My Dad and Brett Favre

Happy Birthday Dad! Each time I mentioned his birthday to him this week, he reminded me that it's Brett Favre's birthday too. Dad and Brett Favre, on the same playing field for one day a year. Just a few years apart ;)

He also remembers that he'll be 74 years old, which I think is pretty good, because it means he knows what year it is. (He and I were both born on -0 years, 1940 and 1980, so we only need the most basic of math in order to figure out how old we are any given year).

I struggle with birthday gifts for him. I don't think he needs much to be content. He enjoys music. 70's and 60's tunes and jazz. A new album (or an old one!) would light him up. We also like to spoil him with good food when we can. Since I don't cook that looks like fresh fruit from the market on Layton or Qdoba or Leon's ice cream. His taste is a sense he can still enjoy, but his diabetes doesn't want us to bring him sweets all the time. He loves Diet Coke. I think I could probably bring him a case of that stuff and make him a very happy man. I'm the same way, Dad. I get it.

It's hard for him to get around, and harder for kids to get him around. In the past, tickets to a show or an Admirals game would be a cool gift. These days, unfortunately it's kind of an ordeal for one person to make that happen. On top of that, Dad's vision isn't the best these days.

However! His cataract surgery is scheduled for November 4th! The nurses who helped schedule it say it's a simple surgery and could really improve his vision, since he's got the cataract in his one good eye. It's got to be so hard for him to eat, navigate, visit with people... everything... with no vision. Right now we can't show him pics of his adorable nephew Isaiah... come to think of it, he really hasn't SEEN Isaiah. He's held him, he's heard him, but he has not witnessed how absolutely adorable that blonde-haired blue-eyed toddler is.

Come to think of it, he really hasn't even seen Sarah and Ethan either. Since they moved here last year, his vision has been on the decline. Oh, can you imagine seeing all these wonderful beautiful grandkids? Watching Sarah as she reads aloud from the book they share a few days a week? Seeing Ethan's face light up with that special smile? I could cry right now. This opens up the possibility of a lot of joy for him.

That will be a treat. I pray the surgery is a gift for him. To give him the gift of his vision back will drastically increase his quality of life. I bet Brett Favre isn't getting anything that cool.

So this year, and as often as possible, we'll surround him with music and good food and grandkids and love. And Diet Coke.

Shake It Off

4 days out from the marathon... I tried running this morning. Before today, my legs would not have even cooperated to be physically ABLE to move in a running-like capacity. But today, I walked down our loooong driveway and at the end of it started running. Trotting, is more like it. I barely ran half a block before the twinge and tightness in my left quad was unbeareable.

Ok, I'll walk for a bit. Walking feels good. I'll walk as fast as I can so I work up a sweat like a power walker. That worked for a few blocks and then I picked things up again and started trotting. It felt better with warmed up muscles, but it didn't feel great. The run plan had been 2 miles so I altered my route to keep it to 20 minutes of run/walk.

Kind of disappointing, considering I feel like I should be able to jump right back into things. I guess my body just doesn't adjust well. What's taking so long? I was in running clothes, walking. I hate that. 

My ipod was on the same playlist that I listened to during the marathon. I remembered listening to Taylor Swift's Shake It Off about 3 times when I was in a really rough spot around mile 17. That fun, peppy joy of a song! It literally put a smile on my face and that made me feel a little better during the race. So, I scrolled through the playlist til I found it. I blasted it.

They say music can vividly bring you back to a moment in time. It's true. Suddenly, the memory of a race moment flooded in. The way I felt during the marathon when it was so impossibly tough, and I came up with a way to make me forget about that and just run for a while.

It felt like a truly powerful moment of caring for myself. I found the will to keep moving. In a way, it was a loving act, something wise, clever, and kind, and perhaps a bit desperate in that moment. The song could save me temporarily, and I used it. And I get to have that memory of how I acted in the face of  difficulty. Me myself and I get to keep that moment.

That little Shake-It-Off-on-repeat moment is mine.

After that I felt a little better about taking so long to recover. I'm just prolonging the memory of the experience in a physical way.

My legs may not work yet, but I'm shaking it off. 

Post Race Blues

Here it is, a few days after the marathon, and all those familiar post-marathon feelings are coming up.

What was the point?

So I did all that training... kicked things off in June, meticulously grayed out each run in my spreadsheet as I completed it. I got up so early. I ran ten miles on the treadmill that one time. I spent entire Saturdays recovering from long runs on the couch because I had a wicked post-run migraine. Then I ran the race. 5 hours of running on a Sunday in October and then it's all over. Even if I would have gotten a PR, which I didn't - in fact I got my worst time - what was the point? 

No one cares but me. 

My spectators cared, on race day! That was awesome! I felt the love, man. But I came back to work and told a few people. Wow. A marathon. That's really far right? You have no idea. Honestly, it doesn't matter to anyone but me. I told my mom. She doesn't really get the distinction between this and a half marathon or anything else really. Big deal. The thing I need to remember is that it's only important to me.
 
What do I do now?

Do I sign up for another marathon? It was really hard, and if I don't do another one, I could totally avoid that pain! And this depressing post marathon period where I get all shitty about it being over. But the training is pretty awesome. I realize that in the past, I felt like the training was the stupid part and the race was fun. So, I'm learning and growing. I suppose that counts for something. 

I miss training, but it's too soon to fire back up to full throttle.

"They" say you should ease back into running the way you taper down for the race. Minimal miles this week, and a short long run on the weekend. Other marathoners are out running again already, so maybe I'd be ok? Do I risk it? Maybe I just jump right back into another training cycle? I lost all that weight... I don't want to gain it back! Plus, training is hard in the winter. Meh.

I feel kind of negative about this whole thing, but I guess that's part of the deal. Post marathon blues until they go away... I'll let you know when that is.

Lakefront Marathon Race Recap

A little backstory before we get to the race recap:

THE SECRET

I didn’t think I’d ever run a marathon again after Lakefront 2009 and 2010. Mostly because the training is outrageously hard and takes up most of your life during the fact, and also because the time period directly following marathons doesn’t treat me well. In 2009 I collapsed in a cramping heap in the middle of the Lake Drive and the ambulance had to come. I was wailing in pain, delirious. And in order to stave off the same thing in 2010 I needed to walk it off for 45 minutes afterward. I avoided crowds and friends at the finish because I just needed space. Then there was the trail marathon in 2011 that caused a knee injury…and the 2011 LFM that I signed up for but didn’t train, and DNS’d. So as you can see my track record isn’t so great with 26.2 and I had settled on being a half marathoner.

But something was different this year. In February I signed up to do Lakefront again. I missed being on that course. I had cheered every year that I wasn’t out there, and I wanted to be out there. But even though I wanted it, but I still wasn't sure I could do it. (I didn’t want another 2011 incident where I said I was going to and then didn’t!)

So I kept it a great big SECRET. I told a few key people: Tom, of course, because he’s my biggest cheerleader, and also I needed him to promise early on that like previous years, he would be there to take care of me if I was a wreck at the finish. I told my sisters, I told my close circle and especially my training partner, Rochelle.

During training, as the mileage got bigger and bigger, I tried to hide the fact that I was building up to 26.2 even as I was getting into the 18 milers. Eventually people caught on because duh. By the time I was up to 20, I let the cat out of the bag since I was pretty sure, if I can do 18 and 20 and another 20 without issue, well I think I might just start the darn marathon on October 5th!
And I did. :)

THE RACE

Tom drove me to the start line at early-oclock, which wasn’t actually any earlier than the two of us normally get up. I hadn’t been too nervous until that morning, before that I had thought of it as just another long run. It’s just like 5 hours of running, and some pain mixed in. But now I was nervous that I had forgotten something. It turns out all I forgot were my sunglasses, which I decided I was ok without.

At the start when it was time to line up, something came over me and like a small child I nestled into the crook of Tom’s jacket and cried and could not go. I held on for a really long time. Leaving him and walking over to the corral would make it all really real. He held me, then kissed me for luck, and I went. I soaked up the national anthem, I looked around. I felt the collective nerves, hopes, prayers, energy of the crowd around me. To me, the start line is more emotional than the finish. Anything can still happen when you’re there, and it’s up to you to believe it long enough to get there. Anyway, sniffle… the gun went off!

