So…what is the Monday Poll?
Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past 11 (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Catnaps.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry?
So, I’m torn because I know myself really well, and I know that I tend to lose jewelry, so the 20 pieces are really tempting because I would probably wear each piece until I lost it, and repeat the cycle until I went through all 20 pieces.
Of course, if I opted for the valuable jewelry, I could hawk it at a classy pawn shop and perhaps buy myself a new sink. 🙂
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
If push came to shove and, say, I were in a Sandra Bullock Speed situation, I could work it out.
I would need the pressure, though, in order to rise to the occasion.
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
I have mixed feelings about it. I remember commuting into the city from my parents’ house in Union City back in the day and seeing graffiti along the side of the freeway and the sides of buildings and thinking that there’s a beauty to the color and the angles and the energy of the art, but I’ll be driving through town now and see someone tag somebody’s fence and think to myself, Oh, hell no. If that were my fence I’d be so mad.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
Let’s do high school because that’s when my collection was bigger and much more interesting. 🙂 In freshman year I had a bunch of Clinique goodies in my pink and mint green Caboodle. They were my prized possessions. I had a magenta blush, which I believe was called New Clover; two eyeshadows (One pink and one bright blue… It was very late ’80s.) and a magenta lipstick.
I’m also 99% sure I had a Clinique loose powder, too.
My collection was small by today’s standards, but I think a lot of girls today have more makeup because they have access to more information, like YouTube videos and the Internet (obvs), but it was enough for me back then.
The Oscars!
Did you watch last night? I don’t have cable tv anymore so I checked the results on my phone throughout the evening, and even though I haven’t watched most of the nominated films (life with a two year old!), I was happy to see Allison Janey and Sam Rockwell take home awards because I’ve always thought they were great.
If there was an award for Best Cat Lady in a Real Life Drama, I would hope that I would at least have a fighting chance at winning. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy and paste with your answers in a comment:
1. I believe in the healing power of…
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
Jenny says
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Love and patience.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry
One valuable piece.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
Really well until it’s time to turn a corner.
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
The truly artistic ones are amazing, but anything painted on an illegal space is ugly and inconsiderate.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
Smackers!
Karen says
Hi Jenny,
Ahh, Lip Smackers were the best! I always had a tube in my backpack.
How are you and the boys doing? Doesn’t your youngest turn two soon?
Savannah says
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Salt baths! I work on my feet and I try to do a full body bath once a week and then soak just my feet twice.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry
-the one valuable piece. I have a strange dislike of cheap jewellery (something I got from my moms obsession with expensive jewellery)
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
-HA! Ahaha ha ha ha ha ha!
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
-mixed. About the same as you feel about it.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
-lets do HS because MS was basically an old blue eyeliner of my moms… HS had concealer, foundation, blush (Mac peachykeen), eye primer (too faced), Mac eyeshadows, drugstore mascara, and Mac lipstick and glosses. Once I got a job? That’s when the make up buying got huge! My parents only bought me essentials like foundation and concealer, ha ha.
Karen says
Hi Savannah,
Ahh, I’m with you with the salt baths. Actually I should probably take one because my feet are killing me! I’ve been running around all weekend for Connor’s bday party and my feet are still recovering. What kind of work do you do?
Anna says
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Quiet time! Especially with 3 kids!
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry
1 valuable piece!
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
I would be terrible!
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
I am always amazed by graffiti on freeway signs!
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
I have been a makeup addict for a loooong time! I am embarassed that I remember the specifics…My magenta Caboodle was filled with Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, Bonne Bell gel blush, Maybelline Shine free pressed powder, Clinique Black Honey, Maybelline lipstick in Windsor Rose, Maybelline Lash by Lash and lots of Cover Girl Lip Slicks! ?
Ruchita says
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Kitty purrs.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry
I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, so I would go for one classic piece.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
As long as I only had to drive straight without turning or backing in, I would be okay.
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
Some if it is so unique! I find it amazing how someone could use spray paint to make some of those images.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
I miss my Caboodle! I have hope it’s still lurking about somewhere in my parent’s basement. Back in high school, I had some foundation and Maybelline blush – I think it was called Cheekers? No brow products. And maybe this was on college, but I loved Revlon’s Coffee Bean lipstick.
