Ripe for the Plucking

During lunch today I was enjoying the remainder of an excellent chicken poblano burrito and musing about financial vagaries. (I wonder if chicken poblano burrito and vagaries have ever before appeared in the same sentence.) This delightful dish cost me $8.65 as take-out last night from the local Mexican restaurant. The chicken was a tender, thick breast slice and the dish blended the hint of heat from a poblano pepper with cool, creamy cheese. All that taste for less than $9. Up the road away, a restaurant sells a pistachio encrusted chicken wrap that is also delicious but at a higher price. Another place has a coconut encrusted chicken dish that's probably twice as much. Hence my musing. If the chicken's just as good on one side of the road, why is it so much more expensive on the other side?

As if musing and eating weren't enough, I multi-tasked by web-surfing during lunch. I chanced upon yet another article about yet another industry adversely affected by the economy. Apparently, prostitutes and mistresses are feeling the recession. Wealthy men are finding it too expensive to cheat in the old ways. Hookers charge too much per hour. Mistresses or "high end girlfriends" as the article called them, come with a bunch of expenses like big ticket gifts, apartments and the occasional luxury weekend getaway.

Who knew that the economy could impact adultery? Apparently, this presents a real dilemma because financial woes are the number one cause of problems in a marriage and can lead to infidelity. What's a stressed out spouse to do?

According to this article, those who are compelled to have an affair are finding it easier and less costly to hook up with a honey who is also married. So, you don't need to finance an apartment (occasional hotel rooms are cheaper than rent), purchase expensive gifts that might be questioned by the partner's spouse, and, for a real bonus, there's less risk that the person you're sleeping with will rat you out or black mail you since he/she is also cheating and has just as much to lose.

Nature abhors a vaccum, so of course there are businesses cropping up to facilitate the affairs. Yes, there are website services where you can troll for a married person who also wants to cheat. I haven't googled them but one can only imagine the possible names. Affairtoremember dot com? Snatch dot com?

Great Hair and Goat Poop

Let's all just admit it now. We do some strange things to ourselves in the quest for beauty, great hair, and younger-looking faces.

When the world is filled with perfectly good razors, we willingly hold still while an esthetician spreads hot, melted wax on our faces or bodies, presses down a linen strip and then yanks out hair.

When age brings the onset of some wrinkles or furrows in once-smooth foreheads, lots of people willingly let doctors inject Botox -- a protein derived from a toxin that "decreases the activity" of the facial muscles.

Rumor has it that the Japanese used ground nightingale droppings and urine in their facial products. So.... some of the same women who cringe when their dog rolls in a fragrant pile of bird crap, might pay big chunks of money to have bird crap powder rubbed into their faces.

That totally weirds me out.

Earlier tonight, while tilting my head back on the chair so Angelina could wax my eyebrows (Okay, so I might think some things are strange but still choose to have them done. I draw the line at bird poo.) I asked her about Moroccan Oil products. I have the actual oil and see good results on my hair. My stylist suggested I look into one of their styling creams. Why is this line of products so hot, I wondered.

Angelina told me that the argan oil in the products really enters the hair and helps it, rather than just sticking to the top. I wanted to know how argan oil accomplishes this and others don't.

I'm not sure I ever heard the answer because Angelina proceeded to tell me a story about argan fruit, goats in trees, and goat poop. Huh? Apparently, over in Morocco, goats climb argan trees to eat the fruit. Then, a while ago, people harvested the argan fruit seeds to press out the oil. From the goat poop. They sifted shit to get the seeds.

So.... does that mean that the products I like are made from goat poop? I'm not sure why, but this struck me as outrageously funny and I couldn't stop laughing. This is not the wisest action when someone is trying to apply hot wax to your eye brow. I finally settled down long enough for Angelina to finish. She then walked over to the computer to show me the video of argan-eating goats feeding and then jumping out of the trees.

Wikipedia says:
For centuries before modern times, the Berbers (indigenous people of Morocco) of this area would collect undigested argan pits from the waste of goats which climb the trees to eat their fruit. The pits were then ground and pressed to make the nutty oil used in cooking and cosmetics. However, the oil used in cosmetic and culinary products available for sale today has most likely been harvested and processed with machines in a verifiably clean and sanitary way.

I'd like to believe that the modern harvesting process bypasses the goats' gastrointestinal system but, you know... How far can we trust Wikipedia?

Think on it while you watch the video of tree goats.

Musings and Mutterings

I'm watching Deception, a movie starring Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor. McGregor is a somewhat nerdy corporate accountant, Jackman appears to be a little bit of a shady corporate guy. Jackman's character correctly surmises that McGregor doesn't get much sex and somehow involves him in a private sex club. So, why isn't this movie hotter? Ewan's getting all sorts of action now. Watching my dogs chase geckos is more interesting. Maybe I'm just shallow beyond belief and am disappointed because Hugh hasn't had any naked monkey-sex scenes yet. *le sigh*

Some people make lists before they go to the supermarket. I'm putting together a list of books that I want to buy this weekend. I have a dogsitter and am going off the rock which means I'll be near full service bookstores. One needs to take full advantage of this opportunity. I already have three must-buy books on the list. (Pardon the way the covers are arranged. I'm still trying to figure out picture layouts on Blogger.)

I was really dreading the Michael Jackson memorial yesterday. I fully expected a complete circus. I wouldn't have seen any of it, except for news programs, but I always record General Hospital so, of course, the DVR captured the last hour of the memorial service. I was really moved by the tributes that I heard, the songs that were performed, and the loving words of his heartbroken daughter. I went into work this morning and asked if anyone could tell me the name of the woman who sang the lead on We Are the World. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who didn't recognize her so I'm not tragically unhip. Her name is Judith Hill. I think she has an amazing voice and we will now hear more from her.

How was your Fourth of July? I had an amazing day. I spent the afternoon with friends on their boat moored at a sandbar with a few dozen other boats swimming, talking, and partying -- in the water. This rolled over into an impromptu get-together at my house where I have an excellent vantage point for viewing the city's terrific fireworks show.

I want a boat. That's my new goal. Stay tuned. I'll keep you posted.

On the news tonight, they ran a story that the airlines are starting to implement huge fare sales for travel this fall. If memory serves me correctly, around this time last year the airlines were telling us about how they just HAD to start charging higher fares and making us pay to check our luggage because of all the higher fuel costs. I think it's only fitting that now they have to lure us back to travel.

How often do we see something that flashes us back to our youth? I just caught a glimpse of a video on television (Totally lost interest in Deception and switched channels.) of a young woman portraying a fairy godmother in a school play. Something about her costume made me think of an early class play -- 4th grade, I think. I wore an outfit similar to that costume when I played Princess Subtraction in our production of The Court of King Arithmetic. In my one memorial line I had to gush that the character who was played by the class bad boy was "sooo cute". I was mortified. Maybe that's what set me up for a lifetime of mathematical suckitude.

What are you musing or muttering about these days?

Happy 4th of July!

From sea to shining sea, across the amber waves of grain, up the purple mountains majesty and o'er the ramparts, celebrate, Americans.

It's Independence Day.

Enjoy your picnics and barbeques, hug your family, settle in to ooh and ahh over the fireworks. Each and every one of us deserves to party in honor of our country.

Happy 4th of July!