Gotta Get Away

I've been itching to get out of Dodge. It's been a few years since I've taken a proper trip and I think it's wearing on me. I've even been dreaming about leaving town. Just last night I dreamed I was in Las Vegas. The night before that I was traveling with Nikki Sixx. Don't ask. I have no idea where these dreams come from. So what's keeping me in Dodge?

Bedbugs!

There seems to be an outbreak of bedbugs and this is keeping me out of hotels. Nice hotels, bad hotels and all in between are getting begbugs and I want no part of this.

Any suggestions on where I can go and not run the risk of bedbugs?

Wet N Wild iSparkle Eye Shadow Review

The Product: Wet N Wild iSparkle in Star Clusters. These shades are a shimmery light gold, a bronze, a deep brown, and a pale blue. The palette slides out to reveal a handy mirror and it comes with two eye shadow brushes. My picture only shows one of the brushes because the minute I opened the package in the bathroom, I accidentally dropped one of the brushes in the trash can. What can I say? I'm a klutz.

You guys might not know this but I can be a make-up snob but I happened to have coupons for Wet N Wild and Giant Eagle was having a sale so why not give it a try?

The Review: I put these shadows on and was surprised to find that they are well pigmented. The blue shade was not as well pigmented but to be honest, I didn't know where to put this shade so it could be user error. It kind of blended in to the bronze and got overpowered. Overall these shades looked nice with my dark eyes.

I wore these eye shadows to the grocery store and sweated pretty much all day. I did not wear any primers to help the shadow last because I wanted to see how the Wet N Wild held up alone. By bed time, the shadows had faded some but they were still mostly intact.

You can see she shades on my eyes. The shimmer is there but it is not excessive. You could wear these colors to work and not look like you should be at a rave.

  

The Bottom Line: Wet N Wild is inexpensive and has been around for ages. I remembered buying this brand when I was a teenager and not being happy with the results. Wet N Wild has come a long way. I did not expect to find strong pigments and lasting eye shadows. I'm impressed. You should also check their website out. I looked at it for this review and it's a nice site.

Things I'm Enjoying

I've been a lazy blogger so I thought I'd give you all a little update on the things I've been enjoying lately.

1. All things automatic. Thanks to some awesome couponing tips from this lady I acquired THREE of those nifty motion activated air fresheners by Glade and an automatic soap pump for practically nothing. The soap pump, made by Dial, is especially nice. I feel a little cleaner and it dispenses the right about of soap. Nothing goes to waste but you get enough soap to feel like it's getting the job done.

2. Netflix. Oh, boy. Brian has a far better entry up on our recent love affair with Netflix. Netflix is pretty awesome. I've watched classic movies, documentaries, Season 3 of Heroes (you all know how much I love Sylar), and lots of other things. We have gotten a few DVDs in the mail but we mostly stream through the XBox. The mailed DVDs are easy to receive and return and they arrive super fast. Netflix's website is easy to use and if you stream, the wait time between requesting the program and it starting is next to nothing. I am impressed.

3. Nutella. I used to laugh at people who eat Nutella. Who puts chocolate on bread aside from the Von Trapp kids? I decided to try some and wow. This stuff is seriously yummy. It tastes light and sweet but not too sweet. In fact, since I started eating Nutella I've noticed my sweet tooth has diminished some. I dig this stuff so much I entered a contest to win a year's supply. The last time I won any thing it was a year's supply of Juicy Fruit so I figured maybe that's how my luck works.

4. Farmer's markets. Today was the final day for my local farmer's market so I definitely paid it a visit. I bought some beautiful peppers and a head of lettuce that was fresh, locally grown, and inexpensive. Over the summer, I have tried to do more to support local commerce and farmer's markets are a great way to do this. I can't wait until they come back next year. In fact, I plan on renting space to sell my cupcakes next year!

5. Morrison Hotel. I've been a huge fan of The Doors for many years but Morrison Hotel has never been a favorite until recently. I put it in a few weekends ago and I couldn't figure out why I have not liked it. It's a fabulous record and I'm glad I warmed up to it---20 years later.

Privacy, Please: More Oversharing Stories

I have previously expressed my feelings on posting childrens' pictures on Facebook and general oversharing online. To recap, I don't like it. There are too many freaks out there so I think you have to be careful with what information you give out online, especially where children are concerned since they have no control over what their parents post.

Today on Facebook I was reminded yet again how stupid people can be at times. This is the question Walgreens Pharmacy posed to their fans on Facebook:

"Who can't believe their little boy or girl is all grown up and heading to school this fall?"

Something like "I can't believe how fast they grow!" would suffice here. Instead, this question was answered by 122 people who all told us how old their kids are, what grade they will be going in to, and of course the posters' full names and pictures were there for all of the people on Walgreens' Facebook page to see. Maybe I'm paranoid or I've read one too many stories about someone being killed for their baby, but I'm lost on why people overshare so much info, especially about their kids.

Thoughts?

