Public Discomfort - A Whore You Say?

lady on fone - "she was in the delivery room & the dr asked if she had any, um, STDs. well she asked the baby daddy 2 leave. you know why, cause shes a whore"

Public Discomfort - We've Only Just Begun

set up txt message updates. this will make my bus ride much more enjoyable. keep an eye out for a new feature called "PUBLIC DISCOMFORT."

*These messages will remain as I text them, spelling errors and all. The only edits I plan to do are titling and labeling.

My Inner Rock Star is now an Outtie

I wasn't planning on doing another product review so soon, but I have fallen in love...

Not to long ago, my mom and I went shopping and decided to forgo our makeup routine at the house and get “makeovers” at Sephora. Ok, so they weren’t technically “makeovers.” We actually just went to Sephora to put our makeup on and “test” the most expensive products we could find, and perhaps buy something. Unlike my mother, whose makeup always looks the same regardless of price, I actually used that as a chance to try on makeup brands and colors I would never think to try.

Since the spring, I have been on the search for a nice pink lipstick. Because of my ruddy skin tone, pinks and reds always look funny on me. They reds tend to turn pink and the pinks were never the right shade.

Well ladies, I found something pretty kick ass. I found exactly what I was looking for by the most unexpected brand.

…this edgy color collection exemplifies old-Hollywood glamour with an L.A. vibe…From pin-up perfection to rocker chic, this limited-edition lineup allows you to tap into your bad-girl side and unleash your inner artist.” Sephora.com

The Color: The color, Backstage Bambi, is fantastic. It is a nice bright, almost, hot pink.

Kat Von D: Painted Love Lipstick Backstage Bambi

The Finish: I give it big props on being a matte finish lip color. Being a matte finish, it allows me to wear it while driving with the roof down. My hair does not stick to my lips. If matte finish is not for you and you prefer a high gloss look, just put on a top coat of your favorite gloss or chapstick and BOOM instant shine.

The Sustainability: Dude, seriously, this lipstick lasted all day. It faded a tiny bit while eating and drinking, but did not require reapplication (another plus for me, I always forget to reapply).

The Taste: none

CONS: It will come off when you kiss someone or something. Poor little Chase (my cat) had a pink paw for a day. I forgot I was wearing it, Oops.

Another plus for this product is its packaging. Being a graphic designer and a nerd I can’t help but be drawn to a product’s packaging. Hell, I have even made purchases based on the packaging. Not the wisest way to spend your money. I have been fooled many, many times.

The picture doesn't do it justice. If you are ever in the store, swing by and just feel it.
For the Graphic Designers reading this, it reminds me of FiberMark Touche Cover

The box is well designed but it is the actual tube that is amazing. The lid is covered in a fantastic, soft-to-the-touch material with flowers etched in silver (as though it were tattooed. Oh Kat Von D, you are too clever.) It just begs to be handled.

I love this product. I will admit it is a bit pricey for a lipstick ($18), but it is well worth the money. Apparently it is on sale for a limited time, I am considering purchasing another tube of Backstage Bambi as well as some of the other colors available.

Your Daily Barista

Images taken from Sephora's website.

Audio books vs. Actual Books - The Battle Continues This July

For the past few months now, the Captain and I have been having an ongoing dispute in regards to literature. We both agree that taking in new pieces of writing is an important part of being a well-rounded person. However, where the disagreement comes into play, is what is the way to “read” them.

I was never a big fan of reading growing up. My parents are both avid readers (my mom a die-hard fan of Stephen King, and anything dealing with vampires, ghosts, witches, and mystery. My dad opts for WWII history, preferably on the Japanese end of the war) so it’s not like books were not available to me as a kid, I just found the act of reading laborious and boring. I used to dread the first day of school after I had avoided my summer reading book like the plague. But as I got older I discovered a love for reading I thought I never find.

It came in the form of an Oprah Book Club book of all places. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb was the first book I remember reading for pleasure. I was a sophomore at college and spending up to 2 hours (collectively) on public transportation a day. There was only so much music I could listen to during the course of the day (this was right before the iPod boom).

Today I average about a book every month to a month and a half, depending on how much I am in love with it. And thanks to swaptree.com, I have a stack of books waist high that are yearning to be opened.

