Lipsmack

I have been wanting to try the Eos Lip Balm ever since I saw this commercial (Yes, Eos, your marketing strategy worked!)

Buuuuut, I have a slight problem....  I am allergic to chapstick (and other lip-related products). It's a long and gross story as to how I learned this (definitely a developed allergy), but basically the stages are 1) Tingly   2) Swollen    3) Cracked and Oozy (attractive, I know)

I learned of this allergy about 5 years ago and have tried a couple different types/brands of chapstick to try and have had the same results with each one. 


I happened to spot the Eos egg at Rite-Aid the other day, and started looking at it.  Turns out it is 100% natural and 95% organic (the USDA even says so!).  So, I decided to give it a shot.

 I am THRILLED to report that it has been 20 minutes since I put it on, 

and there is no tingling!

Plus it has a strong peach flavor, and I love peach anything!

I am so excited that I have found a fun lip balm to use!  Good-bye Vaseline chapstick! (ok, maybe I'll keep the Vaseline as a back up.)

Horses vs Birds

No, I'm not trying to find a new pet.  I am talking about the Super Bowl. 

In case you don't watch / follow football, the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks are playing in it. 

If you do watch football, you may have already picked your favorite to win, and in case you hadn't made your mind up about the Seahawks, Richard Sherman's interview after the NFC Championship game probably helped you decide.

There was A LOT of talk immediately after the interview (a little over a week ago), and I have read both sides.  Being from Seattle, most of my friends are Seahawks fans and completely support Sherman. People outside of Seattle seemed to be less inclined to lean his way. 

I wanted to wait and collect my thoughts before I shared them with you. We were watching the game, and I thought the shove by Crabtree was a little out of line, but I understand it was right after they had lost a bid to the Super Bowl and emotions were high. I also understand that it may have been emotions that got the best of Sherman in his interview.

I don't agree with the level of professionalism he showed (especially since it seems to be a recurring theme with him and interviews), but I don't agree with the people that are resorting to racial slurs / insults.  He is intelligent (went to Stanford) and gives back to his community, and I feel that because of those attributes, his actions were out of line.  He is intelligent enough to know that he is a role model and that he is on a national (perhaps even international) stage, and should have chosen his words a little better. 

He has written an article entitled '10 Things I Learned After America Learned About Me' in which he acknowledges that he might not have handled it the best that he could have, and I respect him for that.  Hopefully he can take this as a learning experience, and be more aware of his emotions / interview answers next time.

Fight, FIght, Fight

The oldest piece of clothing I own is a t-shirt I bought my sophomore year of HIGH SCHOOL at cheer camp (I cheered off and on for 5 years in school).  Yes, it still fits (I stopped growing at 13) and yes, I still wear it from time to time.

After I put it on, I started thinking about high school and cheerleading and I was curious how much I remembered.  Turns out I still remember our school's fight song, and I still remember how to do the cheerleader's dance to it! (You want a cardio work out, try doing that dance a few times!)

I'm pretty sure I remember it through muscle memory (performing it several times a week for three years will do that), even though I haven't actually performed it in about 10 years (OMG - I graduated HS 10 years ago!).   I am pretty proud of myself to say the least - just don't ask me to do any of the kicks or jumps...

One Passion

Remember my thoughts on the idea of following your passion for a career?  

Well....... If I was to pick one career that involved several interests, it would be an archaeologist.


Let's take a look - I love to travel.  I love history, especially ancient history, and learning about different cultures.  I love puzzles and scavenger hunts and riddles.  If you think about it, archaeology is kind of like a scavenger hunt and sometimes it solves riddles!

I don't know a lot about the profession and the day-to-day aspect, but I know enough to think I would enjoy it.  I just wouldn't enjoy being away from home for long amounts of time (I assume all archaeology happens outside the U.S.).  I do think it would be fun to live abroad for some amount of time though. 


Why didn't I choose that as a career path you ask, refer to reason #2 in my original post.  There are too many unknowns for me with archaeology - are you always digging/searching? If not, what do you do when you're not?  Do you work for a company as a full time employee or are do you work on a contract basis?

I am happy with my chosen career path but like to think about other things.  They always say the grass is greener on the other side, but I think I'll water my grass. 

Literary Pleasure

I  am not much of a reader, but I would like to be. I have found lists of inspirational and life-changing books, because that's one of my favorite types - the ones that have a passage, or moment/story line that just makes you put the book down, sit back, and go 'Huh.' (I also like historical books though I have not read any non-fiction in my post-high school life).

Currently I am reading 'Howard's End' by E. M. Forster, and I am enjoying it.  It's not historical, and so far, has not had one of those 'huh' moments, but it is a good story. I don't know if it's a book I will save and remember forever, but it's been enjoyable.

I also want to read some of the classics and highs school-classics. I feel like there is a reason those books have attained the status they have, and I have not read a lot of them. A few are Catcher in the Rye, Charlotte's Web, The Things They Carried, Charles Dickens, and more that I cannot think of right now.

I think next on the list is going to be The Giver by Lois Lowry. My 6th grade teacher read it to us, but I want to read it for myself. Especially since I recently heard the movie is being made.  =)

Beauty Salon

Yesterday was kind of busy after work because we went to a friend's house for dinner, and before that I wanted to cut my hair. Yes, I cut my own hair. No, I am not a beautician.

I am very particular about my hair cuts because I have a lot of hair, and it's really thick.  My mom cut my hair for years, but she is a couple states away now. Any time I have gone to a salon, I haven't been happy.  So, my solution was to start giving myself hair cuts.

Up until yesterday, I had just been doing maintenance - trimming dead ends, shortening my layers a little - but yesterday I decided to CUT my hair.  This was my inspiration:

Here's how I did it:

Freshly washed and ready to go!

I sectioned my hair in half because I wanted to keep my layers, and would use the top portion to cut those after I cut my base length.

My base length!

 After I cut my base, I started working my way up my head to create my layers.  I brought the section down, cut it a little shorter than my base, and then started defining the layers more.  I don't like stacked/shelf-looking layers. I like them to be scattered and varying lengths, so I just start trimming different portions.

This is for my top section - and usually the way that I trim my hair.  I gather the section of hair that I want to cut/trim, and pull it straight up. I trim a little, and then let it fall down into place so that I can evaluate. If I want to trim more, I just repeat, or I will grab smaller sections/pieces to trim.

This is the final product! This isn't styled (no straightener or product), just me and my hair.

 And this is how much hair I cut off! Might not seem like much, but it definitely feels like it.

I love the look of long, flowing hair, but I don't think it's for me.  I like quick hair-do's, wearing my hair wavy, and my hair is just too thick to do those with long hair.  I'll keep experimenting with lengths and styles though, because I tend to get bored with my hair.  Who knows - maybe coloring is in my future!

Westsiiiiide

According to the fabulous world of online quizzes, I belong on the West Coast. 

A couple weeks ago I took the quiz that tells you which region of the country you most speak like.  {Take it here}   My results were Reno, Modesto, and Vegas.  I have never been to Nevada, let alone live there, and I have only been to San Diego for a couple days.


Today I took a quiz that determines 'What City You Should Really Live In' and got LA.  {Take it here}   Apparently that is because I like the sun and yoga.


Maybe my results are what you get when you live in NC for several years, Dallas for a couple, and Seattle for several.  I've never had the urge to go to California, but now I am kind of curious!  I love the Carolinas, but it seems that Cali is just my cup of tea....

Because, you know, you should determine your life choices on internet quizzes!

Follow your Passion?

