: half-baked IX :

We’re ba-a-a-ack! With an all-new, all-fabulous ninth edition of half-baked, the half-assed post.

For you newbies, this is a look at the offbeat stuff I find trawling the Internet. Unusual, quirky things I’d buy if I had the money. Everything from books to shower curtains to lamps  — if it’s fun, it’ll pop up on half-baked. Sooner or later  — most likely later.

See, I’m not much of a trendsetter. Spotting the next fad or fashion craze is an instinct I just don’t have. And I’m worse as a follower — hooboy, there’s a disaster. I’m good at drifting, though. I’m a natural at stumbling into the unexpected. I’m never looking for what I find, but once I see it I want it. Does that happen to you? You come across something you didn’t know you wanted until you saw it. Is that kismet? Covetousness?

Just this morning, for example, I ran into my eye doctor at the grocery store. Who runs into a dreamy medical professional in the juice aisle of a grocery store? I do — while I’m wearing sagging, bagged-out-at-the-knee sweatpants and a sweatshirt with holes. I hadn’t even combed my hair yet. And there he stood, the man of my dreams: showered, shaved, neatly pressed, and was that harp music I heard?

I had two choices: keep going or stop to chat. Since he’s my eye doctor, he knows I can see; the bad eyesight excuse wouldn’t work. So I sucked it up and chatted. He ignored the cowlicks and pillow creases, he overlooked the holey sweatshirt, he just smiled and blushed and melted my heart. I love that guy.

Hey, maybe you’ll discover something here that melts your heart? We’ve gone à la carte in our 9th issue. We tossed in whatever was on hand and stirred, sort of like a hearty stew. Sound good?

Speaking of sound, have you heard Bette Midler’s cover of TLC’s Waterfalls? Check it out here. The song is from her new album, It’s the Girls, available November 4 in the US; November 17 in the UK. The album is a tribute to the girl groups she loved — from the Andrews Sisters to the Supremes.