andreya

I am now tempted to do podcasts too!!

Why, you say?!

Well, there is a list of reasons here & let's just say all of them sound very tempting!! lol

I've been looking at home-recording links & books (wanna record my guitar & my sweet vocals this summer - hopefully, finally!!) & this new idea of podcasts just fell in, lol!!
(I have Audacity & it's supposed to be 'great for podcasts' lol - So now I wanna make some too!!lol)

The link above also says how to do it! ;)

I do sound like a Chinese Granny on speed (especially if not using the mic properly!) & my pronunciation has things left to be desired (!) but - YAY! It's great FUN!!

(I even did one on Incinerators!! lol - Not really publishable right now yet; I think heavy editing may be necessary, or another re-take (more likely) but YEAH, LOTSA FUN!!!!!)

If you haven't yet, consider doing it!!

That way, we can *talk* in cyberspace!! (Without having to have a webcam!! lol Or wake up at 6am!) YAY!!

Lots of stuff on the google: http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=how+to+do+podcasts&meta=

Another thing I'm thinking about: http://www.rpmchallenge.com
If they can do it in 29 days - why couldn't I? ;)
/I'm too late for this year, but it's FUN & great inspiration anyway!! - Plus, some great music at the site!! Of course, my lyrics are better! ;)) - but they do have some mean guitar-playing techniques!! *wanna transfer some into my reptile brain!!!* & picky fingers!! 'what's the mo-jo for this, T.?*;))

Are these people for real???!!!!! OMG!!! To advice someone that in 21st century!!! OoO

All communities here have special programmes (every few months) to give away hazardous waste, such as drugs...
The below idea seems downright scary!!

***
Disposing of old drugs

Q. I asked my pharmacist what to do with outdated prescription medicines and was shocked when he said “flush.” I didn't, of course. Instead, I put them in a container of water to dissolve, keeping it out of reach of my cat. Then I spread out several sheets of newspaper and “painted' the resulting sludge all over them. After they dried, I tore them up and put them in the trash. Was this a safe way to dispose of them?

A. Your pharmacist was misguided when he suggested flushing pills down the toilet. There is growing concern about pharmaceutical contamination of the water supply.

There is no coordinated system for proper disposal of unused pills. Some communities accept unwanted medications in their hazardous-waste collection.

If that's not feasible, your suggestion seems reasonable. Another reader suggested adding Elmer's glue to the container and allowing it to set hard before throwing the container in the trash.
http://www.bnd.com/living/health/story/349503.html

*reasonable' - by putting it this way in the trash, it won't get into water supply??!! OoO

Who writes this crap??!!!

Okay, so I just had another backache relapse recently. I thought I was quite well & wanted to hop off to London next week, but I guess my back disagreed... (Lenny says it's too hot & crowded already anyway... hmm...)

So now I looked up a picture of one of my ailments online & felt kinda stupid.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/9583.htm
While reading all about these things a few months ago I sorta envisioned this differently, & thought my back should be more curved back! (the Doc didn't explain it to me either!!) So recently I have tried to work on my posture & improve it!! - the ideal being a 'straight' posture with lower back pulled back... - & thus exaggerated the problem!! OoO Silly me!!!

Apparently, I am not alone in this!! (the girls in the pic overarch too!)
"Check during activities to see if you are arching your lower back: When you stand. When you look up. When you reach up. When you carry a load in front like a laundry basket, chair, or baby. When you carry a backpack in back. Check to see if you can pull you shoulders back or drink a glass of water or take a photo without arching your back or leaning your upper body backward. This bad posture is surprisingly, taught in may gyms, or sought after as sexy. It is not. It is unhealthful and injurious bad posture that creates much lower back pain."
A VERY helpful article, if you have any kind of backache pain or problems, especially mysterious/inexplicable ones!! (like me)
http://www.drbookspan.com/AbsArticle.html

The lady behind it all seems quite inspiring too!! meet Dr Bookspan! WOW, I'm impressed!! :)

Yes, I admit, I did crunches too... even though they felt a bit painful for my lower back... But I was sure they were doing 'something' for my abs! OoO
http://www.drbookspan.com/BadExercisesArticle.html

I'm thinking even the '5 Tibetan Exercises' (that Dad kept on urging me to do) might have done me bad, cause they include 'overarching of back' & I most likely did them wrong!
& yes, my Doc recommended me Yoga (quite advanced-thinking of her!!;)) but some exercises 'did me bad' too (& I didn't do them then lol) - Dr Jolie explains, why!! :)

The good thing is I didn't exercise that much... I guess;)) lol
Oh, the Holy Simplicity!! of it all...

