Asparagus (a post by Katie Bills)

Today, Beth went to the thrift store. This was the shirt she came home with. Why, you ask? Well, earlier this week, she had her first run-in with asparagus, the most yummy grass you can eat (and no, I've never had the other kind of grass, so there is no comparison here...) Anyway, I started to divulge my usual litany of random information. I, personally, love asparagus (but have a really hard time spelling it...it's a good thing Beth is right here and I can glance at her shirt as I type) and was surprised that Beth had never had the aspergrass (that's how we say in my fam) experience. It's up there as one of the deciding factors when I am choosing things from the menu at a restaurant, right next to avocado (my personal kryptonite) and salmon (I can never cook it on my own so it actually tastes good, so I would rather have someone else do that for me). But I digress from my random piece of information that I shared with Beth. Did you know (a phrase I was famous for as a child) that asparagus makes your pee stink? Well, not necessarily your pee, but my pee definitely. Here's a tidbit from the annals of science (or at least MSNBC):

"WHY DOES YOUR PEE SMELL WHEN YOU EAT ASPARAGUS?"
Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It is also found in onions, garlic, rotten eggs, and in the secretions of skunks. The signature smell occurs when this substance is broken down in your digestive system. Not all people have the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan, so some of you can eat all the asparagus you want without stinking up the place. One study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that only 46 percent of British people tested produced the odor while 100 percent of French people tested did. Insert your favorite French joke here________________________________.

I wanted to find out more, and there is a contradicting theory here.

Moral of the story: I am one of the 46%. Beth is not. At least she thinks she isn't, but then again, she also is drinking gallons of water a day with this new diet, so she provides a very diluted sample. SO, you can kiss her as...paragus.

Spandex is not for everyone... (written by Katie Bills)

The week that contains November 11 is also referred to as the Week of Katie in honor of Celebration of Katie, 11/11, Katie Bills' birthday. This year, to close off week of Katie, Beth Benson and I spent the day at the outlets in Jeffersonville and then the fab mall of Easton in Cbus. While we wandered from store to store, considering several different options for my future jeans purchase, we first were cornered by the ladies at the Benefit cosmetics counter and got a lovely makeover. Beth in blush is a little much and Katie with bronzer takes some getting used to, but those women were pretty funny. How can you not like people who are selling you Bad Girl Lash mascara and the Primpcess. Love that! From there, we wandered to Express. Now, I love Express because the Editor pant is the most brilliant design of dress pants I have ever tried on. They're magical! Like the traveling pants; they look good on anyone. Express at Easton is a huge store and there were so many party/rocker chic outfits. There are certain things I can't resist. One is the combination of creamy caramel and milk chocolate, but the other is the opportunity to try on an outfit I would NEVER wear in public. On a dare from Beth, I grabbed a pair of plether pants, a mock turtleneck with a crazy pattern, and a leather jacket. I rock plether, as seen here.

But I digress...let me get to the core of this post. After choosing my new jeans, Beth saw a pair of sequined spandex pants.

"Katie! Why didn't you try these ones?!"

"You know, Beth, I would totally wear those if I had awesome boots that came up to my knee and a shirt that covered my bum."

"I totally saw a girl the other day wearing just leggings. No long shirt to cover. So weird! Reminds me of the eighties."

(pause)

Just at that moment, a group of girls walked in and one girl was wearing a pair of black leggings, a plaid shirt, and Ugg boots. What is this?!? As we walked out of Express, we saw at least 3 more women scantily clad in spandex and then the stretchy pants continued in the Easton quad. Now, when I lived in Bellbrook as a child, bikers abounded. Not the type who have too much hair, lots of leather, and Harley's. This type of biker pedals his feet while wearing spandex for its aerodynamic properties. I learned early in my life that spandex is not for everyone no matter what function it takes, and I remebered that Friday in Easton. Girls, leggings should be worn sparingly. And even then, layering is good. Very good. For everyone.