The Idiot Who Cut Me Off

Sometimes I forget that people are people.

Does that make sense?

I was reminded this weekend to see a person in every person. A soul in every body. An individual in every human. And this is the most important rule that I hang on to.

There's something called the fundamental attribution error (FAE), which you probably have heard of if you've taken an introductory psychology course. (If you didn't hear about it in your class, you probably weren't paying attention, or your teacher was totally robbing you of important information.) Now, sorry to break it to you dear friends of mine, but humans make a lot of mistakes that we are not always aware of. The basic idea of the FAE is that we tend to overestimate how much someone else's personal attributes are influencing their actions, and we underestimate how much that someone's situation is influencing their actions. Por ejemplo...

Have you ever been cut off by that idiot during rush hour? He's a total a**hole, right? But here's another question, and be honest about this one. Have you ever cut someone off during rush hour? Chances are you have, and you probably don't consider yourself a bad person. If you have ever cut someone off, you may have had a perfectly good reason (the guy behind you was about to rear-end your car). Do you see what I'm getting at?

I've noticed that I become much less judgmental when I admit that I don't know the situations that people are in. The driver who I think is recklessly speeding may have a friend in the hospital. The teacher who I think is inconsiderate of her students may be going through a divorce. The person drinking the energy drink may have had to stay up all night with a sick child. It's really hard to give people excuses for their actions. But I'm not giving them excuses. I'm simply trying to put myself in their shoes, and acknowledging the fact that I will probably never know why the person in the suit is yelling over the phone. Perhaps they are really mean, but perhaps they are expressing their frustration at some unmentionable injustice. Perhaps it's a combination of the two.

It's the last day of 2013. Tonight, when you look around at the people at the party, or the restaurant, or even the TV, give them a chance to be a person.

Happy last day of 2013! :)


TL;DR: A person's a person, if only you notice.

The Best Food Advice You'll Ever Get

Read this article. It will take one minute, and it is the best advice I have ever read about food and dieting. Kudos to the author for being so concise and conscientious of various people's needs.

:)

Free Online Movie Till December 10th!

If you haven't watched Food Matters yet, and you don't have a Netflix account to watch it on, the movie is free on their website until December 10th :)

It really is an awesome movie, and a great way to spend a weekend evening. Here is the link to the movie.

Enjoy!

Fluke

I am looking for food.

I am finding leftover soup.

I am heating it up.

I am putting my dog on my bed.

I am fetching the soup.

I am sitting on my bed.

I am looking for something to watch on YouTube.

I am watching the screen.

My dog is watching me.

I am closing my computer.

I am scratching his ears.

I am talking to him.

I am listening to his sniffs.

I am having a meal with my best friend.

I needed him to remind me that I cannot substitute a moment with a friend for any electronic gadget in the world.

Happy Sunday :)

TL;DR: A friend a day keeps the sadness away.

It's not Christmas, it's the Day After Thanksgiving.

I detest Black Friday, and it's really hard to look on the positive side of things today.

What gets me riled up? People getting up at ridiculous hours of the morning to stand in line in below freezing weather so they can buy things they don't need. Nothing does the job better.

We live in America, friends. Where apparently more is better. And more is never enough. We should rebel against this mentality! Let's be rebels together!

Here are 50 things to do other than get mauled by shoppers today. I stumbled upon this website (not actually using StumbleUpon, and how weird is it that I feel I have to explain myself for using that phrase?) and it seems awesome. Their slogan? "Finding the Satisfaction of Enough." Love it :)


If you would like to use some of your day off reading about how our culture provokes things like Black Friday, instead of actually participating in such vile events (am I being too harsh?), here is an absolutely mind-blowing article that puts together the pieces.

Lalala.

After living in Italy for a few months, coming back to America was weird. Everything is so rushed and urgent. Eating with your family is not a priority here. Eating quality food is not a priority here. Dressing up every day in presentable, flattering
clothes is not a priority here. I am generalizing. I know there are people here who love all these things, but I definitely feel like the minority.

Anyway, I am spending my day-after-Thanksgiving organizing my room, doing homework, and thinking of what I will make or buy for my family and friends this year. I think that is much more productive than being fooled by retailers into spending lots of mulah.

Make a delicious cheesecake, or get trampled by shoppers? I'll take the former.

TL;DR: Fun fact: Black Friday only became the biggest shopping day of the year in 2005. Hmmm...

The Best and Worst of Thanksgiving

Best

• having the day off
• having the day off to see family and friends
• having the day off to sit and eat good food
• dressing up, or dressing down
• mandatory family gatherings
• mandatory giving of thanks
• optional food baby

Worst

• recipes gone wrong
• you only get ONE day off to sit and eat good food with friends and family
• impending Black Friday insanity

I know some stores were open today. That makes me sad. I wish everyone were able to take a day off to spend time with their loved ones. Like in Italy. Everything's closed on holidays. You can't even get toothpaste. But everyone survives. You can just brush your teeth tomorrow, no big deal.

Deal... deal? Black Friday deals? Please someone explain this day that cripples my soul. The day that has become the very embodiment of what is wrong with America.

For tonight, we can be content. I hope your belly is full as you read this. I hope you have somewhere warm to sleep tonight. I hope you had real people to hug and talk to today, and didn't spend the day on the Internet.

Get ready for my Black Friday post. It's coming.

TL;DR: Happy Thanksgiving :)

Thanksgiving Work Week Day #3: I am Homo sapien and so are you

I am going into the world of religion and nationality, goodness help me.


Have you ever heard someone say, "She's French, but her husband is Jewish."
or
"I hear you're marrying a Canadian guy. Is that going to work, since you're Muslim?"
or
"Are you making apple pie tonight? I can bring some oranges."

To me they all sound like the last one. I have been hearing religion compared to nationality my entire life. Well, it doesn't make sense. You can't compare a belief system to your place of birth/living. Why do people do this?! It drives me insane!!!

We're all human, baby!

So this holiday season (can you smell the cinnamon and nutmeg yet?), be aware that people may celebrate in ways that combine a nation's traditions and a religion's holiday, and any combination is A-OK. (As long as we're all playing nice.) My family is Polish, but we celebrate an American holiday. Your family might be Buddhist and celebrate Hannukah. Who knows? And honestly, who cares? As long as celebrations/traditions are treated with due respect, I think all kinds can be celebrated by whoever wants.