One day, a few weeks ago, my mother and I were going to this giant book sale at the Free Library of Philadelphia. When I left, I asked the Captain if he would like me pick him up any books for the summer. He smiled and said, “No thanks. I have a lot of audio books to go through.” And that is when our audio book vs. physical book debate started. Although I am glad that he is expanding his mind with the Classics (he doesn’t seem to be interested in new pieces of literature), I find it hard to take him serious when he says he “read” The Sound and the Fury, when in fact he means he “listened” to it. I know when I read, I like to get into a comfortable position with a nice drink (usually coffee) and settle down. Is he doing the same with his iPod? I find it amusing picturing him sitting on the sofa staring straight ahead (like David Puddy) while an ominous voice reads aloud to him. When I tell him my vision, he informs me, that he does the bulk of his “reading” in the car on his 1-hour commute to work.

I asked the Captain to explain to me why he considers listening to a book the same as reading a book. His response (which let me add, I do find quite amusing) was “I know how to read, I don’t need to practice.”

But is it really that simple?

Ok, I can’t blame him for listening while he is driving. I openly admit to having a few audio books on my iPod. The audio books I have are copies of my favorite books that don’t have intricate plot lines and sudden twists. But I don’t use them as my first introduction to the book. I find the act of reading as not “practice,” but rather as a way to further your education. Through reading one builds better vocabulary, grammar, problem solving, writing, and yes, even reading skills.

Earlier this week, I asked the Captain if he enjoyed The Sound and the Fury (which I read many moons ago in while at student at WTHS), he replied, “I couldn’t finish it. There was this one character that spoke funny and I found it annoying, so I turned it off.” I smiled at him and said “Perhaps it wasn’t the fault of the narrator but, in fact, that of the author. Maybe was how the character was written. You would never know because you have never actually read the book.

Boo-yah! Score one.

Your Daily Barista

CoverGirl you failed me again. When will a girl ever learn?

Now ladies, have you ever dreamed of the perfect lipstick/gloss. Something that goes on easily, wears all day, and doesn’t have any taste? Something that will gently accentuate those luscious lips of yours? Personally I am not the best lipstick wearer. I usually start out strong: lip liner (the same shade as the lipstick!!), lipstick, and finally top it off with a nice shot of gloss to keep it smooth. But I can never remember to reapply. Also, I had to limit my lip enhancement material to NONE in the summer due to my convertible. I know, I know, Amy of Lizzie in Progress is probably crying blasphemy about now but seriously; I can’t rock lipstick or gloss with my hair flying about.

And that’s when I saw it. It was like a mirage, an answer to my prayers. CoverGirl Lipstain claimed:

“…give lips a beautiful, lightweight flush of color that won't come off, lasting for hours without the heavy look or feel of an ordinary lipstick…”

I thought this product would be perfect for me, especially when I roll with the roof down in my car. I stopped at the local Rite Aid, and purchased a tube of Everbloom Bliss (#400).

It was anything but “bliss.”

First let me start with the positives of the product:

The Color – Reviews on the CoverGirl website state that the color “none of which resembled the colors advertised” or “color was harsh” or “It is NOT a "flush" of color.” This I disagree with. I really like the color that I purchased and thought it was true to the label and bottle.

That is it. There was only one.

Yet, there are so many things wrong with this product:

The Applicator – It is like a felt tip pen. It goes on smoothly yet it seems to dry out as you are applying it to your lips. WTF?

The Taste – OK so now you lippies have been officially stained and the first thing you notice is the harsh chemical taste. For me it is almost like a burning sensation on the tip of my tongue. Yuck!

The Sustainability – I am calling shenanigans on CoverGirl. Shenanigans I say! There is no staining involved. It goes on and looks great for about ½ hour, that is, if you don’t lick your lips (but why would you, it tastes like crap). There are no staining qualities about this product. And heaven forbid you try to put a gloss over it to give it a nice sheen, it will just take the stain off completely.

So in the end, save your $8+ dollars and don’t buy this product. There are no "staining" qualities in this product. All in all Lipstain is a wonderful concept, but a poorly executed concept.

Good luck in your quest for the perfect lipstick/gloss!

