Savage Beauty

Went to see the Alexander McQueen special exhibit at the MET yesterday. Gorgeous stuff. I'm not really a follower of fashion, but it's easy to see how he crossed into visual design and art in general. No wonder the community was devastated at his passing last year.

Tick Tock

So I always interpreted the "biological clock ticking" phrase as feeling like you want kids because your body/mind insists it's time and you feel this urge to procreate. Kind of like an alarm, indicating "hey, it's time, get to it!"

But now I think it means something else. Not hormones or a switch which signals "time to have a baby!" but instead, it's a "have that baby before your body fails!" message. More like a bomb ticking than an alarm clock.

Pandemic

Not to worry, there isn't some outbreak. We played the board game Pandemic last night and I really liked it! Unlike most games, it's cooperative rather than competitive. You are essentially racing the clock, to cure diseases and prevent their spread across the world.

There were two advantages to working with the other players, rather than against: that nice sense of team accomplishment (though we lost the first time we played...) and it went by so much faster, since you didn't have to sit idly by while your opponents determined their next move.

I think cooperative games are probably harder to design well, since you have to prevent the players from becoming too powerful when banded together, but still ensure they are motivated to work with each other. I think Pandemic handles that pretty well. I definitely want to play more!

Bath Suds

About two months ago, I tried a sample of Villainess Soap and I've been smitten ever since. It started with a thin little sample slice, and now I'm contemplating buying half a dozen bars at once.

Starting at $5 per 3.5 oz bar, they are definitely luxury items. But I love, love, love how they feel on my skin. The lather is smooth and silky, the fragrances are delicious without being overbearing, and the formula manages my oily skin without turning it to sandpaper.

It's actually kind of sad - I wish I could take more showers each day!

Closing Time

Sign of the economic hard times: my favorite bagel place, ice cream vendor, framing store, and Italian restaurant have all closed within the past six months.

I guess there just weren't enough customers, no matter how good the product or service. It saddens me when small businesses go, especially these little mom-and-pop places which offer something unique at a reasonable price. I can only hope the owners bounce back when times get better.