Regarding the history of Thanksgiving, I don't know enough about the complicated going-ons of Europeans and Native Americans to discuss it, but I do know one thing. The fact the humans have so many different cultures is amazing and beautiful, but thinking that we are not all in this together is pretty dumb. So go crazy today after you get off work and go hug a fellow human or something. :)

You can even play this, and make a dance party:

Maybe you need something a little less enthusiastic (and less painful):

TL;DR: "I'm made of atoms, you're made of atoms, we're all in this together." Ben Lee

Thanksgiving Work Week Day #2: Your Face

I never really understood the "your face" jokes, but it happens to be a relevant and (hopefully) catchy title.

On this lovely second day of a work week that you I really don't want to engage in, I thought I might discuss faces.

I like my face. So I'm comfortable contorting it in weird ways and sharing it with you. You're welcome.

Can I share with you two stories that stick out incredibly in my brain? OK, good.

Story 1
"You're so lucky you don't have to wear make-up!" Dialogue to me when I was in middle-school, by a high-school girl.

Story 2
"Geraldine (name changed to protect identity), don't wear make-up for as long as you can." Dialogue to a pre-pubescent girl by high-school girls. I was in high-school when I heard this.

Let's discuss this, shall we?

Both of these incidents demonstrate that girls are implying make-up is necessary. Newsflash: it's not. Saying something like this to a young girl is basically telling her to enjoy the time she has with her perfect skin because it won't last long, and soon she'll have to cover it up. Especially if she wants boys to like her. (Am I wrong?)

I have a confession to make. I used to think I was above the girls who wore make-up everyday to school. The girls who spent an hour getting ready in the morning, or sprinting to the bathroom upon arrival at their destination, before anyone could see their make-up-less face. Then I realized that I cannot judge people if I want to be an open and loving person. You can wear make-up everyday and I will not judge you or ridicule you. I will tell you your eyeliner is on your cheek, though. :)

Why do we wear make-up? Well, I'm not going into details in one blog post. But girls think that they need make-up. What is wrong with your make-up-less face? Absolutely nothing.

I know, I know, make-up is fun. I totally agree! I like experimenting too, but to me it is an art form. (Come on, have you seen Face-Off?) Personally, applying make-up everyday makes me feel like I am lying to the world about who I am. My skin is not perfect. So what? If anything, my make-up-less face is weeding out the people that will potentially talk to me simply because I don't flaunt "maybe it's Maybelline" eyelashes everyday. Or it's not. That's cool too. I know your other argument, too, because I hear it almost every time I ask someone why they wear make-up. It's about enhancing your good features and hiding your bad ones! It's only a bad feature if you decide it's a bad feature, darling.

This is my personal experience. To you, make-up may be something different. That's OK. All I am proposing is a change in the attitude of needing to simply wanting. Here's a thought-provoker for you: have you ever seen a female newscaster without make-up? What about a male newscaster (excluding cover-up)? Why?

That is all.

For now.

TL;DR: I love your face, jusstttt the wayyy it issssssss *cue music*

Thanksgiving Work Week Day #1

I am bitter, my dear friends, that I have classes Monday through Wednesday night. But I shouldn't be. And neither should you.

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends and good food! Yes, I agree. But most importantly it is about being grateful for all of who you are, who you are with, and everything you can do.

Here's a light-hearted interview with the Dalai Lama to boost your spirits (because mine definitely needed boosting this morning). He points out what makes us happy. But wait! Being "warm-hearted" (helping others), spending time with friends, and finding our purpose in life sounds awfully familiar... I guess the Dalai Lama doesn't need social psychology to know these things. 

TL;DW (too long; didn't watch): A change in attitude may be all you need to make a dreaded work week a positive one.

P.S. I encourage you to post comments or contact me about the content of my blog. What do you like? What do you want to read more of? There are millions of things in my head and sometimes I don't know which to address first. :)

Mother Nature

Exactly two weeks ago, I was driving home, and I saw an absolutely gorgeous sunset. The clouds were a color that I don't have a word for, but my closest description is pink. Today, two weeks later, I saw a huge, almost-full, orange moon, rising from the horizon. It is times like these that Nature strikes me with her simple beauty. Her beauty is difficult to capture, because part of her mesmerizing quality is her unpredictability.

There are other times, like earlier today, when Nature shows me exactly how powerful she is, and how defenseless we are. My boyfriend and I stared out a window as hail spattered the ground and the wind became so strong that it got scary. We later discovered that a tornado devastated his hometown. I've never seen wreckage due to a natural disaster up close. It was humbling. It could have been my hometown. It could have been yours.

I believe Mother Nature is telling us to pay attention to her. Almost like an elderly grandmother who scolds her children when they forget to water her plants when she's away.

Mother Nature does not scold the child who performed the wrong. She scolds us all. Her power is tremendous, and we are fools to not respect her.

Here's one of my favorite parts in one of my favorite movies:
In WALL-E, the captain of the Axiom waters the plant that he does not completely understand. Then he says something along the lines of, "There you go, little buddy. All you needed was someone to take care of you." And with this comes his eureka moment. Mother Nature needs us to take care of her.

This post does not do justice to everything I think about when I consider our relationship with the Earth. I'm just going to let it sit here though, as a reminder to myself that something needs to be done. Meanwhile, my prayers go to those affected by today's tornado.

TL;DR: Don't forget to water your grandmother's plants.

Your 1 Minute Guide to Happiness

So I'm reading about happiness in my social psychology book, and what do I find? Three things that you have control over that will make you happier.

1. Engage in positive social relationships.

2. Flow. Get lost doing what you love!

3. Help others.

:)

OK, so they seem pretty obvious, but there is one other thing that seems to "obviously" make us happy. Things. We think that having things makes us happy. Research shows that this is not true, and actually the opposite. Focusing on money and material possessions makes us less attuned to the moment. What a shame.

On the other hand, research shows that having healthy social interactions, practicing your passions, and performing random acts of kindness make us happier! (The social thing is actually correlational, but you get my point. And if you'd like me to explain further, just ask and I will be happy to.)

And if you'd like an interesting video on happiness, here is the lovely Dan Gilbert:

TL;DR: Happiness=awesome friends, hobbies, and helping!

P.S. I have been fiddling with the format of my page. Just trying what I feel works best. :)

The Human Community

Greetings fellow Earthlings.

I was talking to myself yesterday, and I came up with a question for you. Why are we called the human "race"? Is this like the arms race, or the space race? Who are we racing? Why are we racing each other?

