making the switch to organic makeup

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I adore shopping for makeup.  Lately, I’ve been trying to buy chemical-free skin care products and makeup from lines like Suki and Josie Maran.  I still love my Lancome products, especially Juicy Tubes (there is even a natural juicy tube now too!)  Green gurus espouse the benefits of organic beauty products, but are they worth the extra money?  Isn’t everything a chemical at some level?

I like the idea of using natural cosmetics but I’m curious to find out if they make a difference in the condition of your skin.  Has anyone made the switch and experienced lovely skin as a result?

why I love my ipod touch – 2 years later!

Two years ago, I received a free ipod touch when we purchased a Mac laptop.  It was neat and I played with it for about a week before putting it back in the box and forgetting all about it.  Now, I feel like I can’t live without it!  

It is a fantastic tool for teaching fitness…I have uploaded many of my fitness CDs and can quickly switch to a slower song (I’m driving my classes crazy with Boyz II Men) for stretching.  I have also used it to demonstrate Google Books in a library workshop. 

I’m not big on gadgets so I probably won’t acquire the new ipad unless it a) comes free with something (unlikely), or b) it completely convinces me that it’s better than a book (also unlikely).

For now, the ipod touch is as ‘techie’ as I’m going to get.

anniversary of a strange disappearance

It was 63 years ago today that Paula Welden vanished from Bennington College, Vermont. I can’t remember when I first read about the case but for some reason it haunts me. The full story is here - she wasn’t the first person to disappear in Bennington during the 1940s/1950s.  It is an eerie series of events.

When a person disappears, it is as though their lives are frozen in time.  There is no apparent end to their lives and no closure for those who loved them.  I read an article that was written 20 years after Paula Welden disappeared.  The reporter contacted her parents, who were then living in Florida.  Apparently her father seemed surprised that there was still interest in the case and shared his feeling that Paula had likely been murdered. 

I wonder if there is anyone left who remembers the young sophomore who vanished that dull December day.  Where did her possessions end up?  Would they have offered any clues?  So sad.