Man Buns

So I am sitting in the back of my son’s car. My daughter-in-law, Shannon is riding with me and our husbands have taken on the driving and navigating challenges from the front seat. It allows Shannon and I to reflect on the world situation, such as it is.

Shannon: You know what a man bun is, right?

Me: (snorting derisively) Of course. Who doesn’t? Why?

Shannon: So what do you think of them?

Low "Pony Bun"

Librarian Man Bun

George Bush Man Bun

Athlete Man Bun

Man and Dog Buns

Top Knot Man Bun

I reflect on the Man Bun images that have crossed my path since they became "Official" in 2013. I feel I can adequately give my opinion based on the thoughtful survey I have just completed.

Me: Well, it’s like this. If a guy does not look good without a Man Bun, he is not going to look any better in a Man Bun. However, a really hot guy could continue to look really hot in a Man Bun.

This conversation, short as it was, sparked food for thought about ManBunDom in general. George even got interested. He photographed a man at Publix in a Man Bun. We eyeballed one from the window at Friday’s as we ate lunch. No Man Bun escaped our notice. (Disclaimer: I do not want George to EVER put a Man Bun on his head.)

My Internet research has proved there is a whole Man Bun World out there I was totally unaware of.

You can buy a ready-made Man Bun on Amazon for only 24.95. “Get the look without damaging your hair or spending years growing it out…Get the Man Bun look without the hassle.” It is described as a attachable hairpiece which comes in a variety of colors, made of artificial hair. The Man Bun is 3 in (diameter) x 1in (height). They do recommend pinning the Man Buns with a bobby pin with some of your hair layered to achieve the natural look.

And, guess what? There is an official Man Bun website complete with a definition of the Man Bun and the types of Man Buns there are. 

The Man Bun is a type of long hairstyle that involves tying one’s hair into a single bun to be placed upon the crown area of the head, or the vertex. The Man Bun may also be referred to as the Bro Bun, Hipster Bun, Mun, Dude Bun.

There is even a FAQ page with questions such as “How do I keep women from touching my Man Bun?” and “Can I grow a beard with my Man Bun?”

Leave it to my daughter-in-law, Shannon, to provide me with a topic that will keep me busy for hours on end. Thanks, Shannon, I am on my way to do some Man Bun scouting!

Being Thankful

As usual we went to a favorite restaurant on the beach to have Thanksgiving dinner. The food was excellent. We noticed that there were so many elderly people there, that it seemed like a nursing home Thanksgiving.  Walkers, wheelchairs and canes clogged up the aisles. Heaven help us if we should have to evacuate for a storm, the medical equipment alone would have caused us to trample each other in our quest to escape.

George is the Camera Dude.

It was a very windy day. We looked out the window toward the beach. There were a couple of kite things in the air, bouncing around in the wind. A man in a lawn chair was airlifted for a few moments, until he crashed back down to the sand. That was interesting.

What Thanksgiving Day is complete without getting beat in Scrabble by your oldest son? And having him play the ukulele for you? Life is complete.

Abbey watched with interest.

Telephone call from youngest son and wife and all is well with the world. Thanksgiving is all about the food and the feelings but most of all about the people you are with.

Abbey moved in closer.

The next day,  we spend time with Jeff at our current favorite place to eat. Tijuana Flats, which was originated by a UCF alumnus (where Jeff went to school.) Jeff lined up his hot sauce, prepared to dig in.

Yum!

Loved this time together. Wish Cory and Ashlee had been here also but another time....

A Visit With Uncle Bill

A Day With Uncle Bill

So when we got to Uncle Bill's, he was sound asleep. We used to take him to church on Sundays but he decided he did not want to go any more. I think it was because he likes to sleep late. He does not wake up till 1:00 PM or later.
Today the aide arrived and got him up. He is always confused when he wakes up and today was no different.
UB: Hey, did you hear what happened? The girl, the aide that was here the other night, got a call from the office. When she got there, a football player, a linebacker, threw her through a window. Broke both her legs."
I knew better than to get all upset. 
UB: Did you hear that the roads are all washed out up by Lake Okeechobee? It is flooding and is heading here next.
Me: I think we are safe.
UB: That is what everyone thinks. But it is coming soon and we are going to have to stay put in our homes with our storm windows up. It is going to be really bad. The mayor of Illinois came out and looked at the mess and said it was terribly bad. And he knows his stuff.
Me: (trying to change subject) Did you know that tomorrow is Cory's birthday?
UB: No, really? Where does he live?
Me: Texas.
UB: Oh, yeah. Well, tell him to stay away from the floodwaters heading their way. The water in Okeechobee is going to fill up the Mississippi and it will travel down to the Gulf and they are going to see more water than they ever have.
Me: Well, it is time for us to go. We will come by and visit you Tuesday.
UB: Well be careful and don't go to the Mississippi. Stay inland to be safe. Quite a ways inland.
Me: We will.

Vacationing with George

It has been a while since I have posted anything on my blog. Now that I am newly retired, I have more time for such things. Hopefully there will be someone to read my posts besides myself.

Our latest adventure was in going to Cedar Key, Florida. It is about 5-6 hours north of us (south of Gainesville). Unfortunately, using our GPS to get there caused us to add on over an hour to our journey. Evidently there is only one entrance to Cedar Key (it is an island, of course) and the roads that our GPS staunchly recommended took us in a circle around Cedar Key, but never closer. We had to get on the phone with my oldest son who became my human GPS and my hero.

Picture this scenario. The driver, George, is getting a bit surly. He is annoyed at the GPS, he is worried because we are out in the middle of nowhere, with no civilization in sight and we have less than a quarter tank of gas. There is no one around to ask for directions.

We pull into a wildlife sanctuary to look for the office. Closed on Fridays. (Guess what day it was.)
I decide to call my son for help. There is no cell reception in the useless wildlife sanctuary. We use a bit more of our valuable gasoline to travel back to the highway. So now we have no phone, no help, almost no gas and not much of a sense of humor for that matter.

Once we got a hold of Jeff, things started looking up. We were not that far from Cedar Key. And then when we found the only gas station near Cedar Key, we were ready for our weekend adventure.

Somewhere between the wildlife sanctuary and Cedar Key, the cares started dropping off our shoulders. We traveled on 4 bridges over water and then arrived on Cedar Key, a tiny spot of color and character amidst the tranquil blue of the Gulf of Mexico. We had the first good luck of the day and found a parking place right in front of our hotel. Lunch was first on the agenda. As we sat outside on the deck with seafood platters, we had no cares in the world.

Our second problem was that we had not prepared for cold weather. We could see the sunrise over the water right from our suite. Unfortunately it was freakin cold and we did not have the outerwear for it. Not even long pants, just shorts. I found George outside at sunrise, wrapped in a blanket and my sweatshirt which was way too small for his body, taking pictures of the sunrise. I spared you a picture of George but the sunrise was worth posting.

The rest of our trip was awesome. Cedar Key is unique...unless you fish, boat, or drink, there is not much else to do there. Our favorite thing was to talk to local people, who were interesting, kind and lots of fun. We would definitely go back.

Right outside our suite at the Harbour Master.

We met many doggies.