Goddess Up the Down Side

Updates: been dating a guy since February but we've been keeping it on the DL because he's a rather prominent citizen/had crappy relationships before and wants to be sure/was thinking about (and eventually did) hiring me to work for him/blah blah blah. Anyway, he gave me a new job, which pays way better than my last job as a reporter. I'm working as HR admin for the major nonprofit of which he happens to be the CEO. Good idea to be dating the boss? Maybe, maybe not. But I see him less now than I did before I started working for him. The folks at work of course have NO idea of our relationship. They do know that we've known each other for years courtesy of my previous life as a reporter. That extent of our relationship seems to have little effect on them, for while they're all very nice to me, they also come off as a bit ... well, disrespectful? Dismissive? I don't know, but it's a rather patronizing vibe. I'm used to being the one who knows everythin...

There are few things as frustrating as... Sitting in the Monday morning meeting that's twice as long as it needs to be, while the boss goes through her stack of work and hands it to you, saying, "do this and do this and do this and do this" - then all afternoon she sits in her office chatting and gossiping with another department head while you're wondering exactly when you can fit it into your schedule to hang yourself. *** Knowing that when I keel over with a heart attack or succumb to my darker impulses and hang myself my corporate overlords will lack the self-awareness to see their responsibility in bringing about my demise. *** Listening to the boss and ad manager trying to come up with a tagline to promote our product. Meanwhile, I've got at least a dozen that easily top anything you guys have thrown at the wall so far. (But apparently they're fine with directly ripping off tag lines created by very expensive marketing firms for very big publica...

Final analysis: The product is great, but I'd definitely like to see a redesign of the delivery method. My January Allure Beauty Box contained a full-size Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner in black navy. I love the liner, but I'll be the first to say that I hate eyeliners that require a sharpener. They always break off in the sharpener, and you waste a tremendous amount of product. Even if they don't break off, you're shaving away perfectly good makeup with the sharpener. Note to every manufacturer of every pencil-type eyeliner out there: put it in a twist-up pencil rather than requiring a sharpener. If you need a sharp point, use one of those tiny point sharpeners, but don't make me fight with the pencil breaking off inside a sharpener and wasting my money. That said, the eyeliner itself is quite nice. It feels smooth and goes on evenly without tugging. It smudges nicely if you want, but it sets quickly and lasts all day (even through my constan...

Ok, this item in my January Allure Beauty Box really needed no sampling from me - it's long been one of my favorite products in my bathroom! I first discovered it as a sample item in a DHC catalog - I highly support DHC's policy to include samples in every catalog, so you can try products before committing to spend money on them. I'll admit that it took a long time for me to get around to trying it, because I looked at it and thought, "Ew! Put oil on my face? Um, no!" Wrong. I also was one of those people who thought that if it doesn't lather, it doesn't clean. Wrong again. You apply this product with dry hands on a dry face then rinse off. It dissolves all the make-up, rinses clean, and just leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean without the slightest trace of residue. The real test was when I swiped a cotton ball of toner across my cheek after using this, and it came away clean. No scrubbing. Just massage on with your fingertips and rinse, ...

I've seen a lot of beauty magazines that say a night cream is really no different from a day cream, but Derma E Hydrating Night Creme is definitely something you want to use at night. This item in my January Allure Beauty Box is the kind of product that makes me so glad I subscribe. I get so many premium-size samples like this that I barely have to go out and buy any full-size products anymore. They also allow me to really get a feel for a product before I spend money on a full-size container. This night cream has a thick, luxurious texture that feels great going on at the end of a long day after cleansing. It's especially welcome on my dry, taut, winter skin. After applying, I got a little nervous, as it felt like there was definitely a coating on top of my skin (which is why you wouldn't want to use it for day). But I kept it on overnight and woke up to find it fully absorbed and my skin feeling much fresher and plumper in the morning than it has in quite a while....

Another item in my January Allure Beauty Box was a half-ounce sample tub of Schmidt's Lavender-Sage Natural Deodorant. The full-size version is two ounces. I'm usually a pretty straightforward regular commercial antiperspirant kinda gal. (Suave 24-hour invisible solid is my daily go-to.) I always make a point of trying out as much in my beauty box as I can, though, so I gave the natural deodorant a shot. I've tried the crystal deodorant before. I think I gave it a day, maybe two, before I tossed it. This one is a whole different thing. It's a shea butter based cream with a nice lavender sage scent. The firm waxy paste melts to a creamy and slightly gritty texture as you rub it between your fingers, and application is easy and feels smooth. The scent is just what you'd expect from lavender sage and lingered lightly without being overpowering. The arrowroot in the formulation does act to control wetness to some degree, and the shea butter should work to kee...

