That dog...

Just when I claimed that the dog never slept on his big pillow beside the bed, he has started sleeping on it and making a liar out of me. The very fact that I mentioned it must have been a trigger for him to start using it. That happens a lot when I mention some sort of behavior of his here on this blog. The minute I do he starts doing it in the exact opposite way I claimed he did. Maybe he secretly turns the computer on when I'm asleep and reads my blog.

That will make world news. It will teach me not to make generalized statements about the dog because they all will prove to be untrue.  When I mentioned the other day that he was completely house broken, he did a neat turd directly by the back door on the linoleum. When I say he's best friends with the cat, he starts bothering her something awful as if he doesn't like her at all. Anything I say about him, he'll prove differently. He's an ornery dog.

Other than that he thinks that every banana I eat is supposed to be shared with him and he looks very disappointed if he only gets one bite. He thinks I go to the toilet just to sit there and rub his belly because he always follows me into the bathroom. The first thing I do every morning is greet him as if he's the most important creature in the world (don't tell anyone but he is). He's an attachment of me just as well as my arm or leg is.

So much for that rotten dog.

I went to the hairdresser this morning and had the great pleasure of having my hair washed and cut. When my hair was washed, I also got a great head massage and I had been secretly hoping for one. I needed it because my muscles were very tight and they loosened up quite a bit.

I got a great haircut and it's very easy to manage. Everybody who works there knows how I want my hair cut and they all do a great job. I do have my personal preference but anyone can do it. It had been something like seven weeks since I had it cut so it was more than time for it to be done. I was amazed at how much hair came off.

I do see a very middle aged woman when I look in the mirror at the hairdresser. It's even worse when my hair is wet and it sticks up in all directions. It's best not to be too critical of yourself then. I purposely don't wear my glasses when I go. I don't have to see every detail.

I look alright once my hair is styled and in place. If I squint it's not too bad and if I run fast you hardly notice how old I really am.

Have a good day.

Ciao,
Irene

Rain again...

Every evening it rains but luckily it does so after I have taken the dog for a walk. Well no, it was raining a bit when I took him this evening but we didn't get wet too badly. All it took was a bt of a rub with a towel to get us dry again. The dog does enjoy that. He comes running when he sees the towel and very willingly stands and gets rubbed dry all over. It's much easier now that his fur is cut so short. 

It's raining harder now and I think we got back inside just on time. It doesn't really rain during the day and I suppose the rain in the evening is good for nature and the farmers. I haven't heard anything about it on the news. There's usually some news about the water level in the rivers also but I haven't heard anything about that either. Maybe the snow in the Alps hasn't melted yet. 

I have had a quiet day in which I have done nothing but contemplate my navel a lot and it has been most peaceful. I was not bored for one minute but enjoyed sitting in my armchair and letting the time slowly go by without feeling that I had to fill it with activity. It was enough just to sit and exist and be aware of that. 

I also took a nap and got up late in the morning. I still enjoy sleeping. It's one of my favorite hobbies. I fall asleep within a minute after putting my head down on the pillow and don't remember a thing after that. I usually wake up quite refreshed unless I'm grumpy like I was yesterday. But that was the exception to the rule. 

The dog sleeps on the bed with me because there's linoleum in that bedroom and no carpeting. He doesn't sleep on the big pillow that's beside the bed. He never really did get used to it. The linoleum is too cold to sleep on, although he may appreciate in the summertime when it is hot. 

I can't imagine hot temperatures now but I am looking forward to them. This Saturday it's supposed to get up to 24C degrees and we won't know what hit us. That will be the warmest it has been since last year. 

I've got just a few cigarettes left and no tobacco. The empty package is in the trash bag. I will smoke these cigarettes and then put on a nicotine patch. I'm ready for the challenge. At least I know from experience what lies ahead of me. It's not the first time that I quit after all. 

Tomorrow morning I've got an appointment to get my hair cut. I'm looking forward to it very much. I'm purposely not going to wash my hair so it will have to be done there. That's part of the pleasure. I do want the full treatment. 

It's been more than six weeks since I've had it cut last and it's more than time. I do have to use an awful lot of hairspray to keep my hair in place now and it does make it sticky. It looks good when it's in place but a hurricane wouldn't blow it apart. 

I've got to eat before the news comes on. It's time to nourish the body. I just have to decide what sort of food I'm going to have. 

Have a good evening all of you.

Ciao,

Irene

The lack of nicotine....

I want to write a cohesive post, but I find it very difficult to. It's like the lack of nicotine is preventing me from writing down anything that's sensible.

I haven't worn a nicotine patch since Tuesday when I discovered I could do without them and not miss the nicotine. It's true, I don't. I've had a peaceful time ever since and am amazed that this is so. 

I'm so peaceful today that I can't seem to really wake up and keep having to go back to bed to sleep some more.

I'm having some coffee to prevent me from falling asleep behind the computer. 

It's not working very well. 

Anyway...

Yesterday I had my hair cut and I had to promise to never let my hair grow again. I did and left the shop with a great haircut that looks quite perky on me. It's very easy to take care of hair and a breeze to wash and dry. 

I've already written down in my agenda when I should make the next appointment. I'm not going to make the mistake of walking around with a grown out haiircut. 

Oh yes, I remembered. I'm not supposed to be perfect. I almost forgot. I did start to sound like I was trying to be a perfect person, wasn't I? And I'm allowed to make all the mistakes I want. What's going to happen if I do anyway? The world's not going to come to an end. 

Jeez! I'm even perfect in being imperfect. 

So, I don't know why I don't need the nicotine patches. Maybe it's because I only smoked for such a short time. I will have to take the nicoltine patches I have left back to the pharmacy to see if I can get back my money. I have one full box that's not been opened yet. 

In my enthusiasm, I bought two weeks worth of patches. Dumb!

I only used them one day.

Ciao,

Irene's Dutch Diva Blog

At the danger of writing another dull post...

I'm a person who does learn her lessons the hard way and after writing a very dull post yesterday, I put myself in danger of writing another by trying to improve on it tonight. There are, of course, no guarantees and it is possible that I will hopelessly fail in my mission. That will be a double whammy then and I will never live it down. But I've got to take the chance because I can't live with the thought of failure. 

I'm working on my second cup of coffee and it is giving me, you could say, Dutch courage, although there is no alcohol in it. I'm not so foolish as to try that because, although it would loosen me up tremendously, it would also make me drunk and I certainly don't feel like being it. By all rights I should have a couple of beers, but I don't happen to have any and that's probably for the best. I don't like the after effects. 

I woke up with my T-shirt drenched in sweat and stood outside by the back door on the patio in order to cool off. The cold night air quickly did that while the dog went about his business. I could have stayed out there a while longer and really have gotten chilled to the point that I would have needed my bathrobe, but I'm still sitting here without it now. I'm radiating warmth and it's not cold in the apartment either. I must be having post menopausal hot flashes. 

The best thing to do now is have a glass of ice cold milk because it will not only freeze my frontal lobes, but also cool down my body. It's guaranteed to work. The coffee has straightened out my mind sufficiently and I can think clearly. It's nice to mess with my head and muddle it up with the coldness of the milk. It never ceases to effect me and give me a different experience. 

I wore two different outfits yesterday because I was not satisfied with what I was wearing initially. I delved into my closet and found something completely different, although I don't know why I bother because hardly anyone sees me. I must be practicing for a very active social life. The second outfit was put together of old and new elements and pleased me very much. I could have gone out on a date if I had wanted to, but I looked good enough to make myself happy. 

I'm waiting for my hair to grow back in so I can go to the hairdresser. I think I cut my bangs a little bit too short. I will have to wait a couple of weeks for them to catch up with the rest of my hair. It's very easy hair that I've got now and I hardly have to do anything to it when I get up. Isn't that what every woman wants? I just look a little bit too much like a hedgehog and I didn't want to look quite that cute. I do want to be taken seriously. I am, after all, a grown woman.

I can't go on the bathroom scale and trust the result it gives me. It is much too high and then tells me that it's an error, which I totally agree with. I think the battery is low and will have to be replaced. It's one of those complicated scales that wants to tell you everything including your date of birth when all I want to know is my weight. 

I don't know that right now, so I can only go by how my clothes fit me to know how well I'm doing. My skinniest jeans are a little big. I wash them regularly to shrink them, but as I wear them, they slide down my hips again. I do have hope, but I don't want all my clothes to get too big on me because I like them well enough and I don't have the money to replace them. I must make do with what I have. Does that seem like an odd sort of reasoning? 

I'm sufficiently cooled off now and have put on my bathrobe. I stood out by the back door again because the dog imagined that he had to go out again. I don't think he actually did anything there. I'm having another glass of cold milk because the first one tasted so good. The night can last a long time for all I care. It's very cozy here by the light of the desk lamp.

I will have to go to bed shortly because I do need more sleep, but I can sleep late in the morning. It's Saturday, after all. It's not going to be a warm day and I may not have the proper outfit for the cold, but I'll be tough and withstand it anyway. I do have to be a tough Northern European. At least I'm not in Scandinavia where it's snowing. 

I don't now if I've achieved my goal and managed not to write a dull post, but there you have it. It is a long one anyway. I've thoroughly enjoyed writing it. There has to be some satisfaction in that also. 

Ciao,

Nora

Levity and lightness...

I trimmed my own bangs last night because they were too long when as usual I brushed them to the side and fixed them into place with hairspray. I slightly looked like Adolf Hitler. I cut them quite a bit shorter and like this perkier look. Now I look more like a little cute hedgehog. One you may want to cuddle despite her spines. I could easily appear in an animated film. Meryl Streep could do the voice over in a Dutch accent. She's good at accents.

My hair is easier to manage now and it will be easier to wash and dry and get in place too. It gets unruly quickly and always makes me think I need to get a haircut. Now I won't have to go to the hairdresser for a while. Not that I don't enjoy going. I also still need to get the silver shampoo to wash it with. Not that my hair isn't naturally light. I just want it to pick up the highlights so it will look lively. It's got a lot of gray in it, but it looks blond. That's my luck. 

I have to go to the drugstore anyway and pick up some things. I want to see what sort of deodorant is on sale and if I can find a decent perfume for a good price. I have been out of it for quite a while now and I do miss the scent on my clothes. I did have some samples, but they were of expensive perfumes and I won't be buying them. I do wish I believed in Santa Claus and his bottomless bag of goodies. Wouldn't it be nice to be a kid and make a wish list? I think I do need a sugar daddy. 

Since today is Thursday, it means it's a free day and I don't have to get up on time. It does mean that I have to get up whenever the dog needs to go out because I can't neglect him. I'm not concerned about the day ahead and being able to fill it. Things will take care of themselves. I'm going to look on the bookcase for a good novel to read. It's about time that I try out the reading part of my varifocal glasses extensively. Hopefully that will be the pleasure I expect it to be.

I have to go back to bed, much to my regret. It is moving toward morning and I do want to get the rest of my sleep. I've dawdled long enough here. I tell myself to look forward to the remainder of my time in bed, but I'm not convinced yet. I'll have to remind myself of how nice and warm the duvet is. 

I hope you'll all have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora

Chasing away the black dog...

Now that I'm sitting here so comfortably in the semi dark in the middle of the night, it is easy to forget how down I felt during the day. All seems well now, while it didn't feel that way at all earlier. I felt that the black dog was stalking me in the underbrush and I was constantly aware of his presence. 

At first I tried to ignore him, but then I decided to acknowledge his presence and it almost felt like a relief when I did. At least it was a familiar presence and I knew how to deal with it. He was not really my enemy, but just a well known aspect of myself that was as recognizable as the features of my face. 

I don't know if I'm now coming down with a depression. It may be a false alarm. Maybe I just had a bit of a tough day, but the last few days I've been off a bit anyway. I haven't been my usual steady self. I've felt more insecure and more stressed and that's when things happen. 

I haven't been my normal self since Friday when I didn't sleep well because I had to pick up my glasses downtown at the optician. That was a big deal to me. I was so stressed in the morning that I took two tranquilizers and I had vowed never to take those anymore. 

Subsequently, I got my hair cut and as a result I had a whole new look. I think this all was too much for me and it unsettled me and I never did get back into my normal state of mind. I didn't return to my normal comfortable feeling. I didn't feel at ease with myself.

I also think that those tranquilizers took some time to get out of my system. They worked when I needed them to, but the aftermath was less pleasant. I felt like I was kicking off. No doubt that was because I used them so much in the past. My body had a craving for them. 

I think I can talk myself out of having the black dog stay if I analyze the cause and effect. It's not my new look that bothers me, but the events around it and the feelings that I had achieving it. It cost me too much effort and upset my too complacent life. It is easily upset, after all. 

But now I'm sitting here with my cup of coffee and I can rationally think about this. My feelings don't come into play so much. I feel as normal and sane as I can get thanks to the hour of the night. I may feel differently in the morning, but I hope not. I hope I can hang on to this sense of normality.

Being 'normal' is my biggest wish and I think you all know what I mean by being 'normal.' It is living without extremes of feelings, but being somewhere in the comfortable middle with the occasional hiccup. I don't expect everything to go smoothly all the time, but I do make the effort for it to potentially go that way.

