Wow!

If life were a yearbook and there was a "Best Nails" award, I'd win today.

I went for my 3rd manicure at BJ Grand Salon and Spa, and Lisa said I was ready for french tips. My nails have really grown a lot and while I loved the purple from last time, I think the look above is really ME. Wow! A friend at work just asked, "Are those YOUR real nails?!?" Yes, they are. For the first time in my life, all 10 are perfect. I'm telling you, if you're desperate to stop biting (so nasty), THIS is the way to do it. I've never looked down and actually seen PRETTY, feminine hands...and I'll do whatever it takes to keep them.

Really, Miley?

I've been shaking my head for the past few hours at a statement Miley Cyrus made. I typically don't pay her much attention and since I don't have kids I've never been subjected to "Hannah Montana." I realize many little girls love(d) her, and I get the whole teen idol thing. We've all worshipped stars only to laugh (or cringe) years later. I had a Shawn Cassidy iron-on t-shirt. I had Teen Beat pages taped all over my walls. If your daughter loves Miley/Hannah, I'm sorry if you're offended that I'm critical. But on USA Today's website, I couldn't miss this headline: MILEY CYRUS BITTER ABOUT REBECCA BLACK LOL! That just makes me laugh. Miley is NOT happy about Rebecca's ridiculous rise to fame after "Friday!" went viral (nearly 70 million views), and had the nerve to say, "It should be harder to be an artist." I can't even fully wrap my head around how crazy that is coming from her. I totally agree with you, Miley. And to you I say, "A person should be able to sing before they become a star."

Seaweed?

I'm exhausted today...for a sad reason. I stayed up til nearly midnight WATCHING A MOVIE. At home. I went to bed right after, but you'd think I closed the bars and then went to Merry Ann's for a gravy nightcap. I'm super tired and blah. I hope seaweed will perk me back up. I'm running over to BJ Grand Salon and Spa after work and gonna try out A Seaweed BODY MASK. I know, it's a big question mark for me too - but someone recommended it and I think it'll help get the "ick" out. Their website says that it'll help get rid of dead skin cells and release toxins, after my skin is exfoliated. I'm really curious about the seaweed wrap and wonder if I'll feel like a giant Unwich. I'll let you know! We got a complete upgrade to our operating systems at work today. Everyone has been really thrown off their routines and it makes for a bit of stress. I wish I could close the door and take a teeny nap. No one would ever need to know...

Beanies recipe

This has been copied from an email from Fooducate, a blog whose self-proclaimed goals are

• to healthify your supermarket choices
• to eliminate nutrition label confusion
• to offer independent, objective food recommendations

So here's the recipe for Black Bean Brownies:

This recipe, courtesy of celebrity chef Amanda Freitag and nutritionist Julie Barto employs… black beans. Beans are a low calorie, protein and fiber packed ingredient we could all consume more of. Here is an opportunity to enjoy beans for dessert.

Ingredients:
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained very well
3 eggs
3 Tbsp canola oil
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed or ¾ cup white granulated sugar
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8” x 8” baking pan with cooking spray.
In food processor, process black beans until smooth.
Add the eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract,
and sugar, and process until smooth.
Add ½ of the chocolate chips and stir, so that the chips are mixed in.
Transfer the batter to the baking pan, and sprinkle the remaining chips on top of the brownies.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

After I put the beanies in the oven I sampled some of the batter left on the bowl (of course!), and was kind of weirded out by the flavor. I swore I tasted beans. But after the brownies cooled, I thought they were really, really good. Would've never known their little secret.

Maybe next time I'll share my equally amazing "margaritas made from beer" recipe. Yum!!

Beanies

I'm not all that into cooking (mostly a time/lack of focus thing), but I do really enjoy baking. I doubt that even my good friends realize that. I'm not talking about fancy cupcakes or creme brulee or bananas foster. I'm a basic midwesterner when it comes to recipes, like my mom but not nearly as ambitious. She used to make up to 10 pies or 13 loaves of zucchini bread on a Sunday afternoon (cause she worked all week), moving like a one-woman assembly line for hours. They'd go into the freezer for my dad to take out after he'd finished the last. Oh, and her pie crusts were FROM SCRATCH.

