1. The Pixies
This is a geek-out of which I am proud. I wave my freak flag high for how much I adore this band. I have seen Frank Black and the Catholics in a small club in Nashville and I've seen the Pixies reunited at Coachella. I have all their cds and had a few more random ones, like B sides and some live stuff until Patton ate them, the bastard. I fell in love, hard and dark and deep, with The Pixies back in freshman year of high school. 1994 to be exact. Doolittle was the first album I got, Trompe le Monde the second and Come On Pilgrim the third. I know this because these were the albums I got on cassette and blasted in my 1989 blue Volvo 240dl while flying down the interstates of Nashville, TN. The others, Bossanova and Surfer Rosa, were on cd. Bossanova took me the longest to adore. Trompe le Monde is my favorite. It's so shiny and bright. My favorite song is Bird Dreams of the Olympus Mons, followed closely by Letters to Memphis, Dig for Fire, Tame, The Holiday Song and basically every single song they do. I have a Pixies-related tattoo as well but to tell you what would also tell you where, and there are some things a wife and mom should just keep to herself.
2. Harry Potter
I've already posted about Harry Potter, and so it should come as no surprise to find Mr. Potter, his friends and adventures in my number two spot. I've been into this series since I was 22, and have been a rabid fan ever since. Did you know, I've written Harry Potter fan fiction?! Twice?! My second was denied publication on the website I was a member of, however, due to Draco Malfoy's nature not meshing enough with the character in the series. Anyways. I have lived, breathed and rolled around in Harry Potter for the past decade, almost. It's captivating, and witty, and so well written. I love that I have been part of something that can only be described as a movement; children got into reading again, ADULTS got into reading again, 30 somethings were reduced to the quivering mass of Christmas-eve like giddiness at midnight release parties. I mean, say it with me folks: swish and flick!
3. Battlestar Galactica
This is a far more recent illicit geek affair of which I've become a part, although happily I am not alone: Todd has been just as rabid a fan as I have. We started the series when Alex was just a newborn. I was still on maternity leave, I think, actually. Anyways, the start of the whole show was a two hour mini-series type start to it, and by the time Todd and I tore through it, we were hooked. Tap the vein, torch the spoon, we're down to get down. We finished the 4.5 season series before Alex was even a year old. The ending was a wonderful mind blowing shock/revelation and the entire thing is such an exploration of humanity and survival, and each character is so real that it's very easy to love and hate each of them at one time or another because they make truly human choices and can inspire either admiration or disappointment. And this is not just another sci-fi series, created only for Trekkies and Star Wars fans. This is out and out drama, and it's damn good. In fact, for Todd's birthday, one of his gifts was an Admiral Adama doll and another was an autographed photo of the actor who plays him, Edward James Olmos. The third was a Nascar ride along but it's a long story.
4. Netflix, until recently
Get a few drinks in me and bring up Netflix and I won't shut up about it. Or at least, before their new rate hike, I wouldn't shut up about it. We got Netflix and then cancelled our cable, reduced our internet to Qwest's (Century Link's?) speed and went from paying over $100 a month for entertainment to paying $30 for internet. It was wonderful and we haven't noticed a thing. Netflix gave us a lot of freedom for not a lot of money, with the chance to watch online or wait patiently (a whole 24 hours, the slowpokes) for the dvds. It's thanks to Netflix that we got into Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood and Rome. And I seriously, seriously hated Cox Communications so despite their increase in costs and messing with the plans, I have to thank them profusely for the best phone call I ever made: telling Cox to shove it.
5. Jason Shampoo & Conditioner
and to a slightly lesser degree, their lotion
I have dry hair. Or, well, I did, when I was shampooing it daily with mainstream brands like Pantene, Herbal Essences and Garnier, due to the detergents in the shampoo. It was crazy to see, when I dropped to shampooing every other day, how much oil my scalp produced in order to make up for the severe stripping those shampoos did to my hair. After about a week, though, it balanced out and wasn't so easy to tell if I had only rinsed it or hadn't washed it at all. Then I got a glorious tip on the Jason products from some ladies with gorgeous long healthy hair. I started with the Sea Kelp type, and I fell in love. It was gentle on my hair and even if I use it many days in a row, the aftermath of oil production is nowhere near what it was once I gave up daily shampoos with the brands listed above. I've used Jason on my hair for years now and had a hard time remembering the shampoo and conditioner duos I used to use beforehand. I've also tried Avalon Organics but they don't have the same lovely end result and so I always and forever return to Jason. My least favorite type is the Lavender because its conditioner feels very thin and doesnt give a lot of slip like the other types. Biotin, Apricot, Sea Kelp and Aloe Vera are the best, in my humble opinion.
5a. Jason lotion
Jason lotion, specifically the cocoa butter and vanilla, are absolutely lovely. A sikly, light feeling even after a thorough application, mouth-watering scents, and the skin feels truly moisturized. I adore the smell of Kiss My Face's honey and calendula, but you have to follow some rules with that stuff (damp to semi-wet skin, a full on thorough massage to make sure it soaks in, etc) in order to avoid the stingy, itchy feeling that comes with dried out skin. Jason, however, works every time. Lovely stuff!
For Jason products, I highly recommend you hit up Vitacost instead of, say, Whole Foods or Sunflower Market. You will save 50% and the shipping is flat rate, so pile on the au naturel products and enjoy!
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