The Friday Forum - December 23

Anyone still out there? This has been an incredibly busy week for all of us. Mine had an "unexpected joy." If all things happen for a reason, why did my bedroom television "system" pick this week to go kaput?

Call me a dinosaur, but I've been using a Sony analog television for a very long time. There was nothing wrong with it, and it received over-the-air channels perfectly (I don't subscribe to cable). So, when the government came along and mandated the obsolescence of my television, I bought a converter box. After digital-only TV came along, I could no longer receive my local channels as well as I did before the cut-over. Thank you, Feds. Please don't blow up my light bulbs too.

This week, my converter box refused to turn on, no matter how many times I tried. I figured it died right after the Glee Christmas rerun. Perhaps it was a sign? I acknowledged that it was time to join a new age and buy a digital television. How, however, would I get the old Sony out of the second floor of my house? It weighed at least 50 pounds. The answer was with back sprains, blood, and bruises. That television is now out at "the curb" (no curb, but you get my drift), and if there's a Santa, the county trash guys will bend the rules and lift it into their compressing truck and take it to the landfill. I know the correct thing to do would have been to take it to a recycling center, but how?

That was Task 1. Task 2 was buying and setting up another television, and while that was time-consuming, it didn't kill my body. It was simply insult after injury. Televisions are significantly lighter than they used to be. While I was setting up the new one, though, a lens fell out of the glasses I wear when I'm not wearing my contacts. Can you imagine? Find a clear lens when you're surrounded by magazines and makeup. That took a few hours (during which I hit my forehead on the bureau, which left me with a hefty bruise). My search was interrupted by physical therapy for my back. You can only imagine my poor therapist's reaction when I told him about my television capers. I'm sure I've now been categorized as a hopeless cause. Isn't there a saint for that? I called on St. Anthony to help me find the lens, and he responded. I think there's a saint for everything.

So, how was your week? It's time for The Friday Forum, our open chat. What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers have moved on.

Only one subject is off-limits. An anonymous reader has been leaving comments on all my posts about a certain brand asking me questions I can't answer. Are there any dupes in this palette? I don't know. I don't even have it. Why didn't "they" introduce a holiday eye palette? Friends, I am not the brand. If I were, I could have paid someone to haul that television out of my house. Think my holiday patience has run out? I hope I know something about beauty products, but I can't know everything! Besides that, I need to sit on my heating pad.

Once again this week, we have two giveaway contests running. Make sure to enter before you get too busy celebrating. To enter to win the beautiful Ultraflesh multipurpose Shinebox Highlight and Shimmer Collection, click here. To enter to win the NARS Sea of Love set, click here. I got into the Christmas spirit this week, despite the pain.

If you don't come back before the weekend ends, I hope you have a wonderful holiday! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy St. Stephen's Day, Happy Bank Holiday, Happy Boxing Day, and Happy Weekend! Cheers!

Photo courtesy of zeospot.com