Hound Dog Update

It’s cumbersome to keep referring to “my dog.” She has a name—Virginia—that our family picked out before we knew of her hound dog heritage.

Okay, now that’s established—Virginia is fairing quite well. In fact, she’s rubbing her oily fur on my carpet as I type. She cooperated with the whole first aid deal, waiting until dark to rip off and/or eat the bandage. I hope the antibiotic cream had absorbed into her skin before said ripping/eating occurred.

I checked out her leg, and it looked like she had a scab that she recently removed, so I prepared another bandage and slapped it on. No redness around the scab area, though.

Due Process Dealt a Mortal Blow

Today is a black-ribbon day on the freedom timeline. Three blind mice, which formed a panel of 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, reversed an earlier ruling, ensuring that Jose Padilla could be held indefinitely without any charges leveled against him. Three years have passed since Padilla first was incarcerated.

Judge J. Michael Luttig, one of the panelists, penned the following statement:

"The exceedingly important question before us is whether the President of the United States possesses the authority to detain militarily a citizen of this country who is closely associated with al-Qaida, an entity with which the United States is at war." Huh? If Padilla were truly associated with this “entity” our country is “at war” with, wouldn’t there be some solid charges to file? This statement reads like a Minitrue memo.

PSST…. Supposedly, Luttig’s name is being bantered around the halls of DC as a possible Supreme Court nominee.




Now for something less odious…

My gray roots stood up and waved to me this morning as I dried my hair. Not just a few, mind you, but the whole rank and file saluted as I brushed and preened. WTF—I colored less than six weeks ago.

While I’m not a fan of the dying process, I love having colored hair. It beats the alternative—you know, Boy Scouts offering to escort me across the street; being automatically gifted the senior discount at the movie theatre, that sort of thing.

I’m a sucker for hair color with pretty packaging and a luscious name. Clairol’s Hydrience ™ garnered my loyalty for several years. The water inspired names and the well-hydrated models on the box hooked me. It’s way more fun to slop “Sable Cove” or “Russet Glow” on your tresses that plain, old “Ash Brown #382.” Wouldn’t you agree?

My loyalty began to wane. I’d glance at other boxes in the hair care section, before reaching for my stand-by. My fingers were getting a bit pruney. When Garnier Nutrisse ™ offered a sale price AND an instant dollar off coupon, I threw loyalty out the window.

Ohhh, their offerings were decadent. I directed my attention toward a box of “Chocolate Caramel”. Besides a model with frisky, youthful hair, the name surrounds a trufflely oval. Mmmmm, truffles. How could I resist?

Well, two of the traits promoted on the box held true. The color does provide 100% gray coverage, even those wild, wiry hairs that spring up from the crown of my head. Also, the avocado conditioner did nourish my hair, leaving it both shiny and voluminous. While “Chocolate Caramel” provided rich color, even making my grays look highlighted, I have issues with the long-lastingness of the dye. I guess a girl can’t expect miracles, can she?