Boys, Food, Shoes And Fame. What More Do You Want?

Tip Of The Day: A smorgasbord of tips, from readers LIKE YOU. The cheapest place to get your car washed, a yummy place to eat, a product recommendation, plus LATE BREAKING NEWS.

Tip For Monday: Things to do on your 35th Birthday. Remember there’s only 8 more shopping days until my birthday.

Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal: This-here blog is finally functioning the way I want it to. Folks read it and then accost me with fabulous new ways to save money. Then I write about said money-saving tips, and the whole world benefits from our collective thriftiness. It’s like missionary work, but with better clothes.

My New Boyfriend: I’m in love (or lurve, as Celine Dion says), and the fella’s name is Mister HotShine. Granted, he’s not a REAL boy (and no amount of wishing to the Blue Fairy will make him one), instead, he is a car wash. But here’s the kicker, he is a 2 DOLLAR CAR WASH. That’s right; you can get your car washed RIGHT NOW, AS WE SPEAK for only $2. Total. Without having to buy gas or anything.

Mister HotShine lives on 46th and Central in Columbia Heights, and used to be known as Don’s Heights Car Wash. The place is open all week long, all year long. Yes, it’s even open today – the coldest freakin’ day of the year, so far. I hear tomorrow is going to be WORSE. Anywho, you can still get your car clean, as if it were the middle of July.

You could pay as much as 6 whole dollars, if you want fancy-schmancy stuff done to your car, but a basic wash and air dry is just $2. You drive up, roll down your window, and pay the delightful young man at the little hut in front of the wash. Next, you pull up to the wash, and another delightful person sprays down your car. Yes, even today, when all normal people are inside with pounds of polar fleece encasing their bodies.

Then, you put your car in neutral, and you’re yanked through a traditional car wash. My favorite part is the multi-colored foam they squirt on at the beginning. No plain foam for my boy! Nope, his is pink and yellow and baby blue, and it mixes together on your car windows in a truly psychedelic fashion. At the end, you are slooooooowly pulled through two air dryers – so your car ACTUALLY gets DRY. Thus, it won’t freeze once you leave Mister HotShine. And leave him you must, even if you lurve him like I do. Thank you, Lynn, for the tip!

Tasty Treats: Nothing makes me happier than a really good buffet. A. there’s no waiting for the food and B. there’s no end to the variety of stuff to try. Plus, you can eat until you’re sick and no one judges you. My favorite buffet, and one that I’ve mentioned before, is just down the street from my new boyfriend in Columbia Heights – Nala Pak. For $11.57 (that includes a $2 tip), you can feast your little heart out at lunchtime on Southern Indian Food. Their lunch buffet is the best way to introduce yourself to a fun, spicy cuisine that you may have otherwise been nervous about. Don’t be shy; the food is to DIE for. And, since it’s all vegetarian, you won’t die FROM it.

Coda To My Shoes: I wrote before about having my shoes polished at George’s Shoe Repair, because I am too damn lazy to do it myself. A few readers pointed out that all I really needed to do was purchase some clear polish, and then I could polish them with my own two hands, at home. Clearly, they are not grasping just how LAZY I AM.

However, one reader had a product recommendation, and even went so far as to let me try her stuff out on my shoes (she’s a co-worker, she didn’t just show up at my house with polish – that would have been awkward… and slightly terrifying).

I can now whole-heartedly recommend Dr. Marten’s Wonder Balsam – “a special blend of natural waxes to restore, protect and condition all types of greasy and waxy leather. Suitable for all colours.” You can find Wonder Balsam at the Dr. Marten web site, or your local Buckle store, for only $9. It even comes with its own sponge applicator, so you don’t need to purchase additional accoutrement. Thank you, Jessica, for the recommendation.

VERY IMPORTANT NEWS. TO ME. BUT I’M STILL GONNA SHARE IT WITH YOU: Next week, I’m being interviewed by Fox TV for one of their news shows – I believe the 5 PM news. That would be the news EVERYONE WATCHES. Holy cow. I need to start planning my outfit TODAY. Oh, and the reporter is a woman I went to high school with, so GO SPARTANS!

As soon as I know when the segment will air, I’ll share that bit of information with you all. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t?