I haven’t made a list of things I love in a long time. So here I go…
- Neutrogena Lip Moisturizer with SPF 15: I bought it on the way out of Nordstrom Rack a few weekends ago. One of those impulse buys, just tossed it into the basket, didn’t even check the price. I love it. I’m seriously attached. It’s not waxy like Burt’s Bees (duh, I know), and it doesn’t cake up or make me want to reapply like All Natural Chapstick. Supple lips are a must. I know several of you out there have a lip balm fetish like I do. Don’t be afraid to admit it!
- Jane Austen on the Internet: I found Pemberly.com when I was reading Persuasion with my book club at work. It has all of her works available as e-texts. So you can read at work and you won’t rouse suspicion. There are lots of dorky quotes and jokes on the site if you heart Jane. I think it’s time for me to start my twice-yearly read of Pride and Prejudice. I know I should reread Sense and Sensibility or Emma since they’re my least favorites (I still adore them though!). I’ve read Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey multiple times and I thoroughly enjoy both. Persuasion with its quiet pace simply amazed me. Anne Elliott is my second favorite Austen heroine. I think she was kind of the original girl Friday.
- Coffee: Coffee breaks are still one of the best times of the day. It’s rejuvenating and tasty! If you’re not into actual coffee, try Häagen Dazs Lite 1/2 the fat Coffee ice cream or their coffee ice cream bars covered in chocolate with almond crunch. My parents brought back Donkey Balls from Hawaii. The combination of coffee and chocolate is spectacular. You don’t have to travel all the way there to enjoy the Aloha Spirit. Shop at their online store!
- Seeing people passionate about life: I know, I know, strange thing for my list, right? Just the other day our student staff put on a karaoke night for the foreign students that are staying at our complexes this summer. They had so much fun, and I’ve never seen so many people gush about the success of an event. I’m used to working in the private sector where there is much ado about nothing. People buzz around in their self-importance, wearing their smug attitudes like Armani suits, accomplishing things only for the good of the bottom line. Working with students means seeing people make new discoveries everyday and helping them find their own best solutions. Sometimes it means I have to deal with cranky, self-entitled a-holes, but generally the good outweighs the bad.
- Brain games: My three favorite sites right now are Theseuarus.com, Wikipedia.org, and Wordsmith.org. I hate using the same word twice, so to avoid that I utilize theseuarus.com and it provides me with long lists of alternate words. I spent Friday afternoon on Google Talk with Luck 10-Key coming up with insults for a boy that shall go unnamed. (Favorite combination: sodding wanker.) I use Wikipedia as my official guide on almost all matters. I’m sure some of you smarty-pants out there think that’s probably not a good thing—but where else can you find the latest slang definitions and find out what kind of dahlia is sitting in your vase? It’s one stop shopping for nerds like me! If you’re bored, which I often am during “work,” go find anagrams of your name at Wordsmith.org.
–RAD IF GIRLY