I think if I can stay on the side of rationality, I can solve a lot of problems. My emotions do get in the way sometimes and take a run with me and I become unreasonable. I don't know how to get over that. I suppose I don't acknowledge them on time and let them simmer below the surface too long. I have to work on that. 

I guess I strive for some sort of perfectionism and will never achieve it. 

Have a good night you all. 

Ciao,

Nora

Getting started again...

It's always a bit tough to get started up again after I've woken up from a nap. I try to do it without drinking a cup of coffee, but it's impossible. I need at least two of them to get back to normal. 

I don't know why I'm so stubborn at first to think I can do without. I blame it on temporary brain failure. It's only when I hit total bottom that I realize I have to do something about it and make a pot of coffee.

I'm nearly alright now. I'm working on my second cup. 

For a while there it was touch and go and I knew I shouldn't write anything because it might have come out very wrong. Luckily, I do have an internal censor who keeps me from making major blunders. 

My eyes have gotten used to the glasses, even to the correction for the astigmatism. I miss them now when I don't have them on, like when I wake up from a nap.  

I see these words on the screen ever so much better.

I've gotten used to how I look with them on too and I think my haircut matches them very well. I should remember to put in some earrings so I will look more feminine. I look a little butch right now. 

I am wearing a mini skirt today along with some pretty leggings that I bought yesterday. Nobody can mistake me for a boy. Besides, I do have some feminine curves despite all the weight that I lost. And I do still have breasts.

I took the dog for a long walk this afternoon, but I can't say that it was much of a pleasure. He dawdled most of the time and I had to literally pull him along. He thought there were items of interest under every fallen leaf and there were a lot of them. 

As we walked, showers of leaves fell on us and this was while the sun was shining on us too because it was a nice day. I was dressed too warm in my leather jacket. Just a cardigan would have sufficed. 

I've got to take the dog for a walk now and it's already dark outside. It's tough when duty calls you out into the night, but at least it isn't cold. 

Have a good evening all of you.

Ciao,

Nora

Keeping down the noise level...

It's in the middle of the night and I'm sitting here with my inevitable cup of coffee and cigarette keeping as silent as I can so as not to disturb the neighbors. It's not that I feel like being that noisy, but I'm acutely aware of the peace and quiet that reign around me. 

I assume that everybody else in the apartment building is asleep, like any sensible person should be, but there's more than enough time to sleep this weekend and I'm sure I'll not suffer from a shortage of it. I always do manage to get caught up on my sleep when I have my days off. 

I take advantage of every opportunity to sleep and plan my weekends around it and walks with the dog. The longer the walk, the better the nap. I also, of course, have my TV watching routine and there are programs that I absolutely have to watch, but I'll not skip a nap if I think it's really necessary. 

I'm going to change the sheets on the bed today and do the laundry immediately. I will be able to dry it on the clothesline outside because the weather is going to be beautiful and it will be dry in no time at all. I get the bonus of sleeping between clean smelling sheets.

This coming week we are going to have a bit of an Indian Summer with lots of sunshine and pleasant temperatures. I don't know if that will slow down the dropping of the leaves from the trees. It will be cheerful weather anyway. I won't know what clothes to wear. I was already prepared to wear my cold weather clothes and my winter coat. 

My short haircut is great. I slept on it and it mostly stayed in place. It's going to be easy to take care of. In order not to forget to go to the hairdresser on time, I've written down in my agenda when to make an appointment next. I must take better care of my hair and not wait so long to have it cut. 

It's time to go back to bed. I want to set the alarm clock and get up at a decent time in the morning. I do want to start the day out properly and not linger in bed forever. I do get the weirdest dreams if I sleep too long. 

Have a good Saturday all of you.

Ciao,

Nora

Almost standing still...

It's impossible not to be glad that it's Friday evening. Finally the week is over. It's not that it cost me that much effort, but it did seem to take a long time for it to be over. The days didn't pass as quickly as they normally do. 

I don't know why that was. There just seemed to be a hitch in the system and to take twice as long to get to the end of the week. It seems ages ago since it was Monday and I so bravely started out.

I was full of goodwill at the beginning, but ran into a cloud of anxiety somewhere around the middle of the week and have only just been able to extract myself. 

Luckily, I was able to deal with it and it did not cause me to reach for the tranquilizers. I did lots of chores instead and am all caught up. Well no, I do have some dishes to do, but they can wait until tomorrow morning. 

I don't want to become too efficient. I'll become like one of those neurotic housewives who has a spotless house and who can't stand any kind of mess. I can see the danger lurking around the corner now. 

This afternoon, I got my hair cut because I was using the hairspray too much to keep my hair in place. That's always a sure sign that it needs to be cut. 

It was a pleasant interlude to the day, as it usually is. I got pampered properly and I've got a decent haircut that I won't have to worry about for a while. 

It had been too long since I was at the hairdresser last. I must remember to go sooner the next time. I'm not kind enough to myself because I do enjoy going there and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

The sun has been shining all day, although it has been a bit chilly. That's my kind of weather, though. This weekend it's gong to be warm and I'll be able to go out without a jacket. I'm less pleased about that than I should be. 

I've got to walk the dog. He's been very feisty the last few days and really needs the exercise. He thinks he's a puppy again. He's impatiently waiting for me to get done now.

I hope you'll all have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Nora

Bedtime stories...

I'm perfectly content right now and want to savor the moment. Or should I say, the long moments that I will be content because I know it's going to last a while. It's not over until the fat lady sings and there's no fat lady around here anywhere, nor is there likely to be one in the middle of the night. At least not within my hearing distance. There will be no sudden opera arias sung. I will fall out of my chair with surprise if there are.

I always say this, but I'm drinking a very good cup of coffee and doubtlessly that has put me in a good mood. Caffeine is one of my preferred choices of chemical addictions, after all. It and nicotine are my crutches as befits a writer. I should write crime fiction on a portable Remington and live in the 50's when everyone was oblivious.

I'm sitting here with a new haircut which I got yesterday. My very own hairdresser cut my hair and she did a fabulous job, but that's for me to claim and for you to believe. It's very short and I love to run my fingers through it. It's indestructible hair. 

Everybody else and their sister had been cutting my hair lately, except for my very own hairdresser, and they all had done a decent job, but not as good as she has done now. We were trying to remember yesterday how long she has been cutting my hair and could not think of the number of years it had been exactly, but it has been a long time. 

My hair always lightens up after it has been cut. It must be that the gray hair shows up more, but I like the look of it and walk down the street proudly afterwards. I'm not the least bit vain, of course. My hairdresser fixes my hair with gel, something I'm never able to do well myself, and for the rest of the day I have a cute hairdo until I sleep on it. I'll have to wash it in the morning to get it to look decent again. 

