After wrapping up the last remaining tidbits in the back of my head for the month of sex, I found myself stumped for blogging topics. Then I came across this post by April, and though I've filled out variations of this before, it's been a while since I've partaken of a meme, and thought I'd see if I could warm back up to the blogging routine by posting this.
So here we are: a list of 99 potential things you've done in your life. I've bolded the ones that I have, and added commentary when applicable :-)
1. Started your own blog -- several, in fact: Grab, Myspace, LiveJournal, Blogger, Tumblr, and here.
2. Slept under the stars -- yes, but not by choice-- during Army field training exercises.
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney -- both Disneyland and California, and Disney World in Florida.
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice -- and it's true what they say about the canals of Venice-- smelly!
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language -- well, learned in school. I don't think that counts as "teaching myself", though.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing -- again, though, not by choice. Army training again ;-)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted -- well, do caricatures count? ;-)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris -- not quite the top, but halfway. Considering you still got a splendid view of Paris, I'd say this counts ;-P
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling -- no, but would love to dive with sea turtles someday!
52. Kissed in the rain -- brrr! I'd rather be snug indoors, thank you very much :-P
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie -- I tried to audition as an extra for "Sgt. Bilko". They wouldn't let me, for the STUIPDEST reasons! To this day, I refuse to watch the movie out of principle. Boycott!
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class -- I don't think my current gym kickboxing class counts ;-)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching -- would definitely love to!
63. Got flowers for no reason -- no, but that's probably because anyone that knows me knows that I'm not much of a flowers-and-candy type of girl. Although the sentiment is sweet!
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Been sky diving
66. Visited a Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter -- again, Army days ;-) But this was a fun ride, with the pilot trying to scare us with some more daring maneuvers
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy -- *a* toy? Try several! Some of them my son has now inherited :-)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job -- does a layoff count?
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone -- dislocated pinky. Never fixed. Sticks out an an angle now. Love squicking hubby out with it whenever he annoys me :-D
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car -- my 1998 Plymouth Neon. Got it in Augusta, GA
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper -- do school papers count?
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Gotten a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
La Maison des Tortues: One third of the "heckled trio" writes...
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Wrapping up the Month of Sex
I haven't been blogging much lately, but the few recent posts have sort of gotten away from the "month of sex" theme that I fully intended to finish. There were a few bits and pieces from John's comment that I wanted to write about-- I figured that since many were ideas too small to dedicate a whole blog post to, they were just the right size for sprinkling several together into one post :-)
First up: lingerie. I personally agree with John's assessment that it's a waste. The whole point of lingerie is that it will be taken off very soon. Why spend money on something that, when used for its intended purpose, is only going to be worn for a few minutes? If I know most men, the same effect can be achieved by a woman's strutting around in her birthday suit-- much more cost, time and space-effective, too! ;-)
Location: what's the wildest/wackiest place you've ever done it? For me, it would be places like my office... or my car. Once when the car was parked in a parking garage, and once when we were on the road-- although, as you can imagine, driving kind of limits what you can do. Still, when a van passed us in the next lane, let's just say he found himself not in a hurry to pass us anymore!
Positions: I have learned that these truly depend on people's bodies, and how well they fit together. Before I had my son, doggy-style ranked amongst my favorites. But after I gave birth, something obviously must have changed with the shape of my innards, for I can no longer enjoy it anymore. At best, it's uncomfortable, at worst it's painful. I'm kinda bummed about that, as I remember how much I used to enjoy it, but that's okay, I've moved on to better positions. Namely: woman-on-top. It used to be one of my least favorites, but I've recently learned just how much I can control how I position myself, which in turn led to discovering the right positions that maximize pleasure. So now it ranks as one of my favorties :-) What are your favorites?
Fantasies: I think that anyone who insists they don't have any fantasies has a lot to learn about their sexuality. Obviously, it takes experience and exposure to different ideas in order for your own fantasies to develop, but once ideas take root and start to grow, it adds such a whole new dimension to your sex life. Even just discussing various fantasies with your partner, whether or not they get fulfilled, can be exciting. One of the things that amuses me most is that, when it comes to "conventional" fantasies, my husband and I have our roles reversed-- he's not the one who gets off on the "menage a trois" idea, but I sure am ;-) Do you harbor any fantasies, no matter how small or how outlandish?
Orgasms: If you pay the remotest attention to the stuff that's out there, you'll know that the "female orgasm" is discussed often and is still shrouded in mystery. I have known men who took their women's pleasure quite personally, i.e. if the woman wasn't satisfied, it was an affront to his ego. I think that notion is utterly ridiculous. First of all, your pleasure is not solely your partner's responsibility-- nobody knows your body better than you, you know what works and what doesn't, so either do it yourself, physically guide your partner, or give them verbal feedback on what to do and what to stop.
Second of all, women's bodies are so different and diverse compared to men's. I mean, sure, each man has his own individual preferences, but by and large it's the same-- stimulate penis (esp head) enough, and he's sure to erupt. Women, on the other hand, respond differently to different parts of their delicate bits: some get off on clitoral stimulation, others get off on G-spot stimulation (and let's not even get into trying to *find* this elusive spot in the first place!), others prefer intercourse, some like a combination, and some prefer single sources of stimulation at a time. I guess a lot of that stems from the difference between external and internal genitalia ;-)
From my point of view, orgasm is nice, but it's not the end-all be-all, and it's certainly no reason for a man to beat himself up just because his woman didn't cum during a session. There's lots of aspects of sex to enjoy, things to do that feel good, without necessarily achieving orgasm, and to me, that's much more important.
Finally, I thought I'd link to one of the communities I read on LiveJournal, bad_sex: http://community.livejournal.com/bad_sex/
The name says it all. Some of those stories are so funny, cringe-worthy or even shocking that they make your own minor mishaps look like nothing. (Note: the majority of the posts are locked to members-only, so you'll have to sign in with an LJ account to read them. It's worth it, though!)
So, that about wraps up the month (or two) of sex. I'm sure that sometime in the future another sex-related topic will come up that I just have to write about, but when it does, it'll just be another normal post. For now, I shall conclude the theme and open the floor to you guys. Tell me your stories!
First up: lingerie. I personally agree with John's assessment that it's a waste. The whole point of lingerie is that it will be taken off very soon. Why spend money on something that, when used for its intended purpose, is only going to be worn for a few minutes? If I know most men, the same effect can be achieved by a woman's strutting around in her birthday suit-- much more cost, time and space-effective, too! ;-)
Location: what's the wildest/wackiest place you've ever done it? For me, it would be places like my office... or my car. Once when the car was parked in a parking garage, and once when we were on the road-- although, as you can imagine, driving kind of limits what you can do. Still, when a van passed us in the next lane, let's just say he found himself not in a hurry to pass us anymore!
Positions: I have learned that these truly depend on people's bodies, and how well they fit together. Before I had my son, doggy-style ranked amongst my favorites. But after I gave birth, something obviously must have changed with the shape of my innards, for I can no longer enjoy it anymore. At best, it's uncomfortable, at worst it's painful. I'm kinda bummed about that, as I remember how much I used to enjoy it, but that's okay, I've moved on to better positions. Namely: woman-on-top. It used to be one of my least favorites, but I've recently learned just how much I can control how I position myself, which in turn led to discovering the right positions that maximize pleasure. So now it ranks as one of my favorties :-) What are your favorites?
Fantasies: I think that anyone who insists they don't have any fantasies has a lot to learn about their sexuality. Obviously, it takes experience and exposure to different ideas in order for your own fantasies to develop, but once ideas take root and start to grow, it adds such a whole new dimension to your sex life. Even just discussing various fantasies with your partner, whether or not they get fulfilled, can be exciting. One of the things that amuses me most is that, when it comes to "conventional" fantasies, my husband and I have our roles reversed-- he's not the one who gets off on the "menage a trois" idea, but I sure am ;-) Do you harbor any fantasies, no matter how small or how outlandish?
Orgasms: If you pay the remotest attention to the stuff that's out there, you'll know that the "female orgasm" is discussed often and is still shrouded in mystery. I have known men who took their women's pleasure quite personally, i.e. if the woman wasn't satisfied, it was an affront to his ego. I think that notion is utterly ridiculous. First of all, your pleasure is not solely your partner's responsibility-- nobody knows your body better than you, you know what works and what doesn't, so either do it yourself, physically guide your partner, or give them verbal feedback on what to do and what to stop.
Second of all, women's bodies are so different and diverse compared to men's. I mean, sure, each man has his own individual preferences, but by and large it's the same-- stimulate penis (esp head) enough, and he's sure to erupt. Women, on the other hand, respond differently to different parts of their delicate bits: some get off on clitoral stimulation, others get off on G-spot stimulation (and let's not even get into trying to *find* this elusive spot in the first place!), others prefer intercourse, some like a combination, and some prefer single sources of stimulation at a time. I guess a lot of that stems from the difference between external and internal genitalia ;-)
From my point of view, orgasm is nice, but it's not the end-all be-all, and it's certainly no reason for a man to beat himself up just because his woman didn't cum during a session. There's lots of aspects of sex to enjoy, things to do that feel good, without necessarily achieving orgasm, and to me, that's much more important.
Finally, I thought I'd link to one of the communities I read on LiveJournal, bad_sex: http://community.livejournal.com/bad_sex/
The name says it all. Some of those stories are so funny, cringe-worthy or even shocking that they make your own minor mishaps look like nothing. (Note: the majority of the posts are locked to members-only, so you'll have to sign in with an LJ account to read them. It's worth it, though!)
So, that about wraps up the month (or two) of sex. I'm sure that sometime in the future another sex-related topic will come up that I just have to write about, but when it does, it'll just be another normal post. For now, I shall conclude the theme and open the floor to you guys. Tell me your stories!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
When Little Old Ladies Kick Your Butt...
Last Monday (a week ago) I finally did something I've never had to do before-- joined a gym. I mean, I've always had access to a gym (either through an on-site one through work, in the military, or on a university campus while I was a student) but this is the first time I've actually *paid* for a membership. It's worth it, though, as I'll explain in a moment.
My biggest inspiration comes from my friend Tabitha, who has been on a fitness quest with a weekly accountability report every Wednesday. My secondary inspiration is derived from my own personal goals, which aren't quite as tangible as Tabitha's: 1) get in better shape/health overall and 2) lose the tummy fat before bikini season on our trip to Las Vegas this August!
You would think that because I don't have a very precise goal (e.g. an exact waist size to strive for, or an exact # of pounds to lose), it might make it harder to stay on track, and that's probably true, but one of the main reasons I chose this particular gym was because it offered such a vast array of classes, many of which fit my schedule by being offered in the evenings after work or during lunch. The company discount we get makes it very cost-effective, and you can't beat the location-- it's right across the street from work and a 5 minute walk from home.
I started out Monday with a kickboxing class. I'd never done anything like this before, but it always looked fun on TV/in movies/in Todd's karate class. I kept a moderate pace and focused on learning to do the moves slowly and correctly, rather than trying to deliver powerful kicks using wrong form, which just seems like a good way to ask for injury! I was a little sore the next day, but not nearly as much as I had expected.
