The Randoming

[wigglewhiz]

I totally forgot to mention in yesterdays Rare Moments Of Gratitude post that I've recently received two emails from people enquiring about bellydance classes in Invercargill. One person found me from Bhuz, so presumably the Teachers Listings DO work and are searchable and everything! Yay!

The other person, I have NO IDEA where they found me from. I'm assuming possibly from the Attar teachers list? Anyway, the first person is Invercargill-born, currently in the UK, visiting in the New Year and hoping to fit in a class or two. The other person is based in a little township close by here and is interested in a weekly class, which I currently do not have. But it's all very interesting. I wasn't planning on marketing or advertising classes until I'd got myself more sorted out (including dropping a few kilos, because BLERG), but... hm. Perhaps It Is Time. *listens to Teh Fates*

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Random Product Reviewness!

Bellydance

I have very recently acquired the Ranya Renee Art of the Baladi and Modern Egyptian DVD's from a very kind benefactor who shall remain nameless. :oD Although the lovely suzycat  has already given a review of these on Gilded Serpent (and I imagine my opinions are likely to be very similar to hers), I shall be reviewing it here. I also haven't forgotten about Combination Nation 2, and I am currently in the process of drawing together my Live Viewing Notes (as I do) into some form of coherent review.


Vanity

One of the very good things about Himself working in a department type store is that occasionally (RARELY, unfortunately) I benefit from testers of things. The most recent of these is a teeny little pottle of Moroccan hair oil, not the Moroccanoil brand that I thought, but another brand containing argan oil and costing about half as much (yet still, like $50 a bottle, which.... ouch)

I'm very sceptical about hair oils. Because... well, it's OIL. And putting OIL in your hair and leaving it overnight seems like a recipe for a stained pillow and super icky greasy hair in the morning to me. BUT, given that I had a free sample and that I was a bit concerned about how very, very dry the ends of my hair were, I thought I'd give it a shot.

This is Day Two of having rubbed a teeny amount of oil into just the ends of my hair before bed.  So far the response is very good - my pillow remains unstained (although the ends of my hair are nowhere near my pillow, so... hm.), and my hair isn't icky and greasy in the morning. In fact, really you wouldn't know there was anything ON it, which is surprising given that the oil is quite viscous. It also smells a little like... well, actually I've never SMELLED sweet almond oil, but it smells a little like marzipan and coconut. The ends of my hair feels SO MUCH BETTER - smooth and supple, and just generally more like the rest of my hair rather than feeling brittle and fried like they have been lately.

I'll keep you posted on progress - obviously I haven't washed it or gone through the usual drying hoo-hah, so we'll see if this is an effect that will really be WORTH anything in the longer run.

In less satisfying freebie product reviews, Revlon Fabulash waterproof mascara. DO NOT BUY. It might be waterproof, but it is FLAKETASTIC, and those flecks will pepper your undereye area like tiny little freckles or some kind of horrible skin condition, and they will GET IN YOUR EYES, and if you wear contacts you will feel like a billionty tiny gritty bits of sand are scritching your corneas off every time you blink. Just sayin'.


Gardening (WTF?)

Yes. I am the world's least green-fingered person and I am able to KILL FERNS, which are the oldest plants ever and survived the comets. And yet... I am trying to learn how to plant things and prune things without MURDERING them. And I'm trying to dig out the weed-strewn rockery by the front door and looking hopefully at packets of herb seedlings and bay trees (although the ones in the garden centre are TOO TALL, WTH?! I am but five foot three, FFS! Give me a break!), and wondering if I can grown lebanese cucumbers without a polytunnel and... stuff.

At the moment, I have but one parsley plant. I like taboulli, so I go through a lot of parsley. I think I overharvested the poor bugger, because for the last few weeks it's been like a sad, balding little thing and just doesn't seem to want to spring back to life. It's been turning yellowy instead of green, so I've been popping it out the back garden to get a little bit of natural light, thinking it might not be getting enough sunlight? No dice - it was STILL not looking like a happy little plant. (Also, it is despondently trying to flower, which I think I'm supposed to try to prevent? Or it'll... taste funny or stop growing leaves or something? YEAH, CAN YOU TELL I AM NOT A GARDENER?!)

Anyway, I caved to the Monsters Of Television Advertising and bought some Root Blast, because it seems to be really shallowly potted and not have much in the way of root systems. And really because obviously I believe everything the telly tells me, and I make offerings to it as my Teacher/Mother/Secret Lover.

Since I put the scoop of Root Blast around the little plantlets? THERE IS NEW GROWTH. It's only been just about a week, so it's not like the massive lush parsely plant of my dreams or anything yet, but it looks like it's working! IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIVE! MWA HA HA HA HAAAAAAA!

*ahem*

And at more than $20 for a little baggie (although that will last for yonks), it's just as bloody well or I'd be right back down that garden centre, all: TV HAS LIED TO ME!!1!


This has been Your Wigglewhiz Guide To Random Things. Next time: stuff I found at the supermarket! Weird fruit pastes for cheese - genuinely tasty addition or wanky food snobbery gone awry? New smelling orange dishwasher powder -  IS IT ORANGEY ENOUGH?

Or... not. ;o)