Soo thankful I ran across her site...!! (if she trained & helped Seals & martial art instructors, I'm pretty sure she can help me a bit as well..:)

I still don't completely 'understand' it (& for example, I have no idea how to sit 'right'..!! by the PC... yet..) - but what I got from it already helped ease my back pain, so YAY!! :)

So I stayed away from potica (traditional pastry) & red meat (OoO) whole day!! I ate a bit of meat yesterday, & my back kept hurting all night long, so... /not a very hard dilemma.. uhm../

The tough thing is Dad required my presence at the traditional breakfast, & the traditional breakfast = potica+red meat (& some cheese or such, which I also stay away just-in-case) - so basically I ate my 'normal food' (brown rice & beans, as it seems the only thing that really stabilizes my mood..) with wonderfully yellow horse radish salad (with apple & hard-boiled egg, & a bit of salt, oil & vinegar, like a regular salad) which is really yummy!!
/So I stayed in festivity spirit! LOL/

The eggs turned out funny/interesting.. depending on natural dyes present.. I really loved the blackcurrant as a dye!! (especially on a slightly-broken egg LOL - turned out like an alien!!) On the other hand, raspberries seem better eaten...

While brown rice & beans do stabilize my mood (except when hungry - if I forget to eat at the proper time..), I feel further tweaking is necessary, & been re-reading Dr Campbell's book... So introducing more raw food seems necessary!! ;)
This Magnesium thing still baffles me too.. On one hand, brown beans are supposed to be a source of Mg, but on the other hand whole grains & beans can 'tye' Mg to them so the body can't use it... Really not sure how to go about this..

On a more hilarious note: Oh Gosh!
How to Live an Aesthetic Life by Wearing, Eating, Traveling By, and Listening to Specific Colors for a Week lol
I am SOO tempted to do this!! /The neighbours think I'm crazy anyway!!;))/
(But they cheated & wore brown pants on 'red day'!! I wear red pants every day!!
Red food is interpreted very freely too!!)

Oh God, another site to be addicted to!!!!


"Ride your orange bicycle to work!
Don't get Rachel's fuzzy orange coat caught up in the spokes. It's dangerously fuzzy." LOL

(beware a green flip-flop/clog on green day!!)
Also note amazing music selection: What do you Think of the Guy In the Purple Chicken Bunny LOL (excerpt here)





I also got intrigued what a Keffiyeh is! LOL (Very helpful tutorial - uhm, instructable..)

Lessons learnt: hilarious!!

Definitely a life goal!! (& maybe might help me to eat more colourful healthy food?;))

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/EasterEggDye.htm
Boil natural dyes in water, add a dash of vinegar (?) & leave already boiled eggs in the dye for a few hours or overnight (in a fridge)
There's a table on which dye/food gives which color - blue & red included!!


http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa042003a.htm - a much more useful link - realizes it's faster to boil the dyes & eggs together ;)) (but several pans are needed for different colors..)
We usually did this with onion peels...
"Try both fresh and frozen produce. Canned produce will produce much paler colors. Boiling the colors with vinegar will result in deeper colors."
You can also additionally soak in dye after boiling, to get a stronger color!!

I just wonder, does vinegar affect porousity(sp?) of eggs badly? (well, they are cooked so any bacteria are destroyed anyway.. hmm..)

"You can use fresh and frozen berries as 'paints', too. Simply crush the berries against dry boiled eggs. Try coloring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them. Happy Easter!"

another table.. similar to the previous one.. not totally the same, I think... (no pics though;))

LOL Another 'honest' link: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/easter/natural.htm
"NOTE: We tend not to eat our natural dyed eggs. We've found they sometimes take on a bit of the flavor of what we died them with... cherry and onion flavored eggs are a bit icky." (She says 'The most foolproof natural dye, I've found so far is Tumeric' - but the egg on the pic doesn't look painted at all!!)

She says, "Add 2 tsp vinegar (regular white vinegar) -- the only exception is don't add the vinegar when you're using onion skins. For some reason they react and make the eggs a rather brownish color" - okay, yeah, we're not using it with the onion peels anyway!!

"Record observations in a journal for sharing with family or at school. Red cabbage leaves are especially exciting because they turn the eggs bluish not red."

Okay, so this makes sense too: "If the eggs aren't as dark as you'd like, remove the paper towel from the bowl and add the cooled strained liquid you originally used to dye the eggs. Let sit overnight.
This may make the egg shells weak (the vinegar weakens the shells).
Carefully remove the eggs from the liquid and let sit in the air.
The shells will harden again."