Wednesday brought aqua aerobics in the heated pool. The evening was sunny, the instructor lively, and the music fantastic. I figured this was a great way to get some cardiovascular exercise in with minimal joint impact. But I learned something: don't let the peaceful sound of the class name, or the fact that people with special conditions (older people, people with injuries, pregnant women) favor it fool you. I went home and didn't realize how exhausted I was until I flopped onto the couch. And this morning? I was even more sore and achy than I was after the kickboxing class! I'm certain it's because aquatic exercise seems deceptively easy. I knew that kickboxing was going to be tough, so I made a conscious effort to pace myself and not overdo it. But in the water, you don't immediately feel the effects of keeping your body in constant, nonstop motion. It's not immediately obvious just how much resistance the water actually offers. So while going at a moderate pace, I felt like I wasn't really accomplishing anything, and so I pushed myself to go harder (and even then, I was still slower than the other women in my class, all of whom were much older than me). My aching shoulders and legs have taught me not to underestimate aqua aerobics-- it's a lot tougher than it looks!
Thursday I took it "easy" with a nice, moderately-paced swim. Friday I took a break and then Saturday morning I met Tabitha at the gym for their "ripped" class, whose main focus is resistance training. I figured I would need the upper-body and core strength to be able to hold the kickboxing bags. What I didn't figure was just how much it would kick my ass! It was great, though-- an overall total-body workout that really worked my abs and legs. It hurt to sneeze and cough the next day, but it was worth it :-P
I dreaded kickboxing on Monday (yesterday), as I was still pretty sore, but found myself feeling MUCH better after the class, because warming up and using my muscles was the best way to stretch them and reduce the soreness. It was also an immense help that there was another new girl in the class, who had kickboxing experience but hadn't done it in a while. So when we were partnered up, I didn't have to worry about being knocked to the floor everytime she kicked. At the same time she was able to offer some pointers that helped me out, as well :-)
Tonight I'm looking forward to trying their new swim class. I love swimming and am keen on improving my stroke technique. So far I'm really enjoying making use of my new gym membership and exploring the various classes, the combination of which gives me a great total-body workout: some focus on cardio, some on strength and some on endurance. More importantly, they keep me motivated to stick with regular workouts. Unless I'm swimming laps (my preferred form of cardiovascular exercise), I am not fond of working out alone, yet I'm hard-pressed to find someone with similar workout interests and schedule as me. Even hubby, who favors ellipticals and the treadmill (neither of which I particularly like), works out early in the morning, something that just does NOT work for me-- 5 years of doing it with the Army have taught me that I'm an evening/afternoon-workout kind of girl.
Speaking of evening workouts... time to hit the pool :-)
My biggest inspiration comes from my friend Tabitha, who has been on a fitness quest with a weekly accountability report every Wednesday. My secondary inspiration is derived from my own personal goals, which aren't quite as tangible as Tabitha's: 1) get in better shape/health overall and 2) lose the tummy fat before bikini season on our trip to Las Vegas this August!
You would think that because I don't have a very precise goal (e.g. an exact waist size to strive for, or an exact # of pounds to lose), it might make it harder to stay on track, and that's probably true, but one of the main reasons I chose this particular gym was because it offered such a vast array of classes, many of which fit my schedule by being offered in the evenings after work or during lunch. The company discount we get makes it very cost-effective, and you can't beat the location-- it's right across the street from work and a 5 minute walk from home.
I started out Monday with a kickboxing class. I'd never done anything like this before, but it always looked fun on TV/in movies/in Todd's karate class. I kept a moderate pace and focused on learning to do the moves slowly and correctly, rather than trying to deliver powerful kicks using wrong form, which just seems like a good way to ask for injury! I was a little sore the next day, but not nearly as much as I had expected.
Wednesday brought aqua aerobics in the heated pool. The evening was sunny, the instructor lively, and the music fantastic. I figured this was a great way to get some cardiovascular exercise in with minimal joint impact. But I learned something: don't let the peaceful sound of the class name, or the fact that people with special conditions (older people, people with injuries, pregnant women) favor it fool you. I went home and didn't realize how exhausted I was until I flopped onto the couch. And this morning? I was even more sore and achy than I was after the kickboxing class! I'm certain it's because aquatic exercise seems deceptively easy. I knew that kickboxing was going to be tough, so I made a conscious effort to pace myself and not overdo it. But in the water, you don't immediately feel the effects of keeping your body in constant, nonstop motion. It's not immediately obvious just how much resistance the water actually offers. So while going at a moderate pace, I felt like I wasn't really accomplishing anything, and so I pushed myself to go harder (and even then, I was still slower than the other women in my class, all of whom were much older than me). My aching shoulders and legs have taught me not to underestimate aqua aerobics-- it's a lot tougher than it looks!
Thursday I took it "easy" with a nice, moderately-paced swim. Friday I took a break and then Saturday morning I met Tabitha at the gym for their "ripped" class, whose main focus is resistance training. I figured I would need the upper-body and core strength to be able to hold the kickboxing bags. What I didn't figure was just how much it would kick my ass! It was great, though-- an overall total-body workout that really worked my abs and legs. It hurt to sneeze and cough the next day, but it was worth it :-P
I dreaded kickboxing on Monday (yesterday), as I was still pretty sore, but found myself feeling MUCH better after the class, because warming up and using my muscles was the best way to stretch them and reduce the soreness. It was also an immense help that there was another new girl in the class, who had kickboxing experience but hadn't done it in a while. So when we were partnered up, I didn't have to worry about being knocked to the floor everytime she kicked. At the same time she was able to offer some pointers that helped me out, as well :-)
Tonight I'm looking forward to trying their new swim class. I love swimming and am keen on improving my stroke technique. So far I'm really enjoying making use of my new gym membership and exploring the various classes, the combination of which gives me a great total-body workout: some focus on cardio, some on strength and some on endurance. More importantly, they keep me motivated to stick with regular workouts. Unless I'm swimming laps (my preferred form of cardiovascular exercise), I am not fond of working out alone, yet I'm hard-pressed to find someone with similar workout interests and schedule as me. Even hubby, who favors ellipticals and the treadmill (neither of which I particularly like), works out early in the morning, something that just does NOT work for me-- 5 years of doing it with the Army have taught me that I'm an evening/afternoon-workout kind of girl.
Speaking of evening workouts... time to hit the pool :-)
Friday, June 11, 2010
Hairstyles: the Tried and True
I seem to average about 6 months between each haircut visit. I think part of it is because, until a year ago, I've never been able to really find a stylist that truly understands my hair needs. My rants about my failed attempts at finding a good hairstylist filled my blog post on Grab a few years ago: http://blogs.grab.com/hellykwee/105612
But as you can see from my last blog post about a haircut (six months ago), I did eventually find one that I've stuck with ever since: http://heckledtrio.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/new-haircut/
As you can tell from the photos in that blog post, I was well on my way to growing my bangs out. I have had short hair for much of my life, and didn't start growing it out until high school (and even then, my post-high-school years were filled with occasional stints of *really* short hair, which was much easier to maintain in the Army). Throughout all the years, I've always had bangs (aka "fringe" for those of you across the pond). And while I liked them okay, I was always frustrated that I could never do things like wear hats, or get them wet when it's drizzling outside, without ruining them. Naturally I also started wondering what I would look like without bangs. At the very least, it would be less work for me, not having bangs to tame in the morning.
And so my quest began almost exactly 1 year ago-- after our annual 4th of July church campout in 2009, I stopped trimming my bangs. It was hard at first, to resist the temptation to trim them when they got to the stage where they were long enough to fall into my eyes and bother me, yet too short to really push away from my face without immediately falling back again. Fortunately my hair grows relatively fast, and that awkward period soon passed. I discovered that I had to part my hair to the side, or else I'd wind up looking like a 60s hippie. This in turn revealed more gray hairs, which wasn't ideal either.
Nearly a year after growing out my bangs, I realized, after seeing some photos taken of me, that I just couldn't pull off the no-bangs look. I just don't have the right face shape, hairline and hair texture for it. Because my hair is so thick, coarse and straight, I couldn't pull off any sort of hairstyle that entailed pulling my hair back. Which... sucks, as who wants to be limited to having their hair down and loose all the time? This photo illustrates the contrast sharply:
That's me on the left and my friend Tabitha on the right. Notice how although her headband doesn't pull ALL of her hair all the way back, it does push some of it away from her face, and yet the finer texture of her hair allows for nice wisps on the side, softening the often-harsh look of exposing your forehead and sides of your face. Since my hair type is a far cry from that, it's all-or-nothing for me: either it's all pulled smoothly (too smoothly) back or it's all hanging down. No in-between.
So I decided I had to go back to having bangs. I had seen lots of photos (of friends, celebrities and style guides on the web) of people with side-swept bangs, and always thought they looked nice, and served as a nice compromise between my usual blunt-cut bangs and no bangs at all. I thought I would give it a try, and visited my trusty stylist. It was about time for the rest of my hair to be trimmed, anyway-- the growing process is hindered by all those split ends! Here is a photo of me before going in. By this point, I've grown out all of my bangs and attempted to soften the sharpness of a completely blank forehead by brushing some of the hair over it and tucking it behind my ear-- a sort of faux side bangs, if you will:
As soon as the stylist cut my hair, I realized it wasn't going to work. Most people whose photos I've seen and admired had softer, wavy hair-- the type that will stay to the side if you comb it that way (maybe with a bit of styling aid). My hair? Was so coarse and straight that it naturally wanted to fall straight and forward back across my forehead! Which meant that, for the length of bangs needed to make side bangs, this hair was too long, falling in my eyes, and generally bothering me. Here's a shot of what I looked like after my visit to the stylist: if you click on the photo for the larger image, you can already see some wisps of hair falling into my eyes. It would actually be even more if the edge of my glasses weren't keeping that hair at bay! If I had moved my head just slightly, it would've covered my eye. And that's WITH some hair pomade already in it-- can you imagine how much product I'd need to make the hair stay in place? It would end up being just as much work as I used to have with my regular bangs, and I would need so much that it would end up slicking the hair all the way to the side-- in other words, bringing me back to the empty forehead, bang-less look I was trying to mitigate in the first place!
This was on a Friday, and the stylist suggested that I try it out over the weekend. If I didn't like it, I could come in on Monday and she'd fix it at no charge. Well, the weekend came and went, and to keep the dang hair out of my eyes, I kept it pinned back with a bobby pin most of the time at home. This is a shot I took on Saturday, the day after. As you can see, except for the fact that my hair is smoother without split ends, it really doesn't look much different from my first, "before the cut" picture:
So on Monday I trooped back to my stylist and asked her to cut them back into my normal, straight, blunt-cut bangs. Except it wasn't quite back to exactly how I used to have them. Before I grew out my bangs, I didn't have a lot of hair in the bangs to begin with. I never liked the "heavy bang" look and minimized the amount of hair I would put into it. You can't tell from my older photos, but it really is a small amount (it just *looks* heavier because my hair is so thick). I realize now that that was a part of the problem causing my bangs to be unruly-- there wasn't enough there to weigh it down when things like wind or rain came, causing a stringy look.
But because the stylist had to cut further back into my hairline in order to give me "thicker" side bangs (and, in theory, enough hair to make that work), she had no choice but to cut my blunt bangs at the same depth. At first I feared it would be too much, as I've never had bangs that heavy before. But I've come to realize that the added hair and weight actually *helps* keep my bangs tamed. I found more side benefits, too: because I can now go back to parting my hair in the middle, my hair doesn't have the "triangular" effect it did when I had to part them on the side-- i.e. the top had my hair smoothly against my head, only to branch out into poofy, coarse hair at the ends. My hair "fluffiness" looked more even. Better still, since more hair went into my bangs, that meant less hair going into the long lengths = less hair weighing it down = more bounce to it.
So here I am now:
I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It's actually *easier* to maintain these bangs than it was trying to maintain my original blunt bangs throughout all those years. I think part of it is also an improvement in my hair health thanks to the various shampoos and conditioners I've been experimenting with, trying to find one strong enough for my hair... but that's for another blog post.
For now, Helly is back to her original look :-)
And while I'm a bit disappointed to have learned that I'm one of those people who can't pull off a bang-less look, at least I've had a chance to try it, and now I know for sure. Besides, the end result of it was not simply a return to my old look, but an improvement on it-- one that definitely makes my life and my morning routine faster and easier. Hurrah for convenience! :-)
But as you can see from my last blog post about a haircut (six months ago), I did eventually find one that I've stuck with ever since: http://heckledtrio.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/new-haircut/
As you can tell from the photos in that blog post, I was well on my way to growing my bangs out. I have had short hair for much of my life, and didn't start growing it out until high school (and even then, my post-high-school years were filled with occasional stints of *really* short hair, which was much easier to maintain in the Army). Throughout all the years, I've always had bangs (aka "fringe" for those of you across the pond). And while I liked them okay, I was always frustrated that I could never do things like wear hats, or get them wet when it's drizzling outside, without ruining them. Naturally I also started wondering what I would look like without bangs. At the very least, it would be less work for me, not having bangs to tame in the morning.
And so my quest began almost exactly 1 year ago-- after our annual 4th of July church campout in 2009, I stopped trimming my bangs. It was hard at first, to resist the temptation to trim them when they got to the stage where they were long enough to fall into my eyes and bother me, yet too short to really push away from my face without immediately falling back again. Fortunately my hair grows relatively fast, and that awkward period soon passed. I discovered that I had to part my hair to the side, or else I'd wind up looking like a 60s hippie. This in turn revealed more gray hairs, which wasn't ideal either.
Nearly a year after growing out my bangs, I realized, after seeing some photos taken of me, that I just couldn't pull off the no-bangs look. I just don't have the right face shape, hairline and hair texture for it. Because my hair is so thick, coarse and straight, I couldn't pull off any sort of hairstyle that entailed pulling my hair back. Which... sucks, as who wants to be limited to having their hair down and loose all the time? This photo illustrates the contrast sharply:
That's me on the left and my friend Tabitha on the right. Notice how although her headband doesn't pull ALL of her hair all the way back, it does push some of it away from her face, and yet the finer texture of her hair allows for nice wisps on the side, softening the often-harsh look of exposing your forehead and sides of your face. Since my hair type is a far cry from that, it's all-or-nothing for me: either it's all pulled smoothly (too smoothly) back or it's all hanging down. No in-between.
So I decided I had to go back to having bangs. I had seen lots of photos (of friends, celebrities and style guides on the web) of people with side-swept bangs, and always thought they looked nice, and served as a nice compromise between my usual blunt-cut bangs and no bangs at all. I thought I would give it a try, and visited my trusty stylist. It was about time for the rest of my hair to be trimmed, anyway-- the growing process is hindered by all those split ends! Here is a photo of me before going in. By this point, I've grown out all of my bangs and attempted to soften the sharpness of a completely blank forehead by brushing some of the hair over it and tucking it behind my ear-- a sort of faux side bangs, if you will:
As soon as the stylist cut my hair, I realized it wasn't going to work. Most people whose photos I've seen and admired had softer, wavy hair-- the type that will stay to the side if you comb it that way (maybe with a bit of styling aid). My hair? Was so coarse and straight that it naturally wanted to fall straight and forward back across my forehead! Which meant that, for the length of bangs needed to make side bangs, this hair was too long, falling in my eyes, and generally bothering me. Here's a shot of what I looked like after my visit to the stylist: if you click on the photo for the larger image, you can already see some wisps of hair falling into my eyes. It would actually be even more if the edge of my glasses weren't keeping that hair at bay! If I had moved my head just slightly, it would've covered my eye. And that's WITH some hair pomade already in it-- can you imagine how much product I'd need to make the hair stay in place? It would end up being just as much work as I used to have with my regular bangs, and I would need so much that it would end up slicking the hair all the way to the side-- in other words, bringing me back to the empty forehead, bang-less look I was trying to mitigate in the first place!
This was on a Friday, and the stylist suggested that I try it out over the weekend. If I didn't like it, I could come in on Monday and she'd fix it at no charge. Well, the weekend came and went, and to keep the dang hair out of my eyes, I kept it pinned back with a bobby pin most of the time at home. This is a shot I took on Saturday, the day after. As you can see, except for the fact that my hair is smoother without split ends, it really doesn't look much different from my first, "before the cut" picture:
So on Monday I trooped back to my stylist and asked her to cut them back into my normal, straight, blunt-cut bangs. Except it wasn't quite back to exactly how I used to have them. Before I grew out my bangs, I didn't have a lot of hair in the bangs to begin with. I never liked the "heavy bang" look and minimized the amount of hair I would put into it. You can't tell from my older photos, but it really is a small amount (it just *looks* heavier because my hair is so thick). I realize now that that was a part of the problem causing my bangs to be unruly-- there wasn't enough there to weigh it down when things like wind or rain came, causing a stringy look.
But because the stylist had to cut further back into my hairline in order to give me "thicker" side bangs (and, in theory, enough hair to make that work), she had no choice but to cut my blunt bangs at the same depth. At first I feared it would be too much, as I've never had bangs that heavy before. But I've come to realize that the added hair and weight actually *helps* keep my bangs tamed. I found more side benefits, too: because I can now go back to parting my hair in the middle, my hair doesn't have the "triangular" effect it did when I had to part them on the side-- i.e. the top had my hair smoothly against my head, only to branch out into poofy, coarse hair at the ends. My hair "fluffiness" looked more even. Better still, since more hair went into my bangs, that meant less hair going into the long lengths = less hair weighing it down = more bounce to it.
So here I am now:
I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It's actually *easier* to maintain these bangs than it was trying to maintain my original blunt bangs throughout all those years. I think part of it is also an improvement in my hair health thanks to the various shampoos and conditioners I've been experimenting with, trying to find one strong enough for my hair... but that's for another blog post.
For now, Helly is back to her original look :-)
And while I'm a bit disappointed to have learned that I'm one of those people who can't pull off a bang-less look, at least I've had a chance to try it, and now I know for sure. Besides, the end result of it was not simply a return to my old look, but an improvement on it-- one that definitely makes my life and my morning routine faster and easier. Hurrah for convenience! :-)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Handwriting analysis... or, offline blogging ;-)
Been remiss in posting due to the sheer hecticness of my days, and so am taking a quick break from my "month of sex" theme for something a little different. And less risque!
Tabitha blogged some samples of her own handwriting, and I thought it was a nifty thing to do. So here are my samples. This is the information we were supposed to put on it:
Write down the following, snap a picture (or scan the document), post it, and tag others.
1. Name/Blog Name
2. Right handed, left handed or both
3. Favorite letters to write
4. Least favorite letters to write
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
6. Write in caps:
CRAB
HUMOR
KALEIDOSCOPE
PAJAMAS
GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics
8. Tag 7 people
9. Any special note or drawing
A couple of notes before we move onto the scanned pages:
1. Since I doubt as many as 7 people even READ my blog, I left the tagging open-- if you want to follow, I'd love to see your results!
2. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to do this in print or cursive, so I did both. Therefore, you get 2 images :-)
3. Because it's two pieces of paper, you may have to click on the image to enlarge it enough to read it.
4. My mother always maintained that handwriting deteriorates as you get older. Evidently she's right, because my handwriting has definitely gone downhill in recent years. My cursive used to be a lot neater!
What I'm most curious about here is how many people will actually bother to take the time to read my old Grab blog post about the song lyrics. It's not a clickable link, so how many of you will actually type out the URL to read more on which parts of the song I like, and why I like them?
Finally, I leave you with an image captured at Dinotown in Canada, June 2007 (wow, has it really been 3 years!?): me performing the truest form of offline blogging. Pen and notepad to jot down memorable notes that I can later transform into whole blog entries.
Tabitha blogged some samples of her own handwriting, and I thought it was a nifty thing to do. So here are my samples. This is the information we were supposed to put on it:
Write down the following, snap a picture (or scan the document), post it, and tag others.
1. Name/Blog Name
2. Right handed, left handed or both
3. Favorite letters to write
4. Least favorite letters to write
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
6. Write in caps:
CRAB
HUMOR
KALEIDOSCOPE
PAJAMAS
GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics
8. Tag 7 people
9. Any special note or drawing
A couple of notes before we move onto the scanned pages:
1. Since I doubt as many as 7 people even READ my blog, I left the tagging open-- if you want to follow, I'd love to see your results!
2. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to do this in print or cursive, so I did both. Therefore, you get 2 images :-)
3. Because it's two pieces of paper, you may have to click on the image to enlarge it enough to read it.
4. My mother always maintained that handwriting deteriorates as you get older. Evidently she's right, because my handwriting has definitely gone downhill in recent years. My cursive used to be a lot neater!
Et voila (clicky):
What I'm most curious about here is how many people will actually bother to take the time to read my old Grab blog post about the song lyrics. It's not a clickable link, so how many of you will actually type out the URL to read more on which parts of the song I like, and why I like them?
Finally, I leave you with an image captured at Dinotown in Canada, June 2007 (wow, has it really been 3 years!?): me performing the truest form of offline blogging. Pen and notepad to jot down memorable notes that I can later transform into whole blog entries.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A Hairy Situation
Wow. I must apologize for the long delay in posting, it's been an incredibly busy past couple of weeks. What can I say-- the month of May is, without exception, hellishly busy. I was also running out of steam for ideas on what to write about in keeping with my "month of sex" theme. My friend Tabitha came up with a simple topic that spawned all sorts of writing ideas: shaving! And no, I don't mean the face, legs or armpits. It wouldn't really be sex-themed if it were. Unless that sort of stuff turns you on. But... that's not the point of this post :-P
Ah, pubic hair. It's razors for men's faces that get all the marketing attention, but those same razors come in so handy in shaving the nether regions, as well. It seems that these days, shaving is the way to go. I am not surprised. With women's shaving of their legs so commonplace, it makes sense that next up are the naughty bits. After all, hair on the legs is generally not that intrusive, but pubic hair can be a real jungle!
It might surprise some of you to know that I do not shave my legs. I subscribe to the old wives' tale that warns that shaving will lead to thicker, longer growth back. I'm sure many of you might pooh-pooh it, but my mom is living proof. And lest you think her legs are just an anomaly, let me introduce you to my husband, whose tender bits we had to cleanly and closely shave in preparation for his "snip-snip" operation. What do you suppose grew back? Thicker, bushier hair! It really is true!
