Real Simple Solutions

Locking myself at home until I'd gotten enough work done worked for a few hours, but by Saturday evening, when I got a "Hey, I'm hanging out at a really chill housewarming party, you should show up" text, I didn't need a second one to convince me. Never mind I don't really know the person who's house it is, it was out of the house and away from my job search, so I was in.


It ended up being a lot of fun, or at least as much fun as the mental challenge of Scattergories can be when you're pretty bad at it, and the perfect break. Mid-way through the evening however, I spotted something amazing on the bookshelf. This:

I simply could not resist it. But I was a a "party", and hiding in the corner with my nose submerged in even an amazing book, is not something Real Simple would approve of. So I politely asked to borrow it instead, promised to return it within a month's time, and finished it last night, just after the Giants regrettably finished off the 49ers. 


And this my friends, is what I learned/liked/wanted to remember:

1. Cleaning makeup brushes is easy. I should really do it. Seriously. Bacteria. Gross.

2. They recommend a yearly hair moisturizing treatment. I have a bottle of mayonnaise from Trader Joe's that tastes bad. I need to combine these two...


3. Sugar + vaseline makes a great exfoliator for your lips.

4. You can add warm water to a pack of instant oatmeal for a quick facial - leave it on your face 5 to 10 min.

5. Fill an empty flower box with pine cones in the winter, for a seasonally appropriate look. 

6. Use baking soda and warm water to clean of baked-on food. 

7. Freeze berries or grapes to put in cocktails as ice cubes. 

8. Hang a lint roller from your closet door knob.

9. Use a paper towel stand to organize ribbons. 

10. Get a cobbler to add rubber to the bottoms of your shoes to preserve them.

11. Clean jewelry with 1/2 cup of warm water and 3-4 drops of dishwashing liquid. 

12. Use a pumice stone to remove pills from sweaters (I don't understand how this works, but I'll try!). 

13. Make a master list of important dates (birthdays, etc.) for annual reference instead of transferring dates from one calendar to another.

14. Choose onions and garlic with the driest, papery skin. They'll keep for up to 12 months. 

15. Make gift tags for presents from seasonal cards. 

16. Swirl spinach in salt water to clean it.

17. String lights on a Christmas tree starting at the bottom, and going up vertically, and then won, then up again, etc.

18. Add 1/2 cup vinegar to your bath to moisturize your skin, and simultaneously clean your tub.

19. Loved their list of desk-drawer essentials.

20. Twist-tie cords together/to themselves.

21. Things you can put in your dishwasher: the sink stopper and your hairbrush. 

22. Put lotion on your hands, and them insert them into rubber gloves for washing dishes. The hot water will make your skin absorb the moisturizer even more than normally. 

23. Use a newspaper to clean mirrors, it leaves less residue than towels. 

24. Purchase mini or full-size take out containers to send leftovers home with guests after a dinner party. 

(not) Thailand

I recently packed my bags for a week in Thailand, 3 days after my boyfriend and I decided to go. Without malaria pills. But with a friend with a travel guide. Due to weight imbalances (a reason besides a lack of available seats that standbys sometimes aren't put on planes), we spent the day in the lounge, instead of an airplane to Thailand.

My boyfriend and I searched for other flights, and decided on a 9pm flight to Tel-Aviv. We booked a place to stay for a night, unsuccessfully searched for a Israel travel guide around the airport shops, went through extra security, and settled into our seats with champagne.

The trip was amazing, in several different dimensions - the food, the history, the beauty, the people - but particularly, the adventures. Except for the first night's accommodations, it was all an adventure. Sometimes more planned than others, but nothing other than hurried, basic research went into anything.

It made me think, because some people plan things in advance (For an excellent, and somewhat related post, check this out, via here). Going on a trip without planning meant everything was a surprise (some better than others). One of the most amazing moments of the trip was on top of Masada; we almost skipped the last few "non-essential" (termed so by the brochure we were given) stops on the audio tour due to time constraints, but ended up in one of the most amazing spaces I've ever been in in my life. I won't tell you what it was though, because I think a large part of it was the unexpectedness of it. If I'd read a book that told me it was awesome, would I would have expected it to be awesome, been satisfied, and moved on? On the other hand though, if it hadn't been on the audio tour (a planning-ish tool), would I have gone there at all?

Does it even matter? Would I have enjoyed the surprise as much if it hadn't been a surprise? Should I ever plan a trip again?

Another surprise: At the Dead Sea, instead of having a sandy beach,
the ground leading up to the water is made of snow-resembling salt.