Also see artsy onion-peel eggs - though the comments are scary: 'in US they bleach the eggs???'

Found at this fancy blog
/Also, edible flower seeds - who knew?/
All found simply by googlingthis

Now I have no idea what to do with the eggs tomorrow, but I'm bound to try blueberries, raspberries & such - at least the unfrozen variant! It's been done on LVJ in Naturalliving (but there's no tutorial!) so I'll just have to wing it, I guess!!

Further Tips for an eco-Easter
These are very basic & at first made me shudder - 'does anyone still do this'? (A wicker basket is the norm here, for good Catholic girls to carry to church..) - better than ueber-consumerism, I guess...
Here's what Peta suggests tho... ;))
& some other vegan alternatives... ;) /Though some are infinitely more eco-unfriendly than a poor blown out egg!!/

"Can Silicon Valley become a world leader in cheap and ubiquitous solar panels for the masses? Yes, it can. And it will." LOL brave statement!! Though I'm sure if they really put their minds to it...
Found here: http://www.digg.com
& here's the original article.

Much more reassuring than listening to my Dad. Gives me hope.

Though I hope they make it the Zero Waste way...

Gotta love those comments too!!! WARNING: not so cheery!!( Read more... )

(& furious!!) An interesting interview with Jack Nicholson about Oscars, Heath Ledger playing Joker, & more...

" I'm somebody that's always liked the Oscars. I always looked at them as being good for everybody. Win, lose or draw, it's a wonderful thing. It creates debate. Of course it's a collaborative form, so how could there possibly be such a thing as "best" in acting? There's always somebody else in the scene."

He's self-confidence is somewhat inspiring too: "I told ["Chinatown" producer] Robert Evans, "We're going to get a lot of nominations. I don't know how much we'll win." Of course, I feel we should have won them all, myself included. In fact, I don't even remember who won the Oscar for actor that year." LOL
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1573617/20071106/story.jhtml
( Read more... )

If this doesn't work for your insomnia, nothing will!! ;))

Cuteness incorporated!!!!!!!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/209091/sleepy_tired_kitten

http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=nutrition+xray&meta= hasn't shown much (techie stuff mostly)

http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=nutrition+for+healthy+DNA&meta= more helpful search!!
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=19
It makes sense why the rats survived!! - "Fats constitute the boundaries of your cells - You cellular membrane is primarily composed of fats."

Complete with illustrations of the cell!! - COOL!!

especially if you're a rat.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/80/4/370.pdf
Diet with 15% cottonseed oil or alternatively, methyl linoleate supplements were of help in this study.
(Do not read the original article before breakfast!!)
Even diet with 2% of cottonseed oil can help with repeated exposure, apparently.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/54/2/201.pdf

I wonder if only cottonseed oil is of help, or other oils too-? (I've been using pumpkinseed oil mainly, I adore it!!)

The question remains, what if you're not a rat?

I do feel a bit 'off' after the Xrays, & I see it in my eyes too (yes, I have a book on Iridiology!) - not sure if it's worry only, or some things that could be corrected with nutrition?

Do you have any idea, what (except cottonseed oil) might help heal any effects of an Xray?

http://hypnobabies.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/singing-mom-temples-birth-story describes singing (& hypnosis) being used as pain-relief therapy during birth, because inspired by "Japanese midwife who has all of her clients sing and the wonderful results they have"!!
Truly, singing has reduced pain greatly for me in the past too - !! (only, if the pain is great I sing real LOUD, & sometimes the noise resulting isn't of the most pleasant variety! hm!)

found at http://enjoybirth.wordpress.com that describes birth under hypnosis (interesting to know it's with open eyes & aware of the positive things one wants to be aware of! I like it how she speaks of 'pressure' instead of 'pain'!) - found from http://birthbusiness.wordpress.com (that has the song competition! LOL)

which was found after Googling for Lunapads that a 43things gal recommended!! http://blog.lunapads.com

If I ever do have kids, I'd definitely do this!!
http://www.hypnobabies.com - just 6 weeks of 1 hour a day practising from the CD/starter kit she ordered online?! She says it was no worse than menstrual cramps?!! in the video !

I WANT TO DO THIS AT MY DENTIST'S!!

Not to read before breakfast, possibly!!

I am fascinated & intrigued by this woman:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bin_laden_s_son 



 http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=Jane+Felix-Browne&meta=

She does look pretty hot for a Granny!! (In some pictures!;)

IMO she looks better than him! (But I may be prejudiced, as she's a woman & so am I!)

