Sunday, August 16, 2015

Daily Write - Bending Reality

This all blurs together into a sameness after a while. I walk in, sit down and it starts. Sure, there are some differences in the minutia. Where I find them. When I find them.Who they were before I found them. But, ultimately, it is nothing more than variations on a theme. Their eyes, their faces, their body language, always the exact same.

I never get to them before others have had a chance to poke around. Makes my work that much harder. Once peeling past the staunchly built walls of self preservation and distrust, I am usually attacked with lashing barbs of bottled up anger and exasperation. Or their loathsome seething churned mostly from confusion, fear, and broken promises of being "fixed". They always search for a reaction, not caring what it is. They are reaching for something, anything, that will connect them to me, to something familiar, to something normal. But there is never a reason for me to react. Never.

It is at this point I tell them to stop talking or yelling or crying or whatever personalized touch they have added to the overarching motif. Because, now, I tell them the truth. Now, I tell them everyone they have ever met, ever spoken to, liked, loved or hated, has lied to them. Lied repeatedly. And I watch them react. This is the only part I cannot predict, like an ad lib riff for flare.

Lied to because no one fathomed that the world around us was not as stable, as solid, as concrete as we want to believe it is. And  no one  understood  that among us were those who could lift reality, like removing a veil clouding one's vision. See beyond comprehension and explanation into a vast, untapped, unknown as if staring into a darkened waters. They aren't imagining things, suppressing memories or whatever nonsense their numerous therapists have told them. They see the actual truth while rest of the world flounders lies and misconception.

Their stares are always the same, room for poetic license and personalizations of course, but the theme continues. I never react. I expect them to look this way. They are rare beings and I have found them. And now, I ask them the question:  Do you want to learn to bend the world?

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Writing Thoughts

It has been a while since I just sat and wrote a post that was simply me putting my feelings on a page. I figured now was as a good a time as any. Sorry guys, no pictures this time. There are a huge number of things that have been going on that I want to talk about, but for sake of time I'll limit it to one, writing.

I have not posted a story for a while and that is because I have no finished stories to post. And I feel extremely guilty for that. That was what this blog was supposed to be for. This blog was supposed to be me writing something every day. And I have failed that challenge miserably.

It is not that I have lack of ideas. It is that I have don't sit down and finish anything that I have worked on. And that really kills me inside. I want to share my stories on this blog, but they just never seem good enough or polished enough. And some just simply aren't finished.

I tell myself, why not work on something shorter and easier. This way you have more material to post. But I just don't have the ability to write a short story. For some reason, I believe that everything I write has to be some sort of epic tale that has to span across a book series. I don't know what it is to whittle a story down to its simplest form and put the essence of that in a few pages. I'm pretty sure that I just practiced writing with a word limit, I could overcome this. But for now, it is just me writing long works or posting snippets from long works.

I am working on finishing something currently. And when it is finished, I believe that it will be one of my better stories (at least that is what I'm hoping). But, my impatience is getting the better of me. I want the story to be finished already. I want to show people, because I have been talking about it for a while. And it frustrates me, because I can already tell that I am going to need to edit this story several times before I get to where I want it. Don't get me wrong, I am having fun writing "Gold and Gunpowder" (the working title). The story interests me, so I am hoping that the readers are just as interested in these characters as I am. However, crafting of this story is taking longer than I had first expected. And I have no idea if that is a good or bad thing. Sure, I don't want to put out something that could have been better. But overthinking and overworking a story is not good either.

I went looking for some writing inspiration, so I started paying more attention to writers and writing organizations on social media. Normally, my Twitter was nothing more than people talking about video games, because I mostly followed Twitch streamers and people who are part of the Twitch community. I was quite amazed at the difference shifting gears made. Now, I see tweets talking about books, summer reading lists, quotes from well known authors and things of that nature. I don't know why it mattered that I now see these things on my timeline, but it does. I suppose it is because I feel part of a larger group. There are others out there creating. It's not just me.

