I have a beautiful patchouli soap that Rob gave me for Christmas last year, and over the past week, Maggie won't stop licking it.
Another Maggie related problem lies with the lovely bookmark that Alicia gave me this year. It's the kind that's a string with a wooden ball at one end and an adorable wooden cat at the other. There's already been one minor cat casualty. Of the wooden variety.
Tonight, I was standing in the kitchen, cooking some pasta for lunch the next day. I started thinking about how my sister was trying to take a stray pitbull to my parents' house. Before I knew it, I'd eaten half of the pasta.
Apparently, whether or not honey is considered vegan is a raging debate.
My conversation attention span is getting alarmingly small. Thank God for text messages.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, December 24, 2012
No Poo, yet stinky.
So this summer, I jumped aboard the "no 'poo" band wagon and decided to stop washing my hair. I'd love to say that I was hell-bent on single-handedly saving the environment, or something noble like that, but I really did it because my hair was just kind of... there. It was falling out more than I thought it should when I shampooed, and the color looked like sink water after you've washed a few dishes in it.
This was me, just before I stopped 'poo-ing. I wouldn't say my hair is necessarily bad, it just sort of is.
Before starting the process, I learned that shampoo was only invented in the 1930s (so what were we doing before then? We certainly weren't all sitting around with greasy heads), and that the sulfates and other chemicals in shampoo are terrible for your hair. Who woulda thunk it?
So, for an entire week, I didn't do anything to it. Didn't wash it, condition it, or even get it wet. Not overly cute, but I just threw it in a bun every day and no one was any the wiser. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) I didn't take pictures of my hair at this time. It was a dark, dark time.
Then, I washed my hair with a mixture of two tablespoons of baking soda and enough water to turn it into a paste, and sprayed apple cider vinegar on the ends to condition it.
Woah. There were waves. There was color. There was life.
Please excuse the state of my face. Focus on the hair. THE HAIR.
I was so ecstatic, and I couldn't believe it worked. After a while, though, I started to catch on to the fact that apple cider vinegar was not cutting it as far as conditioning goes. The ends were a little frayed and brittle. So I decided to try some coconut oil, which I had heard worked wonders. Accidentally, I bought concentrated coconut oil. Disaster ensued. Read labels, people.
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It took dish soap and four washes to get that mess out. After a few more trials and errors, here's what I eventually settled on: every three days, I wash my hair. I keep a teeny tupperware and a not-so-teeny plastic bottle of baking soda in my shower. I just poor roughly two tablespoons of baking soda into the tupperware and a teeny bit of water until it's a paste. I rub that paste all over my scalp and leave it in while I do something else: wash my body or face or whatever. I rinse it out, and then only condition the ends of it with regular Dove conditioner. My hair doesn't fall out so much, and it's insanely soft.
Time out for the INSANE props I got from the hair dresser the first time I got it cut after I had stopped shampooing. She said it was some of the healthiest hair she'd ever felt, very clean and vibrant. I happened to luck into a great hairdresser by way of a recommendation from a good friend, and I was lucky that she had a little bit of the hippie vibe, I still think there would be al ot of hairdressers who might balk at this idea.
I have pin straight hair, but I've read this this works JUST as well for people with curly hair. That first week is just the pits, so time it wisely when you don't have to look your normal spectacular for a few days. Everyone's hair is different, so be prepared for a few weeks of trial and error. Another thing I do from time to time is rinse my hair in green tea: there's caffeine in tea that gives it some bounce and it brings out the red in my hair. Hit the interwebs for other instructions and suggestions, people!
Happy no poo-ing!
The next thing I've started trying is all natural deodorant and no antiperspirant. (Hence the "stinky" in the title). Apparently there are links between deodorant and breast cancer in women. Aluminum is the main ingredient in many antiperspirant, and apparently rubbing that on the lymph nodes in our armpits is really bad- go figure. I haven't figured this one out yet. I tried this brand first.
It didn't work. Like, not at all, not one tiny bit. I was stinkier when I was using this than when I wasn't using anything. I gave it a whole two weeks to let my body adjust to using something different, but to no avail. So, next, I moved on to a more known brand, Toms.
It works MUCH better. I still find myself needing to apply twice a day, but small price to pay for lowering my chances of breast cancer, if you ask me. Once this one runs out, I'll probably try another brand,so I'll keep you posted on the state of my B.O. You're welcome.
This was me, just before I stopped 'poo-ing. I wouldn't say my hair is necessarily bad, it just sort of is.