Anyway, her influence pointed me in a sensible, simple direction when it comes to baking. I don't make many things, but I do them well and (in my opinion) the right way. I like cookies made from scratch, pancakes that didn't start in a box (although who has the time some days?), and zucchini bread baked after a trip to the Urbana Market at the Square. I don't bake often but when I do it's a really relaxing and even meditative thing. I make a mess and clean it up at the same time, I talk to myself, and I feel like I'm doing something that women have done for hundreds of years. Having said that, I'm not going to make my own crusts. It's hard to even want to make a PIE, when you can buy a really awesome one at Sam's for like $6. There are just so many hours in a day and you have to consider the cost - store bought in this case is probably cheaper.

And while we're on the topic, I'm guilty of running to the big store and buying something packaged for a party more often than not. That's fine - we're all rushed these days. Still, it makes me feel sort of bad. Baking for someone else is a real GIFT. So this winter when my neighbor repeatedly snowblowed (is that a word?) my sidewalk, I baked him cookies. That made me happier than him, I think. During the summer, I take my dad loaves of zucchini or banana bread at least once since my mom no longer bakes. He told me that my zucchini bread is better than hers...and if your mom is a good cook. you KNOW that was a huge, HUGE thing to hear.

So tonight I'm all alone, and spent most of my downtime in the kitchen. I broiled marinated shark steak (wow - that was a first) and had a good dinner...then I made what I'll now call "Beanies." I was extremely skeptical but thought, what the hell. It has chocolate chips - how can it be all that bad?

But this brownie recipe also has BLACK BEANS. It was in my Fooducate daily email for Valentine's Day, and I've saved it ever since. I had to use my old hand-held blender because I don't have a food processor (and my Magic Bullet just couldn't cut it) so I worried that the beans weren't pureed enough. Well, I think it tastes pretty incredible. If you prefer semi-sweet rather than super sweet, you should give this recipe a shot. I'll post it separately, as this has gotten long enough.

First, I have to go check my oatmeal whole wheat bread kneading in the machine. My hopes are in check; it was looking a bit sad a while ago as I peered through the window, flashlight in hand. Live and learn. Even bad bread isn't THAT bad, right? It's still bread.

More than a thousand words

Apparently, pictures can be worth a hell of a lot more than a thousand words, at least to some people. I sat in on a conference call at work yesterday where a lawyer explained how fragile and tricky the policies are regarding copyrighted materials. She spent most of the time discussing the use of music in advertising, but there was a lot of talk about online policies as well. Because this blog is linked to Mix 94.5's website (which ultimately has commercial goals), it falls under the same rules. So...all the photos that I didn't take with my own camera had to go. I confess I use Google Images ALL THE TIME. Who doesn't? Oh well - I just went through all my entries (glad this is relatively new) and got rid of images that could cost the radio station (and me) big bucks. I guess not showing Gaga riding in her egg isn't the end of the world. It makes for a pretty bland-looking blog, though.

You're killing me!

Anyone who cares about Illini basketball is a nervous wreck right now, watching Illinois battle Kansas. It's been a pretty amazing game, with a 4-point difference at halftime. DJ Richardson just sunk a 3 with 7 minutes to go, and it's a 7 point game. Wow. I'm proud of these guys. No one even thought they'd make it to the NCAA Tourney, and they're putting up a fight against this 1 seed.

I wasn't here in 2000 when Bill Self left, so I don't have those emotional scars...but he sure does look smug to me.

In related news, my bracket is a disaster. No shock there.

Yikes, I got distracted and it's suddenly a 13 point lead. : (

Friday!

" subpar production values, grating hooks and extraordinarily stupid "

Mike Cation knows that I can be a bit square, and he was right when he sent me the You Tube video for 13 year-old Rebecca Black's "Friday." By the time I saw it, 18 milion other views had been racked up - apparenly everyone else in the world had seen it BUT me.

If you don't know what I'm talking about (that IS possible), click HERE to watch.

I watched the video last night. My first thought was that it was catchy and cute (ala Justin Bieber, Rebecca's idol)...then I heard the lyrics and thought, "okay, this has to be a joke." I read today that some people suspect it could be a viral prank, along the lines of Joaquin Phoenix's so-called performance art. "Nothing this perfectly horrible could be unintentional," one commenter recently told Rolling Stone. The lyrics are so dumb they're funny:

"Kickin’ in the front seat
Sittin’ in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?"

