I'm in California on business, staying at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto. After having to get up verrrrrry early to catch a flight (after a verrrrry long work day that stretched to midnight the night before), I was quite happy to collapse into bed to grab some zzz's once we got settled in.
The moment my head hit the pillow, my body simply melted into the bed. This is quite possibly the most wonderful bed in the world. I've slept in some great beds at some great hotels ... but this is ... just ... (sigh) ... I'm speechless. I let out an audible "Mmmm" as I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of someday owning a bed like this of my own one day.
When I awoke a few hours later, my mind was still pulled toward how amazing this bed was and how I could just lay there allllll day. I started to think through more logically how I could go about acquiring such a bed and figured it might be feasible just to contact the hotel and inquire about it.
Shmay. I did eventually have to get up and be productive and I went on through the rest of my day.
But then later this evening, as I climbed out of a bubble bath in the heavenly tub (yet another perk of this amazing room), I noticed a card on the counter by the sink. It was a list of all the bedding (including the bed itself and pillows) and other linens. My jaw dropped. And then I proceeded to jump around and squeal like a little girl.
I completely can't afford it right now, but this is officially a dream that is perfectly achievable. :)
Came across this at Healthbolt originally. Interesting info for other folks (ahem, you know who you are) who are in the habit of using Visine a couple times everyday.
Visine Original
What possible harm to your peepers could come from these seemingly innocuous eyedrops? "Visine gets the red out, but it does so by shrinking blood vessels, just like Afrin shrinks the vessels in your nose," says Thomas Steinemann, M.D., a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Overuse of the active ingredient tetrahydrozoline can perpetuate the vessel dilating-and-constricting cycle and may cause even more redness.
Your New Strategy If you still want to rely on Visine, at least make sure you don't use too many drops per dose and you don't use the stuff for more than 3 or 4 days. But you'd really be better off figuring out the underlying cause of the redness and treating that instead. If it's dryness, use preservative-free artificial tears, recommends Dr. Steinemann. Visine Pure Tears Portables is a good choice for moisture minus side effects. On the other hand, if your eyes are itchy and red because of allergies, pick up OTC antiallergy drops, such as Zaditor. It contains an antihistamine to interrupt the allergic response but no vasoconstrictor to cause rebound redness.
I've been working, working, working ... trying to plow through some projects that have persistently been evading my already over-loaded daily workload before I head to California on business and got even more behind on work. I'm currently about half-way done with a document I was determined to finish tonight, and it just dawned on me that I should do the math and figure out what time I have to get up tomorrow to allow myself time to pack and still get to the airport on time.
The thought process went something like this ...
Need to be at the airport around 6:00am ...
It'll take me about an hour to get there ...
So I should leave my apartment around 5:00am ...
...WOW...
And it'll take me about 30 min. to pack ...
On top of the hour it takes me to get ready ...
... which means ...
... OMG ...
I need to get up 3:30am?!?!
HOLY CRAP
Needless to say, I'm going to bed NOW. Off I go to enjoy my 3.5 hours of sleep.
I'm in the middle of a very late night at the office and was in desperate need of a smile ... and "Ben" just sent me the following email:
Aunt Erin,Here are some pictures of me helping Daddy and Pop pull the magnolia tree to the road.love,Ben
Haha ... isn't that CUTE? And look at this big boy helping his Pop ...
Heading out for a fun night in the city last night, I decided to take the Metro into DC -- which is rare move for me. I almost ALWAYS opt for a cab in that situation. But, seeing as how I didn't have enough cash for the trip, and just being in an open-minded mood ... I decided to go with the Metro. Ugh, bad idea.
First part of the trip was fine. Took the Orange line into the city. Needed to switch to the Red line at Metro Center. After waiting 10 minutes for my second train, I finally got on, stood there for a few minutes, ready to go. Then the announcement came on: due to technical difficulties, the train was being off-boarded. Fabulous.
The next 10 minutes were spent trying to figure out when the next train would come through that we could legitimately board and take to our destination. Gargled, incoherent announcements over the PA system were NOT helpful and only added to everyone's frustration. Plus, we could barely hear the announcements over the screaming bachelorette party that had just arrived, waiting on the same dysfunctional train that we were.
After a few more minutes of that, I finally gave up and decided to just go catch a cab. (Tristan and Jenna were waiting on me with dinner, after all!) Just as I got to the other end of the platform and was about to go through the gate, a train pulled in to the station. But it was on the other track. But ... it said "Shady Grove" on the side of the train ... which was the train I needed. WTF?!? I stood for a moment, trying to figure it out, as everyone else was. Then it became clear that this train WAS what we all needed and we had to jet over to the other side of the tracks to catch it. So in my little black dress, I sprinted down the platform, up and over the mezzanine, and hopped on board.
Just my luck: I'd happened to jump onto the same car as the rowdy bachelorette party. They were loud and terribly inebriated. And they also, apparently, didn't understand the whole "hold on to something when the train moves" thing. Because as soon as we started to pull out of the station, the one closest to me lost her balance and stomped on my exposed foot with her high heel. Lovely. The rest of the ride, I had to do a little dance to keep her out of control heels from puncturing my feet.
Oh, but it gets better. The bachelorette was verrrrrrry happy and overly friendly with everyone on the train. That was fine and understandable. Until she proceeded to flash everyone -- including the kids on the train -- and scream, "Hey boys ... how do you like these boobies?!?!!" (OMG) Yep. She did it.
Obviously, I was thrilled to arrive at my destination and escape. Despite being frustrated, annoyed and limping slightly ... I guess I could still call that "relatively unscathed."
... you let a loud, solid belch rip in the middle of cubeland because you forgot where you were.
Luckily, it's 8:30 on a Friday night and there's no one else still here in the 6th floor at the office. (sigh) Erin's true colors show when she's tired, apparently.
It's not a secret that I'm a fan of the "Sex and the City" series, which -- I'm excited to say -- is coming out in movie form in a few short weeks!! But today I stumbled across this witty article that outlines "how carrie & co. ruined nyc."
I thought it was a very entertaining read! And as one who wasn't raised on a lot of television (yeah, we didn't have cable at my house until I was a senior in high school), I don't take tv shows too seriously. At all. As my mother says, you have to remember that it's just entertainment ... not real life. So this article didn't shatter my view of the show, but it also didn't change that fact that it's still one of my favorite shows to catch re-runs of and I can't wait to go see the movie!
Just wanted to share this hilarious and cute store from Ali with the folks back home. :) "It's not like Christmas morning around here ..."
Yippee for mothers!!!
We had a little team outing this weekend. We met up at Mike's house and then carpooled out to Leesburg, VA, to watch America's Polo Cup (America vs. Italy). Btw, America won -- 6-2!!
It was a little muddy, but we had a great time! We brought a couple tarps, some blankets, chairs, etc. and spent the day lounging on our spread on the grass. I'd never watched a polo match before, so that was interesting to see and to learn some of the rules. And yes ... we did some divot stomping during the half. :)
After the match, we enjoyed the live entertainment -- especially Huey Lewis & The News! I am so sore today. I think it has something to do with the fact that I wasn't wearing shoes for the last half of the day and I ran the length of the field TWICE ... and literally hopped and spun and dipped and danced for hours! Sooooo much fun!!
