Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Springtime
Here in Virginia we are lucky enough to experience all four seasons every year: Winter (November through March), spring (April), summer (May-September), and fall (October). Keeping that calendar in mind, today was the last day of spring before the threat of muggy buggy miserable summer heat sets in. In that spirit, enjoy these pictures of springtime.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Have You Seen My Eggs?
As I mentioned earlier, I made my roommate put in a little legwork to earn his Easter basket this year. With him out of town for a few days, I had plenty of opportunity to set up a scavenger hunt.
When he got home and unloaded his luggage I handed him a plastic Easter egg containing a small photo:
That led him to the next egg, which also had a picture. Take a look for yourself:
Can you guess where the eggs were hidden?
#1 was on the window sill.
#2 was in his tool belt.
#3 was on top of the doorbell box.
#4 was in the hall closet with the towels and toiletries.
#5 was in the egg carton with the dyed Easter eggs.
#6 was on the shelf in the bathtub.
#7 was behind his encyclopedia set.
#8 was under his hat.
#9 was in the dishwasher.
#10 was inside the stero cabinet.
#11 was inside the floor lamp dish.
And finally, his Easter basket was inside the circa 1990 microwave that's been chilling in our living room for a couple of months.
How was your Easter? Did you have any egg hunts of your own?
When he got home and unloaded his luggage I handed him a plastic Easter egg containing a small photo:
That led him to the next egg, which also had a picture. Take a look for yourself:
Can you guess where the eggs were hidden?
#1 was on the window sill.
#2 was in his tool belt.
#3 was on top of the doorbell box.
#4 was in the hall closet with the towels and toiletries.
#5 was in the egg carton with the dyed Easter eggs.
#6 was on the shelf in the bathtub.
#7 was behind his encyclopedia set.
#8 was under his hat.
#9 was in the dishwasher.
#10 was inside the stero cabinet.
#11 was inside the floor lamp dish.
And finally, his Easter basket was inside the circa 1990 microwave that's been chilling in our living room for a couple of months.
How was your Easter? Did you have any egg hunts of your own?
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Eggs and Bunnies
Happy Easter!
Today
is the day we non-churchgoers celebrate spring by searching for eggs supposedly
hidden by the Easter Bunny. At least, that’s what all the lame people are
doing. The rest of us have chosen to actually search for the Easter Bunny
himself, because, as legend has it, if you can catch him laying one of his
chocolate eggs, he has to grant you three wishes.
To
use as Easter Bunny bait, my brother and roommate and I dyed our own Easter
eggs this year.
I
also made them Easter baskets, just in case they don’t catch the Easter Bunny
and can’t have their wish for unlimited candy for life granted.
My
brother’s basket will be delivered by yours truly in just a few hours (eggs full of fake worms and all). My roommate, on
the other hand, is out of town right now and will have to work a little bit
harder for his when he gets back. I’ll show you more of that later.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
I Caught a Leprechaun!
This Saint Patrick's Day I kept my celerbation relatively mellow. The only little man I brough home was my brother:
And the only green beverage I consumed was Naked Juice, and no, that isn't frat house terminology.
I told my brother we were eating leprechaun food for dinner. He's still young enough to believe me. What we were actually eating was linguine cooked in green water, pesto, peas, "Green Machine" Naked Juice, and lemon-lime Jello.
My brother and I aren't big on the peas. Neither one of us cleared our plate of the offensive vegetables. My roommate, though, he went back for seconds. Go figure.
As for the Naked Juice, I've heard great things about it, and I figured there was no better time to drink something that looked like swamp water than at our leprechaun meal. Unfortunately, I was not as impressed as I wanted to be, but I was very impressed that my brother actually drank it. I thought it tasted more like banana than anything else, so maybe that was why he was willing to drink algae juice. (Yes, there really is algae in it, along with wheat grass and kiwis and a bunch of other "powerful" ingredients.)
Perhaps next year will be filled with green beer and shenanigans, but for now, I'm happy watching Ice Age and eating Jello with my little leprechaun.
And the only green beverage I consumed was Naked Juice, and no, that isn't frat house terminology.
I told my brother we were eating leprechaun food for dinner. He's still young enough to believe me. What we were actually eating was linguine cooked in green water, pesto, peas, "Green Machine" Naked Juice, and lemon-lime Jello.
My brother and I aren't big on the peas. Neither one of us cleared our plate of the offensive vegetables. My roommate, though, he went back for seconds. Go figure.
As for the Naked Juice, I've heard great things about it, and I figured there was no better time to drink something that looked like swamp water than at our leprechaun meal. Unfortunately, I was not as impressed as I wanted to be, but I was very impressed that my brother actually drank it. I thought it tasted more like banana than anything else, so maybe that was why he was willing to drink algae juice. (Yes, there really is algae in it, along with wheat grass and kiwis and a bunch of other "powerful" ingredients.)
Perhaps next year will be filled with green beer and shenanigans, but for now, I'm happy watching Ice Age and eating Jello with my little leprechaun.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Lush Caca Marron Henna Hair Dye Review and How-To
I
have known about Lush's henna treatments for quite some time, but being
the giant wimp that I am, I've never had the guts to try it before now.