So, my current writing plans...I am probably going to spend the afternoon working on "Gold and Gunpowder" and see how much head way I make. And I already have a second story waiting to be put on my editing table "Child of Prophecy: The Awakening". I feel like the title is much cooler than the story will be. But only because there was a lot of back story that went into me writing this and I think it will probably be lost on everyone that wasn't part of the forums where these characters were first created. It's like writing a huge inside joke and you just hope you are doing it well enough that the reader doesn't need to the context to enjoy the story.

So there, my thoughts for the day :)

Saturday, July 4, 2015

What I'm Watching: Team Medical Dragon

It is interesting how I find new shows to watch. I was having a conversation with a friend about a musical composer who we both liked. My friend told me that this composer had done music for a Japanese drama called Team Medical Dragon and he strongly suggested that I watch it. I will be completely honest, the name of this show didn't really instill any confidence in me. In fact, I dragged my feet a bit before finally watching it (at my friend's behest, I might add). Now that I have seen it, there isn't enough good things to say about it.


Team Medical Dragon is a medical drama that centers around one man, Dr. Ryutaro Asada, a virtuoso in the area cardiovascular surgery. He is so talented, he has been dubbed a surgical genius. However, his moral convictions about how one should act as a medical professional causes him to challenge his superiors and eventually gets him blacklisted from the Japanese medical community. Several years pass and Asada is given the opportunity to re-enter the surgical community, despite the black mark on his name. But only because of one simple reason. He is the only surgeon in the country who is skilled enough to undertake one of the riskiest heart surgeries known, the Batista.


This show is brilliant on so many levels. There are numerous power struggles layered through out the show. The struggle against corrupt authority, to fall in with the crowd or to stand alone on your beliefs, finding one's personal convictions and understanding your true self, the show goes through all of these and more with seamless continuity. I also love the medicine that is shown on the show. There is always a thorough explanation of what is happening while the surgical procedures are taking place or being discussed. I cannot express how much I adore shows that take the time to get the medical aspects of the situation correct and present it in a logical manner. (Time Slip Dr. Jinn does a good job in this same area).


And of course, I have to talk about the music. I don't believe I have ever been so excited, anxious, and on the edge of my seat while watching surgeons walking down a hallway to the operating room. It is like watching a group of superheroes slowly stroll out to the battlefield. Sawano does a magnificent job with the score on this drama series. My favorite song from the soundtrack right now is Dragon Rises. You should give it a listen.

Team Medical Dragon has 4 seasons and currently can be viewed on Crunchyroll (www.crunchyroll.com) for anyone who is interested in watching. I highly recommend watching it. It is well written, you become invested in the all characters almost from the moment they appear on the screen. And there is no lack of plot twists and surprises. In my opinion, this show is absolutely wonderful.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Daily Write - Feeling Change

I can feel change happening, sometimes. It’s unnoticeable at first. But, that is how change always starts, isn’t it?  It begins with a small speck. Something trivial, something overlooked. A word, perhaps.  A sentence, a feeling. Whatever it is, it does not leave. Instead, it latches onto a corner of my mind. I try to ignore it, but I know it’s there. Sitting, spreading, poking holes in the grey veiled dullness. The grey that I slowly notice is covering everything comfortable and familiar. A dullness that now surrounds everything I see. And now, I can’t unsee it. I can’t not notice it. This is how it begins.

I start to feel it when I’m awake. I feel it in my dreams. It’s a breeze, changing course, wafting beneath the surface, replacing me piece by little piece. And now I have this constant knowing of what’s happening. That I am changing. That I must change, because this grey veil of sameness blanketing the familiar will do nothing but drive me insane.

This familiar comfortableness I have made myself content with, I realize this is not my end point. This place is simply a point on a line stretching in front of me. This is not my goal, but simply an accomplishment on the way to an end that I dream about, but do not dare speak. And now, I feel that revelation, breathing under my skin, inside my bones, behind my eyes, piece by piece. I cannot stay. Not here. Not at this point.


