Thursday, February 28, 2008

There's an M&M in everyone

Here is the M&M in me, what do you look like?



For anyone that really knows me, you would know that I love chocolate, especially plain milk chocolate M&M's. Our love affair started when I was about three years old and being potty trained. Every time that I went in the toilet, I got a hand full of M&M's from my mom. I quickly learned (thanks to my big brothers) that if I just flushed the toilet and went and told mom, I could still get a hand full of M&M's. I am feeling a little guilty lately because I have been cheating on the milk chocolate for the dark. I have gone to the dark side, as the ads would say.

Our love affair has lasted through out the years because lets face it; Mr. M&M has always been there for me. Through all my break-ups, accomplishments, birthdays, lazy days, rainy days and through all the good and the bad. He never made me feel bad about myself and never judged me when I eat a whole bag. I have a system to eating M&M's. I like to eat them two at a time with the colors matching and always leaving the green for last. This is because you can make wishes on the green:) My dad used to like to mess up my system on purpose and I was always not very pleased. Doug is well aware of our relationship and is okay with it; he will often use M&M's to cheer me up. What a great and smart man that Doug is, don't fight it, go with it.

Anyway, I bring this up because once again, Mr. M&M has been there for me thanks to my sister-in-law Christa Hall. This morning I received a package in the mail. When I opened it up I found four bags of yummy, delicious M&M's. The best part was that they were blue and pink and all of them were labeled "Knocked Up Soon" and "Be Happy". That Christa is so awesome and always knows what to do to make me smile.



I also have to mention that in the past two weeks, our dear friend Caitlin has brought me dark chocolate M&M's twice to cheer me up and it was just what the doctor ordered. (This link is to her husband Jeff's blog because Caitlin feels that she is too cool to have one on her own).

I hope that everyone has been as fortunate as I have to have such a great food companion, if so, feel free to give them a shout out.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Singles Wards


I've been trying to form this post for awhile and I still don't feel awesome about it but I got nothing else right now.

I've been in the bishopric of the singles ward for a year now. At first it was a bit weird. Lots of the people are older than me, I was friends with lots of them before, and three were in my freshman ward. Most are probably more mature than me. Fortunately, I didn't date any of them. But I've really enjoyed the experience. Matt Cope went so far as to say the singles ward is way cooler than the family ward. (I'm going to have to hedge his assessment since he has such a small sampling pool. He doesn't play ball or Halo with the EQ and I can count on two fingers the number of social activities I've seen him at outside of his home.) I think the main reason I've been so well received is because I brought Tamara so she and her friends can sit in the back and stand in the hallways and talk. And to play matchmaker. Whatever it takes though.


One of my good friends in DC, Summer, just got engaged and we were talking about singles vs. married wards. We've both spent a fair amount of time in singles wards in some capacity. Now, the following comments are made in regards to singles ward, not student wards. These are wards with people who have finished their undergrad or are over 25. Basically, people who are working. There are only a few places where there are large concentrations of these wards-NYC, Boston, DC, LA, etc. The general (there are always exceptions which is why I said general as opposed to some definitive term) feeling was that people in singles ward are a bit more diligent than in family wards-callings, showing up to help at moves, HT/VT, etc. I think the reason is single people have a big goal in mind-getting married-that helps them focus on doing the right things. After that a certain amount of being comfortable ensues. Whether or not they are diligent for the right reasons is a topic for another discussion. I think at some point (or perhaps several) in life people have an epiphany and realize where the gospel needs to be in their life and this changes but from 25-35 years old I think this is generally true. Summer and I briefly talked about what we need to do to avoid that and there weren't any revolutionary ideas but I think being aware of it is a start. Always having something to work on is important. I don't think it's because people have kids because this is also true for guys without kids. And seriously, is there ever a Saturday where you really want to help someone move? I don't know anybody who wakes up and says, Man, I wish there were someone moving today.


Anyway just some food for though. I really like our ward and it's awesome having so many people who are diligent and righteous and helping to forward the work around here.

Visitors

Doug and I learned quickly that when you live in NYC, many people want and do come to visit. Don't get us wrong, we love when good friends and family come and we always have fun. We noticed that this year our numbers our down. I wonder if it has anything to do with Doug mentioning in our Christmas letter that 32 weekends of last year we had people staying with us, or is it that we just ran out of friends?

This past week we had some friends and family visiting the city but staying at hotels. We did what we do best, take them out for dinner and dessert.