Before starting the process, I learned that shampoo was only invented in the 1930s (so what were we doing before then? We certainly weren't all sitting around with greasy heads), and that the sulfates and other chemicals in shampoo are terrible for your hair. Who woulda thunk it?
So, for an entire week, I didn't do anything to it. Didn't wash it, condition it, or even get it wet. Not overly cute, but I just threw it in a bun every day and no one was any the wiser. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) I didn't take pictures of my hair at this time. It was a dark, dark time.
Then, I washed my hair with a mixture of two tablespoons of baking soda and enough water to turn it into a paste, and sprayed apple cider vinegar on the ends to condition it.
Woah. There were waves. There was color. There was life.
I was so ecstatic, and I couldn't believe it worked. After a while, though, I started to catch on to the fact that apple cider vinegar was not cutting it as far as conditioning goes. The ends were a little frayed and brittle. So I decided to try some coconut oil, which I had heard worked wonders. Accidentally, I bought concentrated coconut oil. Disaster ensued. Read labels, people.
.JPG)
It took dish soap and four washes to get that mess out. After a few more trials and errors, here's what I eventually settled on: every three days, I wash my hair. I keep a teeny tupperware and a not-so-teeny plastic bottle of baking soda in my shower. I just poor roughly two tablespoons of baking soda into the tupperware and a teeny bit of water until it's a paste. I rub that paste all over my scalp and leave it in while I do something else: wash my body or face or whatever. I rinse it out, and then only condition the ends of it with regular Dove conditioner. My hair doesn't fall out so much, and it's insanely soft.
Time out for the INSANE props I got from the hair dresser the first time I got it cut after I had stopped shampooing. She said it was some of the healthiest hair she'd ever felt, very clean and vibrant. I happened to luck into a great hairdresser by way of a recommendation from a good friend, and I was lucky that she had a little bit of the hippie vibe, I still think there would be al ot of hairdressers who might balk at this idea.
I have pin straight hair, but I've read this this works JUST as well for people with curly hair. That first week is just the pits, so time it wisely when you don't have to look your normal spectacular for a few days. Everyone's hair is different, so be prepared for a few weeks of trial and error. Another thing I do from time to time is rinse my hair in green tea: there's caffeine in tea that gives it some bounce and it brings out the red in my hair. Hit the interwebs for other instructions and suggestions, people!
Happy no poo-ing!
The next thing I've started trying is all natural deodorant and no antiperspirant. (Hence the "stinky" in the title). Apparently there are links between deodorant and breast cancer in women. Aluminum is the main ingredient in many antiperspirant, and apparently rubbing that on the lymph nodes in our armpits is really bad- go figure. I haven't figured this one out yet. I tried this brand first.
It didn't work. Like, not at all, not one tiny bit. I was stinkier when I was using this than when I wasn't using anything. I gave it a whole two weeks to let my body adjust to using something different, but to no avail. So, next, I moved on to a more known brand, Toms.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Literary Hangover
I have a book hangover. I also have another book boyfriend.
I recently finished a book, Dragonfly in Amber, that I've been meaning to read for eons. It's the second book in a series, of which I read the first book in 2010. Now that I'm finished the second book and chomping at the bit for the third, I have no idea how I waited so long. I asked my sister for the third book in the series, vastly underestimating my reading abilities, and so I can't go get it for myself.
My new book boyfriend is a Scottish highlander named James Fraser. Jamie falls in love with the main character, named Claire!, who is originally from the 20th century, but got in a snafu with a fairy stone circle in Scotland (like Stone Henge). It's an awesome book with a dash of fantasy, adventure, comedy, and a whole ton of romance. Total guilty pleasure, I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't think romance books are cheesy. This one's got enough other stuff to balance it. Intrigue! Mystery! Action!
If a client came to me and told me they were spending as much time thinking about a book as I am spending thinking about this book recently, I would be worried. It's a book hangover. I'm not ready to leave that world yet! Only great books have you sobbing with reckless abandon late at night. (The Book Thief was the last one to do that to me.)
My book boyfriends to date, in no particular order.
1) Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter Series
2) John Galt Atlas Shrugged,
3) James Fraser, Outlander Series (my current book boyfriend, and for five more books, no less!)
4) Mr. Rochester, Jane Eyre
5) Richard Zeeman, Anita Blake series (another guilty pleasure, complete with vampires.)
I recently finished a book, Dragonfly in Amber, that I've been meaning to read for eons. It's the second book in a series, of which I read the first book in 2010. Now that I'm finished the second book and chomping at the bit for the third, I have no idea how I waited so long. I asked my sister for the third book in the series, vastly underestimating my reading abilities, and so I can't go get it for myself.