Today is going to be a cool day with rain and drizzle, so I'll have to wear completely different clothes than I did yesterday when it was so warm. A low pressure system from France has come over us. For a change our weather is not coming from England. It's moving north toward Scandinavia and then turning around and moving over us again causing a double whammy. 

I have a day off without any appointments. I actually wish I did have some because I'm more in the mood to have some action in my life at the moment. I have to try and amuse myself in the best possible way without getting into any trouble and without getting wet. And without spending money. That's very restrictive, isn't it? 

I think I will go look for something interesting to do now because I'm not nearly ready to go back to bed. The fat lady isn't singing yet. 

Ciao,

Nora

...and what do I know, after all?

Don't believe me when I say that the weather is going to be cooler, because what do I know? I'm just repeating what the weather forecasters say. Today was supposed to be a cooler day than it was yesterday, but in the afternoon, when I walked the dog, it was as hot as it had been the day before. I was sweltering in my less skimpy clothes and when I got home, I took as many of them off as I could. 

Well, that was my start to this blog post. That's as exciting as I can get. I don't know how to get it more interesting than that. 

The dog and the cat are chasing another mouse around the apartment. It's the third one in as many days. I can't believe the cat brought in another one. I've tried to rescue it, but I've been unable to so far. The dog is especially very fanatic about it.  He acts like he does this for a living. He's a real hunter and the cat hardly gets a chance to participate. I'm slightly disgusted with the whole thing. 

I had my hair cut this afternoon. I went to the walk in place next to the pharmacy where you don't have to make an appointment. They also don't wash your hair, so I had that pleasure when I came home. That's when I really got to see what my hair looked like. 

A decent job was done and it was less expensive than when I go to my regular hairdresser. The woman cut it nice and short and spunky. I like the way I look, so it was worth the 12.50 Euros that it cost, which is very cheap. The next time I'll have to remember to wash my hair first. It's not so good when you have a lot of hairspray in it and it gets cut.

I think that mouse is dead. The cat and the dog are doing other things now and all is quiet. I'll have to go look for it so I don't step on anything unpleasant with my bare feet... Oh, I already found it. It was little and sopping wet from the dog's mouth. I flushed it down the toilet. I didn't know what else to do with it. It didn't seem like a good idea to put it in the trash with this heat.

The Exfactor did the groceries this morning and got me the cheese crackers. I had asked him to get me two packages and it's a good thing I did, because the packages are very small. I had to almost laugh when I saw them. I should have asked for four of them.

I've tried them and I like them very much, almost too much, so I have to contain myself. I have to definitely set a limit of how many I can eat all at once. They are salty and cheesy, just what I wanted and had imagined, but they are junk food and I was not really prepared for that. I thought they were going to be healthier. I'm a little bit disappointed and a bit concerned. I don't normally eat junk food. I find it's too addictive. That's why it was made, to make you want to eat more of it.

I'm going to bed in a little while and I'm looking forward to it very much. There's nothing like it at the end of a well spent day. It's especially nice when you know you will wake up with a decent hairdo. Why do I wait so long to get my hair cut? It's so simple to get it done and I look so much nicer. There ought to be a law against letting your hair grow too long. 

I'm full of it. It's time to end this post. I'm very thirsty and need to drink about a liter of cold milk.

Have a good evening you all. 

Ciao,

Nora

New hair...

I got up early this morning, which turned out to be much too early, and I had to go beck to bed for just a little while before I went to the hairdresser. I wouldn't have made it otherwise, because I would have fallen asleep in the chair there while she cut my hair. 

I dozed in bed for an hour and a half and then got up and had a cup of coffee. That was enough to return me to the living and I got dressed as soon as it was possible. It only takes me five minutes to walk to the hairdresser, maybe less, and when I got there, I was attended to immediately. 

The woman who cut my hair has cut it often and she does not need me to tell her what she needs to do. She knows enough about my funny hair to know what to do with it. How on one side it always wants to stick out and how that needs to be thinned out extra well so it will lie down flat. 

She cut off an amazing amount of hair, because it had really grown a lot since I had been there last. It had only been about six weeks ago, but my hair grows fast. I saw myself emerging as she cut it. That's my favorite part: watching her cut my hair with the different scissors.

As she cut my hair and it dried up, it got lighter and by the time she was done I had very blond hair again. I don't know why that is, but it always happens. It had gotten a bit darker during the winter and it was a joy to see it brightened up. It matches my face and eyebrows better. 

I now have very easy to manage hair and it will be a breeze to take care of it. Washing it will be so easy and it will not be any effort to style it, because all I will have to do is rub it dry with a towel. I've got a spunky hairdo. I had picked the clothes to match my hair beforehand, so I looked good when it was done. 

I'm one of the few women I know who doesn't completely redo her hair when she's been to the hairdresser. Or maybe there are more of you who don't and the story that there are is just a myth. 

Tyke smelled my hair when I got home. He must have thought that it was just a bit of an unfamiliar scent. He laid down submissively and I scratched his belly. Gandhi just wanted a bowl of milk. She didn't care one way or the other. Cats are uninterested in those things.

I'm now waiting for the Exfactor to get here. I never know when he'll show up. I can start doing my chores in the meantime. I'm still a little bit tired and I think I'll have to take a nap this afternoon. At least my hair will be in place when I get up. 

Have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora

Some of everything...

There was icy rain last night when I went to bed, but it has since turned to snow and there's a new layer of it on top of what was left of the old one. It's going to snow today and tonight and tomorrow too, so we will have a white Christmas. That doesn't happen very often, so I guess we should be happy about that, because of that song that says that we're always dreaming of it. Just like the ones we used to know. Even back then people were nostalgic for white Christmases. Well, we are having one, so that takes care of that.

Because it's been too long since I've had my hair cut, I get to go to the hairdresser this morning. I can't wait to go and get a decent haircut. It's more than high time. I called for an appointment yesterday afternoon and they were kind enough to squeeze me in, even though they were pretty much booked full. I think it helped that I've been a steady customer for such a long time. Cutting my hair doesn't take such a long time, so it can be done somewhat easily in between everything else. I do appreciate that. 

You all know that I love going to the hairdresser and getting my hair washed and fussed over. I like nothing better than sitting there and watching the girl shape my hair with the scissors. I'm never in any fear of it being ruined, as long as she follows my instructions. You must never be afraid to speak up. That's what's so good about always going to the same hairdresser. You aren't shy when you want to put your two cents worth in. 

Yesterday, I received a large box with a Christmas care package in it. There were all sorts of wonderful and practical foods in it. I found out that I had gotten it from the Green Cross through the mediation of my Wednesday personal helper. She got to pick out some clients who she thought were deserving of a useful surprise and had picked me amongst them. It was a true cornucopia. 

