see you at 7

Before there was texting and constant communication, making plans to meet was a bit more difficult and a lot less likely to end in no-shows. Before texts and constant communication, you met your friends when and where you said you would because you had no way to let them know you wouldn’t be arriving and not arriving made you an ass.

(Yes we had extenuating circumstances back then, but they were real, so they were rare.)

It’s amazing how quickly we forget the things that used to be day to day when their replacements arrive. We acclimate so well that we often forget what needed to happen before the latest tool or method replaces our old ones. And as much as I find modern communication amazing, I did get a kick out of this particular tidbit of social etiquette. In the same moment I was taken aback that someone had to write it down in a book because really, we should know this.

Be a good friend.  Just say Yes.  Or No.  (from Adulting)

To be fair it did make perfect sense when the MP3 player eclipsed the discman. I mean that thing sucked down disposable batteries, required either listening to the same CD over and over or trying to figure out how to carry a selection and it was kinda big – certainly didn’t fit in any pocket I have.

I recently read an article on the demise of pantyhose, which you might not know, specifically the flesh toned variety. They gained popularity pre World War 2, after a shift in foundation garment use and a rise in hemlines, and they really gained popularity after World War 2 because during the war all fabric supplies where used to make parachutes and the women were out of luck. Even my hippie-esque parents insisted that there were certain situations where hose were needed and tights wouldn’t do it. I even had a job in my 20’s that required hose as part of my uniform, and if I think hard about it, it was rather annoying as they required a blue hue that was not available at a low cost. Yes I didn’t have to buy clothes but did have a $20 a week pantyhose requirement, back when minimum wage was much more minimum. Having eschewed them since, I really didn’t notice that most department stores have slowly phased out their hosiery sections as styles changed. If the Duchess of Cambridge hadn’t been required to add hosiery to her official ‘look’, would anyone under 30 even know what they were? But 75 years was a good run for a fashion trend that wasn’t always so nice to wear. 

Anecdotally the codpiece had a 75 year run too.

OK, well I found it interesting.

After I read the pantyhose article I started to think about things that used to feel so essential to life that fell out of favour as trend or technology passed and may or may not have met their ultimate end. Records seemed to continue to have a strong solid following, but for the audiophile, there’s a sound quality that can’t be beat. CD’s continue to exist as people continue to insist on physical media but got rid of their record players. I haven’t seen a cassette in years. Well other than a handful I kept mostly for nostalgic reasons, most of which are homemade mixed tapes. Which I guess where replaced by playlists. But how do you give the person you’re crushing on a playlist?

Wristwatches is another one for me. I have three in a box on my dresser, and I’m fairly certain all three have dead batteries in them. In part the disuse was due to a cell phone and in part it was due to my constantly, accidentally leaving my watch on my desk at work because I took it off when it banged on the desk while I was typing. But it freed up my wrist for bracelets and I can always get the time on my phone. Yes the ‘smart’ technology has set their sights on a smart watch next, and since not everyone gave up on the watch, this’ll be a trend to ‘watch’! I don’t really see the point of the smart watch, but I’m in the minority I’m certain. In fact I had a discussion with a friend about this very subject and in her case she wears the same watch as a loved relation and finds it ties her emotionally to that relation whenever she looks at it. So in as much as the technology may be passé there are other, valid, reasons for hanging onto to something.

I still have an alarm clock, because I hate the idea of a phone in the bedroom. I do have a cassette player, but only because it’s part of my stereo. I still use pens because I like to do the suduko and the crossword in the newspaper on the weekend, which yes I still get on Saturdays and Sundays to read with coffee.

And what do we do every time this technology changes. Well for those of us who faithfully changed our music collections from records to cassettes to CD’s, we eventually stopped. Some of us hold yard sales or donate to charity. And the rest of hold onto whatever works for us until our favourite toys stop working. We all evolve at our own pace.