I suppose there's a possibility that way back when, there was an urgent need to have babies, to survive, blah blah blah, so maybe it felt like a race against death, others, who knows (?). There you go, my budding sociologist friends. I'll leave that for you to research.

But honestly, let's think about this. Humans like their communities. We are social beings and generally like to keep friends and family around. We surround ourselves with people who have similar interests and views and hobbies. And we hate everyone else. Wait, no, that's just us bitter folk. But we do tend to not understand other groups and communities. This is very sad, dear Internet friend, for understanding leads to communication, respect, and fellowship. (Things that I believe our world is lacking. What a great word. Lacking.)

I would like to advocate that we should all be friends and stop racing each other! Yeah, I know. Not realistic. Think of your community. Maybe it's a school or campus, workplace or neighborhood. Maybe it's your circle of friends. You don't always like everyone, do you? But do you seek them out to make their lives unpleasant? If you're mean and stupid, then I suppose the answer is yes. But if you have better things to do than insult and provoke others, then the answer is no. There are parts of your community that you may not enjoy, but you tolerate.

Here is my plea/suggestion/epiphany. Can we start calling ourselves the human community? Yes, competition is beneficial, but having enemies is not. Yes, it's corny-sounding, but the starting point of any kind of change is a change in attitude. Example: If you want to change the way you eat, in order to be successful, you first have to change how you think about food.

So there is my thought for the day. I will try my best to update more frequently. Happy October!


TL;DR: We are all Earthlings, are we not? Let's have a party. Everyone's invited.


P.S. If we get along now, then we're all set for the possibility of aliens attacking us. Just saying.

The Secret to Yummy Smoothies and Juices

Since my embarkment on a life-of-less-processed-foods, I have found several food blogs that

a) totally make me look bad,
b) but I don't mind because they're amazing, and
c) have I ever experienced such delicious, easy-to-make food?

This is one: http://www.choosingraw.com/
This is another: http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/
Here are instructions on making smoothies: http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/how-to-make-smoothies.html

You might notice that they all are based on raw, vegan food. Raw foodists do not cook their food (hence the name "raw"), although I believe there is some allowance to how much they choose to warm it. Vegan food basically means that there are no animal products. So for example, vegans choose not to eat meat or dairy. These are really basic definitions, but I thought I should clear that up for people who are confused by the many food-identities there are. :)

Well, I am not vegan, nor am I a raw foodist, but I do approve of making as much of your diet fresh produce, nuts, seeds, or what is called a plant-based diet. Remember learning how energy flows in an ecosystem? Plants convert sunlight into energy. This is the first level. The sun (how awesome is the sun? pretty darn awesome) drives the entire food chain. My not-so-secret wish is to be able to photosynthesize, but that's another story.

I started experimenting with smoothies and juices a few weeks ago. There was one major, catastrophic smoothie that I made. It had so many nutritious things in it, but it was eye-wateringly, sneeze-worthily, cringe-necessarily bitter. And I thought to myself, WHY CAN'T I DO THIS?!

It was really bad.

And so this is what I learned on my early journey into the world of smoothies and juices.

1. Look up recipes. You don't need to follow them. Just get an idea of what kinds of things taste scrumptious when you mix them together.
2. Purchase nuts and seeds. I realized that having things like hemp seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts available make it easy to add thickness or texture (and nutrients!) to a smoothie.
3. Add a little at a time. This means both how much of something you add, and what you add. The infamous bitter smoothie that I made? I also made 4 giant glasses of it. Whoops. Don't do that. You can always save some for later, but if it's not-so-scrumptious, you're not going to want to.
4. Juice or smoothie? Realize what you're getting out of both. Smoothies will have all of the benefits of the entire fruit or vegetable. Juices leave behind the fibers. If you don't eat it, you can compost what is left after juicing. 
5. Experiment! I can almost guarantee that you will not always make a delicious smoothie. That's OK! After a disastrous attempt, you may become more cautious and thoughtful about what you are combining.
6. Enjoy. What is better than making a mouth-watering concoction? Knowing that it is good for you. :) Smile!

I am proud to say that my juicing and smoothing(?) experiments have been going much more successfully. Today I found some blueberries in the fridge, so I made a smoothie out of raw milk (more on this later), blueberries, vanilla, maple syrup, and chia seeds. YUM! Yesterday I used a few carrots, an apple, some lemon, and a bit of ginger to make some juice. Come on people. If I can do it, so can you!

Seriously good stuff. Background from mi9.com

TL;DR: Smoothies, juices, smoothie, juicy, smooth, juice, smooj. :)

NTSS (a common syndrome, often misdiagnosed)

I know someone who claims she suffers from restless legs syndrome (RLS). According to the Mayo Clinic, RLS has no known causes, although there are suggestions that it may be a result of an imbalance of dopamine in the brain.

Now stay with me here. We're going back to when I was a wee gal. I was a rhythmic gymnast for several years, which meant that I got plenty of exercise. I would regularly feel a need to stretch. The only way I can describe how it feels is little blue monsters reaching through my skin and teasingly tugging at my muscles.

Maybe little green monsters. See? He's stretching and he's happy. (And "rawr" means I love you in dinosaur.) Also, not my illustration, unfortunately.

When I quit (about four years ago), I experienced this to a greater extent. Because I stopped exercising and stretching so much, I figured that it was my regular need to stretch syndrome (NTSS). In fact, I experienced NTSS last night. It was such a strong episode, that I actually started grabbing at my toes to relieve it. Finally, I made the connection to RLS. Who knew I had been misdiagnosing myself my whole life?

But wait! Doesn't exercise spark dopamine production? The very thing that RLS seems to be the result of? The Mayo Clinic suggests regular exercise and stretching. That's what I prescribed myself when I was experiencing NTSS! I have contacted WebMD to feature NTSS as a common name for RLS, but no word back yet.

In the meantime, those of you who thought you were experiencing NTSS, maybe you're really experiencing RLS! You can go stretch and exercise now, and then your little blue/green monsters may leave you alone for a day or two. Unfortunately, in order to keep them from their nasty habit of making you want to move your legs, you might want to consider daily exercise and stretches. I'm sure they will want to run around you in circles as you treat your NTSS. Go make them happy!

TL;DR: Do you have restless legs? You may be experiencing restless legs syndrome. Maybe they're restless because you haven't been moving them.

P.S. No, I haven't contacted WebMD.

