Category: I Love New Haven

Hot Mess!

What is it about hair stylists, hairdressers, salon owners, etc. that make you want to spill your guts?!?   I’ve been going to one or another hair salon in Connecticut now for years (at least 30 years) and I must say, some of my deepest and most meaningful conversations have been with my stylist.  It’s almost like something happens to me when I sit in her (their) chair, it’s almost like all of my inhibitions go out the door and what’s left is talk, raw talk.  I can’t explain it, I just know that I feel the need to share and share BIG…

I came of age in the early 70s  (pre-Afro days in our house) so natural hair and afro picks were not in yet for the Hollis girls – press and curls were –  and we were truly a product of our environment…I’m the one with the yellow blouse and matching yellow headband…my oldest sister Dana was missing in this picture.

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L to R – 4 of 5 Hollis girls (Dana is missing in this picture):  Lajeune, Joandra, Elena and Casandra in the rear

 

Again, I am one of 7 children (5 girls; 2 boys) in a family of 9 and the baby girl at that, so my earliest memory of getting my ‘hair did’ was not going to a salon (we didn’t have that luxury) but waiting most of a Satur(day) in anticipation…You see, on Saturdays the Hollis kitchen became a makeshift hair salon.  One sister after another (the oldest to the youngest) sat in the kitchen chair closest to the oven so my mother could easily place the hot comb back and forth (from hair to electric eye).   My two brothers didn’t know how good they had it!  They had no clue…I can still recall smelling Blue Magic hair dressing and fried hair all day long…Being the baby girl, I was always the last to go which meant that by the time my mother got to me she was not only tired, but cranky.  And God forbid someone called on the telephone during my time in the chair!  I was in for some neck burnings then!   Consequently, I do not have fond memories of this thing:

 

 

So, fast forward to today, one of my favorite ways to pamper myself  is to get my hair done once a week.  Elite Hair Salon in Westville, CT is my salon of choice now and they come highly recommended (smile).

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

R U Social?

Back in the day,  when I was growing up in Groton, CT, to be “social” meant something other than what I think it means today.  Correct me if I’m wrong but here’s what I think: back in the day being social meant that you had a certain number of friends or people who you would actually hang out with in person, socialize with, do things with, etc.  Today being “social” means having a certain number of social media “friends” or “followers” that “like” you and that you communicate online with, having a certain number of social media accounts,  spending more time with your mobile devices then with each other, and posting photos about what you are doing while you are doing it and sending the “pix” online to your “followers” even before you are finished doing it.  I have my hand up as I’m guilty of it (see my blog post: An Apple a day…).  For instance, at home I am never too far away from my iPhone, my iPad or my MacBook Pro – clearly I’m an Apple fan – but it’s exhausting and sometimes I just want to retreat to a quiet place where there is no WI-FI or so-called “friends” to “follow” me…

 

techies

 

I’m not a “social media butterfly” i.e., someone who is always connected to social media sites, constantly giving updates, but rarely socialize with any of these “friends” or “followers” in real life.  I connect with people in “real life” as well as on-line, hence where the exhaustion sets in.   So this weekend I am taking a break, un-plugging, un-wiring and getting back to basics.  Life without the internet.  Let’s see how long I last…wish me luck!

 

Zombies

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

An Apple a day…

Two mornings ago my Apple iPhone died and I could not revive it.  I pressed and pressed and pressed the on/off button on top of it for super looooooong periods of time but it would not come back to me.  I was devastated.  I started “jones-ing,”  getting all twitchy and stuff and feeling like I was disconnected from the world.  Even though I still had my iPad, it just wasn’t the same as I could not make phone calls from my iPad…the funny thing is that I seldom use the phone on my iPhone, opting instead to send emails and texts as it’s more convenient.  Nevertheless, the first place I went that morning was the Apple Retail Store in New Haven, CT.  I arrived at about 830am and could immediately see through the glass doors that only one person, a staff worker, was inside.  I looked at her, she looked at me, I looked at her again and she pointed to the sign on the door which posted their hours.  They did not open the doors until 10am.  Can you imagine!  Unbelievable!  But then I remembered that they held some of their training sessions between 8am and 10am (I actually attended a training session there once along with my News 8 sales teammates and sales managers).

 

Apple store

 

At any rate I was still highly annoyed so I decided I would just go in to work and not come back there until lunch time.  Work provided me with some relief as I have my laptop computer, my iPad Air and my land line just in case anyone needed to get in touch with me…

 

techies

 

The morning flew by and at lunch time I drove back to the Apple Retail Store, dead phone in tow.  As luck would have it, I walked in and did not see the usual throng of folks in line, waiting to be assigned by the ‘concierge”  to an Apple Retail Specialist. There was only one lady in front of me and she was clearly annoyed.  Apparently she had gotten to the store over an hour ago (without an appointment) and was told to come back in an hour and she would be seen.  So when she came back, the concierge told her that there were now  just 7 people in front of her waiting to be helped!  By the way, making an appointment online is crucial before going to the Apple Retail Store if you have a major problem.  I had a feeling my phone problem was not major.  I explained to the concierge how my phone had died and could not be revived and he immediately pressed his finger on the top button and Voila– the apple logo came up!   I gave him a big hug (psyche!) actually I thanked him and left the store with a huuuuuge grin on my face.  My iPhone was back and I was, once again, back in business!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

My Happy Surprise this week on Nyberg!

imageAnn Nyberg reads The View from Lajeune and after re-posting ‘My Clean Living Life’  blog on her Twitter page, asked me to appear on her News 8 program aptly titled “Nyberg.”   I respect Ann as a long running top Connecticut News Anchor, co-worker and friend so after some arm twisting, said yes.  Here is the interview we taped last night:

http://networkconnecticut.com/2015/07/colon-cancer-was-no-match-for-lajeune-hollis/

My Happy Surprise this week on The Electric Drum

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So this week was a week like no other with lots of dips and twists and turns plus rainy bleak weather to add to the mix.  My happy surprise was when I got a phone call out of the blue from Juan Castillo, Program Director of 94.3 WYBC FM asking me if I would like to be his guest on his Saturday morning at 9am program called The Electric Drum.  The show will feature Unsung heroes (heroines) so that is why he reached out to me.  Of course I said yes and will keep everyone posted on my upcoming air date.  Thanks Juan!

Update:  Juan told me my radio interview airs Saturday August 15th at 9am on The Electric Drum, 94.3 WYBC FM!

Here is a link to it:

http://www.943wybc.com/Episodes.aspx?PID=277

The podcasts were posted on 8/15/15 parts 1 and 2!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL