GREEN TEA THERAPY

Friday, May 15, 1998

I didn't mention this yesterday, but while I was shopping for provisions to take to Jon's "Seinfeld adieu" party, I also bought myself more stuff in the "Green Teatherapy" line of personal care items. I needed more of the shower gel, and I also bought some cologne spray and so-called "enlightening body mist." I think I now possess everything they make in this scent, except for the incense. (I don't like burning incense these days; it bugs my nose!) There really is a note of green tea scent in these items. Though I'm neither a a tea drinker nor a believer in aromatherapy, I find them soothing and refreshing.

When I was showering this morning in the locker room at work, another woman noticed the tube of shower gel and recognized it. Suddenly she and I were exchanging experiences and good reviews of the products (her brother likes it too!) and another woman wanted to know what it was we were so enthusiastic about. I felt as if I were in a TV commercial, as we both told the third woman how great these products were, and offered her a sniff.

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I had some time to wait before the evening's festivities began tonight, so I wandered around an fabric store -- I succeeded in not buying anything -- and a 99-cent store -- can't say the same here -- while waiting for it to be time to show up. I may be prompt, but I try to avoid arriving before the party starts, if I can. The discount store had some of the oddest items I've seen in such a place. I visit 99-cent stores fairly often, because they are a good source for cheap hair bows and barrettes. This store had hosiery, apparently imported from the East, in forms I've never seen before: stirrup-footed thigh-high stockings, and leggings that only extended from the waist to above the knees and ending in a band of lace around each thigh. These latter were bright ochre-yellow!

I reclined my car seat, finished the book I was reading, and dozed and basked in the sunshine for a while, then bought the beverages I wanted at the handy discount beverage store in the same strip mall, and drove off to my destination.

My former officemate Kris was having a movie-watching evening. I hadn't been to his place before, but I had driven him there the other morning to do a key exchange with his girlfriend Johanna, so I didn't have trouble finding the place again. It's a very nice development of apartments and townhouses in the North Rose Hill area of Kirkland. I like the Victorian style of the place, with bay windows, balconies, and details all around.

Kris and Johanna (and Julie lives there too) have a very nice place! The purpose of the party was to break in their new TV and VCR. Other guests were Mike, who is a teammate of ours, Kris's brother, and a few other developers.

The first movie was Mother, from Albert Brooks. I love this movie! The mother character played by Debbie Reynolds really holds her own with the son who is trying to "figure out" his relationship with her. The second feature was Throw Momma From the Train, which is also very funny, though much crueler. It weasels out in the end, though. The climax doesn't follow through with the dark tone of the earlier part of the movie. I had seen both of these before, but they were worth seeing again. Kris chose these as part of a Mother's Day theme, so next month we might see movies dealing with fathers.