The blur of the first few miles was mostly focusing on “when can I throw away this dingy old sweatshirt from the Dollar Store?” and seeing how long I could last without music. Sweatshirt lasted for 2 miles. The silence made it 3. Eventually somewhere I launched my gloves and bandana too. Everything started to feel like extra weight. I was heavy and stiff and that feeling really didn’t dissipate like it sometimes does. It wouldn't be a great day. You just know.

But the bright spot in this whole thing was the spectators. My friends, who popped up in random places. Rochelle, Alicia, Tony, and Marty at Concordia when I was still feeling good. Ro offered me sunglasses which I turned down but how sweet! After that boost my smile didn’t fade for a mile! Tom popped up randomly in someone’s driveway after that! He told me I was right on pace, and that helped me feel pretty good about things. Perfect thing to say. Then at an aid station at mile 9, as I was gleefully shouting “AMERICA!” at all the red white and blue volunteers, my sister Kim popped up on the other side with a sign! And I gave her jumpy hugs and blew kisses as I ran off because omg her energy. Love. Then a stretch of no one for a bit. I chugged on.

THE WALL

But by mile 10 I felt like I had hit the wall already, everything hurt, going forward felt impossible, and I was walking and leaning on mailboxes to stretch my quads. These were precious whole minutes ticking away that I could likely not get back. I had a ‘sort of a goal I guess’ that I wanted to finish under 4:45. I had a pace plan too, but I was 15 seconds per mile ahead of the pace plan in the early miles because I was trying not to lose the 4:40 group. Stick to your plan guys! Let me repeat that, stick to the plan! At some point I passed a guy with a whiteboard who changed the current projected finish time to 4:55. Holy crap I lost a lot of time. As long as I was still in front of the 5 hour group though. I refuse to finish after 5.

More walking, more stretching. I couldn’t believe how hard it was. I mean, this was a really bad idea. I knew it was going to hurt but the WHOLE time? The finish felt really far away, like whole cities away. Mile 15. In envisioning the race, I imagined the pain might start at this point, but I had already been agony for 5 miles. I wondered if I could do 11 more miles. At one point I was walking, and a guy passed me and the back of his shirt said “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Whoa. I started running again. I can do this.

I thought I might see some people at Klode Park around mile 19.5 so I took a little walk break before it so I could run when I saw them. During this walk break the 5 hour group passed me. Cue slow-mo “Nooooo!”. I fucking hustled to get in front of them! I would NOT have my spectators miss me because I was lost in that 5 hour group (or God forbid, behind it).

No one at the park….oof. I turned the corner after the aid station and then I heard my name. In the distance a whole huge group was rallying for me! As I ran past all of them and got every high five I could, I tried to look at each face. The signs! The friends! Family! Smiles! Kids! It was Kim, my brother Wade and sister in law and niece and nephew, and Nicole and Sue, and Steena and Mr. Steena! And I fell in love with mile 20. I saw Erica , Chris, and Renee at 21 and more energy! And then Becky!

 My smile would not fade now. Something changed. Yes it was hard, and it hurt, but it actually couldn’t get any worse. And I had been taking all my salt tabs and Shot Bloks and drinking on schedule, and I would finish this thing. Less than 10k left to go. So I just kept running, except when I had to massage out a wicked cramp that was starting. But I ran and ran.

More spectators popped up and I passed people and I kept moving when other people were walking. Kim and John and Rochelle and Tony and Marty made another sneak appearance in those late miles and I could barely smile for them but I telepathically thanked them. After the mile 25 sign I just grinned like crazy, this would get done. I did it. I wanted this, and I went and got it, and it would be mine if I could just run for like 12 more minutes.

THE FINISH

And I turned into Veterans Park and I could hear the finish cheers and see the funnel, and Kim was actually literally running alongside me now and I asked her for a powerup so I could “sprint” into the finish, and she tagged me with all her energy and I used it and pushed it and WOOHOO I finished!!

Official time was 4:56:52. An 11:20 pace. I find that respectable, and I gained a few minutes in front of that 5 hour group in the last 10k, which was amazing. AND! I didn’t collapse and cramp up at the finish! I felt good! I hung around and was able to thank my spectators for being there and get hugs and congrats!

I also haven’t gotten that sense of happy-tears giddy euphoria. I think in its place is a sense of calm respect. Don’t doubt the distance. The marathon will eat you alive, kids. But you can do it.

 

Thinking About Going Blonde....

