It’s funny how listening to the news of the Supreme Court decisions has prompted me to write this blog about something totally and utterly different. I’m sure I’ll be writing about the decisions seeing as how I’ve been eagerly awaiting them all week, but for now I’ll just have to talk about something a little less . . . legal.
Lately, I have been spending a little extra time with my cousin as she has been out of work due to her carpal tunnel surgery. Might I add that spending more time with my cousin always means doing things I don’t normally do, especially when it comes to the “girlie” category. For as long as I can remember, she has always been a lot girlier than myself – listening to popular music, shopping, watching Romantic Comedies and other love stories, talking incessantly about boys, makeup, hair, etc. Despite all of that, it’s nice to have a girl friend to spend some time with and do silly things together. (See below)
I’ll start off with Sex and the City. I swore up and down for almost a year that I woul
dn’t pay to see this movie and that someone would have to pay me to see it. Especially after running into a ladies restroom full of women at a theater in San Francisco dressed to the hilt to see this movie together. The short story is, while in my second year of college, I was forced to live with a roommate who was obsessed with SATC. Completely and utterly obsessed. She had her friends call her by the first name of the main character, Carrie. She didn’t really answer to her given name, but she sure answered to Carrie! She also believed that the main message set forth by the TV show was that women can be sexually liberated and support themselves. [Read: it’s okay to have sex with lots of random, male strangers and spend exorbitant amounts of money on designer clothes. Strangers and your friends will respect you more for being a ‘free’ woman.] All I can say is that this was the tip of the iceberg into understanding how extremely mind-numbing and utterly irritating it was to live with someone that self-centered.
On to the movie. Since I have never watched the show with any regularity (or at all, of my own free will), I was rather unfamiliar with the details. I knew the ‘which character was which’ and basic principles behind the shows’ popularity, but not much beyond that. I was expecting to be totally lost during what I thought was going to be a snorefest of girlie jokes about the stupidity of men coupled with constant shopping sprees for hideous designer clothes. I was definitely surprised. First and foremost, I have to mention that the dialogue written for Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie, is well written. Apparently, she’s a writer for Vogue magazine. She has a sharp wit and a pointed tongue. She is also interested in fashion and sexy men (obviously). She has a close group of friends who support each other unconditionally while gossiping endlessly over coffee and clothes. In the SATC movie, a few ladies go through trials and tribulations, all of which they struggle with and then successfully live through. I’m sure it’s typical of what you’d expect if you made an episode last two hours and allowed cursing and nudity.
The verdict? Carrie’s witty dialogue and the designer wedding dress sequence (especially the Carolina Herrera and the Vivienne Westwood dresses) were my favorites. I could have foregone almost everything else. It was great having someone else pay for my ticket and some popcorn! Will I be watching this flick again? Hell no.
On to Princess House. What is Princess House you ask. This is Princess House. Think Amway + Tupperware Parties with a modern flair. My cousin invited me to this little house party that her friend was throwing. All she told me was that it was a “Princess Party.” Now, I usually hear the words ‘princess’ and ‘party’ and run the other way but my good senses must have been dulled after watching SATC, so I agreed. We drove over to her friend’s house, and for some reason, it wasn’t what I expected. I was thinking there would be a bunch of girls our age, but there weren’t. The party-goers were: four mom-aged ladies, a girl younger than me, someone’s grandmother (who was a riot!), a pregnant girl, a married girl, my cousin, and the hostess (who has a one and a half year old). It made me feel slightly out of place seeing as how I am not pregnant, do not have a child, and am unmarried.
Here’s how it works: you decide you would like to host a party. You find a ‘consultant’ from the company of your choice corresponding with what you’d like to buy (housewares, purses, candles, etc.) and set up a date. Then invitations go out to all of your friends and family, preferably the ladies. On the day of the party, the consultant comes early and sets up their wares in your home. People come, you play games, chit chat, talk about the products, flip through the catalog, be subject to a demonstration by the consultant, chit chat some more, play more games, order your goods, chit chat more, play another game, get some free stuff and go home! Then you wait until your hostess receives your products in the mail and then distributes them. And then you’re all happy with your new stuff, right?
Last night, the demonstration was actually kind of neat. The consult
ant brought a small, uncooked chicken, which she cleaned, and put it in a 3 quart casserole dish. She cut a lemon in half, squeezed all the juice out onto the chicken, seasoned it, and put the rinds inside. She then covered the casserole dish, put it in the microwave, and cooked it for 30 minutes. And holy beans! The chicken came out very tender and very tasty, much to my surprise. You can find the product here for more information and purchase. Why didn’t I buy this wonderful item? It was like $80. I decided on a few other things, like the pancake mix and a glow-in-the-dark Halloween serving plate. I managed to leave with only minus $30 from my checkbook. When the consultant announced that between the ten guests, $500 had been spent on Princess House products, I realized that the ladies had spent an average of $50 each! Whoa! I thought their items were slightly overpriced, but wow. I guess one shouldn’t underestimate the power of these little buying parties.
Another reason I feel as though I made out like a bandit was the little votive candle holder I won. Remember those games I mentioned earlier? Well, that’s how you ended up ‘making money.’ The consultant handed out little $5000 certificates for each correct answer or question asked. Which is your favorite product? Certificate. Do you have a question about my job? Another certificate. How much do you think this item costs? Certificate. Want to host a Princess House Part? Lots of certificates. When it came to the end of the presentation, the consultant had three items we could ‘bid’ on with our ‘money.’ I wanted to votive candle holder, so I started bidding. Some of the other ladies gave me their money so I could win. And win I did! I was really excited. I had a fun time. Will I be hosting a party of my own? Hell no. Will I go if someone invites me in the future? Sure.
All in all, everything was pretty fun. It’s great to get out once in awhile and do a few girlie things here and there as long as you don’t end up going overboard and losing your touch with reality. We all need a little girlie time once in awhile.
The Think Tank 