Cymberleah Rambles

Some weekends just don't end

Or at least it feels that way.

This has been a busy weekend. Not as busy for me as it has been for other people, I know, but it has been full of things that are not 12 hour nights and naps in the afternoon, so it really feels like it's lasted forever.

It really started on Friday night when my sister threw a Sensations party. This is sort of like a Mary Kay party, but without the makeup. It's basically a line of products marketed for people with sensitive skin, but reading the backs of the product bottles it looked like any other face/hair/what-have-you product. There were 6 of us there, me, my friend Kim, my sister, her friends Nancy and Janelle, and Micha, Janeen's sister in law who was also our host/rep.

We got facials.

For the most part I don't care about my face. It will always break out, I'm young enough to not worry about smile lines or suchlike, and I still clean my face with soap. I am not the person you really market a facial program to. But it was a fun night. I got to play with my nephew and eat fruit dipped in a chocolate caramel fondue, and I did end up buying some stuff that will be handy, like some aromatherapy oils that smelled yummy and distinct enough that it wasn't like I would find something similar elsewhere. I also bought some shampoo that does not smell like shampoo, as I loathe the standard shampoo scent.

Standard shampoo stink makes my eyes water. Even if the soap is nowhere near my eyes, the smell of it just is cloying, sticks in my nostrils and the back of my throat, and is just so incredibly disgusting to me that I actually stopped using shampoo for years and just used some soap instead. I also couldn't use conditioner because it stank the same. Now I have found some good mint-tea tree conditioner, and I do have some yummy mint shampoo as well, but I like having a variety of scents.

The day pretty much ended there, except for me stitching madly away in an attempt to make my goal before the GTG on Saturday. Oh, also I nearly managed to make Laura cry with my terrible communication skills, so while Kim repaired the damage I had done I went and hid under a blanket. I went to bed about midnight, then got up at eight to watch my Netflix movie (Alone in the Dark) and stitch some more. I did make my goal, and managed to get a strand of white floss in the piece before I ran to Costco at 10. I picked up a Caramel Apple pie and some beef jerky, then left. I stopped by Fred Meyer's on the way home to buy a couple pillows (buy one get one free) and some yarn for an afghan (buy two get one free). Then it was back home to drop everything off, I called Kim and convinced her to come, grabbed my stuff, and left to go pick her up.

She hadn't slept well the past night before, so was a bit out of it. I had forgotten the directions the Barclay's house, but remembered how to get there. Except, that is, for the house number. I called Summer and got that piece of information, then Kim and I made it all the way there.

The GTG was fun, and thankfully the only piece passed around that I adored I already owned. I got almost all the letters in NA's alphabet outlined, and also made money. I was showing off the scarves that I crocheted, and in particular the one that I used Bliss yarn on, and Barclay loved it. She asked if she could buy it, and while my mind struggled with the concept of selling it instead of just stitching it and playing with it every now and then, she kept increasing the amount she would pay me. (This was fairly quick on her part). I said "Sure," at $20, but she ended up paying me $30.

Wow. Neat. I made money doing something that I had just done to pass the time. The yarn only cost me something like $6, and I even have more already to play with again. My mind is still having trouble embracing the "I made something and sold it" concept because it is convinced that you can't get money without at least having had to get up before noon at some point.

I left the GTG with a six pack of Canadian Coke (courtesy of Laura) and some tomatoes that someone had brought from her garden. Mmmmm, tomatoes. One of my favorite foods, especially when they are fresh and locally grown. Kim and I went back to her place, where she slept, Steve watched the Fifth Element on TV, and I listened to the movie and played WOW. My warrior is now level 8. Whee.

I went home and pretty much went to bed, then got up at 8 Sunday morning and stitched some more. Summer called and I quickly got ready to go out shopping. Summer and she came over, and then we all went into Downtown Seattle.

Now I have lived in this area almost all my life, but I am a serious suburb girl. I know all my back roads and all the malls but I almost never go down into the actual city, and now this is the second time this year that I played tourist!

We parked under Westlake Center, then took the elevator up into the mall. We tried to go to level 2, but the elevator wouldn't let us. After we all stared at the panel for awhile, Laura hit the button for level 1 and the elevator moved. We got out and the mall was totally empty. We wandered to the far side and tried to get out but the doors were locked. The mall didn't actually open for another 30 minutes. He let us out and we went around looking at all the closed stores before going into the open Gap. Laura bought some stuff, then Summer and I got some coffee (or in my case vaguely coffee-esque beverage) from Starbucks, and then we wandered into Pacific Place.

There was a store that sold olive oil open, and by the time we were done in there the Pottery Barn had opened and we went in. We ended up browsing there, J. Crew, the Bose store, and Restoration Hardware (I was hoping for foot duvets, but no such luck) before leaving for Nordstroms. There we saw funky odd socks, very expensive shoes, and coutre outfits that would eat all my money for one dress. There was also a beautiful deep red beaded dress that I fell in love with, but I cannot justify spending $450 on something that I will likely never get to wear.

We left Nordstroms and wandered down to Pike Place Market, and from there to Elliot's, where we all had very, very yummy crab dishes for lunch. We ordered 3 entrees and a starter, and we shared around the table until everyone was full and happy. Then we went back up to Westlake. We stopped off at a shoe store where Summer bought some black Earth shoes. Laura wanted to go into this makeup store who's name I can't remember but it started with an S. I browsed around and kept reminding myself that I don't wear makeup, Summer tried some lip stuff that makes your lips poofy, and Laura wanted a set that didn't come in her color. So we all left without buying anything.

We stopped off at the Fireworks store in Westlake, where Laura got a couple cool books and the most fun glasses. Then we left and drove up to Alderwood mall.

We stopped off at the Apple store and I bought the Bose ipod stereo dock that I wanted and a iCarPlay that works like the iTrip is supposed to. Then we went to the Alderwood chapter of the makeup store that did have Laura's color in stock, so she got that. We browsed the Limited, but didn't buy anything, then went up to Everett Pacific Fabrics and bought finishings for ornaments for Laura, and silk for me to again pretend to be trying to figure out Japanese embroidery. I think if I keep getting supplies, the supply inertia might actually force me to start a piece.

Then I went to dinner at my folks, and came back home a bit after 9:30. It turns out that while I was eating dinner, my neighbor decided that it would be a good idea to drive drunk. She somehow managed to hit the fence around the dumpster as well as hit the side of the work truck. The odd part is that she managed this with the front passenger corner of her car, and while that is definitely where the paint is, I have absolutely no idea how she turned her car to manage this feat. As a matter of fact, I don't think that there is any way that she would not have hit it tonight. The only other place that I park it is behind my garage, and I have a feeling that she would have hit it if it was parked there, as well. She was just that smashed. So I called my boss (dad) and he came out and made decisions about the truck. We're going to get an estimate of how much it will be to fix (and it's a dented door *and* the door frame/step/whatever you call the part of the car below where the door closes) and then she's supposedly going to write us a check. Dad is being nicer than I would be. I feel that if You Drive Drunk, You Pay The Price. But he's the boss, so whatever.

Anyway, long, full weekend for me. Now it's done, and I'm off to sleep!

posted by cymberleah @ 10:07 PM