I am changing. What is happening to me will not stop. Piece by piece, the process continues. Everything old feels wrong. Nothing fits. Not anymore. It will all slip into the grey dullness soon enough. Into familiar sameness that no longer lives. It is simply marking time.  There is nothing left I can do. Nothing but change.  And see where change takes me.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Hair Journey: Twist Out

It has been a while since I have talked about my hair journey. So why not update with a post about the hairstyle I'm currently wearing. Right now, I'm going with the Twist Out. The Twist Out is a simple style that isn't too time intensive and is easy to do. I tried this look once while I was transitioning and I didn't like it. My hair was still straight and the ending result was not to my liking. However, once my hair had a little more texture, I tried it again. Now it is my go to style.

I usually prep my hair by spritzing it with a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 aloe vera juice. I then put some coconut oil in my hair and finish with a moisturizing cream. I have been using Cantu Shea Butter, which is amazing. After all of that has been put in, I flat twist my entire head of hair. The twists don't have to be exact. Just make them the size you want your curls to be.


After twisting my hair, I roll them up in wave rods. I have rods in several sizes depending on loose or how tight I want the curls to be. Right now, I go with a medium size rod. It has a nice spiral curl effect that isn't too tight. I usually let my hair set over night and take the rods out in the morning.


When untwisting, I but some olive oil on my fingers and gently untwist. If I rush, it makes the resulting curls frizzy. I run my fingers along my roots to get rid of any lines where my hair was part and give my curls a few shakes. Then I am done!


This takes much less time than the Bantu Knot and I still get the curly style that I like wearing. And I don't have to retwist and curl every night. I can usually go for about 3 days before I have to style it again. And I can always change the look by adding a few bobby pins here and there. I am really enjoying the ease and versatility of this style.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Daily Write - Night on the Row (Part 3)

He was hunter, as was she. They talked about the difference between the woods and the city. They talked about animals, both as prey and companions. Then he asked how good she was with a bow. She took another drink.


“Used to be one of the best in my clan. Could hit a squirrel at a hundred pace in the dark.”


“And now?”
Her shoulders visibly sagged as her chin fell closer to her chest,“Couldn’t hold a bow if I wanted to.”



“Hands shake every time you pull the arrow back?”


She turned around, a little surprised at that response. She couldn’t tell what facial expression he had under that helmet, but she guessed he had a wry grin playing across his lips.



“Same happened to me after my wife and son died. The one thing you know how to do and even that is taken from you.”


“How did you get over it?”


“I killed the bastard who killed them.”


“I don’t really have that option,” she said, sighing “But the alcohol helps with the nightmares.”


“What happened to you?”


She turned back around and stared at the street in front of her. No wagons or carts came by this time of night. The lamp lighters had come and gone hours before. Still the riff raff that hung around spilled out into the streets, just as raucous and uncouth as when the evening had started.


“Nothing that’s worth talking about.”



He frowned. Well she couldn’t be sure he was frowning. But the awkward silence led her to believe that he was. She sighed and corked the bottle. He had just admitted to murdering a man. The least she could do was stop drinking for the moment and reciprocate a bit. Besides, she could already tell that her face was getting red and soon enough, she wouldn’t be able to string together a coherent sentence.


“Got dragged to some island where a group of us were captured by a crazed gnome claiming to be a scientist. We were overpowered and locked away in his dungeons for about a week or so. Don’t really know how much time passed. He toyed with us, mostly. Lab rats for his experiments. We all had our own personal torture rooms.”


Even with her alcohol soaked mind, she could feel that poison coursing through her body once again, driving her crazy. The blinding white light, the bone chilling screams. The screaming would probably be something she could never forget. However, her brain could not hold onto those thoughts for very long. It had slipped into that warm and comfortable spot where there was no holding on to much of anything. The moment a thought went by, it soon left. She now functioned on nothing more than the fringes of her intellect and base instincts.


There was a soft clink of shifting armor as he stood up. He was taller than she suspected he would be. A high pitched whistle came from underneath the helm. In response, a large shaggy wolf came bounding to his side, tongue lolling between a set of ominous looking fangs.


“It has gotten late, so I will have to take my leave for the night, Miss…?”


She never liked people calling her Miss. It made her feel old and stuffy. But it showed that he was polite. He definitely didn’t belong anywhere near The Row. Perhaps there was still some worth in the theory that she was making conversation with an inanimate object her brain had brought to life.


