randomness.

i'm still coughy and my throat has this sore spot that i just can't seem to kick. if i never get a cold again it will be too soon. at least i've lost 3 pounds while being sick with a very limited appetite for nearly 3 weeks. but don't fear, my snacktime urges and mealtime capacity are getting back to normal now that i can breathe again.

after a month of lackadaisically attempting to get my passport photos taken, i finally got it done this morning. mexico or montreal, get ready for a visit in april! i keep thinking that now i'm free to be whisked away to an exotic foreign location for a long weekend. (hubb, are you reading this?)

i have this (probably annoying) habit of relentlessly talking up products that i love to friends and family. i get called out all the time for sounding like a used car salesman trying to convince someone to try a new lotion, restaurant or service. here are a few that i've been feverishly selling lately:

• i-go car sharing service. i can't stress enough how much this car-sharing service has changed our lives. hubb and i have been car-free for about two years, and since embracing i-go, we don't see a need for our own personal vehicle anytime soon. our bi-weekly grocery/errand stints using our i-go membership run us about $60 a month, a fraction of what we were paying in car payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance. (not to mention the occasional parking ticket for forgetting to move the car during street cleaning or some other nonsense.) it is so simple and convenient and worry-free. yay for i-go!
  
• the body shop body butter. i have had at least 3 people in the last three days complain to me about dry skin, and i sing about body butter every time. i used to have the most painful dry skin in winter, but now i use a body butter every morning and my skin is smooth and soft and moisturized, without the greasiness of shea butter and cocoa butter products. i particularly love the almond and satsuma scents.
  
• smith's rosebud salve. this stuff is magic. burns, chapped hands, rashes, tissue-rubbed noses, this salve works wonders on every skin ailment. it also makes a great lip balm. it doesn't smell mediciney, it is soft and non-greasy, soaking into skin without leaving shiny residue. and it's inexpensive. i can't live without it. in fact, i gave mine away a few weeks ago to a friend with a raw nose from a cold, and i've been going nuts without it. burt's bees makes a similar product, res-q ointment, but it has a medicine scent that i just can't deal with.
  
• pamela barsky's mid-century piggy bank. oh my god i love this thing. i bought one for myself, then i bought 6 more to save for gifts. it is so perfect for baby showers, housewarmings, birthdays, weddings, anything! it's small and discrete enough to blend in to nearly any decor, large enough to hold a good amount of change, adorable without being tacky, and it comes with starter money. what more could you ask for? i love love love it!
  
• jiffy mixes. in particular, the pizza and biscuit mixes. i love to cook, but hate to measure, and these are my savior at least once a week. i use the pizza crust all the time (last night, even!) and it's delicious. the corn muffin mix is totally yummy, especially if you mix some frozen corn into the mix (just reduce the amount of milk you use by a little bit). and the biscuit mix, though i hate to reveal it, are the secret to my mini blue cheese biscuits that i make all the time for parties. (with a little orange marmalade....delish!) and who can resist the 1950's packaging? not me. my cupboards are always stocked with jiffy. i know i've raved about it before, but i just can't stop talking about them!

i feel another coughing fit coming on. where is the end to this cold?