The Shallowest Poll On Earth

Okay. Every time I finally get my hair grown out to a point where it can reasonably be called long hair, I start to get the itch to cut it off again. I need help handling the siren song of the salon, and I'm due for a haircut. You can help me decide if it will just be a trim, or if it's time for a fresh 'do.

When it gets long, I start to feel as if it's sort of just hanging there, and I start pining away for layers and bobs and (Egads! Never again!) bangs. Here are a couple of examples of "before and after" pics (courtesy of Oprah) that might demonstrate what I mean. Keep in mind, I have almost no time for actually styling my hair, so it would probably never look quite this good. Right now I'm feeling like a "before."

http://www.oprah.com/beauty/hair/slide/20071102/haircut_010.jhtml

http://www.oprah.com/beauty/hair/slide/20071102/haircut_030.jhtml

So what do you think? Do either of these haircuts scream "Jen!" to you? Should I just leave well enough alone and enjoy my long, feminine, and hard-earned locks? Please post your opinion!

P.S. The links above are from Oprah's "Great American Haircut" show--and there are a hundred of these hair makeover before-and-after pairings for your browsing pleasure. It's a great resource if you, too, are shopping for a new hairstyle. And by the way, I ADORE before-and-after photos.

NOT a Creature in a Sci-Fi Movie

Galactagogue: an agent that promotes the secretion of milk.

So, NOT this:

but THIS:

And with that, I hereby establish the new "Learn Something New Every Day" category.

WARNING: Not for those with a quick gag reflex

As I headed downstairs to the computer during Mae's morning nap today, I encountered a pile of cat hork at the foot of the stairs, and gingerly stepped around it. I made a mental note to myself, determining that I'd clean it up after checking my e-mail and reading my blogs.

As any of you with children and/or beloved pets knows, a good parent (of humans or other critters) must pay attention to the frequency, consistency, and changing idiosyncrasies of poop, throw-up, and other icky matter emanating from the creatures for whose care we are responsible. So I also noted that whichever cat made this pile of vomit probably did so because he/she had not chewed his/her food properly. Or at all. There were full-size kibbles atop the more liquid-y portion of the mess--not just the little bites, but the big ones, the kind that we mix in with their regular food for the health of their teeth.

Here's the kicker. When I went back to clean it up, the kibble was gone. Apparently one of the kitties was still hungry after finishing off this morning's breakfast. Ew.

Now if we just had a dog, I'd never have to clean up ANY cat puke.

One Inch Shy

Arlo recently went to the doctor for his three-year-old check-up, and all were suitably impressed with his vigor and development. At 41 inches tall and weighing in at 36.8 pounds, he officially qualifies as a Big Kid. To be precise, he exceeds the 97th percentile in height, and the 90th percentile in weight. (I know, you can just see my chest swelling with pride, right?)

Anyway, this got me to thinking. Arlo is only one inch shy of the height requirement for just about any run-of-the-mill roller coaster.

I KNOW! IT'S CRAZY! But here it is, from the Adventureland web site: "Guests must be at least 42" tall to ride the G-Force, the Tornado, the Dragon, the Outlaw, Himalaya, or Falling Star, and 36" tall to ride the Raging River and the Frog Hopper."

Is a kid too young to handle a roller coaster at 3-and-a-half of 4 years old? Every time the Adventurelan commercial comes on the T.V. (honest to God, EVERY time), Arlo says, "THAT looks like fun!" and then also proceeds to make a "splassssssh" sound when they show the footage of the raft ride hitting the big splash at the bottom of a drop. He does, however, concede, "I need to get a little bigger first."

What do you think? Should we be including this in our plans for next summer?

Afternoon Time Suck Opportunity

Warning: there is some seriously HOT dancing going on here:
http://www.ican.ie/campaigns/universalmusic/dancesisterdance/myvid/index.php?v=e992e46f19c5a

and here:
http://www.ican.ie/campaigns/universalmusic/dancesisterdance/myvid/index.php?v=e992e46f19c5a

I feel justified in having spent 15 minutes of my work day playing with this web site, because the link was sent to me by my boss. So there.

Have fun, and please do not think less of me for exposing you to such drivel.

Navel Gazing

I've missed you! I hope you haven't missed me too much. I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I have posted, but mostly it's because I can't seem to focus on one thought long enough to develop it into a meaningful post. So, instead, I'm just going to give you a smattering of the things I've thought about lately that have made me say to myself, "Hey, I should blog about that" and then I don't follow through because I often don't have much of a point.

1. Most people think they are good drivers, when in fact a great number of people are really very bad drivers. Or, at least, they're mediocre, inattentive, and inconsiderate in their driving efforts. I am actually a good driver, and I believe I can credit that to the fact that, when I was fifteen, my high school offered Drivers' Ed as a course of study, at a reasonable price, and I actually learned the rules of the road in a real class--and in a real car--with a real teacher. (Dick Claypool, former shop teacher, a.k.a. "Tricky Dicky" for reasons which completely escape me now. Sweet man. He let me and my friend, Karen, borrow his tandem bicycle to ride around town one summer.)

2. Also on the topic of driving... just last week, I was walking from my car to my office when a minivan passed by, and in the front passenger seat was a woman holding a sleeping toddler. Okay, I know that it wasn't that long ago (when I was a kid, even) that people did that all the time. But it just shocked me to see a small child riding in a car but not in a car seat. And not riding in the back. Similarly, I occasionally will spot some tiny little head, just barely visible over the door frame of someone's front seat window in their car, and it takes my breath away. It seems so reckless, and so wrong! Don't even get me started about the jerks who smoke cigarettes with their kids in the car. Just because you cracked your window open does not mean that your kid's lungs are not being polluted. Some people don't even bother to do that!

3. Pregnancy news. I am thrilled to report that I am now able to feel the baby moving occasionally--not big kicks at this point, but lovely little goldfish flutters that let me know s/he's there. Oh, and I finally admitted to Ted that I hope we're having a girl. Of course we will be thrilled either way--I've always thought I'd be a great Mom of Men--but I've been gazing wistfully at little girls lately, and wishing for one of my own.

4. Thank GOD the weather is warmer this week.

5. Thanks for listening. More coherent thoughts to come. Some day.