P.P.S. I realize that RLS may actually be a symptom of something else that may actually be a serious problem. MY problem is that everyone has become so unaware of their bodies that they don't know when their body is telling them to go and MOVE something more than their fingers on a keyboard.

P.P.S. Happy September!

Revolutionize Your Kitchen

Step 1.

Stop buying processed foods, immediately. During the few days (or a week for those of you hoarders) when you are revolutionizing your place of food storage, either live off what you already have, get (healthy!) take-out, and/or buy fruits and veggies.

Step 2. 

Take inventory. What, and how much, do you have? This could save you money--I recently found 3 bottles of the exact same seasoning. I recommend taking care of the fridge in one sitting. The pantry or cabinet can go one shelf per day if you need to. If you have a very busy schedule, don't panic, just make sure you mark where you left off the day before.

Step 3.
Is it expired? Throw it out. Empty bottles and recycle them. The easiest way to empty old salad dressing or sauce is to shake it first. If you can't find the expiration date, and no one remembers when it was bought, it's probably best to toss.

Step 4.
Check the ingredients. The fewer ingredients, the better. I cannot stress this enough. If the ingredient...

...is too hard for you to pronounce, get rid of it.
...cannot be easily spelled by anyone other than chemist, get rid of it.
...ends in -ose, it is most likely a sugar--get rid of it.
...is derived of corn or soy, get rid of it.
...is "emulsifier" (carrageenan is also one), get rid of it.

Why?

I (influenced by several food documentaries and articles) consider the simplest food to be the best for me. If I suspect an ingredient is highly processed, how am I supposed to know how my body (a body that has evolutionarily survived and thrived on foods found in nature, AKA natural foods) will derive nutrients from it? 

Ingredients ending in "-ose" are usually forms of sugar. The sugars you should be eating are the ones that are unrefined/unprocessed. Think that you're not eating that much sugar? Think again.

Gross!

Do you know how much corn products you consume? Probably way too many. Watch King Corn to understand how powerful corn is in American society.

Regarding emulsifiers, they are what keep your liquid/gooey products from separating. Seriously people? Have we gotten so lazy that we can't shake a bottle for two whole seconds? There are no proven health risks from emulsifiers, but there is no reason to be using them in the first place. Read. Key line: "Emulsifiers are necessary if you have oil- and water-based products. The real question would appear to be: do we need oil- and water-based products? Often, the answer is no." (Pat Thomas)

Whatever is left, keep!

Step 5.
Donate the food you are getting rid of. Yes, that means that someone else will be eating it, but in the end, artificial food is better than no food, and someone may not have the same opportunity you have to take the next step.

Step 6.
Go grocery shopping! If you are suddenly left with a few healthy jars of applesauce, almond butter, and coconut milk, here's your chance to change your life.

New and Improved Shopping List

• fruits
• apples!
• melons!
• berries!
• bananas!
• avocados!
• pomegranates!
• vegetables
• kale!
• spinach!
• carrots!
• beets!
• lettuce!
• radishes!
• cucumbers!
• seeds
• pumpkin!
• sunflower!
• chia!
• buckwheat!
• hemp!
• flax!
• nuts (and nut butters :) )
• almonds!
• walnuts!
• hazelnuts!
• cashews!
• macadamia!

My goodness people! There is so much DELICIOUS food out there. There are pinto beans and mushrooms (personally not my favorite) and lemons and zucchini. Don't put your body in extra stress from what you put in your mouth. The best part about this is that there are SO many options. You just need to find what you like, and the more looking you do, the more you will find. I promise.

A scrumptious snack of applesauce and cinnamon.

P.S. If you want a more gradual change into a fresh-food lifestyle, keep the processed foods you know you will eat. This way you can eat all the food you have and slowly introduce more unprocessed food! Yay!

What is Eco-Friendliness?

Like many other terms that sprout from movements, "eco-friendliness" is in danger of becoming distorted. Fortunately, it has not reached the dismal point of "feminism," which actually means the advocacy for women to have equal social, political, and economic equality to men. Now, there are people who just associate "feminism" with something negative, like women who have penis envy, are bitter, and want to kill all the men. Somewhere along the way, radicals and stereotypes ruined everything without even meaning to. Same goes for how people who practice Islam are now all assumed to be terrorists. I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't want to be defined by people who identify with my religion, but went all crazy (i.e. Westboro Baptist Church).

Anyway, this makes me wonder where the term "green" is going. (Haha, get it? Green is going, like "going green"?) While being "green," or "eco-friendly," is by definition a positive concept, I'm afraid it will be warped by the advertising world (greenwashing). But since the environmental movement does not only fall upon the producers of "green" products, I like to focus on the things that I can do on a daily basis to produce less waste. See what I wrote about eco-friendly products here.

Por ejemplo, some guidelines:

• Lights out. You can say, "Oh, but I'm just getting a snack." Unless you are some kind of mutant that doesn't get distracted by everything on the way to the kitchen, you're probably not going to be back in that room for another 10 minutes. Let's be honest here. I even get distracted when I want to get a snack and I'm Skyping someone. There are just too many things to encounter! The dogs are cute, so I have to stop to pet them, we don't have any fruit at the moment, so I have to find something else, someone is watching TV and it turns out to be my favorite movie, etc, etc. Ten minutes later, I'm like, "Crap! What'stherface is waiting for me on Skype!" That leads me to...
• Unplugging. Electronics can suck up a lot more energy than you realize. Yes, I love the internet, but I realize it's better to put my computer to sleep, put down my phone, and go for a long walk with my dogs, and (unfortunately) clean my room. 

Goodnight sweet laptop, I will read you a story.