Now, despite my assertion that the old wives' tale has a ring of truth to it, I still shave my pubic hair. It's already so coarse and bushy to begin with, I might as well. The feeling of cleanness and smoothness afterward is well worth it. Plus it's a lot easier to maintain than leg hair-- there's much less surface area, and I don't really have to shave that often anyway. I find that I can go about 2-3 weeks before I have to trim it all back down again. A 10-pack of razors can be bought for $1 at the dollar store. And a razor usually last me 2 shavings, i.e. approximately 5-6 weeks. So a one-dollar pack of ordinary razors will last a whole year. The shaving itself is no trick, either. I learned the idea from my ex, who used to shave his face in the shower, where, he pointed out, the hot water was good for softening up his skin. So, a few extra minutes in the shower, and voila! Nice smooth skin :-)
Then there are women who shave all but a little patch of hair (always seemed pointless to me-- if you're making the effort, why not clean everything up all at once?), or even more intriguing, those who shave designs into their hair. I've always wondered how they managed the handiwork and the patience to do that. It does look pretty intricate, when done right.
Another thing that has intrigued both me and Allan (though for slightly different reasons) is the process of permanent (via laser) hair removal. Allan only shaves his face twice a week, but even after the first day post-shave, his stubble is irritating enough that I have to be careful when I kiss him. Scratched-up lips are not my idea of fun! It would be sooo convenient if he could just have a permanently smooth face. We've both lamented about it. It would save him that extra work, and we could kiss each other freely whenever we wanted :-) The thought of permanent hair removal between my legs has also crossed my mind. I think at this point it seems like it's a bit too risky for an area that sensitive (not to mention time-consuming, expensive, and no guarantee of how well it would work), but I must admit, the idea is fascinating!
Well, whether it's permanent or ongoing, I'm definitely a big fan of keeping the girly bits clean shaven. Or, at the very least, trimming it close. I don't know, maybe it's because I've been conditioned by the media. Modern-day adult videos almost always feature clean-shaven women. Contrast that with vintage porn from a few decades ago, when women went au naturel. To me it seems... less clean somehow. At the very least, it seems like you run a higher risk of winding up with some unwanted pubic hair in your mouth, yuck! Eating your own head hair is an unpleasant enough experience... seeing pubic hair in the shower is just plain gross... a combination of the two? Ick!
And on that lovely note, I think I shall post this and see what you, dear readers, think of shaving. Do you do it? Do you like it when your partner does? Any interesting side stories?
Ah, pubic hair. It's razors for men's faces that get all the marketing attention, but those same razors come in so handy in shaving the nether regions, as well. It seems that these days, shaving is the way to go. I am not surprised. With women's shaving of their legs so commonplace, it makes sense that next up are the naughty bits. After all, hair on the legs is generally not that intrusive, but pubic hair can be a real jungle!
It might surprise some of you to know that I do not shave my legs. I subscribe to the old wives' tale that warns that shaving will lead to thicker, longer growth back. I'm sure many of you might pooh-pooh it, but my mom is living proof. And lest you think her legs are just an anomaly, let me introduce you to my husband, whose tender bits we had to cleanly and closely shave in preparation for his "snip-snip" operation. What do you suppose grew back? Thicker, bushier hair! It really is true!
Now, despite my assertion that the old wives' tale has a ring of truth to it, I still shave my pubic hair. It's already so coarse and bushy to begin with, I might as well. The feeling of cleanness and smoothness afterward is well worth it. Plus it's a lot easier to maintain than leg hair-- there's much less surface area, and I don't really have to shave that often anyway. I find that I can go about 2-3 weeks before I have to trim it all back down again. A 10-pack of razors can be bought for $1 at the dollar store. And a razor usually last me 2 shavings, i.e. approximately 5-6 weeks. So a one-dollar pack of ordinary razors will last a whole year. The shaving itself is no trick, either. I learned the idea from my ex, who used to shave his face in the shower, where, he pointed out, the hot water was good for softening up his skin. So, a few extra minutes in the shower, and voila! Nice smooth skin :-)
Then there are women who shave all but a little patch of hair (always seemed pointless to me-- if you're making the effort, why not clean everything up all at once?), or even more intriguing, those who shave designs into their hair. I've always wondered how they managed the handiwork and the patience to do that. It does look pretty intricate, when done right.
Another thing that has intrigued both me and Allan (though for slightly different reasons) is the process of permanent (via laser) hair removal. Allan only shaves his face twice a week, but even after the first day post-shave, his stubble is irritating enough that I have to be careful when I kiss him. Scratched-up lips are not my idea of fun! It would be sooo convenient if he could just have a permanently smooth face. We've both lamented about it. It would save him that extra work, and we could kiss each other freely whenever we wanted :-) The thought of permanent hair removal between my legs has also crossed my mind. I think at this point it seems like it's a bit too risky for an area that sensitive (not to mention time-consuming, expensive, and no guarantee of how well it would work), but I must admit, the idea is fascinating!
Well, whether it's permanent or ongoing, I'm definitely a big fan of keeping the girly bits clean shaven. Or, at the very least, trimming it close. I don't know, maybe it's because I've been conditioned by the media. Modern-day adult videos almost always feature clean-shaven women. Contrast that with vintage porn from a few decades ago, when women went au naturel. To me it seems... less clean somehow. At the very least, it seems like you run a higher risk of winding up with some unwanted pubic hair in your mouth, yuck! Eating your own head hair is an unpleasant enough experience... seeing pubic hair in the shower is just plain gross... a combination of the two? Ick!
And on that lovely note, I think I shall post this and see what you, dear readers, think of shaving. Do you do it? Do you like it when your partner does? Any interesting side stories?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Oral Communication
If you'll remember my post introducing the "month of sex" and soliciting idea, John commented with in idea for a topic: oral sex. He even included a funny story of his own, whereby "my mother in law told my wife’s cousin on her wedding day to remember that the mouth can be used for more than kissing/talking" ;-)
My favorite story is a little closer to home-- with my brother-in-law telling his future mother-in-law: "Your daughter likes it in the ear. Every time I try to stick it in her mouth, she turns her head!" Obviously she was unruffled by the comment, as she is now his mother-in-law and has been for many years.
What about you? What funny stories can you share?
While we're on the subject, a comment my friend Scot made on my previous blog entry made me pause and think. He said something to the effect of how only a person with the same equipment as you (i.e. of the same gender) would be able to fully understand how said equipment works/feels, and be able to give you the greatest pleasure (in this case, the best blowjob). Now, on the surface, this may be true, as it's only natural to best understand what you yourself are familiar with/have experience with. This holds true not just for sex, but just about any aspect of your life.
But I think it goes beyond that. If you've trained on the piano all your life, you're naturally going to be better at it than, say, the violin. But that doesn't mean you can't practice just as hard and become equally good on the violin, as well. Now, obviously, it's a little harder for a person to fully empathize with what it's like to possess the "equipment" of the opposite sex. But you can be "trained" in that, can't you? Because the fact is, even though two people of the same gender may possess the same equipment, in reality, no two people are alike. What one woman likes done between her legs is going to be different from what another woman likes. You just can't generalize.
This is where the key comes in: communication. I know it sounds so cliche, but its importance is just as paramount in the bedroom as it is elsewhere in the relationship. My husband may know what works best on his own body, but guess what? It's not so hard to put it into words and convey this information to me. I've learned what to do and what not to do, because we talk about it. We talk about it before sex, during sex or after sex-- there isn't any right or wrong time to discuss it, and it's mutually beneficial. I get to learn what works for my husband, and he gets to enjoy himself fully without wasting time/effort with me doing things that might not be pleasurable for him. The same goes the other way, too. Communication.
Some may view it as an ego thing-- they either don't like being told what to do (or being told that what they are doing doesn't feel good), or they're afraid of hurting the other person's feelings by saying "don't do that, try this". But again, communication in the bedroom is no different from communication outside it. If you're in a committed relationship, you're going to have to get over your trepidation of being honest with your partner (no matter what the topic, be it sex, money, family, etc), and just... open up! And if you don't tell your partner what you do/don't like, how are they ever going to know? How will they ever be able to give you the pleasure they want to?
Which brings me to another topic. They say it's better to give than to receive. I can personally vouch for that. A lot of women have hangups, to one degree or another, about oral sex. When it comes to giving, they don't really like to do it, or they think it's dirty, or maybe they don't actually mind but just see it as some chore they have to get out of the way before proceeding with intercourse. To those women, I gotta say-- you're missing out on a whole lot! Taking the right attitude and taking the time to get to know your man and what he likes will empower you and give you unexpected pleasure. There's nothing quite like working magic with your lips and tongue, tailored to your man's specific likes. It's such a turn on-- an not just for him. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be a turn-on to *give* someone pleasure. It's just as good as receiving it. I believe this holds true on the flip side, as well-- male readers, I'd love to hear from you! Which means that for women: just as it's important to communicate with your man and learn what he likes, it's important to likewise communicate your own likes and desires to him. No point lying there waiting and hoping his fingers/tongue will just happen to hit the right spots-- show him what those right spots are! I'm sure he'd appreciate the feedback, and derive just as much pleasure in pleasing you as you do receiving it. After all, he's not a mind-reader. History has, after all, proven that ;-)
I think I'll get off my soapbox now :-) I guess my bottom line is that being able and willing to freely communicate how exactly your body works to your partner is very important. And that giving pleasure, with genuine enthusiasm and passion, can be quite the turn on, even if you're not touching yourself simultaneously. It basically goes back to those "psychological factors" that Scot and I discussed on my previous blog post. Guess that just further proves that the brain is indeed the most powerful sex organ!
My favorite story is a little closer to home-- with my brother-in-law telling his future mother-in-law: "Your daughter likes it in the ear. Every time I try to stick it in her mouth, she turns her head!" Obviously she was unruffled by the comment, as she is now his mother-in-law and has been for many years.
What about you? What funny stories can you share?
While we're on the subject, a comment my friend Scot made on my previous blog entry made me pause and think. He said something to the effect of how only a person with the same equipment as you (i.e. of the same gender) would be able to fully understand how said equipment works/feels, and be able to give you the greatest pleasure (in this case, the best blowjob). Now, on the surface, this may be true, as it's only natural to best understand what you yourself are familiar with/have experience with. This holds true not just for sex, but just about any aspect of your life.
But I think it goes beyond that. If you've trained on the piano all your life, you're naturally going to be better at it than, say, the violin. But that doesn't mean you can't practice just as hard and become equally good on the violin, as well. Now, obviously, it's a little harder for a person to fully empathize with what it's like to possess the "equipment" of the opposite sex. But you can be "trained" in that, can't you? Because the fact is, even though two people of the same gender may possess the same equipment, in reality, no two people are alike. What one woman likes done between her legs is going to be different from what another woman likes. You just can't generalize.
This is where the key comes in: communication. I know it sounds so cliche, but its importance is just as paramount in the bedroom as it is elsewhere in the relationship. My husband may know what works best on his own body, but guess what? It's not so hard to put it into words and convey this information to me. I've learned what to do and what not to do, because we talk about it. We talk about it before sex, during sex or after sex-- there isn't any right or wrong time to discuss it, and it's mutually beneficial. I get to learn what works for my husband, and he gets to enjoy himself fully without wasting time/effort with me doing things that might not be pleasurable for him. The same goes the other way, too. Communication.
