lighter Saturday

Since yesterday's post was some of the heavy things I've been thinking about, I decided today to turn to something a little lighter.

Headbands; a very useful, very functional accessory to the female wardrobe. Though I have never been crazy about fussing over my appearance (thanks to my mom and a good dose of farms and fields growing up, I am not one to spend hours in front of the mirror), I am always open to a good idea. When you have long, limp hair, it is sometimes very important to make sure it stays out of your face. Some times when this might be especially helpful:

1. when you are taking an exam
(I remember having very little patience for flyaways when writing blue book essays. I think I would be more likely to just pull out the obstinate strays than fight with them until I've finished)
2. when you are working out
(It's so annoying - and almost impossible - to mess with nappy hair while you are on an elliptical machine. It's actually also very dangerous!)
3. when you are giving a presentation
(There's nothing more distracting then making a point to an important audience and your vision is blurred by one shiny sliver. Though you try to convince yourself that no one else can see it, it's virtually impossible to focus.)
4. when you are in an important interview
(I can see myself, cross-eyed and preoccupied, straining to answer questions about my strengths.)
5. when you are painting
(When the annoying strands become decorated with yellow, beige, and turquoise you can no longer convince yourself that you are the only one who notices.)

So, there has to be a way to keep these things from happening.
ENTER headbands.Today it was especially necessary that I don a sporty red, elastic headband to keep my hair out of my face and to keep the paint out of my hair. I accompanied a group of students to a local shelter to paint and clean.

By the end of the day (now, I guess) my head was almost throbbing. It could've been the paint fumes, but because this has happened before I know that it's the headband. For all its function, headbands seem to squeeze in just the wrong places (behind your ears) to cause a growing, painful headache.

postscript:
I have to admit, writing about headbands has so less a thrill than writing about what is real. I'll have to work on that.