As a matter of fact, I've never had the guts to try any hair coloring
treatment before. Perhaps starting off with practically-permanent henna
was a bad idea, but I never said I was all that bright. Regardless of my
intelligence quotient, here are my thoughts on my experience.
For
the actual event, I used a cheese grater to pulverize three chunks of
the block plus the leftovers from the test chunk. I mixed it with about
two cups of boiling water and let it cool while I finished my prep work.
I covered my bathroom sink and floor with newspaper, slathered my
hairline, ears, and neck with Vasaline (ew), and rounded up all the mini
claw clips and hair elastics I could find.
Rather
than follow the directions and recommendations to a T, I divied up my
hair into tiny ponytails all over the place, pulled them up into a claw
clip and only let down a few at a time. For each tiny ponytail, I
removed the elastic, spread the henna on from root to tip with a brush I
bought at Sally's, and then consolodated the multiple mini ponytails
into mini claw clips. My roommate helped me with the back and when my
head was fully slathered with henna goop, he wrapped me up in plastic
wrap and I stuck an elastic headband (one of the wide fabric ones)
around the whole thing. I may not have applied as thick a layer as
you're supposed to, because I had at least 1/3 of the stuff left, but I
did apply a relatively even layer and I don't think I missed anything
substantial, just a spot above my ear.
Cleanup
wasn't too terrible. I trashed the newspaper and ginormous grubby shirt
I wore and rinsed out the bowl and other utensils with super-hot tap
water. Didn't bother soaping because I'm incredibly lazy, didn't want to
henna the kitchen sponge, and won't be using any of these items for
anything other than henna in the future.
Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Actually, I only waited for four hours, which isn't so bad. Some people keep the henna on for six or eight hours, but since this was my first experience with henna and I wasn't looking for any crazily drastic results, I didn't bother torturing myself for more than four hours.
As for washing it out, that bit sucked. Kind of a lot. I rubbed and I rubbed and I rubbed and then there was still more grainy sandy crap in my hair. So I stuck my head under the faucet. Nope, still in there. I ended up using about half a bottle of 88-cent conditioner to rub it all out, then I shampooed and conditioned with my normal stuff and called it a day. Not as bad as it could have been, and nothing in the shower stained, but still not the most enjoyable part of the process.
Now, about the smell....Everybody complains about the smell, and no, it isn't great, but it also didn't seem quite as bad to me as it does for other people. I did my grating on the deck, cracked a window in the kitchen, and hoped for the best in the bathroom. All in all, yes, my house smells like henna, and yes, my hair smells like henna, and yes, I am getting sick of it, but once it's in your nasal passages, you kind of stop noticing it until you smell something else. The scent itself is similar to a coffee shop, but with a little less coffee and a little more herbal....something. And no pastries, which is sad, but for fantastic hair, I guess I can live with it.
Speaking of fantastic, yes, my hair did turn out fantastically. I LOVE it! The color is even, natural-looking, rich, and gorgeous. I was afraid my hair would turn maroon/purpley or straight up clown red, but I ended up with an awesome brown darker than my natural brown with a coppery red glow in the light. It's nothing too obvious or drastic, which makes me love it even more.
My recommendations for anyone considering using the Lush hennas are:
1. Don't go it alone! Get some help. Wrangle one of your friends into giving you a hand so that you have someone to help you with the tricky areas and keep you company while you're sitting at home with your incredibly fashionable cling wrap hairdo.
2. Get one of those hair dye brushes. You will regret it if you don't!
3. Don't do this in the summer. Just a guess, but my head was sweaty enough and I found the smell clinging to everything as it was without throwing extreme heat and humidity into the mix. If you are going to do this in a miserable southern summer, do yourself a favor and crank up the AC for the afternoon.
4. Have something to do. Don't sit around poking your head like I did. Plan to spend the day watching entire first season of Friends or knitting a pair of socks or something. Anything! Don't sit around bored or it will make your day drag like you wouldn't believe.
5. Do utilize the cheap conditioner trick. Your hot water will not last the three hours it will take you to rinse everything out otherwise.
Have you ever used henna? Do you think you ever would? Tell me all about your experiences in the comments!
I
started by trying a strand test about a week ago. I mixed up about half a
square of Caca Marron with some boiling water and applied it to a
relatively hidden chunk of hair. In order to mimic the actual effects as
much as possible, I put a zipless sandwich bag around the chunk,
secured it with a hair elastic, and let it sit for four hours before
washing it out in the shower. The following morning there was no obvious
change to the color, but over the next couple of days it did darken up a
bit, so I decided to proceed.
Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Actually, I only waited for four hours, which isn't so bad. Some people keep the henna on for six or eight hours, but since this was my first experience with henna and I wasn't looking for any crazily drastic results, I didn't bother torturing myself for more than four hours.