Some may view it as an ego thing-- they either don't like being told what to do (or being told that what they are doing doesn't feel good), or they're afraid of hurting the other person's feelings by saying "don't do that, try this". But again, communication in the bedroom is no different from communication outside it. If you're in a committed relationship, you're going to have to get over your trepidation of being honest with your partner (no matter what the topic, be it sex, money, family, etc), and just... open up! And if you don't tell your partner what you do/don't like, how are they ever going to know? How will they ever be able to give you the pleasure they want to?
Which brings me to another topic. They say it's better to give than to receive. I can personally vouch for that. A lot of women have hangups, to one degree or another, about oral sex. When it comes to giving, they don't really like to do it, or they think it's dirty, or maybe they don't actually mind but just see it as some chore they have to get out of the way before proceeding with intercourse. To those women, I gotta say-- you're missing out on a whole lot! Taking the right attitude and taking the time to get to know your man and what he likes will empower you and give you unexpected pleasure. There's nothing quite like working magic with your lips and tongue, tailored to your man's specific likes. It's such a turn on-- an not just for him. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be a turn-on to *give* someone pleasure. It's just as good as receiving it. I believe this holds true on the flip side, as well-- male readers, I'd love to hear from you! Which means that for women: just as it's important to communicate with your man and learn what he likes, it's important to likewise communicate your own likes and desires to him. No point lying there waiting and hoping his fingers/tongue will just happen to hit the right spots-- show him what those right spots are! I'm sure he'd appreciate the feedback, and derive just as much pleasure in pleasing you as you do receiving it. After all, he's not a mind-reader. History has, after all, proven that ;-)
I think I'll get off my soapbox now :-) I guess my bottom line is that being able and willing to freely communicate how exactly your body works to your partner is very important. And that giving pleasure, with genuine enthusiasm and passion, can be quite the turn on, even if you're not touching yourself simultaneously. It basically goes back to those "psychological factors" that Scot and I discussed on my previous blog post. Guess that just further proves that the brain is indeed the most powerful sex organ!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Do You Take It...
To start things off, I thought I'd share a hilarious little video, which served as the inspiration for my post and its title (NSFW, but then again, I would hope that if you're reading this, you already know it contains risque material ;-) )
If you've read my previous post, you've no doubted noted that one of the toys I talked about was a strapon. I thought I'd elaborate a little more on what I wrote then, and, while we're on the subject, talk about another, closely-related topic.
First off, buttsex.
Within the broad spectrum that the realm of sex and sexual activities encompass, it's the one big unifying factor between men and women. Let's face it-- the way we're built, women will never know what it's like to give, and men will never know what it's like to receive. Surgery notwithstanding, of course ;-P But men and women both have asses. Thus, we both know what it feels like to be touched there, and to take something up there.
Therefore, anal sex is one of the few acts that can truly be shared in a way that few others can be, a sensation that we both have in common, and that can be completely understood by both partners.
Obviously, I'm a big proponent of it ;-) But what was it like for me, personally?
Now, to be honest, my first experience was neither as earth-shattering nor as traumatic as it is for other women. It was more of a "hey, I haven't done this before, let's try it for the heck of it" moment. It wasn't much of a big deal (mostly because that whole episode itself kinda fizzled-- but that's another story), but just having done it and realizing that it didn't hurt and actually felt really nice played a big role in warming me further to the idea.
Since then, I've learned that the single key factor in a successful anal experience (at least, from the receiving point of view) is basic tender loving care. I have a friend who, for a long time, eschewed the idea of buttsex, wouldn't even consider it. Then she met a guy she really fell for, and though he never pushed her for it, she knew it was something he was interested in, and eventually found herself willing to give it a try, just because she loved him so much. To her surprise, she found that it wasn't as bad as she'd always feared.
Which is why I say-- once you've tried it, it opens up a whole new world for you. This is where women have an advantage-- they have one more hole than men in which to take it ;-) It's definitely a different sensation, but can be equally (if not more) pleasurable. And when it's done with the right person, it can be an absolutely amazing experience!
So what does all this have to do with strapons? I think you know by now. And if you don't, then you have a thing or two to learn about Helly and the way her mind works ;-)
It wasn't until I was talking to someone else about the post/the toy that I realized it might be miscontrued as using it on a girl. Umm... no. No, I was talking about role-reversal-- doing a guy from behind with a strapon ;-)
A strapon may just be a fake toy, but when I'm wearing it, it comes amazingly close to feeling like it's a real part of my body. When I first used one, I didn't expect to derive any pleasure out of it, I just expected to have a little fun "turning the tables" on my ex and letting him experience how much fun anal could be. To my utter surprise, I found that I could almost outright *feel* the sensations of going in and out. Obviously it was purely psychological, as there were no actual nerve endings connecting the dildo to my brain (although I supposed double-ended dildos try to make up for that). I think it's akin to the "phantom limb" phenomenon, whereby amputees feel pain or other sensations in their now-missing limbs. It was a most eye-opening experience, and I'm still blown away at how how realistic (and terrific!) it all felt from my end. Highly recommended, ladies-- what better way to add some real dimension to your sex life than by getting a feel for what it's like to be on the giving end? ;-)
Now, I can't speak from a guy's perspective, giving it-- so I'm actually kinda curious-- what's it like for a guy to give? What's the difference between one hole and the other?
If you've read my previous post, you've no doubted noted that one of the toys I talked about was a strapon. I thought I'd elaborate a little more on what I wrote then, and, while we're on the subject, talk about another, closely-related topic.
First off, buttsex.
Within the broad spectrum that the realm of sex and sexual activities encompass, it's the one big unifying factor between men and women. Let's face it-- the way we're built, women will never know what it's like to give, and men will never know what it's like to receive. Surgery notwithstanding, of course ;-P But men and women both have asses. Thus, we both know what it feels like to be touched there, and to take something up there.
Therefore, anal sex is one of the few acts that can truly be shared in a way that few others can be, a sensation that we both have in common, and that can be completely understood by both partners.
Obviously, I'm a big proponent of it ;-) But what was it like for me, personally?
Now, to be honest, my first experience was neither as earth-shattering nor as traumatic as it is for other women. It was more of a "hey, I haven't done this before, let's try it for the heck of it" moment. It wasn't much of a big deal (mostly because that whole episode itself kinda fizzled-- but that's another story), but just having done it and realizing that it didn't hurt and actually felt really nice played a big role in warming me further to the idea.
Since then, I've learned that the single key factor in a successful anal experience (at least, from the receiving point of view) is basic tender loving care. I have a friend who, for a long time, eschewed the idea of buttsex, wouldn't even consider it. Then she met a guy she really fell for, and though he never pushed her for it, she knew it was something he was interested in, and eventually found herself willing to give it a try, just because she loved him so much. To her surprise, she found that it wasn't as bad as she'd always feared.
Which is why I say-- once you've tried it, it opens up a whole new world for you. This is where women have an advantage-- they have one more hole than men in which to take it ;-) It's definitely a different sensation, but can be equally (if not more) pleasurable. And when it's done with the right person, it can be an absolutely amazing experience!
So what does all this have to do with strapons? I think you know by now. And if you don't, then you have a thing or two to learn about Helly and the way her mind works ;-)
It wasn't until I was talking to someone else about the post/the toy that I realized it might be miscontrued as using it on a girl. Umm... no. No, I was talking about role-reversal-- doing a guy from behind with a strapon ;-)
A strapon may just be a fake toy, but when I'm wearing it, it comes amazingly close to feeling like it's a real part of my body. When I first used one, I didn't expect to derive any pleasure out of it, I just expected to have a little fun "turning the tables" on my ex and letting him experience how much fun anal could be. To my utter surprise, I found that I could almost outright *feel* the sensations of going in and out. Obviously it was purely psychological, as there were no actual nerve endings connecting the dildo to my brain (although I supposed double-ended dildos try to make up for that). I think it's akin to the "phantom limb" phenomenon, whereby amputees feel pain or other sensations in their now-missing limbs. It was a most eye-opening experience, and I'm still blown away at how how realistic (and terrific!) it all felt from my end. Highly recommended, ladies-- what better way to add some real dimension to your sex life than by getting a feel for what it's like to be on the giving end? ;-)
Now, I can't speak from a guy's perspective, giving it-- so I'm actually kinda curious-- what's it like for a guy to give? What's the difference between one hole and the other?
Monday, May 3, 2010
Like, oh my god, I'm like, so gonna...
(Reposted and edited from my Myspace blog 4 years ago)
On New Year's Eve 2005 I joined some of my online friends in a multi-person voice conference over Yahoo. It was a lot of fun-- and since we were all adults in there, things got a bit, well, rowdy at times At one point I brought up a reference to preview clip to this porn movie featuring your stereotypical surfer dude and Valley girl. Some people got a good laugh out of it, others were mildly amused. Nobody was particularly shocked (or if they were, they sure hid their reaction well!), because most of the people there knew me well enough to know that, quite frankly, my innocent-looking pictures belie the profane mind underneath.
Since then, I've met more friends who have gotten to know this side of me, with mixed reactions (mostly positive, though. I guess just about everyone out there has a dirty mind-- some are just better at denying it than others ;-) )
Anyway, that original conversation (along with ensuing ones in the years after) got me thinking about people who have such hangups about porn. Mainly, I've never really understood people-- women, mostly-- who get jealous or judge their partners for looking at porn. I mean, I can understand if it got to the point of interfering with their normal lives-- that's addiction, and just like any addiction, it's a problem. And the problem lies with the addiction itself, not the substance. But so many women fail to understand that it can be a natural-- and fun!-- part of their sex lives, when used properly. I'd encourage most women to at least give it a chance. They're as much a "toy" as the conventional paraphernalia that comes to mind when we think of "adult toys" (like the stuff in my previous post). I'll be the first to admit that I've gotten some of my best ideas from adult movies. Sometimes it can be fun to watch with your partner and try out new things you see. And it has non-sexual value, too-- sometimes you can just kick back and enjoy a good laugh at some of the wackier things on the screen (or the incredibly poor acting).
Even if a woman has absolutely no interest in it, I don't understand why she would begrudge her partner his viewing it. If it's a normal, healthy relationship she shouldn't feel threatened by it. The only time I get "mad" at my husband for watching porn is if he comes across a really good clip he knows I'll like and doesn't share it with me ;-) But seriously-- just because a man watches it doesn't necessarily mean that he has no interest in his partner, or isn't attracted to her anymore. I wish more women would realize this and not be such sticks in the mud about it.
And in case you were wondering, the title of my blog entry stemmed from the Valley girl/surfer dude scene-- at the point of climax, the girl broke out in full Valley dialect, while the guy? There aren't any appropriate letters in the alphabet to express the garbled sounds he was making-- you just had to hear it. And see it. I thought he was having a seizure! See? Much comic value in unexpected places! :-D
(original post from Jan 5, 2006 (along with ensuing comment hilarity) is here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=74957761)
On New Year's Eve 2005 I joined some of my online friends in a multi-person voice conference over Yahoo. It was a lot of fun-- and since we were all adults in there, things got a bit, well, rowdy at times At one point I brought up a reference to preview clip to this porn movie featuring your stereotypical surfer dude and Valley girl. Some people got a good laugh out of it, others were mildly amused. Nobody was particularly shocked (or if they were, they sure hid their reaction well!), because most of the people there knew me well enough to know that, quite frankly, my innocent-looking pictures belie the profane mind underneath.