First was one of Doug's old roommates, Jared (aka The Mexican) and his beautiful wife.



Then Doug and Robyn Ellis came into town with a bunch of friends.



Good times were had by all.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Appreciation #2


My shout out for appreciation this week goes out to my brother James Finck. He has always stood by me through the good and the bad and never wavered his faith in me. I think that he was just as sad as we were for not getting pregnant and probably prayed more then we did.
Besides my husband Doug, James is one of the smartest guys I know. If I was ever on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, he would be my call for a friend life line. His family is adorable and writes a cute blog but you really should check out James Blog if you are interested in politics and controversial points of view. He appreciates a good comment as much as the next guy. He is a professor at University of Texas Pan Am and I am so proud. He is pretty dang funny as well. I love you James, thanks for all that you do.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Being Cool

Many of the financial blogs I read will have posts about the lives bankers, traders, and others who are over payed lead. I won't go into details, but it mostly has to do with how they spend their ca$h money, look down on other people, and can't get enough of themselves. And about how cool all that is. It's kind of an idea that is perpetuated to make everybody feel better about themselves. A lot of people throw up these facades in all walks of life; this just happens to be the one I'm in. I'm sure lawyers have something they tell themselves about the good they do in the world. There's nothing wrong with it because we all know it's a smokescreen but I've been thinking about that a lot. When you apply to grad schools they want you to come in sure and focused of what you want to do next. There are certain career paths that are "cooler" than others. Many don't appeal to me so I've been thinking about what'll really make me happy long term. That may not be cool now, but someday it will be.

I feel many of the things I've done weren't cool at one point but ended up being cool; others were never and never will be cool. Many of these things make us the unique individuals we are. So I wanted to talk about a few things that aren't or weren't generally cool and invite others to add what they think are cool.

Running-In high school, wearing short shorts and running wasn't that cool. We had a great team so that made it a bit cooler, but we still weren't that cool. While wearing short shorts has never become cool, running has become cooler as I get older and people try to find ways to stay in shape. Running is the quickest way to get a workout so many people turn to that. I was way ahead of the game on this one.

Bon Jovi- Tricked you on this one because I don't think he's cool, but Tamara does. It was cool back in the day, but not any more. Tamara lost her voice screaming at his concert. She really wanted to go to his concert this last year and four out of five days I come home from work he's playing in the background.

Halo-Joe Hallmark was embarrassed when his wife invited everyone over for his birthday a year ago to play Halo. He thought we would think he was juvenile and immature. Little did he know everyone had been pining for a chance to play but was too embarrassed to say anything. We not get together semi-regularly and it has been one of the best things to happen to the group of guys that plays.

Clippers-You may find this hard to believe, but there aren't many Clippers' fans out there. When I tell people who I root for, they find it tough to believe. It's most likely due to the futile and embarrassing nature of how the team was run for so many years. They were bandwagon favorite a couple years ago when they made the playoffs but that was quickly abandoned. Whatever, I'm still in.

Sleeping-Nobody really opposes sleeping, but not everybody takes it as seriously as I do. I think it's been an essential part in my life and I don't function well without enough of it. As I pointed out before, I make significant sacrifices to sleep enough.

Dancing to 80's music-Once again, not one of mine but Tamara's. Any 80's song with a beat that comes on and you'll here "When I was in high school, I did a dance to this song. Wanna see it?" It's pretty impressive the amazing number of songs she danced to and how many she remembers.

I was going to list a bunch of things that are generally considered cool but I'm opposed to, but one of the coolest things I ever did prohibits me from doing that. You see, I exist in a hate free zone. There are a few things that we (Dix, my roommates from L46, and I) agreed could be hated on like the 2004 Sacramento Kings, swearing, and Capri pants, but generally speaking we really try not to hate. I don't always do a good job, but we have a special reminder of that now. Anybody who knows me will know what else I oppose.

