I had always thought it might be a fun thing to do, I just had not committed to doing it. I wondered if it would be worth the expense. I questioned if it would be truly relaxing. I had even bigger doubts about being au natural around a stranger. gasp. I am a very VERY private person.

But a massage is on my bucket list so I took the plunge. I even had a male masseuse. As I was walking in I thought to myself maybe I could have taken a smaller plunge and started with a female stranger masseuse. Nope too late to back out now. I am not going to say I was completely at ease with the whole “draping” process. Which is what they called the sheets covering your, ahem, essentials. But, after the initial awkwardness it was really great.

I learned not to fix your hair before you go. It will get messed up. And not in a ‘I am a model here is my slightly mused exotic coiffure.” Nope, more in a crazy you accidently overslept hairstyle. And the other lesson was eat some food so you’re not hungry and your stomach growls. Oh wait, that is not massage specific that is a life thing. Eat some food at a regular basis so you are not super hungry and don’t eat too much food because that can also cause stomach discomfort. Not anything new there. Right. Moving on.

So I decided that instead of crossing massage off my bucket list. I am now going to change it to massage outdoors. Sneaky, hmm?

How rad would it be to get a massage in a tropical paradise?

While I am over here dreaming away of a massage with the sounds from the ocean and the gentle breezes of being by the water.. Ah, lovely dream… Are you guys supporters of the art of massage?  Have you had good expeiernces or some less than stellar?

…after all my whining I got a swim suit. There was minimal gnashing of teeth. Here was the thought process.. If it is 80 degrees in March, I feel it is a safe bet I will need swim wear. It’s the South it can always get hotter. Suck it up and buy a swim suit. The End.

… that since I saw Wicked I have been dreaming of a Wizard of Oz themed party. How great would that be? Hay bales for seats, baskets of goodies, red sparkle accents, complete with a yellow brick road to the emerald city. Guests would dress as Dorothy, Toto, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, flying monkeys, munchkins, Glenda, Wicked Witch, and the Wizard, of course.

Every girl needs a pair of ruby slippers. These are Judy Garland's from the movie. She wore a size 5. I could only fit half of my foot in one of her shoes. Literally. My long feet are a size 10.

When my parents were younger my mom actually talked my dad into dressing as the Tin Man for a party, she dressed as Dorothy. He could not move his arms or legs in the costume they rigged up.  Crazy right? Yes folks they are still married even after that! Or maybe this was while they were dating.  I don’t remember the whole story.

…it’s the weekend. You should do something fun and/or eat something delicious. It is your civic duty.

~

Do you have plans for the weekend? Do tell.

It happens at the same time every. single. year. And yet I pretend it doesn’t exist. I respond with surprise and then denial. I vehemently deny that it could be time to start thinking about swim wear. My response is, “It’s earlier this year isn’t it? Keeps getting earlier every year, right?” Nope, they put the swim suits out at the same time last year? Huh. Who knew?

I haven’t bought a new swim suit in a while. The salt and chlorine have done a good job stretching out the elastic. So I can say, look they’re (a little) too big. Ha. Um, no they are not, the elastic has lost its elasticity.

I like shopping for jewelry but not for swim wear. I  never get excited about buying a swim suit. So I did it, I took a Valium I tried on a few. Here is where the second part of the denial comes in. I look at myself in the mirror in said swim suit and think that’s not what I look like. Actually, yes, yes it is. I see myself when I get in the shower. Why do I think I am going to look like the swim suit model just because i put on the same bikini? Major denial.

Here is what I go into the dressing room wanting..

Teeny tiny yellow polka dot bikini

And THEN I walk out wanting to purchase this…

Poncho

A poncho to cover the swim suit.

Here’s what I did.  Walked out without buying anything. And then ate lunch. That will show the swim suit who’s boss.

~

Photos via 1, 2

I recently told you about my love of crepes and mentioned the crepe place near me. On a visit there I got an orange juice to drink with my crepe.  Not just regular O.J. but a fizzy orange drink called an Orangina. Have you had one before? I think it may be more popular in other countries than it is in the U.S.

Instead of immediately recycling the glass bottle, I wanted to recycle it in another way. I took this home with me

Orangina

I liked the shape of the bottle and the texture of the glass. And I had a can of gold spray paint…

Now gold

Because I did not have any white roses lying around. I cut an oversized white flower out of tissue paper and glued it to a chop stick as a finishing touch.

Happy Tuesday!

I did not do anything in particular to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, except to get myself a treat and want to rhyme about it. Does that count? Well Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss, I think my favorites from his work are How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Oh, The Places You’ll Go!  Did you know that Oh, The Places You’ll Go was the last book Dr. Seuss wrote and it sells up to 300,000 copies each year? Impressive Dr. S.

I got a treat at one of my very favorite places. I had seen it a while ago and drooled over it. I lovingly watched it so long, I am surprised the sales people did not offer a chair, popcorn, and coke.

After dreaming about it, I decided if I went back and it was still there we were destined to be together.

At this point you may be thinking it is some form of entertainment like electronics or perhaps some useful thing I can use on a regular basis. Alas, you would be mistaken.

It not practical in the least. My treat was from one of my favorite shops, J.Crew. And it was this…

necklace. I would have linked to their website, but I don’t see this necklace on their site.

Husband says it looks Egyptian, I like that description. I think it just makes me giddy and I will wear it everyday until the nice lady at the grocery store politely asks if I own anything else. And then I will wear it for two more weeks, just for good measure.

How do you treat yourself? What makes you giddy?

