Thursday, December 21, 2006

People's Reactions

I swear I have never gotten this much attention for anything. And let's face it, I pretty much go around 24 hours a day wondering how I can get more attention. Who knew not spending money would be the trick?

On Monday, I went to a party where a lot of friends had read my blog. I was quickly surrounded, like Scarlett O'Hara was at the barbecue at 12 Oaks. As usual, people had a lot of questions (though unlike Scarlett, no one wanted me to save a waltz for them. Bastards). One friend, and she knows who she is, was incredibly worried about my shoes. What will I do if I need shoes next year? Okay, hang on. I am going to go count the number of shoes I already own...

I am glad I just did that. I organized all my shoes, found some that I completely forgot about (like the red velvet Chinese slippers with beads and sequins on them -- too cute!), and discovered one of my tennis shoes is missing. Anyway, I own 6 pairs of flip-flops and 23 pairs of regular shoes. That is not counting my wedding shoes, which I can't seem to part with and will never wear again, and a pair of short ankle boots that make me look like an elf.

I cannot wear flip-flops at work, but I can get away with all the other pairs of shoes, including the tennis shoes, if I could find the mate. Where the HELL is the mate?

So, 23 pairs of shoes. That means I could wear a different pair each workday for a month. I could wear one pair every day for two weeks, then switch. Really, for the friend whose name I won't mention but whose initials are Amy, I think I will be okay on shoes.

I have also been obsessed with what I am going to do with my hair -- grow the roots out, use Feria by L'oreal, or continue to use my hairdresser? I will just have to wait and see how tough I am. Marvin Gardens already looks 17 years younger than me. People will think I'm his grandmother. Will I be able to live with the humiliation?

What is the apostrophe for in L'oreal? What is it short for? Was it originally LordIcan'tbelievemyhairisn'tsoreal? And they shortened it to L'oreal? Are they trying to be French? What does L'oreal mean in French? Does anyone know?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't buy any L'Oreal products. They are the most evil cosmetics company in the world. As a company they are backstabbing scum who treat their suppliers like dirt promising big orders but rarely delivering. And when you get an order their quality people reject everything based on archaic byzantine specifications that they provide little training on. The supplier is expected to essentially become a branch of L'Oreal.

Lisa said...

In 1907, Eugène Schueller, a young French chemist, developed an innovative hair-color formula. He called his improved hair dye Auréole. With that, the history of L'Oréal began. Eugène Schueller formulated and manufactured his own products, which he then sold to Parisian hairdressers

Anonymous said...

Wow, I think this is so interesting, and I'm inspired. But what does the "cheap stuff" mean regarding moisturizer and the like? Oil of Olay? To some, that's not cheap at all . . . which then begs the question, do you actually *need* moisturizer? Debatable, I think. Do you need wine when having friends over for dinner? Cable? A great book, which of course you can get out the library, is Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed" in which she recounts taking on minimum wage jobs to see if she could survive. I'm somehow reminded of it . . . might be a good read to see what items other people think is necessary. I know for sure she wouldn't have been able to dye her hair on what she made . . .

June Cutoff Cash said...

Well, Heather, I asked myself the same thing. I remember my grandmother used Oil of Allure, which I guess was the cheap version of Oil of Olay. I am not going to use moisterizer this year; I think it's unnecessary. As for my makeup, I'll use it till it runs out.

I will use sunscreen cause I think it's a medical nececessity, at least where I live, as the sun shines pretty much every day.

I will use the cheapest soap possible, but I really do have large, curly, bad hair, so can I get away with Suave when my good stuff runs out? I mean, obviously I can use it, but will people at work talk about me? And if they do, is that the worst thing in the world?

I guess all of this living without buying is up to interpretation, and I will just have to wait till these things come up.

And thank you for reading my blog! I can't believe people who don't know me are reading it.

Anonymous said...

I live in Southern California and agree about sunscreen, for sure, of course, definitely.

And as for Suave, I am a single girl living alone, no dependents other than a cat, who makes over six figures, (I make the $$, not the cat) and I use Suave by choice. I've never embarked on something like this, but long ago I decided that I was going to attempt to not be swayed by marketing . . . and I think shampoo/conditioners are one of the worst offenders. There are very few products I buy based on branding anymore. Having said that, the Suave shampoo is just like any other shampoo I've ever tried, and the apple green actually smells pretty good. The conditioner *isn't* as good as the fancy stuff, but . . . it's good enough. Especially for $1.59.

Of course I would read this blog! (One of your friends told me about it . . . I'm not using my real name, just because, not sure why actually). I think the implications go way beyond what products you'll buy. Refusing to participate as a consumer is a very "awake" thing to do, especially during this time of upheaval (not sure what your politics are but I think we can all agree that things are a little iffy right now).

And refusing to be told what is "necessary" and what isn't is also very aware . . .I mean, don't get me started on the pharmaceutical industry and how many diseases we've been told we probably have but, thankfully, they have a cure for. For instance, I am a big believer in antidrepressants for those who need them, BUT if you've ever seen the Zoloft commercial with that little bouncing face, it appears that EVERYBODY qualifies: the voice over asks, "Are you sometimes anxious?" "Do you get sad?" "ARE YOU TIRED?" YES, in fact, all those things!! But does that mean I am in need of a product?

Sorry to go on and on . . . I'm obviously just really intrigued.

Unknown said...

I just love your writing style. Okay, I had to go to the beginning of your archives and read through in order. I love this. Funny, but my first two thoughts were what would I do about haircare and new shoes! Okay, I really will refrain from commenting to every post. Hehe!

Anonymous said...

i heard that loreal means a blow job or oral sex in french