Sunday, December 17, 2006

Peace On Earth and Necklace Length

Aloha, Pigeons! Happy third Sunday in Advent! Are you on the Hope, Joy, Peace or Love candle? PeaceBang has noticed that there's a lot of liturgical freedom in how we assign meaning to our little candles. Ours are pink and purple, which just CLASH with the red-beribboned greenery in the sanctuary and trouble PeaceBang's soul until she remember that God is so not into things being too matchy-matchy.

PeaceBang is slogging through this Advent, loving her life but dragging her feet a wee bit until she gets totally done with her end-of-semester academic work. The Great Hard Drive Crisis of 2006 is by no means over, and she still has no internet access from home, which is a lousy inconvenience. Some files have been resurrected from the dead, but not the most beloved worship files, which are probably in Vegas right now squandering their inheritances, getting drunk and consorting with unsavories. When they come home -- as I pray that they will -- I shall see them from a distance and like the father in the parable, I shall cry,

"My prodigal files that were lost are found! Kill the fatted calf and let us rejoice!"

And then the older files will huff and puff with the unfairness of it all and stand against the wall with their arms folded indignantly, refusing to partake of the festivities.

But MEANWHILE, it really does warm the cockles of my heart (even though I'm not sure that girls have cockles) to have ordered some necessaries from Sephora.com and to know that you, my dear readers, have financed these gifties.

Because of your generosity, I will soon be able to do a product review of Bare Escentuals face powder (Sheer Veil) and Philosophy Coconut Milk body and hair wash (like, can you really shampoo with this stuff?). PeaceBang is all about the yummy coconut-smelling products this winter. I know it's just a trick of the fragrance, but they just seem so extra-richly moisturizing. So thank you again for supporting the ongoing work of this ministry. My Favorite Male Product Tester is also getting some goodies in his stocking whose results we will be able to learn in God's due time. Isn't that the meaning of Christmas, after all? Peace on Earth, Good Skin Care Products To Men?
Or did I get that just a bit wrong, somehow?

FINALLY, and this is quite the hot little tip: PeaceBang has noticed that big pendant necklaces are all the rage and has been trying to rock the look but hasn't succeeded. She gamely piles on necklaces trying for just the right combo but mostly succeeds only in looking like a deranged art teacher or a very eccentric dowager. She keeps trying, however. And based on advice from Real Simple magazine which advised that you should wear this type of necklace quite long -- like right around your rib cage -- she can tell you with great assurance as of yesterday that longer IS better. If you have an ample bazoom, the length elongates you. If you don't have an ample bazoom, it's still a much chic-er length than the usual mid-chest look.

Hint to Boston-area shoppers: Jasmine Sola is having a FANTASTIC sale on long, terribly fashionable necklaces this VERY MOMENT. If you get there soon you can buy two necklaces for well under the price of one, and isn't that happy news for girls in the do-gooder professions?

The Baby Jesus is being born just a week from now! Do you think if I bring him frankincense and myrrh, he would do something about my flat, flat hair so that it's nice and bouncy for Christmas Eve services?

(Actually, if I'm going to pray for a Christmas miracle, it will be that the "new" hard drive furnished by Dell lasts through next fiscal year when I can buy myself a MAC and not have to deal with viruses again. I will not have to talk to someone in India when I need tech support, but can drive right over to the Apple store in the mall and get actual real, live face-to-face human help for my techno-woes. Lord, hear my prayer!)

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7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gentle PB, you wrote:
(Actually, if I'm going to pray for a Christmas miracle, it will be that the "new" hard drive furnished by Dell lasts through next fiscal year when I can buy myself a MAC and not have to deal with viruses again.)

You will be soooooo happy to leave the dark side! MY prob is that I've moved far away from any Apple store -- but b/c my iMac is virus-free, crash free, virtually problem free -- I don't even need them! PLUS -- Macs are so much more attractive as room accoutrements.