Mr. Smith was watching the tv channel for men and said, “Have you seen this movie?” Me, “Nope, what movie is this?” Him,  “You’ve never seen the Godfather?” (said incredulously.) Me, “Hey I know about the Godfather!”

Here is the sum of what I know about the Godfather. Go to the mattresses. And. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday. I know that plethora of knowledge about the 72 hours that is the Godfather. I learned it from a movie that plays on the women’s channel on continuous loop, the chick flick You’ve Got Mail. Thank you Tom Hanks. He quoted the Godfather multiple times in You’ve Got Mail.

Here is what I am wondering.. Is this a universal thing, do all guys know about the Godfather? Ladies, have you seen them?

Years ago while visiting San Francisco I took the boat out to Alcatraz Island in the middle of the San Fransisco Bay.  Alcatraz was a federal penitentiary where the worst criminals were sent. The prisoners landed themselves a spot on Alcatraz because they had caused problems at other prisons. Some of the most notorious criminals were sent to Alcatraz like Al Capone, “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert Stroud aka “Birdman of Alcatraz.”  It was opened on January 1, 1934 and was closed by Kennedy on March 21, 1963.

Alcatraz Island

Inside the halls of Alcatraz

Alcatraz prison cell

My visit made a lasting impression. I remember standing in the hallways with cold drafts of air while listening to headphones. What a creepy feeling, hearing the criminals talk about the conditions there. I even wrote a paper and later gave a speech about the prison and my experience.

Fast forward to when I was hitting Mr. Smith, I was thrilled because…. I saw the previews for the show Alcatraz. I eagerly awaited the start of the show. I waited to talk about it on the blog until I had actually seen the show. I wouldn’t dare think of leading you in the wrong direction by wasting your quality time on bad t.v. Gasp!

I must know… are you watching Alcatraz? It’s on Fox, check your local listings. I have ulterior motives, I want the show to last and therefore I want them to have good ratings. I want to know what happens. If you haven’t seen it, it is from producer J.J. Abrams, who created LOST (and many other shows and movies.) I didn’t really watch LOST, from what I understand you only learned bits and pieces as the show went along. That is true of Alcatraz also.The premise of the t.v. show is that the closing of Alcatraz by Kennedy in ’63 was not true. The truth, according to the show, is that the inmates and guards vanished. And have now mysteriously reappeared 50 years later.

I am still as fascinated with this prison as I was when I visited. I am obsessed with seeing these prisoners and their seemingly bizarre behavior come to life on the show.  I say seemingly bizarre because often their behavior is rooted in an experience from the past. Each episode they are trying to figure out what made each of them act the way they do. It’s really good, in my opinion.

Here is how crazy I am.. I saved the show and then watched on Valentines Day as one of my treats. Seriously who watches clinically insane criminals on the sappiest day of the year? Yours truly. Luckily I have gotten the husband hooked on the show, so we did watch it together.

I picked my fashion leading ladies.  No guys on the list because, well, they all look nice in their tuxes. Exception to the rule being Sasha Baren Cohen. Who showed up in character as The Dictator.

~~

The ladies…

Michelle Williams

On screen the color looked so vibrant and pretty on her. The fabric moved really well and she is on trend with the peplum.

Kristen Wiig

I like the color of this dress and I think it works with her hair color. I know some may disagree with me and may think that the color did not work with her skin tone. I think it is a glamorous gown.

Glenn Close

I thought this Zac Posen dress looked great on her. I feel the silhouette is working for her and she looks spunky.

Tina Fey

Another peplum adopter, Tina Fey, has come a long way on the red carpet.  I am a fan of the dress and the hair. Well done Fey.

Meryl Streep

She struck gold with this dress. No pun intended. She looks the part of the powerhouse actress that she is.

Emma Stone

Classy and elegant.

~~

Did any of these make your list of favorites? Did I leave off your pick for best dressed?

Let me begin by saying I enjoyed our time together. You are a nicer apartment than most I have seen. No really, don’t be modest apartment. I love your view of the river; it is stunning when the sun reflects off the water, or the fog creates an eerie look. I like that you were new when we moved in and sometimes when I come home I still smell the new. I love that you are an apartment and yet have stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. You clean up well, apt.

View of the river at sunset from our place.

But, you have your flaws too. You are not big on giving me my space. You aren’t big on closet space. And your kitchen, while sleek and shiny, is tiny. Before the husband and I got married we each had our own house. Each house had more space than you little apartment. And your small big other flaw is that you think a lot of yourself. You want a lot of money each month to keep our relationship going.

While we will soon part ways, I won’t forget you.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith

~ ~ ~

I am not sure where we will move next, that place has yet to be seen!

Do you prefer moving frequently and the adventure of trying new places? Or do you feel attached to your home and the memories you have had there?

Wicked the musical is based on Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the book by Gregory Maguire. The story is that of the witch from The Wizard of Oz. The book is her side of the story from her birth on.

I not-so-patiently waited to see it for several years.  It had not worked out for me to see it when I have been in New York or Chicago. But it is now on tour, so Mr. Smith gave me tickets for Christmas. The show was this past weekend. I loved it. It lives up to the hype. It is funny, the cast is great, the songs are upbeat, and I enjoyed the costumes.

I would recommend seeing it. The fun and interesting characters you know so well from the movie the Wizard of Oz make a visit. The musical leaves out some of the harsh details included in the book. And I also think you will leave liking the wicked witch so much more than you did before!

It was a great weekend complete with a nice hotel stay and good food.

~

Do you like musicals? Ever seen Wicked? Share.

I hope your week is off to a good start!