These are a few of the things I or others think are cool. Feel free to add your own list so we can discuss.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Bummer

I went to visit a campus today so I was home this morning. Good thing because Tamara was having some issues so I told her to call the doctor or at least a doctor friend. She relented and called her doc. They wanted her to come in right away. If she had been home alone she would have just suffered through it. Fortunately I was able to go with her.
It turns out the embryos didn't take so we're starting over. We talked with the doctor and the things we learned from this first go-around. We'll take a three week break
and then begin again but with a different protocol that should help the eggs develop differently, which is what he thinks is the problem. Tamara was ready to start again but I'm glad the doctor suggested we wait a few weeks. We're hoping the new plan will produce better results.
I'm sure Tamara would love to talk to you but don't be disappointed if she doesn't answer the phone for a bit but calls you back later.
One of the things we've tried to do is find funny stuff to keep the situation a bit lighter since it can be frustrating and sad. That's one of the reasons we started the blog. So, enjoy Tamara's favorite new blog that makes her laugh, courtesy of the Dixes: stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com If this doesn't make you laugh or at least chuckle, well, I don't know what to tell you.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

I have been tagged

Thanks a lot Julie:)


What is his name? Douglas Leonard Hall, Smokey (when playing Halo), or Jamal (when with Taylor)
How long have you been married? 2 Years
How long did you date? 8 long months
How old is he? 27 (yep, I am robbing the cradle)
Who eats more? He does, unless it is chocolate...then move over
Who said I love you first? He did at the airport (great story)
Who is smarter? Doug will tell you that he is
Whose temper is worse? um....I guess mine
Who does the laundry? ME
Who does the dishes? I do, unless you count putting them in the sink
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do
Who pays the bills? The computer
Who cooks dinner? Me
Who drives when you are together? Doug holds the subway door for me
Who is more stubborn? Both, watch out with that one
Whose parents do you see the most? Equal (unless Doug is not invited to the reunion)
Who proposed? He did, right after the Redskins beat the Cowboys...great night
Who has more friends? Equal, but he says that I steal all his cool friends
Who has more siblings? He does by 1
Who wears the pants in the family? I would like to say something clever but lets be honest, Doug does unless I feel really strongly about something.

So now I would like to tag...Melissa Finck

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Keeping up with the Smoots

MISSING*:

Perhaps you may have seen our missing dishes. We took a meal to the bishop's family because they had just had their fifth child. They returned the dishes to me at church where I promptly left them because I bike home and I thought I'd get them the next week. Well, a couple of weeks later we were out of town and they were sent along to the RS by our clerk who in a fit of rage cleaned the clerks office. They were promptly lost. We have no idea who has them or where they are stashed.

There are lots of people who could be blamed for this egregious offense. Close to the top of the list is me because I didn't take them home for a couple weeks. That's valid and probably the most reasonable. Beyond that, maybe the clerk who jacked my stuff. Or whoever took them. (As an aside, whoever that is, and I bet it was unintentional, fear Tamara's wrath. She has two patches feeding her estrogen 24/7 for the past two weeks.) Not me. I blame the Smoots.

When we took over the meal to the Orton's we also took a meal from the Smoots. There were bows, gifts, and boxes along with the meal. Everything was neatly packed and packaged like she had experience preparing food for photo shoots or something like that. Oh, wait. To try and not be shown up too much, Tamara threw in some extra stuff and sent along glass instead of Tupperware. She also didn't mark them with tape and her name because that would be tacky. Never mind there's a reason you do it (like stuff goes missing), it's tacky. So now our stuff is missing and Tamara isn't impressed. I could blame my wife but I value my health. I guess we learned our lesson about giving people food. So, Smoots, I'm looking at you. If you weren't so creative and your stuff and packaging so cute, I wouldn't be writing this post.


*Anywhere you see text, assume there's sarcasm. Really, we love the Smoots and are lobbying for them to stay in NY. At least until we leave. Then they can feel free to do as they please.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Two Year Anniversary


While many of you are sleeping in and enjoying Presidents Day off work (sorry Reagan), Doug and I have another reason to be celebrating. Today is our two year anniversary and oh how marvelous these two years have been. Being so close to Valentines Day I wont make him confess again that he loves me something fierce...but we all know that he does. So, two down and many to go. We wont be able to top last years dinner ( DE Shaw payed the bill) but we will enjoy an eventful evening together.....

