At least it's not cats...

Everybody's having an affair with some tangible object, right?*.

After all, just check Dave's plastic cup on top of the clothes dryer (or the wicker basket next to my sister's front door).

Mine?

Socks: I have an entire 24 x 12 x 8 drawer full of them--not counting tights and stuff.

Underwear: Let's just say I could not-do laundry for about as long as it takes to make a brand new puppy.**

Umbrellas: I would hazard a guess at 8? Blue/yellow, red flowered, green duckhead, black reservoir-tip, brown, and 3 black London Fog ones. Four of them are in my car.

I would have another one if Dave hadn't yelled "Free Umbrella!" the last time he took my solid red one on the Metra. ***

Cheap Sunglasses: You only need one pair of sunglasses. Your head can really only accomodate one pair at a time. Maybe one black and one brown, but two pairs max.

I've got 5 pairs that live in my car. 3 of which are staring at me from my desk right now.

I have a problem.


So what's yours? I promise I won't tell anyone. It'll just be between you, me, and the 25558621325 people around the world who have internet access...

*Try pronouncing it obzh-ay. Like object d'art. It sounds less like an obsession that way.

*How long does it take to make a brand new puppy? 8 imaginary points to the winner. 1 imaginary consolation point to the first runner up.

**Not in a "Free Zimbabwe!" sort of way, though. More like, maybe, "Free Snowcones!".

It's a photo finish!

The 6 imaginary points go to J.Z., with an answer of The Untouchables at 536pm yesterday!

1 imaginary consolation point also goes to E.G. who replied with the same correct answer at 644pm.

(I have such well-rounded friends...:)


For those of you keeping track, you can click on the "Points" label at the bottom to see any posts that have had points awarded. For that matter, you can click on any label to see all the posts in each label's category.

The Chicago Way

"He sends one of yours to the hospital? You stuff one of his underneath a rack of shirts at Buckle in Vernon Hills."*

That's the Chicago Way.

*6 imaginary points to the first person to identify the movie

Mario Tricoci, Part 1

So, my sissy and I got MT gift certificates from our mom for Xmas presents, and last weekend, we went to the spa for some luxuriating!

We decided to get a facial, manicure, and pedicure each, you know, so that when it turned cold again 3 days later, we'd be able to cover up our pretty new skin and nails with closed-toe shoes and wool coats. Freaking March.


Anyway. The facial. I had never had a facial before, and although I am not a huge fan of traditional chick pampering, I thought, hey, might as well stave off the crow's feet for a few more years with some decent skin care, yeah?

Aside from the impressive level of claustrophobia I experienced (more on that later), it was good! They cleansed and exfoliated (my brain always wants to say defoliated, but that's a whole 'nother thing altogether*) and steamed and moisturized and toned and sunproofed.

I came out feeling good, but very, very slimy. I'm not sure my face has ever been that shiny. It was almost to the point where I wanted to let people know that my face didn't usually look like this.

The claustrophobia was something else entirely, and apparently it wasn't just me, b/c my sister asked me after I came out, how I fared with the smotherfication! See, here were the problems:

-- I'm claustrophobic to begin with
-- You change out of your clothes into a velcro towel sort of minidress thing, which I had velcroed too tight, such that it kind-of restricted deep breathing...
-- The table is a kind of sculptured thing that you're sunk into
-- I'm claustrophobic (AHHHH!!! HELP ME!!!!)
-- You're under a sheet and blanket
-- ...I couldn't fix the towel b/c the esthetician** had lotioned my hands, put plastic bags on them, and put them in these giant heating pad oven mitt things
-- At times I had warm, heavy towels on my shoulders, face and or neck (can't breathe...)
-- At other times, my face was covered with scented goo
-- A steam wand was blowing steam on my face (...stealing...my...air...)

All of these things combined to have me reassuring myself silently, "you're still breathing, you're still breathing". Kind of like Amanda K getting her hair washed, "Don't cry, don't cry".

I survived, though. Which is nice.

So we then had MT's Signature pedicure and manicures. They were your standard, good, salon mani/pedi***. A heated vibrating chair, a bubbling foot bath, lots of scented scrubby and lotiony things, pretty polish. The Elizabeth Arden polishes, however brown they may look, are a lot redder once they're out of the bottle, so, you know, caveat pedicur-or.



*"That's a whole 'nother thing"****

**That's what they call people who do facials and waxing and stuff--estheticians. Apparently the money they make somewhat compensates for the icky parts of their job. At least that's what she told me...

***I have to say that I don't go to the storefront nail places. I know a lot of people do go, and they don't have any trouble, but I know too many people who have gotten infections from places like that. And those nail infections are sooo hard to cure! Plus, some places use those callus shaver things which are, I'm pretty sure, illegal, and, according to those who've seen them, result in pieces of your foot being shaved off such that they look like slices of parmesan cheese. Eww.


**** 5 points to the first to identify the movie! 10 points if you're younger than 25.


Tomorrow: Part 2, The Makeup Artist

Secret, secret, I've got a secret!

To find out what it is you either have to:
A) wait until I post it or
B) email me and ask

PS--I'm calling the new CW today, even though they didn't say to do so. The pest-eration has begun!

My parents called all their siblings last night and told them about their impending grandparenthood. My parents are thrilled and all the sibs are happy. Yay!

--> Another 5 points are available for someone who can identify the song and artist from whom I swiped today's title. (And no fair using Google ;)

A Farewell to Meat

Today is Ash Wednesday--the first day of Lent and below is what Wikipedia has to say about Lent. I personally found the last 2 sentences really interesting :)

Ignore the underlines--I couldn't get rid of them. Out out damned lines! 5 points will be awarded to the first person to identify which Shakespeare play that's stolen from, however, you must keep track of your own points.

All right, on to Lent-->

In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It occurs forty days before Easter, not counting Sundays, and forty-four calendar days (counting Sundays) before Good Friday. It falls on different dates from year to year, according to the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.

At Masses on this day, worshippers are blessed with ashes by the celebrating priest. The priest marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes, in the shape of a cross, which the worshipper traditionally retains until washing it off after sundown. The symbolism echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ash over one's head signifying repentance before God (as related numerous times in the Bible). The priest or minister says: "Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."

The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebrations and mixing them with olive oil as a fixative. In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is observed by fasting, abstinence (from meat), and repentance—a day of contemplating one's transgressions.

It also marks the beginning of the Lenten season which lasts until Holy Saturday. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are permitted to consume only one full meal each day, which may be supplemented by two smaller meals, which together should not equal the full meal.

The Anglican Book of Common Prayer designates Ash Wednesday as a day of fasting.
As the first day of Lent, it comes the day after Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the last day of the Carnival season. The word "Carnival" is in fact derived from the Lenten practice of giving up meat. The Latin root words "Carnae" and "Val" were combined to literally mean "Farewell to meat."