shoot me up with starbucks

I’m sitting in O’Briens (the wanna-be Panera here in town) and I thought I’d write a little catch up. I was home for 6 weeks and just got back on Monday. It was a good amount of time and I got to see lots of people and do lots of things, with plenty of time to just chill out.

Slower than Molasses Ireland even made some progress while I was gone. The house that is getting built down the street went from see-through to almost finished. And in town, there is suddenly a massive playground. I’m talking massive. This playground would rival even the finest American playgrounds.

Not that I don’t dig the kids or whatever, but I could think of a few other things this town needed before a playground… but most of these are selfish things. Self serving things. Like Starbucks.

I’m jonesin' for a cup right now… let me tell you. Denise and I developed a serious addition while I was home. I would venture to say we had Starbucks almost every day. When we realized it was becoming a problem, we would lie to ourselves and each other by saying, “Hey, umm, I have to run to CVS, wanna come?” Of course, CVS is in the same parking lot at Starbucks, and inevitably we would “forget” what we needed and would head into Starbucks instead, because “why not, it’s right there.”

Anyway, about the playground, you have to see it. There are millions of kids and parents there. It’s like a riot. It’s like flies swarming. It's like they are giving something away. Maybe they are giving away free Starbucks. I’d better go check.

I think I see little 30-minute timers and sign-up sheets on the swings. ;)

Also, the sun is out here in lovely Clane, which seems to be nearly as common as Playgrounds giving away Starbucks.

Ok, I'm drinking peppermint tea and trying to get rid of this addiction. (Yes, I've had withdrawl headaches since I've been off the goods.) As you know, I already have plenty of addictions. And with about 4 Starbucks in this entire country, for practicality’s sake, this one has got to be nipped.

What else did I do while I was at home?

Wait, I have one more thing to say about Starbucks. It's not all happiness and caffeinated beverages, you know. Not only do they charge .50 extra for soymilk, which I can kind of accept, but you know when they compliment you? Have you ever noticed? Like, they say, "cool glasses" or "nice earrings"? Well, sorry to burst your bubble but they don't mean it. It's part of their "marketing strategy." Ginger's boyfriend Mike read it while getting his MBA and he told me.

That bastard didn't really like my scarf, he's just getting paid to say it. Now I scowl whenever they say nice things to me. Maybe I'm bitter, but I know what they're up to. They can't fool me.

Anyway...

• I got my wedding dress. After 3 days of intensive shopping, I found a dress. I had begun to get hopeless. There is some seriously ugly shit out there. I was afraid I was a "bad" bride because I wasn't crying with glee every time I put a dress on. Everyone kept telling me, "when you find the right one, you'll know. You'll cry." All I wanted to do was cry because every dress I tried on made me look like Little Bo Peep. Alas, I finally tried one on and both Dee and I liked it a lot. When we brought back Dee's friend and they put me in the dress again, they both got tears in their eyes, and I swear I even got a little one too. (For the record, this makes me a "good" bride.)
  
• I blubbered like an idiot at Baja. Melissa came up from Maryland for a visit and Ginger, Melissa and I went out for Mexican food. We had a few margaritas before dinner while we were catching up. After a few more margaritas, we were all sobbing, loudly and at some points hysterically because we all love and miss each other so much. And because we are 30 now and definitely can't drink Margaritas (or anything else for that matter) like we used to. To Jerry, our waiter, we apologize.
  
• Aside from the whirlwind of seeing friends, hanging out with family, and supporting the bottom line at Starbucks (while they pretended to like my accessories), I also took the time to eat myself silly and gain 10 lbs. But damn, I enjoyed myself while I was doing it.
  
• I started another addiction. This one courtesy of my dear friend, Shannon, who got me, for Christmas, a Kiehl’s starter kit. All I can say is, I love Kiehl's. I've already placed my first order. Have you tried it? I love the Amino Acid Conditioner and the Ultra Face Moisturizer. And the Hand Salve. And the Lip Balm.
  
• I watched the most wonderfully entertaining and guiltful American TV shows. Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives, Cougar Town, and everything on HGTV. God I love the USA.
  

Well, that's all for now. Lots of love. (please, somebody bring me a soy latte.)

xo