Vanity

 Today is the 5th day of the 18th week, the 30th day of the 4th month, the 120th day of 2026 [with only 238 shopping days left until Christmas], and:

• Adopt a Shelter Pet Day
• Beltane - begins at sunset in the north
• Bugs Bunny Day
• Dia De Los Ninos/Dia De Los Libros Day
• Hairstyle Appreciation Day - apt for the topic of the day, neh?  
• International Jazz Day
• May's Eve - May 1st is the start of summer in Celtic cultures as it marks the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice  
• National Animal Advocacy Day
• National Bubble Tea Day
• National First Ladies Day
• National Golf Day
• National Honesty Day - one would hope honesty would be practiced every day, but here we are
• National Mahjong Day
• National Military Brats Day
• National Mr Potato Head Day - back in 1952, this was the first toy to be advertised on TV
• National Oatmeal Cookie Day
• National PrepareAthon! Day
• National Raisin Day
• National Sarcoidosis Day
• Poem in Your Pocket Day - part of National Poetry Month
• Samhain - begins at sunset in the south  
• Spank Out Day - my generation grew up with parents who very much believed "spare the rod: spoil the child" and acted accordingly.  My grandchildren are being brought up differently as my daughter proclaims that you can't teach a kid that hitting is bad if you hit them.  
• Thank You Thursday - part of National Stationery Week  
• Walpurgis Night -  rather like Halloween for Germany and much of northern/central Europe  
• the moon is at waxing crescent at 99% full
• and Voyager 1 is currently ~23h 31m 53s of light travel time from Earth, or 25,396,000,000 km / 15,781,000,000 mi / 169.764 AU

Quote of the day:

"A hair-hopper is someone who pretends they're rich, who really wasn't brought up very wealthy but now tries to brag that they're rich, and they spend too much time on their hair."

~  John Waters - American actor, writer, director [Hairspray] and visual artist 

I was always a redhead - not fire engine or Jessica Rabbit red - but definitely red.  Unfortunately, I never had the classic porcelain skin, that glowing look with green eyes and maybe a scattering of freckles across the bridge of the nose.  Nor did I have thick, luxurious tresses flowing down my back

Instead, my hair was on the thin side, and tended to be curly - which is always meant it was frizzy in humid weather, refused to stay put unless it was tightly braided and sometimes not even then, and couldn't hold onto either headbands or barrettes.  And it was thinnest on top, and I had what we called a high forehead.  Bangs were tried many times, but the problem always was the frizziness that had them looking like a wayward fringe as soon as I started sweating.  Over the years, I spent far too much time agonizing over the way my hair looked!

My complexion was well suited for red hair - florid and freckled.  I never realized how florid it was until I tried on a blonde wig once in college.  My face immediately aged 20 years and I looked like some rattled soaken wanton reeling from her life choices.  Needless to say, I realized immediately that yellow was never going to be my color!  

As I got older, my hair started getting thinner and thinner, which meant I started cutting it shorter and shorter.   And, of course I went through my wig wearing phase.  That was fun while it lasted, but wearing a wig all the time is simply uncomfortable - and my hair looked like crap after I took it off.  Frank never seemed to have an issue about it, or if he did, he never said anything, but I felt bad about my appearance, which was not conducive to romancing.  So the wig phase faded away.  

And I turned gray very very gradually, the overall color of my red hair just getting lighter and lighter.  Now I had always thought that dying one's hair was an unnecessary adjunct to growing old.  I envisioned myself rocking the gray look without hesitation.   And of course, because my hair never did what I wanted in my entire life, it didn't turn actual gray - no it turned a shade light ashen blonde....   Yeah, you see the problem.  So I started coloring my hair about 15 years ago.  I experimented a bit - played with streaks, got Jessica Rabbit red, went pink [that was NOT a good look], and finally settled on a color that pretty much matched my real hair.

Then came the MOHS surgery.   The plastic surgeon  did an excellent job and was able to pull my forehead up, carefully maneuvering the scalp about to close the gaping 3" hole in my scalp that laid bare my skull.  I had hoped that would lower my hairline but it had the exact opposite effect.  I no longer just have a "high forehead", I feel like I am actually bald now.

And so, because I am very self conscious about being so bald, I wear a topper [that is what they call a toupee when a woman wears it] or a bandana when I am out and about.   The topper was purchased for me by my hairdresser, and he dyed it with my hair color, as well as cutting and styling it for me.  It is lightweight, and although the front clips have nothing to hold onto, with the help of a little wig glue, it stays very secure.   I still get my hair colored as the sides and back still show, and I'm still getting used to the change in the way that I look when I wear it.  I've accumulated quite a wardrobe of different head coverings and have started wearing big earrings with them.  

I don't look like me to me anymore....   We'll see how sustainable this level of vanity is during the summer heat and humidity.  And, of course, we'll have to see how long I can continue going to the hairdresser.  I don't feel like I am pretending to be rich, but I do realize I am pandering to my vanity by spending all this time and money on myself ....