I skipped, I skimmed, and now I'm posting and running. Just wanted to say hi and that I miss being here.

t snorgles cass and meara

Arrrgh.

I looked for Afghan Whigs "Faded" live versions in YouTube, and it brought a Dr. Who fan vid. So I thought, "cool!", and clicked.

And it had spoilers in that. Of course I stopped immediately, but man. So not cool.

I wish I had a camera here, my desk looks like a poor man's country music album: I've got my watch off and laying on the desk next to a half-empty bottle of diet Coke and some dollar bills and change I pulled out of my pocket. My car keys are just out of easy picture blocking range.

And I won't mention that on Friday, when it's supposed to be 18°, I leave for a long weekend in SF, where it's in the 60s.

::shakes fist::

Yeah, it's supposed to be 82 here in Pasadena today.

::gnashes teeth::

It's 80 here today in LA, and I think it was even warmer than that a couple days ago. Which is a marked increase from a week ago. It's quite freaky.

::weeps::

I wish it were cooler.

::evil eye::

In truth, it's a bit hot for my tastes, I like it around 70.

::shakes fist [ineffectually] again::

ION, and in some tiny consolation for freezing my bits off, the LUSH store I visited at lunch was trying to move their stock, and they were selling all their soaps at buy one, get TWO free. Nice!

I am now well-armed for showers for the forseeable future.

Thanks to Jilli I am now coveting some BPAL scents: Chocolate and burnt caramel, and Deep In Earth, which is described as:

Rose geranium, Spanish moss, Irish yew, and graveyard dirt

I love the smell of dirt.

I hate to be a pest, I know conversation went to more important things - peace in the Middle East. But does anyone have any opinions on my sore throat with the swollen tonsils being related to exposure to the extreme cold? I know I should probably go to the clinic, but I'm so over paying $150 to see the NP for a sore throat. Especially if the real answer is for me to figure out a way to protect my nose and mouth from cold air without fogging up my glasses.

Incidentally, Walmart does not have any face mask hats.

I don't know, Andi. I've had some sore throats that I directly related to the extremely dry air. Have you tried some saline nasal spray? Sometimes, moistening up your nasal passages helps the back of the throat. What you're looking for is a neck gaiter. You can get cheap ones at Menards. You'll still need a hat but they're great for pulling up over the lower part of your face to keep warm.

Here's a good one, Andi. Of course if you have a length of fleece and some fabric glue, you can make one for yourself easy-peasy.

Cash, I've been using a sea salt/baking soda solution in a neti pot to irrigate the nasal passages and sinuses, plus gargling salt water. It helps a bit. Thanks for the link to the neck gaiter thing - and yeah, I can make one. Heh. I have leftover fleece from my latest attempt at making a cat sweater for Harvey. We'll match.

I love the smell of dirt.

Me too. The smell of a damp basement, especially the old stone floored one in our old house in Pennsylvania.