It is THE summer of Gross Anatomy. Every morning was a four hour lecture. Every afternoon was a 4 hour cadaver lab. It was intense. It was stressful. It was fascinating. I soon found that I loved the art of dissection. I loved the lab. The following summer I enthusiastically accepted a position as a Gross Anatomy Lab Instructor for the incoming class. Every day was an 8+ hour day in the cadaver lab.
The lab had it’s own environment. The smell of preservation chemicals permeated any item that was in the building. There was no removing the stench from clothing. After being there I got used to it. I had a set of clothes that was lab attire ONLY. I showered and washed my hair AFTER the day. Each morning I got up, put my hair in a pony tail, put on the designated stinky clothes and headed out the door.
At the end of the summer, the lab instructors joined the students for an end of anatomy class celebration. I showered, applied make-up, wore my hair down and put on normal clothing. I was NOT recognized by my own students. The students I had spent 4+ hours a day with the entire summer. After I re-introduced myself, one of them said with shock, “wow, your hair is actually kinda pretty!”
“I have this refrain about the monkey house at the zoo. When you first enter into the monkey house at the zoo, you think, ˜Oh my god this place stinks! ™ And then after you're there for 20 minutes you think, ˜it's not so bad ™ and after you're there for an hour it doesn't smell at all. And anyone entering the monkey house freshly thinks, ˜this stinks! ™ You’ve been living in the monkey house.” -Tim Gunn on Project Runway as advice to a contestant who was trimming his fashion line with human hair.
Have we as mommies lived in the monkey house of our appearance too long? Have we become unrecognizable as ourselves once we leave our home lab?
How are you to know if you are in the monkey house?
Good question! I have the answer for you (you are shocked, aren’t you?).
You need to take the Holly’s O.I.A.B.I.G.C.A.T.T. (Oh! I Accidentally Bumped Into George Clooney At Target Test). It is simple. It is effective. It is genius. Just pretend that whatever you are assessing (your hairstyle, purse, outfit, PJ’s, sweat pants) will be seen tomorrow when you accidentally bump into George Clooney at Target. It is Target so no Oscar attire is necessary. It makes you think twice about that decision doesn’t it? Would you have changed anything if you had advance notice that he would be there?
If we all used the OIABIGCATT system then we could officially call ourselves frump free, released from the monkey house and ready to join the living. Please visit Fussy and friends for more fight the frump.
Oh, and when you DO bump into George Clooney at Target, try to act surprised…The first summer of physical therapy school is a big deal.
It is THE summer of Gross Anatomy. Every morning was a four hour lecture. Every afternoon was a 4 hour cadaver lab. It was intense. It was stressful. It was fascinating. I soon found that I loved the art of dissection. I loved the lab. The following summer I enthusiastically accepted a position as a Gross Anatomy Lab Instructor for the incoming class. Every day was an 8+ hour day in the cadaver lab.
The lab had it’s own environment. The smell of preservation chemicals permeated any item that was in the building. There was no removing the stench from clothing. After being there I got used to it. I had a set of clothes that was lab attire ONLY. I showered and washed my hair AFTER the day. Each morning I got up, put my hair in a pony tail, put on the designated stinky clothes and headed out the door.
At the end of the summer, the lab instructors joined the students for an end of anatomy class celebration. I showered, applied make-up, wore my hair down and put on normal clothing. I was NOT recognized by my own students. The students I had spent 4+ hours a day with the entire summer. After I re-introduced myself, one of them said with shock, “wow, your hair is actually kinda pretty!”
“I have this refrain about the monkey house at the zoo. When you first enter into the monkey house at the zoo, you think, ˜Oh my god this place stinks! ™ And then after you're there for 20 minutes you think, ˜it's not so bad ™ and after you're there for an hour it doesn't smell at all. And anyone entering the monkey house freshly thinks, ˜this stinks! ™ You’ve been living in the monkey house.” -Tim Gunn on Project Runway as advice to a contestant who was trimming his fashion line with human hair.
Have we as mommies lived in the monkey house of our appearance too long? Have we become unrecognizable as ourselves once we leave our home lab?
How are you to know if you are in the monkey house?
Good question! I have the answer for you (you are shocked, aren’t you?).
You need to take the Holly’s O.I.A.B.I.G.C.A.T.T. (Oh! I Accidentally Bumped Into George Clooney At Target Test). It is simple. It is effective. It is genius. Just pretend that whatever you are assessing (your hairstyle, purse, outfit, PJ’s, sweat pants) will be seen tomorrow when you accidentally bump into George Clooney at Target. It is Target so no Oscar attire is necessary. It makes you think twice about that decision doesn’t it? Would you have changed anything if you had advance notice that he would be there?