The other tidbit I liked from the same book. Which can also apply.

duck lips: or how i accidently became the world’s leading expert on lip gloss.

When I was a teen, almost every girl carried a little, colour topped pot of Rachel Perry Lip Lover gloss in their pocket.  The container was awkward, and you had to go to the ‘health food’ store to get it, but this colourless, flavoured gloss was way popular, mostly because, in addition to being a good product, it tasted and smelled amazing.  Mint Tingle was the favourite of most, but my aversion to mint made me a Raspberry Cherry girl.   Sadly, after having had a pot of RP’s Lip Lover on my bedside table since I was a teen, the company seems to have closed up shop and my Raspberry Cherry, once the last of my half used pots are done, is no longer.

The internet is rife, still, with people seeking this favourite product, which I suppose means if you have any aptitude with making cosmetics, or could figure out how to purchase the recipe, you might have a little bit of license to 'Mint Tingle' money for yourself.  However, failing that anything you’d find now has been around for awhile and eek.

So the search began for a replacement.  Certainly there are lots of options on the market, but something that smells and tastes good and will stay on overnight, to protect the thin skin of the lips turned out to be a tall order.  Admittedly there’s not really anything wrong with anything I tried, but I was looking for that special combination of taste and pliability and that was hard to find.

So here we go.  Smith’s Rosebud Salve was rated a favourite over and over again so I picked it up.  Unfortunately I don’t really like rose smell or taste so it has a fairly unsavory start to it.  Once the rose perfume dissipates the gloss is pretty benign.  Absolutely nothing wrong with the product but missing the smell/taste combo I was seeking.

Nip and Fab’s Lip and Nip Fix, which it turns out you can use for chapped nipples too, should that be an issue.  Found at the drugstore and reasonably priced.  It’s a step up from something like Blistex but again, no smell and tastes like Vaseline.  Might be handy for really chapped skin in the winter, but for lips, it went in my no pile.

So I moved on to Smith's Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm, which also comes in Chocolate flavour.  Again nothing wrong with the product and it seems to give a bit of colour to the lips when applied even though it’s clear, but missing the taste.  The smell is so good it initially fools your senses into thinking there is a flavour but there isn’t.  A potential keeper, mostly because the tube is lightweight and purse friendly.

Hope was high for Eos.  The package, a round coloured container is cheerful.  The gloss smells and tastes good and there are plenty of flavours, including mint for those missing their Mint Tingle.  My only objection to the product is the delivery, a hard gloss that you do not dip your finger into but instead apply right to your lips and because of this, it is really hard to get enough on.  The other issue I have with it is the esthetics of the package, because once a male friend commented it looked like a testicle, well I couldn’t see it any other way.  And, this package is every weirder looking that Lip Lover, in your pocket!

The latest product I’ve tried, Tokyo Milk Dark Lip Elixirs, I bought the Cherry Bourbon flavour holds the best option, the gloss, a little firm but becomes viscous with a bit of heat from your finger, smells good, tastes OK.  It will probably be the one I try again when this batch is done with.  However if I could somehow combine the features of the Eos with the Tokyo Milk, I might be happier.

Carmex, with its yellow lid, not really a contender, but worthy of a mention because it has camphor it in and it’s the only thing I found useful in treating cold sores.  I keep a pot in the medicine chest for this explicit reason and when I feel that weird tingle, it goes on immediately.  This gloss is difficult to spread, but they do have a version in a tube now, smell pretty unappealing and doesn’t taste much better, but cold sores, the gift that keeps on giving and often the little reminder of x’s past, need to be treated.

It’s always tough to replace an old favourite, and boy do I have a drawer full of products meaning it will be awhile before I need any more lip balm.  All I can say to Lip Lover is farewell old friend, we’ve been through the ages, and you’re a hard act to follow.


P.S.  A friend tried in earnest today to find me more of my old standby online but came to the same end I did, that Lip Lover is no longer.  But kudos to her for efforts.  It gladdens this old crusty heart of mine.