$9.94 via Amazon
$58.50
$27.99 (Large jar)
$79.79-$110 via Amazon
$32.50/32ct via Amazon
$12.59/16ct via keurig.com
$24.99
The POREfessional pore minimizing balm from Benefit Cosmetics
$30
Sunday, September 23, 2012
9/23 Wishlist and Must-haves
Now that the weather has gotten cold out, my mind turns to stocking up on items to keep me calm and comfortable indoors. There's just something about cold weather that activates the shopping part of my brain.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
New Car
While visiting The Boob, my 2003 Accord decided life wasn't worth living anymore. I ended up having to sell it for $850 to a random guy because it personally wasn't worth the time, effort and money involved in getting a new engine. I opted to fly myself and whatever belongings I could fit into my 2 bags and fly home to buy a new ride.
I had a shortlist of cars I wanted, and a list of must-have features that included push-button start, sat nav, sat radio, moonroof and rearview camera. I narrow my search down to Nissan Altima 2.5 SL, Ford Taurus Limited, and Hyundai Sonata Limited. I was looking for 2011-2012 certified pre-owned vehicles only.
I ended up going for the Hyundai Sonata for several reasons. Hyundai's have one of the best warranties out there, the pricing is a fair bit better than comparable models with the same features, and the availability of all these features in a single car wasn't difficult to find. I had an impossible time tracking down an Altima with all of those features, very few SL models were available and the ones that were around usually lacked one or more of the features. The Taurus Limited was also quite difficult to track down, and the one dealer that did have one was asking an outrageous price and wanted to fuck me over on it.
In the end, I'm extremely happy I got the Sonata, and the service I received at the dealership was top notch.
I had a shortlist of cars I wanted, and a list of must-have features that included push-button start, sat nav, sat radio, moonroof and rearview camera. I narrow my search down to Nissan Altima 2.5 SL, Ford Taurus Limited, and Hyundai Sonata Limited. I was looking for 2011-2012 certified pre-owned vehicles only.
I ended up going for the Hyundai Sonata for several reasons. Hyundai's have one of the best warranties out there, the pricing is a fair bit better than comparable models with the same features, and the availability of all these features in a single car wasn't difficult to find. I had an impossible time tracking down an Altima with all of those features, very few SL models were available and the ones that were around usually lacked one or more of the features. The Taurus Limited was also quite difficult to track down, and the one dealer that did have one was asking an outrageous price and wanted to fuck me over on it.
In the end, I'm extremely happy I got the Sonata, and the service I received at the dealership was top notch.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Remoulade!
While visiting The Boob in Atlanta, I decided to make a dish I had never made before. I went to Whole Foods and bought a pound of scallops to make bacon-wrapped scallops for the first time.
While waiting for the man to pack up my selection, I noticed containers of sauces to the right of the seafood counter. One of the sauces looked vaguely familiar in color and reminded me of a sauce that had been served with crab cakes I had ordered from the wonderful restaurant The Pecan in the College Park area of Atlanta.
It turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to the bacon-wrapped scallops, and it was just as delicious when dabbed on sauteed asparagus. I made some cheesy rice to go along with the dish and it turned out to be possibly one of my favorite dinners I've ever made.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Adventures in Jewelry Making
For one of my summer classes, I decided to take a course called Intro to Jewelry and Metal Design. I assumed the class would just be stringing some beads on a string and calling it a day. It turned out to be far more interesting. The class was a summer immersion class, so it ran for 5 days from 9am-5pm. We came home with at least one piece of metal jewelry each day.
Day 1: Basic shape with a special word stamped in.
Day 2: A cuff bracelet with lyrics
Day 3: A silver ring
Day 4: Nature-shaped pendants
Day 5: Anything goes
I had a lot of fun doing the metalworking, so I bought a few hundred dollars worth of supplies in order to keep making creations at home.
Day 1: Basic shape with a special word stamped in.
I had a lot of fun doing the metalworking, so I bought a few hundred dollars worth of supplies in order to keep making creations at home.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
You can't be in love forever.
I'm a full supporter of polyamory. Why? Because I believe we can open our hearts to more than one person at a time and in the process become completely satisfied that all of our needs and interests are met and fulfilled, and not just sexually. Polyamory isn't about the sex.
I recently had a discussion about this topic online with somebody, to which they rejected the notion that polyamory could be healthy or acceptable because "if you love somebody, you would never want to be with someone else" and "your partner must not love you if they let you do that". He proceeded to tell me that my love for a certain somebody wasn't genuine because I do not feel as if I'm in love nearly 4 years down the road. I beg to differ.
A few years ago I came across the theory of limerance. When reading about it, it made full and total sense to me.
Her paper goes on to explain a little more in detail the nature of fireworks and fizzle in relationships, so I suggest going to read the rest for yourself because it's fantastic.
