The Shadow of the Wind, how a book can make a mark on you

I've had lots of books come into my life but none quite as specific as this one.

Two summers ago we went to Chebeague Island, Maine to celebrate the islanders revolt at Nabisco for not making the historic large Chowder Bisquits anymore. We read about it in the New York Times, and thought if there was ever a reason to stage a vacation revolt this was the one. We ditched the Caribbean, and went to Maine instead ! We weren't successful in getting huge bakery Nabisco to continue making something many New Englanders grew up on, but we did get to enjoy the menu at Chebeague Island Inn made exclusively with these " Milk Crackers". Yep, the chef devoted the entire summer menu as an ode to these large crackers, from the stuffing in the lobster, to the berry tarts ! Needless to say the trip would have been a success had the food been the only thing that was amazing, but little did i know what else would be coming into my life !

You get to Chebeague Island by boat,its vintage Maine at its best. Limited cars, no TV, it was fantastic. Its so small you can walk it in about an hour, and that is where on one of my walks i found the public library . Naturally i had to go in, and after walking around, i found the Library Sale shelf . I mean this shelf was in the last aisle way down practically on the floor. Now we have all been to library sales or yard sales, you always have the assortment of books that are basically orphans. They are only going home as a sympathy purchase . I have a rule i buy any dictionary i see, it just seems tragic to me to let them languish.

BUT

there on that bottom shelf i find this tattered copy of a book called " The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The Cover of the book itself looks vintage, but even more spooky i can't find this exact cover in any of the searches ive tried to attach here today! Set in Barcelona in 1945 its about a mysterious book by an even more mysterious author. The opening chapter is called The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, and basically it opens with everyone gets to pick one book that they will champion and protect from destruction! This could define Literary Gothic !

The way this book came to me, its just surreal ! From the minute i started it i felt like it was Real, as if ,this was my book to protect!

Needless to say i spent the next few days with my nose in it, which at a real old fashioned Maine lodge, no phones, knotty pine everywhere,great fireplaces, and porches, is the best place to dive into a really good book .

I came back raving about this book to everyone,,,,,,,,however, its the only book i own that i will not lend out. I just feel it came to me in such a special spooky way that it would be folly to lend.

However, i found an equally used copy at a thrift shop in the Valley and it was my great pleasure to buy it and pass it right into the hands of Arlene who was with me.

If you are looking to be intrigued, engaged , to lose yourself completely to a book, get this one now.

There is even a followup called The Angel's Game, its sitting here on my table and I've had it since it came out , but its so new, so crisp, hardcover, its almost like it lacks soul. Maybe i can find a used copy, that will draw me into the deep recess of moody Barcelona again. It is just about the same time of year and I am headed to that beach shack in RI soon,,,,,,

So don't turn away at book sales, we may all have that single volume to protect in the cemetery of books one day,,,,,,,you never know when that one perfect book will find you !

Oh my ,You look so Young !

I never thought i would invest in an expensive eyebrow session. Not because i wouldn't lay out the money, just because i never seemed to catch the brow lady in at Nordstroms in Glendale. Now you know there are multiple ads about " brow ladies " of Beverly hills, but those who know me, going west of western to get my brows done is just not an option ! I'm making myself laugh, i wouldn't go west of western unless it was A : not available anywhere else in the City ( and by that i mean east of western , like even Boston is still OK !), or B : no not even free, go back to A.

However kismet prevailed and the Anastasia brow lady was there in Nordstroms/Glendale on Saturday !
No matter where you are in the city, call Lauren DiCicco (818)502 992 ext 1912 at the Glendale location and make an apt NOW! I can not believe it, not only did i think NBF material the minute she let that back east accent roll, but she had me at we do not do trendy brows ! Finally someone to tell me what's best in brows !

Lauren D did her magic in a chair in an aisle , not what i would have designed for my Saturday brow 'soiree", but after what she did, i would let her tend my brows in a center divider at high noon ! Did i mention she even made my glasses look better, and that is not easy. I've been thinking my entire head was crooked when i got these nerdy thick frame design glasses, even lovely Catherine p from Wisconsin said, "Its" not the glasses its your eyebrows " ! Damn if she wasn't right !

I can't believe the difference, i look so well rested ! So treat yourself and find someone who knows brows, you'll look thinner too !

Really you can get that from a Gorilla ?

Once again more great product to report from my favorite place to drop by.
This time the CVS on San Fernando road, which is a pretty good location for "interesting" product. With its great parking and central location its my go to CVS for inspiration !

I didn't actually buy the Gorilla Products, but you know i will !
Just a matter of using up the other crazy stuff in that drawer right now.

My bathroom as a crime scene

I woke up last week feeling a scratch on my nose. I'd like to blame it on a 3 carat diamond but i think it was just me fighting off dream ninjas or something. It did hurt like hell, which really is a lousy way to see 5 am, so i got up, little dog of course right on my heals,waiting for his vittles, and there is more blood pouring out of a nanosize cut on the tip of my nose than i could ever have thought possible. Ill tell you if that much blood can come from a scratch, i can't imagine a real crime scene. I'm squishing my nose to stop the bleeding,Andy is just running around begging for his breakfast, it was hysterical! Try making tea, cutting Andy's steak, and bleeding droplets of blood through the tissue bits Ive consecutively plastered to the scratch. It would not stop ! I finally went on line to see how to stop bleeding because pressure was doing absolutely nothing.

