ok, the spice girls won...

I was all ready to weigh in on this embarrassingly catty exchange-that-won't-die between Elizabeth Edwards and Ann Coulter or speculate about the cheerleaders that died tragically in the SUV accident overnight, or even whine about the fact that Seattle is currently colder than Anchorage, Helsinki, Oslo, North Dakota, you name it.

But then I see that the Spice Girls are reuniting - CNN confirmed it.

The way I see it, they should advertise this "global assault reunion" with a slightly more self-deprecating bent: call it the "Spice Girls PTA Tour." Parade their kids up on stage, trade organic cooking tips, breast feed during the intermission...

Aside from the fact that all five are looking a little road-weary, I can't figure out how this is to anyone's financial advantage...? The Girls had a brief run of "fame" in the states, but for the most part they're remembered as a parody as much as anything...I think they recognize this, too...the pictures I've seen of them assembled on cobblestone holding flags looking like suburban moms (with the exception of Posh, looking like a waxy mannequin...) look self-conscious, uncomfortable, terribly unlike a group of women ready to unleash a comeback on the...world.

The way I see it, unless they can get N'Sync to sign on with them, they're doomed...

leave me AND my bologna in peace...

Ok, superguy, I get your point: you wouldn't eat what I'm eating.

You think my tasty, heavenly little slices of mechanically separated turkey solids, hydrolized gelatin, modified food starch and sodium erythorbate (my "Meat Composite Cocktail!") are "bad for me."

And that's fine. Because I wouldn't want you eating my 98% Fat Free Bologna, anyway. More for me.

Thing is, I didn't ask you if I was good for me. I didn't consult you, Kashi: Go-Lean-eating Superguy, before I ate my 25-calorie-per-slice discs of pure happiness. If I wanted your opinion on my lunch, I would have asked.

While we're at it, aren't my mechanically separated turkey solids, snap peas, bell peppers and dried papaya slices a little higher on the "good-for-me-food-meter" than your giant bagel and cream cheese? HMMMMM?

Oh, what's that? It's "organic, non-dairy cream cheese substitute?" You think you've won this round, but don't get too comfy resting there on your health-food laurels - I see the weekly expense reports: last week when you had a lunch meeting, you went to that sports-bar-dive a few blocks from my house...and you BOTH ate the BBQ beef burger - with FRENCH FRIES. And a pint of Jolly Roger.

Mwuahahahahahahahaha.

Leave me and my beloved bologna alone and no one will ever have to know what I know: that the box of Kashi on your desk is the SAME box that's been there since 2005, and you DON'T eat it for breakfast.

Sparkling Pick-of-the-Week

Time for a Tuesday Wine Recommendation:

Segura Viudas, a Spanish sparkling wine (called Cava, meaning "cave") is my favorite "value bubbly." Available at most grocery stores for under $7.00, I prefer it to any local Washington sparkling wine, and DEFINITELY anything in the same price range out of California. It's part of the Freixenet "brand" (but infinitely tastier than the brand's black-bottle namesake).

Pale yellow in color and equally light in flavor it's perfectly dry with a light mineral scent and surprisingly fine, delicate bubbles (also blessedly free of bitter fruity after-bite). I'd call it an "agreeable" sparking wine (my term for party-friendly bubbly great for toasting), yummy flavor without a lot of fanfare.

(Bottom line: when you reach for Cooks or Korbel because it's cheap - THINK AGAIN. For the price, Segura Viudas tops the list).

If you feel like spending a little more, there's a Reserva from the same house that comes in a nifty bottle:

the things that come to me between snooze buttons...

