Friday, December 17, 2021

V Is For Volume

 News Flash--I am old. All the symptoms/warning signs are there, and every single one of them can be put under the heading of one word, Volume.

As in:

1.  The fact that some television shows are SO LOUD and others make me strain to hear dialogue irritates me almost unreasonably. Commercials that feature music seem incredibly cacophanous and annoying. And car/truck commercials are also terrible. We have several streaming services, and the Volume of one set perfectly is way too soft for the other. Sam, my gadgety son, has a sound bar for his television. It is a nightmare.

2.  About a hundred years ago, I used to decorate copiously for Christmas. Every room in the house reflected the Yuletide merrily. My mantel was a showpiece. Now, that Volume of holiday decor is not only worky but smothering to me. We just this week finally put up our tree, and it was a sort of perfunctory exercise. I hung the stockings on the mantel, period. That is the extent of my holiday decorating. I simply cannot stand any more.

3.  Oh, how I do miss my thick, thick hair that used to burst elastics and defy brushes and combs with its Volume. It was downright huge when it was curled, and I never had to use a thing on it or brush it hanging upside down or anything. Now, I have to buy a Volumizing Root Spray to get any fullness at all. (Thank heaven for that stuff!)

4.  Volume itself is the measure of space that an object occupies, and I've started to begrudge the amount of room a lot of things take up in my home. "Why is this still here?" and "Why do we have this?" and "Why am I keeping this?" are constant questions I ask myself as I move around my little home. Now that Indoor Season is here, I'm feeling the need for more and freer space. The sheer Volume of Stuff I/we have collected over the years makes me feel fussy and weighed down. My sons aren't going to want to deal with all this in the future if I don't want to deal with it now.

What do you think? Am I old or just fussy? (Probably both.) How are you doing with these Voluminous Things?


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42 comments:

  1. I'm with you on the clutter. I am sick of it and need to DEAL. Cleaning out my Grandma's house this year made me pay even more attention to the ridiculousness of keeping every damn letter ever sent you and so on. I think my 2022 resolution is going to be to declutter, by attacking one cabinet or room (depending) per month. Even if I don't get through everything, this will help a great deal.

    We also struggle with the UP and DOWN volume of watching TV. Part of a show will be too damn quiet, and the other part will be too damn loud. My daughter likes to put on the subtitles to deal with this, which I find annoying because I end up reading rather than watching. The actors go to a lot of trouble to emote and so on, and I miss a lot of that if I'm reading dialog at the bottom of the screen.

    Did you watch Saturday Night Live back in the late 70s? Remember Garrett Morris yelling at the bottom of the screen for the hard of hearing? Seems handy now.

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    1. J--I do remember Garrett Morris yelling "Our top story tonight!" LOL. Even though I knew it was coming every time, I still always laughed. Thanks for reviving that memory. I recently watched a documentary about Gilda Radner--highly recommended.

      I completely agree about closed captioning taking away so much of the viewing experience. I feel it distances me from the whole mood and the characters so much. We did have to use the captioning for Broadchurch, however, because David Tarrant's Scottish accent was so incredibly thick and he spoke softly and quickly.

      Most of my clutter is the decor of my home. I have too much in a small space. All of it I love, but it's just too much: occasional tables, cabinets, and stuff on them. It's just a lot.

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  2. I, too, struggle with the volume on TV. I've been streaming Heartland and whenever they play music I have to turn it down, then back up again with the dialogues start in again.

    The volume of owning too much stuff was a real thing to my last year, but I've downsized to an acceptable level now. But I do want to do more over the next few months. I do think it's a thing that comes with age and realizing you're not going to live forever and not wanting to leave the project to younger members of the family who have their own stuff to deal with.

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    1. Jean--I appreciate music in shows and movies; I really do. I think it adds a great deal. The problem is that it often is out of whack with the voices, as you pointed out. I've played around with the sound setting on my TV, which has levels called Sports, Cinema, Clear Voice, etc. to no avail. Do I need a new TV? Who knows? My hearing is fine otherwise.