• Take quick, cool showers. OK, so you've heard of not wasting water before, but cool showers? WHY?! Just to convince you that I understand your indignance, let me tell you that when I was a wee little girl, I loved to take hour-long, hot showers. This desire was probably due to the fact that I get cold very easily, and I really don't like being cold. When I heard about taking cold showers, I thought, "No way in a million years!" Ah, how fickle the brain is. Other than not spending energy heating your water to a steamy 90 degrees, cold water is better for your health. Don't believe me? The easiest example is how athletes take ice baths. I also have a friend who is an esthetician, and when I told her I washed my face with hot water, she nearly had a heart attack. If it's not good for the skin on your face, why would it be good for the skin on the rest of your body? So I've been trying to make it a habit to turn down the heat, and I do like cool water more than hot water. Who knew? I still can't handle cold, unless it's right after a workout.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle. This is the big one that no one wants to hear about anymore. I won't go into detail, but I am often struck by how brilliant this plan is. I feel like an idiot, thinking how brilliant it is, because it's so simple! But it's so brilliant! Parallel to "I came, I saw, I conquered." (Get it? Parallelism? Any grammar nerds out there?)
• Are you getting enough sleep? If you need one more reason to get dreamy, use the environmental one! Think about it: humans only produce waste when they're awake. Unless you sleep-walk. Then I have no solution for you.
• Adjust your thermostat. Keep your home on the warmer side in the summer, and on the colder side in the winter. Why I support this: I don't want to have to change 50 times in one day. Summer scenario: I sit outside in my shorts and a t-shirt and when I come inside, I feel like I have contracted hypothermia. Winter scenario: I come inside in my coat, scarf, hat, gloves, and five more thick layers, and suddenly I feel like I'm in a sauna. I realize there has to be some kind of adjustment, but I really rather not break out my long pants and sweatshirts in the summer, just because I'm inside. Rawr.

You're probably thinking, "As if I haven't heard all of this before." Well then act on it! Don't just sit there and read me ramble about these things. If you like the earth in all its splendor and richness (if you don't, go away), then take care of it! I don't like the phrase "do your part!" Ugh, it makes me feel like I'm in elementary school and I have to clean up someone else's mess. I much rather motivate myself by knowing why I want to be green.

I'm still learning how to Photoshop. Don't make fun of me.

For me, the biggest part of being eco-friendly is paying attention to what I'm doing. When I realize I am doing something wasteful or unnecessary, I know it's time to stop or change something. Like that mantra we had to repeat in elementary school. "Stop. :) Think. :) Make a good choice. :D" Do teachers realize how much of an impact they have on us? Do they know we will have this sing-songy motto stuck in our heads for the rest of our lives?


TL;DR: I hope you at least enjoyed my green face. It took me forever to make it.

Rising With the Sun

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Benjamin Franklin

Remember when, approximately a week ago, I said that I am a night person? Well, I'm not really a night person, or a morning person anymore. I'm in this weird transitional state that I never thought I'd reach, and I've found some benefits.

Environmentally, I am spending more time awake while the sun is providing natural light. This means that I use less energy on electricity. Yay! (Brings me back to the days when we had to use candles when the sun wasn't up. Wait. I kind of want to do that now.)

Time-wise, I don't have to rush to get somewhere on time. School starts soon, and I'm going to be able to work around the traffic. Less stress!

"The time just before dawn contains the most energy of all hours of the day. This has helped me become an early riser and an early doer.... When I wake to see that it's light out already, I feel the world has started without me." Terri Guillemets

Nutritionally, I am hungry when I wake up, but I don't want to eat (weird dilemma?) at 6 AM. Instead, I spend my time getting ready for the day, blogging, or reading, and drinking the full 24 oz bottle of water that I left for myself the night before. Vater eez gud.
I also have more time to prepare myself a sit-down breakfast, instead of grabbing a banana to go. 

Biologically, we are not creatures that have been primed to see in the dark. It would make sense that we spend the most time awake while the sun is up. There has been some speculation that going to bed early and rising early promotes better sleep because we are working with natural circadian rhythms, but I haven't found a study of that yet. The National Sleep Foundation has some interesting information though. (Who knew something like that existed? Amazing!)

Personally, I like to listen to morning sounds. :) Birds chirping, clocks ticking, airplane engines whirring, blenders blending. It is wonderful.


What spurred me to wake up so early, you ask? My boyfriend works an early shift, and I thought it would be easier to have the same sleep schedule so we can Skype. :) Love Skype. And my boyfriend too, I guess. 

How I did it without wanting to collapse in a pile of poofy blankets by 3 PM: I set my alarm clock half an hour earlier every day, and accordingly went to bed a tad earlier every evening. Does going to bed at 10 PM make me old? Nah, I still want to get my groove on till the wee hours of the morning. Just not regularly. (Especially since I'm usually not getting my groove on when I'm going to bed at 3 AM. I'm really just doing nothing.)


TL;DR: "Hi, I'm Emily, and I'm a night person." "Hi Emily." Ha! Not anymore!

If I Could Buy You This Movie I Would

Hungry For Change is my new all-time favorite movie. (Pirates of the Caribbean will have to move to second place.)

If I could host a screening at each high school, college, workplace, neighborhood, senior living facility, I would.

If I could force every American to sit and watch this movie, I would.

If I could be a dictator for a day, I would order everyone to watch this movie.

Everything I have been learning (might I add, outside of school?) about health for my entire life (granted, I'm not very old, but it is something I thought I should point out) is pulled together in this movie. The best part is that my discovery of this movie (and my sister's recommendation) is coinciding with a time in my life when I am able to make all decisions for myself, and take responsibility for my own health. Sugar, self-love, advertisements, juicing, stress, the business of diets--this documentary is so strong and stable in its content, if I could implant it in your brain, I would.

It reveals both the problem, and the solution. It has a realistic, and a positive, perspective. It is based on history, science, economics, and best of all, common sense. It does not have a bitter, nor belligerent, nor violent attitude to the perpetrators of the ginormous problem our society has with health. If you watch this, you can change your life for the better. If you let it sink in, you can change your life for good. If you decide it is your new favorite movie, you can encourage others to watch it as well.

"This isn't some little frou-frou new-age notion... this is hardcore science."
"Where does my food come from? What went into the food in terms of attitude or care or love or compassion? What is my intention of doing with the food?"
"Your body is designed to be healthy. Health is the natural state!"
--Hungry for Change


TL;DR: Hungry for Change. Go watch it now.

My Favorite Ingredients (to not eat?)

This summer I began cutting harsh chemicals out of my life. When I got to the part where I clean out my bathroom, I had to make some strict rules of what I keep. I love my yummy-smelling lotions and unnecessary hair products as much as any other girl, and I had to do my research to find substitutes. I was definitely on the path to becoming one of those women who buys a 3-ounce bottle of moisturizer for $50, because it contains "all the best ingredients." And what I found was that the natural stuff works way better than any product I've ever bought.

The most important thing to consider when using any product is that your skin is absorbent. The easiest rule to give yourself when using something is if you wouldn't put it in your food, you shouldn't be putting it on your skin. If for some reason you need convincing that your skin is absorbent, have you heard of nicotine patches? They release nicotine into your system, just by being on a patch that you stick on your body. Same thing goes for the birth control patch.

