Some people think baths are yucky. These are the “You’re soaking in your own filth” crowd. But I’m definitely in the liquid relaxation line, beginning almost every morning with a steaming hot bath. I don’t have to worry about falling down while shaving my legs, and I’ve got one of those removable showerheads so I can wash and rinse my hair. I’ve lived in houses with tubs only and houses with showers only. If I had to make a choice, I’d take the house with the tub every time.

Now I know you’re asking yourself, “Why the hell is Maggie talking about her personal hygiene routine?” It’s simple. I finished Mistress by Marriage on Thursday. And what did I want to do to celebrate? Drink champagne? Eat a pound of chocolate? Nope, I wanted to take another bath, even though it had been only three hours since I took the last one. So I talked myself out of it, because I hadn’t done anything to get myself dirty except touch a keyboard and my skin is still kind of dry from the longest winter ever. But now you know my mad method of having fun. I am one wild woman.

What do you do when you finish a big project? Do you prefer to shower or bathe?

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. ~Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (uh, perhaps not the best bath advocate out there)