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Appreciation

I wanted to say thanks to so many people that have been such a great support to Doug and I over the past couple of weeks. Thanks to all of you, Doug has not had to clean or cook for himself once while I have been able to rest. I often call our friends here "My NY Family" because of the obvious reason, they are. Home is where your heart is and for now, my heart is very much here is New York City. In sacrament this afternoon we had a married couple, that are here on their mission, speak to us and I very much enjoyed their talks. The gentleman's talk touched on the fact that we all need to show more appreciation in our lives, and I happen to agree with him. I have learned more about service in the four years of living here then I have any where else. I often worry that I don't show enough appreciation for all of my many blessings. What I have decide to do was: each week do a shout out to someone that I have appreciated in my life. The list is long and I am not sure where to start. This is very random but because I have such a great picture, I am starting with Jake Breinholt. Last night I really needed a laugh and he supplied one by doing this:


It was just what the doctor ordered. He and his wife have become great friends of ours and I am so thankful. You can learn more about them at: http://www.jakenreag.com.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valentines Day


I thought that I would do a shout out to all you love birds out there this Valentines Day. Growing up this was by far my favorite holiday, I am a romantic to the core. In high school it was all about the material things. How many boxes of candy, roses, and lets not forget the carnations. You know when you say to your friends "I will buy you one if you buy me one" and then the student government would pass them out during sixth period. I had a best friend that every year for six years would buy me the most beautiful red roses that I had ever seen. I thought that that was what is was all about.
Now being married for two years, life has changed when it comes to Valentines Day. Nope, Doug is not the romantic type of guy. After three years of being together we have agreed to two things. We give each other a card and I don't have to cook. Not so bad, but this year I am actually asking that he write something on the card.
This is not a sad story and I am not complaining (I am saying this to make sure that we don't get nasty e-mails about us not loving each other) But really, I have to say that I am very happy with this agreement. When it really gets down to it, roses and chocolates aside, I have a man that loves and respects me. What more could a women as for? I love you babe.
I would love to hear your favorite Valentines past time or what you did this year.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

2+4=6

I was going to do a live blog of the conception, but then I thought better of it. It did happen, so that's the good news. To make a long story short, we had two embryos. They rate them on a scale from 1-8, 8 being best. One was a 4 and the other was a 2. They usually hope for at least a 5. It's not bad, but fair. The doctor said there are 8's that don't take. There's no guarantee in either direction so there's no use in getting worked up about it. We'll be hearing in two weeks how everything has progressed.
Tamara was commanded to not clean or cook for the next few days, so you can imagine the state of our apartment and diet. We've appreciated the support and help we've received. We knew other people who went through the process but had no idea how difficult it is emotionally and physically. One great thing we've learned is how to better empathize with and hopefully be a support to others who go through this.

Lost

In honor of Lost being back on TV (yeah) I feel that we should all find out which Lost character we each are. For those of you that don't understand that I am a HUGE fan, you will shortly learn. I have watched from day 1. I never got the DVDs and watched them all together, I did not jump on the bandwagon when everyone was talking about it. I have watched week to week from the beginning. There was a time before DVR ( I know crazy) that you were not allowed to call Wednesday nights....really, and no talking while it was on. Enjoy and let me know who you are. I am Charlie:)

Oh how I love thee

With Valentine's day coming, I've been thinking about things I love. I mentioned my wife a few posts ago so you already know about that. I'm not sure exactly what is next on my list, but there are few things I enjoy in life more than napping. For anyone who has spent any time with me, I look for any excuse to catch a few zzzz. My senior year of college I napped at least six days a week, sometimes more than once a day. A typical day would be up at six to run, class until noon, nap, practice at three, then maybe another nap, "study", and sleep around 11 or 12. It was a sweet schedule and I always had energy and felt awake. There are several days when I come home and can't keep my eyes open. All my body wants to do is sleep and I can't function until I do but then I'm fine. If I get on a plane, I'll be out by takeoff. One of the amazing things about my body is if I lay down for a serious nap I'll wake up almost exactly 90 minutes later. Like clockwork. Someday when I have my own company I'll be taking a nap in the afternoon.
I'm not even going to go into how sleep deprived most people are and how much healthier we'd be if we got better and more sleep. One of our New Year's resolutions is to go to bed earlier. On that note, I'm out of here. Do yourself a favor, and get some sleep.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Take it like it's yours

Last night I finished the first draft on our taxes. I just have to go through and make sure the schedule C for Tamara's business is all correct and we're in for another decent return.
I don't mind paying taxes because I like things like policemen, firemen, and judges. I also think helping people get on their feet is worthwhile. It's a small price to pay for safety and security. I also think that our legal system gives us opportunities you simply don't get in other countries. The American Dream is only possible because of the unique characteristics of America, many of which we have to pay taxes for so I think taxes are worthwhile. Our rates (at least for now) are less than most of the rest of the world. What I do have a problem with is the wasted money. When tithing comes in to the Church, you know what purposes it will be used for. The funds are called sacred. When I was called to be a financial clerk, one of the first things I was told is this is one of the few callings I can go to jail for doing wrong. There's no such accountability with our government. I think that porkbarrel spending, bridges to nowhere, and other wastes of money are egregious breaches of confidence and trust and I don't know why our representatives aren't held more accountable. Hopefully whoever is president (I'm betting it's Obama vs. McCain) will have the sense and decency to right this wrong.