So here are my beauty secrets, although they aren't really secrets if plenty of women blog about them already. :) I'm not going to tell you why they help, I am not a scientist. I just know that they work, and they work for a lot of people.

1. Honey

• face/body mask
• breakout treatment
• sparkle like Edward Cullen in the sun

There are so many recipes for fancy, combinations of honey masks on our wonderful World Wide Web. Other ingredients probably help make things less sticky, but I don't mind. Keeps it from falling off my face! You don't need a lot at all. Just pour some honey (preferably local!) on your hand, and use your fingers to dab. Keep it away from your hair. I'm sure there are people who make honey masks for their hair, but I've never done it. It comes off your skin very easily with some lukewarm water. You can use it everyday! It will bring out the yucky stuff on your skin, so things might look worse before they're better. That's just how it works. :)

2. Coconut oil

• lotion/moisturizer
• lip balm
• hair mask
• soothing agent

Again, you don't need a lot. With all of the ingredients on this list, you don't need a lot. A little definitely goes a long way. If you put it in your hair, put conditioner on your hair for a few minutes before you wash it out. And wash it out with WARM water. Cold water, or weather, will make the oil harden, and that's the opposite of what you want. Shiny, soft hair. I use it on sunburn as well :)

3. Jojoba oil

• make-up remover!
• moisturizer

You can use jojoba oil on your reusable cloth makeup remover pads. ;) I like to also use it as a moisturizer when I get tired of coconut oil.

4. Baking soda

• scrub
• tooth whitener
• shampoo

It's a perfect, gentle scrub (no, I don't want no [harsh] scrub--looks like they need some jojoba oil). Mix it with water in a little bowl, just enough to make it mushy. You can brush your teeth with it too, although it doesn't taste very nice. I've used it as shampoo once or twice, but I don't know how I feel about it. 

5. Apple cider vinegar

• toner
• breakout treatment
• hair conditioner
• block out any other scent

I love this stuff. I put it on with my reusable cloth makeup remover pads (have I convinced you to get some yet?) after I scrub with baking soda. Once it dries, the smell goes away. (But if you start sweating you can smell it again! Solution: put it on before bed and rinse your face in the morning.) You can use it in your hair and rinse it out, and your hair will look shiny and feel soft.

Do I look like Edward yet?

For most of this post I've had honey on my face. I think a combination of using these things (along with a better diet) has decreased the early rosacea I had on my cheeks. The dermatologist gave me some chemical stuff, but I thought I don't even know what this is! Why am I putting it on my face?! You can also switch off using coconut oil and honey as a lip treatment. I have a tendency to bite my lips, and they really help.

TL;DR: Honey, coconut oil, jojoba oil, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar are your new best friends, my friends! 

Food: Use Your Brain

Given the complexity of the relationship Americans have with food, I would like to offer a simple solution to the ongoing controversy. And when I mean simple, I mean everyone could do this. I don't know much about diets or counting calories, but I do know what makes sense to me, and a lot of other conscious eaters out there. So here is my list for the day.

• Eat fresh, local produce. (Grow your own!)
• If you don't know what an ingredient is, don't eat it.

Yup. That's it. Yes, it's highly simplified, but I strongly believe in it. Processed foods make my brain go just as haywire as it does when I try to wrap my head around waste. Yes, I do like my cookies, but I would much rather make them, and know what and how much of it is going in them, than buy them from the store. (Also, mine are better. Fact.)

So I found this lovely website where you can learn what grows when wherever you are in the US or Canada (I'm sure something like it exists for other parts of the world as well). So here's what is in season during what time period in Illinois.

For the rest of the year, you can use the canned and preserved versions of these. Preferably canned and preserved by yourself. I also found something called The Meatrix on this website. Being a fan of The Matrix, I had to watch it, and it repeats what I've seen in more than one documentary. And the names are hilarious if you get the reference. The first movie: 

If you would like to read more about how intricate our animal-food relationship is, I highly recommend Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, by Hal Herzog.


TL;DR: Processed food bad, fresh food good. *grunt grunt* Tarzan. Actually yes, eat like Tarzan.

P.S. My favorite cookie recipe so far is this one. Yummyyyyyy.

Why I Make a To-Do List at Night

I am a night person. I always have been, and I was afraid I always would be. My highest levels of motivation come to me at 9 PM, and I have spent many nights leaving a half-finished de-cluttering project at 3 AM, only to have my room stay that way until the next time I felt like dealing with it.

I don't consider this healthy behaviour. I figure I have a few choices here:

1. I can embrace the fact that I am a night person, and change nothing.
2. I can accept the fact that I am a night person, and resist the temptation of starting a project at midnight.
3. I can change my sleep schedule, and try to accommodate a different lifestyle.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

When I look back at my high school years, when, how, and where I slept is really quite cringe-worthy. I actually believe my body is still recovering. Because I don't live at college, I have the luxury of being able to have a regular sleep schedule now, and I'm working on implementing that. I found that a to-do list written the night before helps loads.

Here's why.

First of all, I love lists. (Did you notice that before? I bet that you'll notice every time I make one now.)

Second of all, I love colorful things. I once bought multiple Post-It notes in different colors, and I'm still working through them. (Guess what? Post-Its are recyclable! Ha!)

Third of all, I am very slightly addicted to cool apps. Wunderlist. That is all.

Fourth of all, I always remember what I have to do the next day as I'm falling asleep. So if I write it down, I don't have any excuses in the morning!

Fifth of all, checking things off my to-do list feels incredibly (to the point that it's embarrassing) great.

     "Shower. Check."

     "Eat breakfast. Check."

     "Pet the dogs. Check." (OK, that was a joke. I don't put that on there. Kind of.)

          My sister laughs at me when I put everyday things on my list, but I would like to object. I get TO DO them, don't I? They have just as much right on my TO-DO list as anything else. So there.

The point is that I wake up knowing what I want to achieve every day. This is key to not being sucked into Facebook and such nonsense when I have down time. 

Something that I think is very important with to-do list making: be conscious of how much you list. Motivate yourself to get a good amount of tasks done, but don't make the expectations too high. If you don't finish everything, just put it on the next day's Post-It. No stress. The list is there to help you, not make you feel bad about yourself.

And if you are feeling really productive, try getting 3 things on your list done before noon. (Make them things that aren't daily, though. No cheating!)