      I admire your massive downsizing and the bravery and perseverance it took for you to find homes for your vast array of collections and valuable antiques. I don't have nearly that challenge before me. I'll remember that when it's time for me to start letting go in earnest.

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  3. "Why is this still here?" I ask myself that question too often. I get rid of stuff, usually donating it to charity, BUT there is always more stuff. I think it breeds when I leave the room.

    I know what you mean about the volume on TV shows. It's uneven within the show, and then with the commercials [that I always mute]. I won't watch any show or movie made with those awful shaky cameras and feel the same way about inconsistent volume. One must have standards when one is being a coach potato.

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    1. Ally--Here's a harsh reality for you: the stuff isn't breeding; your tolerance is getting more and more limited. The more I get rid of, the more I want to let go.

      Setting up house in the 80s, I think the trend of the time was to have a lot of stuff sitting around, making little vignettes, putting out pretty stuff to create moods, etc. It was a luxe sort of style.

      You're exactly right about the uneven volume. And jerky camera work, quick cuts, fast pans all are annoyances (and possible migraine triggers) for me. This fellow couch potato has standards, too.

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  4. Here are my responses to your list:

    1. Amen
    2. Amen
    3. Amen (although I'm just now noticing that my hair isn't as think as it used to be.)
    4. AMEN. This last one though. I am married to a very sentimental man. He was SO SAD to have to throw away our mandevilla which had been gorgeous all summer. He named her Mandy. If he had trouble getting rid of something we'd had for mere months, how successful will I be at getting rid of 30 year of detritus? Sigh.

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    1. Bug--You still have incredibly thick hair, and I am unabashedly jealous.

      Rick is like your husband in that he has sentimental attachments and makes them easily. It's hard for him to toss things. Even to donate things. It's always a process, and a long one. Good luck.

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  5. I could have written all FOUR of those paragraphs with the addition of a fifth. WHY do people in public have to speak so loudly?????

    We were at Starbucks today. We were the only ones in there for about 10 minutes. Then - group by group the place filled up. Everyone had to talk louder and louder to talk OVER the loud people. We finally got up and left. Drinking my coffee while walking on quiet streets ---- HEAVEN!

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    1. Dee--Yes! This happens far too often, whether said people are talking amongst others or (horrors!) on their cell phones. I am beyond annoyed by this also.

      Your Starbucks incident is a common situation, I know. It invariably happens to us at our favourite restaurant as well. We will be seated and enjoying a glass of wine when a party of three or four will be seated nearby and suddenly, they all have to shout at each other. It's such selfish behaviour.

      It's like Sartre said--Hell is other people.

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  6. If God willing, I will decorate for holidays until my dying day. I just enjoy it, period. Ask for tv volume up/down...sometimes I wish I had taken up lip reading!!
    And as for a house filled with "why do I still have its?" spells sweet revenge when I know my kids will have to deal with it all when I'm gone. After all the worry & headaches they caused raising them, serves my purpose well. 😉

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    1. Anni--I know you love your holiday decor, and I don't begrudge you your celebrations. I don't enjoy it, so I don't do it anymore.

      Do your kids know of your Wicked Plan? I hope they love to decorate for the holidays too! LOL

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  7. 1. The TV thing is a real issue and has nothing to do with age, as far as I'm concerned (and yes, I'm old).

    2 & 4. Christmas decorating has been pretty pared down here too - it's just too exhausting to set it all up and take it all down. Last year (I think? Who knows anymore? Time is elastic now), I went through ALL the Christmas bins and pared them down dramatically. I've also been on a purging binge...now to convince The Husband to jump on board.

    3. My hair, while wild, is definitely not voluminous - it's always been pretty fine and, although I seem to lose copious amounts of hair - based on the hairballs that appear on the regular in the bathroom - it doesn't seem to have changed much other than getting curlier.