Since then, I've met more friends who have gotten to know this side of me, with mixed reactions (mostly positive, though. I guess just about everyone out there has a dirty mind-- some are just better at denying it than others ;-) )
Anyway, that original conversation (along with ensuing ones in the years after) got me thinking about people who have such hangups about porn. Mainly, I've never really understood people-- women, mostly-- who get jealous or judge their partners for looking at porn. I mean, I can understand if it got to the point of interfering with their normal lives-- that's addiction, and just like any addiction, it's a problem. And the problem lies with the addiction itself, not the substance. But so many women fail to understand that it can be a natural-- and fun!-- part of their sex lives, when used properly. I'd encourage most women to at least give it a chance. They're as much a "toy" as the conventional paraphernalia that comes to mind when we think of "adult toys" (like the stuff in my previous post). I'll be the first to admit that I've gotten some of my best ideas from adult movies. Sometimes it can be fun to watch with your partner and try out new things you see. And it has non-sexual value, too-- sometimes you can just kick back and enjoy a good laugh at some of the wackier things on the screen (or the incredibly poor acting).
Even if a woman has absolutely no interest in it, I don't understand why she would begrudge her partner his viewing it. If it's a normal, healthy relationship she shouldn't feel threatened by it. The only time I get "mad" at my husband for watching porn is if he comes across a really good clip he knows I'll like and doesn't share it with me ;-) But seriously-- just because a man watches it doesn't necessarily mean that he has no interest in his partner, or isn't attracted to her anymore. I wish more women would realize this and not be such sticks in the mud about it.
And in case you were wondering, the title of my blog entry stemmed from the Valley girl/surfer dude scene-- at the point of climax, the girl broke out in full Valley dialect, while the guy? There aren't any appropriate letters in the alphabet to express the garbled sounds he was making-- you just had to hear it. And see it. I thought he was having a seizure! See? Much comic value in unexpected places! :-D
(original post from Jan 5, 2006 (along with ensuing comment hilarity) is here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=74957761)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
On Toys
In the process of soliciting ideas for posts, I received a number of fabulous suggestions. Where to start? :-) Tabitha mentioned talking about my favorite (and least favorite) toys. Sounds like a good a place as any to start!
When it comes down to it, my basic thought is: I'd rather have the "real deal" than something fake. Toys tend to be cold (brr!) and, in the case of battery-operated devices, too hard for comfort. Yes, there really is such a thing :-P It is also why I prefer a nice "soft" rubber/gel dildo to a vibrator. Besides, if I wanted vibrations I could just put my phone on silent mode and stick it down there ;-P
However. This doesn't mean that you can't have fun with them. There's a sufficient variety of toys out there that there's always something for someone, right?
Here's a few I've used over the years:
One toy I ended up enjoying more for hygienic purposes was a hollow pink dildo full of holes, attached to some tubing that was meant to be screwed onto a shower. Turn the water on, and you have a very pretty sprinkler-like effect. Shove it where the sun don't shine, and you've got an instant enema. First time I ever used it, the side effect of always having to rush to the toilet afterward was more amusing than anything. Never got any erotic pleasure out of it, but man, did it clean you out! And when you're doing other things up there, it's prudent to keep clean, and that little thing did the trick ;-)
I also had double-headed dildo, gel-like in appearance. A friend once relayed a story about how she and her husband used one simultaneously-- each taking one end while they faced each other. They had a lot of fun with it. Me, I once tried folding my double-edged sword in half and using both heads simultaneously on myself. It was the closest I'd ever gotten to trying DP. Wasn't too successful, probably because I ended up laughing too much at how funny it looked and how lame my attempts were (hey! that thing was stiff and not very easy or wieldy to bend!), but hell-- that's the best part, isn't it? Being able to laugh and be silly and have FUN :-D
Finally, my favorite toy of all: the famous (infamous?) Vac-U-Lock strapon. At the time, it was just about the only strapon you could get. It was rather expensive, and limited in the variety of attachments you could put on it. But hey, this was 10 years ago, I'm sure things have changed in the world of strapons today. More variety, cheaper prices. Time to go shopping, methinks! And no matter what, it's very handy for, uh, turning the tables. Resulting in a surprisingly unique experience, too! Though I think I'll save that for another post, so be sure to stay tuned!
Then there's the ultimate, most expensive toy. It is warm, just the right size, and cannot be surpassed in realism. What do you suppose it is? Why none other than my very own human dildo, aka hubby! :-D (that reminds me of something I've always wanted to try-- one of those mold-your-own-penis kits. How's that for keeping it as realistic (and therefore, easier to use) as possible?)
Hmm... I'm a vaguely disappointed to read back on this and realize that I haven't really used all that many toys. Perhaps I should remedy that. What about you, dear readers? What are your favorites?
When it comes down to it, my basic thought is: I'd rather have the "real deal" than something fake. Toys tend to be cold (brr!) and, in the case of battery-operated devices, too hard for comfort. Yes, there really is such a thing :-P It is also why I prefer a nice "soft" rubber/gel dildo to a vibrator. Besides, if I wanted vibrations I could just put my phone on silent mode and stick it down there ;-P
However. This doesn't mean that you can't have fun with them. There's a sufficient variety of toys out there that there's always something for someone, right?
Here's a few I've used over the years:
One toy I ended up enjoying more for hygienic purposes was a hollow pink dildo full of holes, attached to some tubing that was meant to be screwed onto a shower. Turn the water on, and you have a very pretty sprinkler-like effect. Shove it where the sun don't shine, and you've got an instant enema. First time I ever used it, the side effect of always having to rush to the toilet afterward was more amusing than anything. Never got any erotic pleasure out of it, but man, did it clean you out! And when you're doing other things up there, it's prudent to keep clean, and that little thing did the trick ;-)
I also had double-headed dildo, gel-like in appearance. A friend once relayed a story about how she and her husband used one simultaneously-- each taking one end while they faced each other. They had a lot of fun with it. Me, I once tried folding my double-edged sword in half and using both heads simultaneously on myself. It was the closest I'd ever gotten to trying DP. Wasn't too successful, probably because I ended up laughing too much at how funny it looked and how lame my attempts were (hey! that thing was stiff and not very easy or wieldy to bend!), but hell-- that's the best part, isn't it? Being able to laugh and be silly and have FUN :-D
Finally, my favorite toy of all: the famous (infamous?) Vac-U-Lock strapon. At the time, it was just about the only strapon you could get. It was rather expensive, and limited in the variety of attachments you could put on it. But hey, this was 10 years ago, I'm sure things have changed in the world of strapons today. More variety, cheaper prices. Time to go shopping, methinks! And no matter what, it's very handy for, uh, turning the tables. Resulting in a surprisingly unique experience, too! Though I think I'll save that for another post, so be sure to stay tuned!
Then there's the ultimate, most expensive toy. It is warm, just the right size, and cannot be surpassed in realism. What do you suppose it is? Why none other than my very own human dildo, aka hubby! :-D (that reminds me of something I've always wanted to try-- one of those mold-your-own-penis kits. How's that for keeping it as realistic (and therefore, easier to use) as possible?)
Hmm... I'm a vaguely disappointed to read back on this and realize that I haven't really used all that many toys. Perhaps I should remedy that. What about you, dear readers? What are your favorites?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Strippers: Male or Female?
I've gotten some interesting feedback on my previous post, in which I announce my upcoming collection of sex-related posts. If you haven't stopped by to offer your ideas and suggestions, please do!
Some of my entries will be re-posts of stuff I've written before-- such as this one.
To start it off, I thought I'd begin with a fairly tame (comparatively speaking!) topic: strippers. Specifically, in the male form vs female form sense. This old cartoon from the "Luann" comic strip reflects the post quite nicely:
A long time ago, my friend Lisa blogged about strippers and how she'd prefer to see a female stripper rather than a male stripper. She wanted to know if that made her weird. I thought about it, and I decided that no, she isn't weird and that yes, I agree with her way of thinking.
Now, don't get me wrong-- I can appreciate some good male eye candy as much as the next red-blooded heterosexual female. But when it comes to the fluid motion of a writhing stripper, the female form has a certain elegance that no man can rival. I mean, a woman has all these curves in all the right places, which make her and her dancing easy on the eyes. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and each has unique attributes that can be showcased nicely as she disrobes around the strip pole. A male stripper? Well, he'd better have a six-pack and buns of steel or he isn't going to attract many whistling viewers. (That's not to say that *I* personally am a fan of the muscled, rock-hard body, but the fact is, most women, and hence, most paying customers, are.)
I don't know-- maybe it's the fact that the female body, in all its femininity, is softer and more pleasing to the eyes. Or maybe it's the fact that there's more variety to look at. Maybe this variety allows women to dance in a number of versatile ways and still project sexiness. A man gyrating his hips and tossing his head back in a similar fashion... I dunno, that just sounds silly. It would seem that for a male stripper to project this same smoky sexiness, his movement routine would be more limited than a woman's.
All in all, while I wouldn't be averse to a girls' night out at a male strip club, a trip to a female strip club would suit me just as well.
On a side note-- one of the earlier times that hubby and I were in Las Vegas, we hit a fairly classy strip joint, and one of the women came up to us and offered me-- me! not my husband!-- a lap dance. I politely declined, but in retrospect, maybe I should've taken her up on the offer. Just to see what it entails. Perhaps even learn a few moves of my own. And to be able to tip her nicely for being so sweet and friendly :-)
(original post from Feb 8, 2006 (along with ensuing comments), is here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=85892940)
Some of my entries will be re-posts of stuff I've written before-- such as this one.
To start it off, I thought I'd begin with a fairly tame (comparatively speaking!) topic: strippers. Specifically, in the male form vs female form sense. This old cartoon from the "Luann" comic strip reflects the post quite nicely:
A long time ago, my friend Lisa blogged about strippers and how she'd prefer to see a female stripper rather than a male stripper. She wanted to know if that made her weird. I thought about it, and I decided that no, she isn't weird and that yes, I agree with her way of thinking.
Now, don't get me wrong-- I can appreciate some good male eye candy as much as the next red-blooded heterosexual female. But when it comes to the fluid motion of a writhing stripper, the female form has a certain elegance that no man can rival. I mean, a woman has all these curves in all the right places, which make her and her dancing easy on the eyes. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and each has unique attributes that can be showcased nicely as she disrobes around the strip pole. A male stripper? Well, he'd better have a six-pack and buns of steel or he isn't going to attract many whistling viewers. (That's not to say that *I* personally am a fan of the muscled, rock-hard body, but the fact is, most women, and hence, most paying customers, are.)
I don't know-- maybe it's the fact that the female body, in all its femininity, is softer and more pleasing to the eyes. Or maybe it's the fact that there's more variety to look at. Maybe this variety allows women to dance in a number of versatile ways and still project sexiness. A man gyrating his hips and tossing his head back in a similar fashion... I dunno, that just sounds silly. It would seem that for a male stripper to project this same smoky sexiness, his movement routine would be more limited than a woman's.
