Taking a break

My mom convinced me that I need to give some sort of explanation for my lack of blogging! I have been taking a break, mostly because my job, as I have mentioned, has taken over my life, and I had to cut some things back (like blogging). So that is why I have not been around as much as usual.

But I did get an email today (from my husband, actually) that I had to share. Check out this "Marital Rating Scale" from the 1930s. It supposedly gives couples feedback on whether or not they are being a good spouse. Wives get demerits if they: don't come to bed until their husband is almost asleep, wear red nail polish, fails to sew buttons regularly, or put cold feet on their husbands at night to warm them. That last one is what earned me my demerit. But how else are they supposed to get warm?

Accessorizing relaxation

On my way home from work Friday, I was struck by all the different ways people were accessorizing their relaxation: A man in a business suit sucked on a cigar while driving his silver Mercedes; couples walked dogs in old jeans; groups of women slipped into Georgetown restaurants for happy hour.

My personal accessories include a martini glass, linen pants (so comfortable), and a shower. What are yours?

To drink or not to drink

Today's paper held a disturbing story about alcohol intake: For Women, the Wineglass is Half Full. For someone like me, who loves a glass (or sometimes two) of wine at night, the article suggests that such habits might increase the risk of breast cancer by 10 to 40 percent. That's enough to make me substitute my pinot grigio with club soda tonight.

It also raises the larger question of dealing with risk. There's been so much talk about the danger of plastics. How is it even possible to deal with this problem? I bring my lunch to work almost very day in a (plastic) tupperware container. On my way out the door this morning, I was frantically trying to compare the number on the bottom of my container to the chart in the paper that shows which number correlates with which type of plastic. I'm pretty sure mine was on the "do not use" list.

And now I really need a glass of wine to deal with the stress of all that.

Yikes

I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost a week! The problem is, my life has been taken over by my actual job...leaving me less time to share the details of my latest cooking, marital, and bathing adventures. Luckily, these ladies have been making great posts lately:

• 24-7 Mommy
• Trish's Dishes
• Everyday Yogini
• Just Breathe
• And my friend Kate wrote an amazing series of articles on the challenges of a difficult pregnancy (it has a very happy ending).
  

Hmm

My mom is wondering if perhaps I was deprived of baths when I was little. Hmm. Does it seem like I've overly obsessed?

Bath bliss

This purchase has significantly improved my life, so I must share... my husband bought this "bath pillow" as a surprise over the weekend while we were at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and it's pleasures are difficult to overstate -- it basically feels like a gentle neck massage in the tub.

It's never as bad as you think

For some reason, today has been a day to obsess about mistakes that I've made. Everything from social interactions to getting unnecessarily frantic at times. For example, today, I thought I completely messed up a tv appearance. The ear piece wouldn't stay in my ear, which made me feel unsettled, which made me think I totally messed up the whole thing. And while I was walking home, obsessing about that disaster, I ran into an old college classmate and was convinced I had failed to have an un-awkward conversation. But in both cases, it was fine. Or it doesn't really matter anyway. But even if it did, it was fine.

Thank goodness it's not just me.