"Tip" of the Week

This week I was a little daring to try something new. Sally Hansen Salon Effects French Mani strips with a twist. It is not a tradition French mani it is with a black tip and natural nail color. It's a little hard to get used to but it is cute and a bit edgy from the traditional. The Sally Hansen strips are very innovative however they are a bit frustrating to apply to ones own nails. It is very time consuming although the result is pretty seamless. I have had it on since Saturday and so far no major chips. It is very pretty to stare at because it also comes out close to salon perfect without messy bottles or brushes!

Sounds

There are sounds that I just love. I'm not talking about music, but everyday sounds that maybe not everyone thinks about or notice but they are there. What are mine?

One sounds I really like is the sound of typing. However, it has to be from a specific keyboard. While I am a Mac user the typing sound I like are from older PC keyboards. Growing up the sound of typing meant you had a job, that you were important. Of course nowadays typing is an everyday occurrence for almost everyone in the world at home or work. There is something about that clicking noise that I've always found soothing.

The next sound I like but have never really heard in real life in camp fire or fire in a fire place. The crackling sound is also soothing and have always found it to be warming... naturally it is of course because it's fire! I've only heard this sound on TV or movies. It has a ambiance of romance although at the same time of horror. I have always wanted to start a camp fire just hear the crackling of the fire and to feel the warmth.

Next are the sound of high heels on any walking surface. I like the clicking sound. Again, for me as a child, that sound meant an adult woman, a powerful woman, a pretty woman, a successful woman. Funny now that I am able to wear heels I don't wear them that often nor do I like the sound when I have them on. 

I also like the sound of creaking wood such as stairs, doors, floor boards, etc. That sound is cool to me. It reminds me of rustic, old and/or something scary... because apparently almost all horror movies have some kind of old, creaking wood somewhere! 

These are my top four sounds that I love. What sounds do you like? Think about it. You hear possibly thousands of sounds a day there must be one that sticks out to you. It could be a bird, cars, the ocean, almost anything. There are probably more sounds I like but can't think of them at the moment because I'm actually sitting down to write about it (that always happens!). Next time you're out and about, listen up! 

Teenage Wasteland

Ah your teenage years, even at 25 they seem very far, way far in the past already. Events have become a blur but some moments have stayed true in my memory bank. The drama of those years are, what I believe, shape us into the adults we eventually become. All the stupid or smart decisions curve our future and our personalities. I can honestly say I don't miss those teenage years too much, but I do remember while being a teenager adults saying how annoying teens are in general or how they have no regard for anything. It felt like being a teenager was being a different species, as if for about 7 years teens are out casted from humanity. Come back when you hit twenty!

I never understood why adults seemed to feel this way until most recently. I went to the movies on Saturday with my boyfriend, which of course like all generations is a hang out haven for pre-teens and teens. We buy our tickets, find our theater and before the movie starts I head to the restroom. Now it is about 7:15pm, most of the time the movies start getting full after 8pm but for some reason there was a long line in the women's restroom! I've also never understood why girls/women need to flock to the bathroom together... Anyway, a group of 5 girls were in front of me, chit chatting, giggling, talking about "officially going out with a guy,"not paying attention, and holding up the line. One of the girls from the group goes to use a stall. Someone else steps out of their stall indicating "I'm done!" so that usually means step right up to whoever is next in line. The remaining 4 girls in front of me continue to stand in line talking, I finally ask if they are waiting in line. First they give me an annoyed look and say "No we're not waiting." Then why are you in line????? The women behind me were also frustrated with the teenage hen group because it is unnecessary to stand in line when you have no intention of using the restroom and holding up the line! What bothered me the most was the attitude. When I went to wash my hands and heading out of the restroom is when the waiting group says "I'm going to wait outside."

Something that is irritating is paying $20 for a movie, a rated R movie that somehow teens get into and ruin. I'm paying to watch a horror movie, for example, to be scared, to have fun, but it's not as fun when you have teenagers laughing at inappropriate moments or yelling across the theater making "jokes" or talking really loud to their friends. Even as a teenager I hated when others acted that way during a movie. I don't remember being that way with my friends, but maybe we were. Maybe it's a phase that everyone has to go through because you can get away with it.

Nothing beats seeing a teenager at the mall or anywhere really carrying a designer purse and expensive phones. Why? Teens don't need these things. I didn't know nor care for designer anything when I was 13 or 17 years old because it didn't matter. Every generation seems to be getting spoiled more than the previous.

Thinking this way makes me feel old or maybe just intolerant because that's the way I feel. I have no patience for this kind of behavior. With new technology comes different generations and different "teenager breeds." We better hold on tight!

Rainy Monday

Being a Floridian you would think I am used to the rain... not so much. The rain in Florida particularly in Miami is just plain annoying. There is no other word for it. Annoying!