I would choose a very dark shade to start. See examples below:

Bob Likes It Rough

This was in my inbox today:

"hi my name is robert.

my friends call me bob

but can i ask u something with out u getting mad at me?
its just a qwashion?
but if someone wonted u to tie me to a tree and u could cut-wipe-kick-slape-and brake some small bones..and make them feel a lot of pain..and make me bleed real bad?..for free or monie...would u do that? to me??
please let me no what u think...k? its me im talking about.
please write back....please do not get mad...
its just a qwashion
no sex involed

please write back

your friend always

bob"

...........

Um. NO.

Passive Aggressive

Directions:
Write ten somethings you want to say but never will.
Don't write who they're to.
Leave it alone.

1. I'm kind of tired of this arrangement. And your know-it-all attitude.
   
2. Why are you such an asshole? You are the rudest person I know.
   
3. I avoid you because I can't understand what you're saying when you speak.
   
4. Get over him already. It's getting really stalkerish.
   
5. I think it was really inappropriate what you said to me at the printer and I told HR about it. One more comment and I will tell her your name.
   
6. You are not European or even from the West Coast so what's with the annoying accent?
7. I don't really like you. It's not your fault, it's just the way I am.
   
8. He's not faithful.
   
9. She's not faithful.
   
10. Stole from you when I was mad. Something insignificant that you'd never miss, but it made me feel better.
    

Summerfest!!!

Summerfest was a blast this year, and Rafal of Seville Media even captured some of it on film. Here are the only two pics where I don't look like an angry oaf:

Me and Beth at a jewelry booth, she's got a lucky buddha or gargoyle or something:



Beth, me, and Kim having something to eat.

AE Peep-toe Flats: What to wear them with?

So I got these shoes >>> from Payless (which has quite a few cute styles now that they have paired with American Eagle, etc) but I haven't been able to successfully pair them with anything in my closet. They just don't look right. They should be cute with jeans but I think I'm still in summer mode so my mind immediately goes to another shoe, a sandal or flipflop that would look cuter. They look wrong with a skirt too, because I need a little heel to make a skirt right.

I had intentions on pairing this purply shade with a coral, or maybe green ... Definitely not purple, though. I don't dig matchy-matchy.

I think I'm going to try them with cropped pants today. Wish me luck.

How I think my sister should wear her skinny jeans in Paris ...

Oh, tapered jean, how I remember you from the 80's as the IT thing to wear. Even if you had to 'tight-roll' regular jeans, they had to be skinny. Pretty soon that look extended to the other end of the spectrum -- into the big bell-bottom and wide flares, and I was so grateful, since that style did nothing for me.

Now that the skinny jean look has come back my sister Kim is going to try this trend with a pair she picked up at Forever 21. She's debuting the look in Paris this month!

Here are some ways I think would work for my sister's petite, skinny frame:


With a tunic, a la Anne Hathaway -- I like the look of a lot on top and a little on the bottom. However, I think the wedges should go in favor of a cute flat.



Although it will probably be warm in Paris in the middle of August, I like the long cardigan over skinny jeans. These are more like straights, but you get the idea.



I love how Vanessa Hudgens makes it look so easy! Kim could pair her skinnies with lots of easy lights, whites, and grays, with a splash of color in her bag or a flowy scarf as shown here.

However she styles the skinnies, I'm sure they will look extra-cute!

Mid-Summer Closet Cleanout

Last night I sorted through my closet. Actually, I went through the pile of clean clothes that had accumulated near my bed, and I needed room to hang the stuff in my closet so I had to throw some things out. Here's the list of things I said goodbye to, partly in reaction to this article by Allie of Wardrobe Oxygen:

• 3 cheap polyester skirts
  
• a yellow pattern dress that was an unflattering material and hit at just the wrong part of my leg
  
• a black sheath dress that didn't fit quite right and never will
  
• 2 cheaply made long sleeve shrugs
  
• a silk pink camisole that looks like lingerie no matter what I pair it with
  
• a skort that should only be worn by a 14 year old
  
• a gray A-line skirt that is a miniskirt on me (got it from goodwill, giving it back to goodwill)
  

And some other miscellaneous stuff.

