Random 5 for October 11 – Hair, people, risk, reading, vote

Gallery

Posted on by

Courtesy of Vogue — Joan Jett can rock a mullet

Can it be? – Mullets are back! Yes that bizarre haircut from the 80s with the too short front and too long back! I never really had one but I always thought I could rock it. My back hair is wavy while the top and front is straighter. I can picture it now! I’d look like an aging, out-of-date rock star!

People be crazy – We have a “mini-mart” nearby. It sells gas, basic packaged foods, drinks and prepared foods like egg sandwiches and hoagie (or subs depending on where you live). I get my gas there but I don’t “dine” there. Yesterday morning around 8 a.m. I went for a “fill-up.” The place was packed but not with gas customers. Lots of people were going in for food. That wasn’t the weird thing though. People were dressed (or not) oddly. It was just about 50 degrees (10C) and one guy had flip flops, shorts and tank top. Another guy hadn’t combed his hair in either days or decades. Not sure which but something was living in there. It was an odd assortment of people. I was among the normal ones and that’s a stretch!

What to do – We had a death in the family. A very lovely person who under normal circumstances would have a lot of mourners attending her services. Sadness and grieving are times of touch, hugging and comforting words full of saliva. I don’t see how it would work in a safe way. With all going on in our household we have opted not to attend but I hope that those attending will remain safe.

Something’s got to go – There has been a lot happening lately with health scares, new cats and now a death. Oh yes, let’s not forget the pandemic. All of this interferes with my focus and concentration. I started a book 2 months ago. It’s an easy read I would normally finish in two days or so. I haven’t picked it up in weeks. I can’t make myself read it. I have to be in the mood.

Vote! – We received our mail-in ballots yesterday. They are filled out and ready to drop off at our election office this week. Done! I only wish this would give us a free pass to avoid political commercials. Looking forward to learning about new drugs with side effects up to and including death! Sometimes I see a drug commercial and at the end ask the beloved husband what it was for. Neither of us know.

So how was your week?

 

 

74 thoughts on “Random 5 for October 11 – Hair, people, risk, reading, vote”

  2. I’m sorry to hear about another death in the family – let’s move along to 2021 soon! I can’t vote as I’m Canadian but I get at least 15 robocalls a day. They ring the phone at least 10 times … sometimes I turn the ringer off altogether as the phone will flash. AARP calls a lot and they let it ring 15 times – sometimes I am working on something and the red light is flashing in my peripheral vision. It must be about the election as the calls have increased. I’m hearing that people don’t care what they wear outside now just because the work-at-home crowd doesn’t need to get dressed up, so they let things slide and anything goes now.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • We switched up our phone a few years back. With our answering machine we can set it to 2 rings, then it goes to the message part. We have turned the ringer down to low and in the bedroom it’s turned off. Nothing more annoying than a crank call late at night. I will be glad when the election is over. At least the annoying commercials will stop. They are even on my car radio on the way to get my Starbucks.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

      • That’s a good idea – I don’t have an answering machine as I really don’t get any legitimate calls at the house except from my boss. I communicate with friends via social media, not on the phone. I had 22 junk calls today alone – just one from my boss! The ads are overtaking the AM all-news station I listen to … drives me crazy.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply ↓

  3. Ok, about the guy wearing flip flops in cold weather– I’m seeing the same thing around here. Women doing it, too. I know that staying at home to work has created a more casual working dress code, so is this flip flop thing a manifestation of that? Or do these people just not feel the cold? I had this conversation with a friend the other day in fact. No conclusion

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  4. So much weird altering of what was normal and routine is making people even more weird. Maybe some of those people were just making home after a loooong night out? HAHA
    Funerals are so sad now. At least some are allowed to go. For a while not. We’ve missed one, a business partner – but with that bunch of virus scoffers, we just couldn’t risk it. The time to pay attention to people is when they are alive, not dead, so there’s that.
    I’m voting tomorrow – and not watching TV until next year. We’re in abattleground state and the ads are nonstop, vicious, and full of half truths. Too depressing. (Pharm ads really should be banned as far as I’m concerned)
    Take care and smile. Hugs sent

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Stressed people are weirder than ever especially without the normal and routine to comfort them. Locally restaurants stop serving at 10 and bars aren’t open unless they serve food so I’m not sure what they were doing on the night out. We are a battleground state too. We are using the mute button so much that we’ve worn off the printing. Usually I agree with you about pharm ads. After seeing some political ones, I’m longing for those 2 bathtubs on the lawn. At least that was peaceful. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  5. I think one of the cruelest side effects of the pandemic is that we cannot offer each other the solace and comfort of physical presence and touch. That said, my walking buddy is skipping the walk to attend a cousin’s funeral this morning. She’s not going to touch anyone but she feels like her presence can help solace family.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  7. So sorry for your loss! This is definitely a strange time, so give yourself a break with the reading and concentration. I think all the various situations going on right now are hitting us all in ways we aren’t really seeing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I’ve seen some modified one (the back isn’t as long) and they look great on some people. I do well with layers. I just wouldn’t just the sideburns that short. Oops, maybe it’s not a true mullet then.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  9. I’m sorry about the death in your family. It’s good to be able to get together at a time like this–sometimes with people you haven’t seen in a while. This year is different, though.

    My cousin–a sweet woman about ten years younger than I am–died last week. Her husband was good about keeping everyone informed about her last days on Facebook, but we haven’t heard anything about a funeral. I don’t think they’ll have one.

    Our county will be sending out the ballots on the 16th. I’m anxiously waiting …

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I’m sorry for your loss. Death is hard these days. No comfort and very little closure. It’s going to be a weird election. A friend in another state says that they have to drop their ballots off at a specific place that is 60 miles away. She lives in a large city. Voter suppression?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  10. I’m sorry for your loss. It’s so difficult but you made the right decision to stay home. I’m laughing at your statement re the drug ads…..sometimes I’m puzzled too and I used to do that for a living. Drug companies are not allowed to advertise on tv here in Canada, but I watch some US channels. The weirdest one lately is the ad for a new schizophrenic drug – they didn’t do patients afflicted with that disorder any favors with the strange looking folks they hired for the ad – that one girl has eyes straight out of a horror movie! It’s supposed to be reassuring, but somehow it’s not!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  12. My sympathies to you on the death in your family. It pains me when I hear about how people have to handle funerals these days.

    We had a health scare last week ourselves. My brother’s teenage son got sick. Had all the markings of the dreaded virus. He got tested. The waiting period (2 days) was excruciating. Turns out, it wasn’t covid. Who knew there were other viruses out there?

    Stay safe and well, Kate.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Another blogger I follow who hasn’t been active in weeks just blogged that she has a rare virus that’s specific to her area. There is a long recovery period for it. The medical staff was sure she had covid but the tests came out clear so yep, there are other viruses just as annoying but maybe not so contagious.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  14. Watching people at the mini mart during a pandemic = PRICELESS!
    No style sense . . . no problem.
    No taste . . . no problem.

    As Cole Porter used to sing: ANYTHING GOES!

    I’m OK with skipping all large gatherings for now ~ no weddings, no parties, no funerals, no political rallies, no demonstrations, etc. But sorry for your loss.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  17. That is genius, Kate! Once you’ve voted, all political ads and phone calls cease. We just received our ballots and will fill them out today. Tomorrow our big outing (in Covid terms) will be to drop them off at the registrar of voters and pick up lunch. Yippee! Then, fingers crossed for a big blue wave.

    I think I had a semi-mullet way back when. I really liked the cut but it was torture growing it out when I was over the look. Now, I think I’ll just keep my simple bob.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  18. Pingback: Random 5 for October 11 – Hair, people, risk, reading, vote – Movie khsmr

  19. So sorry for your loss, Kate. It is hard not to able to say goodbye via the ritual of a funeral. I couldn’t go to my grandfather’s funeral and the next time I went to the Netherlands a part of me kept expecting to see or hear from him there. Because I didn’t have the memory of attending the funeral to finalize things for me, I suppose.

    Deb

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I used to think of funerals are barbaric rituals (when I was a teenager) but now I understand that it helps with closure. It gives everyone an opportunity (and an audience) to say what the person meant to them or to share great stories. I wasn’t all that close to the person but she was around a lot in my youth. She was so great with kids, a trait I don’t have.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  20. Hi Kate, I don’t know why my eyes immediately gravitate to the “People be crazy.” Possibly people shop at the mini-mart as a last resource and hope that no one sees them? I am very sorry about the death. Mourning is different and challenging. Our Thanksgiving here this weekend. Hugs to you and your loved ones, Kate.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  21. Sorry to hear about the death ☹️ They are never easy and I can only imagine the extra stress in these times. I’m sort of contributing to the mullet come back. Since Covid started I’ve been cutting my own hair, and I can’t reach the back very well. The daughter and Mister have helped keep it from getting to long at the back though. I’m not too worried about what it looks like because we really don’t go anywhere. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  22. I may unwittingly be cultivating a Mullet (is that a fish?). Since I can see to cut the top and front I keep to the original short look. Can’t see the back so it’s growing out. Praying for a vaccine before I am mistaken for a white haired hippie.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  24. You’re in a swing state, right? You must be inundated with ads. In California, not so much. I a merely inundated with a thousand reminders to vote. Voting is important. I’ve never NOT voted. But The ads reminding me are on every piece of social media I use…except Twitter. Twitter doesn’t want us to vote. I wonder why?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  25. I am so sorry for your loss, Kate.
    Those peeps you see at 8 in the morning in mini-marts, they have either just rolled out of bed or have never been to bed yet and they have the hungries. Mini-mart food is fascinating and if purchased occasionally is a treat. We have a Wawa and we love their breakfast food. I have to confess to wearing guys boxers around the house and I have been known to go out and grab the mail and sweep the front porch in them. Nobody cares. It is not odd to see older people, and I mean older than me, snoozing in their pajamas or robes on front porches here. The robes and pajamas are usually quite nice. I haven’t read a book in a year or more.
    The pandemic has sucked the life out of me. I do seem to be coming back to life. I picked up my camera and clicked some pictures for the first time in years and posted iPhone pictures to my Instagram.
    I want drug commercials removed from TV.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  27. I feel so badly for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one this year without the contact of caring family and friends to support them. So many things we took for granted have now been taken away. My condolences to you and your family.

    Thankfully I haven’t seen the same lax grooming that others have commented on. Hopefully it doesn’t catch on up here … although I have to admit that during the summer it’s not uncommon to see people taking a casual stroll around my neighbourhood in pyjamas. Quite frankly, after 25 years here, it just doesn’t look odd to me anymore. Maybe I should be worried about that 😏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  28. This pandemic has affected every corner of our lives including grieving for those we love and have lost. I wish I saw an end in sight, but so far I’m not seeing it. I haven’t put on makeup to wear under a mask like never, but I do get cleaned up and dressed to go out which is more than we can say for a lot of our fellow residents. Even ten years ago if anyone had told us people would go shopping anywhere in their pajamas and slippers we would have thought they were crazy. Now, it is just a matter of fact. 🙂 Week went okay, ready to start a new one, and our ballots get delivered this week too. Yes, if only we could push a button to avoid the commercials, printed material and calls. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • For the first time this year, we haven’t been getting calls. Maybe it’s early or maybe (hopefully) they lost our number. We do get a lot of telemarketers so we still have our fill. As for the mask, I fear breaking out (although I don’t usually have to wear the mask for more than 30 minutes at a time). I’ve stepped up my face care and eliminated anything that might clog my old pores! Pajamas! Yikes!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  29. I’m sorry about the death in the family, and especially that it isn’t safe to be with others at times like these now. And I got my ballot the other day too, but am going to mail it rather than have to do into Harrisburg to drop it off. I’m assuming the post office can deliver it given they have about 20 days or so. And I’m with you on pandemic exhaustion. I can’t seem to build up my usual energy for photography or books or especially cleaning out attics and basements and such that the hubby wants to do. Rescue work I can manage, and basic living, but the rest will have to wait.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  30. People are getting weirder PERIOD – I see this in the grocery store where I go at “O-DARK-THIRTY” because there’s nobody else there – or at least very FEW. But the FEW come in with slippers on or obvious pajama tops and I manage to avoid them in the aisles thanks to those arrows. Hubby’s twin brother passed away in March and his wife couldn’t have any sort of service for him until now. November 1st – she says it will be “safe” in all ways but this will be our maiden voyage in a crowd. We will keep our distance which is going to be tough with family around. ANYWAY, I can’t wait until the day comes when we can at least mourn our family and friends in some sort of “normal” fashion – So sorry for your loss too Kate!!

    Hugs, Pam

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

    • People have become lax in grooming. I rarely (like never) wear makeup anymore but then again I never wore much and only if I was going somewhere. A few people we know have died during this pandemic, one from covid but the rest from other causes. (It’s what happens as you get older, your friends and co-workers die.) Your hubby was a twin? How cool is that! My granddaughters are twins and my husband had triplets (before me). None were identical but it is still is interesting to see how people develop with the exact same environment and gene pool. Virtual hugs right back atcha!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

Don't be shy, I'd love to hear what you're thinking!