My Endorsement Deals

Sometimes I think it's fun to pretend my blog is popular enough that my own public figure/pseudo-celebrity endorsements count for something. In reality, I know I'm not at that point yet, but there are just a few things I think I'd like to plug today, in the spirit of influencing readers. I don't have much authority, but here are a few things worth checking out:
Number One-- Avenge Apollo. Here's a pic of me and Jacob (I'm the one on the left). This is us in my powder room, displaying our mighty-fine lips. Jacob uses his lips and voice to front Avenge Apollo, and they're playing tonight at the Launchpad. Tickets are $8 (a steal, you might say) and doors open at 7. Be there or be square. (Plus also, if you think J is good looking, you'll definitely want to check out Cole and Brennan... hunky, hunky men-- and vote for them as they try to get on Warped Tour: http://warped.battleofthebands.com/contest.php?sid=65&rid=1320&aid=27845&mid=26580&mtype=2&stage_search.) Number Two-- Estee Lauder Skin Care Products. Specifically, I'm a fan of Idealist Skin Refinisher

and DayWear Plus.

If you doubt, feel free to come up and touch my face the next time you see me. Normally, I'd not allow such behavior, but I've been amazed at how nice my skin feels recently. If only I could bathe in this stuff! Used together, they are an excellent combination. The Repair + the Moisturizer= Total Skin Transformation! And OK, part if it might be the birth control, but hooray! When I was little, I was a little embarrassed of my ruddy cheeks, but mostly that my skin was bumpy (kind of like those bumps a lot of white kids get on their upper arms). I'm sure part of it is that I grew out of bad skin, and part of it is going tanning from time to time. And part of it is no longer eating greasy food. But if you want a quick fix, get to the Estee Lauder counter, and make sure it's at gift time.

Number Three-- Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer in Sin. This stuff is magical if you wear makeup! Forget the days of creases or rubbed-off eyeshadow. It stays on forever, and you can rest-assured that whether you choose Mildew, Polyester Bride, Goddess, or Last Call (several of my favorite Urban Decay Eyeshadow colors), you'll look great all day and all night.

Now, for my gentlemen friends, I thank you for reading this far along. Don't worry. I care about more than just Jacob and makeup. Let us turn two delicious treats in opposite ends of the health spectrum.

The first food to make the list, otherwise known as endorsement Number Four-- Kinder's Happy Hippo. No sugary treat will bring you as much satisfaction as this crispy wafer with a cream filling. I like the chocolate hippos as well, but the original has undeniable charm. Unfortunately, particularly in the Albuquerque market, these are a little hard to come by. Pick them up abroad, or look for them at specialty food stores.Number Five-- This miracle food will indeed change your life for the better: Fiber One Bars. Available in a variety of flavors, the Fiber Ones are a vast improvement over Kellogg's All Bran Bars, my former favorite. Offering nine grams of fiber per serving, partaking of this food of the gods is satisfying, healthy, and delicious. Why have a dry, Quaker Granola Bar when you can do your body a favor and eat this chewy treat? My Food Science Nutrition teacher at the Brigham, Dr. Laura Beth Brown, has me absolutely convinced that fiber cures and prevents nearly everything, so make sure you get your 35 grams per day. A word of caution, however: if you aren't getting all your fiber at present, add it into your diet slowly, and drink plenty of water to mitigate negative side effects.

For Number Six, we'll get a little more personal, as I endorse my lovely friends Pam and Louise, who are wonderful, and I love them!

Pam, the beauty on the right, is an excellent girl all around. Gentlemen gold diggers, Pamsicle will soon be a full-fledged pharmacist, if you know what I mean. But how good was she to let me cry on her shoulder last night and many other times! She appreciates a good joke and gets funnier every time I talk to her. Plus, she makes excellent faces while dancing.

Lou, my great pal on the left, deserves equal praise. As a matter of fact, I recently wrote a letter of recommendation for her for a position to which she is applying. An excerpt:

The thought of two years sans regular time with one of my dearest friends at once inspires pride for her selflessness, and anxiety (a manifestation of my own selfishness) as I wonder what I’ll do without her. Still, Louise and I both gravitate toward people whose purpose in life is to leave the world a little better than they found it. If she weren’t the type of person to not only volunteer, but also to be a true credit to your organization, I doubt we would have been friends in the first place. In any capacity, you can trust Lou to be appropriate, professional, caring, hard-working, inspiring, and fun. She is a patient teacher, a consummate accomplisher, and the most-enjoyable person in the world to be with. She is sensitive and discreet; tough as nails and completely thoughtful. I can always count on Louise to come through, and the [organization] should as well.

Lou and Pam are excellent friends, and I'd be lost without them.

Finally, Endorsement Number Seven-- another bit of bragging time for one of my friends-- the incomparable Andrew Lucas Stewart:

First of all, darling Andrew has ruined my life. Well, ruined my will, I should say, because there is something about him that makes me want to turn myself into his female equivalent. He signed up for Poland Study Abroad, and when he suggested I go again, I found myself on a plane to Warsaw. He just got into the MBA program at BYU, and in researching the Organizational Behavior Emphasis on his behalf, I suddenly found myself buying "GRE for Dummies" and making plans to do the Executive Program at UNM. The other night on the phone, I begged him to not join the military (one of his other long-term goals) because I don't think I could handle boot camp. I am the Ruth to his Naomi. He is an excellent mother-in-law. Last night, I was showing a friend some pictures from my time in Poland, and I found a note Andrew had written to me during FHE in Lublin a few summers ago (five, if you can believe it!). He wrote:

"One can try to capture the essence and goodness of Rachel Sego in one line of paper as well as one can try to pack a rainbow in a jewelry box, but here it goes: raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, brown paper packages, and Rachel Sego."

I ask you, my friends, how could I not fall platonically in love with that? Therefore, I most whole-heartedly endorse Andrew as an example of the kind of friend everyone needs-- particularly in the way he makes me consistently better. Sometimes I put him on an unfair and unattainable pedestal, but when certain difficult choices and decisions come my way, I always ask myself, "What would Andrew do?" and I feel like I choose the right. Hmm... just reread that. I sound like I'm starting an Andrew cult. Not really. I just appreciate him, and hope all my readers find their Andrew equivalent.

So make your life better. Eat Fiber One Bars, rock out to Avenge Apollo, and steal my friends. Look good while doing it. Unlike my best friends Tiger Woods and Elizabeth Hurley, I'm not getting paid to say this.