Dunno what the day holds in store. I had planned to go meet some classmates who formed a fiction group; I need to get back into writing and I won't be able to get into a workshop on campus at least until next spring. But now I feel like a bloated, zitty bump on a log.
So, three of my four Velvet dolls have arrived in the mail. They're in the shape one would expect, given that they're nearly forty and have been played with, much like yours truly. What's disappointing is the original production values. The "growing" hair is of lesser quality and frizzes even with minimal handling. And as for the hair that was rooted in the head, the hair in the front of the face is long and pretty but the hair in back of the head has been given a rude chop job. That wasn't some budding little Vidal Sassoon, either, that was done at the factory. I mean, did the toy companies at the time figure that kids don't know what quality is? WRONG. I remember knowing very well. I brought this up with Anne and she remarked that all toys from the '70's were shitty, even the Madame Alexanders. So anywho, Friday night I was up until two in the morning, hand-washing Velvets' dresses, shampooing and conditioning their hair, giving them sponge baths, and giving them perms. They look pretty good, I must say. The original-issue Velvet, with the purple velvet dress, is my favorite; she was the one I wanted so badly as a child. She seems to have the friendliest face and the her lilac eyes are softer. I hesitate to do it, but she needs a trim badly. I think she can sacrifice an inch from her ponytail and 1/4 inch from the hair around her face.
The auburn-haired "Crissy" from 1982, who's actually Velvet in disguise, is kinda neat. Interesting to make comparisons. Her hair quality is superior (soft, shiny, NO FRIZZ), as is the quality of her facial screening, but she was made of thinner, lesser-quality plastic and her hair growing mechanism was terribly bastardized, reduced to a mere string in her back. Her dress is as crisp as new but wasn't properly finished on the inside seams and would fall apart if thrown in the washing machine.
On all of them, I'd say that from the very beginning they were intended as display dolls more than play dolls. The "growing" hair needs to be combed in such a way to cover the nasty stubble in the back of her head; they only look good stationary. Know what? If I'd received her as a kid, I think I would have been disappointed. I will not, however, go so far as to say, "Mom was right."
I love how Newman wrinkles his nose when he bites into something. That's so damn cute. Sometimes I could just eat him up. I love picking him up, draping him over my shoulder, and pressing my face into his fur, listening to him purr.
3:03 PM
Just came back from running errands. Why I decided to do that on a heavy flow day, and a weekend besides, is beyond me. Went to two of those "Home Labyrinth" places. I needed some plexiglass cut to size, which I'm going to use on my industrial shelving so that I can shelve books without the books falling between the wires. The first store got rid of their glass cutting machine and no longer provided that service. The second store did it, but it took me an hour to find it. After I finally got what I went for, I wanted to get the fuck outta there. While looking for a register, I got stuck behind a family of mouth-breathers shuffling along with their cart until I finally darted around them and went to the cashier with the shortest line. As it turned out, the mouth-breathers were in line right behind me and the cashier had the utmost difficulty with my card and finally was obliged to enter the info manually. So the mouth-breathers had to wait and wait and wait and they sighed and tapped their feet and crossed their arms and shot me filthy looks. Did I repent? --Fuck no. Fuck them.
Then I went to a beauty supply place where I spent way too much money on hair shit. Some women's weakness is shoes; mine is hair care products, salon-quality of course. Where else did I go. Oh, I went to Tarjez and bought some super-industrial strength tampons. I think that's it. Oh no, I also went to the art-supply place and bought some Prismacolor pencils and other whatnots.
Oops, it just occurred to me that I missed the meeting with the writing group. Oh well.
Here's Peep making love to a sheepskin:
posted by Newpeep, N.D. (neurotic depressive) @ 9:40 AM
1 Comments:
Peep is gorgeous! Even when loving on a sheepskin. :)
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