“It’s Cixi.”


“It has been a pleasure, Cixi. My name is Kalecsin, but most simply call me Kale.”
He started to walk away, but was stopped when she spoke up after him.



“All this time we spent here talking and you aren’t going to at least let me see your face?”
He paused, reached for his helm and slowly pulled it off. A messy tangle of crimson hued hair, tied into a single bundle, fell down his back. He looked at her. He grinned. She wished that filter between her brain and mouth was back in place.



“Like what you see?” he asked, obvious that he wasn’t expecting an answer.


“You’re easy on the eyes,” she responded, wishing she wasn’t so forward, but couldn’t do a thing to keep it from happening.


“I am glad to hear that you think so. I have been admiring you from the moment you sat down.”


Cixi snickered at the compliment, reaching for her bottle, which surprisingly she hadn’t emptied yet,“I’m drunk, what’s your excuse?”


“My excuse?” he repeated. A small grin formed at the edges of his mouth, “You’re pretty.”

Friday, May 8, 2015

Daily Write - Night on the Row (Part 2)

Taking another drink, she listened to the sounds of breaking glass and loud shouting. Bawdy songs were yelled from some broken down tavern, while female voices shrieked in response to the grubby hands that played grab ass when females passed by. She took another drink. Predators walked up and down these streets, letting their glinting weapons be seen by all. They walked up to anyone, taking whatever they wanted and dared something to be done about it. It was a group of them, a group she never saw aside from here on The Row. They ignored her. She had nothing they wanted. She had nothing but a bottle of alcohol. A bottle that she would empty before the night was over. Yes, it had come to that.

She couldn’t remember her last sober day. When she was rescued, everyone headed to the rum and ale stashed away on the boat. While some drank the first night, she drank every night on the trip home. And had been drinking every night since.  It didn’t matter. No one had noticed. Everyone was dealing with the nightmare they had just clawed their way through. No one noticed anyone else. So she could get away with stumbling around the Estate or disappearing without a word to anyone. She tilted the bottle up to her lips and let the alcohol burn its way down her throat.


“You really shouldn’t be drinking that much,”


She turned towards the voice. She hadn’t seen him sit down. He had obviously been there for a while and made himself comfortable, leaning against the wall of a dark, grey building.


“Trust me. There are no answers in the bottom of that.”


“Who said anything about trying to find answers?” she replied in a sarcastic tone, taking another pull from the bottle.



She hadn’t seen him before. But would she have remembered if she had seen him before? He sat partly in the shadow of the building he was resting against and the rest of him was splayed in the harsh flickering ray of lamp light coming from a nearby post. There wasn’t enough shadow to cover the mail armor that he was clad in as it glinted whenever he moved.

She couldn’t make out his face, seeing how he was still wearing the helm that went with the suit. For all she knew, she had one drink too many and just struck up a conversation with a statue she had paid no attention to until now. But, real or not, he continued to speak.

“Isn’t that what most people are looking for? A solution?”

She did not answer, simply placed the bottle next to her lips again. If this suit of armor was looking for a philosophical debate tonight, it wasn’t going to get it out of her. Despite her silence, he continued.

“It is just that I think there are better ways to handle whatever it is that is bothering you instead of drowning yourself in alcohol.”

“Then you obviously are in the wrong place,” she answered, gesturing with her bottle, her words starting to take on that tell tale slur of when someone had had enough to drink, “Drowning yourself in alcohol is what happens here.  You and your sobriety is what is wrong with this picture.”

“You are pretty lucid for a drunk.” Was the response given.

“My night just got started. Give it a little time.”

She had sworn he had chuckled at her reply. But she could only that blasted helm on his head. He kept talking. About what, she really didn’t know. It really didn’t matter. There was something she liked about hearing his voice. It was much better to listen to than the normal din of The Row, especially late at night. He was settling, something solid amidst the hazy wash of everything else around her. He got her to talk, about anything. Of course, that wasn’t too hard since booze always had a knack for loosening her tongue and removing the filter that existed between her mouth and her brain.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Daily Write - Night on the Row (Part 1)

Another story I wrote for my WoW character, Cixithara Daybreaker. Figured it was time to bring it over to the blog. I hope you all enjoy.