If we all used the OIABIGCATT system then we could officially call ourselves frump free, released from the monkey house and ready to join the living. Please visit Fussy and friends for more fight the frump.
Oh, and when you DO bump into George Clooney at Target, try to act surprised…
It is THE summer of Gross Anatomy. Every morning was a four hour lecture. Every afternoon was a 4 hour cadaver lab. It was intense. It was stressful. It was fascinating. I soon found that I loved the art of dissection. I loved the lab. The following summer I enthusiastically accepted a position as a Gross Anatomy Lab Instructor for the incoming class. Every day was an 8+ hour day in the cadaver lab.
The lab had it’s own environment. The smell of preservation chemicals permeated any item that was in the building. There was no removing the stench from clothing. After being there I got used to it. I had a set of clothes that was lab attire ONLY. I showered and washed my hair AFTER the day. Each morning I got up, put my hair in a pony tail, put on the designated stinky clothes and headed out the door.
At the end of the summer, the lab instructors joined the students for an end of anatomy class celebration. I showered, applied make-up, wore my hair down and put on normal clothing. I was NOT recognized by my own students. The students I had spent 4+ hours a day with the entire summer. After I re-introduced myself, one of them said with shock, “wow, your hair is actually kinda pretty!”
“I have this refrain about the monkey house at the zoo. When you first enter into the monkey house at the zoo, you think, ˜Oh my god this place stinks! ™ And then after you're there for 20 minutes you think, ˜it's not so bad ™ and after you're there for an hour it doesn't smell at all. And anyone entering the monkey house freshly thinks, ˜this stinks! ™ You’ve been living in the monkey house.” -Tim Gunn on Project Runway as advice to a contestant who was trimming his fashion line with human hair.
Have we as mommies lived in the monkey house of our appearance too long? Have we become unrecognizable as ourselves once we leave our home lab?
How are you to know if you are in the monkey house?
Good question! I have the answer for you (you are shocked, aren’t you?).
You need to take the Holly’s O.I.A.B.I.G.C.A.T.T. (Oh! I Accidentally Bumped Into George Clooney At Target Test). It is simple. It is effective. It is genius. Just pretend that whatever you are assessing (your hairstyle, purse, outfit, PJ’s, sweat pants) will be seen tomorrow when you accidentally bump into George Clooney at Target. It is Target so no Oscar attire is necessary. It makes you think twice about that decision doesn’t it? Would you have changed anything if you had advance notice that he would be there?
If we all used the OIABIGCATT system then we could officially call ourselves frump free, released from the monkey house and ready to join the living. Please visit Fussy and friends for more fight the frump.
Oh, and when you DO bump into George Clooney at Target, try to act surprised…
I’ll skip George, and go for kyle, but I’ll try and follow the rules!
I love this post! Unfortunately, I can remember that smell from high school. It took weeks for the halls to lose the smell.
I just want to know how you got that really cool widget in your sidebar with posts from other blogs. I would LOVE one of those. 🙂
The problem with this test (although it is total genius) is that it would work the following way for me.
1. I would never go to Target in workout clothes, but always prepared to meet George, and would weigh 300 lbs.
2. I might run into George wearing a workout clothes and no makeup, BUT I would not weigh 300 lbs.!
This is a very good test, though I might have to substitute Ed Harris for George.
Strangely enough, I don’t freak out over celebrities. But I would like to see George Clooney at Target.
And then I would say, “Hey, let me run home and change, then let’s go to the casino and play some poker.”
He couldn’t possibly say no.
In a bit of shameless name-dropping, I’ll just tell you that my husband has played poker with him before, more than once. 🙂
Yeah, you know you’ve been living in the monkey house when you’re doing your hair and one of the kids asks, “Where we going?”.
Ooooh, George Clooney would be all “Man, you look hot in those Mossimo pants.” He knows it!
Ok now I will be looking for George Clooney at Target.
This is so true, not that we should care what other people think, but we should care how we feel around other people.
You don’t want to be talking to George the whole time saying OMGoodness, I cannot believe I left the house in this. You just want to be talking to George and think OMGoodness look at him. Ahhhh
Now, see, I have NEVER cared for George Clooney, but I occasionally think, “OMG, what if I ran into an EX-BOYFRIEND at Target”…only by the time I think of that it’s too late because I’m already dressed and already out. So I do a lot of reconnaissance… *sigh*
Why is it when I dash out of the house looking especially frumpy, I always bump into someone? George Clooney doesn’t do anything for me, but I’ll try to think of a suitable replacement.
You got my attention!! LOL! Although if I were to be running into Colin Farrell at Target would it matter if I was looking a little frumpy?? 😉
LOL @ a mom two boys!!