There’s this little corner where I work. It has been work-from-home for me since the early 21st century, which may make that sound as ancient as ancient times. But it actually refers to 2003 when I began writing columns for a local newspaper.
Writing was—and still is—a hobby that I discovered through writing letters and sending greeting cards to family and friends. I realized I enjoyed writing as much as I enjoyed reading books, magazines, and newspapers. I guess a bookworm’s next step is always to write forevermore.
I began reading books decades ago, in what the millennials may consider as Jurassic times—the early ‘70s, but let’s make it sound current by referring to it as the latter part of the 20th century, you know, not the earlier part of that century.
This preoccupation with trying to be young can be challenging. Whew. Who am I fooling? Not me, said my stretch marks. Not me, said my wrinkles. Not me, said my cellulite. Not me, said my cottage-cheese thighs. Not me, said my batwings. Not me, said my loose skin. Not me, said my gray hair—which you rarely see, by the way, thanks to the wonders of hair color which could be blonde or brown, but never black which is too “heavy” for the face of a woman of a certain age.
And the length of that hair should be somewhere below the shoulders but never below the waist. Shorter hair pulls up the jowls—that’s an instant facelift without the magic wand of Vicki Belo.
The pandemic lockdowns forced us to DIY—do it yourself—the hair, and it’s still recovering after the lack of a monthly TLC—tender loving care. When the economy began to reopen, I relied on ponytails and hair oils to at least make the hairstyle look presentable while waiting for a sign that it’s finally safe to go to the hairstylist. I figured no one would recognize me, anyway, with my face mask on. Ah, wrong. Friends and acquaintances still recognized me no matter what my hairstyle was.
The hair has gone through so many styles, there was even a time when a friend told me I looked like a man. I was then managing an auto spare parts store, so, why not, right? The shortest haircut was most appropriate for the male-dominated business.
Will 2023’s dry season make me long for that same short haircut again? Wait, is it still dry season? Pag-asa has already announced that the wet season will start soon, either the last week of May or the early part of June. So, it’s dry season for now.
Even my mind is dry. While trying to move the mouse, I wondered why I was not seeing the corresponding activity on my laptop monitor. And then, I noticed this: The mouse was harder than usual. And I could feel it’s round. That’s when I looked at what I was holding and—oops! It’s the paperweight I use to keep documents from flying away when the electric fan is on.
Yeah, so dry—I don’t even care to look at what I’m holding.
