Ommmmmm that Hurts so Good

For those of you that don't know I've chose to live a fit life. To me that means cutting out highly processed foods, working out (almost) daily, and yoga. Lots of yoga. It's been a huge shock for my system & after years of terrible pain I have found out I was in terrible shape. WAS being the key word. 

But all of that working out has made me super sore, so I went and bought myself a foam roller, but like in The Princess and The Pea, it was entirely too soft to really work the knots out of my muscles. {sad day}. 

So I looked at some more rollers. Hemmed and hawed and decided to make my own. For $40-$60 the savings seemed worth any headache. So I did some research and found a few tutorials but none of them was 

what I was looking for. I like pretty & sparkly things even better if they are pink, gold and glittery. :)

Supplies needed:

1 4"PVC pipe 24-36" long ($1.68) purchased from a local store

Carpet pad to cover PVC ($2.00) purchased hunk from a flooring store

Elmer's Spray adhesive (I had this at home)

Fabric

7"+ zipper (I had it at home)

Scissors

Duck Tape

Large plastic shopping bag

1.) Lay down the carpet pad with the netting side on the floor

2.) Ruff cut the pad to the size of the PVC all the way around.

3.) Use the spray glue do. {Hint work in 6" segments.} Hold it in place until glue sets.

4.) Make the final cut, be sure to pull a little so when it's rolling on the floor it doesn't loosen the glue.

5.) Cut strips of duck tape and tape across the seam.

6.) Cut a strip of duck tape to go the length of the seam.

7.) Cut a few strips of tape for the ends of the tube, cut slices and pull tight, tape to the inside of the PVC tube.

8.) Measure and cut the fabric, be sure to add 0.5" to all the sides.

9.) Turn inside out and sew the tube, leaving 0.5" of the bottom of the tube open, back stitch.

10.) Slip on plastic bag onto the end, trim excess, {leave the handle!!!}use tape to secure around tube but do not tape to the carpet pad.

11.) Grab the zipper and sew onto the fabric, make sure to sew tight. Mine was a bit less than all the way around the tube so I had to tuck the end in.

12.) Grab an end and sew onto the zipper.

13.) Flip the fabric and pull onto, check that the zipper closes ok. Open the zipper.

14.) Flip fabric again, {yes I know it's a pain} pull onto the end. Grab the remaining end, and sew onto the bottom. Pull off. 

15.) Slice the bottom of the bag almost all the way through, but leave enough so you can pull the fabric all the way through. 

16.) Pull fabric on and pull bag HARD.

17.) Pull bag out only after you have fabric pulled all the way on.

18.) Zipper it up and enjoy the pain.

Oh and this one is "just right." Firm but not HARD, comfortable, and best of all it hurts so good.

Don’t [DO] date a girl who travels [The Rebuttal]

It all started with a well written but very biased "click worthy" article called "Don't date a girl who travels" that one of my Facebook friends had posted to his wall and it found it's way on my newsfeed.  After reading the article I was seeing red.  I'm not sure why this article made me so mad, but it did.

Do Date a Woman who Travels
You spot her, yes her the one with the wild untamed hair, from the other side of the bar.  Even from the other side of the room you feel drawn to her, her unnatural beauty calling to you, pulling at your heart strings.  There, is her laugh, dancing across the room to you.  She's special, so unlike anyone else you have met before, when you are with her she makes you feel special too.  Do it, date that woman who travels.

Do date the woman who travels, that normal dinner and a movie may suck the life out of her but add a little candle light and a night of ice fishing in a portable house will make her eyes glimmer.  She will feel connected to you and to nature at the same time.  She may not be impressed by your fancy car or your expensive watch, but perhaps she realizes that in order to balance her out she needs some more stability.

Do date the woman who travels, she may make you uncomfortable sometimes by suggesting something you've never done before but she will force you to grow and experience MORE in your life than you thought possible.  The woman who travels has an understanding of money different than most people, she will spend a lot for an experience and then spend a small amount when it comes to life staples.

Do date the woman who travels, for she will work towards her passion and not for the paycheck.  She may have bad days, and she may want to vent but she will also have compassion for your bad days.  She may offer to cook your favorite meal, take your for a walk under the stars, or a bit of expensive chocolate from Germany to ease the hurt for she understands that when things get hard it really is the little things that help to sort it out.  Most women who travel have jobs that allow them to do so, but they try to HELP people when they are working, what a wonderful quality.

Do date the woman who travels, she may not be using her college degree but she understands the importance of education.  She will respect your degree and encourage you to seek out more education in a variety of ways; from an institution, from a mentor, even from those whom you don't know.

