Did that just happen?

There are two things in life that remind me of Ross Geller, the character from the TV show Friends: leather pants and spray tans. When I woke up this morning I could honestly say I'd never done either.

The leather pants thing will last until my dying day or until I join a boy band. The spray tan thing expired this evening, in preparation for tomorrow's photo shoot.

I can't believe I just wrote that last sentence.

Yup, as we speak, I'm waiting the 3 hours until the sticky, bronze stuff that covers my body is ready to be washed off. Mariah told me that the photo shoot lights blank you out if you don't have a tan. Kevan and PhotoShop tried to convince me today that I also needed to shave my legs and upper body. That was NOT going to happen.

I traipsed into the tanning place, located in the West Campus area of Austin near UT, feeling rather hesitant. The green and purple paint on the walls and the shelves full of tanning products whose packaging runs the spectrum from pink to yellow did not help.

Before I knew it, I was standing in all sorts of awkward positions, getting spray painted like an Escalade at West Coast Customs. Turn your leg out. Turn to the side with your arm up. Turn around. Lean forward so we can get the shoulders. Look up. Here comes the face, are you ready. 1, 2, 3.

It's not so much that a spray tan is hard to endure. It's pretty easy and the cool spray actually doesn't feel bad. It's the fact that you're GETTING A FREAKING SPRAY TAN.

The guys at work tomorrow are going to eat this up like the platter of donuts I've seen like a mirage around every corner the last few days.