She didn’t order glasses of liquor any more. No, she had graduated from that a short while ago. Instead, she ordered her booze by the bottle. Drinking by the glass was just a hassle, for both her and the person serving it. Sure, it would have been simpler (and cheaper) to head to the House Estate and raid their liquor cabinets and wine cellars, however, she wasn’t sure if that was allowed. If so, that place would have been bone dry by now anyway.  Alcohol had become the House’s best friend as of late.

She lazily plunked her coins down as the barkeep placed the dark green bottle in front of her, the liquid sloshing around inside. He did not even make an effort to speak to her. She did not speak to him. What was the purpose of speaking at this point? This place was littered with folks just like her, crawling inside of these dark colored bottles either looking for answers or trying to forget the question. The stories were the same when they were boiled down. And the remedy to the problem was swirling beneath this corked stopper.

Her bottle in hand, she headed off towards the same place she spent every night turning her brain into a bowl of incoherent mush. The Row. Of course only those who spent time on The Row actually called it that. Dark, seedy, and dangerous, the home of all those with jaded views, jilted dreams, and fractured lives who were deemed to simply live broken. It was her new home. She even had her own personal spot, where she melded in with the rest of the “screw the world and everything in it” attitude that was the décor of this place.

Removing the cork with her teeth, she wasted no time taking the first long pull from the bottle.  Cheap and bitter, but she had stop drinking for taste. No, her only aim was to stave off the thoughts that always found her at night, while the rest of the world slept. The ones she could block all day. But with the coming of the night, they rose like black apparitions, haunting her until the coming of the sun the next day.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Kitchen Adventures! - Lemon Zinger

If you go back to some of my earlier blogs, you will see there was a moment in time where I was inspired by the documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." A man changed his life with one juicer and goal. I decided I would try and do the same. I wasn't as successful. I tapped out before reaching Day 3. However, that didn't mean that I packed my juicer up and called it quits. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Instead, I started researching. There is a vast number of juice recipes out there and I decided that I would try a couple. I mean, I bought the juicer already. I should get some use out of it. I found a few ebooks that went on sale for free. And I did some digging around the internet for recipes that looked interesting. That was how I came across the Lemon Zinger.




Recipe
 2 apples
1/2 lemon
2 medium carrots
1 thumb of ginger

This recipe quickly became one of my favorites. It has a very bright and citrusy flavor. It tastes somewhere between drinking freshly squeezed orange juice and homemade lemonade. I personally used red apples in this juice, because they were sweet enough to balance out the tartness of the lemon. What I like about this simple recipe (aside from how good it tastes) is that it is made from ingredients I normally have in my refrigerator anyway. So no tacking on any extra costs to my grocery bill. If you own a juicer, I definitely suggest giving this a try.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Everyone Loves Shortbread!

I am sure that you all haveheard of shortbread before. Shortbread is one of my favorite cookie types. Nothing is better than several shortbread cookies with a warm cup of hot chocolate or tea. And the basic recipe is pretty easy to make. However, I found a company that is doing interesting things with shortbread.



Most of the time when I think of shortbread, I think of a very simple cookie. Nothing interesting or different. No frills, just a plain cookie. And I'm sure that I'm not the only person who has that same thought. But the people who make Willa's Shortbread had a very different feeling about shortbread. They have set out to make it something beyond interesting.

I was at a festival with a friend when I saw their booth. There were quite a few choices: Chocolate Chip and Tennessee Whiskey, just to name two. After trying a few samples, I bought of box of Wildflower Honey and the Spicy Cheese. Because the last thing I would put with shortbread is spicy cheese.

Both of these flavors were very good. Wildflower Honey has a subtle flavor that is not overly sweet, which I liked. And the cookies are very aromatic. I liked smelling cookies almost as much as I liked eating them. Spicy Cheese plays with the idea of being a cookie. While it is shortbread. It is a cheese straw recipe that is salty and savory, similar to a cracker. They were good as well.