It's hard to part with clothing because I always feel like the more options I have the easier it is to get dressed. But it's harder. I seem to fall back on the same staples anyway. I didn't realize I have about 10 pairs of jeans because I wear the same 3 constantly (and two are a duplicate - if you find something you love buy two).

I am trying not to buy any more summer clothes or shoes. I know I will need stuff for fall/winter so I can wait until then to spend any more money ...

Wakey Wakey

I got up at 6 am today. I could have gotten ready and gone to work early so I wouldn't have to stay past 4 (I can never fully concentrate after 4pm) but there are two reasons why I cannot do this and must wait to leave until 8.

1. I carpool. Every morning my coworker Kate comes to my house and we leave from there. We trade off weeks, one week I drive, one week she drives. It saves a lot of money on gas but unfortch I have to wait until 8 am for her to arrive before we can go. Obviously.

2. The teenager lives with us now. He has a regimented schedule which his father worked out perfectly to allow me and him adequate bathroom time. Sucky part is if I get up any earlier than 7am and have to pee I am forced to hold it until the door opens. Sure I could knock but I can usually wait an extra few minutes. Anyways there is no way I could access the bathroom between 6am and 7am (yes the boy takes an hour in there I wonder what takes so long).

So I must stay on my schedule and push through that last dreadful hour at my desk, gorgeous afternoon weather + sleepy afternoon naptime or not.

***But the crazy thing was even though I got up at 6am today I did not get in the shower until 7:40 and I was still ready on time. How did I do that AND switch outfits three times, you ask???

I have no idea.

This is a ridiculous blog post.

Out of Body Experience

Last night I had a crazy dream ....

I wanted to get something pierced, but I was too afraid to go by myself. So I asked my friend Holly if she would take me. I knew Holly could handle it; she's had tattoos before and she's pretty bold. So while she took me to get pierced, I went off and did my own thing for a while. <--- Yeah, she literally took my body into the piercing shop, so that she experienced the pain and not me, and I didn't feel a thing! Crazy, I know. It's a dream, remember!

A few hours later when she returned my body to me I noticed that my lower lip was pierced on both sides. It was pretty cool, I must admit. I couldn't stop checking myself out in the mirror. I'm so edgy, I kept thinking. I then wondered what else was pierced and asked Tom to check out my new look. He said that the back of my neck was pierced, which I thought was really cool. Then I lifted my shirt and found my whole back was pierced with big, giant barbell needles! All the way down my spine - I looked fierce! I was also told that *ahem* some other places were *cough* pierced too, if you know what I mean. But I didn't feel any pain, just a little discomfort from getting used to my own skin again. I thanked Holly for going through it for me.

Then, with a twisted tinge of buyers remorse, I started to wonder if my new look was going to go with my wardrobe ...

Poll - Spring Shoes

Bye Harry :'(

Harry died tonight. Harry was more my Tom's pet than mine ... nonetheless I cried like a baby.

He hurt his leg the other day and it was downhill from there.  He couldn't walk or hold himself up. He spent the last few days on the bottom of his cage, or in the bedroom with us on a comfy bed made of towels. It looked like he was going to get better, we were nursing him and he was drinking water and he even tried to bite me this morning! He just started trying to walk again after being sedentary for a few days.  But Tom and I came home from a walk and he was having spasms, flapping his wings all over, and Tom picked him up and we cooed and kissed him but it was no good, Harry died in Tom's hands at 7:30 tonight. He will be hard to replace.

Funny how a small little bird could have such a big place in our hearts.

Sephora Addict

I can't stop shopping at Sephora. In the last few months I have placed 5 orders and I visited the store yesterday. Initially it was the allure of the 3 free samples that got me in. OMG perfume samples! It was so exciting opening the package -- I blew through the stuff I had ordered (Christmas gifts) to see the little perfume bottles at the bottom. The first three I received were Michael Kors Island Capri, Dior Midnight Poison, and Narciso Rodriguez for Her. I loved them all but Narciso Rodriguez for her really stuck with me. I couldn't stop smelling my own arm. So I ordered it, deciding that it would be my winter signature scent. (My summer one is here.) That's where it all began. Every sample they sent, I fell for it and ordered the product. I'm a marketer's dream.



