Migraines

What a horrible word.  What a horrible event.  Even just mentioning the word or thinking about one makes me cringe.  If you suffer from migraines then you sympathize.  If you don't, then I have one word for you:  Lucky.  


Migraines are a severe form of headache and can include symptoms such as sensitivity to light and sound, throbbing of the head, neck, eyes, and temples, nausea, and irritability (although I'm pretty sure my irritability is a result of the aforementioned symptoms!)  Unfortunately, the "cure," if you will, doesn't exist quite as nicely, which leaves us migraine sufferers to our own devices.


There is, however, hope.  If you suffer from migraines it's best to start journaling or really taking note of what riggers your migraines.  Now, this might take a while, because sifting through the plethora of triggers is challenging, however, it would behoove you to try.  I, for one, have noticed some things that immediately cause migraines:  Aspartame (aka artificial sweeteners used in low-fat, no sugar added, etc products), really sugary drinks, certain cheeses, oak-aged wines, vodka fermented a certain way, and yes, even rainstorms can occasionally start migraines.


Again, it's not an exact science, but knowing your triggers can help.  Also, I highly recommend becoming friends with a great chiropractor in your area.  Talk to some friends whom you trust to recommend a good doctor.  Chiropractors are phenomenal at realigning your spine, which helps to reset your body's natural rhythm and systems.  When systems work correctly, problems diminish.  I visit mine regularly, and it helps immensely with reducing the frequency with which I have migraines.  However, and even though my chiropractor hates when I do this, I do keep a stash of Excedrin Migraine and Ibuprofin with me for emergencies.  Otherwise, I try to avoid them and try to rely on an ice-cold ice pack and sleep, but that's not always possible.


Doctors will tell you to start taking some medicine the pharmaceutical companies they work with prescribe.  Personally, I don't think that does anything but mask the problem.  You have pain because something in your body isn't working correctly, which means you either gave your body something it didn't like or parts of your body aren't communicating correctly.  Now, this doesn't mean there aren't extreme cases or people who sincerely need doctors and medical assistance, but for the occasional migraine sufferer, do yourself a favor and listen to your body.  See a chiropractor and lay off the aspartame and fake foods.  Then, go from there.

I'm Eating What?

Ever wonder what's in your food?  I don't mean that the lasagna comes with beef, tomato paste, ricotta cheese, pasta, oregano, etc, but rather that your lasagna comes with hormones, pesticides, GMOs, carcinogens etc.  Yes, that's right, I'll repeat:  PESTICIDES, HORMONES, GMOs (Genetically modified organism), CARCINOGENS, etc.  You ingests these things every day.  I'll repeat again: You ingest these things EVERY DAY.  Scary thought?  I agree.

What am I talking about? In case you don't already know I'll spell it out for you.  The foods you eat are enhanced, protected, and modified to ensure that they look and taste like what you're supposedly buying.  Pesticides are sprayed on nearly everything grown outdoors to protect the food from bugs, animals, etc.  Unfortunately, these same companies produced DDT, Agent Orange (used during Vietnam), and other pesticides now technically banned in the US.  That means, the companies creating massively unsafe chemical pesticides are still creating the pesticides used on foods today.  Conflicting interest?  I would think so.  Additionally, just because the US doesn't use these products doesn't ensure that other countries don't use them . . . and just as an FYI, we import food from these other countries, so you still ingest these things, even though technically the US has banned them.  

Did you also know that some foods today are CLONES of other products?  Or HORMONE filled?  That's right.  Cows, chickens, lamb, nuts, fruit, etc, are all being produced with hormones and even cloned to increase availability and productivity.  Why would a farmer want to sell 5 cows to market or 6 barrels of apples if he can give them hormones and sell 10 cows and 10 ripe barrels of apples?  More product means more money, and money drives life, so what would stop them from putting these things in your food?  A good conscious doesn't equal food on the table for families, and they are businesses just like Apple and Enron.  

Understandably, because they can produce more food and have less waste, the cost of the non-organic food is going to be cheaper, but if you can afford the organic version, I'd say buy it and buy it now!  You know smoking causes cancer and if you choose not to smoke, why would you choose to eat foods that are full of hormones, pesticides, carcinogens, and other unknown substances that will equally mess up your body?  My guess is you wouldn't.  In fact, these things have been linked to early-onset puberty in young girls, obesity, learning disabilities (ADD, ADHD for example), and cancer, just to name a few.  Gross!  And to think we do this VOLUNTARILY!

So stop being cheap.  Buy one less drink when you're out with the girls or forgo the $20 steak at dinner and eat a salad and spend the money on QUALITY, organic, good-for-you, not covered in chemicals you can't pronounce, food.  

Don't believe me?  Check out the website: What's on my Food and see for yourself just how your food rates in unpronounceable additives.  Take control of your health and treat your body right.  You only get one.  

Gift-ing Etiquette

Welcome to summer, a time of the year closely related to Christmas time in terms of gift-giving stress.  Suddenly, everyone you know is graduating, getting married or having birthdays, baby showers, and b-b-q parties.  While the b-b-q parties may only require you to bring a dish or a bottle of wine, the rest require, well, a little more monetary commitment on your part.  This summer alone, so far, I have had 2 graduations, 1 baby shower, 2 wedding showers, 1 21st birthday party, 1 bachelorette party, and 3 birthdays / Father's Day gifts.  And that's just since the middle of May alone!  My bank account is angry.


If you're anything like me, you run on a budget.  Every dollar is precious and usually pretty well accounted for before I even get my paycheck.  Bills, rent, gas, and food take up a solid 90% of my paychecks, leaving minimal "WOO HOO PARTY TIME!!!" money to spare.  I still want to see my friends and have dinner or see the occasional movie, so when close to 10 parties hit my paycheck, it tends to become stressful.  So what do you do?


Etiquette.  What is required of you for these different types of parties?  First of all, be sure that whatever you are spending you actually HAVE in your bank.  The most stressful thing you can do is spend money you don't have or that "will be coming next paycheck" before you actually have the money.  While you might be worried about keeping up with appearances and producing the "perfect gift," overextending your budget can put undo stress on you and even cause resentment towards the person / gift for whom you purchased the item, even if that's not your intention.  Once you have a budget idea, prioritize.  Do I really need to spend $40 on that gift or will a $30 gift still suffice?  $10 might not seem like a lot to the other person, but it might be a lot to you, and your going to the party already, so you obviously show that you care.  


Remember, times are hard for everyone.  Not everyone can afford to give to the same degree they used to.  If you understand that, hopefully your friends do too.  If they don't, depending on how close you are to the person, you can always write a message in the card to the extent of "I hope you have a wonderful (birthday/ anniversary / graduation).  I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you this year.  Love you and enjoy today."  If not, the fact that you are at the party and giving a gift already shows you care.  Also, see if there are other people going who could go in on a gift with you.  Maybe you can only give $10 and they can only give $20.  Together a $30 gift or gift card from two people might make you feel better about not being able to give as much.


Again, remember that if you can't give much all the time, other people can't either.  Respect what people can do, and remember not to overextend yourself.  Explain your situation to the party host if you are close enough and feel comfortable enough.  Find a friend to combine gifts, or just be sure to go, bring a gift and a card (Factory Card Outlet has wonderful and inexpensive cards), and enjoy yourself.  

Burlesque Bachelorettes

This weekend was the infamous bachelorette party for a friend of mine.  Bachelorette parties are a time honored tradition and a right of passage of sorts.  Every girl looks forward to hers or to when her friend will have hers, and this weekend was no different.  And, of course, it had parts.  There's the "pre-outing" part, where gifts and jokes are exchanged, and then the outing itself.  Outings can range from bar hopping to wine tasting, Vegas getaways to spa retreats, and so on. 


Ours, as it so happened, had a little of everything.  There was the traditional gifts and gags, the dancing and the music, and then a little something extra.  We ventured off to Studio L'amour for group burlesque dancing lessons!  Ours included a gift for the bride and an hour and a half long class to "Fever" with boas.  It was a fun way to get in touch with your hips and girlish flirt, and love your curves all over again.  Plus it's a great workout.


Did you know the origin of burlesque reaches back to the 1800s?  It originally started as a form of comedy and the "risque" came in as a factor because women were allowed to perform, and that was unheard of before.  That, alone, was a scandal!  It was from there the dance form progressed to the teasing, suggestive, humorous dance it is today.  Do not be mistaken, it is not stripping.  It is suggestion, it is fun, it is comedic, and it honors the beauty and movement of the female body.  Performers today include women ranging all the way into their 80s!  And these women still flaunt their 1950s costumes and routines.  Love the enthusiasm.  Love the history.  Love the reminder to us women that we are, in fact and as we currently exist, beautiful.

PUBLISHED!!

Yes, you heard me, I am officially published!!! Living With B is a story about a girl working to overcome bulimia while in college.  It is a 3-month snapshot of her life, her thought process, and her recovery process all laced with her dry sense of humor.  It's a "based on my true story" novel, and I am excited to share it with you.  

