R & R
And I don't mean the legal kind. This morning, some ladies from church and I hit a local spa for some much needed kneading (their pun, not mine). I opted for a Dead Sea salt scrub (essentially sea salt in a tasty-smelling oil vigorously rubbed all over your body) and an hour-long massage. I didn't notice the little sign in the lounge until I was all finished with my morning: "Spa hour = 55 minutes." Oh.

It was still quite lovely. A couple of years ago, I went to Red Mountain after I took the Bar -- my first pampering experience ever, and a perfect one it was! -- and decided that I could use some pampering continuously sprinkled throughout my days. Tranquility Spa is nice because it's local, down-to-earth, and relatively inexpensive. I don't have to tell myself anymore that I should receive massages just because they're good for my health.

But two strange moments from my spa treatments that I experienced whilst peeking out at my scrubber/masseuse from underneath droopy eyelids:
1. My scrubber never looked at my body while scrubbing me. It was like she was in a zone. "OK," I thought, "she's really into her work; that's cool."
2. My masseuse ONLY looked at my body while massaging me. "Huh," I thought, "he's really into my leg; is that cool?" Did I mention that he was old enough to be my father and that fact creeped me out a little bit?

On a downbeat note, Jesica (the heart-lung transplant girl) was taken off life support and died today; and the death toll in Rhode Island is up to 96 - NINETY-SIX - people. I can't - won't - even imagine the agony of not understanding, then understanding, then attempting to breathe clearly or flee, then dying. It's too sad for me to wax inane about. Sigh.

And now - try to keep up with my random Wheel-O-Thoughts - I turn to a movie: "Notorious C.H.O.," starring Margaret Cho. I will watch this recording of one of her stand-up shows tonight, and hopefully enjoy it as much as I enjoyed I'm the One That I Want. Poor Margaret - she's so underrated. I am attempting to spread the word about her to my friends, and I don't think they all believe me yet when I say that Margaret Cho is smart, funny, witty, and worth more than just a look. She's cool.