Over the course of the last three months I have acquired the following:
(images courtesy of sephora.com)



Philosophy The Present: This little bottle is probably my favorite beauty item. It's clear makeup applied as moisturizer, or over moisturizer. Once you apply, wait two minutes and it gives you sort of this airbrushed look that you can apply makeup over. (You can speed the process by aiming a blowdryer at your face on a cool low setting. This technique also helps set moisturizer before applying makeup.) The only thing is if you do not wait the two full minutes, it can become kind of gunky. I tried to use this under liquid foundation but found that it didn't smooth the way I like. So I skipped that step. The results were amazing! I ended up removing liquid foundation from my morning makeup routine, and my face has a flawless look, and stays non-greasy throughout the day.



DiorShow Mascara: I got this after researching mascaras to find the 'best' mascara (subjective, but whatev). When I first tried it, I thought it was too clumpy, too tarantula looking. A coworker advised me to give it another try, so I really experimented, using double coats, curling my lashes differently, etc. The result was amazing when I stepped back to really look at my eyelashes. This mascara can extend almost infinitely. It seems if I apply more toward the very end of my lashes the formula really binds to the small hairs making them look longer and longer. So, I love this stuff, even after almost giving it away.




Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler: I have to be honest, there is really no reason why a sane person should pay $18 for an eyelash curler. I added it to my favorites one day, and the next thing I knew it was in my shopping basket, and then I was paying for it! I am sure there are $5 or even $1 eyelash curlers that can do the same thing. But I use it every day, and I was super thrilled to see it mentioned the other day when I re-watched The Devil Wears Prada. I was all, "I have that!" LOL I'm such a dork.




Smashbox PhotoFinish Foundation Primer: Um, yeah. I wasted 44 bucks on this. I don't know, I thought it was going to be so great after using the sample for a week. But when I got the bottle and used it full force, it felt greasy and gross. It dries soft but I am still greasy throughout the day. Maybe I could revisit this like I did the mascara but it almost feels like smearing baby oil on my face. It even makes a 'greasy noise' that I can't explain in words. Well this serves the same purpose that the Present does, so I'm not too dissappointed. Has anyone else out there tried this and liked it? What am I doing wrong? ...sigh...



Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo: This comes in an aerosol spray or a powder. I first tried the spray and used the whole bottle already. I use this to eliminate the oily look from my hair when I don't shampoo that day. Hold it as far away as possible and spray, and a fine lemony-smelling mist comes out. When that dries onto your hair you comb it through/shake it out, and it absorbs all the oil from your hair, leaving it clean and shiny (shiny in the good way, not shiny in the gross way). This bottle went kind of quick and I also noticed that it made me a bit flaky (my hair, people, my hair) so when this was gone I invested in the other kind. The saleslady at the Sephora store (which I visited yesterday) told me just to make sure I work it through my hair very thoroughly. People with darker hair colors may have more trouble using the spray, she says. I gotta tell ya, you could achieve the same result with regular old baby powder. Work it through your hair, yes, got it, don't spend $19 on this, yes, got it. It just won't smell lemony-fresh, fine, got it. Save yourself 18 bucks.


Nars Orgasm Blush: If you haven't heard of this by now you should come out from under your rock. I let the experts and beauty bloggers guide me to this one. I can never decide on a shade of blush, and there are so many to choose from on this page, so I just went with their recommendations of the Orgasm shade (besides, it's a really cool name right?). I really like this shade. Also, and we'll see if this comes true, it supposedly lasts a really long time so there is no need to keep replenishing. Unless you listen to the advice to throw away old makeup after three months or whatever. I do not follow that rule. I have makeup that I use every day that has lasted for years. And I hope this does too.





Philosophy The Supernatural: I left this picture huge so you can see what the fuss is all about. Or lack of fuss, rather. Look how easy it is! It is mineral makeup in a bottle, with the applicator sponge attached to the top of the bottle, with a mirror on the lid. And it smooths my complexion so nicely. You just turn it upside down and shake some powder around and then smooth the thing over your face. That's my kind of makeup! I want one for home, one for the car, one for the office. However, I don't need to reapply that often because this stuff lasts so long. I chose beige as my shade, for medium complexions with no yellow or pink undertones. This is one of my favorite products. So far Philosophy is winning.





I've also purchased assorted hairbrushes, makeup brushes, and gift sets. Pictures below. Click on any of the pics to be taken to their Sephora page.