But my point remains.. love is flexible. I applaud those who are able to share their love with more than one person. It's an amazing feeling.
Source:
Katz, D. (1999). Relationships: Fireworks or fizzle?. Lesbian News, 24(12), 24.
I recently had a discussion about this topic online with somebody, to which they rejected the notion that polyamory could be healthy or acceptable because "if you love somebody, you would never want to be with someone else" and "your partner must not love you if they let you do that". He proceeded to tell me that my love for a certain somebody wasn't genuine because I do not feel as if I'm in love nearly 4 years down the road. I beg to differ.
A few years ago I came across the theory of limerance. When reading about it, it made full and total sense to me.
Healthy relationships do have steamy moments but not 24 hours a day. Most relationships start out much more intense in the beginning. This intense time is called "limerance." Limerance is the time when everything appears magical, wonderful and so alive. It's natural to experience these exciting feelings during the initial stages of a relationship. The problem occurs when people choose their partners based only on strong physical feelings and believe they will experience these exhilarating emotions until the end of time. If the intensity of feelings begins to diminish, they immediately start believing they are "falling out of love." In fact, many individuals go from relationship to relationship searching for that perfect romantic fervor. They are motivated by the memory of that initial adrenaline rash, causing their relationships to peter out after 2-3 years when the surge slows. Like any type of rash, adrenaline is fine if enjoyed in moderation. However, if it's just the "rash" one is seeking, true healthy love may never be experienced. (Katz, 1999)
Her paper goes on to explain a little more in detail the nature of fireworks and fizzle in relationships, so I suggest going to read the rest for yourself because it's fantastic.
But my point remains.. love is flexible. I applaud those who are able to share their love with more than one person. It's an amazing feeling.
Source:
Katz, D. (1999). Relationships: Fireworks or fizzle?. Lesbian News, 24(12), 24.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Things I Love #1
Motts Hot Apple Cider
I first tried Motts Hot Apple Cider about a year ago, and I've absolutely fallen in love with it. I've always enjoyed regular, cold apple cider from the local orchard, but I didn't really think I would enjoy it hot. Walking down the aisle of the grocery store one day, I spotted the packets of this apple cider mix and saw that it came in a Hot Apple Pie flavor, and that's what sold me on hot cider. It was quite possibly one of the best things I have ever tasted. It has the right amount of sweetness and tart. I've tried other brands of instant hot apple cider packets, but they all lack the tartness that comes from cider sold in jugs, and Motts Hot Apple Cider. It comes in 6 flavors, including:
- Hot Apple Pie
- Red Delicious
- Caramel
- Granny Smith
- Golden Delicious
- and of course, Original
I picked up a 24ct variety pack from BJ's for $5.99, which is a fantastic deal. I believe they cost 50¢ per packet at Giant Eagle, and a 24ct box on amazon.com will set you back $11.98, twice what you'll pay in a wholesale club. I plan on going back to BJ's soon to buy a couple more boxes, as the variety packs are a seasonal item and it'll be pretty hard to find in a couple months.
Drink up, it's apple cider season!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Adventures in Petits Fours
I try to get inspiration from every source possible. This time it came in the form of a Swiss Colony catalog. I'm jealous of how perfect the professionals can get their products to look, as my stuff always comes out just barely looking slightly better than amateur, at best. If you aren't aware of what they are, here's an example:
Now I don't try to get too ambitious with any of my kitchen experiments right away, so I took a very simple approach for my first attempt. I decided to make red velvet with a chocolate ganache, and I think they turned out okay. I first tried using an icing recipe I found on another blog, but it turned out to be absolutely horrible in every way possible. It was like eating pure sugar, and the consistency was grainy and thick.
Above you can see the sheets of cake out of the pan, then cut up, and then my final result. They don't look the best, and I didn't make enough ganache to cover every piece, but they taste damn delicious. I didn't quite have a uniform size for every piece, either, as they all seemed to vary in height. I still have more than half of the pieces yet to cover, so perhaps tomorrow I'll make more ganache and try again, or find a more reliable fondant/icing recipe.
Not my own creation, but I wish.
Now I don't try to get too ambitious with any of my kitchen experiments right away, so I took a very simple approach for my first attempt. I decided to make red velvet with a chocolate ganache, and I think they turned out okay. I first tried using an icing recipe I found on another blog, but it turned out to be absolutely horrible in every way possible. It was like eating pure sugar, and the consistency was grainy and thick.
Above you can see the sheets of cake out of the pan, then cut up, and then my final result. They don't look the best, and I didn't make enough ganache to cover every piece, but they taste damn delicious. I didn't quite have a uniform size for every piece, either, as they all seemed to vary in height. I still have more than half of the pieces yet to cover, so perhaps tomorrow I'll make more ganache and try again, or find a more reliable fondant/icing recipe.
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