My new book boyfriend is a Scottish highlander named James Fraser. Jamie falls in love with the main character, named Claire!, who is originally from the 20th century, but got in a snafu with a fairy stone circle in Scotland (like Stone Henge). It's an awesome book with a dash of fantasy, adventure, comedy, and a whole ton of romance. Total guilty pleasure, I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't think romance books are cheesy. This one's got enough other stuff to balance it. Intrigue! Mystery! Action!
If a client came to me and told me they were spending as much time thinking about a book as I am spending thinking about this book recently, I would be worried. It's a book hangover. I'm not ready to leave that world yet! Only great books have you sobbing with reckless abandon late at night. (The Book Thief was the last one to do that to me.)
My book boyfriends to date, in no particular order.
1) Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter Series
2) John Galt Atlas Shrugged,
3) James Fraser, Outlander Series (my current book boyfriend, and for five more books, no less!)
4) Mr. Rochester, Jane Eyre
5) Richard Zeeman, Anita Blake series (another guilty pleasure, complete with vampires.)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
These are a few of my favorite things
So I've jumped into the world of counseling, to try my hand at helping some college students. This is the start of a list of my favorite phrases that I've heard so far. Some are silly, some are really important.
"And what are the people in your class like?"
"TRIFLIN' MOTHAFUCKAS."
"But... where was he naked?"
"Counseling is often like an abscess. As it fills up with goo, things don't really hurt. Then, when you break it open, it really hurts. But that's also when the healing starts."
"The tan penis is too ethnically specific. Use the blue one."
"She is just a pumpkin full of PMS."
"You know how everyone gets cold when the weather gets colder? We get a seasonal sickness, and once you get over that sickness, the weather is really lovely and worth is. I feel like that's where I am now. This part is the sickness before the beautiful season, and if I can just get through this, there's lovely weather on the other side."
"Any penis that smells is problematic."
"Everyone has their Vietnam - someone they shouldn't have gotten involved with."
"And what are the people in your class like?"
"TRIFLIN' MOTHAFUCKAS."
"But... where was he naked?"
"Counseling is often like an abscess. As it fills up with goo, things don't really hurt. Then, when you break it open, it really hurts. But that's also when the healing starts."
"The tan penis is too ethnically specific. Use the blue one."
"She is just a pumpkin full of PMS."
"You know how everyone gets cold when the weather gets colder? We get a seasonal sickness, and once you get over that sickness, the weather is really lovely and worth is. I feel like that's where I am now. This part is the sickness before the beautiful season, and if I can just get through this, there's lovely weather on the other side."
"Any penis that smells is problematic."
"Everyone has their Vietnam - someone they shouldn't have gotten involved with."
Thursday, October 4, 2012
My Political Campaign
I did something I swore I'd never do. I watched the Presidential debate last night. I was so confused and unclear on what either candidate was saying. And I'm disappointing that only the Republican and Democratic parties get to be a part of it. There are many other candidates. And the ones we have the chance to listen to are funded by the same exact corporations, Goldman Sachs being the biggest and scariest, in my opinion. We just plain don't have an actual choice here.
In addition, I really got the feeling like two people were just shouting political terms at me with no explanation of what they entail. Trickle-down government! Tax breaks! Big government! Raise the deficit! Doublespeak! Big brother is watching you!
Plus, my mother told me not to interrupt. Ever.
This is what my political campaign would hinge on:
1. Public schools would be required to incorporate "sufficiency seminars" into their curriculum. Teach children how to utilize solar energy, plant and maintain their own gardens, how to build wells, and crude, basic elements of survival that would help us not be so dependent. Private schools would be encouraged to also adopt these courses by a small tax cut to schools who do offer them.
2. Nationwide, an afternoon "breathing hour" would be adopted. As businesses are private, they would not be required to enforce or include these breathing hours. Individuals who were interested in practicing these hours could not be discriminated against nor lose their jobs. It is my belief that a spike in productivity would be experienced in business if this were adopted. If businesses so chose, they could extend their working day by one hour so that if individuals chose to participate in Breathing Hour, they would be required to make up that hour at the end of the day.
3. Free voter education courses would be supplied by and funded by the government. Voters would learn about the electoral college and how voting works. Included int he curriculem would be suggestions on how to spot biased information and how to find unbiased information. Teachers of this course would be required to be free from political influence. Endorsing candidates, however casually, would be strictly forbidden. These courses would be a requirement before voting.