I definitely do some of my most inspired thinking in those half-conscious minutes between snooze button slaps - in those lethargic moments of sort of ethereal stasis when part of me ponders a chocolate donut for breakfast and part of me tries to finish that conversation about microwave popcorn I was having with Nick Nolte in a dream before NPR's Robert Siegel breaks in again to fill me in on Hamas or the stock market (I wonder what would happen to my 9-minute spans of sheer genius if I set the alarm to a classical music station or...classic rock...I might become even more enlightened) I come up with some of my best theories (I'm a latent sociology fiend - while conditioning my hair or plucking my eyebrows or sitting in traffic, more often than not I'm theorizing about sociological phenomena...well, that and wondering what on earth happened to D.B. Sweeney in the past 10 years to take him from the World's Ultimate Dreamboat to a washed-up, vacant-eyed, beat-up husk of a man...sigh).

At any rate - I range from concrete moments of reasonable genius (a strange moment of clarity when I figure out the best way to consolidate our credit card debt and get a better interest rate and vaguely think about writing it down before I fall back asleep again, for instance) to more abstract thinking. Case in point:

This week between snooze buttons I came up with the answer to the suddenly ubiquitous question "Where are young Hollywood's parents? Why have all of these rich celebrities gone so awry?" It's been all over the news; it's a question Letterman posed to Nicole "I might be pregnant about to die of malnutrition but why don't you send me to a fitness camp to counsel overweight adults" Richie a few days ago, it's a question CNN even stoops to asking, it's a question hanging over the heads of Dina Lohan and Kathy Hilton and Lynn Spears and Lionel Richie...

Where have they been while their daughters are passed out on the floor in the men's room of a hotel, playing with knives, driving their cars into things, mixing alcohol with "antibiotics," and shaving their heads?

Thank you, snooze button, because I think I have the answer. Similar to my Theory of Inadequate Socialization is my theory of "Premature Emancipation Due to Financial Viability."

One thing most of these wayward celebs have in common is cash. Money. Titanium American Express cards issued along with their silver spoons. Bottomless bank accounts, trust funds, you name it. Trouble is, wisdom, a sense of responsibility, discretion, the ability to make smart decisions or even a basic understanding of mores and guiding moral tenets of society aren't included on the paycheck.

What does that translate into for rich, famous spoiled brats and their families? The way I see it, the famous teenager is able to buy a Mercedes or a Hollywood Hills mansion or an NYC loft (or their own weight in cocaine, or a lifetime supply of Ciroc...) which I think gets misinterpreted (by their parents and peers and media alike) as being able to provide for themselves altogether - which isn't such an unreasonable misinterpretation to make, considering the BULK of young adults ARE prepared to live and behave as adults by the time they move out of their family home. It's just an unfortunate mistake to make, in this case, to assume that financial viability and physical emancipation from the guardianship of their parents (legal or otherwise) translates into a realistic ability to behave as an adult living on their own ought.

Add to that the fact that wealth is as powerful a drug as any - and having the ability to BUY anything and anyone (essentially) that they want will lull the average high-school-aged kid into a sort of...intoxication of invincibility. If you can have a car and a house and a restaurant and a manager and a body guard and a ranch for your dad and a Land Rover for your mom and a closet full of Christian Louboutins, it makes sense that you'd perceive yourself as a provider, as an adult - and also expect that if purchases come easy and credit is no object, that this "credit" would extend to social situations, that if you're treated as an adult when you buy your house, won't that same money earn you respect if you mess up and run your car into a tree? If you can buy your way out of your parents home and into a sort of suspended-adult-reality, stands to reason you'd think you could buy your way out of any pesky situation with the right amount of money.

Just because they become the primary bread winner for their family (or because they're allowed to go live on their own and provide for themselves) doesn't mean they're equipped to deal with the social expectations that come with adulthood or with the responsibilities that come with being a provider...coming into cash doesn't mean you've grown up and I think parents mistake the fact that their children are sustaining themselves financially with being mature enough to handle themselves across the board.

