But I use mascara...

Yesterday I received a call.

"Hi, It's Mindy! I was calling to follow-up with you to see how you are liking your Mary Kay products!"

Rewind 6 months. My lovely boyfriend entered me in a draw to win a free Mary Kay facial. I thought it was a great thing at the time because I had a few friends come over, we sampled products, they all bought stuff, I developed a credit and used it to buy a small makeup kit. All for the price of completing a phone survey, having an awkward conversation with the adviser and turning down her offer to become a Mary Kay adviser and  having to clear out my email inbox on a weekly basis due to the buildup of Mary Kay advertisements.

I knew I didn't have time to talk but I also didn't have time to answer these calls in the future so I responded,  truthfully:

"I haven't been using them."

Her silence was proof of her shock and disappointment.

"Well I think you and Andy should go out for a nice dinner and you should get dressed up!" she suggested.

Rewind again to 6 months ago. After my makeup session, Mindy thought I looked sassy with my dark brown eyes and red lips. I snapped a picture and forwarded it to Andy. "You look weird..." was his response and I felt like I had a mask on.

"Actually, Andy likes me better 'oh-naturale.'"

"Oh..." she tried again, "well why don't you have a nice night out with your girlfriends?!"

I understand that this is her job but I thought for sure she would never contact me again after I told her 6 months ago that I didn't want to become a Mary Kay adviser and that she was wasting her time because I don't even use shampoo or conditioner.

I thanked her for checking in and and hung up hoping that she got the message and that she would contact other girls that like to cake it on. 

There are lots of reasons I don't use products. I like to facilitate the health of my skin through diet, exercise and rest (check out this website for a list of the top ten foods for healthy skin http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/psoriasis/living_with/nutrition_and_exercise.aspx ). The FDA does a terrible job of regulating these products and the effects of these chemical on our bodies is not fully understood (we are basically a bunch of guinea pigs). The chemicals from the products will offset the balance of chemicals on your skin to the point of your dependency on them. And finally, makeup = maintenance and I like to be carefree.

But I use mascara...so I am a hypocrite.  

Homeless and Hungry...Why?

When I see a homeless person on the street like the one who is on crutches and begs for money at the intersection right before my work, I wonder why they don't go to the library and learn about the edible wild plants in the area. Linda Runyon (http://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Runyon,%20Linda/aid/4336288) fed her family solely on edible wilds (save for olive oil). So if she can do it and she's still living than I believe anyone can.

Yes, you have to be careful about identification, deadly microbes and whether or not an animal has defecated or urinated on the berry or nut you are about to eat but then again it's not so different from the produce you get from the grocery store that has been handled by the worker who just picked his nose not to mention it has been grown with pesticides and been sitting out collecting dust and passerby's coughs.

Homeless people don't realize how good they have it as they have no burdens other than to find food.

Wild food, unlike cultivated food, is packed with nutrients because it is growing where it wants to under conditions that allow it to prosper, you can eat them right away so the vitamin and mineral content has not depleted as much as cultivated food which is pick, transported, preserved/ stored, and it's free. All you have to do is get educated.

My other thought is that the cardboard sign, decrepit demeanor and melancholic stare is nothing but a costume while they work on completing their college thesis on sociology of the working class...but this is a topic for another discussion.