Domesticity Dispatch: Tiny Bubbles and Rock Star Apartments

I’m tired, I’m cranky, and I can’t believe that school is starting so freaking soon.

In other words, it’s good to be back in Honolulu.

Things have changed. When I went to the Philippines I lost my old apartment in Makiki and (as of this writing) practically everything else that I left behind. Now, my landlady gave me a newly renovated studio which I immediately christened my “rock star apartment” because of all the built-in furniture, exposed brick, and wood paneling. Look, I even have a chandelier in my kitchen! Everything else is new: the roll-up “studio bed” that folds into a tiny couch; the green shower curtain that goes with the brown tile in the bathroom; the plates, forks, and spoons… and even my computer (a Compaq notebook with WiFi capability) is brand-spanking new.

Once the dust was cleared and all the new stuff organized in their rightful place, I rolled out my sofa/bed, threw a sheet and pillows over it, and marveled at the beauty of my new sanctuary. I’m still getting over it.

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Before I finally moved back into my apartment, I stayed at my parents’ hotel room in Waikiki, which had a tiny bathtub. That gave me a great opportunity to sneak into the LUSH store in Ala Moana so I could finally try one of their bath products – and in this case, it was the Creamy Candy Bath Bubble Bar, which I’ve always loved since I first saw it in the store.

On my last day in the hotel room, I took the last half of the Creamy Candy Bath and crumbled the whole chunk under running water to form endless mounds of frothy, moisturizing, candy-and-patchouli-scented bubbles. I only had twenty minutes – but, oh, what a great last 20 minutes that was, just sinking straight into the bubbling water and letting all those cleansing and moisturizing ingredients wash over me.

I’ve always wanted my own bathtub for as long as I remember – maybe it’s the way bubble baths seemed so much more glamorous and luxurious than a regular shower. And now, sinking into the tub for an honest-to-goodness bubble bath, I realized that it’s just as good as I’ve always thought it ought to be, if not better. A good bath is practically everything you could dream about – satin sheets, chocolate truffles, champagne – but it’s all for your own enjoyment, with no burden on your conscience and no strings attached.