I have, what I like to call, an irrational anger towards rain. Every time it rains (unless I'm being lazy at home) it gets me so angry. Why? Rain ruins everything. It ruins a day out. Everything gets wet and cold, your shoes get soaked to the point that your feet are like prunes. Umbrellas do not really do anything neither do ponchos. Perfect example: last Thursday my boyfriend, his friend and I went down to Key West to take out his new flats boat. The day started out beautiful, clear, sunny. Once noon hit BAM! it started to rain little by little then it just poured. We were still in the boat with this down pour, everything got soaked including us and I did not wear a bathing suit, I was wearing cotton which you know does not dry like the swimsuit material. Naturally, when it pours it gets cold. I was in a tank top and with all of our towels soaked through there was nothing to keep me warm or dry. I was so pissed! I was angry because I was soaked through and cold but also because it cut our day short.

Rain makes running errands even more of a hassle. I try to make running errands as fun as possible however when the rain rains on my parade it just sucks. Your merchandise gets wet, you can't leave the mall or the supermarket because it is literally hurricane rain that is pouring down on us. It rains so hard that it creates small floods.

Rain also disrupts the laundry process. I own a washer and dryer but dryers do use up quite a bit of electricity thus I line dry larger pieces such as comforters, towels, sheets, etc. When rain is on the horizon it's a bit difficult to line dry; to that I'd like to add that in consequence rain is also expensive because the rain does not allow me to line dry it means I have to use the dryer which increases my light bill.

Rain also causes leaks, which is the worst. You know what that means, more expenses!

Let's say you make an expensive, exciting trip to Disney World or Universal Studios, but hey guess what, it rains! Do you know how irritating it is to be at the happiest place on Earth and it rains the whole time? You spend time and money planning these trips for it to just endlessly rain. Most of the time it rains all day in this endless drizzles that may not seem like a lot of rain but let me tell you it is. You have to resort to ponchos that are not comfortable and somehow get you wet too.

Of course, I really have to be girly about this comment and say that rain also ruins your hair, your clothes, your shoes, your make-up; it's a girl's worse nightmare. You'd think by now I would have bought a proper rain coat or rain boots... nope! Never owned a pair in my 25 years as a Floridian, probably never will. It seems like our summer this year is going to be a hot one which also means a lot of rain. Daily afternoon showers, random hurricane rain, gusts of wind, thunder storms and more ruining of days.

In conclusion to this angry rant, rain is just annoying, expensive, a day wrecker, wet and cold. Although I will stand that it is great for the environment, it is not good for my day.

Tip of the Week

This week I'm wearing Essie Come Here! Yes, it's really called Come Here! with an exclamation point hehe. The color as always is awesome. To me Essie never seems to fail. Their colors are glossy and have great pigment.
This color is from their new spring collection, I believe; I'm not sure because at the beauty supply there are so many colors and collections by the time I arrive at home I forgot what collections they are from. The point is, this is an orange based color; great for spring but for me best for summer! Definitely a repeat in color for this summer.
Oh! This color looks very cute on toes!!

Nugget Wars

Almost everyone likes chicken nuggets; kids and adults alike. I know I'm one of them! The question is, who has the best chicken nuggets in the fast food chains?? I am going to stick to the famous trio: McDonalds. Burger King or Wendy's.

So to refresh your memory here is what they look like:

McDonalds:

Burger King:

Wendy's:

I do enjoy some good fast food nuggets, so here is my run down on my personal favs of the famous trio.

McDonalds: Growing up these were my absolute favorite nuggets. Something about their texture especially when drenched in sweet and sour sauce...but only the sweet and sour sauce from McDonalds. As a kid, these were the only nuggets I would have until I started to grow up. I did notice that when I took a bite from the nuggets it did look odd on the inside; it sure didn't remind me of chicken. What is worse, is when McDonalds advertised one year that their chicken nuggets "Now contain REAL chicken breast." What the....???? What was I eating before?! I lost a little respect for that nugget for a long time, but now I'm over it and I eat it from time to time...when I'm not devouring a Big Mac instead!

Burger King: Ok, so Burger King's Whoppers are the bomb, their nuggets not so much. Every time I give their nuggets a chance they just disappoint. The nuggets always taste as though they are literally taken out of the freezer and not fried but microwaved. They always taste soggy, at least to me, maybe it's my luck. Also, does anyone remember when BK nuggets were shaped like crowns???

Now that is just weird. How did they manage to do that? It's already hard to imagine how nuggets are formed/shaped but now they are in crown shape. Do they have a cookie cutter or something?? Just plain weird. 