Monday, February 11, 2008

New Member


We have a new member that was added to our growing family. My younger sister, Angela just gave birth to her third child this past Thursday. His name is Weston Dan Sayer. We consider this to be a great name because they were going to name him Quinn. Doug was always going to call him the Medicine Women and we just couldn't have that now could we? Anyway, we are so excited and we are hoping that he has a cousin very soon.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

1984

On Saturday we went to the doctor's office to try and get pregnant. Typically there's a bit of romance involved in this whole process. Some people even enjoy the experience. But most people don't make kids in a petri dish. Tamara was in stirrups as the doctor was giving her meds to knock her out and I was escorted out of the room to give my "sample." That's just how we roll.
To make a long story short, they were able to extract six eggs from Tamara and today we got news that two were fertilized. We were a bit disappointed only two were fertilized but it's better than none. We had planned on implanting two but hoped that we would have some extras frozen in case none of them took. On Tuesday Tamara will go back to have the eggs implanted and we should have more news in two weeks. The good news is she doesn't have to take hormone shots anymore. The better news is she wears two patches that directly feed her estrogen all day long.
We were pretty relieved to have all the shots done and over with so we decided to party. And when we party, we party hard. We threw a surprise party for our friend Reagan. Her husband Jake said that nothing would maker her happier than seeing some of her closest friends dressed in the awesome (his words, not mine) of her birth year. We were happy to oblige. I happened to have this outfit for such an occasion. And a Walkman.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

You're a what?!?

Last night Tamara and I (see, we do do things together) went to do our civic duty and vote at our local school. We rolled by the several Obama supporters and sole female Clinton supporter. Weird, there were no McCain or Romney representatives. We went into the gym and began the process to verify our identity. There were two ladies, combined ages of about 180, who were doing the paperwork for our area. I got my card and headed to the booth. As I entered I heard some shrieks and commotion but couldn't hear what happened. Then I heard her repeat, "Stop, he's a Republican!" I left the booth and was met with stares of bewilderment and confusion. It was almost like walking into a women's bathroom but worse. Almost as if I had been naked.
In New York you're only allowed to vote for candidates in your registered party so they had to fix the error. They weren't quite sure what to do. It was as if a Republican had never walked through these hallowed doors. It turns out, that's not too far off. One of our friends had been there that afternoon. He was the FIRST Republican the whole day. In the afternoon. There might have been five of us who voted the whole day. Anyway, disaster was averted. I cast my vote, bought my overpriced baked good to support the school, and exited through the sea of blue.
We've talked a lot at work about this election and I've learned a lot about the processes, strategies, and other ideas. I'm kind of disappointed with the current state of affairs of the US. I think fixing the economy/budget and making a plan for Iraq will directly or indirectly solve many of the challenges facing our country. They're all surmountable but will require tough medicine. Yet none of the contending candidates have given concrete plans for either. Ron Paul has some pretty radical ideas but at least you know exactly where he stands and you know he'd do his best to push them through. I don't think immediate withdrawal from Iraq is the best solution, but at least he gave his specific plan. The other candidates have tossed out ideas and vague innuendos but no concrete plans. On top of that, I don't trust they would follow through on the idealistic promises they spout. Or, if they do, they'll implement them so poorly it'll really mess things up. Needless to stay, I'm not too stoked. In the words of Arnold, there are too many economic girlie men. As I solidify my thoughts, I'll share.
Tamara Hall approves this message.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

First things first

After reviewing my post from last night and some of the feedback we received, I need to make a few things clear. With that particular story, I edited a few details, like Tamara really thought it was a joint party and she really thought other couples would be there. There was no malicious intent. Also, the episode is a joke between us and something that we laugh about and I don't really hold it over her head. It was her idea to write about it because we both think it's funny. Tamara approves every post before I put it on so we both missed how it would be perceived. Last, Tamara's a great wife who does everything she can to make me happy and I make my meager attempts to do the same. She would never do anything to purposefully emasculate me. Most everything we do together and love spending time with each other. This was an aberration which is why it's so funny to us. I also realize that the story in print comes across very differently than if I'm telling it in person. I just wanted to clarify that I do love my wife, a lot, and that story is in no way representative of our relationship.
Your repentant blogger.