As for washing it out, that bit sucked. Kind of a lot. I rubbed and I rubbed and I rubbed and then there was still more grainy sandy crap in my hair. So I stuck my head under the faucet. Nope, still in there. I ended up using about half a bottle of 88-cent conditioner to rub it all out, then I shampooed and conditioned with my normal stuff and called it a day. Not as bad as it could have been, and nothing in the shower stained, but still not the most enjoyable part of the process.
Now, about the smell....Everybody complains about the smell, and no, it isn't great, but it also didn't seem quite as bad to me as it does for other people. I did my grating on the deck, cracked a window in the kitchen, and hoped for the best in the bathroom. All in all, yes, my house smells like henna, and yes, my hair smells like henna, and yes, I am getting sick of it, but once it's in your nasal passages, you kind of stop noticing it until you smell something else. The scent itself is similar to a coffee shop, but with a little less coffee and a little more herbal....something. And no pastries, which is sad, but for fantastic hair, I guess I can live with it.
Speaking of fantastic, yes, my hair did turn out fantastically. I LOVE it! The color is even, natural-looking, rich, and gorgeous. I was afraid my hair would turn maroon/purpley or straight up clown red, but I ended up with an awesome brown darker than my natural brown with a coppery red glow in the light. It's nothing too obvious or drastic, which makes me love it even more.
1. Don't go it alone! Get some help. Wrangle one of your friends into giving you a hand so that you have someone to help you with the tricky areas and keep you company while you're sitting at home with your incredibly fashionable cling wrap hairdo.
2. Get one of those hair dye brushes. You will regret it if you don't!
3. Don't do this in the summer. Just a guess, but my head was sweaty enough and I found the smell clinging to everything as it was without throwing extreme heat and humidity into the mix. If you are going to do this in a miserable southern summer, do yourself a favor and crank up the AC for the afternoon.
4. Have something to do. Don't sit around poking your head like I did. Plan to spend the day watching entire first season of Friends or knitting a pair of socks or something. Anything! Don't sit around bored or it will make your day drag like you wouldn't believe.
5. Do utilize the cheap conditioner trick. Your hot water will not last the three hours it will take you to rinse everything out otherwise.
Have you ever used henna? Do you think you ever would? Tell me all about your experiences in the comments!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Earworming
You know those songs that get stuck in your head? Sometimes they can be great. Sometimes they can be annoying. And sometimes they can be flat-out down-right completely frustrating. Want to know why? Of course you do. It's because you can't remember the rest of the song. You just keep singing that one bit that's totally awesome over and over and over and you can't for the life of you figure out how the hell the rest of the song is supposed to go. Don't ya just love it?
In hopes that this may expand your own personal repertoire of catchy song lines (from often mediocre songs) to sing in the shower, I am including below my personal Top 10 list of songs--in no particular order--that get stuck in my head. If you don't see your favorite on this list, no worries. The list is ever changing and I'll be sure to update you in the future.
10. "Take me home tonight. I don't want to let you go till you see the light. Take me home tonight. Listen honey, just like Ronnie sang: Be my little baby."
Eddie Money
In hopes that this may expand your own personal repertoire of catchy song lines (from often mediocre songs) to sing in the shower, I am including below my personal Top 10 list of songs--in no particular order--that get stuck in my head. If you don't see your favorite on this list, no worries. The list is ever changing and I'll be sure to update you in the future.
10. "Take me home tonight. I don't want to let you go till you see the light. Take me home tonight. Listen honey, just like Ronnie sang: Be my little baby."
Eddie Money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbhXmSBlS_U
9. "Can't touch this."
MC Hammer
9. "Can't touch this."
MC Hammer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo
8. "I like big butts and I cannot lie"
Sir Mixalot
8. "I like big butts and I cannot lie"
Sir Mixalot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY84MRnxVzo
7. "And I feeeel like I just got home."
Madonna
7. "And I feeeel like I just got home."
Madonna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4tD8dy9Reg
6. "Now I gotta cut loose. Footloose. Kick off your Sunday shoes."
Kenny Loggins
6. "Now I gotta cut loose. Footloose. Kick off your Sunday shoes."
Kenny Loggins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMekATnLPmM
5. "It's just a jump to left and then a step to the right with your hands on your hips and your knees in tight."
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
5. "It's just a jump to left and then a step to the right with your hands on your hips and your knees in tight."
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtkdo7bOmJc
4. "All the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies all the single ladies. Now put your hands up..."
Beyonce
4. "All the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies all the single ladies. Now put your hands up..."
Beyonce
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY
3. "I knew the bride when she used to rock and roll."
Nick Lowe
3. "I knew the bride when she used to rock and roll."
Nick Lowe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn1CXbf2xF8
2. "Feelin hot hot hot."
Buster Poindexter
2. "Feelin hot hot hot."
Buster Poindexter
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the NUMBER ONE stuck-in-your-head song line EVER:
1. "Ooh eee ooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang ooh eee ooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang."
David Seville, just not in this version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkMYyFZw_jE
David Seville, just not in this version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkMYyFZw_jE
You're Welcome!
(please don't hate me)
To redeem myself from that, consider this clip a bonus:
Jackson Brown "Stay"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)