4. Tax cuts would be given for green businesses and bicycle-related materials.
5. Tax raises would be put on all tobacco, gasoline, fried food, weight loss pills and supplements, and t-shirts with an oppressive amount of rhinestones or studs.
6. More strict protections would be implemented for historical monuments, lands, and buildings, including but not limited to nature preservations.
7. Miliraty members would be trained in descalation of mental health crises and multicultural competencies.
8. A small national healthcare system would be implemented, its size directly in relation to the precentage of Americans who do not have health insurance. Privitized health care would, conceivably, still make up a larger percentage of healthcare services offered. Tort reform would be implement, with the goal in mind of making it less expensive to become and to stay a doctor. Caps on how much a person can win in a medical malpractice suit would be implemented. Reward programs would be offered for doctors working in impovrished countries or programs within the United States focusing on the less fortunate, in order to aid in doctors paying off their student loans. In addition, insurances will be required to treat mental health service needs as any other specialist-required medical concern is treated.
9. Funding for teachers would be garnered from the above mentioned raises in sales tax. Colleges and universities offering Education Degree programs focusing on individualization, encouragement, and respect would receive significantly more funding than their counterparts not offering these things.
10. Funding would be given to the FDA with hopes of offering education through public service announcements and classes about the sideeffects of chemicals commonly found in meat and produce and ways to avoid unhealthy foods.
11. Political candidates and hopefuls would have a cap on how much money they may spend while campaigning. Donations from corporations will still be permitted, as long as the donations do not exceed the specified cap.
12. If states did not adopt anti-discrimination policies based on creed, religion, sexuality, gender expression, race, political belief, and and gender, they would lose all federal funding for transportation and road building.
It's nice to dream.
In addition, I really got the feeling like two people were just shouting political terms at me with no explanation of what they entail. Trickle-down government! Tax breaks! Big government! Raise the deficit! Doublespeak! Big brother is watching you!
Plus, my mother told me not to interrupt. Ever.
This is what my political campaign would hinge on:
1. Public schools would be required to incorporate "sufficiency seminars" into their curriculum. Teach children how to utilize solar energy, plant and maintain their own gardens, how to build wells, and crude, basic elements of survival that would help us not be so dependent. Private schools would be encouraged to also adopt these courses by a small tax cut to schools who do offer them.
2. Nationwide, an afternoon "breathing hour" would be adopted. As businesses are private, they would not be required to enforce or include these breathing hours. Individuals who were interested in practicing these hours could not be discriminated against nor lose their jobs. It is my belief that a spike in productivity would be experienced in business if this were adopted. If businesses so chose, they could extend their working day by one hour so that if individuals chose to participate in Breathing Hour, they would be required to make up that hour at the end of the day.
3. Free voter education courses would be supplied by and funded by the government. Voters would learn about the electoral college and how voting works. Included int he curriculem would be suggestions on how to spot biased information and how to find unbiased information. Teachers of this course would be required to be free from political influence. Endorsing candidates, however casually, would be strictly forbidden. These courses would be a requirement before voting.
4. Tax cuts would be given for green businesses and bicycle-related materials.
5. Tax raises would be put on all tobacco, gasoline, fried food, weight loss pills and supplements, and t-shirts with an oppressive amount of rhinestones or studs.
6. More strict protections would be implemented for historical monuments, lands, and buildings, including but not limited to nature preservations.
7. Miliraty members would be trained in descalation of mental health crises and multicultural competencies.
8. A small national healthcare system would be implemented, its size directly in relation to the precentage of Americans who do not have health insurance. Privitized health care would, conceivably, still make up a larger percentage of healthcare services offered. Tort reform would be implement, with the goal in mind of making it less expensive to become and to stay a doctor. Caps on how much a person can win in a medical malpractice suit would be implemented. Reward programs would be offered for doctors working in impovrished countries or programs within the United States focusing on the less fortunate, in order to aid in doctors paying off their student loans. In addition, insurances will be required to treat mental health service needs as any other specialist-required medical concern is treated.
9. Funding for teachers would be garnered from the above mentioned raises in sales tax. Colleges and universities offering Education Degree programs focusing on individualization, encouragement, and respect would receive significantly more funding than their counterparts not offering these things.
10. Funding would be given to the FDA with hopes of offering education through public service announcements and classes about the sideeffects of chemicals commonly found in meat and produce and ways to avoid unhealthy foods.