TL;DR: Write down what you need to do tomorrow as you get ready to sleep. Lists are cool!

Nurture: Reusable Products

Take a moment to think of what you consider "repulsive." Is it something natural, such as bodily fluids, or is it something artificial, such as cosmetic products?

For those of you who find natural things repulsive, I would like to ask you to reconsider. For those of you who find artificial things repulsive, hooray for being my new best friend. This post is about some reusable options for products that are accepted in our society as disposable. The term disposable is yucky! Don't look for it! It makes no sense to use something once, then throw it away! (OK, there are some cases, but here are a few things you might want to look in to.)

1. Handkerchiefs

I have to be honest on this one. I don't use handkerchiefs. But starting today I am! Turns out someone's got the sniffles, and given it's the first time I'm sick since my passionate outbreak to change the way I live, I have to get me some handkerchiefs. Not only are they super pretty (!) (or manly, you could get those too), but it will be much nicer to wipe my nose with something soft. And my nose will be so happy that I am not throwing away dozens of facial tissues that it will even agree not to be red!

Click here on a quick guide on how to make your own. :)

2. Shopping Bags

If you kept every bag you were given when you went to a store, how many would you have right now? We've got loads of them, and they are great to re-use when packing for a trip, but we really don't need any more. I keep one reusable bag in my car at all times, so I never forget it at home. And when I forget it in my car (whoops), I feel so bad that I carry my groceries in my arms. My suggestion is to have a few available: designated bags for groceries, clothes, and miscellaneous.

Also, you don't even have to buy reusable bags. When I studied abroad, I used my backpack as my grocery bag. ;)

3. Menstrual Products, for my ladies

Time to get personal. I used to hate my time of the month. Until I got a hold of two things that transformed my life. Without any pushing, some women close to me have also changed their ways and they love it.

I'll let you do the research yourself, but if you're confused, just call me or something. :)

Cloth pads:
PIMPs 
Glad Rags
Lunapads

AND THEY'RE SO FREAKING CUTE. Again, you can make your own, get them from Etsy, AND you can even donate them to girls who are unable to attend school because of their period. (I found this website in two minutes--there are plenty of organizations that are working to get women the products they need.)

Menstrual cups:
DivaCup
Lunette
Mooncup
Miacup

I know it seems weird. Trust me, I know. But it really isn't.  :) There are plenty of blogs about these things that explain everything.

P.S. This saves A LOT of waste, and A LOT of money. And here's a good way to remember that "a lot" is two words.

4. Make-up Wipes

How many cotton balls do you go through a day? Surprise! You have options.

5. Diapers

I'm pretty sure my internet audience does not consist of many parents with babies. Perhaps this website will help you feel like you have an option other than disposable when the time comes. Just read the first page!

6. Towels

Again, I'm way guilty here. In my opinion, my family uses too many paper towels. They're convenient. But my patience with disposable-product-convenience has run out. Time to use regular towels, and keep the paper towel usage to a minimum! Anyone with me?

7. Snack Bags/Anything to Not Use One-Use Plastic Bags

I've recently become passionate about sewing (more on this later), and when I got my hands on laminated cotton fabric, the first thing I made was a snack bag.

If I can make this, anyone can.

There are video tutorials on YouTube, and instructions online on how to make these if you don't want to buy them. You can use old t-shirts you never wear, and then have a yummy snack of figs or something at work. Yay!

I also made a slip-in holder for my toothbrush, instead of using a plastic baggie. (I don't have a travel shell/case/thingamajigger.) The point is to be creative! And colorful. Colors are good. :D



And on that note, I leave you to your earth-loving ways.

TL;DR: If there is something you throw out regularly, there's probably something you can replace it with that is also a lot cuter.

'Ello poppet!

Interaction with real people is something that plagues me on daily basis.

I suppose that's a tad dramatic, but I'm talking about people I don't know. Strangers, one may call them. Why are they called strangers? Are they strange? Who are they stranger than? Maybe this is an issue with definitions of words changing over time. My favorite of which is "awesome." Yeah! Awesome man! But I like to use it in the sense that something inspires awe (which, according to Google, is a "feeling of reverential respect mixed with wonder or fear"). Suddenly all of these people saying awesome is so much more intense!

This is not the point though. I was a very shy child, and it took a lot of time for me to be able to approach strangers and have a conversation. (Having a job REALLY helps with this.) Now, the feeling of human camaraderie is something I try to achieve every day. But since I am still not the most outspoken and extroverted person, my daily challenge goes something like this:

(at the grocery store)
OK Emily. You're going to pass the guy with samples of food soon. He's probably going to offer one. What  do you say? What do you say?! You're really close now! He's taking a breath, he's going to--

Him: "Good morning!"
Me: "Hi!" OK, that was the easy part.
Him: "Would you like to sample our freshly made salsa? It's made right in the store, and it's organic!"
Me: "No, thank you." Gahhhh why did he ask me?

And here's why I'm afraid of strange social interaction when it goes beyond "hello." Everything starts out great, each person is positive, because there's nothing negative about a "hello" (unless you say it really creepily, don't do that). After a "hello," there is either a statement offered ("it's so lovely today!") or a question asked ("isn't it lovely today?"). This prompts yet another response, which puts stress on the receiver of the offering, and at this point my heart is beating so hard I'm surprised the other person doesn't see my whole body heaving with anticipation.

HOWEVER, if I am the one saying "hello" first, then there is a smaller chance of questions being thrown at me.

Me: "Good afternoon!"
Stranger: "Why hello."

Lalala, we smile and go along with our lives.

I'm not saying that having a conversation with someone at the grocery store is a bad thing, or something to be avoided. I'm not saying that asking about your neighbor's dog because you heard it was sick is something that should make you feel stressed out. I'm just weird, and if you battle shy-ness like me, I want to encourage people to at least say "hello." And if you're a social butterfly with the entire world, go make someone get out of their comfort zone by, for example, striking up some small talk and offering to reach for the orange juice on the highest shelf. (I'm pretty sure the orange juice is never on the highest shelf, but I'm really in the mood for orange juice and you get what I mean).

We're all just people. We all have struggles and passions and fears. We all feel alone at one point or another. Is it really that hard to believe that a simple greeting can change someone's day for the better?



