Ok…so…this entry is about time management (lack of), vanity (lots of), and healthcare (too little of). Meaning that I do not have a set topic today, mostly due to those three aforementioned things. I got up yesterday with the intent to do a bit of necessary online shopping, then write my blog for the week. I wasn’t too concerned that I had no topic in mind, as that is often the case, and I figured something would pop up and present itself as a blog-worthy entry.

A note here: I can’t just get in my car and run to the store because I don’t have a car, so I often shop on the internet, especially when there are heavy items I need.

Anyway, as I was ordering on Amazon, I thought about the weather and that soon the leaves would be turning wonderful colors, especially “up the mountain”.

Big ol’ digression here: In central PA, “up the mountain” basically refers to anyplace that is located on a higher elevation than where you are at any given moment – there is no particular mountain that everyone is referring to. In fact, I once casually asked a native Altoonian what the range of mountains was that surrounds this area, and, sadly, she didn’t know. To her, it was all “up the mountain.”

Of course, the mountains are the Allegheny Mountains, and they are beautiful!

PS: Don’t ask anyone what a “Nittany” is (a lot of things here are named “Nittany” this and that, i.e. the Nittany Lions at Penn State), because if you do you will get a lot of blank stares. That actually IS a mountain in Centre County – Mount Nittany – which is kind of a misnomer because “nittany” supposedly is an Algonquin word meaning “single mountain”. Occasionally someone will respond with a story about an “Indian maiden” (rolls eyes) who did something or other and formed a mountain (much like the story about Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California), but…oh don’t get me started on that, please!

Ok, so I was ordering on Amazon and thinking about how beautiful the leaves would soon be, and angrily cursing myself for not taking my digital camera out of the “house from hell” in Altoona from which I fled 4 years ago. Because now I have to buy something else to take pictures. And I really do want to take some pics and post them here, not only of the leaves but also of the Halloween Parade Hollidaysburg has every year (you can imagine I love that!), and probably a selfie.

So I searched Amazon for a digital camera I could afford, going back and forth between that site and camera review sites, and then I realized…after passing a mirror…ugh I have to do something with how I look. Most people who know me know I HATE having my picture taken, as I am not very photogenic and am usually squinting or scowling when the picture is snapped. I think the last time I had my pic taken was maybe 10 years ago? Not counting the DMV (yuck).

But some people I know are asking for a picture, since they have not seen me in many years (some, not since high school), so I grudgingly have decided to provide one.

In order to do that (in my mind, anyway), I have got to pull myself somewhat together or it won’t even get to the picture-taking stage (“Vanity, thy name is woman”). That means a haircut/style (which I was meaning to have done anyway), and my version of a makeover.

Those who know me, know that I don’t even own makeup, let alone wear it. But a few things have happened in the past year that have changed my looks slightly (doubt anyone would notice, really) and I would feel more comfortable if I did something about it. I will be addressing it with my doctor on Friday (my looks changing, not makeup – unless he wears it on his days off or something and can give me fashion tips), because it is symptomatic of scleroderma, which I really hope I don’t have.

(Don’t go looking up pics on Google images, they will scare you and they are not indicative of what I mean except in the broadest sense – those pics are always extreme and really not helpful if one is looking for subtle changes in looks)

To continue…I started looking up makeup on Amazon. Then the wheels in my head got to turning, and I thought, “Wait a minute, I need to see which of these companies test on animals so I don’t spend my money with them”.

So I turned to Google, and a couple of sites: one is called Leaping Bunny, and they have super-strict guidelines about which companies they “certify” (not sure how that works, do they send inspectors in or…?), and another is a beauty blog called My Beauty Bunny (ok so sue me, I like names with “bunny” in them), which is a site devoted to showcasing good beauty products that are cruelty-free. They both have lists of companies that don’t test on animals.

URL alert: Leaping Bunny http://www.leapingbunny.org/ and My Beauty Bunny http://www.mybeautybunny.com/

One place I did not go is the website run by that well-known group of “animal rights activists” (I know one of you is disappointed but really, do some critical thinking please), because they are hysterical, often wrong, and guilty of some pretty horrendous things regarding animals themselves. I think they trapped themself in an ideological box that they cannnot gracefully get out of, so they continue doing some pretty awful things to avoid being called hypocritical by other groups (though that is exactly what other people are calling them, oh the irony).

So anyway, this was a huge task, finding: the right company, the right product, the right color of product, and the right price (i.e., very inexpensive), in that order. Before I knew it, the one task I started with at 9 am was not accomplished until 6 pm! I am not kidding, it took me that long to pick out 3 items of makeup! And I’m not even done because foundation, eyebrow color, and a kabuki brush are just the beginning of what I need.

If I had the money, I would just catch a ride to Macy’s and have them do a makeover, but their stuff is expensive and right now I don’t have any Macy’s gift cards (I use gift cards a lot, as they really help with the budget). I do, however, have a JC Penney gift card, and that is what I am going to use to get my hair cut (next month, in case I need actual money to supplement the bill). So that’s the first set of tasks before I can take a selfie (yuck, what a stupid name).