This is going to be an interesting month. I worked this morning, signing in all of the new residents coming in for the summer sessions. About 2/3 of my residents are graduate students who are deaf and/or special needs. Of my three roomates, one has cerebral palsy and the other two incoming are deaf (I think- Erica was unsure about one). I've been doing training about special needs and the like-- there are so many things and subtleties about communication that I'd never even thought of before!

I think that email is the easiest way to communicate with everyone, but I've already found it very valuable to carry around a pad of paper at all times. Some people are clearer at speech than others, but writing it all out seems better to me than having some mis-communication. Hopefully, I'll pick up some very basic sign-language knowledge.

Also, happy Solstice, everybody. Hopefully I'll be able to set aside an hour or two for a small circle. I'll have to keep it scaled down, as usual, but at least I'm free tonight!

Christina's Top Five Guilty Pleasures List
In Which She Writes About Being Shallow Too

1. Cosmetics. I'm not a complete girlie-girl, but damn do I like pretty colors. I generally don't have enough moolah for professional-grade brands like MAC or Urban Decay, which I lust after. However, I can stand in the cosmetic aisle of a Rite Aid for the better part of an hour. Currently, my favorite things are those Revlon Eyeglides and Lipglides. For $7.00 a pop, you have the easiest makeup ever, and in shades that are actually wearable (my favorite is the nude eyeglide, which is a nude with a hint of rose). Failing that, any shade of gold eyeshadow will do. My eyes range from dark green to grey-blue depending on what I'm wearing. The gold shadow always makes them pop, especially when paired with just a little green eyeliner on the lower lid. I'd like to experiment with very bright, whacky colors, but I'd never actually wear them outside.

I use L'Oreal Coulour Fresco creme shadow sticks for highlighting and for shimmer-- 'Crushed Blush' is a very light, iridescent pink perfect for cheeks and browbone, too. I'm low-maintenance with base-- generally I custom-mix Max Factor's Pan-Stik concealer with noncomodogenic moisturizer on uneven areas so I don't look matte and plastic-y. One stick will last me over a year. Also? Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara is awesome. I'm not too big on lipstick, but when I wear it, I go for shimmery nude shades or brick shades (I am in love with Cover Girl's 'Santa Fe' shade). Mostly, I like gloss, but I'll wear lipstick when I'm going more dramatic.

Extend this to bath products, and I'm in serious trouble. Never skimp on the bath products, ever. I could live in the Aromatherapy section of Bath & Body Works.

2. Candles. So much so that I dedicated an entire post to them. Amber and musk and vanilla wax. I consider candles essential to my creative existence. I'm acutally going to splurge a bit this weekend on candles-- I'm almost out, and so I'm going to get a 18-pk of votives and a small jar of Midsummer's Night at Yankee, and then a bag of tealites from Target, because I have only 6 left.

3. Victoria's Secret. Their bras are godsends. Ridiculously expensive godsends. They put my humongous boobs back in my chest area, where they belong. I'm a big fan of the racerback plunge bra, and I need to get one in a nude color. Their underwear also makes me feel sexy (black embroidered--guh!), and their mesh thongs are so comfortable. I also own a merrywidow corset by VS, and I enjoy taking it out every now and again.

4. Ordering off of Ebay/Amazon. Out-of-print book I loved as a teenager? Must have it. Discontinued favorite candle? Must have it. Awesome offer on a toaster? Well, not yet... but I can see this mania progressing. Browsing Amazon and Ebay is my own personal version of window shopping. Seriously, maybe I just buy off the internet so I get packages in the mail. :) Well, you can catch good deals, at any rate. Shipping charges are the bane of my existence.

5. Tea. I have about 20 varieties in my cupboard alone. Herb tea. Black tea. Fruit tea. Spiced tea. They all bow to the almighty chai. I'm not so much a fan of green tea, though, and I've not yet tried white tea. My favorite two teas are quite elusive-- Celestial Seasoning's Nutcracker Sweet and any form of loose jasmine. I seriously could drink hot tea all day, and I do so no matter what the weather. It's my crack.


Man, being a girl is expensive. :)