Polish Post: OPI Banana Bandanna + Weekend Plans

Despite the fact that the weather is calling for thunderstorms for the next 2-3 days, I wanted my nails to be cheery and bright. I wound up choosing Banana Bandanna (which it turns out IS the correct spelling of that word. The more you know.) by OPI for my fingers and Ahoy! by China Glaze for my toes. While I'm fairly certain that no more than 3 people read this blog and they all have very healthy attitudes toward feet, I'm hesitant to post a picture of my toes on the internet, because, well, you know. The internet has probably led to an amazing boost in the quality of life for those who are a little too into feet. Anyway, here are my nails.


There are several indicators that this was an early polish purchase for me. First, it is an OPI polish. Because OPI polishes run $8-9 per bottle and are almost always lacking in the quality I would expect for that price (China Glaze is about $5 and is invariably much better quality), I tend to pass on OPIs unless the color is outstanding. Second, I have gotten much better at knowing which polishes will or won't be sheer just by looking at the bottle, and I avoid sheer polishes. Still, I chose this polish over the similarly colored China Glaze Lemon Fizz for two reasons:

1. Lemon Fizz reacts in a weird way with my top coat of choice. After a few days, the tips of my nails darken to a pale orange giving an undesired, though not altogether unappealing, ombré effect. Side note, why does spell check refuse to believe ombré is a real word?
2. I'm trying to work through all of my unworn polishes and I'm fairly certain I haven't done a full manicure with this.

I like that this shade is a little warmer than Lemon Fizz but the formula is horrible. It's runny, streaky and takes at least 4 coats to reach opacity. Three coats is pretty much my limit. Overall, I like the color for spring but I don't know how often I'll reach for this polish.

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In other news, the weekend is upon us and Steven and I have exciting plans. The River Run Film Festival is in town for the next week and tonight is the big kick off. Rather than attending that, Steven and I will likely go to Barnes and Noble for Tina Fey's new book and maybe stop at the grocery store. But! We are going to see two things on Saturday. First is a compilation of animated shorts and then later that evening we're seeing Meek's Cutoff. Look at me, immersing myself in local cultural activities.

Our other big plan for the weekend is making pickles. Do you like pickles? I sure do. It's hard not to like a tart, vinegar-y incarnation of one of my favorite vegetables. Steven and I made two jars of pickles last week and we have eaten all of them already. The brine is ridiculously simple to make and discounting the fresh cucumbers, you likely have all the necessary ingredients in your kitchen. The hardest part of the whole thing is the 2 day waiting period in which you are forced to look at your pickles every time you open the refrigerator, knowing you can't eat them yet. Here's how to make approximately 2 jars of pickles:

You will need:
3 cups water
8 tablespoons vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Garlic
Dill
Coriander seeds
Pickling cucumbers (I imagine you can also use regular cucumbers, but they will probably need to be cut in half)

Combine the water, vinegar, and salt in a pitcher or bowl, making sure to mix everything well. Slice the cucumbers according to preference. Spears, halves, chips. Do you, baby. Place the cucumbers in the jars with a good amount of garlic, dill and coriander seeds. No specific amount. That's why I like this recipe, it's so free form! Pour some brine into each jar until it is full. Put the lid on the jars (duh) and shake to combine everything. Refrigerate for 2 days before eating. Steven made sure to turn the jars from time to time to compensate for the seasoning falling to the bottom. This may or may not be necessary.

Voila! You have pickles that are tastier than the ones at the grocery store, and they only contain ingredients that you can pronounce.