I also love the part where she runs down the days in order.

"Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday...
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after...wards"

Haters have posted vicious things about the 13 year-old and the song. It's disgusting how the anonymity of the internet brings the worst out in people who'd NEVER (have the guts to) say anything face-to-face. But Rebecca has her share of fans, too. Chris Brown: "Honest opinion? It was great. I'll be jammin' to it on Friday, Friday," he sang. Simon Cowell called the song "brilliant." I think he's mostly just enjoying how angry some people are at its success.

How did "Friday!" come to be? Here's how it all happened, according to Bohemian:

The answer is Ark Music Factory, a Los Angeles-based company operating as an industry hybrid of Maurice Starr and John Bennett Ramsey. Their casting calls are perfect bait for starry-eyed parents: “If you are a great singer without any material and you want to get discovered,” one reads, “then Ark Music Factory is looking for you.”

The formula is simple: They’ll fly your child between the specified ages of 13-17 to Los Angeles, write her a “hit,” record it in super-compressed Autotuned production, shoot an edge detection-overlay video and BAM! Maybe your kid can notch up a couple thousand YouTube views while you watch your dreams of being a pop-star parent percolate.

Does that explain Willow Smith?

So, all that aside - what's to say about the song/video? It made me smile and even laugh a little. Totally ignorant, but fun. I might even put it on my MP3 player. I don't care how it came about or what her parents' motives are - we are in the age of self-promotion and internet superstars. Plenty of people rely on auto-tune because they're really not very good underneath all the production. The girl is THIRTEEN! What do you expect, really? Charlotte Church?

Just laugh and sing along. If she becomes a star, it's because we bought her crap and allowed it to happen.

Spring is in the air...

While I think Nicole from WIXY is a bit ambitious with her flip flops and short-sleeved shirt, today is INCREDIBLE! We've waited so long, suffering through a miserable winter, that this St. Patrick's Day feels like Christmas. We could hit 70 this afternoon and I plan to celebrate with a walk to Refinery and back (from work), so I can do my cardio outside. Yesterday was my first long ride (well, to the library and back) on my scooter. I think I've mentioned it before, but here's a pic. If you see a giant egghead riding it around C/U, that's me. I am really disciplined about wearing my helmet, even though lots of people think it's silly on a scooter. Ummm, it goes 40 mph! I'll look silly.

Get outside today! It feels too good to be true.

Progress

Sorry if the nail biting stories are becoming tedious - I just want to update my progress and mention that thanks to the shellac at BJ Grand Salon, I'm having continued success, although my three dreams about biting indicate I'm still stressed about it. It's IMPOSSIBLE to bite or even chip the stuff. I have finally met my match! I went into the salon yesterday (after 2 weeks, typical) and Lisa removed the clear shellac with acetone - the only thing that will safely and easily take it off. Since I'm starting to have some length (on ALL TEN!) I went with bold color - a purple called "Rock Royalty." Heck yeah! All the compliments I've gotten prove that Lisa was right when she said it's BJ's most popular color.

I smashed my finger between 2 shopping carts.

I took like 18 pictures before I was satisfied - I hate how old my hands are starting to look. : ( My mom always used to say that a woman's hands and neck give away her age. As far as I can tell my neck is still okay, thank God. (That always makes me think about Ally McBeal and the waddle...)

I also had a hydrotherapy treatment AND a massage at BJ yesterday, but I'm still too relaxed from them to type much more. I'll tell you about that another time.

Put me in, Coach

I noticed tiny shoots popping up in my yard yesterday, amid the sad brown and yellow grass - tulips on the way! Shouldn't these 30-degree days be done by now? Some parts of Missouri got as much as 6" of snow this morning, so I guess I shouldn't complain. But I am. I'm ready for warm weather and colors in the yard and SUNSHINE!!

It's definitely time, because I realized today that my first softball game (at Dodds, by Parkland) is a month from today. Wow! Time will fly and suddenly it'll be June and we'll be in that summertime going-in-a-million-different-directions mode...and this long, miserable winter will seem like it couldn't have possibly happened. At least I hope it feels that way. I'm ready for a HOT summer. (yes, I said it)

Congrats, Illini

To quote the Fighting Illini website:

"The University of Illinois men's basketball team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday evening and will face No. 8 seed UNLV in the second round on Friday, March 18 in Tulsa, Okla. Illinois is the No. 9 seed in the Southwest Region."