Being Wrong

Sidenote: Through Landmark, I learned about being right. And how it doesn't matter. But can literally completely destroy relationships. So I've tried to be less right :) Or at least to realize when I'm saying whatever I'm saying to just to prove or emphasize my rightness (had no idea that was a word, wow). Realizing when I'm just trying to be right (versus share important information - which can be the exact same words, but the intent is totally different) and letting go of that need means that I can focus on what the person is really doing/saying, and take ego out of it.

This fantastic TED talk describes the advantages of not needing to be right, but from a different perspective than I mentioned above:

Handmade Christmas Gifts

Mostly via pinterest, I've found several pretty cool sounding gift ideas for Christmas, or other times. This is a collection of my favorites, often taken from lists people made. 

Gifts are listed first, and then the sources:

(image is link) Love the idea of taking lame coasters and covering them with chalkboard paint!

A packet of postcards from the recipients favourite place ie Paris or New York… they make great talking points if you frame them! Herbal tea and a fancy teacup

A pair of gardening gloves with a packet of seeds

 A bag of gourmet coffee and/or a coffee mug

Gourmet popcorn

Bottle opener and corkscrew set

Pedometer – encourage exercise. There are a few that are less than $10

Hand painted Christmas ornament

Sushi kit (bamboo roller, chopsticks, seaweed sheets)

Source:

http://www.stayathomemum.net.au/christmas/gifts-christmas/christmas-gifts-100-gifts-under-10/

3. Decorative cupcake liners (

4. A favorite magazine

6. Packets of flower or herb seeds for planting

26. Monogrammed coasters (there's a great how to here)

37. Scented candles (this site always has things like that & you get a credit for signing up)

50. Specialty olive oils such as this one

52. Unusual pastas like this red chili linguini

58. Ice scraper

76. Gourmet spice mixes

78. Fridge magnets

120. iTunes giftcard

129. Makeup brush set

141. Birthstone earrings


Source:

http://jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/150-stocking-stuffer-ideas.html

"What's an easy trick that can help you escape unemployment?"

-source

He continues:

Write about it. 

Robin Hanson points to this passage from Robert Trivers new book The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life: 

Writing about job loss improves one’s chance of reemployment. This sort of writing appears to be cathartic – people immediately feel better. More striking, at least in one study, is a sharply increased chance of getting a job. After six months, 53 percent of writers had found a new job, compared with only 18 percent of non writers. One effect of writing is that it helps you work through your anger so it is not displaced onto a new, prospective employer or, indeed, revealed to the employer in any form. 

The study cited is by James Pennebaker, author of The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us.

Guess it's time to dust off the old blog. Except I'm not exactly bitter about past jobs. I think there is a lot of value to writing about it though, and intend to do so. Later. I'll be out of town for most of the next 3 weeks, but when I come back in 2012... It's about to get really boring :)

"Did you know that birth order is commonly believed to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development? And that the middle sister has a greater chance of having a special wine named just for her?"

At Target a few days ago, I came across an unusual bottle of wine. The label was much more modern than most wine labels, and it caught my eye. Especially because it had the word "sister" in it. I have 3 of them, and if there is sister news out there, I need to know it. Joined with the word "middle" (my position among my siblings), you have my attention.

On closer inspection, the bottles not only had cute artwork and cute names, but when you turned them around, each variety had a brief description on the back. I was so intrigued by these, I checked out their website, and even took their quiz to figure out which wine I was - each type of wine comes with it's own "Middle Sister" personality. In surprising news (to no one):

You're a Mischief Maker. You like to stir the pot. And because it's usually filled with one of your fabulous culinary creations, you have lots of friends. Maybe sometimes your schemes go a bit awry, like the time you tried to fix up your brother with Cameron Diaz. But whereas the rest of the world is gray, you are a brilliant, shining rainbow of bodaciousness. We toast your unquenchable spirit with Middle Sister Mischief Maker Cabernet Sauvignon.

And on the actual bottle: 

Have you ever dated brothers? Worn leather pants to a wedding? Paired white wine with red meat? Then you just might be a mischief maker. You keep us up after bedtime on a school night. You change your hair color like most people change their socks. You make lives more complicated, but less boring. You'll be in the stories we tell our grandchildren. You love trouble. And we love you.

If you know a middle sister, you now know what to get her for Christmas. You're welcome.

"Welcome Home" - US Passport Control

One of the greatest adventures of my life ended yesterday. 

Here's to the next one!