I am glad that I found out about these shortbread cookies. I will definitely be buying more. Since I like my cookies sweet,  I will probably try Chocolate Chip or Praline next. But who knows, I might find something else that catches my eye. I definitely recommend these cookies.





Saturday, March 28, 2015

Game Review: Tokaido

I come from a family of game lovers. Especially games where we all are able to come together and have fun with one another. Just about every year, we purchased some kind of board game which we would open up and play during the holidays. That is, after we have stuffed ourselves full of food, of course. The bright and shiny flashing of video games does tend to swallow all of my attention at times. But, other times, there is nothing better than sitting around a table and playing a board game.



At PAX East, my sister and I came across a board game that I had never heard of before, Tokaido. Upon first glance, the game looked very pretty and very Japanese. While I was interested in purchasing the game, I had no idea how to play it (even after reading the box). And I had even less of an idea on how to win. The man at the booth nice enough to explain the game to Frankie and I. But even after that, I still wasn't sure what the game was all about. So, of course, we had to buy it and play it.

My first impression of the game, before we even got started, was: "Wow, this is the most beautiful board game that I have ever played with." My second impression was: "This game has a lot of pieces. I hope it isn't too difficult to get the hang of."


Tokaido is one of those games that is simplistic in gameplay, but challenging when it comes to mastering it. The game is set in feudal Japan and you traveling on Tokaido, the road between Kyoto and Edo. There are many experiences to be had as the player travels. And the player who has the most experiences (visting temples, buying souvenirs, etc) by the end of the trip, wins the game.

What makes this game unique is choice. There is no dice to dictate how many spaces you move. There are no cards telling you what experience you need to do next. You, the player, make those choices yourself. And there are many things you have to keep in mind when you make these choices: the amount of money you have, the special ability of the character you chose to play, the choices of the other players, etc. The point is not to get to the end first, but to enjoy the journey as much as possible.


All in all, Tokaido is a very fun game. It is easy to pick up and has a very enjoyable levity to it. You characters are enjoying hotsprings, eating food from different inns, seeing what nature has to offer all along Tokaido. Who would not enjoy a game like this?

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

30 Day Workout: The Finale

March 2nd marked the end of this short journey of mine. I suppose I should write a wrap up post about it. First off, I am glad that I decided to do this and decided to do this "publicly". It was great having a sounding board to yell at when things got hard. Secondly, I need to figure out exercise routines that don't involve DVDs. There are times when I just want to workout and watch TV at the same time.


So, how did I do? I want to tell you that I was amazingly triumphant through the entire 30 days. I was a workout machine and they are going to write biography about my success. I was that impressive. That is what I want to tell you. What I'm going to tell you is the truth. I wasn't perfect. There were times when I only worked out once during the week, instead of 4. I ate fast food this month.  I drank soda. There were plenty of stumbles along this 30 day journey.

However, I worked out more this past month than I have in quite a while. I actually followed a morning routine. There were a number of things that went right this month and they out number what went wrong. So many times I have wanted to beat myself up because I didn't fall in line perfectly, but that only leads to quitting. So this time, I'm not going to.


I did something this month, which was more than last month. And for that I am giving myself a gold star. While the challenge is over, this journey is not. I have seen what I am capable of doing and I am taking that with me into the month of March. I would love for you to come along with me.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Movie Review: Exodus: Gods and Kings



The story of Moses is a familiar one. I remember the old TV movie The Ten Commandments playing every year as the back drop to my family celebrating Easter at my grandfather's house. Later, there was an animated adaptation, which I enjoyed watching. It had a very good soundtrack. So, I was quite surprised when, recently, my mother wanted us all to go out and see Exodus: Gods and Kings. If anyone knew the story of Moses inside and out, it was us. So why would we spend money to go and watch it again? I am going to tell you why.

This movie spends a lot of time focusing on Moses and Ramses II. Focusing on them as people, reacting to the situation that they have found themselves in. Two brothers in staunch opposition to one another. Personally, I like the take on Moses that this film presents. Here you have a man, raised Egyptian, a prince and general, farming goats. The entire movie, you see a push and pull relationship Moses has with God, which is very different from prior adaptations. Moses is normally shown as being very accepting from the moment he encounters God on the mountain.


