Benefit from others conspicuous consumption!

A good friend of mine here (who shall remain nameless) is a shopaholic. But a low-rent variety consumer. Like me, she fancies the charity shop finds and Ebay items under a fiver. Unlike me, she has a keen eye for discount Boots products and can go deep into an Argos catalogue and come up with impressive discoveries. Today, I give you Super Badge It!

Yes, my friend has brought a whole new layer of ingenuity to the art of phd procrastination. Instead of writing, she's making buttons! And by default, I benefit from a new form of time wasting cos I now must come up with a suitable image so she can ME a badge! Find a photo? Design a graphic? Knick something from a food carton? The possibilities are endless!

But today I had other areas to cover during my 'down time'. You see, my friend also has an impressive backstock of assorted beauty products and accessories (bought on the cheap of course). Fancy a new lipstick but can't afford one? No worries, she'll sort you out. It may be a pretty mediocre shade of rosebud lustre, but nevermind, it's new to you!

I was set on lipsticks today, so instead, I straightened my hair with a hand-held iron of hers. Yep. I wasted time today using a borrowed beauty implement. Not only that, but my friend lent me two models - and has plenty more should I not find joy with these. One is even powered by butane. It's like Radio Shack soldering for hair rather then circuit boards. However, I think I might be a better solderer then hair straightener, and that's not saying much. I was going for the Joan Jett coif the woman who cut my hair sent me out the door with - a little retro rockunroll in a chav kinda way. Left to my hands holding the device, I think I look more like a mildly subdued Tina Turner ala Private Dancer. I may have singed my hair too. And I know this all reeks of hypocracy as it goes against my anti-consumer values and tendencies. But sometimes crazy things happen that just can't be justified.

Next thing you know I'll be crimping. Like Barbra Streisand. And making a badge out of bad hair days.

All told, it was a good day for product placement.