my kingdom for some hairspray....

You know, sometimes I quite crack myself up. Here I am, professing what I actually do believe with regard to looking good, "you never know who you will meet," all that jazz. And then TODAY, there I am, slumming around in a Henley top (makes me look bony), jeans in an unflattering cut, and my hair pulled back and no makeup. To top it off, I show up at a sister Coldwell Banker office, to chat with a friend...and of course there I am, meeting and greeting, looking like something the cat literally drug in.

WHAT was I THINKING??

I think we all go through this "I just don't care" days. The funny part about this is, I just made a date with a fre-quaintenance, who moved here from Toronto and is not meeting anyone. Of course, she DID move from Toronto to upper Santa Rosa . . . she's just lucky they don't actually drive cows down her street.

Anyway, so she's coming down to my town, and I'm going to show her the new riverfront area (really nice), we're going to have some cocktails, and get to know one another better.

SO, she said she'd call me when she got about 1/2 way here. And I just busily puttered about...thinking about the book that I'd like to write.

In doing that thinking, I thunk "Um, perhaps we should practice what we preach?" SO, I went to the bedroom, put on some makeup, off with the Henley, on with a turtleneck and a blue blazer. Put the hair down, brushed it out...(hence the "hairspray" comment -- must have left mine at the James' abode, and my hair, being very thin, needs a little "stick" to stay). ANYWAY -- so HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE? It's just stupid. I timed it, as I was curious. Less than 3 minutes.

I look immensely -- LIGHT YEARS -- better. And I FEEL better.

I need to try to remember this bit. The thing is -- I've MADE it easy on myself -- by practicing what I have preached previously. I went through all my makeup, and I have a "pack" that has everything in it -- ready to go. (OK, except the hair spray, which is sitting patiently awaiting my return.) I have my clothes (what are left) arranged in my closet, in "black base" and "brown base" -- and by type of item -- I grabbed a rust-colored turtleneck and a blue wool blazer, on they went, voila.

I still have on the unflattering jeans -- magically transformed by the long turtleneck bottom and longer blazer. I still have on my sneaks -- because we're going to do some walking.

I am not sure what makes me not take that extra LESS THAN THREE MINUTES (sheesh) early in the day. I think that I am immensely absent-minded about my appearance....which actually makes me the perfect person to write a book about this stuff. I have NEVER been one to really pay that much attention. In fact, I remember some time in high school, when my mom sort of implored me to "just try" some colored blush/lotion combo on my cheeks -- and a little mascara on my blonde eyelashes. It had never occurred to me.

This might also make it harder for those who just LOVE makeup/primping/etc. to "pare down" to the "Bond grrl and go" lifestyling that I propose -- because they literally have a medicine cabinet FULL of different lotions and potions. Heck -- I did -- and I don't even LIKE that stuff all that much. But for those grrls, all I can say is what I learned, I think, in Dangerous Beauty....all that stuff is full of chemicals, by and large. And if it's over 6 months old, you really shouldn't be putting it on your very very delicate facial skin.

Besides, you want to be able to just be whisked away to Paris, right?

So, here I am, blogging, waiting for my friend to call. And shaking my head at myself, and how easy it is (and how I forget how easy it is) to just take a LITTLE effort.

Maybe I'll just leave, and buy a travel hairspray :-)