Weezer in Concert: A Non-Fan Look

Last Saturday, Brian and I saw Weezer in concert. I have always liked a few of their songs and while they have never really annoyed me, I don't consider myself a big fan. I went to the show because Brian has been dragged to many concerts by me. In fact, he had to stand in an alley in the middle of Detroit at 1 AM so I could get my picture taken with one of my favorite bands. The least I could do is sweat with some nerds and watch Rivers Cuomo stand like a statue on stage, right? Well, much to my surprise I enjoyed myself and here's why:

1. The audience. At a concert, the behavior of the audience is very important. A bad crowd can ruin any show. Weezer's audience consisted of kids between the ages of 5 and 60, and all appeared to be sober. The seats were assigned so no one was pushing to get in front of me, no one spilled beer on my shoes, nor did anyone make out with their significant other while pressed up against me. The only time I had to get out of the way quickly was when the singer decided to visit the audience. The nerds wanted to touch their king so I moved.

2. No dilly-dallying. I have now seen several shows at the great Ohio State fair and they all run in a timely manner. I think it is because the grounds have to close at a certain time so whatever band is performing has to get on with it. I like it that I don't have to wait an hour (or more!) for the main act after the opening act has left the stage. I also like getting out at a reasonable time. I know. I'm old. But I would have appreciated these factors just as much at 22 as I do now at 32.

3. Showmanship. Weezer put on a great show. They looked like they were having fun. The singer spent a lot of time in the audience and not just in the first few rows. He went all the way to the back of the concert hall and posed for pictures, signed autographs, and sang along with fans. Beachballs were being tossed around, a little girl got to go on stage with the band for her 9th birthday, and even the sign language interpreter got some love. I did not expect much of a show. I envisioned Rivers standing at his microphone all night, barely moving. I was pleasantly surprised.

4. The music. Not only did Weezer put on a great show, they sounded great, too. I'm not familiar with their entire catalog and I am sure they did not make everyone happy but they seemed to select a good assortment of songs from their records. I knew every song, thanks to Brian and my time listening to them in high school. They even threw in a MGMT cover and made fun of Lady Gaga.

5. Rivers Cuomo. It's no secret that I like my men nerdy. If you know me, then you know I prefer Spock to Kirk and I married a guy who gets way too excited over Hot Wheels. Needless to say, I found myself swooning over the Weezer frontman a few times during the show. The thick glasses. The bad clothes. He has it all.

A Clean Sweep: An argument in two or more parts

Disclaimer: I love my husband, Brian. I also do what I can do not to be a nag. That said, let's discuss the cleaning arrangement around here. I thought you'd all like this argument since many of you seem to enjoy listening to us argue every Thursday.

Shared Duties

Brian does some things around the house and I do other things. He really gets into vacuuming and doing the dishes. He also prefers to do his own laundry and he takes care of our Florida room because he has pretty much taken that room over for his Hot Wheels.

Since I'm a teacher and I get a summer vacation, I don't ask him to do as much around the house since I'm home and he works all day. During the school year, however, I expect him to pick up the slack. I think this is fair. There are some exceptions to this and he needs to clean more. Today was one of those days.

Guests

The house was not in too bad of a state but we had friends coming over for dinner so some things needed to be done in a short amount of time. I was cleaning the kitchen (which entailed washing and drying dishes, mopping and sweeping the floor, cleaning the table off, and a few other tasks) and he was cleaning the living room. Cleaning the living room meant vacuuming, putting remote controls away, and throwing away a pop can or two. A dog, not sure which one, also took the liberty of vomiting on the floor so Brian also cleaned that. Despite the throw up, I think I had more to do. I was slightly annoyed to find blankets on the chair and some other things that needed to either be thrown away or put some place else. His response?

"It doesn't bother me."

And it doesn't bother me either if we were just cleaning for ourselves. Today, though, we're cleaning because we're having company and I'm sure they don't want to move our stuff around. Am I being unreasonable to ask that a room be cleaned entirely? Is it that hard? Considering that I'm the only one who scrubs our TOILETS on a weekly basis, I think he can manage to stick some blankets in the closet. I also want to point out that he frequently does half-jobs when he cleans. Examples: He dries the dishes but doesn't dry small utensils like measuring cups. You're drying the dishes anyway, just dry everything! He will also vacuum but he skips the steps. Do those not have fur and dirt on them as well?

I've made my case

Your turn, Brian. Defend your lazy cleaning ways!

Cosmetic Review: Avon gave me the blues

The Product: Avon Nailwear Pro in Vintage Blue
Price: $2.99

Avon makes great nail polish. They have a wide variety of colors and finishes, the color lasts, and is inexpensive. This nail polish, however, was a huge disappointment because of the color. Let's take a look at what Avon has advertised. The color (Vintage Blue) I purchased is circled in red.

It might be difficult to tell but Avon shows a silvery-blue shade that appears to have a metallic finish. This is what I got:

I got something that looks like blue sidewalk chalk. There is no metallic finish. In addition to not looking like the ad, this color goes on thick and streaky. As your resident Avon lady, let me say that Avon's products are excellent and the pictures are usually very accurate. This just isn't one of those times. Buy Avon nail polish but pass on this shade. Buy Avon's Nailwear Pro in Jade instead. When I wore that shade I was actually stopped by women in stores who were full of compliments. Take a look at Jade but keep in mind that the picture really doesn't do it justice.

What are some of your favorite nail polishes? Which ones should we avoid?