Your Daily Barista

** Image taken from CoverGirl's website:
http://www.covergirl.com/products/product.jsp?productId=outlast_lipstain

I Live In a Constant Seinfeld Episode - Exhibit C

On Valentines Day this past year, my mom and I had a ton of errands to run. Romantic, I know. While we were out we decided to have a nice lunch before heading back home. We live off of a main road and have many eatery choices. Diners, fast food, chain steakhouses, and even a flashy 1950’s style soda shop, all of which were bustling with "day daters."

I told my mom that I would like to go someplace different for a change. She recommended a tiny Middle Eastern place in the middle of one of our older strip malls. She and my father had gone there a few times and had a nice experience. Anyone who knows me, know that I love supporting local businesses. So naturally, I was all for it. I should say that when my parents first told me about it. I thought “A Middle Eastern restaurant in TWP? Really? Well this isn’t going to last. I can’t image any of these soccer moms eating falafels.”

Cinderella Sababa is an unassuming restaurant that opened a few years ago. Not much from the outside, beige curtains in the window hiding the dimly lit dining room. Once inside you realize that it is the type of place that leaves the light off until customers come in order to save electricity.

The very enthusiastic owner greeted us upon entering. He quickly sat us at “any table [we] would like” and handed us menus. The dining room was filled with the most odd décor. For example the booth that we chose had some kind of out door wrought iron terrace made for outdoor use. I couldn't help but think, "this place needs a little bit more of a Middle Eastern feel to it. After all it is the only restaurant of its kind in Township."

The owner was the most perfect realization of Babu Bhatt from Seinfeld. He was sweet, accommodating. He asked us what we liked and pointed out the house specialties. He was also very complementary to my mother and I, telling us how beautiful we were (I was secretly hoping he would say “You are very kind” but he didn’t.)

After we ordered our food: I had a mixed grill kebab, my mom a falafel sandwich. He insisted on giving us a sampling of our food prior to bringing it to our table to make sure it was to our liking. And I must say food was so flavorful and delicious and the Baklava - to die for!

When we left, I felt a little sad. I couldn’t help be wonder when his next customer would arrive, if ever. I felt so happy to support this local business I thought, “My mother was right, I am a good person.”

Here is the supporting evidence:
The Cafe

Season 3, Episode 7 – Aired: 11/6/1991

Journals from a Past Life

I had a great idea the other day, or so I thought. Every so often, I would take excerpts from my old paper journals and translate them here to the 3 o’clock Coffee blog. These journals chronicle my college years, roughly from 2000-2003.

The journals hold many stories. Some are good. Towards the end, most are sad. There are collages of photo journalistic images I found inspirational, funny clippings from newspapers and magazines, even some poignant cookie prophesies. I am not ashamed about what I wrote over those years, nor do I regret any of it. However, I have found that many of the entries aren’t blog friendly.

I have named names.

Rereading these entries, the real meaning behind the stories has long eluded me but I can only assume that they are based on some basic information I had learned that day.


Some entries just don’t make any sense: “10-9-01: Notes or Marinette, I never got this email. He is a futurist. ‘ANAMONTAPIEA.’” Seriously like what the hell does that mean? I can only assume that it is from one of my many Art History classes, since I tended to use my journals for note taking. During class I used write crappy poems by writing down every 3 words from the lecture. I was also an aspiring writer. I found the first chapter of a story I was writing. It starts out with 2 sisters. One sister is asking the other if it was OK to date her ex-boyfriend. I wonder where I was going with that story, it sounds kinda interesting.

I wrote movie reviews, book reviews (after reading Motley Crue: The Dirt, I must have felt bad for Nikki Sixx. There are 3 whole pages on him), comments on current affairs (9/11), sketches for my classes at UArts, and much (too much) rambling about some dude name John (who apparently worked at a camera store).

So what do you do with old journals? One entry stated, “I always thought my journals would make a good movie” but as I read through them now, I notice they are only the laughable dreams and pent up anger of a person who no longer exists. They aren’t funny anymore. It seems that I am missing out on the inside joke of my younger self.

I am not sure what I to with them. I don’t want them any more. They conjure up feelings that I am not sure I should relive. Bitterness and anger are so prevalent in one, which makes it painful to read. But I feel bad to just throw them away. For better or for worse, they are moments in my life.

Your Daily Barista