Modern is not necessarily better. Cheaper is always better.
I ask my friend (okay, I’m talking about Ed, my occasional traveling companion) to help me put up a hook by the shower. He agrees. He brings this tool to get the job done:
What is that?
It works – he’ll tell you.
In the meantime, as he leisurely surveys the spot by the shower door, I am crazily making improvements on my lecture. I haven’t bothered to look decent. My mind is on the class ahead. Ed glances over, mumbles some nicety and snaps this photo.
To him, I looked nice and tussled.
In the late afternoon I visit my man Jason, the brilliant man of color. Hair color. Jason does magic. Jason scrunches his hand here, blows some air there and I leave feeling like I could face the world and hold my own.
Tonight, Ed is coming over for supper. He has professed an interest in recreating a Bittman recipe. He likes Bittman and I’m willing. We’ll be eating chopped cabbage and potatoes. He will dutifully look at Jason’s efforts and make some pleasant remark. Then he’ll pick up his repair tool and work on putting the hook up.
[All this to deflect from what really captured my attention tonight: the debate.]
The debate, yes! Can I be the only one who noticed Obama ruling with the bumper-sticker-one-liners while Hillary failed to say anything (much) concise enough to be memorable?
ReplyDeleteBTW, gorgeous hair. Where does Jason work?
One morning, in our first year of marriage, I noticed my wife, her face tilted down at the same angle as Ed's photo of you, reading a newspaper at the dining room table. The warm morning light streaming through the window beautifully defined the planes of her face. She was so absorbed in reading and the expression on her face was so peaceful I wanted to capture the moment forever. Quietly reaching for a camera, I composed the shot, quickly calculated exposure and squeezed the shutter release. I knew it would be a great photograph. The blue of her dressing gown perfectly complimented the warmth of her skin and the large bright pink curlers in her dark brown hair. A moment forever frozen in a glorious Kodachrome color slide. Or so I thought at the time. Funny how the day after Kodak processed my film, that one slide mysteriously disappeared forever. Lesson learned. No photos of wife in hair curlers. We have been happily married for 35 years.
ReplyDeleteAs for the very talented Jason -- he is worth whatever his fee is. You look lovely.
I totally see the family resemblance to daughter number one in that second photo of the fixed-up you...
ReplyDeleteI hope the second-born doesn't succumb to that look though. She always looks so intelligent and real in her photos, though I'm probably in the minority thinking the sans Jason look is much more fresh and honest.