Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout

Even though I haven't been that hard hit by the news of Prince's death, I'm going to jump on the glittery purple bandwagon of rhapsodizing about his death. I don't have an exciting story to tell of seeing Prince in concert or running into him at a club. My Prince memories are just humble stories of how his work intersects with my life.  The first moment that leaps to mind involves watching "Purple Rain" at the slumber party to celebrate my 15th birthday. (Yes, we actually had to rent a VCR for this special occasion). Of course the sex scene between Prince and Apollonia made quite an impression (if not a fully understood one) on the young Amy.  My friend Jennifer mentioned this movie viewing recently and remembers my mom watching the movie with us and saying something like, "Now girls cover your eyes" during that sexy bit. I like to think my mom said this in a "LOL, I'm being a 'bad' parental figure right now, wink, wink" way ...

Some words just sound awesome together, and I think "casino kimono" is such a pairing. It's aesthetically pleasing, fun to say, and intriguing. I think I'll have to add it to my list of possible band names. A casino kimono is also an awesome thing to own. I didn't even know such an item existed a week ago, but since I became the proud owner of one, I've worn it at least three times. I've worn it to feel dramatic at the Dreamland Arts performances of our play "An Inconvenient Squirrel," and to work to help me feel more productive and positive. I even wore it to church to spruce up my mood and my comfy-yet-drab "I have shingles and feel sorry for myself" ensemble.   Easy to wear, difficult to capture via selfie I'll admit that I obtained my casino kimono in an ironic spirit. Last week I went on a little getaway with my BFF's Sandy and Wanda to the casino in Hinckley and I wanted a funny memento of the experience. Through t...