Champagne kisses hold me in your lap of Luxury

Nothing new on the knitting circuit. For some reason this sweater makes me not want to knit. I don't know what's wrong. I'm not sure if my gauge is off... I think that might be part of the reason I'm not knitting hard. I don't want to use up this great Malabrigo to create a sweater that won't fit me... I'm not exactly sure at what point in the knitting of the sweater will I know if it's too big or too small, but, I'll try to keep chugging along. Maybe I'll finish one of my many other WIP's.

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Today's topic is how I like the finer things in life. ^_^ We'll be focusing on baths.

For most of my life I've been attracted to quality items. Like with tea, a box of Generic teabags weren't enough for me... I wanted beautiful loose leaf. Why go to McDonald's when I can get a real and really good burger from the pub across the street? I think knitting fits into this as well. Not only do I crave the natural, soft fibers, I also crave handmade things. I love specialty stores, I'd much rather shop at a "mom and pop" than a Target. When someone asks me where I can get a good pie I want to say, "this local bakery" instead of "the bakery section at WalMart."

This... "attitude" has trickled down to bath time. As a kid, taking bubble baths was a time for playing and pretending and as I got older (and taller) I grew out of baths and the bathtub. I figured, if I couldn't lay down in the tub and stretch my legs then there was no point in filling it with water and bubbles.
During my Senior year of College my neighbors Lora and Kevin and I all of a sudden went through this bath phase. I think Lora started it. Baths to her were not a time for fun and games or sinking battleships... they served as a way to relax and de-stress after finals or a bad week. She told us how great they could be and so we tried them. ... This reminds me of that one Friends episode with Chandler and Monica. ^_^
Our school was pretty much in a large cornfield and the only shopping options working for a College student budget happened to be the super WalMart. We bought some bubble bath and went on our way.
The apartment we had at school was set up perfectly. Each bedroom in a unit had its own bathroom. Awesome, right? And the building we were living in was still very new and as a result our bathrooms were super clean (which I think is essential for taking a bath).
That first bath was surprisingly great. I was sitting in maybe my 4th bath that week when it dawned on me that companies actually make bath products tailored to the sole purpose of relaxing. After that I ditched my bottle of Mr. Bubble, went to Walmart and started purchasing bath salts and oils. Later I bought an inflatable bath pillow. During my baths I started lighting candles to "set the mood" and I would set up my laptop on the toilet so I could watch a movie while laying in the tub. Kevin found this plastic gadget that fit over the "emergency drain" so that you could raise the water level and submerge yourself deeper. It was pure bliss.
After those two happy years we changed apartments. Kevin, Lora, and I became roommates and we ended up having a place with only 1 bathroom so bath time stopped. When I moved back home after college I knew bath time wouldn't start up again because we had been living in our house for 20+ years and the bathroom wasn't as clean as it used to be... and it seemed like no matter how hard we scrubbed we wouldn't be able to get it back to how it started.
My family somewhat recently moved into a brand new house and the bathroom is immaculate. ^_^ It wasn't until last week that I realized bath time could start once again. I ended up going to Lush at the mall and buying a few bath bombs... it was time for bliss once again.

Last week I took my first bath in years. I used a bath bomb from Lush, I brewed myself a thermos of tea (Arabian Night from TeaGschwender), my swap partner Suzie had given me this bar of Lavender soap which I gladly took to the tub, I had my laptop in there with a new episode of How I Met Your Mother, lit a few candles, and relaxed. It was awesome. So, I'm once again taking regular baths... which actually make up for this crazy 2-shower-a-day obsession that recently had been taking over my life.
I got a bit congested a few weeks ago and was feeling a cold coming on and my body craved the warmth of a hot shower... and so I began showering in the morning and at night... a few times I showered 3 times a day... it was weird and probably pumped up the water bill. x_X The sickness went away for a week but the extra showers didn't. Tangent. ^_^

If it's been a while since your last bath, I suggest you treat yourself to one tonight. Lush bath bombs are awesome, the first one I used smelled great and had a little fortune inside after it all dissolved. Bring in your laptop too, or some mood music or a good book. If you can't find the little gadget that fits over the "emergency drain" I found that a sheet of Glad Press & Seal works.. just make sure you put it on while the tub is completely dry. If you don't know what the emergency drain is... it usually is a metal circle on the wall of the tub underneath the faucet and above the actual drain. Before College bath time I thought it was some sort of access hole to fix pipes or something. I guess its purpose is to prevent the tub from running over. Light a few candles too, the "mood lighting" surprisingly works wonders in helping you achieve an overall sense of relaxation. I've been tempted to take my knitting to the bath... but, it doesn't seem like the best idea. Take some tea though... or a martini. ^_^ Whatever helps you get through your day.

Let me know how it goes. =)

Blog hard!