This film makes the character of Moses feel more human to me. He struggles with putting away what he once had to transition into the leader of a people he barely knows. I also like the fact that the film creators chose to give a face to the voice of God, rather than making Him an invisible presence. A face gives the conversations an extra something that a disembodied voice cannot.

The only negative thing I have to say about this film is that there were sections that felt rushed. One scene in particular is where Ramses is talking to Miriam about Moses. There was little setup for that scene and I felt we were simply to accept what was happening because we knew it had to happen. We know there is a huge climatic ending and only 2 hours to get there. So, certain scenes have to happen in order to progress, no matter if they flow seamlessly into the story line or not.


Exodus: Gods and Kings is a good movie. It takes a familiar story and re-imagines it into something new and different than its predecessors. I enjoyed watching it.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Product Review: Shea Moisture African Black Soap



My sister is always finding new  things for us to try. This time she found the body wash and lotion product line by Shea Moisture. The first one we tried was African Black Soap.

I have to say, it was quite different from my every day body wash (wish is usually Suave or something scented that I pick up from Walmart.) so I was really eager to give this a shot. After a few uses, there were several pros and one major con.


First pro, after bathing with the body wash, my skin felt super soft. And this was after one use. Anything that can do that is amazing, in my eyes. The body lotion was thicker than I had expected. It was more like a body butter than a lotion. After my struggle with trying to squeeze it out of the bottle, I just removed the top. The lotion did everything that it claimed it would. My skin was soft and moisturized all through the night and into the next day.

The major con? I was not a fan of the scent. The African Black Soap product has more a cologne like fragrance that I wasn't too fond of. It wasn't offensive enough to make me stop using, mind you. I still bathed in the body wash every day and used the lotion every night. So the scent wasn't assaulting. It just wasn't my favorite.

I really like the Shea Moisture line of products. However, I do not think I would buy this particular product again. However, my sister did send me some Coconut Hibiscus. That sounds like it is more up my alley.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

30 Day Workout Challenge: Day 11 - Injured. Now what?

Some days I feel like I have the most injury prone set of ankles and knees on this planet. This issue is not anything new. I have been banging my knees up since high school and turning my ankles since college. So, when I start going full tilt during workout sessions, I am always concerned about injuries.


My first mode of action is trying to prevent injury at all costs. I wear supportive shoes as much as possible. And not just during exercise, but in my every day comings and goings as well. I have invested in decent braces and wraps over the years. So if anything does feel a bit out of sorts, I just brace it or wrap it up for a few hours and take it easy. Most importantly, I rest what is hurting. Sometimes pain is a sign that you need to slow down a bit and recuperate. But what do you do if you have already injured yourself? 


This used to be the death card for my exercise regimen. I would get into a good exercise routine and then suddenly everything would come to screeching halt because I hurt my ankle or my knee. I would tell myself: "Hey, no problem. I just sit out a week and then get right back up on that horse once I feel better." But that would never happen. For some reason, that much time out of my exercise routine would end everything. I kept saying, "I'll go back to the gym tomorrow" and tomorrow never came.

So instead, the better idea is to change up exercises. Instead of doing normal cardio workouts, I should have switched to something that would let me workout without putting any weight on my injured joint. There have been no injuries for me as of yet (Thank God), but I have noticed my ankle ache once already. Instead of sitting out, I came up with something else to do. I traded in my Zumba for an ab intensive workout. This way I didn't fall out of routine.


Minor injuries doesn't mean that you are forced to quit altogether. It just means that you need to be creative with how to workout in the safest way possible.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

30 Day Workout Challenge: Day 5 - I'm Tired

I am nearing the end of my first week of this challenge and so far, everything is going well. I wake up in the morning, get my work out in, eat breakfast and start my day. However, Day 4 did bring about a bit of a problem. I was extremely tired.

My pillows were whispering in my ear.