11. Political candidates and hopefuls would have a cap on how much money they may spend while campaigning. Donations from corporations will still be permitted, as long as the donations do not exceed the specified cap.
12. If states did not adopt anti-discrimination policies based on creed, religion, sexuality, gender expression, race, political belief, and and gender, they would lose all federal funding for transportation and road building.
It's nice to dream.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Grace Facebooks
I'm not sure if you have read something I posted a while ago, my list of things I like about my family. One of those things is that my mom narrates the dog's life for her. Grace is my dog.
Recently, my mom even thought that Grace would probably like to get on Facebook, and to like this picture of her swimming with my mom and I. She couldn't, of course. Being a dog and all. So my mom mentioned it for her.
I wasn't joking.
We love our dog.
Recently, my mom even thought that Grace would probably like to get on Facebook, and to like this picture of her swimming with my mom and I. She couldn't, of course. Being a dog and all. So my mom mentioned it for her.
I wasn't joking.
We love our dog.
Monday, August 6, 2012
“To be Irish is to know that in the end the world will break your heart.” - Patrick Moynihan
Friday was travel day of my very last family vacation. On someone else's dime anyway. So we hopped a plane from Jacksonville to Philadelphia, and then Philadelphia to Dublin, and then a bus from Dublin to Derry. Or Londonderry if you're British. Or Protestant.
I shall graciously screech my blog to a halt for a brief history lesson. After King James I "conquered" Ireland (bully to you, Mr. King, when all they'd had to eat for years were potatoes [COINCIDENTALLY did you know that potatoes actually originated from South America? They did. In what is now Colombia, people started growing them about 7000 years ago, and they didn't make it to Europe until the Colombians started stomping through Peru, who took the potatoes to Europe in the mid-1500s.]), he started dishing out Irish land to English people who had no land, and needed some on which to sow their seeds. So, they were planted in Ireland, in an event that you can google called the Planting of Ulster. Long story (about 800-1000 year long, actually) short, the Irish and the English, who were Catholic and Protestant, respectively, fought and fought and fought. Are there any wars that AREN'T over land and religion? Sheesh. Eventually Ireland liberated (most of) itself in 1919 after a guerrilla army called the Irish Republican Army, which is still in existence today and aren't the nicest people, rose up against the British forces. All but six counties were liberated, making the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, which is still technically part of Great Britain. Those six counties are referred to as Ulster, and are: counties Derry, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, and Fermanagh. The IRA would, of course, like those six counties back, but after the "Good Friday Agreement" in 1998 (which I won't detail because I don't know much about) the fighting has calmed down for the most part. It's really very interesting, and worth looking up if you like history. I suggest googling the Easter Uprising, the IRA, the Orangemen, and Sinead O'Connor's version of The Foggy Dew to get you started. Here's a map!
I'm currently in Derry, and I certainly don't feel like there is a war going on. There are, however, different street corners and neighborhoods that have painted the curbs in blue, white, and red, and fly the Union Jack, and other neighborhoods boasting orange white and green. Often, when you see signs for Londonderry, someone has scribbled out the "London" part. In years gone by, when I've headed over to Donegal to the beach, I've had to stop at checkpoints as I cross the border and declare all manner of things. There are no checkpoints now, though, and markedly less car bombs. Back to my trip!
We actively traveled for 13 hours, and waited in airports and bus stations for another 4. But then I fell asleep in my Granny's house, and woke up to family, and it was lovely. Yesterday, we headed over to Rathmullen, where some of my uncles were racing their sailboats in the regattas. Just another summer's day in Ireland.
Literally my whole family is in shorts and t-shirts, and that's how I'm dressed. But then I visited my aunt and saw THIS VIEW which made all the cold worth it. Would you ever leave your house if this was what you saw?
If you look extremely closely, you can see two sailboats on the water, one being my Uncle John's, and the other being my Uncle Paschal's. No, I don't know which one, I can barely see them.
This morning I woke up early and went for a light jog/walk with my mom, and was very happy to see this...
... but very UNHAPPY to have to trudge up this.
I have yet to have anything from my granny and grandad's fish and chip shop, as it's probably around 900 calories a meal, so I'm holding out, but I can't wait. I'll be spending another regatta day today on that bouncy inflatable boat, and praying that it doesn't rain, which is hilarious, because it's never NOT raining here. The rain is even beautiful though, it's like standing under the misters at Disney World, only less weird.
After I freeze to death on the boat, maybe I'll sit here in my grandad's garden, where the grass is softer than any carpet I've seen, and have a drink.
Slainte!
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