One of my favorite treats each month is my subscription to the Allure Beauty Box from Allure magazine. I love opening the box each month to find out what kind of beauty products I get to try this month, and unlike most of those subscription box services, I actually feel like I'm getting a deal as far as price goes. I also have found some great products that become a part of a regular regime. One of the items in the January box is a full-size bottle of Trust Fund Beauty nail polish in the color "Champagne Problems." This is a good example of that deal I was talking about. The box is $15 a month, but this bottle of nail polish all by itself retails at $15, so everything else I got in the box is like a bonus! One of the things that really struck me about this nail polish is the amazing coverage! That photo shows my nail with just one coat! It's rare for me to find a nail polish that covers well in one coat and even more rare to find a sparkly nail polish that does...

I had another morning meeting, but at least this one was more interesting. It was about active shooter situations. I didn't get bacon, but I got a surprisingly good yogurt. And coffee. The lessons were for HR professionals to establish policies and train their employees for active shooter situations. Our office is wide open with no hiding places, a glass front and in an industry that pisses people off on a daily basis. And our HR office is located several states away and has no concern for its employees. We're screwed. *** It's Friday evening and I'm home and cozy and out of the cold, wet, icky outness out there. But I'm hungry. No problem. My 17-year-old daughter has a life - meaning she's out. So I texted her to bring home sushi. Parents, don't miss out on the opportunity to take full advantage of your children. (If you feel the slightest bit guilty, just remember those nights you had to run out to the only store that was open at 10 p.m. on a Thu...

A favorite game of our management team seems to be trying to get staff to confess to things. So, our direct supervisor comes in and tells us she got an angry call from the regional supervisor who got an angry call from the CEO who got an angry email from a customer saying we'd said "something" in our interaction with him that he didn't like. But they won't say which one of us supposedly said this thing. And they won't say what this supposed poorly said thing was. My coworker and I looked at each other - baffled - recounting how our encounters with this particular customer (who, by the way, has been a good friend of mine for a dozen years, unbeknownst to the corporate folks) were nothing but pleasant and friendly. They want a full recounting of everything that was said between us. Lo and behold, my friend walks into the office just a few minutes later and tells me exactly what he wrote to the CEO (before I even had a chance to bring it up), and it wasn'...

All day, every day. Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. That's my neighbor with a hammer. I live in a townhouse. These are rentals. We're not allowed to hang things on the wall. You've been at this long enough to have built furniture for the whole town. What the HELL are you hammering at every frickin' day? *** Note to Discover Card: I sent you that "preapproved" credit application, and you sent me back a denial because my job pays shit. Ok. I let it go. Chase was fine with me, and I've paid every bill on time or early. So, Discover, you can just STOP sending me more credit offers! You missed your chance, and I've moved on. Get over it. *** I've been rewatching Girlfriends. I remember loving this show. Now, I see it's about a so-called strong and independent woman whose only purpose in life is to get a man. Then keep a man. Then get married. I have two daughters. I tell them, "DON'T EVER BE THIS WOMAN." Live y...

Woke up feeling 100% better this morning. Then I went to work. If I'm sick and feel like shit, I get to stay home in bed. If I'm healthy, I have to go to work. What's the motivation to keep obsessively washing my hands?

I felt no great desire to go to work today after finally getting a little bit of a break. But I tried anyway. I got up and got dressed. I felt as though my body was radiating enough heat to stave off any winter conditions in this hemisphere, but I kept going. I dragged myself into the bathroom and started brushing my teeth, only to vomit into the sink mid-brushstroke. (I REALLY hate that.) Still, I kept going. I rinsed my mouth, washed my face and started putting on my makeup. My head started swirling. Everything went black. I reached behind me for the wall and slowly slid down until I was sitting on the bathroom floor. Forget it. Not happening. I sent a text to my boss, pulled off my work clothes, climbed back into bed, and slept for another six hours straight.

Precisely at the halfway point of my umpteenth rereading of the Belgariad series (which will be followed by an equal umpteenth reread of the Malloreon), I am still inclined to hope that someone defies author David Eddings's wishes and finds a way to put the story on film. I'm sorry, late Mr. Eddings. I want to see it. I won't stop reading. I promise.

I don't normally get sucked in to the trendy thing to do, but I binge watched Netflix's Making a Murderer yesterday and today. 1) Avery may not be innocent, but there's definitely reasonable doubt. I've covered plenty of trials as a journalist, and court reporting (along with doing police logs) has contributed greatly to my natural condition of cynical bitch. However, I have come to see that juries hate defendants and are inclined to convict regardless of what is put before them. The American system of justice is supposed to be based on "innocent until proven guilty," and that's supposed to be guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This is actually unusual, as many justice systems presume guilt and require that innocence be proven. In real life, the American system is as bad or worse. While juries really are only expected to determine if a defendant is "guilty" or "not guilty" - and a "guilty" verdict, under the law, must be...

1) Make some glorious food (or at least eat some) 2) Drink some great wine (or at least good wine. I can't really afford great wine.) 3) Lose myself in some wonderful books (old favorites and new. Do you think George R.R. Martin will finally let me move on?)