I “watched” the Oscars by recording them and fast forwarding through some parts. I haven’t seen all the nominated movies yet.
Hope you’re having a good Monday!
Leah G. says
1. I believe in the healing power of… yoga. Karen, you know me and my yoga. Just getting back into it after recovering from a sprained foot (had to wear a boot for 4 weeks).
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry?
I would rather have the costume jewelry. More fun! Plus with 20 pieces you would have something for every outfit.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? I would be fine going forwards but backing up and parking would be tricky!
4. How do you feel about graffiti? Germany (as an example) has some really beautiful graffiti and street art. It depends on the location but in some places it’s true art.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? My Caboodle was lavender colored. You would find a lot of makeup that cost .99 and a lot of different nail polish. I was all about the cheap drugstore makeup.
Ericca says
1. I believe in the healing power of… music
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry. 1 classic piece
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? badly especially , if its stick shift.
4. How do you feel about graffiti? is it like andy warhol then yes.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? nothing but dr pepper lipsmakers.
Daphne B says
1. I believe in the healing power of… sleep
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry – one valuable piece, cause I tend to wear the same thing all the time.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? I could probably drive it if I was in a big open field and couldn’t hit anything!
4. How do you feel about graffiti? murals on the side of a building are fine, but just plain old garden variety graffiti? I would have to say I don’t like it.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? Probably Bonne Bell Lipsmackers, and that’s about it. I did not start wearing makeup until my senior year of high school. (the yearbook pictures were NOT pretty!)
Stephanie Smith says
. I believe in the healing power of…caffeine. So. Much. Caffeine.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry? One piece of classic fine jewelry, I can’t wear costume because I’m so allergic to the metal. I don’t really wear jewelry except for a thin wedding band.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? I think I could do it, I can drive a stick, and two of my BIL’s are truck drivers.
4. How do you feel about graffiti? I don’t like gang tags, I think it’s ugly and disrespectful, I do like the graffiti art, that can be classified as ART.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? Revlon pressed powder, Great Lash mascara, Revlon Crushed Cherry lipstick. My Caboodle was also teal and pink! I still have an old Caboodle that is on its last legs that I keep my nail polish in, I love that thing.
MichelleC says
1. I believe in the healing power of…Prayer, definitely!
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry. One really awesome piece. Like a signature page eve the way Liz Taylor was with some of hers.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? Easily. I have dry Ben larger trucks in the military. It’s all in using your mirrors.
4. How do you feel about graffiti? Hate it. It’s usually (here) how gangs mark turf.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? My pink canoodles didn’t get interesting until I went in the military. Still all Cover Girl and Maybelline. I had a red EL lipstick I splurged and bought at a Saks while in training in San Antonio. I also had a pink and purple loose pigment that is bought in high school at a makeup counter. The lady was nice and showed me how to get a little bit out of the cap ( I didn’t have a clue). I was just discovering how good Max Factor was when they stopped sales in the states. I was so upset!
Christine says
I watched bits and pieces of the Oscars, just as I happened to be between streaming things. I’m not super invested in them, I don’t watch a ton of movies (and rarely go to the theaters). I did watch two episodes of Game of Thrones, though (we’ve been rewatching the whole series from the beginning – one to two episodes each Sunday).
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Cats!
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry?
On on hand, I don’t wear much jewelry (although today I did put in earrings and put on my sloth necklace), so one piece of valuable. But then – I wouldn’t wear it ever, probably…so maybe costume jewelry?
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
Not well….LOL. I learned to drive in a Suburban and a Jeep Cherokee, but I now drive a teeny compact car. Maybe if the requirement was to just go in a straight line I’d do alright…
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
Tagging I’m not down with – most times I see it it’s gang related, not cool. The neighborhood I work in has a lot of building that have commissioned street art on the buildings, so that’s pretty cool. I’m all for public art, and if it’s not offensive and/or claiming territory, I’m pretty okay with it.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
Plenty of Clinique stuff – my mom would give me a good chunk of her freebies and bought me the foundation. Mostly eye shadows, mascaras, and lip glosses.
And glitter….for colorguard, LOL. It wasn’t show make up until it SPARKLED.
Kate & Bree says
Hi, Karen! Happy Monday! Over the weekend, Bree decided to not do baby stroller walks anymore and do actual walks! She goes very, very slow, but I am so freaking proud of her!