The Exfactor was here when it arrived and we looked through it together, which gave me the opportunity to give him the things that were made of meat, such as the large salami. I would never eat that. I saved the can of knackwursts for Tyke. There were enough foods in there that I can use, though, including a big piece of cheese and a package of coffee. I can't tell you how happy I was with it. It really was a big surprise. 

Last night, I left my mobile phone sitting on the small table next to my armchair and you can all guess what Tyke did with it, right? He chewed on it to the point that it isn't working anymore. Now nobody can call me, because I don't have my land line anymore. Luckily, the Exfactor has another mobile phone that he can let me use and he is going to bring it by on Friday. I will be able to stick my memory card in it and have it work, hopefully. Unless it is ruined also. That darn dog! And the Exfactor had just bought him new rawhide bones and he had one available that he had been chewing on. Grrr...

It's going to be colder for the next several days and I think I'm going to need to wear a warmer cardigan than the one I've been wearing. It will be a great opportunity to wear my red one, which is my favorite one. All my clothes are starting to smell like the new perfume I'm wearing and it is very pleasant, until I wash them. My scarves all have that scent. I've just found out that this discount store where the Exfactor bought it, also sells Gloria Vanderbilt perfume very cheaply, so I may want to get a bottle of that and alternate scents on different days. 

Well, it's been a mixed bag of news. Some good and some not so good, the former outweighing the latter.  I think I'll get dressed now and get ready for the rest of the day. I've got to find a battery for my alarm clock. It's stopped working and continually points to 5 o'clock. 

Have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora 

Trying for inspiration in the early morning!

I've had my first cup of coffee and the cobwebs of sleep are removed from my mind. I will have my second cup next, after I first take my medicines, because I almost forgot about them. So, I quickly took them and poured my second cup of coffee and now I'm ready to try and write something interesting and inspiring. 

I think my last post was especially dull, but it was written when I was exceptionally tired and not really in the right frame of mind to write a post. I went to bed immediately afterwards and was sound asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. As a matter of fact, I was dozing off while I was still sitting behind the computer, so that shows you what a silly woman I can be. You shouldn't blog when you are half asleep and pretending you're not. Nothing good will come of it. I am such a stubborn woman sometimes, that I think I can't end the day unless I've written a post. The fact that I may not have anything to say doesn't enter into the equation.

So now is the morning of a busy day, but it is still early and I don't feel rushed yet. I will get excited in about two hours when time will start to press. I must shower and wash my hair again, because it is flattened against my head on one side and I look like I've been slapped upside the head and I'm completely crooked. I must make an appointment with my hairdresser and get my hair cut on the sides and in the back. Not on the top, it is the perfect length there. I'm moving away from punky hair and going for a little bit more sedate look, but one I can still make look unruly and mess around with if I want. 

At least I know which clothes I'm wearing today and because It's going to be a cool day, I'll be wearing my cowboy boots. I've not worn them in a long time and it will be fun to put them on again and step around like a tough broad. Not that I especially feel like one. I haven't got that attitude about me at all. I feel more like a kindly earth mother who is all goodness and graciousness and wouldn't harm a fly. The tranquilizers make me much too mellow to be a broad with an attitude and kick ass boots. Come to think of it, maybe I should wear different boots, so nobody gets the wrong impression. Do you think it will matter or will the benign look on my face speak words? 

I've stopped drinking coffee and am drinking cold orange juice now. It's a special brand that's supposed to be very good and I must say that it tastes better than what I usually get. I could easily drink three or four glasses of it. I got it from my sister who had too much of it and an overloaded refrigerator. I'm buying this brand from now on, because I like it a lot better. See how easily I can be persuaded to switch brands? Just put something better in front of me, that's all it takes. I don't care about the price. It's the taste that matters. I had been drinking my juice rather reluctantly and hardly at all lately. It languished in the refrigerator and only when I almost ran out of milk did I drink it. I thought I just didn't like juice very much.

Well, I must get going. It's that time of the morning. I'm not looking forward to the shower, because it is cold in here and the windows are still open. Still, I must be brave and do it. Then I have to go and walk Tyke before it starts to rain. 

Have a good morning!

Ciao,
Nora

 

Nothing like it...

There's nothing like a cold glass of milk when you're quenching your thirst, except that you then want a second and third one and I do have to draw the line somewhere, don't I? I'll run out of milk before it's shopping day if I don't. And it does make your body cold all over if you have more than one ice cold glass, which makes you want to put on your bathrobe for warmth. I just did that, because I couldn't resist temptation. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

I was asleep already, but was awakened by my neighbors a few houses down who are having a cocktail party in their back garden. There's a cacophony of laughing and shouting voices, no doubt helped along by some alcohol. I'll have to close my window when I go to sleep next or they will have stopped their party by that time. Maybe all the people will be driven inside by the cold. It's only 11C outside, after all. They must all be out there with jackets on. Maybe these are all the guests that smoke cigarettes. If so, there are many of them.

The day went by fine. I walked Tyke three times and all three times he acted like a runaway elephant from the circus. He hopped, skipped and jumped all over the place, he was that happy to be outside. He was 18 months old yesterday and still acts and looks like a puppy. He is endearing when you see him and everybody wants to pet him, especially old ladies.

I read my novel, which I now realize is a "feel good" novel. I'll finish it nevertheless, because it is interesting enough and I'm far enough into it to stop reading it. I do want to know how it ends, but it's not the sort of novel I would normally read. It's a little bit too simple for that. I like one with more darker aspects to it. In this one someone is either a good guy or a bad guy, and the good guys are really good. Unconditionally so. It seems a movie has been made of this book, but I don't know how well it did in the theaters.

I watched a program about Alma Mahler, the wife of Gustav Mahler, who married two Jews in a time when it was not so popular to and she made her escape with her second husband to California and later to New York. When she went back after the war to reclaim her property in Austria, she was asked by the judge why she as a nice Christian woman had married two Jewish men, at which point she left Austria and never returned. She composed music of her own, but gave it all up when she married Mahler, who could not stand a wife who also composed. He thought she had to live in service of him. Her second husband was more broadminded and gave her all sorts of room to develop herself. His name was Franz Werzel who wrote the book The Song of Bernadette. It was a promise he made if they were to escape the Nazis.

This program was part of the cultural programming that's on television on Saturdays, which is very rewarding and deals with art and literature and architecture. I do get my fill on Saturdays and so appreciate that. Especially since I get to do so very few cultural things myself. I do hunger for these things and am very curious about them. I took two classes in art history in California and I'm fascinated by the subject, so anything like it is fine with me, but I also like modern art, although it doesn't always make sense to me and expressionism gives me a headache. And that's not even modern anymore. I like Karel Appel very much. His are very happy and lively paintings with lots of primary colors. They are like bursts of energy. If I could paint like that, I would be very happy.

