While I laid on my lounge chair at the pool yesterday, I was thinking about all those little things that make you life nice. You know, everyday stuff that nobody blinks an eye at, but their absence can make you miserable--like my hair dryer, which decided to die on me a few weeks ago.
Hair dryers are tough because you typically just run to the Walmart and grab one off the shelf. And nine times out of ten, you grab the one that is in your price range, and if you are like me, that range is pretty much "cheap". But you can't try them out, you can't hear if they sound like a 747 in your ear or if they blow cold air when it says "hot", and you certainly can't stand there in the aisle trying to figure out if it is comfortable in your hand while you bend this way and that while it is attached to the wall.
See--you never really gave your hair dryer much thought, did you?
Well, my hair dryer went cold one day. It went "pfffft" and then............cold. And it was too quiet. I'm not sure what that means in hair dryer mechanics, but to me it screamed "you're screwed". And we were.
We went through our litany of back-up hair dryers, including raiding Colin's college tub up in the attic. Oh sure, there were super loud ones (not nice at 5:30 a.m.) and semi-warm ones, but none were as lovely as our old one. Even the cords weren't as long and I kept getting unplugged when I went to do the right side of my head--which was very annoying.
I silently wept the day I admitted defeat and tossed it in the garbage. I kept it in the cabinet, hoping against hope that it would revive itself like a phoenix, but alas, no plugging and unplugging ever returned my beloved hair dryer to it's original power. It was dead and I needed to admit it. So, out it went.
And off I went to the Target (which I hate) to find its replacement.
It was like a dream that I found Old Hair Dryer's twin sister on the shelf. Yes! They still make that model! I nearly had a cow in aisle 13, I tell you, and Joe just stood there wondering why I was so darn excited about hair dryers. (He doesn't get it--he doesn't have hair. Well, he does--it just doesn't need to dry it each morning. Lucky him.)
So, now, I am a happy woman. I've got a hair dryer that actually dries my hair--without cold air OR causing me to go deaf. Plus it folds up and it has that super long cord that allows me to dry the right side of my head AND look in the mirror.
It's so weird what makes me happy, but I secretly think we are all like that with our everyday appliances. Whether it be your coffeemaker or your dishwasher, I think there is a small part of us that is attached to those everyday friends and their disappearance or untimely death renders us miserable.
And I'm not sure what is more odd--that I love my replacement hair dryer or that I'm thinking about it at the pool.
19 comments:
All the more reason to LOVE Target . . .
Glad you love the new hair dryer! I love the new blog look you have !
That is a stroke of good fortune.
The familiar things are the most beloved things. Lucky you.
Can you believe I don't own a hair-dryer?? It takes my shoulder-length hair less than 15 mins to dry in front of a fan.
Love the new look of your blog.
Enjoy your new hair-dryer!
At work :-(
Lights went out already but back on
Thought I was seeing things-love the new look of the blog.
And who said you didn't have anything to write about??
Well it is kinda related. Pool=wet hair, right? I get excited over the small things in my life (which is pretty all that I have since I don't have much of a life) - love the dishwasher and my new printer and still love my daisy walls...
Score! Oh, how I know the excitement of finding the exact same hair dryer to replace an old one. I made the mistake of buying one online. It was poopy. No good. Then I found my dryer's twin at a drug store. I know that happy hair dryer dance well.
Congrats on having your new one satisfy all your needs. It's great when that happens.
That is when it is good to have short hair...which I now do.
I SO KNOW exactly what you're sayin' and LOVE the new layout!! LOVE!
Well I have to agree, that is exciting to find your hair dryer's sister. Such good luck. Good job. Makes your stay at the beach so much better. One less thing to worry about.Hope you have a fantastic day.
Yes, it is good to find a good hair dryer. My Mommeh once got one that had a button you press to retract the cord. It always wound wildly back in and then the plug would whip her on the hand and make a welt.
While I have not used a hair dryer in a few years now, I did have the same experience with a can opener. So far I have been able to replace my exact one 3 times!
believe it or not I don't own one. I very rarely do anything to my hair other than comb it and throw in some hair gel. Of course I would probably put any hair dresser into shock with my style or lack there of but oh well. I wear a hat at work so why bother
i hate hate hate it when appliances or gadgets that i REALLY like suddenly die, because the replacement is seldom good. i just went through it all with a new multi-hundred dollar printer, but i think the new one is pretty good. but, definitely the weird part is thinking about it at the beach. that looks like a michigan beach.
You were thinking of your hair dryer at the pool? That is pretty odd! I love my hair dryer too although I don't ever fully dry my hair. My hair dryer has one of the retracting cords but lately it's not retracting all the way and the button to push to make it retract keeps popping off. I have high anxiety over it! I don't want my hair dryer to die!
DG--I don't share the love, DG. I've had some really bad experiences of late. The only reason I went there is the broken foot--can't make it through Walmart. BUT Target DID have the hair dryer! Hooray!
Melodie--We spiffed up the place this weekend. :) Some old stuff, some new. So, do you have an appliance that YOU love??
Chuck--No kidding. Joe could not believe how excited I was. Silly Joe.
Vanilla--You are so right! It's the little, everyday stuff that matters most.
Veronica Lee--Seriously?? No hair dryer??! Oh, I would have horribly flat hair. :( I do not like my hair flat. Is that weird?
Helene--Oh, thanks! Yeah, we spiffed up the old blog. I still want to make some other changes when I have a minute. SCARY storm this morning!! EEEK!
Grace--Okay, so you get what I'm saying. :) It's great when you find something that works just the way you want it to. It takes so little to make me happy.
Kathy--Why can't we try out those hair dryers at the store?? I mean, they are SOOOO important, aren't they?? I really don't like the super loud ones. Blech.
Pricilla--I have short hair, but I like it to be fluffy. No hair dryer = no fluffy. :(
peewee--Oh, thanks! It's sort a variation on a theme. :) Kinda like I used that new hair dryer on the blog!
Marg--Yeah, I laid there with a big smile on my face. Isn't it sad that is all that makes me happy?? :)
Daisy--Oh, I've had those too--OWIE!! I do not like those. :( I hope your mommeh got a new one.
DJ--Oh, good! I'm glad I am not alone in this. Why is it so hard to find appliances that work just the way you want them too? I don't think that is too much to ask. Sheesh.
Ann--Really??! Criminy, I take mine camping for goodness sake. I like fluffy hair. I would not like wearing a hat at work I don't think.
Sharkey--It is Michigan--South Haven. It's a quick ride from Chicago and it feels like you are really far from home. I just don't like all the people. Appliances are so poorly made now, which drives me crazy. I swear I go through hair dryers and irons all the time!
Beaded Tail--I know that feeling!! It's such a feeling of helplessness when that appliance starts its slow decline. And you can rarely find another that you love just as much. Bummer. I hope yours lasts a long, long time!
You are so right that we take those simple things for granted! It's amazing how many "tools" we use every day. :)
Jen--Hi, new pally!! It's scary how attached we are to those appliance friends and how we mourn their passing. I'm such a loser.
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