Time to start my tourney research, if you know what I mean. I love sports and March Madness is awesome, but I'm never very clued in when it's time to make predictions. Sometimes I read a ton online and go with that - other years I've just played my hunches or hurried through the bracket. Regardless, it's such a fun time of year!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's a bit suprised that we got a bid, but I won't dwell on negativity. My volleyball team wins all season long then loses the tourney at the end (cough! RINGERS!), so who knows?

My cousin Nick was really wonderful at Caffe Paradiso on Friday, by the way. He'll be playing there again as part of the Boneyard Arts Festival - Thursday, April 7, 2011: UI Campus (education day).

Rest of the Festival:

Friday, April 8, 2011: Downtown Champaign
Saturday, April 9, 2011: Downtown Urbana
Sunday, April 10, 2011: Out & About Champaign County

Wow, I'm all over the map today! It has to be the time change. Toss in a goodbye party for a favorite coworker at Esquire last night (love those seven and sevens) and a cloudy day, and I'm sort of fuzzy. But I think Sunday nights are perfect for that - chili for dinner, an afghan on the couch, and something on Netflix! Yay!

All that jazz

I'm daring to venture down to the Campustown area tonight, since my cousin will be playing jazz piano (keyboard) at Caffe Paradiso. His name is Nick and he's a senior at U of I, actually doing his student teaching in Spanish Ed right now (Centennial). Click HERE for his My Space page, where you can hear some of his stuff. I have to say I'm a sucker for the standards like "Autumn Leaves" and "Moonlight Serenade," but I know writes music, as well.

I've only heard him play live once before, at his parents' house a few Thanksgivings ago. He played the keyboard while his dad was on vibes. What a cool sound! They've been performing together for years and were so good that my dad yelled from upstairs, "What CD is that?" Tonight he'll be playing alone from 7-8, then joined by a drummer. I'm really psyched...and find it a huge compliment that he invited me. : ) Maybe I should leave the beret and bongos at home and just try to blend into the crowd. I am, after all, a bit older and a whole lot less hip. But I'm a proud and enthusiastic fan, and isn't that really what any performer wishes for in the audience? I'm looking forward to hanging out at a coffeehouse, too - never been to Caffe Paradiso but it looks fantastic.

...like it's 1999

I feel like I've just joined the rest of the 21st century! Tonight I became a Netflix member, after years of avoiding the trend in favor of free movies from the library or cheap Family Video rentals. We bought a Memorex streaming Blu-Ray from Woot a few weeks ago, and finally got things set up. I would still be outside looking in if it weren't for a 6-month membership I received as a birthday gift. : ) Now that I'm here, I wonder what took so long!! The selection is pretty overwhelming, and we've already downloaded and watched Fathead tonight. Holy crap, Arrested Development is available instantly!!

Honestly, I'm a bit afraid of the pressure I'll put on myself to watch tons of movies and "get my money's worth." I spend enough time in front of the TV, and I certainly don't want to spend even more time staring at the screen while the real world passes me by. Still...I love movies and so far Netflix seems pretty amazing.

On my DVD cue so far:

Nurse Jackie Season 2

The Fighter

I Love You, Phillip Morris

Conviction

The Town

I usually try to use a witty title to sum up a blog entry...but there's nothing witty about what's been running through my mind for the past several days. We heard yesterday that 21 year-old Bradley Bunte had passed away from his injuries suffered on Friday evening. He'd been on life support after he was hit by two vehicles while crossing University Avenue against the light. The accident is under investigation but no tickets have been issued, as it seems to be the most tragic of situations that happened in a split second. His family is adamant that this was NOT related to Unofficial celebrations that evening.

Brad's parents issued a statement through the University (where Brad was a junior in journalism, and a writer for the Daily Illini) that was published Sunday in the News-Gazette. It was profound and heartbreaking, and BRAVE. Read it HERE. Their eloquence and the kindness they showed toward others involved in the accident bowled me over. I can't even imagine their pain, or how life has instantly (and forever) changed for that family...and for those who were driving the vehicles in the accident. It's horrific on every level.

