Cutting Bangs
As a rule, a man’s a fool. . . . .
I really thought I finally had my whole style thing together, all figured out. In fact, I was feeling pretty smug about it. I long ago made peace with my out-of-control curly hair, learned a couple of ways to wear it that were relatively trouble-free. I must be able to pull it back when I work.
As a rule, a man’s a fool. . . . .
I really thought I finally had my whole style thing together, all figured out. In fact, I was feeling pretty smug about it. I long ago made peace with my out-of-control curly hair, learned a couple of ways to wear it that were relatively trouble-free. I must be able to pull it back when I work.
I’d accepted the fact that I was never going to walk in stiletto heels or high platforms again. More’s the pity. And mini skirts, well, I said goodbye to those some time ago unless opaque tights are involved. I had found the type of jean that fits and looked as well as can be expected on a woman’s body (as opposed to an anorexic teenager’s). Stretchy jeans rule. And no straight legs for me. No sir.
Moreover, I’ve decided that I can (and do) wear the same few pairs of jeans and black slacks I’ve owned for years. I like ‘em. Why get rid of them? As long as I rotate some old and new jackets (longer than 27 inches, always, usually picked up on EBay for a song), it’s OK. Work clothes are easy. Bags must be all leather, and if they’re Fossil or B. Makowsky, so much the better. Boots of all varieties and the 20-year-old Ferragamo flats in many colors (for dress) work for winter. The same Ferragamos, Born sandals and sneakers are good summer. Work boots all year round. Turtlenecks with jackets in winter, tank tops with hoodies in summer. I really thought I had it all figured out.
So what was the problem? Well, it always seems we humans like a change now and then. Here’s a poem my father taught me when I was small. — Still so true today:
As a rule, a man’s a fool.
When it’s hot, he wants it cool.
When it’s cool, he wants it hot.
Always wanting what is not.
Universal truth. I thought I was immune to wanting change. But I was wrong. I know better than to cut my hair all over or cut it in layers or anything drastic like that. I must be able to slather on enough goop to slick it back into a tight bun or chignon when necessary — and can let it go wild when appropriate. So why did I think about changing my hair? Well, I was tired of it. I was the proverbial fool from the little poem. It didn’t look right. I thought I needed some softening around my face. Blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. Vanity, thy name is woman.
The above introduction brings me to the point where I’m standing in front of a mirror with wet hair, scissors in one hand, a few candidates for wispy bangs in another. I say to myself, “I have no forehead. My hair is too curly. This will never fly for summer. I know this will be a huge mistake. I know I will regret it. I KNOW I will SO regret this.— Well, what the heck? Be adventurous!” SNIP. And just like that, hair that hadn’t been more than trimmed regularly at the ends for over 20 years got a big surprise.
I’m trying to remember exactly how I dealt with this kind of “do” years ago. You’d think I’d remember, but I’m still experimenting a bit. Sometimes it looks awful, has a mind of its own. The hair iron my kids gave me a few years ago makes it TOO straight. When I was younger, there wasn’t any such thing as too straight! It’s all a little more trouble, takes a little more time, and I still have to work on my technique — but you know, I kind of like it. And if I put enough goop on it, I can still pull it back when I’m desperate! When I’m working outside, no one around here cares about my hairdo.
So I admit it. I needed a change. I told Zack not to panic. He looked a little bewildered when I walked into the living room after the attack I made on my hair. At least I wasn’t changing cowboys, only looking for a little variety in hairstyles.
Gene Ellis, Ed.D is a Bosque County resident who returned to the family farm after years of living in New Orleans, New York, and Florida. She’s an artist who holds a doctoral degree from New York University and is writing a book about the minor catastrophes of life. Check out Genie’s blog at http://rusticramblings.wordpress.com/
The Jim Hightower Archive: A Populist’s Life In Politics
Exhibition On View In San Marcos Thru July
AUSTIN – Jim Hightower, featured in the Sept. 28, 2005 edition of The Iconoclast, is considered America’s #1 populist, a man admired as a radio commentator, syndicated columnist, best-selling author, and sought-after public speaker. Hightower believes the true political spectrum is not right-to-left but top-to-bottom, and he is dedicated to battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the “Powers That Ought To Be”: working families, farmers, consumers, environmentalists, small business owners, and “just plain folks.”
In December 2008, Hightower named the Wittliff Collections as the official repository for his archival legacy, and now his papers are the focus of the next exhibition from the Southwestern Writers Collection at the Alkek Library on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos.
The exhibition traces the life and work of Hightower, from the beginning with his experience in the 1960s as an aide to the U.S. Senator, Ralph Yarborough (D-TX) to his first organizing efforts on behalf of family farmers and farm workers in the early 1970s to his statewide campaigns for office in the 1980s, and his successful post-government work as a syndicated daily radio commentator, speech-maker, prolific best-selling author, and all-around populist agitator. The collection will continue to grow as Hightower’s career moves forward.
One of the earliest pieces among the papers is a small document from 1964: a Certificate of Exemption From Poll Tax issued to a 21-year-old Hightower, then a junior at the University of North Texas, because he was a first-time voter. Finally abolished in Texas in 1966 as unconstitutional, the poll tax was designed to deter poor people, especially blacks and Latino Americans, from voting, an issue in the Civil Rights Movement that inspired the young Hightower to set out on a populist political path.
The archive also includes:
· A wealth of paper documentation (draft copies of his radio commentaries, speeches, and The Hightower Lowdown – his monthly political newsletter).
· 1,964 photographs and 4,613 audio/visual materials.
· Papers from his work as the national campaign coordinator for U.S. Senator Fred Harris’ crusade for president in 1976.
· Numerous campaign photos and memorabilia from Hightower’s own runs for office, including his eight years as Texas Commissioner of Agriculture where he implemented many of his populist ideas including consumer protection, worker safety, organic production and direct marketing by small farmers.
Jim’s bio, weekly commentary, Hightowerisms, and much more are available online at .