Do date the woman who travels, she chooses a life of adventure.  How lucky are you that of all the people she knows she chooses to spend her time with you?  Her adventure seeking may get her into some dicy situations but it also allows her soul to breathe, it allows her to learn from her mistakes and to keep from making the same ones over and over.  She will apologize and she will mean it.

Do date the woman who travels, she will speak her mind.  She won't try to impress your friends and family but her kindness will attract your family.  She values respect but will hold and informed conversation about hot button issues, but don't worry if you don't agree, she understands that the world needs all types.

Do date the woman who travels, she may not need you, but she's chosen you as much as you've chosen her. She can stand on her own two feet but she realizes that leads to a life of solitude and can be very lonely. She may cooks well, and doesn't need you to pay for her meals but tell her your favorite meals and she may be willing to cook it for you, especially if you are willing to trade favors.  She may not need you to travel with her, but she asks because she likes your company, she wants to share her life and experiences with you. She may get sidetracked before checking in upon arrival at her destination but out of respect and admiration she will eventually check in.  Don't worry, her train may be running 4 hours late getting into Veniza, or perhaps she ran into an old friend, or her cell has no reception, she'll let you know that she is ok.  She'll meet many people, and that may be intimidating but she'll always be willing to introduce you to them and to share their many adventure stories.

Do date the woman who travels, and when you fall in love with her, ask her to marry you so that you too, can become one who travels, and perhaps she will also change a bit more into one who stays home. Just don't steal her longing for adventure, embrace it, love it, it's what makes her who she is, the woman you fell in love with.

Review of Polaroid PBT555

Let me start by saying this. Music it speaks to my soul, to my very being.  My memories are stored in both songs and vintages of wine. I am one of the most particular people I know and this has only been reinforced by my mentor who at 59 was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, which is known as the highest functioning form of autism. It is an understatement to say that I like things "just so", the most odd things can set me into a frenzy in a heartbeat.

As much as I love music I sometimes struggle with concerts as the artists usually don't sound the same, so needless to say I'm picky about headphones, speakers, and tones.


I bought this speaker on a whim on a suggestion from my Father (I couldn't find a review for it anywhere) I work as a nanny (specializing in special needs kids) and I wanted a speaker I could travel with both to work, to workout with, and take with me internationally. I wanted to be able to literally throw it in my suitcase or nanny bag and not need to worry about too much. I was really considering saving up for the Jambox Mini Speaker but at $179.99 + tax it was a bit steep. The Polaroid was a mere $79.99 (with mail in rebate).



Now this speaker connects wirelessly via Bluetooth, a simple simple pairing process with my iPhone 5s. And in mere seconds I was ready to check out the sound quality.

About the sound quality, I have found my music collection which boasts of Jay Z to Persian love songs to Luke Bryant to play beautifully. It sounds as it does coming out of Bose Soundwave. There is no twanging, no thumping or irradiate humming that doesn't belong. The sound coming out of this speaker BLEW me AWAY. When comparing to my sisters Jambox Mini I think the Polaroid has better sound quality, especially for the price.



What about the size, will it really fit into my suit case? Yes it will really fit!  It is a bit wider at 2" than the Jambox Mini (compared at .91") but I also think that is why it is able to put out such awesome sound quality. So for me the depth isn't an issue.

Both the JamBox Mini and the Polaroid claim 8 hours of use per full charge. I have found that claim to be a bit on the short side to with mine, I get between 6-11 hours (depending on volume). A full charge off of a 2.0 USB takes about 1.5 hours. It includes both the charging cable and the AUX cable for use with a regular iPod or MP3 player. (I'm searching for a wall adapter for multiple country use.)

I use mine all of the time. Working out to blare my music to get me revved up, while showering, and to both calm down (from their fits) and get the kids I nanny for moving. I have yet to pack it but with the light metal used in it's construction it's built well so I don't worry about it getting broken in my checked luggage.

All in all, if this item were to get broken or stolen in my luggage I'd buy a replacement (and it would still be less than the JamBox Mini.)  If looking for a speaker I highly recommend the Polaroid PBT555 over even the JamBox Mini.

Dear Jon

10 of Sept

So at 3.30 am I had some sweet roommates that joined us in our room.... In London I was staying in a youth hostel many beds in one room, they came in flipped on all the lights and were yelling from room to room.  Like many others in our room, I was cranky.  I couldn't fall back asleep, my sense of security had been shattered and my heart was seriously thumping.  So instead of cussing them all out or being nasty I got some clothes on and decided to go and take some sunrise photos of London.

I spent some time with my new friend Jon walking around the park and going to the history place.