Spa Treatment, Journey, Sopranos, Blah Blah Blah...

Okay, so my visit to the spa was glorious. The esthetician that did my microdermabrasion said she really didn't recommend it for me and that I just need to moisturize and get facials every now and then. So, I actually followed that advice (I still got the microdermabrasion that day) and I can already tell a difference in the few days since I began an actual beauty regime, or something like it. I didn't buy the expensive stuff at the spa, I just went to CVS and bought drugstore stuff. I know "moisturize, moisturize, moisturize" is the mantra of all beauty industry workers, but I just never got into it. I was always a harsh soap and water girl. Hey, it worked for me for years, since my skin was the one thing I actually liked about myself. I now realize the error of my ways by not moisturizing. Next thing you know, I'll discover that eating veggies instead of chips and fried foods actually gives you more energy. After this visit, I can see why people are willing to spend extraordinary (to me) amounts of money at spas. I would love to get a hot stone massage, but I am still a poor grad student working for peanuts so that precludes expensive massages for a few years. Which is probably a good thing.

Sooo...Best Buy is refunding me in full for the computer. HP says they can't fix it. They also said I can't have my laptop back. WTF? It's mine. Apparently, they are stripping it for parts or something. I have a store credit that I have to use within 30 days. BB is also trying to get my data back from HP. Since the problem with my computer was external, there shouldn't be a problem with that, but since I think the real problem is that they lost my laptop, I am not holding my breath waiting to get my data back. The problem with this is that all of my lesson plans and every paper I've written in my first year in this program (somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 page) are on that laptop. I hadn't saved anything to my zip in awhile. I would've saved everything before I took it in, but I couldn't because one of the problems was that I couldn't turn it on b/c a the jack to the power supply was effed up. I really need those lesson plans and my papers and I can't understand why I can't have my computer back regardless of whether it's fixed or not. I am happy that I am getting a full store credit. It just doesn't replace my data.

Okay, so the Sopranos...I've only watched intermittantly in the last few seasons so I have been a little lost in these last few episodes, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment. I'm in the small minority that wasn't pissed about the ending. Maybe that's because I haven't been following it as closely. I guess I felt something of a cross between being let down a little bit and amused at the same time. All the hoopla surrounding the last episode serves as yet another reminder of how much I miss my Mom, because I know we'd have a marathon chat about it. It's all kinds of things that make me miss her and I realize that the Sopranos series finale is a totally mundane trigger to missing her, but talking about stuff like this was a major part of our relationship, so as trivial as it may seem, it really does hurt. She would so get a kick out of the Journey song making a comeback. She really loved Steve Perry's voice and still gave him props after their popularity died. It not only makes me sad, it just still feels really weird not to be able to call her to talk about stuff like this. My Dad can't participate in conversations about pop culture. He's 73, and kind of a fogie even for the seventysomething set.

So, I took just a small peek at the message boards to see what people were saying. Oy vey, I had to exit, because it was just too much. I begrudge no one their (over)investment in a show, because I'm still mourning the death of Gary on thirtysomething and I'm still outraged that that series is not out on DVD. I just couldn't read on and on, the endless analysis. Maybe it's because it's too close to shop talk for me and maybe because the only thing that would really satisfy me would be to discuss it with my Mom. Since it's basically my job to overanalyze plays to shreds, my need to analyze something creative is already sated. If I had stuck with accounting or didn't pursue theatre, I'm pretty sure I'd be on those boards dissecting it with the best of them because I'd have to get my jollies somehow. But I do understand the motivation and the appeal. Still, I couldn't help but groan when it came to posters fighting about the proper functioning of tableside jukeboxes at diners on the upper east coast. There were links to sites about tableside jukes and some were downright indignant, demanding to know if others had been to every roadside diner on the upper coast with these tableside jukes, because, in their experience, these jukes worked differently (or maybe the same, who cares?) than in the episode and for other posters. Sometimes that stuff is hilarious and sometimes it's just really stupid. But, that's TWOP for ya.

Now, lest the irony of me pointing out others for discussing inane things remain unacknowledged, I just have to say how thrilled I was to hear "Don't Stop Believin" on the finale. How could I hate the finale and feel cheated when they played that? It's impossible! My love affair with that song was rekindled when Stephen and LC listened to it on Season 2 of Laguna Beach. I honestly think Stephen really played that song of his own volition, instead of being prodded to do so by MTV, because I just can't imagine MTV busting that out on their own. I've even thought enough about this to wonder if his parents listened to Journey and that's how he discovered it. So yeah, here's the part where I acknowledge pot kettle, me, Twop, and all that. Hell, I was surprised that Laguna scene didn't end up on the cutting room floor just because they were listening to Journey instead of Maroon 5 (I have nothing against them, they're just the only the current top 40 overplayed group that I can reference). I thought it was hilarious when Journey ended up on the Top 10 downloaded Itunes for the next couple of weeks after it was played on Laguna Beach and The Family Guy. I guess it doesn't take much for me to be amused.