Snowzilla - won't this be fun when he melts...

This morning, my kids were packing for their trip to Mexico. Lily found some little girl nail polish and put it on and was showing me proudly that she had "painted" her nails all by herself. Then it came off one nail and started peeling off of another. This was obviously not REAL nail polish. She came in the bathroom and asked me, "Mom, where's the stuff to take this stuff off? It is starting to come off and it is BUGGIN'!!"

Now I've heard everything.

Ok, here is a story of an irritating interaction I had last week.

I was on my way home from work last Friday and I was going to get ready for my company Christmas party. I realized that I needed to get ones as gambling was involved in the festivities that night and it was already after the bank was closed, so I figured I would take my chances at the neighborhood Plaid Pantry. I had a $50 bill and about $8 in ones. I went in and grabbed a sugar free Red Bull. The guy behind the counter had been on the phone since before I had entered the store. I went up to the counter and was looking around for a lighter. There were none in sight. I was standing right in front of the cashier looking like, well, looking like a person who was LOOKING for something. He didn't even stop talking to ask me what I was looking for. So, I took off down the aisles alone searching, searching, searching... And then I thought, wait a minute...why am I wasting MY precious time searching for something that this guy obviously knows the location of. I was trying to accommodate the dude on his phone call. So I marched back up to the counter and stared at him. He got off the phone and I asked him where the lighters were. This was his response:

"We don't have any. We have some back here. We don't have any Bics. We don't have any cheap ones." Huh? First of all, what do I care if they are Bics? Secondly, a cheap one? How expensive are they? Do I look like I can't afford a lighter? He was acting like he didn't want to sell me one. How much could they be? $30? So I asked, ok, how much are they? He said, "Umm...well, we have one for $1.29, another for $1.39 and another for $1.99, or something like that." Whoa, talk about breaking the bank. So I said, "ok then give me 2" (I was going the big spender angle.) I pulled out my $50 and gave it to him. "I can't take that, " he said. "People have been in here trying to bust out (I can't remember the exact terminology he used, but it was I think some street way of saying passing counterfeit bills) 50's" "What?" I said with a dumbfounded look, "You have got to be kidding me. I just need some ones." The tab was $4 and change. I was irritated and mumbling under my breath as I pulled out my precious ones. I said something to the effect of - I need ones and you are taking them from me. You are not helping me at all.

Needless to say, I was irritated and had not accomplished my goal at all. I went home to get ready. About a half hour later, Joseph arrived and I was telling him how I had no luck getting ones and that I had actually spent some of the ones I had. "It's ok. I got 20 ones," he said, "I stopped by the Plaid Pantry and the cashier was bitching about how everyone wanted ones and that someone was just in there trying to break a $100 bill and get ones."

That little liar. I had a $50. He totally exaggerated. Too funny. Well, I guess by then it was funny.

And no one needs to start harassing me about why I would need a lighter. I have plenty of candles at home...

I finally got to have dinner at my favorite restaurant, the Bombay Cricket Club, last night. My family is in birthday season, which begins in late October and runs through early December.

Both my sister and I tried to make dinner reservations at this restaurant on our respective birthdays, but ended up being turned away because of their inability to accommodate groups of more than 5 or 6, unless we were able to be there by 5pm. This has been a bummer (especially after a disappointing visit to Marrakesh on my birthday) as their Indian cuisine is sooooooo yummy. The down side is that the Bombay Cricket Club is frequently compared to the establishment owned by the "soup nazi" from Seinfeld.

When I called Wednesday to make the reservation for Thursday, I was very sly about it. I said oh, we have 4 adults...and then very quickly...and 3 kids. He hesitated. Can we come in at 6:30? He said, I can't do anything after 6pm. I was on the computer instant messaging my sister to make sure that she could be there by 6. He said, you can call back later. I said, oh no, it's fine, we will make it by 6. Ok, he said, but I just want to let you to know that we do not seat anyone until the entire party arrives. I knew this, because once Jen and two of her friends had been made to sit outside at a mini table to eat dinner, because one of them had arrvied late. But we don't complain. We continue to eat the food, savoring every bite and drink the amazing mango-ritas (no more than two or a cab will be necessary). We make sure that we always make reservations and we are always on time. Anyone who knows me, knows that is no small feat.

Everyone loves the food there, but the comments regarding the restaurant have a common thread - good food, bad service. Entries such as this abound on Citysearch, "If the chef, Mahksood, was running both the front of the house as well as creating the beautiful dishes he already makes, this would be my favorite restaurant. Unfortunately the dining area exists now as a fascist state. Trying to take your time, splitting entrees, or showing up a person short will all get you hated on. I've never experienced that kind of uncomfortability anywhere."

I made sure that we were all there by six to celebrate Grandpa Bob's birthday. I made phone calls to everyone in the party emphasizing the need for promptness. I couldn't stomach (pardon the pun) the idea of being greeted by, "Sorry, you are late - NO CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA FOR YOU!!"

It was delicious.

I don't remember the last time that I was engrossed reading an article in Popular Science, but I found this one on the quest for colored bubbles to be fascinating.

I took my son to get a haircut last night and while at the salon, I was perusing the beauty products.

I noticed a sign that said something to the effect of: These are REAL (insert brand here) products. Guaranteed to be real.

Is there some black market out there of Paul Mitchell shampoo knock-offs that I am unaware of?