For some reason, there are sports commentaries on talk radio on the weekends and I'm not too thrilled about that. I'd rather listen to something more interesting than a rehash on some football game that was played that afternoon. I suppose on the weekends sports are all that count, at least at the time that I go to bed and want to listen to the radio. I fall asleep anyway, because it's so darn boring, but I'd rather listen to a subject that I really care about and that is somewhat enriching to my intellect. Last night there was a piece on about a very good gymnast who had been caught using cocaine and I say, that's plain stupid, but why waste 30 minutes on it, as it happened some time ago. I'm sure we're not all going to run out and use cocaine now unless we're warned off by the example. Sometimes the public is thought to be simple.

Sundays are a day of rest, but I'm going to change my bed and do a load of laundry. I'm also washing the fleece blankets that I have on the sofa and armchair. The yellow and red one. I also have to remember to water the plants again. The spider plant is taking quite a beating from the animals. They both want to chew on it. For some reason it is a very fascinating plant to them with its spiky leaves. They chew all the babies off. I'll have to get another less attractive plant to put on the dining table and move this one to a less vulnerable spot, wherever that is. Somewhere safe from Gandhi, on the bookcase probably. She can't get in there and it will be safe from Tyke too. It will give the spider plant a proper chance to grow like it should and become abundant.

I had to stop using my light therapy lamp, as it was making me hypomanic, or had I already mentioned that? It seems that when you use it when you're not depressed, this happens. I went up and up and up and then came down with a crash and then returned to normal, but I haven't used the lamp since. I didn't realize that could happen and used it as a preventive measure, which turned out to be not a good idea. You only should use it when you're really depressed and not when you think you may become so down the line. I suppose I'm still getting enough hours of daylight for this not to be the case. It's not nice to fool mother nature. Another lesson learned.

I need to make an appointment to get my hair cut as it is now becoming unmanageable. It's too long to brush it into the proper shape and I look funny. I also ran out of hairspray and now I can't do a thing with it because it is fly away hair. If I sleep on it wrong it sticks out in a funky direction. I thought about letting it grow, but I don't like that awkward in between stage and I would rather have it cut short again. Besides, I need the pampering that a visit to the hair salon brings with it. I'm looking forward to it. I deserve it. I am woman hear me roar...

I've been wearing my multi colored floral dress, but I think I will change into my burgundy colored India cotton dress with pockets today. I have a nice silky scarf that goes with it. I can make myself happy in anticipation about which clothes I'm going to wear. It is a treat to myself, even if I don't share it with anybody else. I do it for my own satisfaction and to look good when I walk Tyke. I am a city woman, after all. I can't walk around in grungy clothes. I dress up always, even for unimportant things. Besides, I don't have grungy clothes. I don't have old clothes to wear for dirty jobs either. I just don't do dirty jobs.

It's in the very wee hours of the morning now, optimistically speaking. There's some time to go until dawn. I think the neighbors' party is over, it's quiet out there now and I did hear a bunch of people leave some time ago. Tyke's sound asleep in the armchair and Gandhi is asleep on the sofa. I've got to clean the kitchen up a little bit and I'll do that before I go to bed again. I'm not sleepy, but for the heck of it I'll go back to bed. A person does have to be sensible and I did just now yawn.

I hope you all have a nice day.

Ciao,
Nora

On a Sunday afternoon...

It rained yesterday in the evening and during the night. It was very pleasant to lie in bed and hear the rain come down on the patio through the opened window. That's how I fell asleep. To that sound.


Today it is an overcast day and cool, but I still have the windows open at the top, because inside it isn't cold. I'm wearing my boots and leggings and an extra top. I have a scarf around my neck for warmth. The draft that is moving through the apartment is not unpleasant and only mildly cool. I'm dressed warm enough for it not to bother me.

When I took Tyke for a walk at noontime, we got rained on, but it was a real springtime rain and very mild and light. It was like wet sunshine pouring down. Nevertheless, we were a bit soaked when we got home and I had to dry us off with towels. Tyke enjoys that and thinks it's the same thing as cuddling. My hair got sticky because of the hairspray. I'll have to wash it again. It was standing up in all directions anyway from sleeping on it.

I'm becoming a champion at sleeping at night. There's no problem anymore in sleeping through the night and waking up at a normal hour in the morning. I usually get about 8 hours of sleep. I think that's the requisite amount. I can do that without taking a nap during the day, but I'll take one of those too if I have to, though I prefer to do without and be really tired at night and long for bedtime.

I must admit that sometimes it's the cups of coffee that keep me going through the day. If I feel at all like I'm faltering and not hanging in there well enough, I make myself a cup and do much better again. It only takes one cup and I'm alright. I don't have to make a second one. That's what so nice about the Senseo machine. That I can just make one cup and drink it hot and fresh.

The Senseo machine is doing a lot better after a good cleaning with a bottle of cleansing vinegar. It's stopped leaking and is working normally again. I probably hadn't cleaned it on time and had waited to long to run the vinegar through. Time goes by so quickly and it is like with my haircuts. If I don't write them down in my agenda, I forget to make an appointment for my next one and walk around with unruly hair, not giving a thought to why that is. Being absent minded is one of my lesser attributes.

Tyke is doing better every day. he's not so worn out when we come home from our walks, so I don't think he really feels sick, although his eye still doesn't look so good. He's gnawing on a rawhide bone right now, preferring a new one to the left over bits of the old ones. I end up throwing those away in the trash. They're not very interesting to him. I need to go to the pet store and buy him one of those huge bones and see what he does with one of those. It will be just out of curiosity to see his reaction to it.

I put away all the clothes I wore this week in my organized closet. I had worn about four different outfits and had left them all lying around, although neatly folded. Today I finally made myself clean them up. When you live by yourself, you only have yourself to blame for the mess that's there. Whatever dish is dirty, is your dish. Whatever laundry needs to be done, is your laundry. Okay, some of the mess can be blamed on the animals, but most of it is yours.

I have to wash the dishes today, because tomorrow the domestic help is coming again and I do have to clean up the kitchen. That includes the counter and the sink and the Senseo machine. I also have to scrub the toilet and take down the dry laundry and see if there is a load ready to go into the machine. I have to change my bed, that's right. That will be one load of laundry. The fun never ends.

There are always enough jobs to do that the domestic help doesn't do. Things I need to do to make it easier for her. I didn't realize I had a bottle of bleach and I'm going to tackle the toilet with it, being careful not to get any on my clothes. That would be a shame, now that I'm so nicely dressed in my Sunday best. Actually, I'm wearing a dress that I had quite forgotten about and that fits me very well and hides all my faults. Who can ask for more?