So as you can see, my addiction is full blown. My Beauty Insider points have rolled over many times. But I wanted to share my experience and knowledge with you so you can make better decisions than I did. :-p I suppose I could attempt to return the stuff that wasn't to my liking, I'll have to investigate that further.

Tell me, what have you purchased from Sephora? What are your favorite beauty products in general?

Curb Your Enthusiasm

I'd almost forgotten that I own a blogger blog and not just a Xanga blog and a MySpace blog and a Facebook blog and a Polyvore profile and a Craiglist forum handle and YouTube account and a Digg profile.

So here I am again. I don't exactly know what I'm doing here but we'll find out at the next sentence.

I just gave some friends of mine their wedding gift a week and a half early. They sounded like they were a little strapped and I forked over the $200 Visa card I'd picked up earlier in the week. Did I break the laws of weddiquette? I think I just made up a new word. Anyway, they seemed happy and that's all I want for anyone who is about to get married in the next few weeks. So I say it worked out well.

I signed myself up for a doctor appointment tomorrow. This is a big deal for me because I haven't been to the doctor in almost a decade. I hope she doesn't tell me I'm dying. Well, I know I'm dying, slowly, we all are, but I hope she doesn't announce some life threatening something or other. Wow I have a really positive attitude don't I.

NOT.

I just realized my friend never gave me back my Borat movie. I'll have to call him. His birthday was the other day and I didn't call. Oh great now I can't call about the movie, I'll have to buy a new movie and forget about that copy.

Bummer.

I feel like Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. There's all these rules. Funny.

Tommy Bahama - Very Cool

I went perfume shopping yesterday. This is sometimes a frustrating task, because once you have smelled two you have smelled them all. If you're lucky, like I was yesterday, one of the first two will smell so good that it becomes your final choice.

It did come down to two scents for me: Tommy Bahama and Tommy Bahama Very Cool. The regular Tommy Bahama in the pink bottle was more floral and flirty while the blue bottle of citrusy Very Cool caught my nose coming back for more with a clean crisp scent of tangerine, clementine, pink pomelo and cactus flower. Kim and Dave both initially thought that the Very Cool disappeared when they smelled it. I thought perhaps the first scent was just overpowering the cooler scent. So we went back and forth: left wrist, right wrist, which do you like better, smell this one again, now look at me and smell it, close your eyes and smell it, smell fresh air and then smell it again, compare it to this one -- it was really quite ridiculous! But it helped me make a final decision: I just ignored everything they said and bought the one I liked. 

Tommy Bahama Very Cool is going to be my new signature summer scent (I used to wear Clinique Happy).  It is clean and calm, summery and citrusy.  The scent doesn't call attention to itself -- it is subtly intriguing. (It made me want to smell my own arm every ten minutes after I sprayed myself at the fragrance counter.) The bonus was that the 6 pm spritz on my wrist was still lingering when I woke up the next morning at 6 am. I am Very Happy with my choice.

Water Cooler Moments...

Water Cooler Moments...

with Dave and Anne 

Because, isn't the internet just a big water cooler, anyway?

 

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Moment 1

Dave: "My you sure are tan!"

Anne: "I've been tanning in the beds a bit."

Dave: "Oh yeah, how much does that cost?"

Anne: "$7.00."

Dave: "Seven dollars!!  I could buy a tanning bed for that much!!"

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Moment 2

Dave: "Hey Anne, what's the difference between a trampoline and a pile of dead babies?"

Anne: "That you're a Nazi?"

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Moment 3 

Dave: "What were we just talking about?"

Anne: "Jeez, I can't remember...Don't you wish you could have a camera recording everything so you could just rewind?"

Dave: "Yeah! I'd call it KonstaKam, with two K's!"

Anne: "Um, that sounds like a laxative."

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Moment 4

Dave: "I'm hungry, do you have any snacks?'

Anne: "There's something in my desk with your name on it!"

Dave: (finds 'David' sunflower kernels) (laughter ensues)

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Moment 5

Anne: "Hey Dave, listen to this song, you'll love it!" (hands him headphones)

(Anne starts dancing that little finger dance boogy)

Dave: "It's not on."

Anne:  "Oh, oops."

 stay tuned for more ...

