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2005-04-23 - 2:00 p.m.
Mmmm... Weekend... Last night, Dawnie and I went out to my favorite bar. We had a very good time, and I really didn't drink that much. I wasn't even feeling very tipsy. So WHY is my head hurting? I was so tired from my Week O' Many Libations that I nearly fell asleep on the couch at 11:45pm -- maybe that's it? A couple of other things that have resulted from my social butterfly self running around all week:
-my foundation brush is gross. Caked with foundation from many days without a washing. So I'm going makeup-less for now as I'm not willing to let it touch my face right now.
-the laundry has piled up to the point that I think I'm shorter than the pile. And it frightens me.
-we still haven't freaking racked our current batch of beer. It's a Sticke Alt (pronounced "Schtick-uh") and we made it two weeks ago. Racking means that we'll move the beer from the 5-gallon plastic bucket that is used for primary fermentation into a 5-gallon glass carboy for secondary fermentation. It's important because it prevents the beer from picking up off flavors from sitting on sediment (mainly leftover hops and spent yeast) for too long. And technically you're supposed to rack after a week. Oops. The Diamond Rant I have previously mentioned that I don't like diamonds. In case you've been waiting on the edge of your seat to find out why -- today's your day.
Disclaimer: If you love diamonds, I'm not saying that you're dumb. I'm just saying that people who don't like them often have very good reasons. And I've always been a proponent of knowing as much as you can about your opinions -- first, it's easier to defend them, and second, you just might learn more about those opinions as well. If you have a diamond that you love, I can appreciate that it is beautiful and gives you joy. And that's the important part. That being said, here are my main reasons for the anti-diamond stance: 1.) I don't consider them to be particularly pretty. They're cold, mean, sharp, and dead looking. In order to make them interesting/pretty, they have to be cut in a variety of ways. But the number of possible unique cuts is finite. Also, the settings that people choose tend to be somewhat trendy and therefore similar to many others during a given time period. 2.) Diamonds are neither rare nor forever. They also contribute to wars and horrible working conditions in many third world countries. Read a few of these articles and keep yourself informed: DeBeers price fixing issues. They're not rare. 10 reasons to avoid buying or accepting diamonds. Not such a great gift. 3.) Getting engaged is an extremely personal experience. Think about the difference between seeing the ring box open and finding a diamond solitaire inside (getting that sinking feeling that your boyfriend told the jeweler how much he wanted to spend and then the jeweler handed him a ring) vs. finding a ring that reflects your personality, likes, dislikes, and how he feels about you. Maybe your personality is that diamond solitaire. But I think that people need to tune out the DeBeers marketing that tells them diamonds are the only acceptable engagement ring and take a good hard look at their tastes first. Here's what I saw when I opened the ring box 3 1/2 years ago. 
Sorry it's a little blurry. I don't have telephoto on my digital camera! It's a black opal (yes, it's blue. It's just called a black opal because it's so much darker than the other type) that had to be ordered from Australia because they're very uncommon here in the US. It has diamond sidestones because my husband (the one with the mad graphic design skillz) thought it looked more balanced. He's right, and Australia has very stringent rules concerning blood diamonds. So I don't feel particularly hypocritical. My office is pretty darn cool We had lunch in the office yesterday. It was hot dogs and hamburgers to celebrate the beginning of the baseball season. And the cupcakes made me happy. Here's why: 
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