Okay, I'm going to tackle those jobs now. It's a long enough post. After that I'm going to read my new book. "A Home At The End Of The World" by Michael Cunningham. It's intriguing, though very confronting and it makes me feel slightly uncomfortable at times. I think that must be the function of the book. I think he is harsh on young teenagers and their motivations. I don't think they're quite that sophisticated. Or young children for that matter. He interprets them through his grown up eyes and hindsight knowledge. It's written well, though. I intent to stick with it.

Ciao,
Nora

The good life...

I hardly get around to the blogging business anymore since I seem to have decided now to sleep during the bight as well when I normally sit behind the computer. Not only that, I get up for a little while in the morning and then go back to bed anyway, if I don't have an appointment and it is a free day like today was. That is after I walk Tyke and I've taken my medicines and had my coffee. I really sleep well in the morning and have the most interesting dreams. I'm done sleeping when I crave a cup of coffee and a cigarette and I want to sit on the sofa with the blinds open and watch the world go by.

I've had an incredibly uninteresting day and I hope I have a few more like it. Not that I want to dwell in boredom, but I like to be lazy sometimes and it has finally given me a chance to catch up with my blog reading in which I was very much behind. It's also given me a chance to spend some time with Tyke and to try and teach him to shake paws. He does it spontaneously, but now I want him to do it on command. It needs a little bit of work.

He's going to be operated on his eye on Wednesday. He has another swollen tear gland, this time in his left eye, and it has not responded to the antibiotic ointment, as I doubted it would. It doesn't look good and we saw the vet last night. Tyke still likes the vet despite his first operation. He doesn't carry a grudge at all, but was happy to see him.

I'm now getting the same domestic help on Fridays instead of a different one all the time, who doesn't know what to do and needs half arsed instructions from me, who doesn't know what to tell them either. The woman who came here yesterday, made an assessment of the situation and went to work and will be back all the time picking up where she left off. She thoroughly cleaned what I thought was a clean kitchen and some doors in the apartment. She's a real go-getter. I used to get part timers who in real life were students working for the extra money and who didn't really have an eye for cleanliness and had to be told what to do, which was hard for me, because I didn't know.

I have an appointment to get my hair cut on Wednesday. I was messing around with my hair and some hairspray, trying to get it to stay in place, and realized it should be a little shorter to be more manageable. This longer hair is okay if I just want it to hang straight down, but if I want any kind of shape into it, it has to be cut a bit shorter than it is now and it does make me look more cheerful if it's done up a bit. I actually look very boring and old with my hair any other way.

I've been going to bed shamefully early and then lie awake for a few hours reading my book very cozily under the duvet with a glass of milk and something to eat. I'm still reading the Provence book, but somebody recommended two books by Frances Mayes. "Under The Tuscan Sun"and the sequel "Bella Tuscany." I ordered them both and the first book arrived in the mail today. I can't wait to get started on it, because I read it a long time ago and enjoyed it very much then. I haven't read the sequel, so I'm looking forward to that. I've put some other books by her on my wish list and will hopefully be able to get those soon.

I haven't got any new reading glasses yet and am having a bit of a problem reading without them and sometimes have to guess at a word or look for a long time before I can decipher it. I can only read books in large enough print, so I really need to get those glasses. My regular glasses don't help, because those are for distance.

I'm going to get my pajamas on and sit and vegetate for a while in front of the TV and then go to bed. I'm all excited about that. I can't wait to fall asleep after I've read awhile.

Ciao,
Nora

Lemonade and coffee.

When I first got up just now, I drank a glass of lemonade, which was great for my thirst, but didn't do a thing for my brain cell activity, and I sat here in a little stupor trying to get my head together and my thinking processes going. It was as if I had cobwebs in my head that prevented me from thinking properly and that made everything kind of hazy and lethargic.

Then I made myself a mug of coffee and as quick as a shot, everything woke up and started to jump into action and all the synapses started to fire and the neurons did whatever they were supposed to do, which is yet unclear to me, but I know they play a role. They carried whatever messages they were supposed to carry from one braincell to the other, I guess. I've read how this all happens, but I always forget in my inability to quite picture it.

How the caffeine works in it, I don't know, but I know it helps in stimulating the whole lot. I think it's quite a need trick and very reliable. See there the manipulation of my thought processes by the consumption of a hot beverage.

The first hour or so of my awake time is taken up reassuring Tyke that I like him very much and that, because I sit behind the computer, I doesn't mean that I'm neglecting him, so I have to spend some time petting him and rubbing his belly until he is satisfied and he goes to sleep at my feet. If I don't do this, he will find other less pleasant ways to get my attention, and it usually involves molesting a cat.

Now, if he even thinks of it, all I have to do is softly say, "Come here, Tyke, " and he comes right over and gets ready for a belly rub and calms right down and forgets every evil deed that was in his head. It's as though every time I get up, or do something that takes my attention away from him, we have to reestablish the order of things and re-bond with each other.

At least this way I don't have to get angry with him and I understand what drives him and it is easily taken care of. It does require some patience, but nobody said that pet ownership was easy and I assume he will become more secure as he gets older. Anyway, that's what all the naughty behavior in the past has been about.

I assume today is going to be a good day. The Exfactor is coming by in the morning and I'm going to ask him to do the groceries for me, which he said he would always do, but I do have to check my bank balance before he goes. I haven't dome that in a while. Time to check if there is any money left. It would be very embarrassing for him to stand at the check out and not be able to pay with my bank card.

My psychiatrist is going to call me at noon and I only have better news for him, except for my sleepless nights, which I make up for in the morning, so I suppose that's not much of a problem. It would be if it affected my mood negatively, but I have no such problem and I feel fine, although I still have a problem with going places that are busy and complicated and make me feel insecure.

After that I have to go see my SPN and on the way home stop by the pharmacy and pick up medicines.

I need to do more laundry and fold and put away the dry stuff. That's always such a joy. Especially when I have to put things away in my closet, because my stacks of clothes are all mixed up now and need sorting out.

I did manage to put together an outfit for today and hopefully it's warm enough for the temperature it's going to be. I will be layered and wear summer shoes, but a leather jacket over the outfit. I may wear my black one, though, which is just a little more spring like. Things are good when I start to care about how I look and don't just wear the same old thing. At least I have the mental energy to make an effort.

With my hair cut the way it is, I don't use wax in it and hardly any hairspray. I just let it sit however. Since I've also stopped wearing make up, I'm not much of a consumer of beauty products anymore. The only things I still use regularly are body lotion and face cream, but I think a good shower gel does the job too.