Advent and Christmas blessings.

Padre Wayne

7:06 AM  
Blogger KnittinPreacher said...

I too sing the praises of the Mac! My only regret is that it runs so well I don't have an excuse to need to upgrade to a new one after 4 years of the one I currently have.

Here is how I have big hair - -and mine is baby fine. Go to anAveda store or salon and get the Bumble and Bumble thickening shampoo and conditioner. Use them both and then towel dry your hair and spray in the B&B Thickening spray, roots to ends. Blow dry until damp and then use velcro rollers. It's magic! Good luck.

10:08 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

As someone who uses the whole line of Bare Escentuals makeup, I hope you like the powder. The weird thing about BE is that you can't see it go on or feel it go on, but somehow you look better when you're done.
I bought the starter kit (foundation, blush, powder) and some eyeshadows for my sister this year after she kept Bogarting my makeup.

11:17 AM  
Blogger Lilylou said...

And consider getting a MacBook, PB. You can take it with you and it is so much easier to take to the shop on the rare instances when you need advice or repair.

2:24 PM  
Blogger Berrysmom said...

Yes! Another Mac user comes into the fold. We try not to be smug (NOT!), but we do truly know that Macs rock!

And now, PB, a request. Speak ot us of eye shadow.

I was putting mine on yesterday and wondering what I was doing. I usually match mine to what I am wearing (I have three choices--of eyeshadow, not of clothing colors). But is that the way? What should it be linked with?

I have blue eyes, somewhat fair skin tones, and salt-and-pepper hair (more salt all the time...)

Thanks!

3:12 PM  
Blogger Caroline Divine said...

Hooboy (hoogirl), am I the only PC user here? HP laptop for home and writing, so I can use WordPerfect --I loathe Word--, Dell laptop for work because the college where I teach supplies us with it; I'm not wild about it, I prefer the HP, which I customized with more memory when I got it and which came loaded with WordPerfect -- I don't think anyone does that any more, it was three or four years ago. By the way, PB, a friend of mine got a new HP laptop for his boyfriend recently and it was under $800. (He's in the computer biz and knows from laptops, but he got it at some big box store like everyone else.) I know Mac is better for making media stuff, but I only do basic webby things (PC is fine for using things like DreamWeaver for web design or, God forbid, Microsoft's program, sssss) and slide shows and I've never had virus problems. I have a good basic virus program from Symantec and that's it. Mac keyboards drive me crazy because (unless they have changed very recently) they don't have an "end" function and for a writer (which is one of my other lives) that's a big problem -- I'm always going to the end of a line.

Okay, back to necklaces. You've inspired me to get those long necklaces out of mothballs (well, not literally, that would be awfully smelly) and wear them this holiday. Hand-me-down costume jewelry -- the best! They looked great with basic black when I was younger, a great way to accessorize and keep the clothes budget way dow. Now I don't wear black near my face because it ages me and grey and white are better neutrals, so I have to figure some way to have contrast for the jewelry. I do own and wear some deep purple things, so that should work for showing off the necklaces. There's a whole new issue when you age and you can't wear black near your face any more. A bright or light silk scarf around the neck can solve that, but it's too much to wear a scarf AND a long necklace, so what's a girl to do? Wear dark purple, I guess. Or bright red! Hmmm.

Also -- I know you've given advice on how to deal with those shadows under the eyes before, but in this tired time of year I am a veritable panda bear, as in rings around the eyes. Besides getting extra sleep, which is the first step, do you have any advice? Thank you.

I guess both of these fall under "how to brighten your face and eyes and make sure you don't look sallow." (I have light tan /olive skin, dark eyes and eyebrows, grey-going-silvery-white hair which was originally black.)

Continued blessings on your laptop and all mechanical things...

9:08 AM  
Blogger PaigeTurner said...

"God is so not into things being too matchy-matchy."

Well, thank God! Or else my church is in BIG, BIG trouble!

3:42 PM  

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