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Animal cuddles. I have no idea what it is, but I feel instantaneously better when I get nuzzles or cuddles from a dog, cat or horse. They just have magical healing powers of awesomeness.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry?
One piece of classic jewelry. I have your same exact issue, but I never seem to lose the fine jewelry. (Why? No idea.) I’d love to own just a simple set of diamond stud earrings; not HUGE like a carat (well, that’s not large on some people’s ears. Tiny ears here), but maybe 1/2.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
HA! I would probably turn it on and that’s it! I can’t drive stick!
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
I mixed just like you. There are graffiti artists that are now being commissioned to beautify cities (and go over gang graffiti) or give the side of a building a unique look and I think the work they do is beautiful. There’s this one mural in Milwaukee that comes to mind whenever I think of street art called The Mural of Peace that we always have driven past, but I’ve never gotten the chance to photograph. Milwaukee just has some amazing graffiti artists that go and do street art out there…and some historic arts still painted on the brick. But graffiti on my house? Nu uh. We just moved into this house! Somebody is taking the graffiti off of my 1960 house!
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
I didn’t have a Caboodle actually! I had a bag, but it just had Covergirl and Maybelline in it!
Laura says
1. I believe in the healing power of time. It heals all wounds in the end.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry? I don’t wear costume jewelery so I would only love one piece of fine luxurious jewelery. With diamonds please.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? Not well but I would love to try.
4. How do you feel about graffiti? They look nice outside and if they are really meant to be art. Otherwise burn them all.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? An Urban Decay blush and liquid brown eyeliner, a Sephora face powder and brush all in one, and a Maybelline masacara. And an unused lipgloss bought at Claire’s. But sadly no brushes or highlighters lol.
Chelsea says
1. I believe in the healing power of…
I’m with you on naps! Especially in a sunbeam with a cat.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry?
You know, I never wear jewelry other than a wedding ring (that’s not even my official wedding ring, which is a little too delicate for my everyday life).
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
Not well at all!
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
I’m with you on mixed feelings! There’s some really beautiful graffiti out there.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
I did not wear much makeup until my senior year! You’d find Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Black Brown, some sort of cheap brown mascara, a bunch of Mary Kay samples, Clinique Perfectly Real Foundation… I didn’t really wear much on my lips, like I don’t now, LOL.
I think I still have a Revlon Colorstay liquid liner because they had a shimmery bronzy one, but it made my eyes itch. For normal brown liquid liner, nothing beats Clinique’s Pretty Easy Liquid Lining pen.
CL says
1. A change of scenery. (I live in an excruciatingly plain, borderline ugly area.)
2. The one piece of fine jewelry.
3. I would hate to drive anything bigger than a mid-size sedan, so I’d say, I would drive it poorly.
4. Totally against it. I hate it when anyone damages someone else’s property. “Art” doesn’t justify it (and I say this as someone with a BA in art).
5. Caboodles didn’t come out before I graduated from high school, to the best of my recollection. I only had pressed powder. My situation was strange, as my skin was/is so fair I couldn’t find a match for it in foundation, and I also had some acne, so I didn’t really bother with cosmetics. The 1970s were a horrible time to be fair-skinned; everyone tanned *even though they KNEW how dangerous it was.*
Tatiana says
1. I believe in the healing power of…???? No idea.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry
One classic piece of jewelry. I have a lot of jewelry and I rarely wear most of it. I don’t even wear my wedding band all that often.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? Not very well. Unless they’ve updated the gear shift since I was last in the cab of a semi 40 odd years ago, I don’t think I could do it. They’re were so many gears as needed depending on whether or not the trailer was fully loaded. Nope, give me a sports car and a race track any day.
4. How do you feel about graffiti? In theory I like the originality of some of it. But I lived in NYC at the height of graffiti and Jean Michel Basquiat and you couldn’t even look out a subway or bus window for all the tagging and most of it was just ugly.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? What’s a Caboodle? In high school I had two drugstore eyeshadow quads, one from Revlon and the other from a brand called Aziza. I used Cover Girl mascara and a Maybelline eyeliner/brow pencil combo. Had one lipstick. That’s it. Didn’t even wear foundation. Didn’t get into makeup until my daughter bought me some MAC shadows for Christmas one year. Pretty sure since she was 9 yrs. old at the time that Dear Husband paid for the shadows.