We can all give examples of people who were taken "too soon." When I was about 12, a 3rd grader at my school died of leukemia. Her name was Amy. We barely understood death at that age, but kids recognize a senseless loss. A brilliant classmate died violently my senior year and his grave is not far from my grandmother's. She died at 82 after a long, happy life - he was murdered at 18. In January one of my close friends from high school was killed when she was thrown from a snowmobile. The helmet didn't save her. I still can't fully accept that one.

My heart goes out to Brad's family and friends, and to the drivers that night. I'm so, so sorry. It feels insufficient and awkward to say as a stranger, but I really mean it. And I know I'm not the only person in this big small town who may not have known Brad, but who grieves for you still.

Bowl 4 Kids' Sake 2011...in the books

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who donated to and participated in Bowl 4 Kids' Sake 2011 this weekend. I was really proud to be a member of Team Illini Radio Group, and to raise $155 - 100% of which goes DIRECTLY to Big Brothers, Big Sisters. I'm also kinda proud that I bowled 165 and 157. : )

Pictured are Sarah Addison (emcee), me, Jamie (a last minute guest addition to the team), Nicole Beals from WIXY, and Dug from 92.5 The Chief. We rocked lane 15 at Western Bowl in Champaign Saturday night, but folks from Central Illinois bowled Friday - Sunday and raised a whole lot of money for BBBS. If I get the official total, I'll pass it on.

HUGE props to this woman - I hate that I don't remember her name. She was bowling on lane 16 and won the 50/50 raffle, worth several hundred dollars...and IMMEDIATELY gave it back to Big Brothers, Big Sisters. If you know who she is, please comment on this blog or email me (michelle@mix945.com) so I can give her the recognition she deserves. Of course people who do such kind things usually don't want to be recognized, you know? Pictured with her is Ryan, a board member of BBBS and our Promotions Director with the Illini Radio Group.

Dug is either pointing out that I'm eating an oatmeal cookie from my Great Harvest Bread Company door prize...or the new hair I'm rocking from BJ Grand Salon. Either way, I'm not having it.

Those bottles aren't ALL mine!

Thanks again to everyone...I hope to be part of this great event in 2012!

One's enough

I have a fantastic group of friends that gets together each month. The eight of us share delicious meals, many drinks, and the unique camaraderie of women ranging from 29-51. It's something very special that I treasure. We started as a book club but that got in the way. : ) Only 3 of us would actually read the books and it was an effort that got in the way of our fun. It's much better to hang out, eat, drink, play games, paint pottery, gossip, and laugh.

We had a soup-n-salad party last night. The highlight was re-watching a music video they'd made for my recent birthday ("Bad Romance"). LOL! While we were standing around chatting in the kitchen (what you always seem to do at a good party), I noticed that my friend Denise - the host - had a list of resolutions for 2011 on the fridge. TWENTY-SEVEN resolutions. She's that kind of person, and I believe she'll achieve most if not all. They ranged from walking 500 miles to crocheting a blanket for her soon-to-be-born baby. If she could do both at the same time, she probably would.

Her list got me thinking about MY resolutions, for 2011 and in general. My generic ones every year seem to be (1) stop biting my nails, (2) work out more and really be serious about it, and (3) something deep and meaningful that varies. Every year since I was a teenager, the nails have come first...and every year, I have failed. Or not even bothered to try. I wrote the other day about how I was going to get a manicure at BJ GRAND SALON, with the hope of finally finding a solution to halt my addiction. (it's so gross) I've decided that while I admire my friend's commitment to achieve so many things, this is the ONE resolution that I will finally check off my list.

Lisa did a wonderful job of trimming and filing and cleaning up my ugly, stubby little nails. They could be a lot worse, but they were pretty raggedy and awful. She made them surprisingly smooth and round and nearly unoffensive. THEN....she applied shellac, a product that is seemingly revolutionary and magical. We chose a color that's close to clear since my nails are short and not ready for prime time. It dries under a little UV light in seconds, and after that it's like a shiny coat of concrete. Seriously, practically nothing will mar or remove this stuff, and it lasts for 14 days (when Lisa removes it). The hair stylists wear by it and swear by its durability. It's awesome for busy women who can't baby their nails. I'm going bowling tonight (Bowl 4 Kids' Sake - click HERE to donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters) and there are no worries. Best of all, it's so hard that I can't chew. My nails are so shiny and smooth that all I want to do is touch them and stare. After two weeks, they'll have grown a little and I will be 14 days on my way to my resolution...but I'll have Lisa put on more shellac. I don't trust myself and shaking my bad habit will take a while.