It is available for download and for purchase on Lulu.  It's only $19.99 and is 341 pages long! I'm working on making it available on other book websites, so stay tuned!  Otherwise, start reading!


Again, I hope you find the book eye-opening, heartfelt, fun, and touching.  For those who have struggled with an eating disorder, I hope you can find solace and strength from Nicole's story.  

Minute to Win It

Who has seen this show?  It's on NBC - Minute to Win It - hosted by Guy Fiere, and is a show that asks people to do crazy games in order to win money.  This past weekend they held an open audition for anyone in Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles for any brave soul who wants to try to win $1 million.  


I happened to be one brave soul.  I stood in line at the NBC tower in Chicago with crowds of other people to have my 10 seconds in front of the casting directors, telling them why I deserved to be on the show.  Literally, they handed you an application, which I don't think they even looked at.  I could have written, "I moonlight as a mermaid and am Jim Carrey's little sister" and I don't think they would have even seen it.  Instead, 10 of us went upstairs at a time with the casting people.  The man said, "Ok, when you arrive upstairs, hand me your sheets, and you'll have 30 seconds to tell me your name and a little about yourself.  Don't bore me."  … mmm, ok then!  Pretty straight forward.  And pretty nerve-wracking!  This man has sat through hours of 30-second schpeels, and you have to make sure yours stands out and doesn't put the poor guy into a coma!!  … but, I mean, no pressure.


So, I gave my info-bite, met a lot of cool people, and left.  I then went home and checked out the website to see what kinds of games these people are playing.  I've seen the show once, which doesn't warrant knowledge-mastery by any stretch of the imagination.  If you haven't checked out the GAMES watch some of these videos!  Crazy!  I tried the Speed Eraser game.  Not easy.  It's like a really bad game of quarters!  Except sober.  And in front of millions of people.  My #2 pencils and I fought for a good 15 minutes, and then I gave up for the moment.  I'm sure my friends and I will try again while watching the show or have a "Minute to Win It" party just to make complete fools out of ourselves.  …because we can.  …and it's fun.  


Check it out.  Try some games and then wonder:  what would you say to make your 30 second info-bite stick out in a crowd?  Happy gaming!!!

Jumper Cable Gods

First of all - YES, I DID REDO THE LAYOUT!  :-)  Google Blog created numerous new features, and I am currently trying them out until I find on that I feel echoes the essence of the blog.  But yes, a change did occur.  :-)


Ok…back to our regularly scheduled program.




Dear Jumper Cable Gods,


I would like to thank you for your amazing and speedy presence today during my insanely stupid time of need.  My new car was not blessed with the same deafening sound as my old car, and can no longer berate me with beeping ease like before.  Ergo, despite its quieted attempts to "beep" my sorry ass back to reality and remind me that I, in fact, did leave my lights on when I turned off the car, I never heard it.  Instead, I let my car light the 10 feet of pavement in front of it for all 9 hours of daylight leaving me with no battery when I returned.  Beautiful.  (I did manage to hear the angered beeping upon returning, however, but we shall currently overlook that small detail…hence why I am writing it in super-tiny print)  :-)


And, as I began to think that my only option included crying and a pathetic phone call home to the suburbs which would start with, "Um…Dad???", you sent me a loving woman and her husband, Paul, to the rescue, only a mere 10 minutes after I thought I had faced defeat.  And they had jumper cables!!   (*insert triumphant sound here*)  YES!  Soon my car no longer yelled, but hummed like before.  The engine ran.  The lights still worked, and I could actually drive the 45 minutes home!!  YAY!  So, as instructed, I shall pass on the favor to another fellow friend in need, pending I actually buy my own jumper cables first.  So, again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!


Yours truly,
Girl Who Make Stupid Car Decisions on a Seemingly Regular Basis

Howie Mandel before he was famous

Hello!  Who loves comedy? I do!!  Who loves Howie Mandel?  I DO!!!!  I love that he is OCD, is a total germaphobe, and is still so funny and loveable!  And do you know why he is so funny?  His career started prior to Deal or No Deal.  He's been part of Sesame Street, Bobby's World, and then his own comedy sketch.  


Howie Mandel Stand Up <---- Watch me!!


And see a whole new side of Howie!  Congrats Howie.  Can I shake your hand???

Would you have drinks with you?

Stoli's latest and greatest ad asks us drinkers and socialites this very interesting question:  Would you have drinks with you?

Now, granted, the ad really just pokes fun at this idea with a robed Hugh Hefner having a drink with a suited Hugh Hefner.  They talked about love in a very dry, sarcastic sense - in a way only Hugh Hefner can discuss love, but still, it's a good commercial.  Entertaining.  However, like they mentioned, it does pose a good question.