As a somewhat-recent graduate, I have seen countless articles about following your passion to find a job, and there is the old saying that if you 'find a job you love, you will never work a day in your life.' I think that's great in theory, but it just doesn't sit right with me for a couple reasons:

1. There are very few things that I would consider a passion of mine (Only 2 come to mind at the moment)

        I have several interests and can find entertainment / good in almost anything, but I wouldn't consider myself passionate about them. One of them being traveling - I love to see new places, learn about history, and experience new things. I also love to have place to call home, and having a day-to-day routine.  I don't think I could travel ALL the time.

2. I am too practical.

         As much as I would love to be care-free and truly a 'roll with the punches' type person, I need to have stability and a steady income.  To follow your passion may mean searching for profitable outcome of that passion, and the searching is just not something I am up for.  It's the same reason I'm not much of a sales person - I want to go to work, do the absolute best that I can while I am there, and know what that effort is worth at the end of the day (I don't think my worth is determined by my paycheck - please don't read it that way).   I like being able to plan my spending and plan ahead for big expenditures (like for traveling!).


I want to keep my passions as something extra - something to enjoy when not working.  I heard someone say one time that Americans generally 'live to work' meaning that we focus so much on going to work and working in general, and that Europeans generally 'work to live' meaning that work for them is a means to enjoy their life. They don't see that their career defines them, but rather allows them the financial ability to pursue their passions and spend their leisure time however they see fit.

That is how I want to model my career / life - my job doesn't define me, but rather gives me the opportunity to travel and explore and learn and anything else that catches my attention!

Tea of the Bubble sort

I love bubble tea!!

Have you ever had it?  It looks like this:

Some are made with tea, some are made with flavored milk, but my favorite is made with fresh fruit!

What are the black dots at the bottom you ask (if you have not had it. If you have, you know what that awesomeness is!)?  Those are the bubbles aka tapioca balls.  That is the staple of bubble tea, except some places also offer coconut rather than tapioca.


I don't remember how it happened, but I was talking to people at work one day last week and come to find out one of my co-workers' family owns an Asian-food store that sells the tapioca balls.  She brought me a bag and we made our own over the weekend!

I have never made smoothies before, so I wasn't sure what the ingredients needed were, so we used strawberries, blueberries, fruit juice, and ice.  All you have to do is boil the tapioca balls for a few minutes and add them to your glass!

I think we are going to try a smoothie with yogurt and fruit next time to give it a little more substance. I will be sure to take pictures to show you!

Get Real

This week Real Simple is having their inaugural 'Get Real on the Internet Week'.  It's all about being who you really are - good, bad, and ugly.

They are encouraging people to not just post their triumphs or zen moments or perfect dinner, but to also show your crazy hair day or that it took 3 tries before you were able to make that perfect dinner.

I think it is awesome and I am totally on board!  That is what I am trying to do with this blog, after all.  So, I am going to try and post at least once each of the remaining days this week (I missed Monday, so I will do two posts on one day).

Stay tuned!

One of my faves...

   

 

Pasta!

Remember when I said that one of my life step-ups this year was to start eating better?  Well, I made pasta sauce last night BY MYSELF     and           IT WAS GOOD!   {Insert applause, please}


I love marinara / red sauce on pasta, but the Mr. prefers white / creamy sauces.  My brilliant idea - make a creamy red sauce!  Apparently all you have to do is add cream and some cheese, if you'd like.  Nonetheless, I bought tomato sauce (ok, so it wasn't completely homemade sauce) and cream, and then just added the necessary spices to my minced onions and garlic.  The end result was pretty darn good!  I think I could have added cream cheese instead of heavy cream, so maybe we will try that next time.



On a related note - I figured out why I don't like cooking.  I don't like to sit there and 'supervise' the food.  I want to either throw it in a crock pot or casserole dish and come back when its done, or be constantly doing something (as was the case last night).  At first I was getting the sauce to where I wanted it taste wise, and then while that was simmering, I had to get the noodles and the broccoli going (separately, don't worry).   I meant to cut up some cherry tomatoes and yellow bell pepper that we had, but I ran out of time we were hungry.  So we are going to save those and use them on our pita pizzas on Sunday!