Water Cooler Moments

Top Ten Things That Annoy Me

Although I have been insanely happy for the last few weeks, I am still a normal person with normal mood swings.  I have been racking up this list of things that just drive me insane, and I'd like to be an annoying blogger and annoy you with them.  Maybe I'll make your top ten list of things you hate!

10.  Slow computers - Whether it is my Frankenstein computer attempting to make me tap my foot until it falls off or computers at school taking *just* enough time to boot up that I go to another one, only to be locked out because the other one finally logged in.  I am an impatient person, and it's 2007 -- computers are supposed to be fast!  Don't get me started on dialup.  Or the web browser on my Treo, ironically named "Blazer".  Shyeah.  Right.

9.  Microsoft Word Formatting - If I wanted to make a list, I would click the number button myself.  Can't I just hit enter and not have the entire text moved into next week?  And, no, I don't need your help, 'Annoying PaperClip'.  I'll figure out how to change the settings on my own.

8.  Bumper Stickers on New Cars - This one beat out black sneakers for a place on the list.  Basically, if you have a nice new shiny car -- do not ruin the back of it with STICKERS!!!

7.  Getting the car keys out of my purse - Mostly because I cram too much stuff into my purse because I refuse to carry a ginormo hobo bag everywhere.  Picture this: I'm holding like seven things (my phone, a coffee mug, ipod, purse, rubber chicken, kitchen sink)  and I'm approaching the car and I still haven't unzipped the bag to retrieve the keys.  Now comes the annoying part.  More than likely, I will need to systematically remove items from my bag until the keys are reachable.  Usually, they will still manage to snag on something that will fly out of my purse at the same time as the keys, forcing me to put everything down anyways and pick up the thing that fell on the ground.

6.  Radio Commercials - These only come on right after I have tuned in and turned up the volume on a station that I want to listen to while I am in the shower.  Therefore, the entire shower, I will be listening to people shout about things I need to buy tickets for next weekend.  I have had a cd skip while I was in there too, and I can't decide what's worse.

5.  Shopping, in general- Tangled hangers usually torment me at home, but they also find me when I'm racing through the clearance rack.  I just want to look at one thing and then that hanger is stuck on another one and items start to fall to the floor and then I just want to give up and go home.  But what do I do?  I carry six items into the dressing room and get all sweaty trying on things that look great under the store lighting and then need to be returned because they look more red in the natural light.  ARGH

4.  VoiceMail Instructions - Okay, I don't know who, in this day and age, really needs 'the voice' to tell them how to leave a message.  "You have reached the automated voice messaging system for _____.  The party is unavailable right now, so please leave a message after the beep.  The beep will sound like a beep.  If you do not want to leave a message, you may leave a number to be called at by pressing 0.  Okay, are you ready for the beep?  Here it comes, okay, are you ready, because this is the part where you have to speak into the receiver.  When you are finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options.  Then after that, you will be done with the phone call completely and you can go on living life, or you can finally shoot yourself."

3.  Every Other Driver on the Road - Does this one need an explanation, at all?  I mean, this is you.  You cut me off, you turn in the wrong lane, you don't use your blinker, you drive too slow, you drive too fast, you eat while you drive, you are on the phone, your kids are staring at me out the back of your minivan, you lucky bastard, you can get in the carpool lane, I hate YOU.

2.  Pulling Sleeves/ Pant Legs Right Side Out - Again, with the laundry.  I just hate reaching in there to pull the sleeve out.  It's time consuming and irritating.  I usually try on like 6 different outfits before I leave the house, so this happens all the time.  Inside-out-things, I hate you!  I'm getting dressed, I don't have time for you.  Or when you take your pants off and they are like all stuck at your calf.  Or when you are putting pants on and you go to step down and you have bad balance and you step on the pant leg and you stumble around and eventually almost fall.  Yeah, that's me. I'm awkward and uncoordinated and clumsy.  (But it's the laundry's fault.)

1.  The Shower Surprise - This is when you reach in the tub to get the water ready and someone left the shower on.  Then you get a nice cold drenching.  Good for waking up, Bad for the attitude.  This only made number one because it happened to me the other day, but I was the one who left the shower on so I couldn't even get mad!!! 

Actually, making this list was pretty fun.  A lot of the things are things I could just avoid or do something differently and I'd never be annoyed again.

Shyeah, right!!