A while back, I was considering getting a liquid/gel/cream-based eyeliner. The nice ones can be a bit pricey though so I decided to test a cheap one out before plunking down $20-$30 for a fancy one. And that convinced me to stick to pencils. Liquid eyeliners are for people who have steady coordinated hands. That would be not me.

Just in case you’re looking to get something like this, even just to play with it, I should warn you that this particular one sucks. The applicator tip is too thick and it only worked the first time I used it. A few weeks after opening it and using it only that one time, it dried up. Also, this could be user error, but when I put it on, it wasn’t very dark. It spread all over my eyelids and made me look like someone punched me in the face. Not exactly the look I was going for.

This Thanksgiving was so relaxing and chill.  It was like a normal day off.  We didn’t have to wrestle any turkeys and stuffing attempt no. 3 will have to wait another year. The only time the stove came on was to make tea.

Instead, we went out for brunch at Woodside Deli. The omelette was so good, we wound up ordering another one halfway through our meal. It came with slices of tomato and toast so I made myself a mini sandwich. I probably wouldn’t get the french toast again though.

Afterward we went grocery shopping. Outside of the grocery store were these newspaper vending boxes. I wanted to get a paper to see the Black Friday flyers. But then after I plunked $0.50 into the box, and opened it, it was empty. So feeling all smart, I grabbed the last one stuck to the display lid but then it turned out to be yesterday’s paper! Dagnabbit! That’s a sign, there are no good deals this year.

And then dinner. Every year, I normally begin planning my Thanksgiving menu in September-October. I start by debating in my head whether I want to attempt stuffing again. Usually, it’s no. If you tried my first batch, you’d understand why. Something about not adding an entire box of Bell’s seasoning unless you plan on making stuffing for the entire population east of the Mississippi. Details, details.

This year, we decided to skip out on the planning and cooking because it was just going to be the three of us at home. So the idea was to go out for sushi or something but the house was so cozy warm that no one wanted to go out. We had leftovers and it was a perfect evening.

Some person named Steve left a message for Molly on my voicemail at work. It was such an endearing, awkward, yet sweet declaration of love. Only he got the wrong number!

He-hey Molly it’s um uh this oh man this is this this is gonna take
Hey guys can I just hang up? Gah! uh
Hey Molly this is Steve from school and um, uh
It’s taking me a lot of balls but like like we’re about to graduate and everything and you know in a couple of years and uh
And I’ve been thinking about my life and everyone’s been calling me a big nerd ever since like you know middle school since like I hit 6th grade and I started getting pimples and like my eyes became like I couldn’t wear contacts and stuff so I had to wear them glasses and …
But but I’ve always had a really big crush on you and like and um and uh
Guys why’d have to make me do this?
Well Molly I just wanted to tell you uh I’m in love with you and I always will will be and um and uh I want I want you to call me back okay?
This is Steve and I know I know I don’t know if you know me but I
I like you ok?
And um I just I just I just I can’t I can’t keep I can’t I can’t keep watching from afar okay?
I-I-I want to be a part of your life okay? Um uh
Just gimme a call okay?
Bye.

I felt like it was such a pity that Molly didn’t hear it after he scrounged up the courage. So I went through my call log to call the person back. The first person I called had no idea what I was talking about. Woops! The second number I called I recognized as Steve. Only Steve didn’t say he was Steve. He played it off like he had no idea who it was. But he was curious about what I thought of the message. So I told not-Steve that I heard this message to Molly and I thought it was very sweet and it’s unfortunate that Molly didn’t get it because she may have appreciated it.  I hope he tries again.

Yesterday, I went to the local courthouse because the county summoned me for a case against someone. By the time Mom and I showed up the courtroom was hearing a trial against a guy who was charged with second degree assault against his girlfriend’s family. He had been in jail since May and the judge gave him probation for a year and no more hostile contact with the girl’s family. He also had an alcohol problem and a record of drunk driving. He’s also an illegal immigrant. He pled guilty. The next trial I sat through was the county against a 22 year old guy who was caught selling pot. He had an 8 month old baby his mom was helping him with while he worked at a chain restaurant. College graduate, no prior record. As soon as the police caught him, he confessed to the whole thing and explained he was just looking to make quick cash. The judge gave him a warning and put him on probation. I felt like the court was pretty fair, understanding, and humane. She gave these people a second chance and realizing they had financial hardships, only requested they pay for probation officer costs. Next up, the case I was summoned for. I’m not exactly sure what the case was supposed to be about but it didn’t matter because the defendant didn’t show up. The lawyers told the judge they had a warrant but the person wasn’t home when they looked for him. So I left and went for breakfast at a nearby chain restaurant (FirstWatch) with my mom. Our eyes were way hungrier than our stomachs and after ordering two entrees, we decided to have a pancake too. Everything was so buttery good. See those toasted english muffins at the top? Warm chewy buttery goodness. And just in case we’d be hungry later on, we got two BELTs (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato) to go. They don’t make em as good as the ones we had in Australia but still good because it’s bacon.

Last week, when I went to the mall, it was pretty empty. Quieter than normal. For once, I didn’t have to park two football fields away from the entrance. Where’d everybody go? It’s supposed to be pre-holiday shopping season. I had sales staff breathing down my neck because there weren’t enough customers to serve. Anyway, I got the Philosophy Microdelivery Peel. It’s wonderful stuff. I first tried it when I got sample packets from the Makeup Optional kit. Even though I’ve only used it twice, already I notice a difference in my skin. Clearer pores, smoother, brighter looking skin almost like I’m wearing a powder makeup, but I’m not. Highly recommended!

I’ve been so hungry lately it’s like I can’t fill myself up. I’m already known in the office as the eater so this is like over the top now. This morning, I realized I couldn’t fit into my regular jeans!! Blah. I need more Cheez-Its!

This season’s America’s Next Top Model (cycle 11) is normal! Which is not normal. I mean usually there’s drama. Reality TV right? Drama is the main ingredient. Instead of fighting and arguing and trash talking, they were only being critical of themselves. Rather than cutting each other down, they were encouraging of each other! Hey!! What’s goin’ on around here? It’s weird, but I think I like this Brady Bunch cycle of ANTM. Most of the contestants were likable. And even though they were in competition, they befriended each other. If anything, the judges were the weirdos. How bizarro.

Being the loser that I am, I stayed up until 3AM watching skipped ANTM cycle 11 episodes on Youtube last night. Kicking myself right now I’m so tired.

Eating. Cheez-Its.

Shopping. Beauty products.

Watching TV. America’s Next Top Model.

So in a nutshell, I’m filling my body and mind with junk but I’m beautifying my exterior. A wizened guy at my gym said we’re always in a constant battle with entropy. Right now, I’m palling around with entropy. It feels so gosh darned good!

I have a confession. I am vain about my hair. I can stand in front of a mirror and flip my hair so many times I need a neck brace when I exit the bathroom. As a kid, after blow drying my hair, I would proclaim to my poor family that I had the most beautiful hair - look at it. Look at my hair!! Tell me it’s beautiful!

Before, I didn’t use much beyond a spray in conditioner just to make it easier to brush my tangles out. During my college years, I tried Jergens hand lotion as a hair cream. I got compliments too! Haha… go fig. Since then, I have graduated to actual hair care products. I may or may not buy more because I prefer trying new things, but they’re all ones I use regularly. A common benefit from using this stuff is less tangling. For all of the photos below, I put product on, combed it through my hair to distribute it evenly and went to bed. Yeah, wet hair in bed, during the cold of autumn/winter is not smart but I wanted people to see the product in action without blow-drying or styling which would impact the results. Anyway, in the morning, I could easily comb through my hair without a snag. Good stuff.

Paves FLAWless Straight and Narrow Repairing Relaxing Balm For Dry Damaged Hair: This clear, slightly viscous lotion is very easy to apply and smells of citrus.  It contains ginseng extract, clementine, lemon, orange, lavender, and geranium oils, and aloe.  It does not weigh your hair down.  Just leaves it easy to manage and very soft. I originally bought this thinking it would straighten my hair. Hey, it says “straight and narrow” doesn’t it?? As you can see, it doesn’t straighten your hair.

Paves FLAWless It’s A Wrap Repairing Defining Finish Cream: This product is thick and creamy. It is a strong frizz controller, but it doesn’t really detangle as well as the others. Be careful not to overdo it because if you apply too much, your hair will feel a bit tacky and look dull. Notice that the Paves Straight and Narrow listed above made the hair relatively relaxed while It’s A Wrap weighed it down? The instructions call for just a “pearl sized drop”. I might’ve used a marble sized drop. For everyday use, I much prefer the one above. But when the meteorologists call for humidity or precipitation the next day, I use this one.

Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream: A little goes a long way.  Use a PEA-SIZED amount.  In this picture I used 5 or 6 peas worth.  If you don’t overdo it, it actually makes your hair very healthy-looking and shiny.  Not stringy and dirty, like this.  It conditions your hair throughout the day as it’s on too.  After just one day of using it, my hair looked so healthy, I’ve decided to use this more regularly to skip a haircut. 

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Weightless Anti-frizz Serum: Light and almost oily feeling, I often apply this to dry hair on the days I want to have a smoother looking ponytail.

Garnier Fructis Style Conditioning Glaze, Sleek & Shine Sheer: A great product to smooth on before blow drying. It’s very similar to the Paves Relaxing Balm. My hair is soft and relatively straighter (more controlled) when I use this.

Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Anti-Humidity Styling Cream, Strong: Can you tell I like this line? The scents are clean and light, and the products are affordable and most importantly, they work. This is a bit heavier than the other two Garnier products I mentioned above. It says “strong” doesn’t it? The relatively thick white cream hangs onto your hair to control frizz without weighing it down. I still had the bounce and waves after putting on a nickel-sized amount.

Biosilk Silk Therapy: This is straight cyclomethicone/dimethicone. You will love the way your hair feels, so silky. An appropriately named product.

VO5 Straight Hair: The product that started it all for me. I bought this on a random beauty product shopping trip at Target. Of course, where else? Given the name I thought it was going to straighten out my hair. As you can see, that’s not the case. Still, I was impressed with the results; the first time I tried it I went around telling people to touch my hair! Feel how soft this is!! Can you believe this? I had frizzy straw for hair and this product softened and relaxed it. I couldn’t keep my hands off my hair! I loved it so much I gave one to everybody and insisted they try it. Then when I couldn’t find it at Target anymore, I panicked and ordered a dozen from the Internet (Drugstore). Now, I realize there are a bunch of other really great products.

Cationic Hydration Interlink (CHI) Keratin Mist: It’s supposed to protect your hair from heat damage before you style or blow dry it to prevent breakage. I think my problem is more falling-outage. But a great product nonetheless. Smells like cologne.

Pardon my bed head. Oh, and go ahead, tell me my hair is beautiful!

Just got this from Costco to try. It’s very fragrant. My only beef is that the string is too short. You can’t put it in a standard sized mug.