It wasn't the kind of tired you get from not sleeping enough. This felt different. After 3 days straight of Zumba and Taebo, my body physically felt like it just couldn't take another morning of me jumping, kicking and dancing about. I thought about just rolling over in my bed and calling it a rest day, but Frankie had a better idea. Why not do something with a lower intensity instead?

So yesterday, I put my cardio DVDs aside and pulled out my New York Ballet workout DVD. Something that I have not touched in years. Surprisingly, it was exactly what I needed. I got my workout in, but I didn't feel like I was going to drop on the floor when I was done. I got the chance to have a more relaxing workout session (if there is such a thing). One that my body was able to handle. Aside from the fact that I am no where close to being as flexible as those guys in the video.


 I am going to have cardio days and non-cardio days on rotation from now on or else I am going to wear myself out before the 30 days are up. Plus, having days where I do yoga, pilates, or exercises in that vein will probably help any sore or tight muscles I get from bouncing around during my higher intensity workouts.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

30 Day Workout Challenge


So, January went by really fast. New Year's feels like last week. And this is usually the point where keeping those promises you made to yourself at the beginning of year start to slip. So, I decided to do a workout challenge.

Keeping an exercise regimen has always been a tough thing for me to do. Without fail, my plans always seem to fall apart at day 3. I don't know what it is about day 3, but that is what happens. It wasn't always like this. I used to keep a decent workout schedule. And it would happen when I was motivated and/or had an exercise partner that was motivated as well.


So, why am I doing this 30 day workout challenge? I feel that something like this would be a good kickstart for getting back into the groove of having (and keeping) a workout schedule. Plus, committing to something for 30 days feels less daunting and intimidating. Why am I making this public? Why not keep this to myself? Two words: Support and accountability. When I had a exercise partner, I was more likely to go to gym, because I knew that she would be waiting for me. I knew that I couldn't slack off if she wasn't slacking off. Seeing her putting in the time and effort made me put in the time and effort as well. This is me making the virtual equivalent of that relationship. Putting myself out there, so that I have someone who is waiting for me to clock in.

What if you want to join me on this journey? Well, first off, you are awesome. Thanks for considering it. The rules are simple. (I like simple). The goal is to work out 4-5 days/week for 30-45 minutes. The start date is Sunday, Feb 1st. I am going to do a lot of tweeting for the next month while this is happening. If you wish to follow me, my Twitter handle is @desnarose



I'm a bit excited about this next month. Yes, I know it is going to be challenging. And some days are probably going to down right suck. But, I'm ready. Let's do this.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Kitchen Adventures! - Spicy Rice and Eggplant casserole

More Kitchen Adventures! This time with eggplant. I can honestly say that eggplant is not a vegetable I'm familiar with when it comes to cooking. My mother attempted an eggplant parmesan once. It didn't really go over that well. After that, we never saw another eggplant on our dinner plates ever again.


Preparing the eggplant for frying

Recently, I decided to try eggplant again. Most of the recipes I came across involved breading, cheese and pasta, but that was not the kind of recipe I was after. After some more searching, I came across a rice and eggplant dish that caught my attention. The casserole was made of fried eggplant slices with a mixture of rice, tomato, onions, green peppers and a white sauce layered between. It sounded simple enough. Sounded being the operative word in that sentence. I was not prepared for what I was about to get myself into.


Chop! Chop! Chop!

Most of the meals that I make are quick and easy. And while this recipe was not complex, it took much more time than I had anticipated it would. I had to make a Bechemal sauce, for heaven's sake. I didn't even know what that was until I made this dish. I don't think there was one part that was more time consuming than the other. It was just the number of things that had to come together to make this dish.

Bon Apetit!

In the end, the dish was absolutely delicious! My parents (who aren't big eggplant enthusiasts) went back for seconds and thirds. That made me very very happy to see. My only complaint is that there was absolutely nothing spicy about this recipe whatsoever. Would I make this dish again? Yes, but I would have very motivated and well rested. It is a tasty vegetarian dish. It's a tasty eggplant dish. The recipe is definitely a keep.

If you would like to make this yourself the recipe is HERE.