I will let you know more about my cooking adventures (good and bad), and please offer any suggestions! I'm thinking about getting a cookbook to look for inspiration - sometimes the websites can be overwhelming.  =/

HL & BC

Have you heard the news about Hobby Lobby trying to get around the free-birth-control through insurance part of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare)?  If not, here are a couple links:

CNN

NY Times


If you would rather not read the article, basically Hobby Lobby is claiming that providing certain birth control free of charge to their employees (through the company's insurance, per the ACA) violates their religious beliefs.

All I have to say is that companies cannot have religious beliefs! 

I know the issue of birth control is personal and some religious sects have very specific beliefs about it, but that is not what I am having the problem with. 

I have a problem with the argument that a company, a corporation with roughly 500 stores, can have beliefs or feelings or opinions of any sort.  A corporation is a profit machine - it is designed to be independent of its owners and its own entity, but that does not mean it acts as a person.  When someone commits insider trading or embezzlement, they don't say "Oh, the company was in on it. Just look on the hard drive - it proves the company knew what I was doing and didn't stop me." NO!!  The person is held accountable.

I digress....    I think if Hobby Lobby doesn't want to outright pay for birth control, they should cancel whatever coverage they have now and give all of their employees an HSA (or the like) or don't offer insurance at all and pay the penalty.

I think their argument is ridiculous (and same goes for any other company making the same claim) and I am hoping the Supreme Court agrees.

Hugs!

I'm not much of a hugger.  I am happy to reciprocate, but I hardly initiate. Before you think that I am unfriendly and cold, please view the following comic:

http://themetapicture.com/how-to-interact-with-the-introverted/


I am also not someone that puts stock in horoscopes, personality tests, etc, but I do think they are fun sometimes.  I am a nurture (vs nature) believer and think that most of your personality/interests/views are shaped by your upbringing rather than determined by your birth month, birth order or your favorite color.  I think every person is a complex individual and is more than what one of these 'tests' say.

With that, I do think it is important to know what those many facets of yourself are, and then allow that understanding to help you through life.

I am an introvert.  Many of the attributes described in the cartoon I knew about myself (my personal bubble, preferring to not interject myself into conversations or situations without being invited), but I just thought it was who I was - I didn't know there was a name for it!

Some people don't like labels (we will talk about stereotypes/using labels at another time), but I think sometimes they are useful.  Being able to say 'I'm introverted' may somewhat explain why I act the way I do in social situations.

Being an introvert is only part of who I am, and it is not even necessarily a big part, but it makes me feel better that I am not weird and cold-hearted and boring, but just have a different preference.

New Year. New Start.

The new year is here!


I am not one to make resolutions, but I am ready to step up and make some improvements to parts of my life.

One of those being this blog. The first time around, it was fake - and by fake, I mean that I was trying to be one of those really cool blog people that inspired people and made them think and so on and so forth.....      This time around, "shit's go'n get real" (I warn you now about my randomness).  This is going to be about me - my opinions, insights, musings, and general observations.  If people read/enjoy it, great!  And if not, then it will be my digital journal.

Another step-up (not the movie) is that I am going to start cooking.  I do not like cooking, but I have come to realize the benefits of cooking your own meals, and cooking food that actually nourishes your body.  My primary motivation is my face acne. I don't have severe acne, but it is constant and has been constant since I was 12.  I have tried several types of face wash and facial routines and figured out that it all starts with what is going in my body, because it is coming out on my face.

The final one (I don't want to overwhelm myself from the get-go) is that I want to spend less time with meaningless activities - online games (*cough* Candy Crush), pointless TV (aka Millionaire Matchmaker) - and actually do something.   I can read, crochet, write!, make something or a bunch of other things that have an actual outcome when I am done.



So, here is to a new year and all the joy, turmoil, challenges, and triumphs that come with it!