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    1. Gigi--Thank you for being On Board with the TV volume thing. I feel like it used to be a FCC regulation, but that the previous "administration" allowed it to backslide. Like so many things. Ahem!

      I really need to purge the Cmas bins here, too. I have a bunch of third- and fourth-string ornaments that haven't seen the branch of a Cmas tree for decades. Why do I keep them? No idea.
      And I found out after many garage sales that NO ONE wants Cmas items. NO ONE.

      Do you buy special hair products that claim to do certain things for your hair and keep buying them even though you can't see that they've done that certain thing? I buy volume shampoo and conditioner and can't tell that they've added any volume at all. But I'm scared that if I buy regular shampoo, my hair will look even worse. This is the depth of my pathology.

      Your husband is retired now. He has time to organize and purge. Perhaps a list will help.

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  8. 1. Volume on TV shows Very irritating to say the least. I can just about manage when it’s a question of which channel (in our house, we have to deal with international news broadcasts, etc.). Commercials are not usually a problem because most of what we watch is recorded and we zip past all of that crap. The most irritating of all is (no surprise) when the Telenovelas have alternating volumes throughout the program AND… no matter how much you turn up the volume, when there is background music, it drowns out the voices. If it’s a ‘love scene’, well… who cares? But when you are eagerly listening to find out who really tried to kill the protagonist… hell, no! Having spent countless hours doing post-production work in recording studios where we had to add background music + SFX to recorded dialogues and stories… it really peeves me that the supposed professionals doing the montage are so careless and clueless! *SIDEBAR* A FB friend who is a few years younger than me recently posted that his daughters were bugging him to get his hearing tested because he had started to ask them to repeat things a bit too often. He was reluctant and brushed it aside until several friends who commented said that he should get his hearing tested pronto because, apparently, hearing loss is directly tied to issues with dementia and the onset of Alzheimer’s. Yikes!
    2. Christmas Decorations I have never done excessive decorating for Christmas because… I have never hosted a Christmas gathering--- just a few Christmas Eve open house set-ups, and even for that, the most I did was a small tree, poinsettia on the table, a few stockings, and (only once) some simple porch lights. All of my close relatives live out-of-town or out-of-state, and we get together at other times of the year because most of them have grandkids and Mr. O. and I are two people too many in their homes, albeit large in a few cases. This year, it’s a poinsettia and that’s it, lol! (Although I might make stockings with a few funny gadgets for Luis & I. ) Also: Christmas is too damn close to Thanksgiving. It’s such a chore to go through all that prep all over again, even if Thanksgiving doesn’t involve all the decorations. Bottom line: Keeping it simple allows you to actually enjoy the moment more.
    3. Hair I was diagnosed with alopecia a few years ago. It mainly affects hair on the top of my head and at the temples, but it is definitely a *lot* thinner in those areas. So: What’s the brand name of the Volumizing Root Spray you use? And does it leave your hair sticky, etc.?
    4. The Sheer Volume of Stuff I think we covered this in a previous post, lol!
    Re: Old or just fussy? Both things are part and parcel of getting older. Even for overly-sentimental packrats like me, there comes a time of reckoning when we need to pare things down and simplify. Clutter just begets more clutter. And we don’t need it anymore! When all is said and done, each time I am able to toss out a substantial load of junk I don’t need, I feel an immense sense of relief. There is something very calming about creating more simplicity in our lives. I think it leads to more internal serenity, and we sure need that!

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    1. Ortizzle--Most important stuff first--this is the product I use for volumizing. I put it on my damp hair, then blow dry. Nothing sticky at all.

      I agree that simplicity and space--a more calming environment--means a calmer life. I think that's at the root of my Cmas Angst this year. I just don't have it to give right now. The Holidays are a part-time job for most women since we are the ones to make the holidays happen in most cases. It's exhausting. And yes, I know I'm retired, but this year has had its challenges and I am worn out.

      I think we're all worn through from this pandemic bullshit and its constant presence and irritation. It's like the four-year presence of 45* all over again.

