What to see: Ghost World
What to rent: Oceans Eleven (the original)
What to wear: Red suede Prada platforms
What to hair: FDNY Baseball Cap
What to make-up: Kohl smudged eyeliner
What to read: "Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two
Worlds" by Stephen Kinzer
What to listen to: Mazzy Star "So Tonight That I Might See"
What to make: Cornbread muffins and meatless chili
Color of the moment: Graphite
E-Ching reading of the day: "If you are sincere, you have light and success."

"Dancing in front of the mirror and pretending like I'm the star of a music video always does it for me."

M. Turillo, Pontiac, MI

When: Thursday, October 25, 7:00pm
Mill Valley, CA

Let Tea Garden Springs' holistic healers soothe you with complimentary chair massage, Ayurvedic readings, hand therapies, and sparkly eye & shoulder applications. There will also be complimentary Splendora Cosmopolitans and savory treats. Respond to this email if you would like to be put on the guest list.

Come join the 22nd Street merchants in the Mission for an afternoon of (mother nature willing) fun in the sun. Food, music, and marvelous shopping awaits!

When: Sunday, October 21st
Where: 22nd Street Corridor, San Francisco
Time: Noon-4pm.
More Info: (415) 643-MERC.

Paticipating Shops:

Flirt
3412 - 22nd Street

Lemonade
3416 - 22nd Street

Urban Mercantile
3420 - 22nd Street

The SF fashion scene hasn't completely fallen into the Gap. Renegade designers and edgy boutiques continue to push the envelope.

It's been weeks since my last journal entry but I simply couldn't think of anything amusing to write especially with the BBC World News blaring on my desktop all day. Well, today I'm going to temper my despair (and hopefully yours) with a small dose of silliness, a momentary escape from this crisis. The topic du jour: Brothels for Women--fabulous idea or filthy fantasy?

Now we all know that prostitution is illegal in most states. But, it's no secret that certain illicit activities occur at strip clubs and massage parlours (and I'm not talking about stuffing a $20 in a dancer's G-String, sister!). To put it in a blunt yet colloquial manner, any guy can "get his freak on" for less money than a Splendora girl spends on an average Saturday afternoon (unless of course, she saves money with a Splendora Card then it's about even). Paying for the intimate favors of a sexy strager is seedy and immoral. It's degrading and disgusting. It's obscene and despicable ... and yet it's the slightest bit intriguing, non?

Admit it. Haven't you ever desired to satisfy your lustful stirrings with an object that doesn't require batteries? Can you imagine frequenting a comfortable swanky cocktail (no pun intended) lounge and sipping Cosmos served by topless, hardbodied waiters? You could chat with your best gal-friends about your long day at work, the kids, the latest breakthrough in plastic surgery and then disappear into a backroom with Miguel. He would begin your session with a sensual hair brushing and scalp massage and end it with a comment about how beautiful you look naked.

Why doesn't an elegant massage parlour for women exist? Is it because we would never engage in such filthy fraternizing or is it something else? Is all that stuff they say about women not being able to separate sex from love true or are we just too embarassed to participate in such a heartless transaction? We have our own theories about this at Splendora but we're curious about what you think. Would you pay for a few hours of companionship if you could?