Here's my take on the free Internet advice, SuperGlue? maybe but i was not about to try that on my nose at 5:30 AM, Nu-skin which i think is really like watered down superglue ( burned like hell, and blood oozed right thru.

The winner ? Baking Powder ! I don't know why it worked, but it did. Oh it hurt like hell, and I looked like an extra in a drug movie but it worked immediately !

So I can't vouch for any other places for cuts, and i very much doubt it would be of any help to you if you were trying to hide a crime but if you scratch your nose--- head to the kitchen and pray no one baked !

Does this make you Hot or what?

Now I know I have done my share of pitching products from CVS but i maintain on a bad day where else will 5.00 lift your spirits quite so high!

I've also said to hit those less " traveled" aisles, but just in case you thought I had stopped buying stuff that i totally can not read the labels on ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

yes here is something that could not be left on the shelf !

Cabellina, Chile Con Remero Conditioner ! I didn't get the shampoo because well that seemed just to over the top !
Look at the size of that bottle and i swear it was for sure under 5.00 !

Was it a little scary the first time i used it ,of course ! Does it work? As well as any other value item you would buy in a huge bottle with a pump........

And is it spicy ? Yes and the craziest part is your hair smells like mild green salsa until its totally dry ( and maybe several hours later, you kind of get used to it, so I'm not sure i can judge accurately!

Would i buy it again ? Probably not, has it given me great fun? You BET !

I had already gotten my yucks with the girl at the register! Never mind when I got it home !

So remember never let language stop you from shopping ( but try not to confuse the conditioner from the salad dressing either !)

Chicago for a Fill ?

So for 3 weeks I've been De-lighted with my super lovely red gel nails that were expertly applied for under 60.00 in less than 60 minutes in only an above average Chicago nail salon. However even the best things need a touch up so about 2 weeks ago i started searching for Gel nails / Los Angeles. I found what appeared to be a fantastic choice in Little Tokyo, which anyone following nails knows, Japan even has monthly magazines about nail tech and design, if there ever was going to be a place to try , this was it.

So do i go , No ! I go to a place , that had Gel in its ad, and was voted best nail salon in Pasadena. Opi Salon, all indicators are good right? I even go there to make the appt. the very nice young woman examines my nails , we set up the appt for the next day.

When did i realize things were about to go Horribly Horribly bad ? Right about when 5 nail tech ladies swarmed me and said the gel is red ! You might have thought i just brought leprosy into the salon. So i look at them and go yes, i got these 3 weeks ago in Chicago , like i said yesterday ! What the hell are you looking at my like that for? Do you not get any trade magazines? For god sake look at my blog posts from last summer . I ask you readers how can we consistently know more than the ladies behind the cosmetic counters, and obviously much more than anyone in the nail business. What i want to know is how can they be an OPI salon and have missed the entire OPI gel axxis innovation.

Needless to say , now I'm in the chair, they only have pink gel and she is pulling out a DRILL ! Two hours later, I pulled my hands from the UV light machine ( which i hear is like getting 4 times the UV sunburn rays ,so your nails will look great but your hands will be of a hag !)

I went from having the most lovely red nails that withstood the rigors of a major trade show to pinky lee nails. I drew the line at the hard white edge, I'm down with a lot of things but Stripper nails , not even i can say yes to .

Tune in two weeks from now, when the big question will be How do i get my Glam back?

Moral of the Story: be careful when you make commitment beauty decisions on the road !!!!!!!!!!!

Where do you get the best eyeliners ever? Surprise!

Of course its at CVS . I know you can get them other places but we all know CVS rules across the nation.

So back to the best eyeliner pencils ever, styli-style available either as an end cap or a smaller display close to end may not have the most extensive of offerings but what they do make are really fantastic. They have waterproof items, glimmer ones, and the best sharpener ever ! I know how can someone go on about an eyeliner sharpener, well ( and this really is the truth) I passed on seeing Sarah Silverman Live Thursday night , i wouldn't say i stayed home to sharpen my eye pencils, but given the time alone that was in fact what i did ( and all the lip pencils as well !). It felt great too ! I bought a vintage shot glass and they are all in there perfectly sharpened just waiting to prove how good they are. The silly part is they are basically all the same shade of green - teal on the eye side, and all hot red on the lip side. Let's just say I've done my part to help the American Cosmetic Industry !

What makes the sharpener fantastic is it has a fat and a thin sharpener side, and it contains all the mess. It has some kick ass blade in there too because the pencils come out cleaner than anything else i own.

So another reminder to shop for the best and not to be snotty and think the best need a trip and the aggravation of going to the mall ! Hit your CVS and enjoy the extra time at the end caps !