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    2. Oh, thank you for the link! I just ordered it on Amazon - same price as in the ad you sent. Can't wait to try this out.

      Pandemic burnout: Yes, it is exactly the feeling from 4 agonizing years of 45. And now all this news is coming out about confirmed facts (which we really knew anyway) about how he gave explicit orders to cover stuff up, play it down, go for herd immunity, etc., etc. We could have had it a lot more under control except for his stupid, selfish actions (and lack of actions.) If somebody had told me in spring 2020 that two years later we would still be dealing with variants, masks, more and more boosters... sheesh. I couldn't wait for the fall semester to be over. Everyone in our department is exhausted to the bone. Worst. Semester. Ever. I am getting pretty good at teaching through a mask, though. I just worry about still not having mask mandates for the foreseeable future. Several of my students tested positive this fall and that is what really keeps scaring the crap out of me.

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    3. O--You're so welcome! Another of my Commenters here started using it too, and she loves it as well. I hope you have a positive result. (I have NO AFFILIATION WITH THE BRAND OR SUPPLIER; I just like and use the product.)

      I continue to THANK TEACHERS FOR THEIR HEROIC SERVICE DURING THIS TIME. I continue to wish you could retire immediately. XXOO

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  9. I'm not sure if I'm getting grumpier or just more discriminating in what I'll put up with. I remember manners, kind/considerate people, and commonsense. People in general, especially in traffic and in grocery stores, are rude and oblivious to anyone except themselves. Dangerous speeding in traffic, talking loud on their phones, parking themselves or their shopping carts in the middle of thoroughfares. The list goes on.

    Regarding TV volume variations, I thought the FCC was supposed to have put a stop to that. Probably the last Administration stopped regulating it because big business didn't like it...just a guess. If only we could end Daylight Saving Time, I'd be a happy old woman.

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    1. Eileen--Your first sentence is perfect. The world Out There seems to have become one big, selfish mess. Everyone is the star of their own show now and they act like it. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the pandemic has brought it all out in glaring detail.

      I just mentioned that FCC regulation to another Commenter, above, and I offered the same theory you did. Makes me wonder about Net Neutrality, too--will that be back, or no?

      Gosh, wouldn't it be lovely if we could PICK ONE TIME AND STICK WITH IT LIKE MODERN GROWNUPS?! Count me in.

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  10. I am now at the hearing aid age - had to get them because JG insists on talking to me from three rooms away. (Train Rick out of this NOW if he does it!). We put the captions on. What I hate are ads, where the volume is changed every 15 seconds or so when a new clip comes on. JG insists he does not need hearing aids, so guess what the volume is like chez Gilmour.
    Sob.
    As for my hair, the only time I ever had any volume was when I was pregnant.
    But I have every volume written by many authors whom I love and I will keep them until I am dragged off, waving my cane, to a box somewhere. My dream home would be all bookcases, and a nice reading chair with lamp plus maybe a bed. Oh, and a table for a coffee pot. There will be a restaurant next door that does takeout. No TV. In this dream I have left all the clutter behind for someone else to clean up.

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    1. Mary--I confess that *I* am the one who talks from three rooms away, even though I know that Rick is very hard of hearing and has tinnitus (that's what happens after decades of construction work). He is balky about getting a hearing aid, so Volume is a war here, too.

      I, too, have a Thing For Books, and as I have mentioned before, buy hardbacks. It's an expensive hobby/habit, and I keep the ones I love and will read again. Others I donate.

      I like your dream home very much, especially the restaurant. May I visit if I bring only myself and some chocolates?

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  11. And I am invited somewhere for Christmas.

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    1. Mary--This is my dream. I hope it comes true soon. I am tired.