Yes, you learn by making mistakes - but buying your way out of those mistakes isn't the answer. And turning a blind eye as parents when your kids veer off-course - or CONDONING the notion that money can cure all ills, legal, social, political, cultural or otherwise - is what gets kids in trouble. You learn by discipline. It's a parent's job to discipline, not to fear that their cash flow or publicity or celebrity will get cut off if they upset their meal-ticket child (and I think this applies even to the very wealthy Hilton parents as well - they cash in on their daughter's celebrity status as much as anyone - Kathy gets press attention, gets her face on magazines...they're exploiting their daughter for reasons other than money gifts, but it's still an abuse of their role as parents).

Their responsibilities as parents don't stop simply because the kid has their own car or lives on their own. Your responsibility as a parents NEVER stops, and it's sad to see moms with stars in their eyes over their daughter's bank account, or a dad reveling in the attention he gets regardless of the fact that it's because their child has gone off the deep end. It's a dangerous cocktail, money and celebrity. Parents willingly forsake their responsibility to their children because of the kickbacks...and forgive their kids' gross misbehavior as simply, "a phase, what kids do," or explain it away with the excuse that, "she's just figuring some things out right now," (because heaven forbid your kid sells the house they bought for you...)

At any rate, it's a workable theory - let kids loose on their own before they're socially prepared simply because they can AFFORD to live on their own and watch the train wreck. Just make sure you've got your make-up on because the tabloids will be asking for your take on the trainwreck that is your daughter, and it would be a SHAME not to look good for Entertainment Tonight.

carmex is a thing of beauty.

Every so often I forget how much I love Carmex. Every so often I load up on "organic" lip balms and nothing-but-sunscreen chapstick and fancy Chanel gloss and a glorious array of terrible products marketed at 12 year-old girls with flavors like "Cotton-Candy-Kiwi-Cream" or "Dr Pepper Blast" or "Acid Raspberry Turnip Dream" and wonder why I'm STILL not satisfied with the state of my lips.

At any rate - once I've relegated the Chanel and the Lip Smackers to the bottomless-pit-of-a-makeup-drawer for some rainy day, I end up back on the Carmex. It's no-frills. It's tingly. It makes my lips soft and shiny and chilly. It kills cold sores. It's price never goes up. It's utilitarian enough for a man to carry around, shiny enough for a chick to dig. It's your grandma's lip medication (alright, "sexy" isn't on the list of reasons to love the Carmex) . I hope they never change the ugly yellow tin.

But it got me thinking about other things that I love (because most of the time theses days it's all too easy to fall into a mental "pit of despair," complete with emotional R.O.U.S's and lightning sand and spontaneous combustions. It's too easy to let the stress of a heavy classload, a heavy workload, a heavy load on our bank account and too little free time or nice weather squelch all of the stuff that I bump into on a daily basis that I REALLY. DIG. If I allowed myself, I could sit and wallow in envy over the fact that my coworker has no only written a book, but is in the works to pimp said book on our local NPR affiliate tomorrow afternoon, something that seems so distant and unrealizable for me, but I'd rather sit and bathe in soothing thoughts...thoughts of things that I love)