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, and it's a chance to refocus and officially declare this my goal. Of course I think a better Lenten gesture would be to DO something positive (e.g. volunteer) rather than give up a vice. Okay, perhaps I could try TWO resolutions...

Officially uninvolved

So tomorrow is "Unofficial." This drinkfest has several entries on the Urban Dictionary website, including such statements:

"The holiday began when students realized St. Patrick's Day was falling during Spring Break and they would not be able to celebrate it...has been said that more drinking occurs on Unofficial at UofI than occurs at many other schools during the entire year...begins at 8am...campus police guard the large lecture halls...created by local bar owners to make money...hundreds of citations and arrests..." and so on.

Some accuse advertising firms (hired by bar owners) of posing as students on Facebook, where over 23,000 people have RSVP'ed "yes" to the yearly event. Since 1996, it's exploded sorta like the green goo on "You Can't Do That on Television" - landing on Campustown and the heads of our community.

Most students - from here and from schools all over the midwest who are coming to OUR town for this monstrous party - seem to echo the sentiments of Ina Abraham (Senior, Business), quoted on the Daily Illini's Facebook page:

"I think it's a uniting factor. Everyone's super excited, it's such a happy day, everyone knows about it, professors don't assign as much homework...it's definitely a day when everyone is in a lighter mood. Especially for seniors, since it's our last one too, so it's like, go big or go home."

But junior John Moreland feels differently:

"I think it's the epitome of irresponsibility. It's unfortunate that students put on a really bad rap here because of that. I know that people outside of the University don't look at it as something that's good, and I'm disappointed that a lot of students participate in this activity and put on a bad example of students at the U of I."

I'm not going to be righteous. I went to Southern and actually experienced Halloween when it was legit and absolutely unreal. I've done plenty of drinking and I'm far from a teetotaler now. But I take issue with the biggest box store in town SELLING T-SHIRTS for tomorrow!! It's a dash of business genius with a whole lotta reprehensible greed (no surprise there).

The whole thing is reckless and dangerous - something I didn't fully realize or frankly care about when I was an undergrad standing outside Gatbsy's in Carbondale. That's pretty typical of a college partier. None of it surprises me, but now that I'm years (YEARS) older than the big banged co-ed I used to be, I worry. I worry about the kids (many underage) who will drink outrageous amounts of alcohol from dawn til pass out...who'll do some really stupid things...who could get hurt or worse.

It's doubtful that a college student is reading this, but if by some chance you ARE young and you ARE going to make a sloppy mess of yourself tomorrow, PLEASE try to be careful. Click HERE to read the official Unofficial rules and do your best to avoid tickets or citations. When your head and stomach tell you to stop, STOP. Drink lots of water and a Gatorade Saturday morning, and be thankful that you made it safely through the adventure.

Treating myself

I'm doing something a little different for ME today - going to BJ Grand Salon and getting a manicure, pedicure, AND facial!! Wow. I've never been the kind of girl who indulges herself in things like that, but it's a big year for me and I decided I deserve it. Besides, it's been a LONG winter and maybe this'll shake me out of my "is it still February?" (thank God, no) funk. So I called them up at 355-0505 and they were cool enough to get me in as soon as they could.

I'm nervous about the manicure in particular...because I bite my nails and with only brief successes I've been unable to break the habit. Nail biting is actually called "onychophagia!" I don't feel like I'm excessively nervous or compulsive, but like most people I've done it as long as I can remember. (I suppose that makes it compulsive) I talked to Renata at BJ Grand Salon and she said, "I think we can help you with that." Maybe paying attention to my hands - rather than hiding them - will mark a turning point AT LAST??

As for the pedicure, no one should be subjected to my feet this time of year. Ohhh, but they NEED some relief and pampering after a winter in boots and thick, sweaty socks. I'm looking forward to that indulgence more than anything today. I'll have to tell you more about the facial once it's done - I've NEVER had one!! Something tells me this will be really fun, though, and something I could get very, very used to.