I do want to get some shampoo especially for blond hair, since I have the shampoo for brown hair from when I had dyed my hair brown. I'm not going to dye my hair again since I'm happy with the color it is now, but I would like to lighten it up just a bit. Add a bit of a spark to it, which I hope the shampoo will do. So that will necessitate a trip to the drugstore, coming up one of these days.

I'm reading "Walking Across Egypt" by Clyde Edgerton. I read it a long time ago and had forgotten nearly everything about it and it's good fun the second time around. Sometimes having a not so good memory is a good thing.

Ciao,
Nora

Today...

I got up on time to answer my emails and have some coffee and smoke some cigarettes and blog a little. Before I do anything today, I have to go to the tobacconist to get my supply of tobacco and filter tubes. I can walk Tyke at the same time and then do a few chores around here. I have to get the apartment ready for the domestic help. There can't be any kind of a chaos for her to start with, not even a little one. So I must organize the kitchen and clean up some things that are lying around in the various rooms.

There's a bowl of porridge sitting in the kitchen that I have to throw out, because I couldn't eat it. My gastric band didn't allow me to. I think my stomach shrank. After just a few bites I was awfully full and had to stop eating. I did manage to eat some curried rice noodles later. They were pretty good, although they weren't what I had asked the Exfactor to buy for me. I had asked him for small packages of flavoured rice. Something got lost in the translation between women's talk and men's interpretation. Isn't it always like that?

I may be awake, but I think I'm not quite done sleeping yet and I look forward to the end of the day when I'll be able to take a nap. Goodness, I can look forward to that already. I'm like an old lady who needs to get her forty winks in. Sleep plays such a big role in my life, either as in too much of it or not enough of it.It all depends on what time of day or night it is. I constantly fall asleep with my reading glasses and my reading light on. My book drops out of my hands onto the floor. So far Tyke hasn't demolished it. I'm still looking forward to the day when I will sleep 8 hours straight again like I was doing for awhile. It's a shame that this stopped, because it was very pleasant.

Since I'm planning to wear my summer clothes today, I do hope that the weather is going to be nice. I didn't watch the news last night, so I have no idea of the forecast. Last night, after that splendid weather we had during the day, it rained and everything has gotten refreshed. The sky is overcast now and it doesn't look too promising. Actually, I shouldn't make it sound like that is a big deal. All I have to do is dress warm enough, because I really don't mind cool days and a little rain. I just means a change of plan in what I am going to wear. I think I can deal with that. That would be the least of my worries and I can wear socks and my cowboy boots and I will be nice and warm. Not to mention a scarf.

Tyke is barking at phantom people walking by. He does that at night too when the blinds are closed. He barks at the windows as if there is someone there. It doesn't scare me, because I feel pretty safe here and I think his bark will scare anyone away, he sounds like a big dog. I do wonder what in his imagination sets him off, though. He must be very alert and imagine all sorts of people trying to break into the apartment.

Oh, I was just out back with him and it is cold out. I will dress very warmly. It is not at all going to be a nice warm spring day. Well, it will be fun to choose my clothes for today. My imagination is working overtime already, but it will be better if I dive in my closet and see what is there. There are always forgotten surprises. Clothes that temporarily disappear in the chaos and then reappear again. The closet is too full and not organized well enough any more.

Right, it is time to take my medicines and to get dressed. I wish I had gotten my hair cut, because I can't do a thing with it. Isn't that a famous last line?

Ciao,

Nora

This morning...

I'm feeling less like a hypochondriac this morning and more like a regular person who probably just is fighting a little infection. All of your comments have shaken some common sense into me and it is what I needed. I do have an imagination that will go on the run with me, which is fine when you are writing works of fiction or creating art, but in real life it doesn't do you much good. It is much better to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground and stay in the moment and not imagine all sorts of far fetched scenarios.

Now, as you can see, I'm not at the grocery store, but still sitting here in my pajamas and having my coffee and cigarettes. It's awfully tough to get dressed in the morning when there is no one here to shout at you that you ought to get the show on the road. Actually, I will have to get that show on the road in about an hour, because I have an appointment with the hairdresser. I decided yesterday that I couldn't do a thing with my hair that looked halfway good and that it needed to be cut shorter. So, in a while I get to have the pleasure of someone washing my hair and fiddling with it, which I always very much enjoy. I do like going to the hairdresser. I would go once a week, if my hair grew that fast.

In the meantime, I'm taking advantage of my spare time between getting up and going there by answering my emails and directing the animals to the correct bowls of food. The cats are trying to eat the dog's food and he is letting them and no amount of interference on my part is making any difference. I chase them away and they keep coming back and the dog does nothing. He just lies there and watches them do it. He has no sense of ownership this morning. It has completely deserted him. Luckily, the cats have little stomachs and are quickly filled up and there's more than enough left for the dog.

I'm actually not too worried about doing the groceries, because I will be wearing my new boots and sporting a new haircut when I go and somehow that gives me courage. Isn't that funny? As if I will be a smarter and better person because of that. It's all in the image, people. I suppose I think it's what I show on the outside what counts. I'm sure I judge people the same way myself, although I'm not consciously aware of it. I must make all sorts of assumptions about how someone looks. It's very middle class of me. I told you before, I think, that I'm a little bit bourgeois, it runs in the family and it has for generations. That song of Jacques Brell would be very appropriate for my ancestors.

It's only 3C outside so it's actually a bit on the cold side. I don't know how much I like that, because it's also supposed to rain today. Most likely the wind will blow also and that will mean that it will be the kind of weather I like least of all. At least I will have the proper hairdo for it, indestructible. It's the only kind of hair to have in this climate, either very short or long in a pony tail. You can't have a Grace Kelly hairdo.

I've got to get dressed and walk the dog. He is patiently waiting for me. I will finish this when I get back from the hairdresser...



...I'm back from the hairdresser with a very good haircut. A new girl cut my hair, so it was a bit nerve wrecking in that I didn't know if she would follow my instructions well, but she did and cut it just the way I told her to and she did a very good job. So I am satisfied. Now I am exhausted and feel like taking a nap, as if going to the hairdresser has been a major job that I took on, when really it was nothing at all. Still, I feel very sleepy and I think I need to go lie down for a nap. I will have to do the groceries later after I wake up.

I did a food test on a vitamin website the other day and it analyzed my food intake and what vitamins and minerals I was short on. I was short on vitamins B and D and on iron. A special food supplement providing these elements is on its way to me now and I'm expecting it today. With my luck it will get here just as I'm sound asleep on the sofa and it won't fit through the mailbox slot. That will mean that somebody will ring the doorbell. Oh no!

I'm going to sleep now. Have a good day.

Ciao,
Nora