If I look half as good in my 50s, YAY!!

Another COOL blog!!

I was just thinking about a 'heal my back' blog & today I actually found one!!
http://backtofeelinggreat.blogspot.com

(By Googling on 'Responsibility' of all things!;)

I did start the back exercises again today, only in small amounts, only the very easy ones... I have fear to proceed before getting the XRay!
And yes, it *is* a bit worse on a rainy day!! :(
Especially in the mornings... (No idea how to combat this-? Less sleeping? More activity the day before? - & less PC... Yes, probably..) I am trying to go from night owl to early bird but it's a trial! (to put it lightly)

Alas, apart from my daily walk I can't think of many interesting things to do while being 'active' (that would not include sitting or standing) that I could actually do - with my back & the weather as they are - meaning no heavy weight lifting & such... Any suggestions?

Maybe I'll have to resort to my 'bad pain days' routines of walking around while watching TV or reading & squatting or standing while on the PC. (?) hmm..

Still, mostly no pain (thanks to my rice & gluten-free 'no thrills' diet!)
Actually, the thrills of chilli, basil & ginger on wholewheat rice with avocado & sauerkraut should not be underestimated!! ;) (Yum!)
I think I may be becoming addicted to chilli... ;)

Some more 'backache' blogs: http://www.blogcatalog.com/post-tag/backache
( Read more... )

So just from taking a peek at the GGG site, a whole host of 'Green' blogs pop out...

The Optimum Green Guide with reviews for the best rechargeable batteries in 2007etc.

Found from this blog: The Goode Life (takes a bit long to download, but I like it! (Many interesting further links!)
It is not as 'hardcore' as I am ;) But offers intriguing & possibly inspiring cocktail recipes! (from www.healthrecipes.com)

Update: the 'low' energy cooking totally works for brown rice too!! YEAH!!

We soaked it overnight & today I just brought it to a boiling point & then turned off the gas. (I suppose with an electric cooker it would be even quicker). After a while (an hour or two - I forgot to look sooner, & wanted to give it some time to cook - & wasn't hungry!;) I went & looked: rice cooked!!

The beans were not soaked overnight & didn't cook fully - maybe 1/3. The plan is to soak them overnight next time & try it again (we usually do anyway, but today Dad forgot) - it would probably work then!

Dad went to buy flax (they didn't have the organic kind, so he just bought some lentils - yum!). Apparently it pays to tell 'em everything I read & write about on this blog!;)
Okay, maybe not everything!

Today I'm researching something that is pretty amazing - body odor in relation to diet!!

A man told us of a Chinese girl who dated a Slovenian guy & could totally change her body odor with regard to what she ate!
She used no perfumes or deodorants, just changed her scent through food! - Pretty amazing, huh? (He said it's probably some ancient Chinese secret!)
Unfortunately, the two have broken up & the girl is back in China, or I would have tried to learn more!!

Why bring this up now? Well, today I suddenly realized the smell of my armpits was - a pleasant nutty flavour!! /please don't faint! I was checking if I need to wash or not! LOL/ - as in 'walnut' flavour... that is!! ROFL
& I wondered, What caused it? (So I can do it again!)

So I did some Googling!
"Body odor can be eliminated through a change in diet" by Mike Adams: "what comes out of your body reflects what you put in. Body odor is something that's strongly affected by what's being emitted by your sweat glands."
"Sweating is good for you." ;) Of course we knew that already!
Interesting take on what causes unpleasant body odor: "The real cause of armpit odor is the intentional excretion of horrible toxins that your body is trying to get rid of."
"The way to eliminate body odor, then, is not to mask it with unhealthful deodorant products, but rather to clean up your body from the inside out. In other words, if your armpits have a horrible raunchy smell, that's an indication your diet needs some adjusting." - Have I finally reacehed an optimum-level diet then? WOW!! ^{*So what did I eat yesterday?*}
(If only my back didn't hurt this morning! Though I suspect sitting behind the PC too much yesterday as the chief 'culprit'!)

Rather than saying which foods make you smell great, here's "Foods that make you stink"(?): red meat & processed foods, largely! (white flour & sugar, etc.) 
"When you eliminate these from your diet and shift to a 100% healthful diet made of whole grains, massive quantities of leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, soy products, supergreens, lots of sprouts, raw nuts and seeds, healthy oils and other similar healthful ingredients, your body odor will all but disappear in a matter of weeks.

That's because a plant-based diet is an internal deodorizer. It's true: the chlorophyll and other phytonutrients will cleanse you from the inside out. Some of the best foods for that include parsley, cilantro, celery and all mint species. The aromatic herbs are also excellent: sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and so on." 

He says you can tell how healthy your body is through body odor ("for hundreds of years physicians actually tasted the urine of their patients and were able to make 'astoundingly precise' medical diagnoses by taste analysis alone" - as properly trained dogs can smell bladder cancer! & apparently dogs can smell cancer on your breath too-?) - so smell your armpits & see how healthy you are! LOL

The whole article is REALLY worth reading!! (if somewhat gross in the last section - but I warned you!;).

I remember going around in wooly pullovers with no deodorizer whatsoever (if I remember it right) in my 1st year at the Uni, & not sweating at all... Fact is, I was pretty much 100% vegetarian then... At least for a while..
& true, as I started reintroducing meat into my diet, the 'need' for deodorizers grew.. Only I never linked the two together!! (I just thought I was more picky to what I smelled like, or more cosmetics-conscious in general! & wearing different clothes - tight-fitting cotton shows sweat stains much more quickly than loose-fitting garments or eg wooly pullovers! & I gained weight - about 5 kg - & assumed this was partly the reason too!) 

He does warn people of milk products too... Which I'm not so sure of...(?) He says "things that make you stink are the same things that make you unhealthy, namely, milk, cheese, meat, animal fats and refined carbohydrate products like white flour. Animal products are the most offensive dietary sources of internal stink by far, and milk products produce the greatest funk of all." I'm not so sure about the milk, but feel free to experiment! (I eat only a bit of yoghurt now & then & some milk/cream in other dishes, milk as such is not friends with my tummy! I did stop eating cheese lately too.. hmm..)

Very scary: "There is no requirement that chemicals used in deodorant products have to be proven safe for humans, by the way."

 "In terms of nutritional supplements, the best "cleaning" supplements that can reduce your body odor are chlorella and parsley. The culinary spice cilantro also does a great job. Chlorophyll works wonders for cleaning your blood of toxins. But none of these can completely counteract the metabolic byproducts of consuming animal products." The Vietcong could *smell* Americans in Vietnam!? OoO 

I'm still not completely sure it's a good idea to avoid all animal product altogether - I vaguely remember a case of a pleasant fruity smell if one goes to the toilet meaning bad things (for fruit-eating raw-vegans mainly, if I remember it right...) - but it all certainly gives one food for thought! 

This is the Google search with more fascinating & helpful articles! http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=body+odor+from+foods&meta= & http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=changing+body+odor+with+foods&meta= (a bit more stuff here!)

*What I ate yesterday: Oh, I know! Lots of baked millet with raisins & cinnamon & lots of chicory salad! But with egg & some milk/cream too! & some rice & pumpkins! & 1/2 an apple. And today I ate polenta with eggplant & some chilli, & salad again! I thought the Chilli had something to do with it!* LOL  Somebody said on Yahoo Answers they like the smell of cinnamon & apple on people! ;)

http://www.longhairloom.com/stylingstationcentral.html

& yet more here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22 ('Articles' section of the LonghairForums!)

I actually like the concept of this: people linking together, doing green & wonderful things! http://generous.org.uk

The site itself doesn't inspire me much. The graphics, lack of pictures... hmm.. You can upload avatars, but most people just don't do it!-?
You can see what everyone is doing, & focusing on - but there is no sense of accomplishment like on 43things - where you click DONE!!WORTH DOING!! & still can keep track of the goals!

If they used some different colors & graphics, & came closer to 43things way of doing it, this could truly be excellent! As for now - slightly uninspiring!
(I may try their pasta way when I dare to eat it again! - Just bring pasta to boiling & turn fire off. It will cook eventually! Wondering if it works with brown rice too...
We've done a variant of this - turn off when 'cooked', leave to 'overcook' as Granny & our family, sadly, like it!)
http://generous.org.uk/actions/planetary/106/perfect-your-pasta#comment-1350
(Interesting to do it with ironing too! Start with things that need hottest iron, then turn off & go down from that!)

Last comment: "One of the Mennonite cook books has a method of cooking in a box. The idea is get the pan going then place in a box and wrap with a blanket. That allows the cooking process to continue they say. Not tried myself but interesting." interesting indeed!!

And what is a Mennonite cook book? http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=mennonite+cookbook&meta=

& I was inspired to do this search too: http://www.google.si/search?hl=sl&q=consume+less&meta=