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  12. 1. You are right about the volume of TV shows and commercials being wonky. I use closed captions, tho, and usually just read the dialog as I wear hearing aids that don't often hear well enough!
    2. I put out the same stuff usually in the same places. It is just a tradition that I can't leave behind yet!
    3. I have always had thin hair so no change for me.
    4. There is a lot of my kids' (and exhusband's) crap in my home! Slowly, but surely, I have Amvets helping me get rid of it! I love that they pick up from my front porch!

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    1. Ellen--I use the Vietnam Vets and Easter Seals, who also pick up things right from my porch. Isn't it lovely? The last pickup filled my porch, and I felt fantastic. Much of my basement went away. After Christmas it will be time for another big purge.

      I don't think anyone should give up their traditions at Christmas until they want to. Or, as in the case of my mother, have to. They're important. They serve a loving and grounding purpose. Once you're ready to leave them behind--if you ever are--you'll know it.

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  13. I don't think this will come as a complete shock to you, but there may be indicators you are aging. What age group bracket in the "old" category, as opposed to the "older", "oldest", "elder", "elderly" and "ancient" group you are, I'll leave you to figure that out.

    So far, though I know I have slightly diminished hearing in one ear from audiological tests a couple decades ago I seem to not have an issue with TV sound. My TV allows me to see and adjust a sound level bar and it is relatively unchanged at 50% or below volume level. The story was quite different when my husband was living as he kept the volume very high and even after his hearing tests revealing his loss disregarded it was a problem. He couldn't understand me if I spoke to him from a different room and, of course, it was my fault for speaking too softly when I sometimes forgot and hollered in to him. He died before I was about ready to insist some aids might be necessary so the TV wouldn't have to be so loud.

    Once I ceased having my children here at Christmas I did less decorating. Then when I was alone I only put some effort into some decorating when they were going to be here. Those years when it was just me here I put forth a little effort, even sending a virtual look-see of what I had done. This year, I must confess I've done nothing. I think the most that is going to occur is I'm going to turn on some battery powered candles that sit on a window sill above my kitchen sink facing the front of my house. They turn off automatically each night. There is a small gold colored metal tree with a few tiny colored balls on the branches sitting on my mantle above the living room fireplace I didn't put away after Christmas last year I just noticed so I'm set. There won't be anyone coming in here this year.

    I, too, once had very thick hair and could never have imagined a day when that would cease to be true, but it has become so over the past twenty year -- a little in the brush every day beyond what is normal replacement growth I'm sure.

    Right sizing is what I desperately need to do but I need some help for that which I currently don't have. Maybe after this latest Covid variant runs its course and, hopefully, a new one doesn't emerge I'll hire someone.

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    1. Joared--I'm not sure if I'm comforted that there are so many subgroups of "Old." Its something to think about.

      Why are men so intransigent about hearing? Is it vanity? Machismo? Sheer stubbornness? No matter the reason, it's infuriating.

      Rick and I agreed that we are putting effort into the holiday this year simply because of other people coming here. It's sad, really, I think. I hope that IF THIS PANDEMIC IS EVER ALLOWED TO END, we feel differently in the future and want to put up some holiday decorations and the tree for ourselves. I'd hate to have days and weeks and seasons merely blend into each other seamlessly with no bursts of joy.

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  14. I do my best to keep clutter down, though I could do better. My problem is the husband. He is one of those people who, when I am trying to go through things, cannot be bothered. Then about twice a year, he gets the bug and throws out everything whether we actually need it or not - and doesn't even ask!

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    1. Bridget--Revel in those two times a year even if a few things you like get tossed. I'd love it if my husband would get bitten by that bug even once. Sometimes, his things go missing mysteriously and he never even notices. What does that tell you?

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  15. The TV volume thing: *Suz raises both fists in the air* SO ANNOYING. Somethings are so loud and other shows, we have to put on the subtitles to get the gist of what is happening.
    I don't think that is us or our age, it's the TV people. Yeah, let's blame The TV People.

