Sunday, September 6, 2009

Lather, Rinse & Repeat


It's the end of summer around here, so I've decided to let my mind have a nice long weekend off. I don't want to consider anything too deep or moving--I'm saving that for Obama's scandalous speech for kids to stay in school.

When the shampoo bottle instructions recommend to lather, rinse and repeat, do you? Repeat, I mean. I think it's a waste of money--right up there with expensive shampoos and wool wash. Though I like the smell of wool wash, at $64 a gallon, they can keep it and I'll use good old fashioned dish soap.

Of course these thoughts came unbidden during a shower this morning as I uncapped the $3 bottle of Pantene and thought it smelled pretty nice. Not as nice as the really expensive shampoos I used to wash down the drain, but it does the job.

I picked up the Pantene at Target yesterday. As usual, I went with a mission to buy an inexpensive steamer, and only the steamer, for my yarn and clothes. It was modestly priced at $30. I ended up forking over 5 times what I'd intended to spend just to buy more crap I thought I needed. Have you priced razor blades lately? They're out of their minds, and if hair on my legs were something that didn't bug me, I wouldn't have bought them. Since it's been awhile since I've shaved my legs, I bought a box of band aids to keep around just in case tragedy struck while shaving. And neosporin. And jammies for Rachel. Oh... and some hand cream. I congratulated myself on that one, because I had been planning on going to Bath and Body works and spending way more on hand cream than what's necessary. What I won't spend on wool wash, I will on hand cream.

Finally, after reading the news today, I was amazed at the gimmickry Wall Street is up to again. There are groups of investors who'd like to buy your life insurance policy off of you before you die. Of course, they're only going to give you a percentage of what it's worth when it becomes clear that you have a more definite expiration date. When you're six feet under, they'll cash it in for the full amount. Instead of your family getting the money they thought was coming to them, some invisible investor will. I guarantee that this investor will have nothing to do with swabbing your mouth and wiping your behind while you're dying.

Pondering this news in the shower, I got to thinking that this may indeed be the ultimate death panel. I mean, what if you're told you're dying of cancer? You take your diagnosis home and decide that rather than treatment, it's time to live it up. You see a Wall Street Flim-Flam Man who makes your wish come true and with a new jingle in your step, you tear up the town. Two weeks later the doc calls to tell you, "um, they got your slides mixed up with somebody else and I need to tell you that to our knowledge, you not the one dying. Some other poor schmuck is. Great news, isn't it?" Ya think? I foresee a posse of Wall Street Fat Cats--or their designated vermin-- that will ride out and make sure that those who danced with this particular devil will pay the price.

Money for nothin'...No such thing.

Gotta go start the grill. I hope you're having a lazy weekend, too.

11 comments:

Rose said...

Glad you're getting some down time. Target always gets me that way too. Bought a couple of Halloween hand towels to send to my daughters just the other day. Do they need them? Nope. And WTF is up with all the school systems forbidding us to broadcast the President of the United States' speech? I'm thinking of printing the speech out and circumventing the mucky-mucks. I just don't get it, do you?

SkippyMom said...

I understand that Larry King did that with a few of his [million $$] policies - stars do it all the time.

I think it is stupid.

Glad you are having a lazy weekend. I too don't "repeat", but I have ultra fine hair so it really isn't necessary - the kidlets on the other hand have the thickest hair and have to. But I agree $3 Pantene is just fine TYVM.

Oh and the samuri sword thing? Made me giggle, but I was thinking I should've had Pooldad just drop the TV on one of their parents' heads. Stooopid. [The lady that runs the shop had to stop them :) ]

Brenda said...

Oh my gosh...I had not heard of that one! We just qualified for long term care insurance. We had to pass a memory test that I was not expecting to pass. I guess they really wanted our monthly payments...ha!
I know what you mean about getting the basics these days. I was just telling my husband that I am floored at the price of things that used to be affordable, like razors and eye drops. There are so many things like that that have gone way way up in price. I may have to hang out at the dollar store more often.

laurie said...

i get so angry at this stuff that i find myself just shutting down. i can barely discuss it.

and no, i'm not talking about pantene. which i love and use by the gallon. i never shampoo twice. but i do condition like mad.

Renie Burghardt said...

Gee, well, I buy the cheap shampoo (2 bucks a bottle) and the Pantene ProV conditioner. Works out great. I heard some beauty expert say the shampoo can be the cheapest, the conditioner should be the more expensive product. To each his own.

And the cheap, disposable razors work great. Of course, they say once a woman is well part her prime (like me) there isn't too much body hair there to worry about. Tell that to my legs!

All the tug of war over President Obama has me baffled. Usually, I stay out of the controversy, and say nothing. Though I did not vote for him, I'm kinda starting to feel sorry for the guy.

Had a great Sunday, and tomorrow I'll be going Wheee on the river. Have a great Labor Day, Rudee.

Pyzahn said...

Okay, but serious downtime means no thinking about death panels. Like Tinkerbell, think only happy thoughts. (Was that Tinkerbell? Pollyanna?)

These days I buy whatever they have at the Dollar Store.

Anonymous said...

Boy it is easy to get cynical these days. Old folks do that anyway, but everyone is scratching their heads and saying how did we get this way. From what I understand this socialism thing has been blooming since the 60's. Seems like they are willing to wait as long as it takes for us to fall for it.
QMM

Gail said...

Have a wonderful weekend...and don't sell your life policy!

Nana said...

This actually happened to AIDS patients (some years ago, when good drugs had just become available). People left jobs, sold their policies and lived it up for a few months -- and then found they were getting better.

Jeannette StG said...

my goodness, what is next?? (about the life insurance policies)

sandy said...

I had not heard about the life insurance thing, and all I can say to that is KMA...

I always buy Pantene at Target, the clear one, the gentle cleanser one.
I always repeat too, because I use a product on my hair after shampooing so I want to get it squeaky clean.

I am so bored with Target, hardly look around at anything except when I go for. I learned once I retired, the amount of money I wasted on "stuff".