Dear Husband started to watch the Oscars midway through the broadcast, then remembered he hates the show. So we watched “Get Out” instead. Then I couldn’t fall asleep and when I did I had very disturbing dreams.
Kara says
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Yoga! I started on a year long yoga journey at the beginning of 2018. Since starting (and sticking with) this journey, my mindset has completely changed on life.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry?
One piece of fine jewelry. I rarely wear anything but pearl stud earrings, so something simple like that.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
Not at all. I live in NYC and haven’t driven a car or anything else since moving here.
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
I love it. It really gives a certain vibe off that is energetic and interesting.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
Hah! I was obsessed with either a light pink pearl eyeshadow or a taupe eyeshadow from covergirl. They were in my rotation with black eyeliner in the waterline and tons of Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara. I wore covergirl foundation that was 3 shades too light w/ no blush, bronzer, or powder. It was a mess.
Kim says
1. I believe in the healing power of… sunshine! It’s not quite spring here but today is a sunny day and that makes everything seem happier.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry. One classic, for sure. That’s my MO with everything.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? I love to drive and I’m good with a stick shift so I think I’d be a-OK. Unless I needed to back up. Then we’d have some major problems.
4. How do you feel about graffiti? I like the look but am not keen on the unauthorized defacing of private (or public) property. In those instances, it seems more like vandalism than art.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? Of course, the pink and blue shadow. We didn’t have much access to stores and all our mothers bought Mary Kay so that was pretty much what we all had (mascara and blush). Black liner (don’t remember the brand but think it was drugstore) and a lighter to heat it up. I just shudder at the thought now. Definitely had some blue liner, too. Frosty pinkish white MK lip gloss. I remember having loose powder (Coty Airspun, maybe). Late 80s as well, as you know. 🙂
Daniela says
I believe in the healing power of… a good cry/ a good laugh/ a walk/ a nap/ sunshine…
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry I don’t wear costume jewelry, so pass me over maybe some Bulgari or Cartier…
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck? no, not for me…
4. How do you feel about graffiti? I like it as art, but not those tags that destroy things/ buildings etc.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find? I discovered makeup late in life, so in my mid20s…
Rachel Runyan says
1. I believe in the healing power of…
Visiting the beach, and seeing and hearing the ocean.
2. Would you rather have 20 pieces of incredibly cute costume jewelry or one valuable, classic piece of fine jewelry?
Twenty pieces of costume jewelry. I rarely have occasions to wear fine jewelry, plus I worry about it getting lost or broken if I wore it daily. I get bored incredibly easily, so I have fun with quirky costume jewelry.
3. How well do you think you could drive a semi truck?
I’d suck at it. I hate driving, and I’ve never driven anything bigger than a minivan.
4. How do you feel about graffiti?
I think it can look really cool or even beautiful when done by true artists, but it’s never right to do anything to someone else’s property without their permission. Tagging and “so and so was here” and random curse words don’t appeal to me at all.
5. If I could look inside your middle school or high school Caboodle, what makeup (if any) would I find?
In middle school, it would have a been a few Avon cream blushes, light colored lipsticks, and glosses; a brown eyeliner pencil with smudger (I think it was CoverGirl, but it may have been Maybelline); Village Lip Lickers; and a couple drug store lip glosses. I was not allowed to wear foundation or powder in middle school.
High School would be more of a mix of drug store stuff. CoverGirl Clean Make-up (by Noxema! lol), Corn Silk face powder, CoverGirl eye quads and quints and Cheekers blushes, some kind of black mascara, and some kind of black liquid liner. Wet n Wild eyeliners in black, bright blue, and the iridescent lavender (I’d wear the lavender over the blue to get an gorgeous iridescent bright purple). Wet n Wild lipsticks, and glosses. Plus a few wild colored eyeshadow quads from random brands I can’t remember. My favorite was a quad with shimmery magenta, shimmery bright yellow, shimmery acid green, and matte cobalt blue. Lipsticks from CoverGirl, Maybelline, Revlon, and other random brands.
I never had high end makeup until I bought a Clinique blush and lipstick for my wedding when I was 21. I was always too poor before that.