Shampoo

I grew up using the legendary, and still available, Johnson and Johnson's Baby Shampoo.  I think Mom was still buying it for us into late primary school.  It came in a hygienic pee-yellow colour and either it did the job, or it was cheap - I can't be sure.

That said, my hair made it through my formative years.  New phase, new shampoo and I started using Dad's Gill.  Gill, a marketing achievement, the only real men's shampoo.  If men actually helped with grocery shopping, it would no doubt have competition.

When I moved into my own place, and realized how expensive cleaning equipment was, I didn't last long on the Gill-wagon.  It was back to J&J's family shampoo, which is similar to the infant variety, only it also strips paint, cleans toilets and disinfects drains.  Or so I imagine.

For a number of years I bought into the fact that J&J Family is half the price of everything else on the shelf.  Right up until the day my sister gave me a small bottle of some, other, fancy looking shampoo... for the flight to 'Nam.  Over the next week, in the 30 degree heat, 200 million percent humidity, my hair staged a come back tour... which given the circumstances is remarkable.  When I got home I bought some new shampoo... I'm easing into things and have gone with something slightly more expensive than my beloved J&J Paint stripper... keeping an eye on the results.

Hadeda

I was running down McJanet Drive this morning, slightly misty eyed but enjoying being out and about.  I spotted a Hadeda sitting right ontop of the bulb on a streetlight, sort of leaning over the road - and importantly, directly above my path.  It occurred to me in my sleepy state that being pooped on by a Hadeda at 5am is probably the worst thing that could ever happen to a man, with obvious exclusions.

It is only by divine intervention that Hadeda's are present, exclusively, when I have nothing to throw at them.  This morning, unarmed, we passed each other, warily, no doubt to meet again.  I've tried before, we get a lot of birds in our garden and I've launched a range of twigs, leaves, too-small-to-count stones and angry stares at them... especially the loud ones.

One day... one day I'll be holding an apple, or a half empty Coke, or shoes that I'm not that attached to...