All in all, while I wouldn't be averse to a girls' night out at a male strip club, a trip to a female strip club would suit me just as well.
On a side note-- one of the earlier times that hubby and I were in Las Vegas, we hit a fairly classy strip joint, and one of the women came up to us and offered me-- me! not my husband!-- a lap dance. I politely declined, but in retrospect, maybe I should've taken her up on the offer. Just to see what it entails. Perhaps even learn a few moves of my own. And to be able to tip her nicely for being so sweet and friendly :-)
(original post from Feb 8, 2006 (along with ensuing comments), is here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=85892940)
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Month of Sex
This month, our pastor is doing a series called "A Month of Sex". So far, the sermons have been run-of-the-mill "save it till marriage" stuff, although our pastor at least offers a more enlightened view in that once you're married, there are no holds barred on your bedroom antics! ;-) Made for a lot of winks and nudges between me and hubby in the theater :-D
Last night I was perusing some of my older blog entries on Blogger and Myspace, and had a good laugh at some of the more risque ones. Granted, at the time, which was the height of my blogging days, the comments sections often ran away with more innuendo and hilarity than the original post, but both were fun to re-read just the same.
So I thought I would likewise start a blog series here with a similar theme-- "A Week of Sex". Or two, depending on how much I wind up writing about. Only instead of making it to a Biblical focus the way it's going on in church this month, I want to write about *anything* related to sex. For example, I've already decided to re-post some of my older entries (many from 3-4 years ago) here, so I've got a few topics, such as strippers (and why I'd prefer to see a woman on stage instead of a man) and adult movies (where I question women's hangups with it), in mind already, as a start.
This is where you, dear readers, come in. Despite what some of you may know about me, I can't come up with all the topics by myself. I need ideas. I need inspiration. I need good blog fodder, and I'm opening this up to your suggestions. I know a lot of you (especially my email subscribers) read this but don't comment, so I'm inviting you out of the woodwork now. What should I write about it? Any suggestions are welcome, at any level of detail.
Don't be shy-- let's make this a concerted effort! :-)
Last night I was perusing some of my older blog entries on Blogger and Myspace, and had a good laugh at some of the more risque ones. Granted, at the time, which was the height of my blogging days, the comments sections often ran away with more innuendo and hilarity than the original post, but both were fun to re-read just the same.
So I thought I would likewise start a blog series here with a similar theme-- "A Week of Sex". Or two, depending on how much I wind up writing about. Only instead of making it to a Biblical focus the way it's going on in church this month, I want to write about *anything* related to sex. For example, I've already decided to re-post some of my older entries (many from 3-4 years ago) here, so I've got a few topics, such as strippers (and why I'd prefer to see a woman on stage instead of a man) and adult movies (where I question women's hangups with it), in mind already, as a start.
This is where you, dear readers, come in. Despite what some of you may know about me, I can't come up with all the topics by myself. I need ideas. I need inspiration. I need good blog fodder, and I'm opening this up to your suggestions. I know a lot of you (especially my email subscribers) read this but don't comment, so I'm inviting you out of the woodwork now. What should I write about it? Any suggestions are welcome, at any level of detail.
Don't be shy-- let's make this a concerted effort! :-)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Eating Healthfully and Frugally
Ever since the day I played SAHM a couple weeks ago, I've decided that the kitchen is no longer the alien, enemy domain I had always regarded it as. I enjoyed being inspired by recipes I encountered not only in cookbooks and cooking magazines, but home decorating magazines, Reader's Digest, random blogs and other places on the Web. I enjoyed shopping for wholesome, fresh ingredients while planning those meals. And I enjoyed puttering around the kitchen, experimenting, trying different things, trying new things, learning from my mistakes.
As many busy households are prone to do, we found ourselves ordering takeout far more often than we liked. Instead of the occasional weekend treat, it was starting to become a staple. Not only was that less healthful all around, but it was definitely making a dent in our pocketbook! You wouldn't think it made that much of a difference, but a few dollars here, a few buck there, and it starts adding up! Trust me, I settle the bills every month, I see it all!
Now we're making a more conscientious effort to eat fresh, home-cooked meals as often as possible. And since I've discovered a newfound enjoyment in the process, I thought it might be a good idea to start cataloging some of my experiments. So I started up a food/cooking blog:
http://lycheesilk.blogspot.com
If you're wondering about the name, read the "About" section of the blog to learn more :-)
Chronicling the various culinary adventures was fun enough, if only to log the various things I'd tried, for future reference. Blogging about my newest creations keeps the motivation going. Then I discovered another motivating factor: breaking down the actual cost of each meal. It's amazing how cost-effective cooking at home can be! I mean, it's always been a given that it's cheaper than eating out, but I never truly realized just how MUCH you save. $5-7 for a home-cooked meal that serves all 3 of us (plus usually enough left over for Todd's lunch at school the next day)? You'd have to order solely off the dollar menu at McDonald's in order to get 3 meals out of that amount of money. And we all know how nutritious McDonald's is :-P
This afternoon Todd came home early, feeling ill and running a fever. I had to go home early and work from there while he rested on the couch. And since he would miss his swim lesson that evening, I suddenly had free time to make dinner. This time, instead of planning out recipes and shopping accordingly, I had to make do with what already had in the house. A quick search on the Web for some recipes, and I threw together my own improvisation of barley risotto. Although it wound up more soupy than intended, it still turned out pretty tasty :-9
Here's to more fun with future culinary adventures! And if you have any simple, nutritious, favorite recipes of your own to share, I'd love to hear them!
Bon Apetit!
As many busy households are prone to do, we found ourselves ordering takeout far more often than we liked. Instead of the occasional weekend treat, it was starting to become a staple. Not only was that less healthful all around, but it was definitely making a dent in our pocketbook! You wouldn't think it made that much of a difference, but a few dollars here, a few buck there, and it starts adding up! Trust me, I settle the bills every month, I see it all!
Now we're making a more conscientious effort to eat fresh, home-cooked meals as often as possible. And since I've discovered a newfound enjoyment in the process, I thought it might be a good idea to start cataloging some of my experiments. So I started up a food/cooking blog:
http://lycheesilk.blogspot.com
If you're wondering about the name, read the "About" section of the blog to learn more :-)
Chronicling the various culinary adventures was fun enough, if only to log the various things I'd tried, for future reference. Blogging about my newest creations keeps the motivation going. Then I discovered another motivating factor: breaking down the actual cost of each meal. It's amazing how cost-effective cooking at home can be! I mean, it's always been a given that it's cheaper than eating out, but I never truly realized just how MUCH you save. $5-7 for a home-cooked meal that serves all 3 of us (plus usually enough left over for Todd's lunch at school the next day)? You'd have to order solely off the dollar menu at McDonald's in order to get 3 meals out of that amount of money. And we all know how nutritious McDonald's is :-P
This afternoon Todd came home early, feeling ill and running a fever. I had to go home early and work from there while he rested on the couch. And since he would miss his swim lesson that evening, I suddenly had free time to make dinner. This time, instead of planning out recipes and shopping accordingly, I had to make do with what already had in the house. A quick search on the Web for some recipes, and I threw together my own improvisation of barley risotto. Although it wound up more soupy than intended, it still turned out pretty tasty :-9
Here's to more fun with future culinary adventures! And if you have any simple, nutritious, favorite recipes of your own to share, I'd love to hear them!
Bon Apetit!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Of Soundtracks and Movies
There's something about the senses that affect our memories. There's the obvious, dominant ones such as sight and sound, but the more subtle ones, such as taste and smell, still have powerful effects. So it is with movies-- we tend to remember the dialogue, the characters, the scenery... scarcely noticing the background music. The first time I ever really took note of a movie's soundtrack was with "American Graffiti"-- partly because I had to do a paper on it for my cinema studies class, but also because I particularly enjoyed all of the classic 1950s oldies in that soundtrack. When viewing the movie with the mindframe of paying special attention to the music for the purposes of my cinema paper, I started to appreciate the nuances that music provides to a scene. It really adds to it in the most subtle of ways. The right music can really enhance the movie experience.
And I noticed that with some of my favorite movies, the main "theme" song constantly played in my mind, evoking memories of the movie itself. Some examples:
1. "You've Got Mail"-- this one has a host of favorites, most notably "Dreams" by The Cranberries, but my absolute favorite is "Butterflies in the Subway" by George Fenton:
[audio http://soundtracks.pl/klipy/8.mp3]
This song sets the tone for the movie, as it is both light-hearted and classic in tune-- very fitting for the classy romance story that evolves amongst the scenery of picturesque New York City throughout the varying seasons of the year. It's one of those rare tunes I can listen to over and over again without tiring of it. I enjoy this song so much, in fact, that it is my current ring tone on my cell phone :-)
2. "Toy Story" -- as with many Disney/Pixar movies, Randy Newman's songs feature prominently, and his "You've Got A Friend in Me" is no exception:
[audio http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/6/23/1972260/You27ve20Got20A20Friend20In20Me.mp3]
Again, this light-hearted and fun tune really encompasses the heart of the story-- that no matter what, we'll always be friends. It's catchy to sing and the rendition (as posted here) of both Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett in duet really brings out the soul in the song... and the movie!
3. "Wall-E"-- I'd have to call the theme song to this "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", originally from the "Hello Dolly!" musical:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xwFohvgSqw&NR=1]
What a terrific juxtaposition of both the classic and the futuristic! Not to mention that this song is played so many times throughout the movie-- in the opening scene, and then all throughout, you can hear Wall-E cheerfully humming it as he goes about his chores. And when he's sitting on top of his truck, a silent, closed and plant-holding Eve next to him under the sun, you can hear the tune play as he spins his wheels. After watching Wall-E, I found myself humming this tune everywhere I went-- clearly, I had Wall-E on the brain :-)
4. "Ratatouille" -- what better song to associate with this movie than a lovely French one about food? Namely: "Le Festin", sung by Camille:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzF15Qgaa0]
This song perfectly captures the essence of Paris, and of the movie-- romance and good food. It evokes all the charm that surrounds the glittering view of Paris, and its food references evoke an appetite as much as the movie itself does! Singing it, as I was prone to often do after watching this, transported me to this world where romance and good food are intertwined... the two definitely go hand in hand! Yum!
5. Over the Hedge-- in a movie where the animal antics revolve around stealing food from the humans, Ben Folds' "Heist" is exceedingly appropriate:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMaGgNpz6mk]
This is one of those upbeat tunes that goes perfectly with a compilation of scene snippets designed to compactly showcase the animals' pilfering activities throughout the week. Its lyrics capture the essence of this heist in the middle of the story: descriptions of a magical world with resplendent and endless sources of food ("what you take magically regenerates"), and a selfish kind of teamwork ("you scratch my back, I'll scratch my back too"). Again, I found myself singing this frequently after watching the movie a few times, and envisioning all the woodland creatures scurrying about. I'll never look at a suburban raccoon or squirrel the same way again after this!
So there you have it-- some of my favorite movie songs. The ones that come to mind often and really fit the corresponding movie well.
How about you? What are some of your soundtrack favorites?