Wendy's: Alas, Wendy's chicken nuggets. Crispy outside with a tender, juicy center with some honey mustard. Yeah Wendy's takes the crown in nuggets. These are the nuggets that should be shaped like crowns! These nuggets are always satisfying plus they taste pretty darn real or as real as it could get for fast food. The price is always right and you have a choice of getting them spicy. Honey mustard or sweet n' sour are my personal favorite sauces for Wendy's nuggets. They also go well with french fries, side salad, baked potato, frosty, chili and just about anything. I crave these often because they are so good. 

That is my review of the famous trio's nuggets. Until one of them re-invents their nuggets, Wendy's will remain victorious forever! 

"Tip" of the Week

This week I went with a delicate pink. It's from OPI's Oz collection: I Theodora You. In the bottle the pink looks great but I was worried the color would be sheer as I've had many issues with light pinks being too sheer.

However, this pink is very delicate, feminine and not at all sheer. I think it would be nice for a French manicure too. The pink is perfect for everyday wear and day to night wear.

I highly recommend this color!

A Peaceful Moment

Today during my lunch break I went somewhere different. Now I don't mean somewhere different to eat or shop. I decided to pay a visit to my grandma and grandpa at the cemetery. Ironically, my newer job may be far from home but the cemetery is literally 4 minutes away, which in an odd way is home. It's home because a part of me is there with my grandparents.

Cemeteries are usually pronounced wrong (guilty), are found creepy and sad. While I must agree with the latter, they are also surprising peaceful. It's the middle of the week so it was empty, a few scattered people but in the area my grandparents were I was alone. I had eaten a late breakfast at work thus I took the opportunity to get out of the office. I first stopped at Walgreens to pick up a few things one of those being a Word Search puzzle book. I drove to the cemetery and I haven't been there in years... but I still knew the way to the grave. The minute I turned into the cemetery I already felt at peace. I parked and walked to the grave site with the sounds of wind chimes, the gentle breeze blowing, the smell of flowers.

My grandparents are not buried in the ground they are in a wall tomb so to speak, all the way to the top right corner. As I sat down on the bench in front of the wall I began to cry... there are days where it is harder to not have them here. There are days when I need their advice, to maybe just hear their voice. There are days when I need to know they are not disappointed in me and today was one of those days. My grandfather I did not know for long (4 years) because cancer won, but my grandmother I was close to. I remember her but her voice has faded, her mannerisms... I wish I could just hear and see her.

After I let go, I realized how quiet it was, peaceful, beautiful in a way. I took out the Word Search booklet and started. My grandma loved those. We would do them together, she taught me tricks on how to find words faster and it kept the brain sharp. She would go through those books like milk, two books a week probably. I even bought her as a Christmas present a subscription! I felt it was symbolic and appropriate to take a word search to the cemetery. I thought maybe it would be a connection, a link and also I think she'd find it funny. I felt being on my phone would be disrespectful.

In a hectic work day, this peaceful moment was just what I needed. I hope they heard what I had to say, I hope they know how much I love and miss them, I hope there was a connection spiritually that I cannot see.

Food That is Comforting

Comfort food...it's my favorite type of food. It's food I can eat everyday of my life and be content. There are many varieties of comfort food. Many cultures of comfort food. Comfort food is delicious and more importantly, it's food that is comforting.

Today I had a bad day at work. It was the Monday after a long weekend, it was Monday in general and like many people on this Earth, I just don't like my job. Although I listened to my favorite 80s tunes on the way to my 9-5 it didn't stop the morning from crumbling. I set time goals through the work day to make the day go by slightly faster. My first goal is to get to lunch. Ah that glorious hour break from the office. Then after lunch you're half way through. Then comes the 3pm stretch with only two hours to go and usually a snack to accompany it. Finally it's 5! Snatch up your purse and go.

Anyways, I have digressed but that is the point of blogs, right? So as it hit 10:30am I already started thinking about lunch. Since I can't do personal research at work I asked my mom to find one of my favorite foods nearby: Cuban. I was feeling crummy so I thought Cuban food would do the trick. She found a local cafeteria with excellent reviews, sent me the address and when noon hit I was out that door. It took me a while to find this cafeteria but I finally did. When I stepped inside it was a small, quaint restaurant with nice, homey people. I read the specials of the day and saw two of my favorite: Picadillo(a somewhat ground beef hash) and chicharro(split pea soup)! I was very happy. For $7.50 I got a whole plate of food, bread, small cup of soup plus left overs (pictured below)!

The food comforted me in a way I can't explain. The food reminded me of my grandmother, my mom, my culture. It hit the right spot in my stomach and made chemicals in my brain ignite with happiness. The food felt like the hug I needed at that moment from a loved one. That is the true meaning of comfort food...at least to me. Food that hugs you. Food that brings you home. Food that can bright your day or at least an hour of your day even if it's terrible. That is why food that is comforting is my favorite.