Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Zero to Ready

The right arm had no fewer than eight gold bracelets of various widths and styles. A similar look adorned the left arm, except in silver. The right hand found a home for five gold rings, again of various styles and sizes. The left hand mirrored the right, again, in silver.

The earrings and necklaces were gold; three in each of ear and four nestled against the neck. I was momentarily blinded by the teller's glow. I wondered how she could concentrate with all that jingling and jangling. I found myself trying not to think about what might have been around her ankles or egad, her toes.

Does she bedeck herself like this every morning or does she go to bed with all this hardware? If she accessorizes like this every morning, with the hair and make-up, which from the looks of them were quite labor intensive, how long does it take her to get out the door?

I'm a simple woman when it comes to accessories and other daily grooming needs. Not many styles of earrings are compatible with the telephone receiver and headset that are part of my days. I generally rotate four or five pair, but only one at a time. One simple chain goes around my neck and no more than three rings amongst the ten digits. My jewelry choices these days are usually silver, that is, when I remember to don them.

I don't wear make-up and since cutting my hair very short a few weeks ago, a risk brushing is all that I need to do to shape it for the morning. My clothing generally consists of a shirt or blouse with slacks and a jacket or sweater, even in summer. I'm all about simplicity and comfort.

If I stay away from ESPN or the morning news talking heads, I can go from zero to ready in just under 40 minutes, including the shower.

What about you?

10 comments:

  1. 12 minutes is my best time, but onlyif something is clean which requires no ironing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Believe me, that teller keeps her braclets/rings/necklaces on thru the night. I do too. I wore silver in the City (got chain snached early when I did gold so switched) but am back to gold now living in the burbs, where I have an illusion of safety. (no toe rings this year. haha!)

    However, getting ready for work takes an hour (embarrassing) because of makeup/hair. Thank goodness for uniforms!

    On a day off, no makeup & hair in ponytail, 5 min.

    ReplyDelete
  3. short hair is key.
    and so is (..max) having everything ironed and ready to go.
    I am usually ready in about 15 (20 on one of those days which may require an outfit adjustment or two) minutes. thats from feet hitting the floor to the kitchen - where life slows down to a snails pace as i enjoy morning coffee with my sultry wife.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I feel like an infomercial: prissy girls - you TOO can get ready in under a half hour!
    I do the hair and makeup thing but have learned in recent years that I prefer to shower at night.
    I jog when I get home from work so I'm in desperate need of a shower anyway, but I've learned that it makes my day so much more relaxing.
    Not only is it nice to cool off before you crawl into crispy, clean sheets but it saves me the headache of running around in the morning. I get up at 6:30 and put on makeup after I get dressed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Max: I factor in ironing every morning-because even if I've prepared the night before, something..well, I just factor in.

    Kmae: If I wore that much jewelry there's no way I could leave it on at night-I'd be two afraid puttin an eye out..

    Weese: I am just lovin my short 'fro. My mom kinda went nuts, but it has saved me hours, quite possibly adding years to my life.
    A sultry wife in the kitchen might negate any plans of going to the office, for awhile, anyway.


    Amaya: I used to shower at night too, but I had an even harder time getting to sleep. I try to get my exercise in in the morning or throughout the day.

    Elizabeth: hehehehhehe

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, depending upon whether I elect to "do" my hair and makeup. Most days, I'm grateful Suzanne likes my ponytail so damned much.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6:23 AM

    Fifteen minutes is about the max for me. I'm afraid I'm not much of a girlie type, myself. If we have somewhere fancy to go? Maybe 25 minutes. Tops.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I used to reside in the 10 minutes from the sheets to ready to walk out the door realm.

    Then I decided to grow out my hair. Now I spend 20 minutes farting around with it in addition to my usual 10 to shower and dress.

    Ironing? What's that? Have you people not heard of permanent press? Between that and living with the Laundry Queen, I only have to iron maybe twice a year. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Pre-ironing? Weese, you crack me up.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't wear any jewelry... unless you count my good 'ol, solidly working-class, analog Timex watch.

    I iron my uniforms and pack my gym bag at night, so I get out of bed, have a shower and am out the door in less than 30 minutes, and in the office by 0530 most days.

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Your visit is much appreciated.