My wonderfully supportive, beautiful mom.
My eternally understanding, loving K that reinforces me when I feel wimpy, makes me feel beautiful when I feel plain, looks forward to our future together with me and makes even my toes feel cherished (!)
My utterly selfless, strong (and yes, sometimes silent) dad - and the garlic shrimp he grills up so well.
My endlessly spunky (and resonant!) sister that makes making friends look effortless and appreciates the Young Herc in a way no one else ever will...
My unexpectedly well-rounded lil brother (that would put any self-respecting radio station to shame with his collection of tunes and any self-respecting DJ to shame with his impressively extensive musical knowledge - and this from the kid that grew up preferring dad's talk radio sports shows to Amy Grant of all things ;))
My bed (particularly in those minutes between snooze slaps).
My fancy Crown Plaza pillows (splurged on them, but it's like falling asleep on an angel's tummy - so soft and weightless and wonderful...)
Guacamole
Strawberry bubble gum
Strappy sandals
Reconciliations that balance
The pool at home - the sound of the lake lapping in the background, somebody playing their reggae too loud from the building next door with the windows open, little kids with cute french accents learning to swim, the wonderful feeling that comes from realizing that at the beginning of summer, we're ALL pale and soft...
Cucumbers
Gaelic Storm
Books on loan from the Boss (currently highly recommend "In the Fall" by Jeffrey Lent)
LOUD irritating pop music in the car (think Hilary Duff and other people I should be embarrassed to blast on my way home)
Sunroofs
Endless.com
Sunglasses
Matching bra & panty (but I hate the word "panty") sets
Manicures With Mom
"The Republic of Tea" tea (particularly Blackberry Sage)
My own homemade soap - peach with apricot seeds to exfoliate
The freckles that come out on my cheeks in the sun
Falling asleep snuggled up next to K
Lazy Saturday mornings in bed
"Mystic Pizza"
Calling in sick to work and getting outta town
Rockaway beach, with the entire family and all of that Costco junk food
K's margaritas...perfect every time
The Santorini Princess Spa...and their ridiculously good pizza
Cooking. Anything.
"Simon & Simon" (where can I find reruns of that show?")
"Wedding Crashers"
John Mellencamp
Bright red hair dye
Sour candy (the type I'm supposed to have outgrown but always have a secret stash of at home...in my desk...in the car)
Learning that I DO have endurance, I CAN learn to run, I CAN keep up with big boys on a hike and that endorphins ARE a great way to combat stress
Birthdays
European cars
Big, long, dangling earrings
Good hair days
Pizza
"The Devil Wears Prada"
Bacon Cheeseburgers
Pink Wine
The "Villa" house that I pass on my way home that motivates me to get my debt in order and buy a home...preferably a villa on some hillside in Tuscany - a vineyard, a big gate, open windows with gauzy curtains blowing...a secret-garden patio with crawling vines, rose bushes, fuscias and honeysuckle where we'd drink coffee in the morning and wine in the evening
Beth Hart - "Screaming For My Supper"
White wine
Drugstore cosmetics
Grilled cheese sandwiches
That unicorn among unicorns - a GOOD greeting card that actually says what you mean to say in the way you'd like to say it...
Flowers!
Cozy, worn-in, practically threadbare t-shirts.
Cozy, worn-in, practically threadbare jeans
Red Wine (hmmm, theme)
Cold, rainy night, candles lit, snuggling on the couch with a good movie in the background.
Green olives
Batman: The Animated Series
"Young Hercules"
Finding the PERFECT gift for someone special and surprising them with it for no reason
New friends
Getting back in touch with old friends
My father-in-law
White, linen dresses in the summertime
Flip-flops
A freshly vacuumed living room
Garbage disposals (don't have one, so I love them longingly, from a distance)
Big, huge sales
Target
Barbeques
Waking up early on sunny mornings to chirping birds
Watching other people trip & fall
Celebrity gossip blogs
Pictures of celebrities in bikinis
Celebrities without their makeup
Writing a single sentence so well it gives me chills...
Going to bed early
Getting on a scale and being pleasantly surprised
Our wedding day...
Bandon Beach
Shoes by Charles David, or Nina, or JoeyO or Chinese Laundry or Nine West or...
Bob Seger
Coconut ice cream
Hot chocolate
Indian food
Swimsuits (I own perhaps 50)
K's beautiful green eyes, big, strong hands, adorable butt
Old Toyota trucks with mud tires and roll bars and obscene lift kits.
French fries
The color pink
A good black v-neck
Any black v-neck
Bright red polish on my toenails
A long soak in a hot tub
Peonies
The Puyallup State Fair
Fluff Chick-lit
Greg Iles novels
Road trips
Diet Dr Pepper
Skirts that flare out and puff up when you twirl around
and, of course,
CHAMPAGNE.