Lots to cover today

As I was preparing to write this post, something occurred to me for the second time in as many days: I'm such a capitalist! Ayn Rand, I blame you. You and Miuciia Prada. And maybe a little bit L'America.

Anyway, whatever, morals aside, all this chatter about commodities makes me feel good in a nice escapist predictable kind of way, so it's what I'm going with. Maybe you'll get something out of it, and if I stumble on something ethical (read: green or fair-trade), maybe I'll remember to throw it in.

So, today, I bring you my opinions on:

J Beverly Hills hair care products - I'm a big lover of products, but I usually get impatient and stop using them because they're sticky, or too expensive, or they smell, or my favorite: give me incurable dandruff. So, I was a little hesitant when my new salon switched product lines to J Beverly Hills, but I gave it a go anyway, because the prices weren't terrible. In fact, the shampoo, the first product I bought, was only a few dollars more than the one I usually get at the grocery...and I love it! I'm using the "Add Body" shampoo, and now, conditioner too, and they're fantastic. Highly recommended for folks with hair like mine, that could use a little lift. One of my favorite things about the shampoo/conditioner is that my hair stays clean longer than with other shampoos. The stuff also works, and the smell isn't terrible. To add even a little more punch to my locks, I've also started using their volumizing spray foam, "Lift Up." It's a little sticky, so I only use it once or twice a week, but I love the way the spray distributes evenly over my head without leaving streaks of plastic-y yuck. And again, it actually works. Final plug for this company: I've also started using their product "Fresh.Hair" dry cleaning spray for those days between washes. It works really well to add a little lift and remove smells. So yeah. Oh, and they're working to make all their products sulfate-free. Some already are.

The Kite Runner - 2003, book by Kohled Hosseini- um, have you guys read this book? It is amazing and beautiful. I don't want to say much about it, but I read it in three days, and for my schedule the past couple of years, that's a record. It's fantastic.

After the Wedding - 2006, movie - another amazing story. I especially liked this because it was completely unexpected. I knew it was a mystery/thriller-ish movie, but I figured it would be all sex and violence, right? Not so. The plot had a bit of a stretch in it, but once I got finished rolling my eyes over that, I really enjoyed the movie. This was an especially nice surprise because I had psyched myself out to feel depressed after watching it, and that wasn't the case at all. Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of sadness in this tale - but the depth of emotion explored and the complexity of just our humanness makes this one a great film.

Here's a little personal life update for those of you who care about that sort of thing: the weather is lovely, sunny and cold, so I've gotten to be outside some. I'm meat-free for the season, and feeling cleaner. I've been going to the gym regularly, and what a difference exercise makes! And I'm heading to Arkansas later this week. I'm sure that will be absolutely thrilling.

I hope to see some of you within the month. Until then, I'll keep up with you virtually.