it's not just about having good hair

Greetings dear readers! Before I begin the barrage of apologies and trite statements that usually follow an admission of absentium; let's skip that.

I have just emerged from a cold snap in Dallas. There are daffodils blooming voluntarily in the backyard. Things are good, so I rewarded myself with a few hundred bucks in leeway this season after living like Scrooge since I graduated from Darden. Precious few dinners out and plenty of bitching at Gato to keep expenses in check, much to his chagrin. Hey, school loans ain't gonna pay themselves off.

In light of my good behavior, I have decided I deserve a break in the form of:

- $57 of Pacifica goodies. Mexican Cocoa, Tibetan Mountain Temple, and Indian Coconut Nectar (a new fragrance I'm trying based solely on Brook's description). Whatever makes me smell like freshly-baked-yet-oddly-mysterious cookies. I have been in love with Brook's company since I bought my first Indian Chai candle in 1995. Vegan and 100% Natural with beautiful packaging. It's my guilty indulgence. Some girls have reality TV. I have Pacifica.

- $7 on my former employer's new tinted lip balm in Honeysuckle. While it's odd without the signature peppermint tingle, it does feel nice. Barely any color so dudes could wear it.

- $5 on Burt's Bees old faithful Cocoa Lip Shimmer (hell, I helped name it!). Can't lose with this subtly steely shade.

- $21 for a dynamite eyebrow waxing. I admit that this is a product of living in Dallas. This city is full of "look-at-me" indulgences. So once in a while my inner prissy princess has her way and lets someone sculpt her brows in a way the proletariat wielding tweezers cannot.

- $42 at Crate & Barrel on a cool glass thing. I ordinarily hate "home decor" stores, instead preferring to create my own style that isn't dictated by a catalog. But one of my colleagues has this on her desk and I just had to have it. It's big and heavy and looks rad on my (okay, Chrissa's) coffee table.

- $7 at Starbucks on Knox. That particular location makes me hate all of suburban humanity with their $30,000 millionaire lifestyles and leased Infinitis and baby joggers. But it's right next to Crate & Barrel and I was cold.

- Is a trip to H&M in the offing?

So, if you had $100 more to spend, what would you do?

Oh, and buying bags of new Frito Lay flavors (did someone say Tapatio Doritos????!!!!????) doesn't count as extravagance. That goes in the "Necessity" column right above car insurance and gas heat.