And I noticed that with some of my favorite movies, the main "theme" song constantly played in my mind, evoking memories of the movie itself. Some examples:
1. "You've Got Mail"-- this one has a host of favorites, most notably "Dreams" by The Cranberries, but my absolute favorite is "Butterflies in the Subway" by George Fenton:
[audio http://soundtracks.pl/klipy/8.mp3]
This song sets the tone for the movie, as it is both light-hearted and classic in tune-- very fitting for the classy romance story that evolves amongst the scenery of picturesque New York City throughout the varying seasons of the year. It's one of those rare tunes I can listen to over and over again without tiring of it. I enjoy this song so much, in fact, that it is my current ring tone on my cell phone :-)
2. "Toy Story" -- as with many Disney/Pixar movies, Randy Newman's songs feature prominently, and his "You've Got A Friend in Me" is no exception:
[audio http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/6/23/1972260/You27ve20Got20A20Friend20In20Me.mp3]
Again, this light-hearted and fun tune really encompasses the heart of the story-- that no matter what, we'll always be friends. It's catchy to sing and the rendition (as posted here) of both Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett in duet really brings out the soul in the song... and the movie!
3. "Wall-E"-- I'd have to call the theme song to this "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", originally from the "Hello Dolly!" musical:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xwFohvgSqw&NR=1]
What a terrific juxtaposition of both the classic and the futuristic! Not to mention that this song is played so many times throughout the movie-- in the opening scene, and then all throughout, you can hear Wall-E cheerfully humming it as he goes about his chores. And when he's sitting on top of his truck, a silent, closed and plant-holding Eve next to him under the sun, you can hear the tune play as he spins his wheels. After watching Wall-E, I found myself humming this tune everywhere I went-- clearly, I had Wall-E on the brain :-)
4. "Ratatouille" -- what better song to associate with this movie than a lovely French one about food? Namely: "Le Festin", sung by Camille:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzF15Qgaa0]
This song perfectly captures the essence of Paris, and of the movie-- romance and good food. It evokes all the charm that surrounds the glittering view of Paris, and its food references evoke an appetite as much as the movie itself does! Singing it, as I was prone to often do after watching this, transported me to this world where romance and good food are intertwined... the two definitely go hand in hand! Yum!
5. Over the Hedge-- in a movie where the animal antics revolve around stealing food from the humans, Ben Folds' "Heist" is exceedingly appropriate:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMaGgNpz6mk]
This is one of those upbeat tunes that goes perfectly with a compilation of scene snippets designed to compactly showcase the animals' pilfering activities throughout the week. Its lyrics capture the essence of this heist in the middle of the story: descriptions of a magical world with resplendent and endless sources of food ("what you take magically regenerates"), and a selfish kind of teamwork ("you scratch my back, I'll scratch my back too"). Again, I found myself singing this frequently after watching the movie a few times, and envisioning all the woodland creatures scurrying about. I'll never look at a suburban raccoon or squirrel the same way again after this!
So there you have it-- some of my favorite movie songs. The ones that come to mind often and really fit the corresponding movie well.
How about you? What are some of your soundtrack favorites?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thoughts on SAHM-hood
A while back I remember having a conversation with some friends, other couples, I'm sure... and the conversation somehow turned to careers after kids. I don't remember whom exactly I spoke with, but I do remember indicating that if I could stay home to be with Todd, I would, and they remarked: "Would you really?" i.e. would you really give up your job if you could afford it, in order to do so? I recall being interrupted by something/someone else before I could answer it, so I guess I could say this blog post delves into that question a bit more.
I admit don't have a whole lot of first-hand experience with being a stay-at-home Mom (aka "SAHM"). But I remember when Todd came to live with us full-time, and I remember disliking putting him into day care all day while we worked. He never really took to his new preschool in SB, and while the morning (preschool) portion was fine, the afternoon (day care) portions were not. He always came home dirty and snot-covered, had frequent accidents, rarely finished even half his lunch, and often played by himself in the corner. When he started kindergarten later that year, things weren't much better on the after-school-care front, and I addressed the stay-at-home vs. working-world question in a blog post during that time: http://heckledtrio.blogspot.com/2009/01/stay-at-home-vs-working-world.html (in fact, re-reading that post just now breaks my heart all over again)
Child care, while being the focal point in the discussion of staying at home vs. working, is not the only issue. I've lost count of how many times we've simply heated up frozen dinners or bought take-out because we were too exhausted at the end of the day to cook healthful food. Even some of the home-cooked meals contained some pre-packaged, processed food in the name of efficiency, especially when Todd's activities kept us out so late, getting dinner ready quickly was time-essential. Not only were we spending more than we liked, but we weren't eating very healthfully as a family. Another issue was just time, itself-- because Allan and I work till at least 5pm most days, any after-school activities would have to occur after that time. I must've called a dozen martial arts studios before finding one that offered kid classes that "late"... which enables Todd to attend, but also brings us home much later afterward... and with much less time to enjoy hanging out as a family before the dinner-shower-go-to-bed rush for the little man is upon us. Everything is always so rushed.
Yesterday I got a chance to experience SAHM-hood to a much larger extent than I ever had, because the day consisted of daily chores and errands, rather than a special day off, spent out somewhere with the boy. I discovered at the last minute that Todd's Spring Break lasted through Monday, and he didn't start school again until today. So I took the day off yesterday to hang out with him.
We hit the library for books to keep him entertained, and went grocery shopping for all sorts of healthful meal ingredients. I cooked lunch from scratch, Allan came home from work at noon, and we all enjoyed a hot meal together at home. I cooked dinner as well, and kept the kitchen clean-- an endless process! The meals seem to blend together into one looong timeframe when you include prep, cooking and washing up afterward. No sooner are you done cleaning up after one meal, than it's time to start prepping for the next. Todd helped me clean the house. I helped him with his homework. I folded laundry, though I didn't get a chance to wash the bedding or do the ironing that I'd planned. By 10:30 pm, after having been on full-throttle for 12 hours with only a 20-minute break in the midst of all of it, I had given up.
It was a busy, busy, busy day-- and I didn't even get to spend as much one-on-one time with Todd as I had anticipated... I was too busy with all the household stuff. I was tired by the end of it, but it was a good sort of tired-- I felt that I'd had a productive day. I found that though I worked pretty hard (a lot harder than sitting in front of a computer all day!) I felt good about it. I liked making sure the family had good things to eat. I enjoyed making the meals and cleaning up and generally making a nice, comfortable home for my two boys.
And I could see why being a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs there ever is! I mean, Allan and I work pretty hard balancing both a job and the daily household chores, but it's different somehow. With a 9-to-5 job, once you quit for the day, you leave the office, you leave your work behind you, you wind down at home and don't have to do work or even think about it. But with a SAHM, that distinction does not exist-- the day continues, the chores continue, and you just don't get that sort of break.
Still... I would have to say that yesterday's activities were rewarding enough that my answer still stays the same: if we could afford to, I would be a SAHM. I think the family as a whole would be a lot less stressed. Not to discount our blessings-- having everything: work, school, after-school, home, all in close proximity to each other, working for a flexible company at jobs that aren't terribly stressful themselves, dividing up the chores evenly so they still get done everyday, etc. We're pretty lucky to be where we are with respect to all those factors, period. But I think my penchant for organization lends itself well to the job of running a household, and merely the effect on Todd for one day was noticeable-- such a happy, relaxed kid! Definitely worth it. Maybe someday...
I admit don't have a whole lot of first-hand experience with being a stay-at-home Mom (aka "SAHM"). But I remember when Todd came to live with us full-time, and I remember disliking putting him into day care all day while we worked. He never really took to his new preschool in SB, and while the morning (preschool) portion was fine, the afternoon (day care) portions were not. He always came home dirty and snot-covered, had frequent accidents, rarely finished even half his lunch, and often played by himself in the corner. When he started kindergarten later that year, things weren't much better on the after-school-care front, and I addressed the stay-at-home vs. working-world question in a blog post during that time: http://heckledtrio.blogspot.com/2009/01/stay-at-home-vs-working-world.html (in fact, re-reading that post just now breaks my heart all over again)
Child care, while being the focal point in the discussion of staying at home vs. working, is not the only issue. I've lost count of how many times we've simply heated up frozen dinners or bought take-out because we were too exhausted at the end of the day to cook healthful food. Even some of the home-cooked meals contained some pre-packaged, processed food in the name of efficiency, especially when Todd's activities kept us out so late, getting dinner ready quickly was time-essential. Not only were we spending more than we liked, but we weren't eating very healthfully as a family. Another issue was just time, itself-- because Allan and I work till at least 5pm most days, any after-school activities would have to occur after that time. I must've called a dozen martial arts studios before finding one that offered kid classes that "late"... which enables Todd to attend, but also brings us home much later afterward... and with much less time to enjoy hanging out as a family before the dinner-shower-go-to-bed rush for the little man is upon us. Everything is always so rushed.
Yesterday I got a chance to experience SAHM-hood to a much larger extent than I ever had, because the day consisted of daily chores and errands, rather than a special day off, spent out somewhere with the boy. I discovered at the last minute that Todd's Spring Break lasted through Monday, and he didn't start school again until today. So I took the day off yesterday to hang out with him.
We hit the library for books to keep him entertained, and went grocery shopping for all sorts of healthful meal ingredients. I cooked lunch from scratch, Allan came home from work at noon, and we all enjoyed a hot meal together at home. I cooked dinner as well, and kept the kitchen clean-- an endless process! The meals seem to blend together into one looong timeframe when you include prep, cooking and washing up afterward. No sooner are you done cleaning up after one meal, than it's time to start prepping for the next. Todd helped me clean the house. I helped him with his homework. I folded laundry, though I didn't get a chance to wash the bedding or do the ironing that I'd planned. By 10:30 pm, after having been on full-throttle for 12 hours with only a 20-minute break in the midst of all of it, I had given up.
It was a busy, busy, busy day-- and I didn't even get to spend as much one-on-one time with Todd as I had anticipated... I was too busy with all the household stuff. I was tired by the end of it, but it was a good sort of tired-- I felt that I'd had a productive day. I found that though I worked pretty hard (a lot harder than sitting in front of a computer all day!) I felt good about it. I liked making sure the family had good things to eat. I enjoyed making the meals and cleaning up and generally making a nice, comfortable home for my two boys.
And I could see why being a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs there ever is! I mean, Allan and I work pretty hard balancing both a job and the daily household chores, but it's different somehow. With a 9-to-5 job, once you quit for the day, you leave the office, you leave your work behind you, you wind down at home and don't have to do work or even think about it. But with a SAHM, that distinction does not exist-- the day continues, the chores continue, and you just don't get that sort of break.
Still... I would have to say that yesterday's activities were rewarding enough that my answer still stays the same: if we could afford to, I would be a SAHM. I think the family as a whole would be a lot less stressed. Not to discount our blessings-- having everything: work, school, after-school, home, all in close proximity to each other, working for a flexible company at jobs that aren't terribly stressful themselves, dividing up the chores evenly so they still get done everyday, etc. We're pretty lucky to be where we are with respect to all those factors, period. But I think my penchant for organization lends itself well to the job of running a household, and merely the effect on Todd for one day was noticeable-- such a happy, relaxed kid! Definitely worth it. Maybe someday...
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