Monday, February 4, 2008

You owe me

Several months ago we got an invitation to a bridal shower for a friend of Tamara's. It was addressed to both of us and Tamara told me it was a joint shower. I said nice try but I had stuff to do. She says she replied for the both of us and it would be like the Smoot's baby shower, which was actually pretty fun mostly because we each made onesies for the baby and mine said "I heart boobs." I asked who she talked to. She said she left a message. For reasons still not clear to me, I ended up going with her. We walk in, with me still giving attitude. There are six sistren sitting on couches with no dudes anywhere to be seen. Even the guy whose house it was at was MIA. I tried to turn around but they gave me a bunch of grief so I sat for a bit, trying to not breathe in the estrogen filling the house. I tried to think about stuff I'd rather be doing like playing Halo or eating steak, but it upset me even more when I reamembered where I was. As I was suffering under the feminine pressure trying to collapse my skull, we finally left. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur as I tried to recover. The one thing I did remember, was that Tamara owed me.
She still hasn't paid me back but I frequently reference it. I'm not even sure what she can to repay me for that, but I'm sure there's something out there. I understand there is give and take in a relationship, but seriously. I've taken one for the team on plenty of times but I occasionally have to draw the line. So for any women out there thinking something like that would be cute, think again. Not everything is meant to be enjoyed together. And for any guys out there who think it wouldn't be that bad, take this as a PSA.

Being a winner


The New York Football Giants - Super Bowl Champs!!! Not only can our neighbors beat up yours, our football team can beat yours. We were hoping for a shootout but the offense was mostly mediocre. There were flashes of each team's potential, but it didn't really get going until the last quarter. In the end it was a super exhilarating game and we weren't disappointed.

It's a good thing the food was so good (guacamole, chips, coke, and ice cream) because the commercials stunk. There were a couple good ones, but overall disappointing. Seriously, who approves these things.

It appeared the celebration was widely celebrated by co-workers, some of who were still enjoying the efffects. In our office, if you're out on vactation you email saying you're OVD, out vacation day. There's also OPD for personal, OWH for "working" at home. Somehow everybody was OSD today. It's is supposed to be sick, but for a while now has stood for out still drunk.

Friday, February 1, 2008

School Girl

I feel like I should reply to what Doug said about me crying like a little school girl. Yes, there were tears, but I would like to see him stick that thing in his stomach everyday. I truly thought that this whole process was going to be no big deal. I have put myself through enough pain with Brazilian Bikini Waxes, plucking my eyebrows, having extractions, and getting Blue Face Peels, but nothing could prepare for this. Lucky me, the doctor said today that he was going to double my dose...good times are to be had.
On a lighter note, I did receive a Blue Face Peel lately and I am very happy with the results. For those of you that knew me growing up, I was in the sun as much as possible. My favorite vacations were at the beach or lake doing nothing but laying out relaxing. These were all good times, but I never thought about putting sunscreen on. Remember that song, Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)? I laughed at it and thought, never me. Well, as Doug likes to point out to everyone, I am really old this year by turning 30. Yes, the age spots started to show, especially after our trip to Cancun this year. For my birthday, Christmas, and every other holiday for the next five years, Doug agreed to let me get some work done on my face. By work, I mean facial peels and creams. After two months of applying the face cream, I went in for the big peel and I had no idea that beauty hurt so much. My guy, Claudio, gave me three Valiums to relax me a bit. Relax me it did. After the peel was complete, I took the subway home but I have no memory of me getting there. Not to mention the fact that I stopped at the grocery first and had a little spell of the munchies. I picked up all the chips, donuts, and oatmeal (still have no idea why I grabbed a huge container of oatmeal) that I could. After calling my mother for the third time in a half hour and telling her the same story, she told me to go home and get some rest. Of course that was after I offered donuts to everyone on the street. I did not understand why I woke up two hours later with a stomach ache until I looked at all the floor and saw everything that I just ate. The point of the story is don't do drugs. The real point of the story is look how good this before and after shot is: