Obsessed With Food

So I get a call last week from my dad's cousin, who recently turned 90. This was a nice pleasant conversation, she let me know she's relocated to Orlando from Forest Hills ("grandma land" in Brooklyn or the Bronx, I don't remember now - one of the 5 boroughs that's not Manhattan), and I gave her dad's new phone number, blah blah, and it's all good.

Fast forward to today, and I get another call from Cousin Irene. She asks me to identify myself to her; I had to remind her that I was "Ira's Daughter" and have pretty much the same conversation I had with her last week. This time, she cheerfully adds that she's got Alzheimer's and it's a real pain in the butt. She seems very lucid and in good spirits - I think she misses her husband (he died 20 or so years ago, if my memory serves me). I think outliving everyone has some serious drawbacks.

This didn't bum me out completely, but it does drive home that a similar fate could easily be awaiting me. Sigh.

I'm ok with this radical change. It's been feeling like I've had it up in a braid all day, though, and I keep expecting to toss an 18-inch braid of hair off my shoulders constantly - almost like phantom limb syndrome.

It looks good with gel stuff in it (which I don't own, so I'll have to go get some) so I can spike it up a bit. But I don't look gray at all at the moment, which is really weird. All the black isn't cut out, but apparently my head is kind of badger-striped ... If I didn't have to appear in the "normal workday world" I'd actually shave it really close so I'd have badger hair and maybe add 'badger' as a nickname or something. But I've got 2 WHITE stripes starting at the temples and petering out somewhere in the back of the head, and some salt scattered in with the pepper.

Once I washed the gel out, my hair started acting a bit weird, like the hairdresser warned me about - it's "in shock" - in other words, the hair isn't used to the lack of weight dragging it in different directions so it's kind of sticking out wherever it wants to and shaping itself a bit pointier than I'd like. It's also giving my scalp that feeling that you get if you've had your hair up in a tight ponytail all day long and finally let it loose - all tingly.

It's very very strange not to have anything to toss around - it feels like I've got a hat on constantly.

And here I am: