Go Get Poken!

Author note: I am not being paid a cent for this post...this is a product review for my friend Andi and an enthusiastic plug for her business. :-)

My blogging friend Andi recently sent me a couple of Pokens, these cute little animated things with a big hand and a hidden USB. No, these are not some kind of toys that kids collect, they're actually used for exchanging your social media info with others. Sort of like saying, "Hey, let's share business cards."

I have to say, these things are really cool. Andi sent me two and I gave one to my husband. He loaded up his MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts in less than a few minutes. I did the same for my accounts, and then, like something reminiscent of the Power Rangers, we traded our social media digits by touching our Pokens together. Oh wow, that sounds dirty. Ha!

To exchange social media info, simply match up the
white hand with hand of your recipient...the circle part in the
middle of the hand will glow green to indicate the info transfer!
It's so futuristic!

I can see where this tool would come in very handy at a conference where you're likely to meet other social media enthusiasts. Of course, the only downside is that the other person might not have a Poken. If that's the case, be sure to show them yours and spread the word about these nifty gadgets! Apparently Pokens are all the rage throughout Europe.

Andi, who has a full-time job, still manages to somehow run a successful business in her spare time, called Your Online Go To Gal. If you, or maybe your company, is looking for someone to help make sense of the online social media world, Andi's your Go To Gal! She also has a page on her site for info about Poken, including a couple of YouTube videos that explain the tool.

If you are interested in purchasing a Poken, visit the Got to Buy Me A Poken Store and enter the discount code MISSYHSHKK2QZ to receive 10% off your purchase!

Thanks, Andi, for the opportunity to test run these cute little guys. We are now Poken converts!

I Just Had a Senior Moment

So I'm standing in the shower shaving my legs when suddenly I realize that I can't remember my age.

I'm not kidding.

Does this ever happen to you?

My husband's birthday is next week, which prompted me to think about birthdays in general. And then I realized, "Hmm, wait a minute...Jeff's going to be how old? And I'm...how old?"

Here's me in about 40 years with an ugly flower swimcap.
Please feel free to strangle me if I wear one of those.

Have these Senior Moments, as I like to call them, in your mid-30's is wildly embarassing. For about 30 seconds {or possibly longer...it seemed longer, anyway} I could not remember my age. The funny thing is that I feel like I'm still in my 20's...it turns out this doesn't help with recalling the age digits.

I'm going to Borders today to pick up a few of those Brain Teasers. This is crazy.

My Pillow Smells Like Rosemary Mint

I'm a huge sucker for salon products and even salon-quality products at drugstore prices. However, I've made a point over the last year or so to really get focused and stop buying all sorts of hair products that I know I won't really use. My favorite go-to styling products are now Redken as seen here and Pantene's Texture & Shining Defining Pomade.

That name may sound complicated, but this stuff is super simple to use. In fact, I stopped using hairspray when I moved to Florida and replaced it with this product. All you do is put a little bit of the pomade between your palms, rub together so you coat your hands, and then carefully smooth down your hair to calm any fly aways or scrunch to give your hair more oomph and control. I focus particularly on the hair that sweeps across my forehead {my bangs, basically} because this part of my hair doesn't like to cooperate so I use the pomade to set it in place. The cool thing is that you can find Pantene anywhere and this jar of pomade is inexpensive.

And speaking of inexpensive, let's get to the point of this post: Salon shampoos and conditioners! For years I used to buy Biolage from ULTA or my salon in those enormous containers with the pumps. Then I switched to Rusk's Sensories line a year or two ago because I liked their shampoo for color treated hair. When I relocated to Florida I went through a handful of hair stylists before I found one I liked. One of the salons I visited sold the Loreal Kertase line....LOVE THAT STUFF. But seriously, I had to take out a small loan for the shampoo and conditioner after paying for highlights, a haircut and a blow dry. I had buyer's remorse but I was seriously in love with the scent and my hair smelled so awesome. Then last year, my latest hair stylist introduced me to the Matrix's Phyto Organics. Once again, I found myself buying the largest size with the pump...and you know what I realized? You tend to get tired of the products after a while since it's like shampoo and conditioner overload.

Recently I've started reading how bad sulfates can be for your hair. All these years I've been using products WITH sulfates and now I'm learning how bad they are! I still can't believe it! {And the Phyto Organics contains sulfates, go figure.} Since I was nearing the very end of my salon shampoo, I decided to go on a mission to find a more natural product for colored hair, especially since I've started coloring my hair at home and, let's be honest, with a DIY project who knows how long my color will last!

Well, it turns out I didn't have to look far. I recently noticed an advertisement on the back of my InStyle Magazine for Everpure, Loreal's newest line Sulfate-free hair products. They are also running ads on TV now for this...

I couldn't find Everpure at my local Target, but I did find it last weekend at Walgreens, and it's currently $1 off the shampoo and conditioner through April 25th. I paid $6.99 for each...a pretty good deal in my mind considering I've been known to drop at least $25 on just a bottle of conditioner alone!

So here's my official review of the products: I FREAKING LOVE THEM!!!

I have to admit that I've never been a fan of Rosemary. I don't know what it is but I don't like the way it tastes on food, and because of that the smell sort of turns me off. That's why I was a little hesitant when I saw the shampoo and conditioner is Rosemary Mint scented...but all I had to do was sniff it there in Walgreens and suddenly I felt like rushing home so I could have a pretend spa session in my bathroom. That scent is heavenly.

Even better, if you wash your hair in the evening like I've been lately, the bonus is that your pillow case suddenly smells minty fresh.

If they start making an Everpure Body Wash, I may never come out of the shower!

{Sorry it took forever to get to the point of this post, guys. As you can see, I could talk about hair products all day long!}

Mommy, please don't go away again

I arrived home late last night {actually, around 1:30 this morning} and boy were my cats happy to see me. Cookie doesn't like it when I go away...she did the same thing the last time I went out of town as seen here.

She was sitting on my scarf earlier clearly thinking,
"You're not going anywhere!"

This morning she decided to secure my luggage
to make sure I wasn't leaving.

Thanks so much for your kind words and good thoughts. The interviews went really well!! I am so relieved it's all over...however, if this process continues, the next step is to go back to the company again for a final round of interviews. {It never seems to end, but that's a good thing right now.}

The entire trip was flawless with the exception of Wednesday night. I took out my right contact, and then proceeded to take out the left one and it flew out of my hand and landed...somewhere. I was on my hands and knees looking for the damn thing for nearly 30 minutes, cursing myself and panicking for not packing a spare pair. Then I decided to walk away and do something else to give it a rest. THEN I decided that maybe I should take a closer look at my toiletries sitting on the counter. I inspected each one and to my shock I found the contact plastered to the side of a lotion bottle. It was all shriveled and sad looking so I quickly placed it into saline and it somehow came back to life overnight. What a close call...I could not imagine doing the interviews wearing my glasses!

So now I'm in wait-and-see-mode. I might need to do a rain dance or some other kind of good luck ritual this weekend.

I was so delirious last night from exhaustion that I had this bizarre dream {nightmare} about Kelly from the Real Housewives. She was parading around my house with that awful dress she wore to the Red Carpet arrival for the Bravo A List Awards, asking to borrow a few of my BLANKETS. I was laughing my ass off this morning, thinking that she probably wanted the blankets to cover up her ugly dress and face. I crack myself up.

Ramona's like, ok ladies, don't kill each other.

Here's Bethenny about ready to claw out Kelly's eyes.

Bon Voyage...just for a few days

No, sadly, I'm not taking a spur-of -the-moment cruise {despite the fact that we live thisclose to the cruise ship port and I seriously wonder why we are not taking advantage of the fact we can be in the Bahamas in just an hour?}. No, actually, I have an interview that will take me offline for a few days. Let's not get too excited about this until after they make me an offer, k?

Deep breath in...deep breath out...lots of that going on lately. Cross your fingers and toes, I need all the good thoughts I can get.

Until then...in the words of the immortal Ron Burgundy, "You stay classy, my blogging friends." :-)

"Scotch, scotch, scotch, going down my belly."

I'm not one to pass up a sweet treat, or an award for that matter.

Me and my sweet tooth made more blueberry muffins today. I can't help myself, baking is so much more enjoyable during the middle of a random Monday afternoon when you have no where to go. Because as we all know, I'm still unemployed. Let's hope the karma Gods are on my side this week because I have an interview. Can we all do a collective **fingers crossed** for moi? Thankyouverymuch.

Moving on to some important business: My gal pal Andi gave me an award! What did I do to deserve such recognition? Perhaps educate her on the best nail polishes? Hee-hee. Ah, well, let's not ponder what sparked this outpouring of admiration for yours truly, let's just bask in the glory and enjoy this:

It's so pretty, isn't it?

The rules are to list seven things you love and then pass the award on to seven others. So here are seven of my favorite things.

1. My husband Jeff
   


2. My cats Cookie and Doughie
   


3. My iPhone
   


4. Cooking and baking, trying new recipes, and learning new cooking techniques
   


5. Flip flops!!
   


6. Netflix


7. Manicures

I really wanted to add the Cubs, music and shopping to this list but they didn't fit. Just so you know.

Ok, so here are seven bloggers I'm passing the award to:

1. ReRe at Re-Ramblings because she inspired me to look into Zumba and her posts about Twilight and Edward crack me up.

2. Tracy at Funny in the 'Hood because her posts about her neighborhood Yeti sighting and how much McDonald's sucks makes me practically pee my pants.

3. High Heel Gal at The High-Heel Diaries because her stories of men, bar hopping, Facebook, and her friend Wing Gal keep me entertained, and, in all seriousness, I sort of wish I was in my 20's again.

4. Lacey at Confessions of a Southern Belle because she has the BEST hair, she wears cute outfits, and she loves to shop AND cook. A girl after my own heart.

5. The cooking wizards at Smitten Kitchen for their amazing recipes and food photography. This is one of my favorite foodie blogs. I seriously doubt SK will post this award on their site, but that's OK because I realize the award colors will clash with their site design. No prob. Seriously.

6. I'm also in love with the geniuses over at Italian Foodies. I want them to give me photography lessons. They recently posted a recipe for Penne Carbonara, and let me tell you....LOVE. That dish is now a standard in my household...at least twice a month. We probably need to have our cholesterol checked very soon.

7. And finally, J-Money at The Typing Makes Me Sound Busy because...well...where do I start? She is, hands down, the funniest female blogger on the face of the planet. Her stories about getting locked out of her apartment, watching SVU Special Victims Unit all day, wearing her Snuggie, and trekking across America to see Morrissey in concert are beyond entertaining.

It's Opening Day!

Play Ball!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year....Opening Day at Wrigley Field!

The first year Jeff and I starting dating I scored opening day tickets from a friend at work and we took off to attend the game. IT WAS FREEZING! I distinctly recall wearing a winter coat, a hat, scarf, and gloves. I'm hoping the weather cooperates for opening day...and let's pray the wind is blowing out! {And late breaking news says the game might be called off due to rain...SO TYPICAL FOR CHICAGO WEATHER!!}

Isn't the field pretty? The first thing the players and broadcasters look at are the flags on top of the scoreboards. If they're flying towards the lake, like the are in this picture, it means the wind is blowing out of the field and the conditions are ripe for some home runs.

There's nothing like Wrigley Field. From the moment you enter the gates, you feel the energy. You smell the hot dogs and the beer. Vendors are selling their delicious roasted peanuts. The organist is playing the ballpark tunes. Adults and children alike are busy purchasing their programs and talking about the players. The kids get to the park early to watch batting practice, hoping to score a couple of autographs.

Silly me, how can I possible glaze over a mention of hot dogs? Honestly, Wrigley isn't the best place to experience a Chicago dog. But, it tastes like heaven on a hot summer day. The vendors give you those awful mustard packets and you inevitably end up getting mustard under your fingernails or on your shirt. But it's all part of the experience.

This is exactly what a plain, steamed vendor hot dog looks like at Wrigley.


And this is what a Chicago dog really looks like
NO KETCHUP!!

As you emerge from the tunnels or the ramps leading to your seat, the beautiful greenery and grounds of Wrigley greets you. The signature ivy, the "Welcome to the Friendly Confines" message painted on top of the Cubs' dugout, and the portrait of Harry Caray just below the broadcaster's booth...it's like being right at home.

The Cubs dugout.

There's Harry Caray. He reminds me of my childhood watching Cubs games with my family and my grandpa. There was nothing like hearing Harry scream, "There it is! It might be! It could be! It is!!!!! A HOME RUN!!!!! HO-LY COW!"

It's such a magical place, Wrigley Field. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Cubs game while in Chicago, don't pass it up. It is like religion. It's an experience you won't forget. And it might change your life.

I'm getting misty eyed.

GO CUBBIES!!!!!!!

Kick that dirt, Lou!

~~~~~~

I couldn't post this without telling you about the infamous curses the Cubs have experienced over the years. Cubs fans are crazy fanatics, and here's why. First, there is the curse of the goat. {And breaking news this morning...a goat's head was found this morning outside Wrigley Field. Oh how I love our crazy fans trying to break the curse of the goat.}

William "Billy Goat" Sianis

While the Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908, the curse actually began in 1945, the last time the Cubs made the World Series. It was Game 4 of the World Series with the Cubs in the lead 2-1 over the Tigers. As legend has it, William "Billy Goat" Sianis, owner of the now famous Billy Goat Tavern and a lifelong Cubs fan, showed up to the ballpark with two tickets, one for himself - and one for his pet goat, Murphy.

After struggling his way into the park, Sianis and his goat took their place in the box seats he had purchased, only after causing a commotion by having the goat run onto the field. They were almost ejected before the game, but since Sianis had two tickets which said nothing about animals being banned, the two were reluctantly allowed to stay. However, later in the game, on the orders of Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley, Sianis and his goat were ejected, "Because the goat stinks." As the curse goes, an angry Sianis threw his arms in the air in disgust and proclaimed, "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field."

And so began the Cubs curse. The Cubs went on to lose that World Series in 7 games to the Tigers and they haven't even been back since. After that series collapse, Sianis sent a telegram to P.K. Wrigley that read "Who Stinks Now?"

Then in 1969 a black cat pranced in front of the Cubs dugout at Shea Stadium and the Mets went on to beat the Cubs in the National League East Division title and won the World Series.

Then there was 1984, the miracle season. The Cubbies managed to do what no other team in the history of baseball was ever to do. They were the first team in history to go into a five game play-off series, win the first two games, and then choke. Leon Durhan, pictured above, errored on a ground ball that rolled through his legs in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Once again the Cubs came thisclose to the World Series, but no cigar.

And then, there was Steve Bartman on October 14, 2003.

Poor Steve Bartman, the lifelong, 26 year-old Cubs fan who found himself in the crosshairs of a fly ball along the left field line. The ball was playable for Cubs' left outfielder Moises Alou near the guard rail but as he jumped up, Bartman interfered with the play, possibly thinking it was a foul ball souvenir. It was Game 6 with only five more outs before heading to the World Series and it looked like the curse was about to be lifted. Wrigleyville was ready to erupt in a euphoria that had not been seen before.

The fans and players went berserk after Bartman's fan interference and Alou's childish outburst when he realized what had just happened. Bartman had to be escorted out of the park by police, for fear of his life. The ball was later donated to charity and blown up at Harry Caray's restaurant. {And a little side note...it just so happens that I worked at the same company as Steve Bartman and let me tell you, the poor guy went into hiding for months. The company fully supported him by providing a telecommuting arrangement until he felt safe to leave his house. The whole situation was beyond ridiculous.}

Now that you have an overview of the curses the Cubs have faced over the years, maybe you'll understand why us Cubs fans are absolute fanatics and beyond passionate about our beloved team! They're not called the Lovable Losers for nuthin'.

No no no!!!

Rain might ruin Cubs' Monday plans

from Chicago Breaking News

With rain in the forecast all day Monday, the Cubs' home opener against Colorado appears to be in jeopardy.

But the Cubs decided not to postpone the game a day early, as the White Sox did with their home opener, and will wait until Monday morning before making a final decision.

NO!!!!!!!! GO AWAY, RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Information for Allergy Sufferers!

As someone who has struggled with seasonal allergies almost my entire life, I'm always wary of simply popping an over-the-counter pill as a cure-all. I keep a box of Zyrtec on hand, but I often wonder about the long-term effects of taking the medication.

Having said that, I'm sort of funny about trying something new. I know that Zyrtec works and I'd rather not start experimenting. There's nothing worse than being out and about, and have a sneezing fit in the middle of a store, knowing the allergy medicine you're trying isn't working. I also have a terrible problem with itchy, watery eyes which makes for a bad combination when I'm wearing eye make-up.

Anyway, being unemployed these past few months has made me realize that now would be a perfect time to put more effort into testing a more natural approach to managing my allergies. Being home, I have the benefit of not worrying so much about being gone all day and trying to survive without my allergy medication.

Funny enough, I started to do a little research and it turns out there's a podcast on the Whole Foods web site this month covering Natural Approaches to Allergies. I've listened to the podcast a few times and have learned the following:

- Vitamin C taken 3-4 times daily helps with allergy management.
- Quercetin is a natural histamine blocker.
- Bromelain is a food enzyme that somehow works well when taken with Quercetin {not quite sure I understand this, but thought I'd share nonetheless}

Basically the podcast talks about how to combine these to create the right "cocktail" for your allergies...one might work better for you than another. It's all about finding the right combination. I'm planning to try Quercetin alone and see how that works. I'll keep you all posted!

Will I Regret Buying These?

I had a weak moment today at DSW.

What do you think? Are they too trendy? Too weird looking? Will I wear these a year from now?

I absolutely loved these shoes when I saw them in the store. How cute, I thought, would these look with jeans! And then I got home, took a shower, and realized as I was washing my hair that I might actually regret buying the shoes.

After thoroughly cleaning out my closet earlier this year, I made a promise to myself that I would begin buying items to build my wardrobe. Items with staying power...clothing that will never go out of style. I've made the mistake too many times of making one-off purchases and then the items sit in my closet, building up as the time goes on.

I am so torn. I could use your fashion advice. Please be honest.

~~~~~~

In related news, the reason why I went to DSW in the first place was to find the perfect pair of black heels. The kind of heels you wear with an interview suit. Because yours truly has an interview next week!

Here's my question: My interview suit is a black jacket with a matching black skirt. I bought a pair of black heels. What shade of pantyhose do I wear? Yes, you heard me right, PANTYHOSE. I haven't worn hose in years. The sales lady at Nordstrom told me that women are now wearing Nude shaded hose. {I think I looked around to make sure Ashton Kutcher wasn't trying to PUNK me, because I seriously did not believe this woman.} So I ended up buying two packages of Nude DKNY pantyhose...because as we all know, one package is never enough. You must always have a back-up.

What do you think? Is Nude hose acceptable? I really felt like sheer black hose would be just too much with a black suit and black heels.

~~~~~~

Finally, I must report back that the cake I baked last night turned out....eh, just OK. The cake part actually turned out great. But the frosting was another matter. I am not good at making frosting...I had a frosting problem the last time I tried baking a cake. Anyway, my husband LOVED the cake, so it really didn't matter. After I put the cake in the fridge, the frosting settled and it was a little better today. Thankfully our next-door-neighbor had a few friends over tonight that we know, so Jeff took some cake over to them. I couldn't stand looking at it anymore.

He Wants Cake, He'll Get Cake

My husband suddenly has a HUGE sweet tooth. Out of no where tonight, he started talking about how much he wanted something with white chocolate...then he wanted a French Silk pie...and then he was going to drive to Publix and buy a birthday cake. And it's not his birthday.

Where this is coming from, who knows. Until recently, Jeff hated chocolate, ice cream, cakes, pastries, you name it. I used to think he was weird for not liking sweets...I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like ice cream?!

So after all that hemming and hawing, he decided not to go to Publix. But then he started making the puppy dog eyes at me, like, "Will you make something for me?" Little did he know that in order to bake a cake, you must first bring the eggs and butter to room temperature. Which means waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

I dug up a cake recipe from my baking idol Ina Garten and set everything out on the counter. And now I've just been informed that the eggs and butter are "ready" so I'm off to bake a friggin' cake. At 10:30 at night.

I'm nice, aren't I?

The perfectionist in me would like the cake to look like this...mmm, I love fondant:

But it will probably turn out looking like this:

I might post a picture of the end result if it turns out good.

It's a Karma Thing

From astrology.com {please excuse the cheesy reference}
What is karma?
Cause and effect. Whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap. For each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There are a lot ways to describe karma, but it is essentially the belief that your present circumstances are the product of previous actions, and what you do today will affect what happens tomorrow.

I'm a big believer in karma. For instance, tonight my husband was trying to convince me that we may not need to fix or replace our dishwasher if/when we sell our house. "An inspector would never discover the problem," he said, since the dishwasher works but starts to make funky noises at the end of the wash cycle. I insisted that he was dead wrong. My argument being, even if the inspector didn't discover the problem, the new homeowner most certainly would. And I would never do that to someone, knowing all too well the kind of problems you can run into when you move into a new house. It's bad karma.

Another aspect of karma is not talking about something that you're hoping might happen. In some weird way, I believe that sharing the information could cause bad karma because whatever it is you want hasn't happened yet. And wouldn't it make more sense to talk about it openly after it's happened?

I think this might also be characterized as being superstitious.

Well, I have a little something going on in my life that I am dying to share with you, but at this point it's premature and talking about it openly means it might cause bad karma.

That's the thing I dislike about blogging. Sometimes I want to be "all out there" but then I have situations like this which cause me to realize that I'm not ready to talk about what's going on quite yet.

And with that, I will leave you wonder. And no, I'm not pregnant.

NaBloPoMo...Huh?

My blogging friend Andi recently invited me to join NaBloPoMo. This is not some kind of spicy Thai dish although I swear it sounds like it. No, NaBloPoMo is short for National Blog Post Month and presents the simple yet challenging idea of posting to your blog every day for one month.

Sounds simple enough.

Well, yours truly ain't so good about posting daily. So when I saw Andi's email invite, I thought to myself, "Oh no." But, a "good" oh no if that makes sense.

So, here we go. Bring. It. On. Let's see how far I can get. So far I've blogged every day since officially joining NaBloPoMo.

Just the sound of it makes me want to go fire up the stir fry.

~~~~~

In other news, tonight marked the first night of Passover. If you've read my blog for a while, you know that my husband is Jewish and I'm not. As a result the Jewish holidays often present a bit of a challenge for moi because I'm always trying to remember what each one is about. I actually asked my husband last night if Passover is the "sad" holiday. He was like, um, no, that's Yom Kippur.

One of these days I'll get it right.
EDIT: And..I'm still not getting it right. Jeff corrected me after reading this and said, "You asked me if Passover was the happy holiday, not the sad holiday. And I said no, it's a sad holiday for Jews." Clearly I need to clean out my ears or stop asking him these questions when I'm about to fall asleep. Also? A Catholic is the last person who should be blogging about a Jewish holiday. Sorry for getting the factual info wrong.

For those of you up for a little lesson in Jewish religion, Passover is a holy day commemorating God sparing the Hebrews when he killed the first born of Egypt. The Seder is a ritual feast that includes drinking wine, eating matzoh, and placing symbolic foods on a Seder plate.

Seder tonight was held at my in-law's house, complete with my husband's brother, his wife, and their kids who are visiting this week from Boston. My brother-in-law is a real foodie and amazing cook which only made the idea of the dinner even more exciting. And my 5 year-old niece learned about Passover in school and led the Seder rituals by reading from her textbook and singing songs. Really cute.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I should mention that I was brought up Catholic. We would go to church for all the major holidays and then my Mom would attempt to drag me and my sister to Mass on Saturdays at 5 p.m. throughout the year. Actually, when we were really young, we'd go to Mass on Sunday mornings because my Mom promised {ie bribed} to take us to Dunkin' Donuts afterwards. True story.

Anyway, when I say "drag us to Mass" I really mean it. I am not ashamed to admit that I never "got" the Catholic religion. I went through Communion, CCD classes, and Confirmation. And all the while, it didn't stick with me. I've wondered for a long time why that is, and I really don't have an answer. My grandparents were very strict Catholics. My Mom went through the Catholic school system in Chicago and had nuns for teachers. Despite all that deep rooted Catholic family background, I could never identify with the religion, or any religion for that matter. I do believe in God but I seem to have a hard time understanding organized religion.

With that said, I must tell you how interesting I continue to find the rituals with the Jewish holidays like tonight's Seder. There's nothing commercialized about Passover. You don't have to buy anyone gifts, there's no tree or a fat man in a red costume involved, and you don't dye eggs and buy candy. My Catholic upbringing never stressed the true meaning of the holidays, only the commercialized versions. As my husband's family sat down tonight and participated in the story of Passover, drinking wine and eating Matzoh, I realized that and found myself enjoying the experience of learning about another religion. I like the idea of rituals, of children singing, and of items symbolizing historic events. {Plus, it doesn't hurt that you're supposed to drink wine. And my brother-in-law made this incredible lemon-infused chicken. To. Die. For.}

I'm not sure what this all means for me. I don't think I'm interested in converting to a different religion at this point in my life. I'd be a terrible student because like I said, organized religion is difficult for me. But being an interested participant is enough. For now.

Thanks to Maegan, now I can say I'm adorable!

How awesome is my blogging friend Maegan at ...love Maegan? I read her daily and I swear, she ROCKS the blogosphere! She recently bestowed a blog award to me and I feel so humbled. I'd like to thank my agent, my family, my cats...hee-hee.

THANK YOU MAEGAN for making my day. As it goes with these awards, you're asked to spread the love and pay it forward. This isn't too hard for me...I've come to know some fabulously adorable ladies and I love their blogs. So I'm awarding:

Funny in the 'Hood

Lis Loves

Confessions of a Southern Belle

Turquoise Ribbons

Golightly

Misadventures with Andi

Award ...Rules
- Include the award logo in your blog or post. Nominate as many blogs which you like.
- Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

My first angry commenter! I've finally arrived.

Totally laughing about this guy's comment on my blog. Dude, if you don't like what I have to say, YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ MY BLOG.

So there.

From the not-so-friendly commenter Snowbrush:

"I don't even get Showtime, but I don't need to to know all about Californication, because I live in OREGON. You, on the other hand, live in FLORIDA where, I should think, whatever problems you do have, Californication isn't one of them."

I think someone might be jealous that it's 90 degrees here today in Florida and he's still scraping the snow off his car. LOL.

I found the Holy Grail and it's in Boca Raton, FL. Of all places.

I recently received one of those "Clipper" flyers in the mail...you know, those annoying local ads that you get and normally throw in the trash? Well, I decided to flip through it to see if there was anything interesting. Sure enough, it was filled with ads for bad sushi restaurants and the bazillion local car washes.

And then, I saw this:

I think I said "holy shit" when I saw this ad.
{Notice a coupon has been ripped from the page...a little foreshadowing.}

I've made it no secret that I am a spoiled brat when it comes to cosmetics. I used to be a regular shopper at ULTA when I lived in Chicago. I was a proud ULTA card-carrying member. I bought all my salon shampoos, conditioners, styling products, make-up sponges, Essie, OPI, and just about everything else under the sun at ULTA.

Then I moved to Boca Raton, only to discover that there isn't an ULTA anywhere in the vicinity of Boca or the entire county of Palm Beach for that matter.

The horror.

Today I decided it was time for a little field trip to visit Cosmetics by Andrea {what a horrible web site}. Since I'm doing my own manis and pedis these days, I need more nail polish and a better variety of colors.

Variety? Did I say variety? This is the first aisle I saw as I entered the store...

Bow chicka bow wow!!
ESSIE HEAVEN!


And on the other side of the aisle...OPI GALORE!!

I spent nearly in an hour in the store trying to figure out what colors I needed--strike that-- wanted most. I even went all Dooce for a minute and placed a bottle of "Sweet Heart" by OPI in my shopping basket. But you know what? I really, really don't like OPI. Their colors are great but the polish doesn't last. And, they recently introduced a wider brush and I absolutely hate it. I like Essie's brush...much easier to control.

So this is what I ended up buying...

Essie in Mademoiselle, Pouf Daddy and Red-y Set Ex
I also bought NailTek...is this like the generic version of Nailtiques?

Red-y Set Ex looks orange but it's more like a coral. I take terrible pictures.

I can't believe how something so stupid like nail polish makes me happy.

This Show is H-O-T.

Where the hell have I been? How come nobody told me to watch Californication on Showtime?! Two seasons are already out on Netflix and no one has the decency to tell me about this AWESOME SHOW?

I forgive you.

My husband and I just finished Californication Season One, Disc 1 of 2. This morning I was pushing Jeff out the door to put the Netflix disc back in the mail so we can get Disc 2 ASAP. STAT. HURRY HURRY!! I am practically camping out at my mailbox waiting for the next disc. I might just kiss the mailman when the disc arrives.

It's that good.

I won't tell you too much about it. BUT...it stars my imaginary boyfriend* David Duchovny as Hank Moody.

A little scruffy and sweaty. Just fine with me.

Hank lives in LA. He's a struggling writer. He has a 13 year-old daughter. His ex-non-wife Karen is played by Natascha McElhone, a ridiculously beautiful actress. Hank and Karen never married but they have this amazing chemistry, leading you to wonder why things didn't work out. Karen is about to marry Bill {I think that's his name??}. Hank has a uniquely cordial relationship with Bill but makes it known that he doesn't want Karen to get married. They're a happy family, in a really weird way.

I want her cheekbones.

If you're starting to yawn, stop. Because the other side of this story is about Hank's raging sex life and all the tail he's getting all over LA. And with that, I'm officially starting to sound like my husband.

It's ridiculously addictive. Trust me.

My husband thinks David Duchovny's character always looks sweaty. I counter by saying, "Of course, honey, that's part of his charm." Ahem.

Do yourself a favor and start watching this show. And then come back to this blog and tell me how much you liked it.

You're welcome.

*David Duchovny is my boyfriend in my fantasy world. I'm a big X-Files fanatic and spent the better part of the 90's being totally, and I mean totally, obsessed with Mulder. I mean, David.

Interviews + Catfights = Interesting Week

My blogging friend Andi sent me an email yesterday asking, "Where ya been?" I suppose this is a valid question since I have not blogged since Sunday. Totally unintentional on my part...the activities this week have caught me by surprise.

First off, I'm in the midst of waiting to hear back about the next steps for an interview. I had two phone interviews this week, the second interview with the hiring manager. She assured me someone would be getting back within two days and the next step is to come to the office for an in-person interview.

Well, that was two days ago. The clock is ticking very loudly here today...TICK...TICK...TICK... Also, another little tidbit that I've failed to mention...this job is NOT in Florida. So, imagine these past two days of not knowing what's about to happen. My mind's been racing!!

This also happens to be Spring Break for the Palm Beach County school district and my stepson has been off all week complaining of boredom. Thankfully we have family in town so he's been spending time over at Grandma's house with his relatives. A nice little arrangement, however, there is an unspoken agreement that my husband and I must visit throughout the week. I hate to say it but it's been a little disruptive. My mind is elsewhere. Plus, my Mother-in-Law lives in a community flanked by the Everglades and my cell phone never registers a signal at her house. This is not the time to be missing a phone call!

Sometimes when I get like this...too much going on mentally...I sort of check out on the blogging front. I'm the kind of person who needs time to process. Hopefully that makes sense and you can understand.

ANYWAY...LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS...

I'm a little late to the party on this topic, but how about that episode Tuesday night on the Real Housewives of New York City?!

Here's Bethenny thinking to herself,
"Damn, she's even crazier than I thought."

Kelly's non-stop rants: "We are not friends!"
"I'm up here and your down there."
"Oh, you have arthritis Allie? How cute."
"I don't like to put my name on ANYTHING."

I am not going to summarize this rather heated exchange between Kelly and Bethenny. It's been discussed to death in the tabloids and blogs this week...but I do want to say the Kelly is a total narcissist who seems to think she is above everyone. If you don't want your name on anything, Kelly, WHY ARE YOU ON THE SHOW? And your face looks like a horse! {Um, did I just say that?} Bethenny came out of this looking like a real saint. I have to give her credit. I think I might have reached across the table and strangled Kelly if I had been in Bethenny's shoes.

{Speaking of shoes...what was with those pink boots that Kelly wore with her green dress to the bar? Where was the Vogue "Fashion Don't" photographer?? Ugh! I could go on all day about her.}