, for awhile.
baking soda and acv for strength of hair — you have to play with the mixture for your particular needs.
suspicious moles on my scalp — get thee to your dermatologist!
suspicious mole scalp — again, get thee to your dermatologist!
hair caught in power drill — did you take a picture? You are not a dedicated blogger unless you took a picture.
lemon juice snopes hair — I thought snopes was a website, I didn’t know it had hair!
jammi tree stopping hair growth — what the hell is a jammi tree? Because I’m Jammie J. and my hair is growing just fine.
no poo asian hair — I’m sure there’s a way.
letting my hair go gray — let me know how that works out for you.
tea tree oil made my hair fall out! — Thanks for the warning!
missing chunk of hair— I’m sorry. I hope you find it!
long rogue hairs — I have one of those. It gives my husband nightmares because I refuse to pluck it.
biggest poop ever — Please come back and DO TELL, I love poop stories!
There you have it, what people were searching for in the month of June.
Filed under We're all searching for something
Searches & Hair Update.
Now that I’m “out there” again, so to speak, with no password to hide behind, I thought it’d be fun to mark the one month anniversary of this landmark occasion by sharing the search terms which have brought guests to my blog in the past 30 days!
Oh, how I’ve missed thee, Google search words!
Grouped by category, I present:
jammie, jammie j and http://jammiej.com
Congratulations! You have successfully found me by searching my Internet Identification. Anonymity is now a thing of the past! Unless, of course, you were searching for another Jammie J., in which case, I’ll have to sigh and say there’s only one REAL Jammie J. and you’re looking at her! Accept no imitations, I’m a one-of-a-kind gal.
locks of love, for locks of love, donated locks; and “locks of love” knees
A worthy cause, to be sure, but to be clear, I have not yet donated my hair to Locks of Love; maybe someday. The last search concerns me just a bit because i do have that Crazy Hair that lives behind my knee — I’m really not at all confident that Locks of Love would be interested in my rogue knee hair.
discipline lillle boys
I lay no claim to being an expert on disciplining boys of any type, lillie or otherwise. I can, however, with confidence, refer you to my friends “Charmed,” who is raising five of them, Vince, who is raising two of them, or my sister-in-law, Marigold, who is raising two of them. Boys, that is. Healthy, strong boys. Maybe you can find your answer there. Or maybe you’re trying to discipline your male garden lilies?
boy growth size story, story of the little boy
Jack and the Bean Stalk is a good one, if I remember right…
youngest boy to be dad
Yes, eventually the youngest boy can be a dad. Birth order has nothing to do with male fertility.
does dermaswim work and dermaswim complaint
Now this I am an expert on. Yes, Dermaswim works. The only fallible part of whether or not is works properly is whether I remember to put it on before I rush out of the house to go swimming. If you’re looking for complaints about Dermaswim Pro, you’ll not find them here.
endo is going to kill me
No, no it won’t. This I know for certain. Endo may debilitate you with pain and take away your ability to live life like a normal person, and sometimes the pain might make you wish you were dead, but you will live through it. Find yourself a good support system, hook up with an endo association, locate a doctor who is an expert on endometriosis. Don’t be afraid to try things — exercise, acupuncture, herbs — each woman is different and you need to find the thing that helps you get through this. Don’t give up.
i don’t know what is causing my brittle hair
I really don’t know either. Could be any number of things — could be something that might seem to be benign, like shampoo, or maybe you swim every day and have chlorine damage. Swimming in the ocean is bad for hair, too. Or maybe you got it stuck in a vacuum cleaner or a power drill. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything, but those things have been known to cause brittle hair…
…and that’s it for the We’re All Searching for Something update.
***
Now for Week Two, No Shampoo Update.
My hair continues to feel great after I wash it with club soda and use my sulfate free conditioner, especially when it’s still wet and fresh from the shower. I only felt the need to use Scalpicin three times this week. My concern is that I may be battling an allergic reaction to chlorine on my scalp and I may not be able to discontinue Scalpicin.
One odd thing, though, on Thursday after my hair was supposedly dry, it felt odd… as if I’d used a “leave-in” conditioner, which I hadn’t. I don’t know if maybe that is the oily feeling that other women have reported? I’m really not sure. It did bother me enough that I put it up in a clip and that night after swimming I used a baking soda rinse after using club soda, hoping to break up whatever that coating was. It worked because on Friday my hair felt normal again.
My hair still tangles by late afternoon, but it’s definitely less of a snarled tangle knot and more of a hair-crossing tangle, if that makes sense. Maybe to other long-haired ladies it does.
Two weeks is done, and so far, overall, I’m still pleased. No picture this week, because it looks the same as last week.
Jammie J's Quest 