Curfews In Cairo to Manage Violent Protesting?

  Written in October, 2011:
  

I wonder how the newly imposed curfews are working out in Cairo, Egypt right now?

The protesting has reached the level of severe beatings, driving over humans,murdering and a curfew is imposed to "manage" this?
I am inclined to think that if many are capable of such violence to express feelings of oppression, beliefs, principles, etc., a curfew would be rather ineffective and certainly not going to abate this situation.

"Hummm...I better stop bludgeoning this guy right now and go retrieve my machete- it's time to go in!
Maybe If I leave now, I'll have enough time to stop and pick up some cheap Take-Out Kabobs for the wife and kids!"

Good luck with that...

I Won!! No Tiara. Happiness and... Bangs

Written in 12/2011

 

I don't think I have ever won anything...I got a call last week from my hair salon, Intrigue, telling me that I won a haircut with N.Y. Hair Stylist, Nick Arrojo! (This is a big deal, a haircut alone is worth $500.00....currently, I could not afford to even tip Mr. Arrojo. That free haircut? Tomorrow at 9 a.)

Of course I would be a lot more excited if I didn't have a haircut 3 weeks ago. Alanis Morrissette song?

You have to understand...I am 44 years old and have long hair. I am holding onto my hair length right now, as if I am hanging on to the last bit of collagen  left in the world and if any more is depleted, I may start to become arthritic, or start obsessing about plastic surgery. Ok, I am embellishing just a bit, but? MY HAIR?!!

I am envisioning Nick Arrojo now having an Annie Lennox song stuck in his head and that somehow she becomes his temporary muse and that after his coffee he may think short, spikey hair could just be the thing to change my life for the better. I so hope he had a good experience flying into Atlanta and that he doesn't have too much coffee.
I will simply have to be very up front with Mr. Arrojo tomorrow morning right at the outset of my bum making contact with the chair.

Me: "Uhhh, no creative liberty here, Mr. Arrojo, or we will end up on the national news...don't take off more than 1/8th of a milli-something of a millimeter. You have your scissors, I have mine (and just so you know, I did strength training this morning before I got here...). Just move my hair around for the camera and all will be well."

As it turns out, Nick Arrojo is the most down-to-earth and charming lad I could imagine. I was putty in his hands before I even got near the "chair".
Me: "Bangs? Sure!!! Whatever you think, Nick - after all you are the expert. "Bangs"...that's the first suggestion he threw out. (Bangs were not my friend, in fact, they had been my nemesis since I could grow hair and I had not worn them in over fifteen years.) Once he started though? I really liked what I saw...shocked, curious? In hindsight, Nick could have said, "Let's shave it on one side" and I may have considered it for just a minute...or ten.
What can I say? The man is very charasmatic and he gave me the best haircut I have ever had. I can't stop playing with it! The texture, layers...Most importantly- the Bangs! I think they may now have a long-standing place in my life.

I can now certainly see why celebrities go to Nick and people pay $500.00 for a haircut. Prior to my haircut with him, I thought anyone who would pay that much or take a flight to get a haircut must be familiar with the terms "lockdown" and "time for meds", to consider it. Now? Shhhhh...Ok.

I was so fortunate to win this haircut and have this experience. My problem now?  I am greedy. I am already considering the next cut and ways that I can justify paying for it. I was already using the shampoo, conditioiner, styling mousse, and hairspray from his Nick Arrojo Hair Care Line. They all smell amazing and I am a freak about fragrances.

Remember that "charisma" I mentioned? I walked out of there purchasing several products (He never tried to sell me anything) just uhhh, because?! ( who have I morphed into?)  "Uhhhh, I'll take the blowdryer, (yes, I know I've never even tried it...the brush, the defrizzing gel, more 'color-stay' shampoo, even though my hair is no longer colored(just particularly love the smell of this product)...and...the? whatever that yummy smelling spray is that you used at some point!" Yes, that's it.

I walked out of there thinking, "What a GREAT day!!!" I felt so good that I thought I could run countless errands and spend countless money. ( Ha! Does a healthy haircut contribute to serious delusion?) I stopped and got new contact lenses so I could actually see my new hairstyle, contemplated looking at Zappos online for new boots...then?  I dropped my iPhone and it shattered-Twice. Derp!

You know? I handled it better than I thought I would. I didn't hurl it in anger or scream obscenities at anyone or "some"one. I was actually rational. I went into the phone store, purchased an iPhone 4 with insurance this time, and told the salesperson not to tell or show me the total. Just put the receipt in the bag.

Conclusion: Some of you may not like this...It is absolutely AMAZING what a great haircut can do for happiness! (and hormone levels.)

Thank you Nick Arrojo. You are one very talented guy...

My Jimmy Fallon “Thank You” Letter

In the words of Jimmy Fallon, “Thank you”…Aetna Health Insurance for changing your pre-qualification policy for the medication that I have been taking for over twenty years. I have gone
through the normal process of having my physician prescribe the medication and when it is running low, I call my pharmacy to have it refilled, then I get in my car and go pick it up.  Not now.  I called it in and was told by my pharmacy that I now need pre-certification to have this medication filled and that I would need to contact my insurance company as well as my doctor.
OH, really? This is for Advair, for severe Asthma.  I need it to breathe to LIVE. 

Advair has successfully managed my Asthma for over twenty years and now I need “pre-certification” for a generic medication instead without any notice of the change?   What would qualify as pre-certification to now have my asthma medication filled and somewhat covered by this wonderful insurance company? Death?
Waiting four days without Advair to get this resolved, I came pretty close. If it was for Thyroid medication or something else, ok.  So I would be a little inconvenienced, but my Asthma medication?  Maybe they will cut me off at 65? God forbid I develop any other maladies.

Not a good sign of what is to come…

"You Better Work, Bit, er uh..Mom"

Have you ever heard the song by Brittney Spears, "You Better Work, Bitch"?  I can't say that in my current set of circumstances that I can relate to her lyrics..."You wanna drive a Maserati? You wanna party in France?"...on & on with other questions about doing wonderful things on various continents and driving additional exorbitantly priced Italian cars.
Great Brittney. You go do that, Brittney. You better work, Bit..rittney.
But I find myself singing along. Yes, I better work, bitch.  I am immediately reminded of the conversation with my husband the previous night regarding work and how I should work additional hours, more...blah, blah...things...more.blah. life...blah blah.  What honey? Of course I want to work until I am 85 or maybe even longer.  Maybe whatever retirement community I end up in will let me work full time there? Or if one of the kids still pays attention to me, they will visit me when I have vacation time. Whatever it takes to? I don't even know what I said.  I tuned out and just wanted to go to bed at that point; so I could be fresh to start the next work day.

Back to the song. I just picked up my 13 year old daughter from Soccer practice and the song comes on the stereo. Of course she knows all of the words and she smiles awkwardly at me when the word "bitch" comes up, like she is getting away with armed robbery.  

Brittney is belting it out: "You wanna drive a Lamborghini? ..." Party in France...You wanna a tight body? You better work, bitch."
I started singing along with Brittney, but with subtle changes..."You wanna go to Publix? Pay for your car insurance? You wanna drive a Chevrolet Equniox? Have a support bra for your saggy boobies...you better work, bitch."

My daughter looked at me like I had lost my mind and replied, " Oh my gosh, you sound just like a suburban mom!"

You think? 
We both laughed and then she tried to coerce me into getting her a $7.00 Smoothie because she had to run laps at practice. ???
No hint of logic to be found.
"You better work, baby".