TL;DR: Go say hi to someone you don't know today! We are all furless, two-legged creatures, so let's acknowledge our fellows. :)

Nurture: An Introduction

I'm becoming an eco-enthusiast. And for those of you who are tired of hearing about how humans are ruining the planet, and how horrible of a species we are, blah blah blah, hear me out.

What is waste?

When I try to wrap my head around "waste," I just go brain dead. (I'm speaking of materialistic waste, not bodily waste here. Oh my gosh, did she just talk about poop?) It doesn't make sense to me. Nature recycles itself. Plants grow, animals eat them, animals eat those animals, things die, more things eat those dead things, and more plants grow. It's a never-ending cycle. It is a balance.

So why do land fills even exist?

I'm not saying that humans can live without producing some kind of waste--that's not likely in our society. But I feel like something went horribly wrong sometime. Somehow we decided that certain things are no longer useful, and instead of taking responsibility for that stuff, we just threw it in a big pile and tried not to think about it.

I picture this behaviour as something children would do. Imagine 5 year-olds, not a care in a world, playing house and disposing a giant pile of broken toys, once-used paper towels. The pile just keeps getting bigger the longer they play, but they can't take out the trash because a) they're 5 year-olds, and b) there are no trash cans in little mini playhouses. (If I really must be obvious here, the playhouse is an analogy for the earth.)

And while I don't know much about the statistics of waste, or the technicalities of where it goes and what happens to it, I know that I want the nurture the earth as much as I can. Because it nurtures all of us.

I think the beginning of some kind of positive change is simply being aware of your actions. What are you throwing away? Why are you throwing it away? How many bags of trash do you create in a week?

I have way too much to say about this, but now I must sleep. Sleeeeeeep. Isn't it a wonderful thing? :)


TL;DR: Assignment for your life: pay attention to what you're putting in the trash can.

Food: An Introduction

Here's a quick video about supermarkets that blew my mind.

So, other than the indignation I felt about this video, I can now maneuver supermarkets amazingly well!
"Hey, where's the milk?"
"Oh, it's way at the back. Also, the peaches will be on the far right, and the brown rice is on the bottom shelf." (I have now done this in supermarkets I've never been to before. It's scary.)

I have recently become passionate about food. And I think everyone should join me on this. Food is literally what you fuel yourself with. It's what is making everything run, so yes, it is important. Forget about calories and the latest diet fads. Educate yourself and decide what food belongs in your body.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone wants to change something about themselves, and they don't do one thing to move in that direction. It makes no sense!
"I don't like my haircut that I got 3 months ago. I want to look hip and trendy, but instead of going to a salon, I think I'll just watch America's Next Top Model."

WHY?! Just go do it! And the most common thing I hear people complain about is their weight.
To friend: "I really should lose 15 pounds." To café server: "Yes, I'll have the double chocolate chunk caramel macchiato please. The largest size."

How sad is it that this is barely an exaggeration of what I have heard before? In real life? As in people literally say one thing, and do another? OK, it's a common problem, but if something is important to you, then go do it! You want to be healthier? Put down the Cheetos and munch on a carrot instead. They're both orange, and if you're watching the telly, you probably won't notice the difference anyway.

So here's my advice for today (and every day): If you want to change something, do it now. Maybe it's not such a quick switch as it is from Cheetos to carrots, but if you just start moving in that direction, maybe you'll gain some momentum. If you have been waiting for a sign, this is it. This is me, being your sign. Because I said so.


That was all quite rant-ish. I suppose you can expect more rants, and this was just barely touching the subject of Food (yes, it deserves to be capitalized).


TL;DR: Move your bum and go do what you've been saying you want to do!

The Secret to a Happy Morning

There are an infinite number of scenarios that could occur every morning. You could be woken by...

...the extreme pressure in your bladder

...your regular alarm clock, the one whose goal is to pierce your brain with the most obnoxious noises

...the sun shining through your eastern-facing window

...your roommate-the-cook, banging utensils and plates as loud as humanly possible

...the pungent aroma of your dog's gas (so much for being cute and cuddly)



And your reaction every morning could go just about in any direction, depending on whether you are a morning person or not, you woke up in the middle of an REM cycle, and how quickly you realize what day it is.

To be honest, I have experienced all of the above situations, and it's not so easy to be a good sport with all of them. The secret to a happy morning may not work every morning, but it may just shift your daily attitude enough to positively change your perspective.

Don't get up. (Unless the scenario is the first one.)

Turn your alarm clock off, look at how brightly lit your room is, pretend the pots and pans are part of the awesome "Trashin' the Camp" song from Tarzan, and opt to breathe through your mouth. Stop thinking about the list of chores you must complete today, the crazy uncle you really don't want to see, the mess that your husband surely left in the kitchen last night.

Focus on how alive you are, how your toes and fingers twitch on demand, how messy your hair is, how the cloth of your blanket feels like heaven on your skin. Think about how majestic the workings of your body are, that your heart beats as you rest, that your kidneys filter your blood without conscious command, that your eyes remember to blink.

All you have to do each morning is take 2 minutes to appreciate the fact that you are alive, that it may not always be easy, but it sure could be easier if you have a good start.


TL;DR: You are alive! Enjoy it!

Sharing is Daring

I am not here to change your mind. I am not here to pretend I'm smarter than you, or tell you how to be happy.

I am here to share my thoughts, experiences, and questions in hopes of making someone smile, or perhaps even changing someone's life for the better.

I will be offering my experiences in my search for happiness, health, and answers to life in general. I will be sharing alternative options to everyday obstacles, actions, and things most people have accepted as normal. Hopefully I don't gross you out, or sound like a maniac, but I suppose I have gone a bit loopy, so take all of this under your own consideration and risk. :)

I hope you have a wonderful day. And life. It sounds weird, but I really want to tell people "Have a good life!" I'm afraid it would scare them instead. But this is the World Wide Web, so if I scare you, you can just ignore me for the rest of your Internet days, and no one but your browsing history would ever notice. Awesome! Love the Internet!

TL;DR: 

Welcome To a Good Morning.

I am your host, emilythetall. Stay tuned for advice, bad jokes, and personal experiences.

P.S. I don't believe in TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read), unless you plan on coming back to read the whole thing. I believe that if you care about something, and want to stick to it, you should be thorough in your research/reading/etc. However, I will be offering TL;DR summaries for those of you who just cannot survive without reading my blog (psh, every one of you, right?), but I just happened to post something as you walked into work, as your dog threw up, or as you had a very sudden urge to clean and must make use of the feeling before it goes away.