    I've certainly lowered the volume of holiday decorating. I too would have skipped this year completely if not for family coming over for Christmas Eve. Had I not decorated, I might have regretted it later, but who knows. I'll never get those hours back and in a week, we have to UNDO it all. *sigh*

    I never had thick hair. But I did have nice hair. Soft and enough of it to cover my scalp and to 'work with'. Now? Not.so.much. It's thinning. I blame menopause. My dermatologist agrees: hormones.
    I might just start investing in really pretty hats.

    I'm pretty good about keeping the clutter at bay, but then again, we have a lot of house to spread it out in. One does have to keep it manageable though or else we will end up on one of Those Shows and that would be embarrassing.

    Merry and Happy to you and yours!

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    1. BB Suz--Thanks for making me feel better. I'll blame The TV People, too.

      I'm also glad to see that I'm not alone in decorating mostly for other people, at least this year. Perhaps it's a Good Thing overall, kind of a Fake It Til You Make It sort of philosophy. I played some Cmas music today since my mother has been staying with us this week, and it did make me feel a bit less Grinchy and Humbuggy.

      That bitch Menopause has a lot to answer for, doesn't it? Thinning hair, thinning and sagging skin, the menopot (that little soft belly that forms and will NOT go away), and all the rest. I would join you in hat wearing, but I am not sure I am a Hat Person.

      Ooooh, I love Those Shows! They do make me feel much better about my own circumstances. I am not ever going to be like that, so I take oodles of comfort in my neatness.

      Thank you for the holiday wishes, and my yours be merry and bright as well.

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  16. I literally just slammed my laptop shut and went to another floor of the house because my husband was watching a television show and it was SO LOUD. It's like a splitting headache immediately when I watch television, which is why I rarely do. The last time I went to a movie theater, I wore earplugs the whole time. This paragraph is making me seem like a really pleasant person. Ha!

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    1. NGS--I'm sure you're quite a Pleasant Person when you're not feeling shouted at. I certainly understand how you feel. Sometimes things are so incredibly loud! Right now, my husband is watching some awful show about hillbillies bidding on and assessing the value of abandoned storage units at an intrusive volume. I feel like I could throw my laptop through the television. Luckily, dinner will be ready in about five minutes and the TV will not be part of it.

      Hang in there!

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  17. Just popping by after I posted my last blog of the year to wish you all a wonderful holiday season.

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    1. Anni--Thank you, and may you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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  18. Nance, I think there are many things that are a function of age whether young or old. Think of all the things that kids, teenagers, young adults do & say & think. Aging and transition go hand-in-hand. The tv volume doesn't bother me so much as the text in programs. So often I can't read the writing of subtexts or phone texts that are part of a program. I'm jumping up to get closer only to miss it. I recently went to a sports bar with my son's family. The volume of people and noise was too much for this old girl. I've never had voluminous hair and it's even less now in my 60's. My hair is "chromed" aka mostly white and thinning on top. I threaten to shave it all off if the crown goes completely bald! Volume itself is the measure of space. I give daily thanks for the wide open space of rural living. I'm surrounded by things that are useful and give me joy (no thanks to Marie Kondo). I'm constantly purging these day, more so after clearing my mom's home of 50 yrs of stuff. Remember George Carlin's ode to stuff? And yet there are no empty shelves or drawers. My winter project is to purge the photos. I enjoy your blog very much. Merry Christmas to you.

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    1. Mona--Thank you for the kind words. I enjoy your Comments here so much as well.

      I'm not one to fight Aging, and I agree that this is a transition, and one we all go through--one of many in our lives.

      Rick and I recently watched a series on Netflix in which screenshots of text messages were an integral part of the plot. Both of us said several times, "What did that say? After a while, we just didn't even bother to ask; we simply got what we could and figured the rest by context. Or not.

      I do recall Carlin's stuff routine. He was a sage far ahead of his time. So much more than a comedian.

      Merry Christmas to you, too, Mona. And here's to a Happy New Year.