Would you have drinks with you?

I asked this of my family once the commercial finished.  Initially, they laughed at me.  My brother's girlfriend was like "absolutely!  I'm fun!" and my brother said, "Who wouldn't wanna have drinks with me?"  But that's not what they're asking! They're not asking if people want to have drinks with you, because of course they would!  Everyone has something to offer, so of course there are people that want to have drinks with you.  But would you be ready to face yourself and chill with yourself over drinks?  Honestly?  For me?  I don't know.  I don't think I'm a terrible person or the most hysterical, but I don't know how I would react to talking with another me.  I'd love to objectively see my own mannerisms, but having drinks with someone who thinks and acts exactly the same?  I don't know.  Again, I don't think that speaks negatively towards me or who I am, but that's a lot of Stephanie at one table!  

Who knows, maybe someday I'll meet some twin I unknowingly have currently roaming the earth.  It could be fun.  It could be weird.  It would definitely be worth blogging about though!  I might finally come to see my infamous "story faces" - the ones my friends say I make while telling stories that always make them laugh.  Who knows.  But, really, what would you do?

Garage Sale-ing

Welcome summer.  Garage sale season has officially started, and we are in love.  Yes, let's look through other people's cast-offs and pay for things they no longer want!  It's like a glorified form of dumpster diving.


Okay, okay.  I'm exaggerating.  Well, actually, I'm not.  This is one way people view garage sales, and, sadly, I will include myself in that because for a while I thought I was 'above' garage sales.  If I wanted something I thought it had to come from a store.  However, I have learned that there is a magical love associated with garage sale deals.  So many people nowadays are downsizing and moving in with family and lightening their loads, if you will, and are getting rid of more and more really good pieces.  In fact, my cousin and I went garage sale-ing and left with christmas gifts for bosses and friends for all around $20!  Candles, brand new bottles of lotion, brand new or barely used baking goods, mugs, blankets, and even a humidor!  Yes, people are really sharing good pieces with those willing to enjoy the sun and sift through garage sales.  I've even seen people furnish full spaces in their houses with garage sale furniture.  And nice furniture at that!  


In fact, my family and I had a garage sale the other day and, even though it rained for about half of it (Dear Mother Nature, I accept reimbursements in the forms of cash and gift cards) we still had a good time.  We also met some really great people whose faces lit up when they found that something they really wanted or needed.


Note to garage salers:  You are having a GARAGE SALE.  If you want $50 or even $100 for something, put it on eBay.  Garage sales should be of the "please take it out of my house now" mentality.  $1, $2, $5 and MAYBE $10 items.  Garage sale etiquette requires bargains.  If you're trying to turn a huge profit, there are other means.  Otherwise, best of luck!  They do require a decent amount of set-up time, so take caution.  This is not something to be thrown together the morning of, but they can be a good way to rid yourself of things you no longer use, need, or can fit in your house.  


Enjoy the summer, the weather, and the amazing sales you can find if you sift through enough garage sales.  And remember....Bargain, barter, and brave the occasional rain storms!  Happy hunting! 

Kombucha in the News

Yes that's right!  Our beverages is surfacing again!  Kombucha is back in the news and with a strange promoter.  (well, strange is relative, I guess)


Lindsay Lohan is to thank for the latest spoting of Kombucha.  In the Yahoo article Lindsay is said as being seen with a bottle in hand, and then sarcastically chastised for rumors of trying to maybe, finally, is it possible she could? sober up.  The article further explains the history, some famous celeb clients (Leo DiCaprio and Demi Moore to name a few!....it's okay, I'll be added to the list soon.  no worries) :-)  It also enumerates a few of the proposed benefits of kombucha, which I listed earlier in a previous truth~sc article! Of course, the FDA hasn't approved any of these benefits, but that's really no surprise.  They've slammed Green Tea for not having any health benefits (including those related to heart disease and other ailments) saying they have no supported evidence.  But we all know that's bullshit because green tea has a long standing history of having lots of health benefits...trust me!  It's saved me from getting more colds than I can count!!  Chugging glass after glass when you feel a cold coming on is a wonderful remedy!


So, therefore, why should Kombucha be any different?  We'll let the FDA catch up with the rest of the world, but, in the meantime, yay for more press for kombucha!!  

My latest fav?  Honest's Maqui Berry Grapefruit.  Even my brother's girlfriend's super picky taste buds liked it!  It tastes a lot like a winecooler / pink lemonade thing.  Mmmm.  Yum!  Here's to slightly fermented liquid love!