Hi friends!
I am writing to you from balmy and beautiful Palm Desert. Here the sun dances across the sky, all day everyday, the lemons taste like candy, and the cacti will jump up and bite you (if you don’t take care to treat them nicely.)
It’s been a pretty excellent experience so far, and since we’ve only been here for a day, I am apt to believe that the trip is just going to keep getting better and better.
This morning we hiked the three-mile “Randall Hendersen Trail”, marvelling at all the different vegetation that was on display (so very different from that of our temperate West Coast rainforests) and giggling at all the little critters that would scurry about, looking for a rest stop, or perhaps shelter, from the strong, relentless sun.
The sky here is so blue, it is difficult to describe. It has an almost thickness to it – a blue that shouldn’t actually exist, save for in crayon packages, or on Caribbean beach fronts.
After our hike, M and I walked to the pool, where we swan the early afternoon away, alternating between the tepid waters of the pool and the searing warmth of the hot tub. Then we stretched out on the deck chairs and read our books until our skin began to blush pink and our eyelids grew heavy.
Walking back to the house I picked some oranges off of one of the many fruit trees that populate the golf course. It was a pretty surreal experience. I don’t think that I have ever imagined a day when I would just reach up and grab an orange right off a branch, simply at my own pleasure.
I will need to see, but I think I can wager a guess that there might not be anything quite like looking out your window, only to see grapefruits hanging low off of a tree so close, you could probably reach and out touch it if you really tried.
I will have let you know.
…
One strange thing that I have to say about Palm Desert is that I don’t think that anyone here walks, you know, to a destination, therefore making it an extremely rare, and perhaps perplexing sight, to actually see two individuals who are going somewhere on foot.
M and I decided to stroll (who am I kidding – we don’t stroll anywhere – in fact we motor places. Seriously, we have Barney and Fred feet here.) over to the Westfield’s to try to find him some shoes and maybe a treat or two.
We received a few confused stares along the way.
Luckily, we managed to make it there in one piece and found both treats, shoes, and SO MUCH more.
M scooped up a sweet pair of Steve Madden’s for a great deal, drank some Jamba Juice and I got to eat my fill of Tutti Frutti.
(All I have to say about that is we NEED serve-yourself frozen yogurt in Canada and we NEED IT NOW. SERIOUSLY HARPER, GET ON THAT SHIT.)
After shoes and treats we stumbled upon one of the craziest things I have ever seen. Seriously folks, let me introduce you to the magic that is: Lipo Illusion!
Holy frick.
Well, if you thought that the 19th century girdle would never make its long-awaited triumphant return, heck, you thought wrong!
I can imagine the advertisement now, voice over and all:
Have you never wanted to be your natural shape and are desperate to try to mold yourself into a new person? Spanx not working? Actual Lipo too expensive? We thought as much! Come to Lipo Illusion where we will outfit you with industrial strength spandex, that will not only make sure all your fat pools in your shoes, but ensure a streamlined, thinner you! Because remember folks, while everyone likes you – they’ll like a thinner you EVEN MORE.
Yeesh.
There is good news however, because after seeing that grim fandango of a display, we encountered a Forever XXI and I learned that
they use the same models as the one at Metrotown.
Excellent show you crazy bastards!
Man, I need to find out where they purchase these mannequins and get a couple for our house. I can only imagine what the neighbors will think once I start to outfit them with my wackiest clothing and display them in rotation from our guest bedroom window.
Instead of a PhD, THIS will be my next project.
Oh, and one more thing.
Do you have a football fanatic in your life? Do they also love blankets, warmth and the word “COMFY”? Are they willing to try anything once? If you have answered yes to all three of these questions (or just have someone you kind of want to screw over in a secret santa), then friends, have I found the buy for you.
Introducing – THE NFL SNUGGIE.
Seriously dudes, DISCUSS.
Rant and Roll 
Lol about the NFL snuggie! Also, I for some reason only stumbled onto Forever XXI in Metrotown a couple of weeks ago, for the first time. I have a fear of mannequins. One of my worst nightmares is being trapped in the mall after it closes, with all the creepy mannequins… who come to life and chase me… and that’s enough about that. But yeah, the ones at that store are the worst! Also, they do have self-serve frozen yogurt here! Right when you walk into Metrotown, after you get off the skytrain, there’s a restaurant sort of on the right. It has a seating area with lots of little tables. This place serves a bunch of different kinds of frozen yogurt that you dispense and customize with toppings all by yourself :D
Oh Em Gee. Thank you for letting me know about the frozen yogurt at Metrotown. I will be taking a trip there very soon.
Haha, did you ever watch Today’s Special growing up? About the mannequin that came to life in the Toronto department store after it closed? It was totally one of my favs!
No I didn’t watch that, thank goodness lol!