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  19. The volume inconsistencies are strange. The worst for me is when using the Roku. I have to keep turning the volume up, up, up and then when I go back to regular tv, I have to immediately press the lower volume button (and keep pressing it!) or I get blasted. I'd never heard of a sound bar before. Had to look that one up! You are always educating me. :-)

    I lost so many Christmas decorations but still have enough to be perfectly happy. I've got four small trees, all tabletop decorations (with the largest one being 3-feet tall and skinny); all my tins; my Santas; my window candles; and a handful of other decorations. I don't even have a dozen ornaments--and most of the ones I do have get hung on the dining room chandelier. Somehow it all works out to be just right. I see other people put up multiple trees and it stresses me out just looking at them.
    Truth be told, this simplicity started years ago when we going away on vacation the day after Christmas and decided that it didn't make sense to put up a live Christmas tree if we'd have to take it down on Christmas day. We'd left one up until we returned one year a week after Christmas and it disintegrated as we drug it out. Not ideal. No tree definitely works better.

    I stopped using the Volumizing stuff for a while and was doing fine. Now I need to return to it. Sigh. I see older celebrities with voluminous hair and I wonder if they're adding fake hair or just supremely lucky.

    After all I've gotten rid of the last few years, it's amazing that I still have more I want to do but I do. It's a fraction of what I used to have but still too much. I think that in a fit of stuff annoyance I may have actually gotten rid of one box that Bo wanted to keep. That worry gave me a few restless nights but I finally decided that if it's the case (I'm not going to look further), there's nothing I can do about it. The downstairs is in great shape although I am conflicted about how to proceed with re-furnishing it. Thanks to COVID, I don't have to deal with that for a while.

    Merry Christmas Eve Eve, Nance! xoxo,
    Shirley



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    1. Shirley--You've coined a new term, and I love it: Stuff Annoyance. It's perfect. I think I'm going to be using it a great deal from here on out. Thank you.

      We have Roku as well, so maybe it's an inherent problem with that device.

      I really like the idea of hanging your surviving ornaments on the chandelier. I imagine it looks beautiful. And special, illuminated by the lights and providing a focal point for the decorations.

      Lots and lots of people on television add clip-in pieces to create volume in their hair. You can buy them online and in stores like Sally Beauty, etc. They also get professional blow-outs and a ton of product put in there. I can use the volumizer spray after a wash, blow dry, and it lasts me a few days. (That still astonishes me. I used to have such oily hair that I had to wash it daily.)

      Sam and Jared had several boxes of things here--still--in my home. I badgered them endlessly to go through them and decide what they wanted of it all and then TAKE THAT STUFF WITH THEM TO THEIR OWN HOMES. Finally, I just began bringing boxes out when they were around and had them take out what they wanted then and there. I donated all the rest--had the Vietnam Vets come right to my doorstep and get it. I figured if it was all that important, then they'd have missed it or wanted it with them in some capacity. I am not a storage facility.

      I'm glad things are finally getting back to being secure and normal in your basement area. I remember how nice it was. It was devastating to lose so much, I know, but now you are able to see positive transition. I'm glad.

      Merry Christmas to you, too, Dear Friend. XXOO

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    2. Can you imagine having to devote all that time to one's hair? It would never be worth it to me. I prefer not having to even think of my hair and mine is still on the oily side. I can get away with skipping washing it some days but not most days. I still don't have a lot of gray and I'm fine with that. ;-)

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  20. I am right alongside you - fussy and old! #1 I agree - some stuff I hear fine (or too much), other things I catn't make out. Makes me crazy. #2 - our Christmas decorating was almost nill this year. We did put up a tree (late and small - tabletop), we hung stockings and 3 days before Christmas I did put the birch log on the buffet with candles. But that's it. #3 I've never had thick hair...I have root voluminizing spray and I hate the way it smells and it feels sticky to me (not when they use it at the salon, but when I use it at home)...anyway, I hate blow drying my hair. #4 let's not go there. Way too much of EVERYTHING in this tiny house. Makes me crazier than #1.

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Oh, thank you for joining the fray!

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